Chapter 118: A Glimmer of Hope in Desperation

Tens of thousands of enemy troops surged from the horizon like a tidal wave, appearing in the distance as a vast, dark cloud that bore down upon Pingwu.

Anyone witnessing such a scene would be struck with terror. The soldiers were somewhat better off, having undergone formal training, but the ordinary citizens were different; many were so frightened that the stones they held in their hands dropped to the ground without them even realizing it.

"Everyone, do not panic!" Sun Rubai saw this and knew that at such a time, a general must inspire morale. "Though the Hu are numerous, look—they are cavalry. While cavalry is formidable in open field raids and charges, they are ill-suited for sieges. Have no fear!"

Sun Rubai was correct. Light cavalry relies on high mobility, but for siege warfare, such advantages are negated. With defenders tucked behind tall, thick walls, no matter how fast the cavalry might ride, they could hardly crash through the masonry.

Yet, despite this, the pressure on the defenders remained immense. There were only about ten thousand soldiers and civilians in the city, many of whom were civilians who had volunteered at the last minute without any military training.

Furthermore, the Hu were not foolish enough to rely solely on horses for a siege. The enemy commander, General of the Vanguard Lü Hao, was a prominent subordinate of Yao Shuode. He possessed a long record of military achievement; indeed, in this recent campaign where the Yao Qin forces had seized the six commanderies, his contributions were second to none.

While they lacked complex siege engines, they had prepared the necessary, simpler tools: scaling ladders and battering rams. For the defenders, however, the most effective weapon remained the bow and arrow.

Before the city, a long row of arrows had been driven into the ground—markers placed by Sun Rubai’s order to gauge distance. Watching the Hu approach from afar, Sun Rubai shouted, "Raise bows!"

Every soldier holding a bow raised it high above their heads. Watching the Hu draw closer, Sun Rubai raised his right hand and called out, "Nock arrows!"

With a synchronized sound, the soldiers drew their strings until the bows were full moons. Seeing the Hu reach the line of marker arrows—the edge of their effective range—Sun Rubai waited a moment longer. As the enemy lines crossed the threshold, he swung his hand down: "Loose!"

Countless arrows flew in response, and the leading Hu riders tumbled from their saddles.

However, such volleys could only thin the enemy ranks; they could not prevent the Hu from reaching the walls. After only two or three volleys, the enemy had arrived at the ramparts. Sun Rubai could see battering rams being pushed from the rear of the Hu army, heading straight for the city gate.

Pingwu was a small city, but because it was a vital stronghold, its walls were relatively tall and thick. Nevertheless, it remained a small city, and its gate was its greatest vulnerability. The key to the defense was holding that gate.

Seeing the Hu ready their rams, Sun Rubai grew desperate. He immediately ordered, "Shoot the infantry pushing the rams!"

Infantry can only become cavalry after long, rigorous training to master their mounts and obey commands. Conversely, it is simple for cavalry to become infantry: they need only dismount.

At Sun Rubai's command, the archers targeted those around the rams, while the civilians on the walls hoisted stones and hurled them down. Sun Rubai knew how to command archers, and the Hu knew just as well. Because the defenders stood atop the high towers, they could strike the Hu from a distance while remaining safe, but once the enemy reached the base of the walls, the cavalry began firing volleys of arrows upward to cover their assault.

The air was filled with stray arrows. Many soldiers and civilians, while leaning over the battlements to shoot or throw stones, were struck by flying shafts and fell from the high towers.

Those who fell were either killed by the impact or trampled to death by the chaotic mass of troops below; there was no hope of survival.

Seeing the brutal exchange of arrows, Sun Rubai hurried down from the ramparts to the city gate. His greatest fear was the battering rams. Pingwu’s gate was not particularly thick; if left to the mercy of the rams, it would surely shatter after a few blows. If the gate fell, the Hu cavalry would pour in, and the battle would be effectively over.

"Hold the gate!" Sun Rubai roared, rushing to push his own body against the door to counter the impact of the rams. Inspired by his example, the hundred or so guards stationed at the gate joined him, pressing their weight against the wood to prevent it from collapsing.

The fighting was incredibly fierce. The walls were several fathoms high, and the Hu had already erected scaling ladders. Thousands of enemy troops were climbing up, while the cavalry in the distance kept their bows drawn, raining arrows onto the walls to cover the assault.

Although the defenders held the high ground, they were heavily outnumbered. Every time someone exposed themselves over the battlements to throw a stone or loose an arrow, they risked being pierced by a stray bolt. Yet, everyone knew that if the Hu breached the city, death was certain. It was better to fight and die as a man. Despite the suppression, the defenders fought with reckless courage.

With the soldiers and civilians joining Sun Rubai to hold the gate, the battering rams failed to breach the entrance despite the rain of arrows. This enraged the Hu commander, Sun Hao. He had not expected these Southerners, trapped in the city and deprived of water for days, to possess such tenacious strength.

The people of Pingwu held firm, finally repelling the Hu assault. A horn sounded, and the Hu withdrew.

The city erupted in cheers, but Sun Rubai could not smile. He knew the Hu would not simply retreat; they were waiting for the defenders to collapse from thirst and hunger, intending to strike when all resistance was spent. Many soldiers and civilians had fallen in this defense, and he wondered how they would hold out when the Hu returned.

Sun Rubai was right. Sun Hao had withdrawn for exactly that reason. As a general under Yao Shuode, he had led fifty thousand cavalry over the mountains to strike Pingwu. Yao Shuode’s plan was to surround the city without a full assault, cutting off the water supply to cause internal collapse, while Yao himself led the main army to intercept reinforcements.

Sun Hao had done just that, cutting off the water and launching periodic feigned attacks. He had expected the city to be broken by now, but the tenacity of the defenders had surprised him. Since they still had strength, he would wait two more days. When they were too thirsty and exhausted to lift their weapons, he would see what they could do then.

The Hu did not return for two days, but the situation inside the city worsened. Many were already fainting from dehydration. Sun Rubai’s lips were cracked and bleeding, and he paced the walls in agony. Without reinforcements, the siege would not be lifted, and he knew they would not last another two days.

As he pondered this, his deputy rushed onto the ramparts, shouting, "General! General!"

Seeing Sun Rubai leaning against the battlements, the deputy cried out, "General! There is water! We finally have water!"

Sun Rubai was overjoyed and rushed to meet him. "Is it true? Do not deceive me!"

"General, I would never joke about such a thing! The soldiers and civilians have been digging day and night, and we have finally struck water!"

Sun Rubai hurried down to the excavation site. A deep, wide pit had been dug. A soldier held a large wooden bucket filled with water—it was murky with silt, but the people around it didn't care; they scrambled to drink their fill.

If there had been no water, no one would have lasted much longer. Seeing this sudden reprieve, Sun Rubai laughed toward the sky: "Heaven does not abandon Pingwu! Heaven does not abandon us!"

"The flow from the ground is thin," the deputy cautioned. "We must collect it for a full day to provide enough for everyone."

"Dig deeper! Dig even deeper!" Sun Rubai was so overjoyed he could hardly speak clearly.

Just as he was rejoicing, a hoarse cry from the ramparts struck him like a thunderbolt: "The Hu are attacking again!"

"What!" The joy vanished, replaced by a cold dread.

Why now? If they had just one more day—even half a day—the people could have quenched their thirst. But with the water just reached, the Hu had returned. With the city’s defenders severely dehydrated, would all their efforts to dig for water be in vain?

Sun Hao did not know about the water. He simply calculated that two days had passed, and the defenders must now be powerless. He was right; many had fainted, and those still standing were drained of strength. How could they resist a full-scale assault?

Seeing the Hu pouring toward them like a tide, the defenders on the walls did not reach for their bows. They prepared to give up.

*I knew the reinforcements would never come,* Sun Rubai sighed to himself. Still, he had to fulfill his duty as a general: to inspire morale.

With a raspy voice, he shouted to the soldiers and civilians on the walls: "Pingwu is the final barrier of the Shu plains! We have held this small city for days without food or water, and no one has come to help us. We have done our duty to Shu, to its people, and to ourselves! If we must die, let us die standing! Even if the city falls, we shall perish with it!"

"Perish with Pingwu!"
"Perish with Pingwu!"
"Perish with Pingwu!"

The soldiers and civilians, though physically broken, echoed the cry with hoarse throats.

"Good!" Sun Rubai drew his blade. "Then let us fight for Pingwu one last time!"

Their spirits rekindled. As the general said, if they must die, let it be on their feet.

Just as Sun Rubai was rallying the men, the Hu reached the foot of the walls. Suddenly, the deputy cried out in delight, "General, look! Our reinforcements have arrived!"

Sun Rubai did not believe it, but he followed the deputy’s gaze. In the distance, a countless host of men appeared on the horizon, charging directly into the rear of the Hu army and engaging them in battle.