Human Clan Defender

The tiger howled, the leopard roared!

Upon hearing this sound, the expressions of both Zhong Chi and Nie Xu changed drastically.

The Barbarian Clan has come!

The two of them realized it immediately.

Without waiting for them to speak, the defending soldiers on the city wall had already sent out a signal.

WHOOSH!

A flaming arrow soared into the sky, then exploded in mid-air, its brilliant colors resembling some sort of celebration.

At the moment the firework bloomed, all the Black Tiger Army soldiers in Jincheng looked up at the sky, just in time to see the lingering light fall.

"Enemy attack!"

"Barbarian attack, everyone get ready!"

"Set up the ballistae! Hold the city gates!"

Orders were issued methodically, and all the Black Tiger Army soldiers sprang into action.

First, Black Tiger Army soldiers with shields stepped forward. The archers carrying longbows retreated two steps to make room, then unslung their bows, ready for the next command.

「Inside the command tent.」

The moment the signal was sent, Chu Ding walked out.

The others in the tent followed close behind him.

"The tiger roars and the leopard howls; the Barbarian Clan is already here. Judging from the sound, it definitely came from the south gate. However, the Barbarian Clan Army will certainly not attack only the south gate. You must quickly head to the other three gates and prepare for defense. We do not seek merit but aim for no errors. We absolutely cannot allow the Barbarian Clan to breach the city."

"This general obeys!"

The officers accepted their commands and headed straight for the other three city gates.

「Outside the city.」

The Barbarian Clan Army was less than 20 miles from Jincheng, the city walls already looming before them.

"Lord Mairba, should we launch a direct attack, or set up camp first?" a Barbarian general riding a ferocious tiger asked Mairba, bowing his head.

Mairba gazed forward, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"The Qin People once said, 'The first charge is filled with the spirit of a tiger; by the second, this spirit wanes, and by the third, it is exhausted.' Jincheng has only 12,000 defenders. How could they possibly warrant our grand army halting its advance? If even a minor city like Jincheng forces our grand army to stop, how can our clan ever hope to conquer the lands of the Great Qin Nation!"

"So—"

"Relay my order! The army will not rest! Attack the city with full force immediately! I want to display our might from the very start! Even if we cannot breach Jincheng, we will shatter their morale!"

Hearing this, the Barbarian general acknowledged the order.

"This general obeys!"

As the general departed, Mairba took an unfamiliar beast horn from his waist and blew into it with all his might.

HOOOOOOOOORN—

The deep, resonant sound carried for many miles around, completely drowning out all other noises.

Instantly, upon hearing the horn, all the Barbarians felt the blood boil in their veins, and the tigers and leopards they rode grew immensely agitated.

AWOOO! ROAR!

The collective roars of the beasts shook the heavens and the earth.

Soon after, the horde of beasts quickened their pace, charging toward Jincheng.

As they neared Jincheng, the Barbarians, undeterred by the jolting ride on their tiger and leopard mounts, drew their bows and loosed arrows toward the city walls.

"Raise shields!" Wen Ce roared.

All the Black Tiger Army soldiers raised their shields in an instant, standing like a wall of steel.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Arrows sliced through the air and struck the iron shields, producing brief sparks before falling harmlessly to the ground.

After several volleys of arrows, the Barbarian Clan was now less than ten zhang from Jincheng.

Seeing this, some Black Tiger Army soldiers maintained their shield wall, while others behind them began to arc arrows over their comrades.

A dense volley of arrows soared into the sky, then plunged rapidly toward the enemy below.

The arrows were sharp, and their shafts were crafted to be quite heavy. Combined with the speed of their descent, their impact was nearly as formidable as a direct shot.

Instantly, many Barbarians were struck. They screamed as they fell, only to be trampled into pulp by the iron-hoofed mounts charging from behind.

During the exchange of volleys, an occasional arrow would slip past the shields and strike a Black Tiger Army soldier.

SWISH—

His sword flashing from its sheath at his waist, Wen Ce moved like lightning, deflecting several oncoming arrows in less than the space of a breath.

Gazing down at the relentlessly advancing Barbarian Clan Army, his expression was like ice.

"Fire!"

At his command, another volley of arrows took flight.

The Black Tiger Army held the advantage of the city walls and, as Great Qin's elite, were far superior to ordinary soldiers. However, the Barbarians were also formidable and possessed a significant numerical advantage.

After several exchanges of arrow fire, neither side had gained a clear advantage.

Meanwhile, the vanguard of tiger and leopard cavalry had dispersed. Many heavily armored Barbarians advanced, carrying siege ladders, which they immediately placed against the city walls.

One by one, Barbarians began to climb.

Shields were lowered, longbows stowed.

The Black Tiger Army soldiers all gripped their spears tightly, thrusting continuously to impale Barbarians attempting to scale the walls.

Simultaneously, some soldiers heaved large rocks, smashing them down onto the Barbarians below and crushing their skulls. Others strained to push the ladders away, but with numerous Barbarians bracing them from below, it was not so easily done.

However, some ladders were successfully toppled. These falling ladders injured many Barbarians. Some unlucky Barbarians were crushed to death by them.

The battle unfolded rapidly. Almost from the first clash, both sides erupted into brutal combat.

The Barbarians' assault was ferocious, but the Black Tiger Army was no less tenacious.

For a short time, neither side held any distinct advantage.

SHING—

A Barbarian who had luckily scrambled onto the city wall had no time to catch his breath. He saw a cold glint flash before his eyes, and in the next instant, felt a chill on his throat. Blood spurted out as his body slumped lifelessly to the ground.

The attacker was Nie Xu, clad in armor.

Nie Xu now showed no trace of his usual scholarly demeanor. Though his armor was unstained, the longsword in his hand dripped with blood.

That's the third one!

I never thought I'd actually see combat!

This County Magistrate of Jincheng shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. He was no ordinary scholar. During his earlier travels in the Jianghu, he had practiced some Martial Arts and possessed a few skills for self-preservation. It was just that his talent in the Martial Dao was lacking, so he hadn't achieved much in his Martial Arts cultivation.

Even so, Nie Xu was still a Martial Artist at the Body Tempering Realm. He had particularly unique insights into Swordsmanship. Ordinary Barbarians were no match for him.

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed through the air.

Nie Xu's heart leaped. Just as he raised his sword to block the arrow, a powerful force struck the blade, knocking it aside. The arrow, its momentum barely lessened, slammed into his body.

CLANG!!

Nie Xu was thrown back two steps by the powerful impact, his breath catching in his throat.

It took a long moment for him to recover. Looking down at the slightly dented breastplate of his armor, he was filled with relief.

Fortunately!

He had borrowed this suit of armor from the Black Tiger Army before the battle began. Otherwise, that last arrow would have surely killed him.

The Black Tiger Army's armor differed from that of other military units. This iron armor protected most vital areas, which naturally made it much heavier than common armor. Only because the elite soldiers of the Black Tiger Army possessed formidable physical strength could they wear such heavy iron armor. Otherwise, for an ordinary soldier, never mind fighting, just moving freely in such armor would be a considerable feat.

"Lord Nie, are you alright?" a concerned voice sounded beside him.

Nie Xu turned his head and saw Zhong Chi cut down a Barbarian.

"'I'm fine, it's not fatal,' he replied."

"'It's best if it's not fatal. The city wall is dangerous, Lord Nie. You are, after all, a scholar. I think it would be best for you to go down.'"

"'The mere Barbarian Clan? Do they think they can make this official retreat?!'" Nie Xu sneered. With a sudden dash forward, his longsword arced out, instantly beheading a Barbarian who had just poked his head up. Blood sprayed, splattering onto his armor.

What excellent Swordsmanship! Zhong Chi witnessed this display firsthand.

"'If Lord Nie were not an official but a wanderer in the Jianghu, you would surely become a renowned swordsman one day,' Zhong Chi remarked."

As soon as he finished speaking, another Barbarian clambered onto the wall. Zhong Chi wasted no words and cut him down immediately.

As a Martial Artist in the Pulse Condensation Realm, his strength was far beyond that of ordinary individuals.

At this point, his status as a Steward of the Heavenly Inspection Guard Affairs was no longer important.

The Barbarian Clan was assaulting the city. There were only two possible outcomes: either they held the city until reinforcements from the Imperial Court arrived, or the city would fall, and all within would perish.

No one wanted to die; Zhong Chi was no exception. Not wanting to die, he had to assist the Black Tiger Army in defending the city.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

The earth quaked.

Giant Apes, two to three zhang tall, emerged from the darkness, striding towards the city wall.

"'Those are Great Strength Apes! Ready the ballistae!'" Wen Ce's expression changed the instant he saw the Giant Apes.

He was all too familiar with the Great Strength Apes; they were among the Barbarian Clan's most potent siege weapons. In terms of overall combat prowess, they were generally comparable to Martial Artists of the Pulse Condensation Realm, but in sheer physical strength, they were no weaker than Innate Martial Artists. Moreover, Great Strength Apes possessed thick, tough hides, impervious to ordinary attacks. The appearance of such behemoths on the battlefield heralded nothing less than a bloodbath.

At his command, the ballistae already positioned on the city walls aimed at the approaching Great Strength Apes. Loaded with specially crafted bolts, they were fired with ferocious power.

TWANG!!

The massive bolts instantly tore through the air, speeding towards a Great Strength Ape.

THWACK—

The Great Strength Ape had just extended its palm, attempting to catch the incoming bolt, but it grasped only air. The bolt pierced through its hand and plunged deep into its chest. The sharp arrowhead, backed by immense force, instantly tore through the Great Strength Ape's tough hide.

Blood gushed forth.

With a roar of unwilling fury, the Great Strength Ape crashed to the ground. Its massive body, two to three zhang tall, slammed into the ground, crushing several more Barbarians in its fall.

Though one Great Strength Ape had fallen, Wen Ce felt no elation. More of these beasts were emerging from the Barbarian Clan's ranks, charging towards the city wall.

Instantly, the ferocity of the battle escalated to another level.