They actually used bronze to make such finely crafted armor plates. Has Plumera's craftsmanship really reached that level?
No matter how you look at it, that's impossible.
So next, the Youdan general ordered people to bring over bone arrows, stone arrows, and even some bronze arrows that he had hanging in his tent as decoration.
In the end, neither the bone nor stone arrows could do anything to the black armor. Only the bronze arrows barely left a few marks on the surface.
But it was clearly impossible to pierce through the black shell with bronze arrows. First, the Youdan army didn't have many of them. Second, bronze arrows were too heavy. It took a huge amount of force to shoot them, but that caused a big drop in speed.
All in all, the cost was too high and the outcome wasn't worth it.
After trying with the bronze arrows, the Youdan general gave up completely on the idea of cutting the rope and lowering the drawbridge.
Plumera now truly didn't seem like the Plumera of the past.
The general took a slow breath, trying to calm the thickening unease in his heart. He looked up at the Qis on the wall, who hadn't moved the entire time, watching him shoot several arrows that only broke on impact.
Hmph. The Qi troops in the city must be feeling even bolder now after his failed tests.
The general no longer wanted to waste any effort. He put away his bow, pulled back his troops from the front, returned to the main camp, and summoned the Gu Master with a grim look to discuss using snake-type living puppets to cross the moat and directly crawl into the drawbridge handle to bite through the rope.
The Gu Master glanced at the general. He had seen everything just now with his own eyes.
The Gu Master, who didn't know much about weapon materials, just wanted to call the general a useless idiot. But remembering the Sect Leader's order, he forced himself to hold back. He activated the mother gu inside his body and deliberately summoned hundreds of densely packed snakes from around the army. He controlled them to crawl toward the moat, fully intending to have them bite through the drawbridge rope and show this useless general what real power looked like.
But what he didn't expect was that as soon as the snakes reached the moat, they reacted like they had fallen into boiling water. Within seconds, their bodies shook violently and twisted together.
Then they went completely still and died on the spot. He didn't even have time to examine them through his control.
The Gu Master, who had been proud and dismissive, was stunned for several seconds by the sudden disaster.
After a while, he looked at the snakes he had spent years raising, now all dead in the river, and a wave of fury surged up in his chest. He was so angry he nearly wanted to kill every living thing nearby just to vent his rage and make up for the loss of his puppets.
But given the current situation, no matter how furious he was, he had to force himself to stay calm. His expression turned strange and sinister, and he began to think about the only possible cause for what just happened.
"Divine Medical Valley."
…
On the city wall.
The deputy general had just been punished and was in a bad mood, but seeing the enemy's snake swarm all drop dead the moment they touched the water lifted his spirits immediately. He grinned and scooted closer to Oswyn, laughing as he spoke.
"Heh! General! Young Master Haochen is truly something! Back then, we just followed his instructions and ground one single pill into powder and scattered it into the east, west, south, and north moats. And now, ha! The effect is this strong! It completely wiped out that disgusting Gu Master's snakes! Ha! Let's see how they plan to get over now!"
The more he watched, the more excited he got. The pain of the military cane he'd soon receive was already forgotten.
After all, they had fought so many battles, but this was the first time they'd made the enemy suffer without even stepping outside the gates or firing a single arrow.
The deputy general laughed harder the more he looked. He started pulling the soldiers around him into the laughter too. At the same time, they kept close watch on the enemy's every move, not letting anything slip past their eyes.
"His Highness and Young Master Haochen really are divine."
"Yeah, all these years and I've never seen city defense done like this. We didn't lose a single man, and the enemy's already struggling. Feels great."
"I want to see how they plan to get across. The moat that His Highness and Young Master Haochen planned isn't something you can just cross easily."
"My hands are itching to use this crossbow. We trained hard for over half a month. Let them try, and we'll kill them the moment they do."
"Actually, even if they don't come over, we can still shoot. Our bows might not have the same range as the wall crossbows, but they're not short. We can hit them even now. But let's wait and see what they try next."
"Haha, did you see that creepy Gu Master's face just now? All his snakes died the moment they touched the water. I think he's about to blow a vein. Haha!"
"That's enough! Everyone stay sharp! Don't just laugh at them. Be alert in case they try to sneak over using some dirty tricks! Keep your eyes open!"
"Yes!"
…
Below the city.
After losing all one hundred snakes, the Gu Master stood there with a face as dark as night. He didn't move for a long time. Then he turned and walked away, step by step, back to camp.
The general was still standing in the same spot. Even though he was trying hard to keep his expression calm, his face still looked awkward and off.
He cleared his throat and tried to control his face before finally speaking to the Gu Master.
"Gu Master, it looks like they drugged the moat too. The living puppets can't get through. The drawbridge won't come down. What now?"
The Gu Master returned to his tent. He grabbed a few poisonous frogs from his insect cage, poured liquor over them, then chewed and swallowed them hard. After taking a few deep breaths, he rasped out,
"Give the order. All soldiers are to immediately start cutting trees, digging dirt, and moving stones! That moat, I'm going to fill it up today!"
"Yes!"
The general could only think of this one method.
So the guards on the walls of Marigold City saw the Youdan army five miles away suddenly break into formations and scatter into the surrounding mountains to cut down trees and dig up soil.
The deputy general saw this and was about to report to Captain Qi, but Captain Qi raised a hand and spoke to the soldiers on the city wall.
"Inform all defenders! Get your crossbows ready!"
The deputy general immediately obeyed. The soldiers, all calm and ready, returned to their positions. Every crossbow was loaded, and the backup troops prepared to deliver a steady supply of arrows.
Half an hour later,
When the Youdan army finally carried the wood, stones, and dirt from the mountains and stepped within five hundred meters of the wall, Captain Qi gave the command from the top of the city wall.
"Release!"
In an instant, the sound of countless arrows being fired echoed across Marigold City's gates.
Sharp, fast arrows rained down like a storm from the sky.
The Youdan soldiers, still carrying wood and stones, didn't even have time to react before their faces and bodies were pierced with arrows.
"Brothers! Attack! Leave every one of these Youdan invaders who dared to enter Plumera's land right where they stand! Make them pay with blood! Don't let a single one escape!"
"Yes!" The voices from the wall thundered in unison.
The Youdan soldiers below were wiped out under the powerful shower of arrows. They had no way to resist and were struck down wave after wave.
Those in the back who barely had time to react tried to draw their swords and shields, but the arrows came too fast. The power of each shot was far stronger than they had expected. Not all of the Youdan soldiers wore bronze armor. Only generals were allowed to wear that. Most wore wooden armor.
If the guards of Marigold City had been using wooden arrows, then wooden armor would have been enough to block them.
But they were using iron arrows.
These sharp tips, unlike anything the Youdan army had seen before, pierced through the wooden armor easily. Many soldiers trying to block with wooden shields or armor fell to the ground and never got up again.
The arrow rain poured down non-stop like a violent storm.
Especially the shots from the two giant wall-mounted crossbows. They flew far, hit hard, and struck with heavy force.
Some Youdan soldiers tried to hide behind logs, only to witness with horror as the arm-thick wood was split in two before their eyes. The iron arrows, thick as a thumb, kept flying and pierced straight through the logs and into the soldiers hiding behind them.
The force was beyond anything the Youdan army had ever known.
Even the general who had led the Youdan forces for decades was shocked.
Seeing thousands of his men dead or wounded in an instant, the general snapped out of his daze and quickly ordered the retreat.
On the wall, the defending troops had once again beaten back several thousand enemies without losing a single soldier. Their morale surged even higher.
"Heavens! It's like the gods are helping us!"
"This power is unbelievable! I can't even believe it myself!"
"I've been fighting for years, but I've never seen a battle like this! Not one of our brothers lost, and we wiped out thousands of them! Hahaha!"
"The Princess really is divine! With such weapons of destiny, it's like we've been blessed by the heavens! The enemy can't even compare to us!"
"Haha! Brothers, this is amazing!"
"Everyone stay alert! Be careful of a counterattack! Don't get careless!"
"Alright! The enemy is retreating. We'll stop here for now. Tell the backup troops to bring up more arrows and reload the crossbows. Then get the army rested. Be ready for whatever move they try next!"
"Yes!"
The rising morale and excitement spread from the city walls through all of Marigold City.
No one could blame them for feeling this way. The Qi family's army, as defenders of Plumera, had won battles under Captain Qi before. But the court, the royals, and others had always withheld support or caused trouble. Outside enemies and rebels had also kept them under pressure for years. It had been a long time since they felt the thrill of a clean, satisfying fight.
But today, they not only remembered the army's most glorious days. With the support of divine weapons, they felt a greater joy in battle than ever before.
So this is what war could be like. Not just fighting with flesh and blood and risking your life every moment.
So this is how Plumera's army could win, even against a foreign force, and do it so easily.