Chapter 163: The Crow's Laughter

Although Yang Weiguo did not possess the supernatural strength of Yang Zaixing, he was still endowed with the might of seven shi. Drawing his bow to the limit, he loosed an arrow that cleaved through the air with a sharp whistle, flying straight toward Fengren Duobaozhong.

Fengren Duobaozhong instinctively ducked to the side. Though he managed to evade the projectile, the Western Xia soldiers surrounding him were not so fortunate; the arrow struck squarely in the chest of a nearby soldier.

"Argh!" the soldier shrieked, but before the cry could fully leave his lips, his breath was cut short, and he perished instantly.

Realizing his first shot had missed, Yang Weiguo felt a twinge of regret and rapidly loosed two more arrows. However, the Western Xia army was now on guard, rendering the remaining two shots ineffective.

"The enemy is over there!" Fengren Qimaili pointed fiercely in the direction from which the arrows had come, preparing to take a squad of soldiers to hunt down the scoundrel who had tried to assassinate his father.

"Zhier, come back!" Fengren Duobaozhong called out, halting his son.

"Father, please grant me permission to lead men and capture that coward who struck from the shadows," Fengren Qimaili pleaded.

Fengren Duobaozhong shook his head. "The enemy is hidden in the dark while we are exposed. Do not act rashly. To launch a blind assault without knowing their numbers is no different from marching to your death."

Hearing his father's words, Fengren Qimaili felt a wave of intense frustration, yet he knew the logic behind them. Even though only a single arrow had been fired at first, if thousands more lay in wait, marching a few hundred men in there would be a one-way trip with no return.

"Are we just going to let this wretch escape like this?" Fengren Qimaili asked bitterly.

"We will investigate once dawn breaks," Fengren Duobaozhong replied. "The enemy is right ahead; they cannot run far."

Fiercely suppressing his anger, Fengren Qimaili relented and hastily ordered his men to tally the casualties.

This brief commotion had somehow resulted in over two thousand casualties among the Western Xia forces. What vexed Fengren Qimaili the most was that despite losing so many men, they had not even caught a glimpse of the enemy.

Everyone swore solemnly that they had seen no sign of the Song army, and that those who had fallen victim to blades around them had simply lost their minds and turned on each other.

After finally calming the jittery soldiers, a pale dawn broke over the eastern horizon. The Western Xia army had spent virtually the entire night awake.

When full daylight arrived, mindful of his troops' exhaustion, Fengren Duobaozhong chose not to press an immediate attack. Instead, he waited until midday before leading his forces right up to the walls of Daan City.

***

Viewed from afar, Daan City lay in absolute stillness.

Indeed, it was quiet—so utterly, unnervingly quiet that it felt chilling.

"Father, it looks as though there is not a soul inside Daan City. It is practically a ghost town," Fengren Qimaili observed.

Fengren Duobaozhong nodded, a frown creasing his brow. "It is passing strange. If there were a hundred thousand enemy troops garrisoned within, it is impossible that there should be not even the slightest sound."

"Whether anyone is inside or not, give me ten thousand men, Father! I am willing to serve as the vanguard and lead the assault on the city," Fengren Qimaili requested.

Fengren Duobaozhong nodded in agreement. "Proceed with caution. At the slightest sign of danger, fall back immediately."

Fengren Qimaili nodded and promised, "Rest assured, Father, your son will shatter these gates in no time!"

With five thousand infantry and five thousand cavalry in tow, Fengren Qimaili marched up to the walls of Daan City and shouted toward the battlements, "Hear me, Song dogs inside the city! You are completely surrounded. If you know what's good for you, open the gates and surrender immediately to be spared further suffering. Otherwise, once the city falls, I will ensure your fates are worse than death!"

......

When Fengren Qimaili finished his tirade, the city walls remained dead silent.

*Caw... caw... caw...*

At that moment, a few crows suddenly circled overhead, occasionally letting out shrill, eerie caws.

A vague sense of foreboding rose in Fengren Qimaili's chest. It was said that crows had two distinct cries: the ordinary call, which was short and steady, and another known colloquially as the crow's laugh, which was rapid and shrill.

While ordinary calls meant nothing, hearing a crow's laugh was considered an ill omen, supposedly occurring only when death was near, as if the birds were gleefully celebrating an impending slaughter.

"Truly an ill-omened nuisance," Fengren Qimaili muttered under his breath. Seeing that the ramparts still offered no response, he gritted his teeth and barked the command, "All forces, charge!"

With a roar, five thousand infantrymen surged forward like a swarm of bees toward the base of Daan City's walls.

Before long, the vanguard had entered within range of the battlements.

***

Tense and watchful, Fengren Qimaili ordered, "Raise shields!"

The soldiers hoisted their heavy shields high, bracing themselves for a sudden downpour of arrows.

Their pace remained cautious, each man terrified of stumbling into a hidden trap laid by the Song army.

Yet, even as they reached the very base of the city walls, not a single arrow descended from above.

Could such a thing truly happen? The soldiers were thoroughly bewildered. Ever since the previous night, their engagement with the Song army had been bizarre beyond measure.

"General, how shall we breach the city?" a nearby aide asked anxiously.

This was Fengren Qimaili's first time encountering such a situation. Even if the Song garrison had fled, surely the common folk wouldn't have vanished as well? As it happened, his earlier guess had been correct: Daan City had indeed been turned into a ghost town.

Approaching the main gate with a detachment of troops, Fengren Qimaili attempted to force it open, only to find it heavily barred from within. Despite throwing his weight against it, the heavy timber panels refused to budge.

"Men, smash this gate open!" Fengren Qimaili ordered.

Dozens of siege troops stepped forward, hoisting a thick battering ram between them, and began to slam it against the gates with resounding thuds.

The heavy wooden bar securing the doors from the inside was thick and sturdy, but it could not withstand the relentless pounding of the Western Xia soldiers. After dozens of violent impacts, the northern gate of Daan City finally gave way and shattered inward.

Yet the moment the gates broke open, every single Western Xia soldier—especially the men holding the battering ram—froze in absolute horror.

For waiting directly behind the shattered frame was not a contingent of defending troops, but a colossal siege crossbow. Named the Jingkang Crossbow by Zhao Heng, its trigger mechanism was automatically tripped the moment the heavy doors were pushed open.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*

A deadly volley of massive iron bolts roared forth from the Jingkang Crossbow, tearing straight into the dense formation of Western Xia troops arrayed before the gate.