Just as the three were discussing countermeasures, someone suddenly pointed to the dark area in the distance and said, "The barbarians are here."
The sound of hooves grew closer, but the movement seemed not too large. They didn't know how many had arrived.
Jia Er dared not be careless and immediately ordered the people on the city walls to be on alert.
The guards raised their shields to prevent incoming arrows.
The archers were ready, their bows drawn and arrows nocked, waiting for Jia Er's command.
Where the torches shone, it was all darkness, as if the barbarians hadn't come at all. Everything was silent.
Tong Xiao widened his eyes but couldn't see anyone. He slapped a guard on the wall and said, "Where are the barbarians? Are you seeing things..."
Before he could finish, a whistling sound suddenly came again, first one, then countless. Dozens of arrows shot towards the city wall.
Some reacted quickly, shielding themselves with their shields or ducking. Others were slow and were hit in the chest, falling immediately.
Jia Er immediately shouted, "Extinguish the torches."
Everyone understood and quickly doused the torches. The city wall was plunged into gloom, and the barbarians' arrows stopped.
Without light, the attackers lost their targets, and a period of quiet ensued.
Jia Er and Li Nian lay in the darkness on the city wall and whispered, "How did they get so close without a sound?"
What was most infuriating was that they still didn't know how many enemy troops had arrived.
Li Man'er squatted behind Li Nian and whispered, "Third Uncle, they must have wrapped their hooves. This way, their footsteps are almost silent. I guess they used this method when they came from Xiashi Beach, which is why those who were guarding there suffered losses and the warning signal was sent late."
"Man'er's analysis is reasonable."
"What do we do now?" Jia Er asked. "These people are too cunning. Perhaps they've already left."
Li Man'er poked her head out and looked down at the city. She saw about dozens of people, not on horseback, crawling towards the city gate.
This was a vanguard.
"Third Uncle, there are about dozens of them, crawling this way. I guess they're scouts."
Upon hearing this, Li Nian leaned out and took a look. He then saw faint shadows on the ground in the distance, like insects. If Li Man'er hadn't pointed it out, he wouldn't have seen them.
Jia Er also saw them and gritted his teeth with anger. "It seems to be a small force, a vanguard. The previous volley of arrows took six or seven brothers, and several more were lightly injured. Jia Er couldn't accept this."
"Brothers, be ready," Jia Er said through gritted teeth. "Let them taste our power too."
Everyone became alert.
Tong Xiao approached Li Man'er and said, "Miss Li, there are a few injured. Can you take a look?"
His attitude was much better, completely devoid of his previous arrogance.
Li Man'er nodded and, crouching, went to the base of the wall. Using the medical kit prepared on the city gate, she provided simple bandaging for a few people.
The quality of gauze at this time was what it was, and people didn't pay much attention to the concept of disinfection. In the chaos of battle, people fell at any moment, and no one cared about such things.
"Carry the wounded down first, and pay attention to any fever or pus in the wounds."
The soldiers understood this. If there was no fever, the wounds would heal quickly. But if the wound festered and the person developed a fever, they would likely die.
The wounded were quickly carried away, and Jia Er finally found an opportunity for revenge. "Fire!"
He shouted loudly, and more than a dozen torches were instantly lit around them. Simultaneously, the archers unleashed all their arrows.
The attackers were prepared. Each of them carried a sturdy shield, which they fixed to their arms and used to push forward, reducing the chances of being hit.
These people moved very fast, clearly trained. They hadn't brought horses, only shields. Their purpose was unknown.
Li Man'er, with her sharp eyes, suddenly noticed that their movement and formation were very orderly. They weren't just rushing forward blindly but were protecting a few individuals as they advanced, ensuring their safety.
The people they protected in the center appeared to be carrying something bulky under their clothes.
Li Man'er immediately took a bow and arrow from a lightly wounded archer. To Tong Xiao's astonishment, Li Man'er drew the bowstring to its limit, nocked the arrow, and aimed. The moment she released it, the arrow seemed to have a life of its own, flying towards the barbarians outside the city.
Her strength was immense, and the arrow flew with incredible speed, hitting one of the protected individuals. He first cried out, and then a faint yellow mist rose from around him, slowly dissipating.
The people around him didn't flinch, continuing to protect the remaining individuals and crawling forward rapidly.
Li Man'er immediately exclaimed, "Not good, they're preparing to use poison."
Li Nian had a flash of inspiration. "Quick, wrap fire cotton around the arrowheads and shoot them all down!"
"Yes!"
Everyone busied themselves. Soon, the archers' arrowheads were wrapped in fire cotton. When lit and fired, they would cause the barbarians some trouble. More importantly, the burning fire would reduce some of the toxicity.
Li Man'er's hands never stopped. Her arrows were both fast and accurate, hitting almost one person with each shot.
"Don't let those carrying poison get close to the city gate!" Jia Er shouted. "Vanguard, go to the city gate and fight the enemy."
Opening the city gate at this moment was still very dangerous. If the enemy had a large army lying in ambush nearby, they could rush in directly.
Fortunately, Jia Er was clever. He had prepared many sturdy grappling hooks, chains, and ropes on the city walls. Especially the ropes, each as thick as an adult's thumb, were tied to the city wall on one end and held by the vanguard soldiers on the other. Using these ropes, the vanguard descended from the city walls. They moved very fast, each armed with a large saber, and attacked the barbarians as soon as they landed.
The barbarians clearly hadn't expected their objective to be discovered so quickly. They gritted their teeth, stood up, and charged at the vanguard.
The archers on the city walls were not to be trifled with. Without their shields, it was the perfect time to harvest them.
Some barbarians, in order to complete their mission, even unleashed the poison bags they carried, seeking a swift victory.
The yellow powder quickly turned into a fine mist and dispersed in the air. The once brave vanguard soldiers suddenly foamed at the mouth, their bodies convulsed violently, and they soon fell to the ground, unable to rise again.
The barbarians seemed to see the dawn of victory and strode towards the city gate.
Li Man'er casually grabbed a face covering, tied it around her face, and then pulled a rope to slide down from the city wall.
Li Nian's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He shouted, "Man'er!"