Chapter 114: The Fall of the City (Seventh Update)

Li Zhengqi’s guess was correct: Yang Weiguo’s next target was indeed Da’an City. Beyond Da’an lay Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of the Western Xia kingdom.

Yeli Wangrong, along with Crown Prince Li Qingdao, personally led a force of thirty thousand troops to defend the city, preparing to confront this elusive army known as the Flying Feather Army.

“General, scouts report that Da’an City is just ahead,” Ye Qing informed Yang Weiguo.

Yang Weiguo nodded and said, “Issue the order: launch a surprise attack on Da’an City tonight.”

Wang Ping added, “General, news from inside the city states that Western Xia’s King Li Shunqian has dispatched the renowned General Yeli Wangrong and Crown Prince Li Qingdao with thirty thousand troops to defend Da’an. This battle won’t be as easy as the previous ones.”

Yang Weiguo responded, “We’ve also received word from the frontline that General Wu Jie’s forces in Fuping City have been defeated. Only twenty thousand troops managed to break out. Facing the Western Xia’s two hundred thousand-strong army, the pressure on General Wu is immense. We must now exert pressure on the Western Xia court to force their emperor to withdraw his forces. This battle must be a decisive victory—an absolute triumph.”

“Thank you both, generals,” Yang Weiguo said, clasping his fists toward them.

Wang Ping and Ye Qing quickly returned the gesture, saying, “Rest assured, General. We are prepared to sacrifice everything.”

The three conferred for a long time before finally deciding, as usual, to attack the city at night. After many days of experience, the Flying Feather Army had mastered night assaults. Attacking under the cover of darkness would confuse the enemy about their numbers, sowing chaos within their ranks.

At the hour of midnight, when yin energy was at its peak and transitioning to yang, two shadows slipped silently beneath the closed gates of Da’an City, placing two large backpacks there before quietly retreating.

A loud explosion soon shattered the city gate into splinters, as if struck by a thunderbolt.

The Western Xia troops were stunned, bewildered by the sudden destruction of their gate.

More importantly, shouts of battle soon rang out outside. The soldiers, still half-asleep, suddenly realized the enemy was assaulting the city.

They had not expected the war to arrive so abruptly. Hastily donning their armor, they rushed outside only to be met by a volley of crossbow bolts.

They hadn’t even glimpsed the enemy’s form before the defenders were felled.

News reached Crown Prince Li Qingdao, who was roused from sleep, his gaze dazed. “How many enemy troops are there?”

A guard shook his head. “Your Highness, it’s unknown. The enemy has broken through the gate, killed the guards, and is now advancing toward the camp.”

Li Qingdao panicked. “The gate breached so quickly?”

The guard knelt urgently. “For your safety, Your Highness, we must retreat immediately. If we delay—”

He left the threat unsaid, but the meaning was clear: if they failed to escape in time, the prince would be captured, turning the tide of the battle entirely.

Realizing this, Li Qingdao, heir to the Western Xia throne, could not risk capture. He gathered a few loyal followers and hurriedly fled through the northern gate.

His flight shattered any remaining hope of resistance among the Western Xia forces.

If the crown prince fled, defeat was inevitable. Why continue to defend? The thirty thousand troops abandoned the city without engaging the Flying Feather Army, following Li Qingdao’s lead in retreat.

Yeli Wangrong was a renowned general from a prestigious family dating back to the founding of Western Xia by Li Yuanhao. Yet, even he was powerless against the collapse of morale. No words could outweigh the impact of the prince’s desertion.

Wangrong attempted to rally a force to resist, but at night, orders could not be enforced; many soldiers had already fled with the prince. Fewer than ten thousand remained under his command.

Those ten thousand were swiftly wiped out by the Flying Feather Army.

Ancient warfare emphasized coordinated troop formations. Yeli Wangrong had barely regrouped his men when the Flying Feather Army struck—an elite force trained for special operations, valuing individual combat skills and flexibility over massed formations. Their speed caught Wangrong utterly unprepared.

Without any formalities, the attack began with a barrage of crossbow bolts.

The Western Xia soldiers fell in droves.

“Hell’s ghosts have come to reap souls!” someone cried out, shattering the last vestiges of the army’s will to fight.

The Western Xia forces scattered in all directions.

But fleeing was the true beginning of slaughter.

Turning one’s back to the enemy was terrifying. The Flying Feather Army’s speed was unmatched. Had the Western Xia troops been able to regroup, some might have survived, but they could not outrun their pursuers.

Of the thirty thousand Western Xia soldiers, nearly twenty thousand were cut down in this battle. Fewer than ten thousand escaped with Li Qingdao back to the capital, Xingqing Prefecture.

Even Yeli Wangrong was captured.

Yang Weiguo looked at the famed Western Xia general with a smile. “General Yeli, how have you been lately?”

Wangrong, facing these merciless killers, felt the intense killing aura emanating from them. Their aura was that of battle-hardened veterans; each had likely taken dozens of lives.

“Who are you? Why slaughter my country’s soldiers and civilians?” Wangrong demanded, showing no fear despite his capture. He suspected they had spared him to extract information and sought a way to escape.

“You’re the one who’s going to die!” Yang Weiguo gave no chance for reply and, with a single stroke, severed Yeli Wangrong’s head.

Wangrong’s eyes widened in shock, as if the story should not have unfolded this way.