World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 857 - 406: Barrage of Death! Zhi Li is utterly shocked!_2

Chapter 857: 406: Barrage of Death! Zhi Li is utterly shocked!_2

The result...

After a hail of iron pellets, countless soldiers were seen vanishing from the bamboo rafts.

Numerous bodies densely fell into the water, swept away by the Nu River.

The once muddy waters of the Nu River now ran red with blood.

The first batch of troops crossing the river, a full twenty thousand strong, had nearly halved after just two rounds of cannon fire.

And the remaining half, wailing and howling, were already scared out of their wits.

Earl Chu Ye’s face trembled, his entire body shaking.

The remaining ten thousand plus soldiers, should they continue to charge forward? That was no different from suicide.

But if they were to retreat just like that, what a blow it would be to the troops’ morale?

And at that moment...

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..."

From Suo Lun’s southern bank positions, tens of thousands of soldiers shot arrows from the trenches.

Volleys of arrows rained down on the river, one round after another.

It had to be said that while the dense barrage of arrows from tens of thousands of soldiers was lethal, it didn’t compare to the destructive power of cannon shrapnel.

After all, Suo Lun’s soldiers were shooting from the trenches upwards into the air, and the hit rate was indeed very low.

Whereas the cannons were aimed directly at the crowd, unleashing a barrage that unfolded like a giant net, inescapable.

Despite the low hit rate of the arrows, more soldiers from the rafts continued to fall into the river.

The remaining rafts of soldiers were even more panic-stricken and disheveled, unsure whether to retreat or to move forward.

"Sound the retreat, recall the troops!" Earl Chu Ye cried out in agony.

Instantly, the sounds of gongs reverberated from behind the lines.

The soldiers remaining in the rafts frantically turned and paddled, fleeing back toward the northern bank.

But...

Just as they had made it halfway.

The third round of cannon fire was already prepared.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Countless shots rained down again like a torrential downpour.

Because they were a bit further away this time, the damage was slightly less, but still countless soldiers were hit and killed on the spot!

Following that, another relentless volley of arrows was launched from Suo Lun’s positions.

In the end, the surviving crossing troops returned to the northern bank in disarray, out of the twenty thousand troops, only a mere five thousand made it back.

The remaining fifteen thousand lay buried beneath the waters of the Nu River.

Earl Chu Ye felt waves of dizziness wash over him.

Fifteen thousand dead was not much for an army of two hundred and fifty thousand, not even one tenth.

But...

The battle had only begun less than two hours ago.

The mere two hundred meters of the Nu River had claimed over ten thousand lives.

The key point was, with such a method of combat, there was no hope of crossing the river.

If it were arrows, at least they could be blocked with shields. But the shots fired from the cannons pierced straight through the shields, taking lives with ease.

Among those fifteen thousand, five thousand belonged to the so-called Southeast Rebel Army. A full ten thousand were soldiers from his own Northern Legion, the very foundation of the Chu Family’s survival and prosperity.

"Let others scramble for the credit, don’t blame me for disengaging or fighting half-heartedly from now on," Earl Chu Ye thought to himself.

Then, he sharply ordered, "All trebuchets, giant crossbows, and archers, fire and annihilate the enemy on the southern bank."

At these words, the other generals were taken aback.

A civil official from Southeast Province said, "My Lord Earl, aren’t we... crossing the river?"

"Cross my ass," Earl Chu Ye thought vehemently to himself.

Subsequently...

The battle on the northern bank of the Nu River was raging fiercely, a blaze of action!

Chu Ye’s army’s giant crossbows, archers, and trebuchets bombarded the southern bank positions like mad.

The hit rate was very low, and they hardly inflicted significant casualties on Suo Lun’s forces, a fact Chu Ye was well aware of, but all he needed to do was to put on a brave front.

After all, the arrows were provided by Zhi Li, practically free of cost. But every single soldier from the Northern Legion was the backbone of the Chu Family’s existence, and each death was a pity.

Anyways, I just have to keep firing, as for how many of the enemy I actually kill, that’s for me to say.

The opening of the battle had their heads bashed against the Fenglei Fort Defense Line on Suo’s southern bank. Hence, Earl Chu Ye was ready to start slacking and engaging in listless combat.

Zhi Li and Turing Tuo, however, had no such luxury, no way out.

From the start of the intense battle at the Fenglei Fort Defense Line, they gave it their all!

Facing the four-mile-long defensive line, Zhi Li’s first assault alone involved a force of a hundred thousand.

His strategy was simple, a sheer human wave assault!

Several infantry formations, under the protection of gigantic shield carts and siege towers, pushed forward relentlessly.

Countless massive trebuchets and giant crossbows moved within five hundred meters range.

"Fire... fire..."

Zhi Li’s side began a synchronized launch of trebuchets, thousands of giant crossbows also releasing their bolts at once.

Hundreds of huge stones smashed brutally against the walls of Wind Thunder Fortress, with countless massive arrows striking the defenses.

The might was astonishing, shaking the very walls of the fortress.

However...

The walls of Wind Thunder Fortress were over a dozen meters thick, simply not something that mere trebuchets could shatter.

After the launch of the trebuchets and giant crossbows.

Turing Tuo roared atop a griffin, "Charge, and take the Fenglei Fort Defense Line, exterminate Suo Lun!"

Amidst the thunderous sound of war drums, countless infantry surged forward like a tidal wave toward the Wind Thunder Fortress’ defense line mere hundreds of meters away.

Zhi Li and Turing Tuo were mad!

The first wave of the assault instantly deployed fifty thousand foot soldiers.

On a battlefield over four miles wide and more than a mile long, they sent in fifty thousand foot soldiers. Furthermore, a second wave of fifty thousand stood ready to rush out to join the siege.

It was a veritable human pile-up, never before seen such dense ranks in any battlefield.