A quarter of an hour later.
The rapid-response troops had donned their armor. Under the leadership of County Captain Xu, they descended the ridge, passed through the earthen walls of Si Yang Town, and concealed themselves near the civilian residences close to Liu Family Fortress.
"Do we have any sharpshooters?"
"Shoot down the two guards on the watchtower."
County Captain Xu turned to look at the dozen military officers behind him.
At this distance—roughly six to seven hundred paces away from the Liu Family Fortress—only an elite marksman wielding a five-stone bow would be capable of landing a fatal shot on the watchtower guards.
For ordinary men, even those with excellent aim, drawing such a heavy bow with sufficient force was simply impossible.
The gathered officers exchanged hesitant glances.
While they were all skilled martial artists, none of them had the strength or marksmanship required to kill from six hundred paces away.
A five-stone bow was something only a martial scholar could properly wield.
"I will do it."
Seeing the hesitation, Wei Tu stepped forward without hesitation. He cupped his fists toward County Captain Xu and took on the task.
Back when they had last met at Xuanhe Tower, Fu Zhizhou had urged the sworn brothers to refine their martial skills and secretly train their troops—all in preparation for a moment like this, for the opportunity to distinguish themselves in battle.
Wei Tu dismounted, retrieving his five-stone bow from his Qingcang horse.
He drew an arrow, took a deep breath, and aimed at the two guards standing on the fortress watchtower.
The moment he loosed the first arrow, he swiftly flipped his position, shifting his bow to his right hand. In a seamless motion, he nocked another arrow and drew back the bowstring with his left hand.
Two arrows, released in rapid succession.
The first struck one of the guards square in the chest.
The second found its mark a heartbeat later, piercing the other guard's throat.
"Ambidextrous archery! Commandant Wei, your marksmanship is truly exceptional! Once we take down the Liu Family Fortress, I will see to it that you are rewarded handsomely!"
County Captain Xu's eyes gleamed with admiration as he witnessed Wei Tu's display of skill.
He himself had once been a martial scholar, but years of administrative work had left him lacking the strength to wield a powerful war bow. Watching Wei Tu's seamless archery reminded him of his youthful days.
With the watchtower guards eliminated, the remaining officers wasted no time.
Following County Captain Xu's earlier battle plan, they led their squads forward, storming the fortress.
Even Wei Fei had been given command over a unit, using his position as Chief Instructor to gain favor with the county captain.
Meanwhile, having loosed his two arrows, Wei Tu wiped the sweat from his brow, took deep breaths, and deliberately slowed his pace, allowing himself to fall behind the charging forces.
Drawing a five-stone bow was no easy feat. His exhaustion was expected, and it would raise no suspicions.
Only when the other officers and their squads had rushed into the fortress did Wei Tu finally pick up his gold-backed saber and advance with the remaining troops.
He had already earned significant merit for his sharpshooting. A single well-placed shot was worth as much as being the first to scale the walls during a siege.
There was no need for him to scramble for further achievements now—it would only draw envy.
Moreover, the county-level martial examination was fast approaching.
If he passed and became a martial scholar, he would receive an official rank between seventh and eighth grade.
The officers fighting today, even if they performed exceptionally well, would only receive minor promotions within the ranks of local troops.
Compared to becoming a martial scholar, these minor ranks were nothing.
Most importantly—this was war.
Weapons had no eyes.
They had no idea what kind of resistance the Liu Family Fortress would put up.
Hanging back meant he could assess the battlefield and retreat if necessary.
Wei Tu had no intention of sacrificing himself for the Zheng Kingdom.
"Since Commandant Wei is already exhausted, he shall remain here and guard the rear with me."
County Captain Xu glanced at Wei Tu's labored breathing and chuckled.
"Thank you, Captain."
Wei Tu did not argue.
Instead, he stepped back, standing behind County Captain Xu, acting as his personal guard.
Now that he had some breathing room, he turned his attention toward the battlefield.
Despite being an unorganized force, the rapid-response troops were steadily advancing under the direction of their officers.
They held their round shields in a tight formation, methodically pushing forward.
From within the fortress buildings, burly warriors emerged, wielding heavy weapons, attempting to break through the formation.
Some of them possessed the strength to tear apart tigers and crush warhorses with their bare hands.
But even they began to falter as they fought against the unyielding shield wall.
Though they managed to take down a few soldiers, their stamina was not endless.
The defensive formation held.
The troops pushed forward, step by step.
Victory seemed within reach.
However—
Just as the officials thought the battle was coming to an end.
A massive figure stepped out from the hall—a towering man clad in heavy black armor, his muscles knotted and bulging beneath the plates. A massive iron hammer was strapped to his back.
His sharp gaze swept across the ranks of government troops before he let out a disdainful scoff.
"The imperial court has truly fallen into disgrace, resorting to underhanded night raids. Where is the honor in such tactics?"
Before anyone could respond, the iron hammer giant grabbed his weapon and swung it forward with terrifying force toward the shield formation of soldiers stationed a dozen paces away.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The round shields shattered instantly.
The leading soldier took a direct hit to the head, his skull exploding like a crushed watermelon, red and white splattering across the ground.
The soldiers nearest to him were swept away, their bodies sent flying over ten feet through the air.
In the blink of an eye.
Three to four dozen of the most elite local troops had been massacred.
More than the total casualties sustained in the entire assault up to this point.
But worse than the losses was the sheer devastation to morale.
The several hundred county soldiers from Qingmu County were never a true battle-hardened force.
If they had been able to claim swift victory, no one would have noticed the vast difference between them and real elite troops.
But now, after suffering such an overwhelming blow and watching their comrades die so brutally, their morale collapsed.
Panic spread.
Some soldiers turned and fled in terror.
"Reform ranks! Anyone who tries to escape will be executed on the spot!" County Captain Xu roared in fury, drawing his long blade and swiftly cutting down a fleeing soldier.
His rage was not just for show.
Within moments.
The officers of the supervisory force began executing the retreating soldiers one by one.
The battlefield discipline was restored.
The troops steeled their nerves and refocused on the monstrous warrior before them.
"If I don't take out their commander, they'll just wear me down until I'm dead."
The iron hammer giant stood tall, taking deep breaths as he assessed the situation.
He had already slain over thirty fully armored soldiers wielding shields, but doing so had cost him nearly half of his stamina.
He had hoped to break their will with sheer brutality.
But the government forces' leader was no fool.
Instead of panicking, County Captain Xu had ruthlessly executed deserters, bringing the troops back under control.
This battle wasn't going to end easily.
"Commandant Wei, you've had enough time to recover. Now's the moment to strike," County Captain Xu murmured as he moved closer to Wei Tu.
A heavily armored warrior like this iron hammer giant could only be taken down in two ways.
One was to overwhelm him with sheer numbers, grinding him down through attrition.
The other was a precise strike—an arrow shot at a weak point.
"I… I'll try." Wei Tu hesitated for a moment but ultimately clenched his jaw and nodded.
His archery skills were formidable, but to kill this monstrous opponent, he would have to hit his exposed eye.
And this wasn't like shooting the two sentries earlier.
This was a full battlefield engagement.
Everything changed in an instant.
Wei Tu focused his breath, clearing his mind.
He nocked an arrow and aimed at the iron hammer giant's eye.
Then, in rapid succession, he loosed three arrows.
Twang! Twang! Twang!
Three sharp bursts of sound filled the battlefield.
But—
The outcome was unexpected.
The first two arrows missed their mark, veering just inches away from the iron hammer giant's eye.
The third arrow was on course.
It was going to hit.
But at the last moment, the iron hammer giant's palm shot up and caught it mid-air, snapping the arrow in half with his bare hand.
"Hah! A fine marksman! But let's see how you handle this!"
The iron hammer giant let out a thunderous roar, swinging his massive hammer and hurling it straight toward Wei Tu.
The sheer force of the throw sent a shockwave through the air.
Wei Tu's ears rang.
For a brief moment, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze.
The next instant, the whirling iron hammer was nearly upon him.
Wei Tu didn't dare look.
Trusting his instincts, he flung himself sideways, rolling desperately to avoid the incoming strike.
Boom!
A thunderous crash erupted beside him.
Wei Tu twisted his head and saw the massive hammer embedded deep in the ground where he had just been standing.
At the same time, a sharp pain flared up on his right side.
Looking down, he realized the hammer had grazed his flank.
His ribs ached, but—
He was alive.
A cold sweat dripped down his back.
He took a deep breath and felt his armor pressing into his skin.
The layers of padding and the high-quality armor he had commissioned had saved his life.
If he had been even a fraction slower…
That blow would have crushed him completely.
Wei Tu clenched his fists.
"I can't let myself take risks like this again," he muttered under his breath.
He had barely escaped with his life.
This was a warning.
From now on, he had to be even more cautious.
No more standing out.
No more needless risks.
Only calculated survival.