Lord of the Desert

Chapter 353 Advance and retreat
Seventy feet away from the city.

The winch shuddered to a standstill.

The thick hemp rope on the wooden shaft and the muscles on the auxiliary's forearm were stretched to the limit at the same time.

"Drop it another half inch and hold on!"

Pao Zheng shouted harshly and quickly stuck the steel hook on the tip pole.

"Okay, slow down and relax..."

The winch is reset and the gun carriage is just waiting to be fired.

Everyone spontaneously retreated several feet away.

The naked man waiting aside received the cannon-righting signal, spat half-dried saliva into his palm, and stepped forward with the hammer in hand.

Swing it up and smash it horizontally.

The moment the hook popped open, the sweat broke into a fine mist.

The six three-foot-long tip poles screamed as the wood fibers broke under the pull of the weight-bearing blocks.

A sixty-pound clay pot with a narrow mouth filled with crude oil shot out at an angle, and the linen cloth at the mouth of the pot pulled out a line of fire that broke through the air for an instant.

The earth suddenly sank.

The howling of the wind filters out the noise; the broken shields, chariots, and groups of bows and crossbows reflected on the pottery glaze are as small as dolls when zoomed out against the light.

The world was torn apart by war.

It's a pity that it's only for a moment.

The black smoke barrier was in front, and the clay pot crashed into it. When it came out, it was already a different world.

Duanli North City stretched east and west, and the two armies mingled like ants, shouting and fighting fiercely.

The distance is shortened and the reflection is focused.

From the city, to the city wall, to the city section...

Finally, there was a golden shadow among the blood-stained city bricks.

When the news finally came, Hong Fan ducked with his shoulders down, as if it had been rehearsed.

Six feet away, the leading shield soldier was hit in the face by a clay pot, and was immediately helpless.

The crude oil splashed, the flowing fire exploded, and the two colors of gold and black were wild.

"Drink!"

The penetrating officer who followed him did not slow down in pace, swung the oil with his shield, and thrust straight forward.

Hong Fan observed the sword's power as if observing the lines in his palm.

The reverse arm shook off the sharp blade, and the overwhelming force destroyed the opponent's center of gravity. He stepped forward and grabbed the officer's face, twisted his waist and took him off the ground.

Spin and throw.

The armored human body flew out at a faster speed than when it arrived, breaking the wolf fang racket bracket two feet away.

Everyone is silent.

Hong Fan gasped for breath - the excessive consumption had caused him to remove his visor long ago so that he could absorb more oxygen.

The fighting is getting longer.

Counting from the point where they climbed into the city, the Deserted Sand Armor had advanced more than twenty meters horizontally, and corpses were lying everywhere it passed.

However, the morale of the defenders has not been reduced, and there is still a steady stream of attacks.

The sound of strings suddenly came from the turret, like an off-key note.

[Keep moving, don’t stop. 】

Hong Fan was alarmed in his heart and knocked away the two shield soldiers. Hearing the sound of wind approaching, he suddenly pulled up the side wooden wall.

Two clicks, and the arrow penetrated the wood.

But the third broad-bladed spear that followed immediately shattered the wooden board and penetrated the shoulder armor.

The sand solidified and Hong Fan couldn't help but feel suffocated.

[In the middle of the Huran Realm, the true energy is soft and watery, heading east-north, ten feet away. 】

In one blow, he had learned a lot of information about the other party.

He pulled out the iron spear with his right hand. Hong Fan was about to straighten up and throw it back, but his left arm was caught in the rope loop.

"Defeat the enemy! Defeat the enemy!"

The trumpet sounded loudly, and the noose was tightened sharply.

Immediately, sharp arrows were fired intensively, planting a trembling tail feather on the sand armor.

[The shape of the sand flow is changing slowly. 】

Hong Fan thought, sensing danger from his opponent's precise coordination.

He used his flaming energy to burn through the rope loop, and saw four soldiers on the climb to the city lose their strength and fall.

In the peripheral vision, the oval-shaped scorching sun hung coldly high in the sky, with several streaks of iron color flashing beneath it.

It's the turret rain of arrows coming again.

[It’s endless...]

Hong Fan was getting tired.

Not only from the body, but also from the spirit.

The soldiers who ascended first faced the fiercest resistance, and no one among their own soldiers could keep up with him.

With one against many, Hong Fan had to stay focused for a long time, reaching his limit.

The shouts of soldiers, the stepping of iron boots, the release of bows and crossbows, the clash of steel swords and armor...

All kinds of sensory information, which were originally clear and coherent, are now mixed together like colors blurred by water.

Covered by arrows.

Hong Fan covered his face with his back arm and had to choose to fight hard.

Someone immediately jumped at the opportunity.

A three-sided flying spur flew from outside the female wall and clung to the wall. It accelerated as it approached the target.

The wind was as loud as a roar.

After a second thought, the sand flowed to the critical place.

There was a muffled sound at the intersection of hardness and softness, and dust and smoke exploded in a cone.

And just as the sand giant was stiff, a naked man wearing only shoulder armor came through the sand with his arms in his arms, knocking him off the top of the city.

The desert armor disintegrated in mid-air and turned into sand and mist.

Hong Fan turned over in the air and landed on the newly filled sand in the city, his boots digging into the ground three inches.

The sand and fog dispersed, and no one came down to explore the city. They were probably focused on a new fight.

[The true energy is still 20%, and there are two bone fractures in the right rib. 】

Hong Fan checked himself silently and turned his head to avoid the cold arrows shot from the wall in front of his horse.

He lifted up the broad-bladed throwing spear lying next to him with his toes. He threw it casually, and the Tianfeng army who was trying to hide with their bows fell down the city wall.

Seeing that Chi Sha still had some strength left, no one dared to target him anymore. Hong Fan found a chance to breathe, took a deep breath, his eyes were faint, and he entered into a brief inner vision.

Under the Dragon Soul Tree, the thin vitality had gathered like water mist, but the Dragon Soul Fruit still hung high on the branch, ready to repair injuries and replenish the energy at any time - this was his trump card for taking risks.

At that time, the first wave that hit the city was at its full strength.

Hong Fan exited the inner view and looked around, seeing that the first and second floors of the west side of the car were empty, and there were only a few auxiliary soldiers left behind under the car ladder who were responsible for covering up the soil and putting out the fire.

His heart rate slowed down a little, but he saw a heavy armored soldier from the Yum Victory Army rolling down from the top of the city and landing three feet away.

There was a vertical drop of five feet. The man fell on his back and let out a blood-soaked groan. His mouth and nose were blocked for a while, and he could not breathe.

"How are you?"

Hong Fan took two steps forward and asked urgently.

The opponent had lost his helmet and his bun was scattered. Not only did he not reply when he heard the questions and footsteps, but he rolled two feet away like a wild animal and grabbed the sword that fell beside him.

Only then did the two have a chance to look at each other.

Hong Fan glanced over and saw that the iron scales on this man's shoulder armor were half broken, revealing the broken leather straps.

The sunlight refracted from its sunken breastplate, wrapping like a golden ribbon around the chipped blade.

"But Pu Jianpu Junhou of the Left Army?"

Hong Fan recognized the person.

"We've seen it before!"

"Young Master Hong?"

Pu Jian reacted and his anger was greatly reduced.

"You were also 'invited' to come down?"

He gritted his teeth and forced out a smile, relaxed his posture slightly, and stretched his waist and eyes with his free left hand with difficulty, and the skin and flesh on his face trembled like waves with the movement.

"My long, tall tree hit my chest. I guess I didn't mean to 'please'."

Hong Fan also smiled back.

Just when the two of them were relaxing a little and taking a breath, there was a loud roar above their heads.

This is the sound of rocks colliding and disintegrating at high speed.

Hong Bum sensed something was wrong, but things were happening faster than he could currently handle.

Stone chips flew and gray-white stars hit the city bricks.

A wedge-shaped stone slice pierced the side of Pu Jian's skull at an angle.

He staggered to his knees and covered the wound with his left hand. Red liquid with white foam flowed out from between his fingers.

Hong Fan's smile froze at the corner of his mouth.

He stepped forward to help the person up, but the latter held his knife on the ground and waved to him while panting in vain.

"My brain is so excited..."

Pu Jian's eyes protruded and he spat out a few words with a big tongue, his left hand hanging down weakly.

This military lord was actually dead.

Hong Fan froze in place, confused for a moment.

What happened in the past few seconds was uncomplicated.

It was nothing more than a battlefield as big as a city, with stone bullets thrown by two artillery carts belonging to both sides colliding in mid-air.

It was nothing more than a sharp stone fragment flying out after the collision of the stone bullets, which happened to penetrate the vital part of a certain combatant.

But the more reasonable all this is, the more Hong Fan is frightened.

Pu Jian is a veteran who has survived hundreds of battles. He has mastered martial arts at its peak and has just learned the secret to the realm of completeness.

As a military prince, he personally leads a group of soldiers, has the best weapons and armor, and should be protected by a small team of soldiers.

There were several fierce battles at the top of the city and a drop of fifteen meters, but he was still thrown to death.

However, in the end, just a piece of gravel took away his first achievement, ruined all his prospects, and ended his entire future.

Abrupt and random.

Ridiculous even.

Hong Fan swallowed subconsciously and clenched his fists.

There were still stone bullets flying overhead, and several half-dead bodies fell from the top of the city.

He captured a deep sense of déjà vu from these images.

On the top of the Xianzun Bridge, Su Peifeng, whose face was full of tears, murmured "impermanence" like a maniac.

Outside Feiming City, I was forced to make a life-and-death decision and felt as dizzy as a lost dog.

"Ding……"

A hundred feet to the east, an ancient iron spear picked up Tang Shengwang's flying shuttle, and the sound of a zither was heard in the clear air.

[Why should I commit myself to this situation? 】

Hong Fan couldn't help but ask himself.

My thoughts are mixed.

At this moment, what he thought of first was not the secret conversation with Xu Guinian and the triple martial arts promised by the latter.

Instead, you can see the hundreds of miles of red land, the barkless trees buried in fallen leaf coffins, and the innocent people huddled in the sheepfold...

Hong Fan reached out and closed Pu Jian's wide eyes.

Following the sound of the clang in the distance, he looked back and saw the left army's flag waving left and right - this meant withdrawing and resting.

The remaining soldiers on the city retreated.

In front of the formation, the elite soldiers of the right army were forming up and marching out of the artillery carriage, their armor facing the sun like iron in a furnace.

The skylight hit the steel scales and dazzled Hong Fan's eyes, making him unable to see clearly the faces under the helmet.

The car facing the car is in the east, and the horse facing the wall is in the west.

From the base of the wall upward, only half of the sky remains.

Hong Fan's heartbeat completely calmed down.

He pulled out a broad-bladed throwing spear from the fallen corpse of the Tianfeng Army, wiped his face, turned around and squeezed into the passage leading to the carriage with the second wave of soldiers.

PS:

Happy New Year, dear readers!

This chapter is not posted to update, but to take the opportunity to report on the current status.

Since December, my state has gone through ups and downs four times - due to my rush to conceive and update, as well as emotional friction with others.

But it was not until three months later that my condition finally stabilized and my brain gradually recovered.

This chapter was written between March 4th and 5th. After that, I will work hard to speed up production and publish the third volume once it is completed.

Thanks guys.

(End of this chapter)