Zhang Yan was stunned by the scene before him, and the other Generals were also utterly shocked.
He Man said, "This crossbow is very strange; it can fire consecutively without needing to reload arrows!"
"Impossible," Xiahou Bo said. "How could there be a bow or crossbow that can fire without reloading arrows? There must be some mechanism inside this crossbow that allows it to load several arrows at once. Although this crossbow can fire consecutively, the arrows will eventually run out. We have many people, so what is there to fear from him!"
As soon as he said this, Zhang Yan immediately felt relieved.
That's right, there were only twenty thousand troops in Yingtao County, while he had an army of one hundred thousand. Was he still afraid of failing to take down a small Yingtao County?
Just relying on these few strange bows and crossbows, and these defending Soldiers, to try and stop his advance was simply wishful thinking!
Zhang Yan immediately ordered, "Pass down the command! Assemble three thousand shieldbearers to cover the battering rams and siege ladders! Archers, keep firing arrows at the city wall!"
With a command from Zhang Yan, several thousand well-equipped Soldiers, all wearing fine armor and holding large shields, stepped out from the army formation behind him.
Qu Yi on the city wall saw this and couldn't help but feel enraged. He saw that the equipment on those bandit Soldiers was precisely the standard issue from the imperial court. He thought, those must have been military supplies resold by Xin Lin and others!
Qu Yi shouted loudly, "Shameless bandits! Colluding with others, privately buying imperial court military supplies, and today you dare to be so presumptuous in front of the two armies!"
"Hmph! Qu Yi, you can only blame the insatiable greed of your Ji Province officials, who only seek private gain and disregard the peace and tranquility of Ji Province! You cannot blame me!" Zhang Yan shouted. "Today, this Commander will see just how powerful your bows and crossbows can be! Attack!"
Zhang Yan roared, and the shieldbearers in front charged even more vigorously. These individuals were all strong and powerful, holding up large shields with ease.
"Fire arrows! Fire arrows!"
Qu Yi shouted loudly, and countless arrows rained down again.
Large shields provided more thorough protection than round shields. Although the arrow rain was fierce, most of it was still blocked. After several rounds, only a little over a hundred people were injured or killed.
Soon, under the cover of the shieldbearers, a large number of Soldiers regained control of the battering rams and siege ladders and slowly pushed the siege equipment towards the city wall again.
"Hahahahaha!" Seeing this situation, Zhang Yan was overjoyed.
Indeed, relying solely on a powerful bow or crossbow was not enough to sway the outcome of the battle.
However, that bow and crossbow were indeed powerful. He saw clearly that the Soldiers on the city wall had fired ten rounds before reloading arrows!
Ten arrows per crossbow!
In Zhang Yan's knowledge, there was no bow or crossbow in the world that could achieve this.
But it didn't matter. Once the city was broken, he would capture a few of them. With this item, reviving the Yellow Heaven Great Cause in the future would be like adding wings to a tiger!
Just as Zhang Yan was feeling smug, a Soldier hurried up to the city tower and whispered a few words to Qu Yi.
Qu Yi smiled slightly and then walked to the war drum on the city tower.
At this moment, inside the South Gate of Yingtao County, Zhang Chen, wearing golden scale armor and holding the Xuan Tie Si Leng Qiang (Black Iron Four Edged Spear), sat on the Jueying (Shadowless), ready for battle.
Behind him were rows of Halberdiers wearing Willow Leaf Armor and holding long sabers and large shields!
Beside him, Gao Shun was also fully armored, holding a large saber, and sitting on his horse.
This scene couldn't help but remind him of when he and Gao Shun, leading the Trapped Camp which at that time only had seven hundred Soldiers, annihilated the bandit camps in Guangping County!
In that battle, three thousand bandits were routed. Now, the Trapped Camp has over three thousand men, and their armor and equipment are all excellent. What is there to fear from him?
Today, the "Trapped Camp" must become famous and renowned throughout the world!
Zhang Chen looked at Gao Shun and said, "Xiaofu, the bandit army is powerful. Merely defending is by no means the best strategy. Let us charge out of the city together and let these bandits see the might of our Halberdiers!"
Upon hearing this, Gao Shun immediately shouted, "I am willing to follow my Lord!"
"We are willing to follow our Lord!"
"We are willing to follow our Lord!"
...
The shouts of the three thousand Halberdiers behind them shook the heavens.
"Soldiers, behind this gate are one hundred thousand Black Mountain Bandits! They have invaded our homes, plundered our wealth, and killed our people! They are unforgivable! Soldiers, what should we do!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Charge into the fray, advance fearlessly! Let them see the military might of our Jizhou Army! Open—the—city—gate!!!"
Zhang Chen roared, and the city gate slowly opened.
The bandit army outside the city was momentarily stunned, not expecting the city gate to open by itself before they had even attacked!
Zhang Yan looked from afar and was startled, but then he was overjoyed.
With the city gate open, someone in the city must have feared battle and wanted to surrender.
If so, it would be best to avoid a conflict.
But soon, the joy on his face abruptly stopped.
He clearly saw a unit of infantry charging out of the city, fiercely hacking and slashing at his Soldiers!
Those infantry Soldiers wore strangely styled armor, held a peculiar long saber about ten feet long in one hand, and a large shield in the other. They charged into the crowd, slaughtering indiscriminately.
When that saber struck down, an entire person could be cut in half!
Zhang Yan's pupils couldn't help but constrict. What kind of unit was this? Why were they so powerful?
"Zhang Yan! Do you still recognize this official?"
A stern shout rang out, bringing Zhang Yan back to his senses. The next moment, a familiar face appeared on the battlefield, instantly adding a few more traces of shock and resentment to his gaze!
Zhang Chen! How could he be here?
Shouldn't he be in Ye City, waiting to marry Miss Zhen?
Could it be that his plan had been seen through long ago?
No! Impossible! The plan to act on the second day of the second lunar month was only known to himself and the Holy Maiden. Even if Zhang Chen had heaven-reaching abilities, how could he possibly know?
Could it be that someone highly skilled was assisting him in his camp?
"Zhang Yan, you do not understand the will of heaven and have gathered a crowd to cause chaos. Today you have fallen into the hands of this official. Why do you not surrender quickly? What are you waiting for!"
"Hmph! Zhang Chen, you killed my sworn brother that day. Today, I will make you pay for that blood debt!"
Zhang Yan shouted, urged his horse forward, and brought his saber down towards Zhang Chen.
"Clang!"
Zhang Chen's Xuan Tie Si Leng Qiang (Black Iron Four Edged Spear) blocked the force of Zhang Yan's attack.
But Zhang Chen couldn't help but be shocked in his heart. The power of this saber strike was not to be underestimated; it felt similar to the feeling he had when facing Guan Yu that day.
While the two were locked in a stalemate, Zhang Chen also activated his "Insight Eye" to observe the opponent's information.
【Name: Zhang Yan】
【Possessed Traits: Peerless Swordsmanship (Red), Flying Swallow Soaring Sky (Gold), Upper Divine Envoy (Gold), Black Mountain Commander (Gold), Da Fang Qu Shuai (Purple)】
【Peerless Swordsmanship (Red)】: Your swordsmanship has reached a profound realm, unmatched in the world. (Greatly increases the power of swordsmanship, possesses the exclusive swordsmanship "Flying Swallow Swordsmanship")
【Upper Divine Envoy (Gold)】: You are the "Upper Divine Envoy", holding a status second only to the Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Generals among the Yellow Turban followers, enjoying supreme status and absolute prestige among them! (Leads Yellow Turban followers, greatly increases troop attack, defense, and morale)
No wonder the feeling was different from before. After not seeing him for many days, he had actually improved his realm!