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墨書 Inktalez
After listening to Ji Xi's prayer, Luzi couldn't help but laugh and shake his head, not expecting what would happen next. Whether it was about guilt or not, who in war doesn't die? If there were any consequences for their actions, the generals of the Feudal States would have long since met their end.
Li Xin, skilled in archery and quick to catch on, suddenly understood what Ji Xi was about to do. He wanted to intervene but bit his lip and held back his impulse. This was the so-called strategy of war! Even if they didn't act now, the ensuing slaughter would leave very few alive.
A soft flute melody suddenly echoed through the night filled with blood and fire, like a gentle chant from the Grim Reaper. When the thunderous sound of lightning completely drowned out the chant, a spark burst forth. In an instant, it expanded and then contracted, creating a loud explosion that dispelled the surrounding darkness. Blue flames spread to both sides and ignited a towering inferno.
The soldiers who were set ablaze realized they could not extinguish the fire on their bodies and began to scream in agony as they rolled around. Regardless of friend or foe, anyone they touched caught fire as well. The two soldiers who had been fighting desperately were stunned by this scene and scattered in panic to avoid being burned by the rolling bodies. However, at that moment, the area around the walls was already crowded with people, leaving no space to escape the flames.
This grease burned for a long time and had a strong adhesive quality. Even soldiers who weren't directly covered in grease couldn't escape; as soon as they came into contact with someone running by, they too would catch fire. Some attempted to help their comrades extinguish the flames but were quickly engulfed themselves, joining the chorus of screams. Once everyone realized this was hellfire, they no longer cared about continuing to fight. The front line became the back line as they frantically fled for their lives.
The Qin Army, which had planned to hold back the retreating Zhao Army, found some of their own soldiers ignited by the flames and had no choice but to retreat while using their weapons to keep others at bay. What they didn't expect was that the weapons they had just used for stabbing also caught fire. If anyone tried to extinguish the flames on their weapons, their hands would catch fire as well. By the time someone attempted to help them, they had already turned into a fireball.
Li Xin watched helplessly as more and more of his soldiers caught fire. Frantically, he ran out to maintain order. "Fall back! Quickly fall back! Archers! Use your bows! Do not attempt to save anyone! Stay away from the fire!"
The Qin State soldiers, initially at a loss, snapped back to reality upon hearing his shouts and began to retreat while using crossbows to shoot down those engulfed in flames trying to rush forward. As they created more distance between themselves and the chaos, order was finally restored.
At this point, whether it was the Qin Army or Zhao Army, it was impossible to distinguish which burning bodies belonged to whom. For safety's sake, they had no choice but to shoot down all those on fire near their troops. If any still squirmed on the ground, they were immediately shot again to prevent them from igniting others.
The troops waiting outside for an attack were also affected by the raging fire, leading to a situation that nearly spiraled out of control. After General's stern orders for soldiers to retreat and shoot down those on fire were issued, by the time order was restored, hundreds of lives had already been lost.
Once all screams faded away, charred corpses littered the ground between both forces. The air was thick with a foul smell of burning flesh mixed with acrid bone dust.
The fighting at the breach in the wall was halted by this sudden blaze; Zhao Soldiers who had entered the city and found themselves trapped realized their fate was sealed. The Qin Army on the walls and those across from them raised their crossbows and loudly commanded these Zhao Soldiers to drop their weapons.
Perhaps it was due to the brutal scene that humanity was called forth at this moment. The soldiers of the Qin State chose redemption for the first time, rather than using slaughter to end the battle.
Li Xin saw that the number of Zhao people surrounded was less than fifty, yet they were still hesitating. He shouted, "What are you still considering!? You can't escape now! Put down your weapons! I will spare your lives!"
Right now, not only could they not leave the city alive, but they couldn't even get past the wall of fire in front of them. Despite the flames on the ground appearing still, as soon as someone approached, everything would change. The fire seemed alive, intent on consuming human life as a sacrifice to the heavens.
"Can you Qin people really let us go?"
When a voice finally called out from across the flames, Luzi stepped forward from the crowd to confirm this matter. It was true that the Qin Army earned their achievements by taking enemy heads, but that was only aimed at enemies who had not laid down their weapons. If you put down your weapons, you would no longer be within that scope.
Ji Xi, following behind Luzi, couldn't help but scoff at this statement. This was war; what was there to explain to the enemy!? Just shoot quickly and then clean up the battlefield. What was the point of leaving these people alive? They would only consume the already scarce military supplies!
In fact, regardless of how the Qin Army responded, the surrounded Zhao Army had no conditions left to negotiate. A few dozen people looked around and found themselves surrounded by fierce-looking Qin soldiers. This battle could not continue! The Qin people had summoned messengers from hell, bringing hellfire to the mortal realm. The last vestiges of fighting spirit vanished as they all dropped their weapons and chose to surrender.
Seeing the enemy lay down their arms, Luzi let out a quiet sigh of relief. However, surrendering was one thing; how would they accept these captives? With this thought in mind, he turned to look at Ji Xi, who was distractedly observing the blue flames.
Ji Xi noticed Luzi looking at him and paused for a moment before understanding. "General Lu! We are in the middle of a battle! Showing mercy may not be a good thing!"
Determined to save these captives, Luzi simply nodded. "Young Master Ji! There are good and bad methods in warfare! Fighting for redemption is a righteous cause; even heaven will assist us. But fighting for slaughter is an evil cause; even temporary victories will be abandoned by both gods and men. Look at our great Zhou's King Wu defeating Zhou; it was through promoting righteousness that we achieved final victory. The tyrant Zhou Wang lacked benevolence; even heaven would not help him!"
Hearing this, Ji Xi couldn't help but nod. "Sigh! I really don't understand how you Central Plains people think; isn't war just about suffering? You talk about righteousness and morality as if it's all so simple."
This was completely two different concepts! Luzi knew that such matters could not be explained clearly in a short time, so he asked, "Regarding this matter, I will explain it to Young Master Ji later. For now, I want to know how to extinguish this fire?"
Ji Xi did not intend to reveal the method of extinguishing the fire, as it was a secret known only to the clan members. However, seeing that Luzi was solely focused on saving people, Ji Xi pondered for a while. Whether it was redemption or not, Luzi was not wrong, and neither were the Zhao People on the other side.
Since no one was wrong, then who was at fault? It seemed that to find out the answer, one would have to wait for Luzi to explain it later. With this in mind, Ji Xi decided not to offend the teacher. After coming to this understanding, Ji Xi told Luzi that if he wanted to extinguish the fire, he could use sand.
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