Human Clan Defender

The Barbarian Clan retreated, granting the Black Tiger Army a temporary chance to catch their breath. Chu Ding had anticipated this. The Barbarian Clan's invasion into the Great Wilderness Prefecture was not for a mere Jincheng, but to capture a much broader territory. A million Barbarians might seem like a large number, but for Great Qin, it was not an unconquerable force. If they were to lose tens of thousands of Barbarians before Jincheng, it would clearly not be in the Barbarian Clan's interests. Therefore, a brief period of reorganization was essential. The real decisive battle would only begin when the Barbarian Clan finished reorganizing and launched another round of attacks.

"Have all the wounded retreat and get properly bandaged. Notify the Fire Head Army to prepare food; ensure everyone's stamina is promptly replenished. Meanwhile, arrange for those who have finished resting to stand guard on the city walls and watch for Barbarian Clan surprise attacks. Also, clean up the battlefield," Chu Ding ordered calmly.

Immediately, all the Black Tiger Army began clearing the corpses from the city walls. If it was the body of a compatriot, it was moved aside; if it was an enemy soldier, it was thrown directly down from the city walls. In fifteen to thirty minutes, the bodies piled up on the city walls were all cleared. But the congealed bloodstains could not be erased. Mottled bloodstains covered the area, and a strong stench of blood wafted from them. Following that, the guard on the city wall was changed.

「In Jincheng, within the camp of the Black Tiger Army.」

Chu Ding was bare-chested, allowing others to bandage the wounds on his body. His blood-soaked iron armor lay carelessly discarded to one side. Below him sat the people who currently held decision-making power in Jincheng: the County Magistrate Nie Xu, the Heavenly Inspection Guard Affairs Zhong Chi, and several Chiliarchs of the Black Tiger Army. Originally, among the twelve thousand Black Tiger Army, there were about a dozen Chiliarchs. Unfortunately, several had died at the hands of the Barbarian Clan in the previous battle, leaving less than half. Although Martial Artists in the Pulse Condensation Realm were powerful, in the chaos of war, they were only somewhat stronger than ordinary people. Fatalities were an all too common occurrence.

The atmosphere in the camp was currently very tense.

"What are our casualties?" Chu Ding looked towards the few Chiliarchs and asked calmly.

As he finished speaking, the scene became somewhat quieter. After a long moment, Wen Ce cupped his hands and replied, "Reporting to the General, our army has a total of two thousand one hundred twenty-five dead and three thousand seven hundred thirty-two wounded!"

WHEW!

Once Wen Ce finished speaking, someone let out a long breath. Of the twelve thousand Black Tiger Army, now only a little over six thousand remained unharmed. In other words, the night's battle had left the Black Tiger Army practically crippled.

Chu Ding's expression seemed to darken slightly, but he quickly returned to normal. "Is there any count of enemy casualties?"

"There's no way to count them at the moment. However, based on my experience and the situation on the battlefield, the Barbarian Clan's casualties are at least one to two times ours," Wen Ce shook his head. With the war not yet over, it was simply impossible to gather such data. But his experience allowed him to generally estimate the extent of the Barbarian Clan's losses.

"So that means, out of the one hundred twenty thousand Barbarians, not counting the wounded, at most only about five percent were lost, while our forces suffered nearly thirty percent losses. This battle was truly difficult," Chu Ding sighed. Thirty percent against five percent—the difference was immense. Moreover, the greater the disparity in numbers between the two sides, the larger the casualty ratio would become.

Nie Xu's expression was somber. "It's only been half a day, and Jincheng's losses are already so great. Forget holding out for two days; I fear we may not even be able to withstand the Barbarian Clan's next attack."

"It would be normal if we couldn't," Zhong Chi stated, much calmer compared to Nie Xu's gravity. The current situation was already within his expectations. The Heavenly Inspection Guard's main duty was to gather intelligence, and Zhong Chi had a clear assessment of both armies' strengths. Jincheng stood no chance against the Barbarian Clan Army. That was why he had proposed evacuating the civilians early on, to prevent excessive casualties when Jincheng inevitably fell. "The only questions now are how long Jincheng can hold out, and—whether General Chu has planned an escape route!"

In Zhong Chi's view, though the Black Tiger Army was staunchly defending Jincheng, it didn't necessarily mean they would fight to the last soldier. The specifics depended on Chu Ding's decision. As a member of the Heavenly Inspection Guard, staying to help in the fight was already beyond the call of duty. However, if the city were truly breached, he might not stay to share Jincheng's fate. Fight when it's time to fight. Leave when it's time to leave. But since Jincheng hadn't reached its final moment, Zhong Chi wouldn't actually leave just yet.

Hearing this, Chu Ding's expression remained unchanged as he said lightly, "In half a day, the evacuating civilians haven't gotten far. If Jincheng is breached and the Barbarian Clan Army pursues them, they will surely face a dead end. If the Barbarians are resting now, we should have about two to four hours of peace. The rest is to defend the city to the death, buying some time for Great Wilderness Prefecture and those retreating civilians."

"There are many corpses outside the city, and Jincheng's walls aren't high. If too many die, the Barbarian Clan could easily scale the walls by piling up bodies. What should we do then?" a Chiliarch asked in a deep voice.

After he finished speaking, Chu Ding spoke. "Don't forget, our main objective is to delay, not to stubbornly defend one section of the wall. If the Barbarian Clan's assault truly becomes overwhelming, then let them in. With our familiarity with Jincheng's terrain, we can still maneuver against them."

Let the Barbarian Clan into the city! Hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned. The next moment, some understood.

"That's right! The terrain inside Jincheng is complex. If we really let the Barbarian Clan in, their cavalry will struggle to be effective. Then, using our familiarity with the terrain, we could indeed delay them for some more time," Nie Xu nodded in agreement. He hadn't considered letting the Barbarian Clan into the city before. It was only after Chu Ding spoke that he realized it. Indeed. If the city walls truly couldn't be held, then there was no need to waste more time defending them. Letting the Barbarian Clan into the city was actually a sound strategy.

"Of course, if we can hold off the Barbarian Clan outside Jincheng, then we should. Only when it's no longer feasible should we let them in. If we do that, even if Jincheng doesn't end up in ruins, it will suffer considerable damage," Chu Ding added.

"Whether Jincheng is damaged or not is a minor issue," Nie Xu shook his head.

While they were discussing and planning, the Barbarian Clan Army had already set up camp around Jincheng and begun to cook.

「In the central command tent.」

BANG!!

A loud noise erupted as a silver goblet was slammed onto the ground. Mairba's face was flushed with intense anger. "Useless! All of you are useless! An army of one hundred and twenty thousand, yet blocked by twelve thousand from the Black Tiger Army! The Barbarian Clan has always been brave and formidable! How did we become like this?!" Mairba roared in fury.

The Barbarian Clan generals below all kept their heads down, not daring to respond. To his left, the Barbarian Clan Priest sat cross-legged, his bone scepter lying across his lap, eyes closed in meditation, completely indifferent to Mairba's outburst.

Seeing this, a flicker of displeasure crossed Mairba's eyes, though it vanished quickly. However, he didn't direct his anger at the Priest, instead turning it towards the generals below him. "Tell me, how long will you need to break through Jincheng?" After venting much of his anger, Mairba's tone became much calmer.

Hearing this, a Barbarian Clan general swallowed hard, hesitantly looking up at Mairba, and replied with a cupped fist salute, "Reporting to my lord, the Black Tiger Army has already suffered heavy losses in the previous siege. Once our army has rested, the next assault will surely take Jincheng!"

"Indeed. Although the Black Tiger Army fights fiercely and without fear of death, their numbers are limited and now significantly depleted. Once we recover our strength, they will have no chance of resisting," the other Barbarian Clan generals chimed in, nodding in agreement.

"Good!" Mairba nodded, his indifferent gaze sweeping over them. "Then I will give you one more chance. Our army will rest for three hours. After everyone has eaten and drunk their fill, we will begin a new round of attacks. If you still haven't broken through Jincheng by then, you will bring me your heads!"

"Yes!" Everyone's heart trembled, and they hurriedly nodded.

"You may leave!" Mairba waved his hand, and the other Barbarian Clan generals departed the tent as if granted a pardon.

Subsequently, he looked at the Barbarian Clan Priest, who sat to the side with eyes closed, not speaking. "Priest, in your opinion, how long will it take for our army to break through Jincheng?"

The Barbarian Clan Priest smiled faintly, offering a somewhat non-committal reply, "Jincheng is already a spent force; its fall is imminent."

Hearing this, Mairba asked no more.

They set up camp and began to cook, and the scene temporarily calmed.

"Elder Fang, now that a night has passed, have you managed to prepare a suitable poison to deal with the Barbarian Clan?" Chu Ding summoned Fang Xue once again. With the Barbarian Clan now cooking, it was obviously the perfect opportunity to use poison.

Fang Xue's expression was stiff. He bowed his head with fists cupped and said, "I have failed the General's trust. I still haven't been able to concoct a suitable poison!"

"You have no solution at all?"

"The necessary materials in Jincheng are incomplete. Even if my skills in poisoncraft were unparalleled, I cannot prepare the potent toxin you desire under these circumstances. I have failed the General's trust; I beg your forgiveness!" Fang Xue replied solemnly. He was also worried that his failure to complete the task would lead Chu Ding to execute him in anger. With the two armies at war, killing one person would make little difference. Even at other times, if the Black Tiger Army killed him, the Golden Toad Sect wouldn't dare say much.

However, the anger Fang Xue had anticipated did not materialize. Chu Ding simply waved his hand. "Since Elder Fang has not been able to prepare a potent poison, then let it be. You've worked hard. You may go and rest."

"This Fang takes his leave!" Fang Xue, sighing in relief internally, bowed and withdrew.

In the tent, Chu Ding's expression was somewhat regretful. Although he hadn't placed much hope in Fang Xue, reaching this point still brought a sense of pity. Without a suitable potent poison, there was no way to weaken the Barbarian Clan's strength. In that case, they could only fight head-on.