The roar of battle was deafening, and the fierce fight on the city walls continued.
Jia Er, despite his seemingly bad temper, was receptive to advice. Li Man'er's suggestions were all adopted.
Jia Er ordered buckets of copper oil, tinder, and water to be prepared. They poured a thick layer of ice over the upper half of the outer wall.
The ice was then slicked with oil, making it difficult for ladders to be propped up. The barbarians, unaware of these preparations, suffered greatly in the initial assault.
The enemy brought trebuchets, but for some reason, only two were deployed. They were quickly disabled by the defending trebuchets before they could cause significant damage.
Li Man'er observed the wind direction and moved to A Si's side, joining her in the fight.
Her long saber was cumbersome on the narrow city walls. After a couple of swings, Li Man'er tossed it aside and picked up a short sword that was no longer in use.
Her swordsmanship was swift, and her strength immense. As soon as an attacker poked their head over the wall, Li Man'er would cut them down with a single stroke, sending them tumbling from the ladder.
Li Man'er instructed soldiers to drench the ladders with tung oil. The barbarians, smelling the oil, panicked and retreated. Some even leaped from the ladders mid-climb.
However, arrows tipped with burning tinder flew with lightning speed. *Swish*, they pierced the men on the ladders. The flames met the tung oil, erupting in a blaze that instantly engulfed the men and their ladders.
The wind picked up, fanning the flames into a raging inferno, turning the area below the city gate into a living hell. The burning barbarians rolled on the ground, their cries echoing. Many tried to rush forward to help, but the intense heat was overwhelming, and rescue was impossible.
A single spark can start a prairie fire.
The barbarians likely never expected the siege to halt in less than an hour.
The fire destroyed many of their ladders and, more importantly, killed a significant number of their men. The scene was brutal, the smell of roasted human flesh thick in the air. Their morale crumbled, forcing a retreat.
Li Nian rejoiced and personally selected a thousand men to charge out of the city and pursue the fleeing enemy.
Li Man'er watched for a moment from above. The retreating barbarians were disorganized, lacking formation. Thus, there was no fear of an ambush, and she did not intervene.
As expected, shortly after Li Nian and his men charged out, the barbarians scattered like whipped dogs, completely incapable of mounting a defense. Cavalry held a distinct advantage; how could the two-legged barbarians outrun Li Nian's horses?
With swift strikes of the blade, heads rolled.
They continued the slaughter until their hearts were content, then returned with their men.
The soldiers on the city walls cheered as they always did. They had won, though everyone knew this victory was temporary.
Although the barbarians had retreated, everyone understood that they would soon return. This time, the barbarians were not merely feigning an attack or engaging in harassment and sneak raids.
They were ambitious, aiming to break through Mo Bei City first, then march south and swallow the entire Zun Kingdom.
Li Man'er sat in the tent, listening to the generals curse and debate, a cold sneer on her lips.
To swallow Zun Kingdom? What arrogance, they would surely break their teeth.
She sat beside Li Nian, in the lowest seat. For Li Man'er, this was of no consequence; she cared little for such things.
However, her presence seemed to displease many.
"I say, General Li, you can't be so blatant in using public office for private gain. Your greed is quite unbecoming."
Li Nian feigned ignorance. "Lord Ji, I don't understand what you mean. I am uneducated; if you have something to say, please speak plainly, don't beat around the bush."
The official referred to as Lord Ji was a young civil supervisor.
Li Man'er had only encountered such situations in history books. To witness one firsthand today was truly fortunate!
However, she had no intention of speaking. After all, the words were relatively refined, and no vulgarities were used, so there was no need to get angry!
"General Li repeatedly claims he has no designs on the Marquis's military power, yet you overstep your bounds. Now, you have brought a woman into the military camp. What is the meaning of this?"
Li Man'er's gaze immediately snapped towards him, fixing on Lord Ji with fierce intensity, her eyes burning with malice.
The supervising official, seeing Li Man'er covered in blood, appearing like a demon from hell, immediately fell silent. *Good heavens*, this young lady Li, though not old, possessed such a terrifying aura. She rivaled these generals, even subtly outshining them.
"General Li, you are going too far. Although Lord Ji is a civilian official, his words hold some truth. Since His Majesty sent Lord Ji here, it indicates his great trust and regard." The speaker, with hollow cheeks and a pair of triangular eyes, reminded Li Man'er of the Cui family.
Scheming and with a harsh countenance, he was clearly no good person.
In any era, there were those who flattered the powerful, and eliminating rivals was a common tactic in both court and military circles.
"May I inquire the name of this esteemed official...?"
The triangular-eyed man snorted. "My surname is Feng."
"General Feng, are you implying that my uncle is openly abusing his power to promote our Li family and enhance the prestige of the Marquis's estate?"
"Isn't it?"
"Nonsense! I promote talent regardless of kinship." Li Nian had tolerated this scoundrel for a long time. If it weren't for the bigger picture, he would have confronted this shameless fellow and fought him.
"Uncle, there's no need to get angry. Let your niece teach him a lesson." Li Man'er's voice was exceptionally loud, audible to nearly everyone present.
Luo Sheng leaned back in his chair, watching Li Man'er with amusement. A spark of keen interest flashed in his eyes. *How interesting, truly interesting.* This young lady Li was indeed fiery. Most importantly, she was strikingly beautiful!
Everyone said Consort Luo's favor stemmed from her peerless beauty. His elder sister, in her youth, was enchantingly alluring, and few imperial consorts could match her looks.
But this Li Man'er was even more beautiful than his elder sister. This was truly rare.
General Feng leaped to his feet. "You impudent brat, how dare you speak so wildly! Who are you going to teach a lesson?"
Li Man'er smiled faintly. "General Feng, why get angry? If you wish to hear reason, I will reason with you. If you are unconvinced and wish to resort to force, I am also willing to oblige. Though I am young and of the female sex, my ability to slay enemies far surpasses that of an adult."
Li Man'er stood up with a bold stride, spreading her arms to display her blood-stained attire to everyone. "On the city walls, I fought alongside the soldiers. This blood on me is barbarian blood. You, Lord Feng, are spotless from head to toe, having likely not even cut off a single barbarian hair, have you?"
Someone could not help but laugh out loud.