Chapter 15: The Peril of the Doomed City

Yang Tian stepped outside and looked to the north. Thick, rolling smoke surged straight into the sky. All the officials, including Chen Qinglin, had gathered, their faces filled with anxiety and deep concern.

“Is the situation very serious?” Yang Tian inquired. By rights, these people had lived in Desolate City for at least a year or two, some as many as eight or ten, and had experienced countless sieges by savage beasts. That they were still so ill at ease meant this assault was no small matter.

“City Lord, there are six columns of wolf smoke—this means the danger is extreme. In decades, it’s happened less than ten times…” Chen Qinglin answered gravely.

With a few words, he explained the situation to Yang Tian. The level of threat was measured by the number and strength of the beasts attacking. The more columns of smoke, the greater the peril. When one to three columns rose, the garrison could handle it. Four to six meant the soldiers could not withstand it alone—citizens would have to reinforce the defenses, and the cavalry from the fortress town of Zhen’an would be dispatched at once. Should there be seven columns, Desolate City would inevitably fall, and the people would face merciless slaughter.

Since its founding, Desolate City had faced two battles marked by seven columns of wolf smoke. Then, tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of civilians defended the walls together, barely holding out for reinforcements from other cities before the city fell. The last time there were six columns was two years ago. At that time, there were nearly five thousand soldiers on the walls; after the battle, more than half were dead or wounded, and countless civilians who came to help shared the same fate. Only then was the city saved.

Cavalry support from Zhen’an would take about a day to arrive. Until then, Desolate City could only rely on its own people to hold the line with their lives. No wonder everyone looked so pale. Six columns of wolf smoke now signaled a danger equivalent to seven columns a few years ago—for Desolate City weakened with each passing day.

The people of Desolate City had seen the smoke. Most able-bodied men, without any prompting from the soldiers, had already rushed to the outer city to help defend the walls. Everyone feared death, but for the sake of their families, most were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to win a chance of survival for their loved ones.

Soon, a horse was brought to him.

“I’ll go ahead,” Yang Tian said, swinging onto his white steed. With those words, he galloped away at full speed, not waiting for the others.

He soon overtook all the townsfolk running to reinforce the walls. On the faces of those young men and fathers, Yang Tian saw a look of fierce determination—a resolve to fight to the death without regret.

In that moment, they seemed more alive, more purposeful, than the people numbed by everyday hardship. A wretched yet admirable people.

Anyone with clear eyes understood Desolate City’s true condition. Ever since the court had gradually reduced its aid and stopped sending troops, Desolate City had, in truth, been abandoned. Every soul here was a pawn, left behind.

With Desolate City’s situation, it was impossible to withstand wave after wave of enemy and beast assaults. If the court truly wished to preserve the city, it would have acted by now. Aid from neighboring towns was a distant hope that could never arrive in time. Why not station troops here directly? Because it simply wasn’t worth it. The court would never openly declare the city forsaken, but the reality was plain to see.

A tragedy for Desolate City.

“Desolate City is mine,” Yang Tian reminded himself once more. He would build it as his own stronghold—this first battle could not be lost, or there would be no future at all.

He didn’t know how much he could accomplish, but he had no choice—it was his duty.

Without rest, he rode hard for an hour and arrived at the walls, his horse breathing heavily from exhaustion.

“City Lord.”

Yang Tian mounted the battlements and found Yang He already in command, the soldiers ready at their posts.

Yang Tian gazed into the distance. Countless savage beasts were charging from afar. Though they were still distant and hard to see, focusing the clarity of his scholar’s spirit in his eyes, he could make out their forms.

The wind howled, dust swirled, and the earth trembled beneath them—the very walls groaned in warning. The battle had not yet begun, but the signs were ominous. In about half an hour, the beasts would reach the walls.

The horde had emerged from Thornridge, some three or four hundred li from the outer defenses; but their speed far surpassed that of any ordinary horse. Yang Tian’s mount, a common breed of the Nine Provinces, could reach speeds of eighty kilometers an hour at best, but such exertion would ruin the animal.

“City Lord, it’s too dangerous—later, you should pull back…” Yang He whispered. Yang Tian was indeed the City Lord, and the last heir of the Yang family. The others could die, but Yang Tian could not be allowed to perish here.

“It’s all right, I know what I’m doing,” Yang Tian replied coolly.

Yang He made no further attempt to dissuade him, but suggested, “City Lord, perhaps you should say a few words?”

Yang Tian shook his head. There was no need. The soldiers of Desolate City did not require stirring speeches to boost their morale. They had endured too many battles—unlike men elsewhere, Desolate City was their home, and their families were behind these walls. They fought for love, not out of duty. There was no need to say anything; they would fight with everything they had.

Besides, he had only just arrived in Desolate City—he had yet to earn their trust, and his words would be empty to them. Only his deeds in the days to come could change that.

If he could give them hope for Desolate City’s future, show them a better life was possible, they would slowly change. These people were humble and unlettered, but they were not fools. They understood the simplest truths. Only genuine sincerity would win their faith.

“Just a few days ago, there was another beast assault. By rights, there should have been a few more days of respite, and it shouldn’t be on this scale. There must be a reason,” Yang Tian mused. The savage beasts had awakened intelligence. The stronger they were, the smarter. Every attack over the years had followed a certain rhythm and pattern. Today’s onslaught broke all precedent.

Of course, the timing and scale of such attacks were up to the beasts themselves. An anomaly was not impossible.

“City Lord, could this have something to do with Wu Yong? Didn’t he go into Thornridge to hunt savage beasts?” Yang He speculated.

Impossible, surely. Hunting the beasts was a common occurrence. Sometimes Desolate City itself organized such expeditions. But what would it take to provoke the beasts into such a frenzied assault? How many would have to be slain for them to retaliate on this scale?

If the beasts truly wished to wipe out Desolate City, it would be an easy task. Over the years, they had never attacked with full force—always small-scale raids. After all, Desolate City was part of Qin. Compared to the whole nation, the beasts of Thornridge were insignificant. Besides, the savage beasts of Thornridge had their own enemies to guard against—they, too, had to watch for attacks.

On the continent of the Nine Provinces, no power yet was invincible. If there were, the world would already be united. Humanity was divided into regions, each with its own state, each warring against the other. The beasts were the same. No power would risk everything to attack, for fear of others taking advantage.

He thought no further and waited in silence for the beasts’ arrival.

As the horde drew near, the commotion grew ever louder. Before his eyes, massive and ferocious bodies surged forward; in his ears, the roars and bellows of the beasts thundered, savage and violent. It was as though a thousand bulldozers swept across the land, crushing everything in their path.

Most of these beasts were colossal—grown elephants paled in comparison. For the first time, Yang Tian witnessed the shock of watching thousands of beasts charging in unison. He could only imagine what it would be like if tens of thousands swept across the plains.