Volume One, Chapter 12: Arrows Soar Skyward, A Thousand Arrows Unleashed!

The trebuchets had a maximum range of only 300 meters. Yet now, their cavalry was more than 600 meters from Suiye City—how could they possibly be hit? And how could the power of those trebuchets be so overwhelming?

Boom!

While Tuoba Liesun was still stunned and puzzled, the next volley of stones came crashing down with deafening blasts. Some stones bounced and rolled forward, crushing everything in their path. The Xiongnu cavalry was knocked off balance, unable to evade the onslaught.

The once tightly ordered charge dissolved into chaos—a scene of wailing and frantic flight everywhere. Furious beyond control, Tuoba Liesun shouted, “Order a full retreat!”

The command was given.

Terrified beyond measure, the Xiongnu horsemen had no hesitation; they fled headlong toward their camp, abandoning their helmets and armor. Their once indomitable spirit was shattered utterly by the flying boulders, leaving only fear of death and a profound sense of helplessness behind.

"Damn it!" Tuoba Liesun’s rage surged like a wildfire. He had believed that the Xiongnu’s famed cavalry charge, rapidly closing in on the city walls, would seize the city in an instant. Yet, after just one engagement, they had lost over ten thousand riders.

“Who can tell me when the Northern Army acquired such terrifying trebuchets?” Tuoba Liesun scanned his surroundings, demanding answers. But all lowered their heads, silent. Perhaps none knew where these dreadful machines had come from, or perhaps the sheer power they had just witnessed had cowed them into silence.

Just as Tuoba Liesun’s anger reached its peak, an officer stepped forward. Standing about five feet seven or eight inches tall, not particularly imposing but exuding a sharp vigor, he respectfully said, “Your Highness, Left Virtuous King, while the Northern trebuchets have long range and great power, their reload speed is slow. We can take advantage of this and force our way through. Once we break past their attack range, we’ll be safe.”

Tuoba Liesun furrowed his thick brows, the fury on his rugged face undiminished. After a moment’s thought, finding no better plan, he nodded. “Very well, you will lead the vanguard with thirty thousand cavalrymen to charge forward!”

The officer was momentarily stunned, fear flickering deep in his eyes. As a mid-level commander of the Xiongnu, he had never imagined being sent as a death-bound spearhead.

Though unwilling, sensing the oppressive anger radiating from Tuoba Liesun, he dared not protest. “Your order is my command!”

Meanwhile, atop the walls of Suiye City, the Northern Army rejoiced upon seeing the Xiongnu cavalry retreating in disarray with heavy losses.

“Your Highness, these trebuchets are unbelievably powerful!” Meng Jun couldn’t help but marvel.

Though he had heard the thunderous blasts from the trebuchet launches a few nights prior, the actual battlefield devastation was far more terrifying.

Qin Feng smiled faintly and reminded, “The Xiongnu will not give up after a single defeat. We must remain vigilant.”

At that moment, Li Xiuyuan spotted the Xiongnu preparing to charge again. His eyes gleamed with hope. “Your Highness, they’re coming again. Let the archery battalion handle this one!”

“No need to rush,” Qin Feng waved a hand. “Prepare the trebuchets. Launch in sequence as soon as the Xiongnu enter range.”

Meng Jun’s sharp eyes measured the distance between the enemy and the city wall. After a brief pause, he ordered, “Trebuchets, fire!”

Instantly, a hundred trebuchets launched stones one after another. The missiles tore through the sky, glinting dazzlingly under the blazing sun. The Xiongnu horsemen, unable to see clearly, were struck with explosive force.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The deafening explosions scattered jagged rocks everywhere, some piercing horse bellies, spewing blood into the air.

The Xiongnu vanguard officer was filled with terror. Ignoring the deaths of comrades beside him, he spurred his mount forward desperately, his sole thought to break through the trebuchet’s lethal range.

“Stop firing the trebuchets!” Qin Feng ordered after two volleys. The Xiongnu had passed the optimal attack zone; further launches would cause little damage and were unnecessary.

Out of the original thirty thousand, barely over ten thousand Xiongnu cavalry remained. Many had lost their horses and, fueled by fury and hatred, sprinted toward the city walls on foot, seemingly intent on venting all their fear in a final assault.

The officer exhaled deeply, raised his curved sword, and shouted, “Xiongnu warriors, charge with me! Storm the city and crush Suiye!”

Unbeknownst to them, the trebuchets obtained through system exchange launched stones that were essentially massive grenades with devastating lethal power. Those struck or even near the blast would die instantly and painlessly.

Dodging the trebuchet stones was not luck—it meant a far worse fate awaited them.

Qin Feng’s lips curled slightly. Calmly, he said, “Li Xiuyuan, it’s your turn.”

“Heh heh, Your Highness, I’ve been eager for this!” Li Xiuyuan grinned wickedly, pulled the Northern Army’s banner from the wall, and let it unfurl in the wind. “Archery battalion, stand ready! Watch my banner—when the tip points upward, arrows to the sky!”

Without hesitation, the first archery squad drew their bows, aiming at a forty-five-degree angle toward the sky.

Li Xiuyuan focused on the Xiongnu cavalry entering their range and decisively commanded, “Release arrows!”

Swish, swish, swish!

Arrows sliced through the air with a piercing whistle.

The first squad finished; the second quickly stepped up, nocked their bows, and fired in turn. Two volleys were completed in the blink of an eye.

A flood of ten thousand arrows erupted like a surging black tide, tracing perfect parabolic arcs into the heavens, like a locust swarm blotting out the sky, bringing death to the Xiongnu cavalry.

The vanguard officer’s face twisted in terror. “No, dodge—”

Before he could finish, a deadly rain of arrows pierced his chest. He fell from his horse, dead instantly.

Arrows tore into the necks and chests of horses, blood spraying like fountains, staining the earth crimson.

Some arrows struck precisely at the Xiongnu riders’ throats. Their eyes widened in horror; hands grasped futilely at the wounds as their bodies toppled backward in silence.

Others were impaled through armor into the chest, writhing in agony on the ground—yet it was of no use.

The Xiongnu formation collapsed instantly.

Panic-stricken, they scattered in all directions, desperate to evade the overwhelming storm of arrows.

But wherever the arrows rained down, men and mounts fell in heaps, the once-mighty charge broken, replaced by a chorus of wails and despair.

Those who barely escaped the arrow massacre dared not linger, fleeing madly toward the rear, praying to survive.

Alas, before they could get far, the heavy city gates thundered open behind them. A roar like thunder rolled out, followed rapidly by the pounding of hooves.

“Full cavalry charge! Crush the fallen dogs! Leave none alive!”