Finest Servant-Chapter 607

Chapter 607 Fall of the City

Outside the city of Kyzil.

Night. Utter darkness and desolation. No light of fire, no sound of hooves. In the distant horizon, it seemed as though a mass of dark clouds was silently drifting closer.

The torches blazing atop the city walls flickered and wavered in the icy prairie night wind, slowly dying out one after another. Of the remaining lamps, only a few remained lit, casting a dim glow over the walls. From the battlements, the furthest one could see was merely a hundred paces away.

As the warriors entered the palace, the festive atmosphere within Kyzil considerably subsided, even though singing and dancing still continued. The ladies had gradually dispersed, and the once-crowded streets grew sparse. However, the Turkic soldiers guarding the city were relishing this rare annual opportunity for celebration. Holding roasted lamb legs in one hand and fermented mare's milk in the other, they danced and sang joyously. On a universally celebrated day like the sheep snatching competition, no one would fault them for letting their guard down.

A tiny speck, like a nail embedded in the wall, remained motionless. From a distance, it resembled a wall-climbing gecko. In the dim light, no one noticed its presence.

Less than half a pace above its head was an opening in the battlements. A torch hung there, barely alive. The scent of mare's milk and the Turks' singing wafted through the wind, filling all of Kyzil with jubilation.

Though the individual combat skills of the Turkic people were indeed extraordinary, what matched their prowess was their lax discipline. The nomadic casualness was evident in their behavior. Kyzil was located deep within the Alxa Prairie, adjacent to the Altai Mountains, effectively making it the safest rear area of the Turkic Khanate. Since its establishment, the Khanate had waged countless battles without ever facing any threat to Kyzil, gradually lulling them into complacency.

Suddenly, the light dimmed as if a gentle breeze had passed, and the torch went out. The gecko-like figure swiftly scaled the wall, soundlessly leaping into the battlement, disappearing into the darkness.

"Damn it, how did it go out again?" A bearded guard, belching from intoxication, grumbled as he approached. Before he could light a match, a quiet snap echoed, and his robust body slowly slumped to the ground.

Gao Qiu took a deep breath, laying the guard's corpse in a dark corner. Almost simultaneously, a few more figures like himself landed silently beside him. A few paces away, four or five Turkic guards were busily chatting and laughing, pointing toward the street, perhaps eyeing some Turkic woman. Beside them was the pathway leading to the guard tower.

Gao Qiu gave a quiet 'heh' and swiftly brandished his shining curved blade. His comrades instantly understood. Several of them lunged forward, darting up like agile cats.

Gao Qiu, the most skilled among them, closed the distance in the blink of an eye. Moving as fast as lightning, he grabbed the throats of two bearded men on either side of him. The other Turkic men beside them were just about to scream when they found they couldn't. Their voices had gone hoarse. Looking down, they saw cold steel against their necks, as fresh blood trickled out from their throats.

Two Great Hua soldiers propped up a few men against the stone walls of the city, their heads drooping as if they were drunk. Guards from another turret glanced over and chuckled, cursing in amusement.

"The mechanism is over there!" The men crouched down and let out a long sigh of relief. One of them, responsible for observation, pointed at a massive wheel above the walls and spoke in a low voice. The mechanism was situated about fifty to sixty yards away, concealed within a round turret. Surrounding it were walls, guarded by dozens of Turkic men. From their appearances, they were clearly the best among the Turks. The heavy city gates of Kyzil relied entirely on this mechanical pulley system for operation.

Counting heads, there were ten Turkic men guarding the mechanism, while they themselves had seven elite brothers. Gao Qiu gave a slight nod, looked at the sky, and was about to give the signal to advance when suddenly a Turkic man yelled out, "Look, what's that?!"

The direction he was pointing towards was outside the city—a massive, dark cloud quietly looming ever closer to Kyzil. From the looks of it, it was only a few miles away. The face of the man quivered slightly, his concern drowned out by the ongoing citywide celebration.

"It's cavalry!" exclaimed a Turkic leader with keen eyesight and extensive battle experience.

Before his words could fully sink in, panicked shouts erupted on the streets of Kyzil: "Run, run, the horses are spooked!"

Two or three Turkic horses, their bodies ablaze with fire, galloped wildly down the street, emitting painful neighs. Several Turkic men didn't even have time to react before being trampled by the crazed horses, their clothes and hair catching fire in an instant, followed by heart-wrenching screams.

The Turkic people on the street finally realized the danger and scurried away, yelling. Though they were excellent horse trainers, who would dare face these fiery, crazed horses?

"Now!" Seizing the moment of the Turkic men's distraction, Hu Bugui swung his arm, and his seven elite men shot out like arrows. The Turkic men guarding the mechanism only heard footsteps behind them; when they turned around, it was too late. Gleaming blades swung down upon their heads.

Blood splattered, screams erupted. Turkic men who heard the commotion saw several masked figures breaking into the mechanism area like wolves among sheep, brandishing their curved swords and creating a tide of blood.

"Charge!" As if in resonance with Gao Qiu, the slowly floating cloud outside the city began to swirl like a desert storm, countless battle horses—black, white, yellow—merged into a surging torrent, advancing toward Kyzil like a sweeping windstorm.

Amidst the resounding war cries, the faces of Xu Zhen and Li Wuling, along with countless other young and angry faces, appeared vividly clear.

"Brothers, open the city gate!" Old Gao cleaved an enemy beside him; blood splashed onto his face. He hastily turned the massive wheel handle, and several of his brothers behind him roared in unison. The heavy Kyzil city gate creaked open, revealing a thin crack.

At that moment, the city was attacked from outside, inside, and above. The Turkic people finally snapped out of their daze. A Turkic leader yelled out in panic: "Enemy attack! Kill them, kill them all!"

Thousands of Turkic soldiers surged frantically onto the city walls, firing arrows like a rainstorm at the swiftly approaching Great Hua troops. Amid the "thud, thud" of arrows striking, punctuated by muffled sounds, dozens of Great Hua soldiers were thrown off their horses.

The arrows from the Turkic archers were mostly blocked by the battlements surrounding the wheel mechanism at the top of the walls. Seven brave soldiers operating the wheel stared wide-eyed and, with a collective roar, strained to activate the contraption. With a "screeching" sound, the heavy stone gates began to slowly open.

Countless Turkic warriors swarmed toward the battlements, aiming to annihilate the seven soldiers. Simultaneously, those below the tower were brandishing their scimitars, attempting to sever the massive ropes that were pulling the gates open.

"Charge!" Twenty-some Great Hua soldiers who had infiltrated the city with Yuezhi tribes met the Turkic warriors head-on. A fierce battle ensued.

The number of Turkic soldiers surrounding the battlements continued to grow. Each soldier was now soaked in blood, and the wheel became increasingly difficult to turn. The gate was barely opened by a shoulder's width and moved no more when Xu Zhen and Li Wuling were about to arrive below the walls. Several more brothers were struck down by arrows. Old Gao's eyes were filled with desperate urgency. Just as he was about to risk his life, a woman's urgent cry rang out from beyond the walls, "Make way!"

A white figure darted through the crowd like a shooting star, aiming directly for the city gate. The swarm of arrows from the Turkic archers seemed to be nothing but locusts in her path. Unhindered, her sword flashed with the speed of lightning as she charged straight for the city gate.

"Boom!" The wall itself seemed to quiver. Huge chunks of the heavy gate shattered; rocks and debris flew everywhere, filling the air with dust. One of the gates wobbled before crashing to the ground.

In the midst of the colossal impact, the masked woman in white stumbled momentarily, letting out an almost inaudible groan. She landed with a stagger before regaining her footing, her chest heaving with rapid breaths.

Who could have imagined that a single individual could break such a heavy gate at Kyzil? The impact of her strike resonated in everyone's hearts. Though only one of the gates had fallen, the passage to Kyzil was now completely open.

"Brothers, follow me! Let's charge into Kyzil and capture the Turkic Khan!" Xu Zhen and Li Wuling wouldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Their faces flushed with excitement, they braved the hail of arrows and, with a collective roar, spurred their horses. The steeds almost seemed to leap into the air, dashing over the scattered rocks and straight into the Turkic royal court.

Following them, the Great Hua cavalry seemed like a torrential flood, bursting through the remaining shattered gate and flooding into the city. Their invincible momentum struck fear even into the fierce Turkic warriors.

Arrows rained down endlessly, causing many Great Hua soldiers to fall from their horses, but even more burst into the streets of Kyzil. Defending the tower had become meaningless. The Turkic troops quickly retreated from the walls, attempting to intercept the Great Hua forces in the narrow lanes.

"I knew it; Brother Lin must have a contingency plan!" Gao Qiu, ecstatic, kicked the cumbersome wheel mechanism to pieces. He leaped atop the high battlement, brandishing his blood-dripping scimitar and howling like a wolf, "This is the royal court of the Turkic people! Brothers, close your eyes and strike hard. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose!"

The once lively street, filled with the songs of orioles and the dance of swallows, had in an instant turned into an ocean of blood. Forty or fifty horses ablaze with fire galloped ahead frenziedly, resembling spinning flywheels. Anyone who came near was either trampled or burned. The Cavalry of the Great Hua Empire rushed in like a whirlwind behind the fire horses, scattering the gathering Turkic people and forming an unstoppable flood. This was a tactic the Turkic people had mastered in breaking through the walls of Great Hua cities, and today it was returned to them in the exact same manner.

A whistling arrow split the sky outside the city, bursting into colorful, splendid fireworks.

All the Turkic people inside the great hall were startled at once, yet before they could fully grasp the situation, a loud crash echoed as the racks holding the hanging lambs were pushed over. The Yuezhi tribesmen drew their curved blades, like a surging pack of wolves, and dashed toward the royal throne. The Turkic nobles at the top seats had no time to react before steel blades were at their throats. Any who resisted were mercilessly slaughtered by the Yuezhi, blood splattering everywhere. The rest of the crowd panicked, but those who were most responsive were the warriors who had been roasting the lambs; they hastily charged forward.

"Salmu, be careful!" The Great Khan let out a chilling cry. Her curved blade was unsheathed in an instant, slicing through the air. At the same time, her hand reached out to pull the Young Khan closer.

"Clang!" A deafening clash of metals filled the air. A mute stepped in front of her, his eyes piercing as he stared her down.

Those same bright eyes were now so vastly different. She felt like she was suffocating, her senses numbing in pain.

"You’re not mute! Who are you? Why did you deceive me?" She murmured, looking at him blankly. Then, she roared in sudden fury, "No matter who you are, I'll kill you. I will kill you!"

"Clang, clang, clang." Her eyes widened like a frenzied leopardess. Both hands gripping her blade, she launched a swift triple attack, each move precise, each slash aimed at his vitals. She had hidden her skills well during her time as a captive; not only was she an expert archer, her blade skills were also extremely vicious.

Lin Wanrong stepped back, parrying the blade aimed at his heart, his face expressionless, his eyes cold.

"Kill!" Yueya'er shouted delicately, her slender fingers slashing towards his face as quick as lightning.

This crazed wild horse! Lin Wanrong was finally provoked. "Ah," he let out, landing a heavy punch on Yueya'er’s wrist. She grunted in pain and retracted her hand.

Stepping forward, Lin Wanrong raised his blade to strike down on her head. "Ding," she barely managed to block his blade with all her might.

"You must want to know who I am, right?" Lin Wanrong briskly tore off the mask he wore on his face and threw it away. "Fine then! Look at me. LOOK AT ME!—If you recognize me, I'll let you kill me today. Go ahead. Recognize me already!" His overpowering strike cornered her against the wall. His eyes widened, nearly roaring in anger, his heavy breathing landing on her face, resonating loudly.

Wearing that damn mask had been suffocating. The moment he took it off, he sighed in relief, an indescribable sense of liberation washing over him.

"Lin, Lin San—" Zhao Kangning, who was hiding under the table, muttered Lin San's name, his face ashen with fear.

"Go to hell, you bastard!" Hu Bugui swung his blade, cleaving the table in two, and spat out, "Young Master, you better tuck your head back in!"

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Yujia shook her head vigorously, her eyes wide open, staring intently at his cheek. She dared not move an inch; the atmosphere seemed to freeze. Confusion, hesitation, helplessness, sorrow—a myriad of emotions flickered through her eyes in an instant.

After a long silence, her body slightly quivered, and a misty haze appeared in her eyes. The hand gripping the golden blade unconsciously extended forward but stopped abruptly. She lowered her eyelids and softly asked, "Can you tell me if the person I have forgotten is good or bad?"

"I don't have time to answer that sort of question!" Lin Wanrong said coldly, flinging her aside and turning to leave.

"I'll kill you, you despicable man!" Yujia shouted angrily from behind, the golden blade in her hand generating a cold wind as it slashed toward the back of Lin Wanrong's head.

"Clang!" Lin Wanrong whirled around to parry, and their blades clashed. Yujia tightly gripped her curved blade, her teeth grinding in fury. She stared at him, unwilling to give an inch. Their faces almost touched, the cold steel biting into their skin.

A trickle of deep red blood oozed from her lips. Yujia looked at the crescent-shaped marks on his hand and tears filled her eyes.

"Sister—" A crisp, terrified child's voice suddenly echoed through the grand hall.

"Salmu!" Yujia was horrified. Using all her strength, she deflected Lin Wanrong's blade and darted like lightning toward the Young Khan.

"Great Khan Yujia, please calm yourself," Hu Bugui said, stepping on Tursun's belly, his other hand holding an oily curved blade against Salmu's neck.

Yujia abruptly halted, a flash of ferocity in her eyes. "What do you intend to do? Anyone who dares to harm Salmu will regret it for the rest of their life!"

"Sister, Salmu isn't afraid. Kill them, kill them all!" The Young Khan raised his head and shouted, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

At this point, the situation in the grand hall had undergone a dramatic change. The Great Hua soldiers, though only about a dozen strong, were well-prepared. Caught off guard, of the more than twenty nobles initially seated, fewer than twenty remained, all now captives, including Young Khan Salmu.

The swarm of Turkic guards who had crowded behind Yujia now surrounded the Great Hua people.

"Why aren't you speaking?" Yujia gritted her teeth, pointing at the mute and asked sternly.

Hearing the thundering hoofbeats outside the palace gate, Lin Wanrong let out a slight sigh. "At times like this, it's the blade that speaks most convincingly."

"Great Khan, bad news! The city has fallen! The Great Hua soldiers have invaded the palace!" Before he could finish, a panting Turkic guard rushed in. The sound of blades clashing at the palace entrance was already alarmingly clear.

Great Khan's face revealed a trace of despair. She looked at Lin Wanrong and said solemnly, "Do you think you can really win? Don't forget, Kyzil has twenty thousand elite troops, and countless of my people are rushing here from all directions. You can't escape!"

Lin Wanrong chuckled coldly. "The number of elite troops you have is of no concern to me. Blood, flames, terror—these are the gifts the Turks once gave us. Naturally, I hope you can taste these flavors yourselves."

"Charge!" The rhythmic clattering of hooves rang out like rapid raindrops. The voices of Xu Zhen and Gao Qiu, excited and bold, were close at hand. Countless cavalry from the Great Hua empire swept in like a furious wind.

With icy eyes, Yujia brandished her golden blade. Archers who had been waiting outside the palace loosed their arrows all at once. A thick shower of arrows flew like swarming locusts, targeting the oncoming cavalry, eliciting endless screams of agony.

In this decisive battle, there were no shortcuts. Whoever was more ruthless would win. Lin Wanrong clenched his teeth, remaining silent. Yujia tightened her fists. Their eyes met briefly in the air before quickly averting.

"Great Khan, ten thousand Wolf Riders have arrived from the back gate and will be here shortly!"

Yujia nodded. She glanced at the mute man standing beside her and noticed that the man's eyelids were lowered, displaying no emotion. Suddenly, she remembered—the man couldn't understand the Turkic language.

This small blessing made Yujia feel both hatred and tenderness in fleeting moments. Unconsciously, tears trickled down his cheeks.

Hu Bugui grew anxious. They had risked entering the palace alone and even captured the Young Khan. It would be a great regret if they couldn't escape. Their number of captives exceeded their own men, otherwise they would've already charged out using the prisoners as leverage.

Impatient from the continual battle cries, Old Hu yelled, "Gao Qiu, hurry up! Yueya’er has promised to warm General Lin's bed!"

"Hu!" Gao Qiu roared angrily, braving the shower of arrows as he and hundreds of cavalrymen stormed into the palace. Swords swung through the air, blood and carnage everywhere.

At the same time, the thundering hooves of tens of thousands of Turkic Wolf Riders came charging in like a storm. Their momentum seemed far stronger than that of the Great Hua forces. Both armies advanced, and it was uncertain who would breach the palace first.

"General Lin!" Xu Zhen's furious shout, accompanied by the clangor of blades, burst into the room. The Great Hua cavalry entered, soaked in blood. Almost at the same moment, the wooden doors of the palace burst open, and the elite Turkic cavalry stormed in, positioning themselves behind Yujia.

"Mute, you're surrounded," The Great Khan said indifferently.

“Contrary to your belief," the mute man gestured to the elite Turks around him and shook his head with a smile. "I've never felt as safe as I do right now!"

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