Xie Ming

Chapter 845 Attacking the Mansion

At the third quarter of the night, outside the Duke's mansion.

Liao Gengshen hastily forced Mei Cheng'an to submit, compelling his son to order an attack on the mansion as a final gamble.

General Mei, concerned for his mother's safety, had no choice but to agree to send troops.

Seeing the situation, Liao used the tiger's skin as a banner, drew the sword from the centurion's waist, and took it upon himself to lead the troops to press forward.

When they couldn't break through the gate by force, they simply poured kerosene on it and set it on fire.

Desiring a swift victory, the civil official directed his soldiers to raise bamboo poles on both sides of the gate, intending to scale the wall and charge in.

Thus, they started from both sides, presumably to wait for the daredevils to break in, cut off the guards behind the gate, and then launch a coordinated attack from both inside and outside to force their way through.

However, no matter how ruthlessly Liao Geng plotted, the soldiers in Xiao Ling's mansion would not give him such a leisurely opportunity.

Thus, once the two sides clashed, they saw enemy soldiers outside the mansion scaling the walls, while inside, they were already waiting with bows drawn and arrows at the ready.

In an instant, crossbows fired in unison, catching the guards soldiers who had scaled the wall completely off guard.

Many of them fell headfirst and were thrown into the air.

If any managed to slip through the net and jump in through a crack, the Xiao army guards in the front yard gave them no chance of survival. In no time, the first wave of troops launched a fierce attack, quickly killing dozens of them.

Outside the mansion, the dead and wounded lay piled up against the wall, and the guards behind looked on in horror.

However, Liao Geng was preoccupied with his own health and would not care about the lives of others.

He was hysterical, his face contorted in rage, yet he continued to order the lives of his soldiers to be sacrificed, racing against time.

This chaotic order resulted in the deaths of over a hundred guards. Only after the fire broke out at the gate of the mansion and the effects were seen did the order to turn back.

It's a helpless situation, to be honest.

The gate of the Xiao family mansion, after all, was an ordinary object and could not withstand fire.

Although the door panels are thicker than those of ordinary people, they cannot withstand too much force.

Once the oil outside is ignited, a fierce fire rages, and no matter how well the horizontal bolts and pillars inside are secured, it will ultimately be of no use.

boom--

The door panels crackled and popped from the heat of the fire.

There are hammers coming from outside to smash it.

Several muffled thuds were heard, and the door shattered and fell to the ground, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere.

The bolt broke in several places, and the brass nails on the board popped out and disappeared into the darkness.

"kill--"

After a loud slam of the door, there was a brief silence both inside and outside.

Suddenly, Liao Gengshen, who was standing outside, shouted and ordered his guards to charge in.

The main gate of the Xiao residence was breached, and the cave entrance was wide open.

Foreign troops, amidst the flames, surged in through the breach, like mercury spilling onto the ground, like water bursting through a dam.

Suddenly, the firelight illuminated the screen wall inside the door, casting the black shadows of the guards in their armor upon it, their figures baring their fangs and claws, a truly terrifying sight.

"kill--"

"The Duke of Jingguo has committed treason, a crime deserving of death. Now, by imperial decree of the Empress Dowager, this traitor shall be executed on the spot to cleanse the court of evil ministers!"

When Liao Geng found himself at this critical juncture, he no longer cared about anything in order to put Xiao to death. He made up lies and falsely conveyed the imperial edict, not caring about the crime of deceiving the emperor.

Hearing this encouragement, the Imperial Guards seemed to have no more worries.

The front ranks move in a scattered charge, with those vying for credit, while those entering later form a solid formation, like an iron wall, and only those who form a strong defensive line are the backbone of the fighting force.

Those in the front row, holding shields, slowly probed inwards.

The rear row of spears thrust horizontally through the gaps between shields to expand their gains.

Just as those ambitious and reckless men charged forward, inflicting heavy casualties on the guards of the manor, a new group formed a defensive formation and charged forward, instantly creating a crisis.

A flash of cold light, and many of the guards inside the gate were already no match for the spears and shields, and were killed.

A muffled groan, a puncture, and a violent fall to the ground.

Enemy and friendly soldiers fought fiercely, their blades chipped and blood trickling down from their spear shafts.

Occasionally, rockets and muskets would fire from both sides, their flashes jumping back and forth with the stray bullets.

The light reflected off the cold armor and bloodstains everywhere, turning them all black, creating a chaotic scene.

The situation remained at a stalemate briefly in the front yard, both inside and out.

Outside the gate, even more armored soldiers surged in like a tidal wave. The sound of boots pounded the blue bricks, and the armor plates rustled loudly.

Gradually, Xiao Jun's garrison could no longer resist and retreated step by step.

Once you reach the eaves of the front hall, even if the hall were expanded, how many people could it accommodate?

The flanks gradually narrowed, and the attacking Imperial Guards' momentum was clearly thwarted.

They were all squeezed together, front and back, completely blocked.

The front row was so crowded that people had to push themselves in.

Thus, the sword and shield were exposed.

With each step forward, Xiao Jun's troops, taking advantage of the terrain and familiarity with the space, used both close-range swords and long-range guns, and quickly gained the upper hand.

However, the disparity in troop strength between the two sides is significant.

The struggle in the hall lasted for about a quarter of an hour.

As soon as the foreign troops figured out the situation, the situation continued to deteriorate.

It was difficult to hold out for long. As midnight approached, the Xiao family's garrison, fighting and retreating, had largely lost their positions and retreated to the ceremonial gate connecting the front and back residences.

There is nowhere left to retreat.

The Imperial Guard soldiers held their shields in a semi-circular arc, their long swords beneath the shields, specifically targeting the ankles of incoming soldiers.

In the open courtyard, someone in the front row fell down, and someone immediately filled in for them.

Blood splattered everywhere, flowing out in the cold night, unable to seep down, and frozen on the blue bricks by the biting wind.

The ground started to slip.

The boots, once stepped on, left bloodstains everywhere, sticky and greasy with a bloody sheen.

"Damn it, this can't go on."

"Bai Jiu'er, take a team of men and climb over the wall from the back yard, go through the alley, and go around to the side gate in the front hall. Block the door from the back."

Clang clang—

Xiao Jingchuan, who had been commanding the troops, was also anxious as he watched the enemy soldiers advance to the ceremonial gate.

After that, only the inner quarters where the family members lived remained.

The enemy's momentum shows no signs of abating; it seems they can't hold out without changing their tactics.

In any case, we must grit our teeth and persevere until the very last moment.

To extricate Yimen from its predicament, Xiao gave the order. At the same time, having caught his breath just moments before, he had regained some of his strength.

He then ordered Bai Jiu'er to act, and immediately drew his sword from his waist.

Without another word, he plunged headlong into the front lines, gritting his teeth and charging forward with his soldiers.

In the blink of an eye, in just a short time, the Imperial Guards showed no signs of stopping.

The shield bearers in the front row, shoulder to shoulder, rammed into the door together.

This ceremonial gate was not as sturdy as the outer gate of the mansion. It couldn't withstand the brute force for long and then exploded with a muffled bang, causing the two crowds inside and outside to collide again.

Swords clashed, metal clanged, and shouts of battle filled the air.

The blade flashed and gleamed coldly beside the torch, striking the armor with a sharp, piercing sound.

The cut went deep into the flesh with a dull thud, followed by spurting blood and hissing sounds that sent chills down your spine.

Some, pierced by spears, clung to the spears with both hands and refused to fall.

Someone cleaved through a shield, then swung their sword wildly, the blade chipping and chapping without stopping.

Once a head is about to fall, it is immediately trampled on by those behind and swallowed up by the crowd, never to be seen again.

The Imperial Guards soldiers all had sharp, cold eyes, while the Xiao Army soldiers inside the mansion, desperate for a chance to survive, all had bloodshot eyes.

Amidst the chaos of the two sides' battle, the door panel was also struck by an unknown rocket and crackled into flames.

The shadows cast a distorted pattern on the faces of the fighting men, and the menacing ghosts roamed the night; this was nothing more than a terrifying sight.

P.S.: There's been a bit of a buff buildup these past few days.

The company was incredibly busy, and my mother developed a heart problem and was hospitalized again.

I was running back and forth between the two places, and I was completely exhausted.

Dear readers, I apologize. These days, I've only been able to write a few lines whenever I have a spare moment, trying my best to keep updating.

Once we get through this period, we'll resume the update frequency.

I am grateful to the people of Jiangshan for their tolerance in allowing me to avoid making money through unethical means. I apologize to everyone. (End of Chapter)