Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

"Okay." Zhang Qing agreed.

After Zhang Qing left, Yang Ling stood alone in the carriage and pondered. He regretted very much now. Why did he follow Li Jing's advice and take the initiative to attack the east city wall?
If the east city wall had not been attacked, there would have been a chance for the food to be preserved; after all, the Tibetans were very weak and the defenders could not withstand Yang Ling's fierce attack.

Now, not only have we worked in vain, but we have also suffered heavy losses.

The more Yang Ling thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He wished he could rush to the west city wall and kill a few more Tibetans to vent his anger.

Yang Ling thought about it for a moment, then told the steward beside him, "Send someone to the Wangshi Yamen and ask them to help raise food and money."

The steward agreed: "I understand."

The steward turned and left. Yang Ling then instructed, "Remember to tell them that this matter must be kept strictly confidential, otherwise you will be punished by military law!"

"It's save for me!" the steward agreed.

After the steward left, Yang Ling murmured to himself again: "Alas, why am I so obsessed?"

In fact, the reason why Yang Ling decided to take the risk to capture the East City Wall, besides the fact that the East City Wall was easy to defend and difficult to attack, there were other reasons.

The east city wall is located at the intersection of the north city wall and the plain outside the city. It is the middle section of the east defense line.

This is not only the highest point in the city, but also the only road leading to the north city wall. It is an excellent place for the army to attack and fight.

The east city wall is an earthen platform about three meters high. Due to years of disrepair, it has long collapsed and has become the first choice for siege.

Yang Ling had conquered fortified cities here several times before and was familiar with the terrain. In addition, he had fewer cavalrymen, so he decided to attack the east city wall and try to capture the city gate in the shortest possible time and seize control of the city gate.

But the ending was disappointing. Not only did Yang Ling fail to capture the East Gate successfully, but he also paid a huge price in casualties.

Yang Ling closed his eyes and rested in the carriage. He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly heard a terrified cry for help from outside.

The screams and collision sounds mixed together, sounding extremely harsh.

This place was not far from the East City Gate. The sounds of fighting outside the city could be heard faintly, and Yang Ling immediately opened his eyes.

"What's going on?" Yang Ling asked his subordinates.

The subordinate who was responsible for protecting Yang Ling replied: "Sir, there is a surprise attack from the Tibetans. They are attacking the east gate, and our troops can no longer resist."

"How dare the Tibetan dogs launch a night attack?" Yang Ling cursed.

Yang Ling did not even bother to rest. He immediately lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, picked up his sword and commanded his troops to fight.

Although Yang Ling's subordinates had suffered heavy losses just now, they still had more than 4,000 people. Together with the troops transferred by Yang Yi from the Hejian County Prince's Mansion, the number of soldiers exceeded 8,000.

Yang Ling's troops quickly deployed a defensive formation and engaged in fierce street fighting with the enemy.

Because it was dark and visibility was limited, the confrontation between the two sides became quite intense, and the smell of blood filled the entire street.

Although Yang Ling's troops were powerful, they were soon at a disadvantage due to the large number of enemies.

"Marshal, the enemy's firepower is too strong. Our troops can't withstand it. Please retreat first. I will cover your retreat!"

Yang Ling shook his head and refused: "No, if anyone wants to withdraw, I will do it!"

Yang Ling is indeed a coward who is afraid of death, but at this critical moment, Yang Ling will not abandon any of his men and escape alone.

"Marshal, you can't stay! If something happens to you, how are we going to explain to the general?"

Yang Ling snorted coldly: "I am the commander, how can I abandon my subordinates and run away alone? Even if I die here tonight, I will drive the enemy out, otherwise I will not be called a hero!"

Seeing that Yang Ling was determined, the adjutants could only persuade him to follow the troops and avoid the limelight for the time being.

However, Yang Ling did not hide as his adjutants suggested. He personally went to the front to supervise the battle.

Under Yang Ling's urging, Yang Ling's troops fought bravely. Although they were defeated, they still repelled the invading enemy.

But Yang Ling knew that this was not a long-term solution, because the Tibetans would definitely not give up and would definitely come back again.

Yang Ling immediately ordered the entire army to withdraw from the battle and retreat south to Guangning County.

Yang Ling had stayed in the city for too long and had to hurry back to Guangning County.

Yang Ling's troops encountered many scattered remnants of our army along the way, but Yang Ling ignored them and led his troops to retreat directly to the south.

When they arrived outside the South City Gate, Yang Ling's troops were suddenly intercepted by Tibetans.

The Tibetan army outside the East City Gate blocked Yang Ling's troops. Their number was even smaller, less than 4,000.

Looking at the Tibetans blocking the way ahead, Yang Ling gave the order for the entire army to march quickly without hesitation, and then led his men to attack the Tibetan troops opposite.

Although the Tibetans had the advantage, their artillery power was limited, and facing our army's fierce attack, they had no choice but to retreat step by step.

Although the Tibetans failed to completely block Yang Ling's troops, they pushed them close to the East City Gate, making it impossible for them to enter the East City.

The Tibetans seemed to have set their sights on the East City Gate, and they kept targeting Yang Ling's troops.

"Kill!"

Yang Ling drew his sword and shouted, leading his troops to continue attacking East City.

Yang Ling attacked fiercely at all costs and finally drove back the Tibetans, then rushed into the east gate impatiently.

As soon as Yang Ling's troops entered the city gate, they saw a raging fire burning at the entrance of the east city stairs.

The city wall collapsed, smoke and dust billowed, and thick smoke obscured the night sky, making the scene at the East Gate unclear. However, from the anxious and frightened expressions of the surrounding soldiers, it can be seen that the situation here is very bad.

Seeing the scene in front of him, Yang Ling's face instantly became gloomy. He immediately guessed that the East Gate had been breached and the defenders in the city were in danger.

"Go find someone quickly and find those Tibetan bandits for me!"

Yang Ling roared angrily.

Although the Tibetans were not weak, they were only able to defend the city gates and had no chance of breaking through the East Gate. Since they were able to easily take the East Gate, they must have reinforcements or other weapons and equipment.

Yang Ling guessed that the East City Gate must have been blown down by the enemy using some kind of weapon. As long as he found the enemy's weapon, he could find out the specific situation and even find the enemy's lair.

However, Yang Ling and his companions searched all the city gates, including the East City Tower, West City Gate, and North City Gate, but did not find any suspicious items.

Yang Ling's men were all covered in dust and dirt, but no trace of them could be found, which meant that the enemy was well prepared and did not want to leave any clues.

Yang Ling was furious, but he could do nothing about it. He stood blankly at the East Gate for a long time, then sighed and said, "It seems that the enemy had long anticipated that we would attack the East Gate at night, so they had already moved their weapons and ammunition away in advance."

The adjutant reminded in a low voice: "Sir, we might as well search the houses in the city again."

"There is no need to search the houses anymore. The enemies here have been completely eliminated. They are probably worried about being exposed, so they even burned the bodies, leaving no clues. Why don't we go back to the city and ask the general to send troops to reinforce the East City. We will have a decisive battle with the Tibetans in Guangning City."

"Yes, my lord."

Yang Ling immediately ordered the troops to return.

Then he led his troops back to the city. As soon as Yang Ling's troops entered the city, they saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Li Chengen riding towards them.

"Brother!" Li Chengen was overjoyed to see Yang Ling return safely. He dismounted and walked quickly to Yang Ling.

"Second brother, are you okay?"

Li Chengen explained with a face full of shame: "Brother, it's all my fault that I was useless and failed to stop the enemy's attack. The East City was breached by the enemy and the people in the city suffered heavy casualties. Please punish me, brother."

Yang Ling smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Second brother, you are not the commander, so you don't have to take responsibility. The most important thing now is to save the people in the city. We must organize an effective counterattack as soon as possible."

"Brother, the enemy's target should be Donghuamen. We can bypass Donghuamen to support Dongcheng and annihilate the Tubo army by the way!" Li Chengen suggested.

"Okay, then I'll listen to you. Gather the troops immediately and set out from the South Gate to support Donghua Gate!" Yang Ling agreed decisively.

Afterwards, more than 25,000 of our troops immediately assembled and marched towards the East City from the South Gate.

Donghua Gate is located in the northeast of Guangning City and is the only way to the North Gate, so Yang Ling’s first choice of attack point is Donghua Gate.

Of course, as the northern gate of Guangning Prefecture, Donghuamen must have very tight defenses. It is almost impossible to capture the city, and the only way is to use the cover of night to attack the city.

Yang Ling did not let his troops advance rashly. They advanced slowly, and with the cover of night, gradually approached Donghua Gate.

Half an hour later, Yang Ling's troops arrived near Donghuamen.

Yang Ling looked up at the towering city walls and battlements, and couldn't help but feel infinite emotion in his heart.

He remembered that in his previous life, he had participated in the Battle of Donghuamen, and it was in this battle that he witnessed the power of the ancient sturdy castle.

At this time, Yang Ling noticed that there were more and more Tibetan soldiers standing guard and patrolling on the city wall. It was obvious that the enemy was already alert and would soon discover him.

At this time, Yang Ling's troops were only thirty meters away from Donghua Gate.

Yang Ling took a deep breath and shouted loudly: "Archers, get ready! Catapults, get ready!"

Following Yang Ling's shout, more than 20,000 soldiers under his command immediately raised their crossbows and aimed at the city wall in the distance.

Following Yang Ling's command, the crossbowmen pulled the triggers. Instantly, arrows flew and landed on the city wall, splashing blood all over the sky, and the Tibetan soldiers' wailing filled the air.

The top of the city wall suddenly became chaotic. The Tibetan soldiers frantically sought for cover and dodged the rain of arrows. Many Tibetan soldiers fell off the city wall, with bones and flesh flying everywhere.

However, the Tibetan soldiers on the city wall continued to climb up in an endless stream, as if they could never be defeated. They poured out of the city like a tide and rushed towards Yang Ling's troops.

Yang Ling knew that he had to start counterattacking immediately, otherwise he would be stuck in a tough battle and suffer even greater losses.

Thinking of this, Yang Ling shouted, "Spear throwers, get ready! Throw spears to attack the enemy."

As Yang Ling gave the order, hundreds of spear throwers raised their spears and threw them at the enemy troops under the city.

The Tibetan soldiers were caught off guard, and many of them were pierced through the chest by spears and fell on the city wall. However, the enemy continued to advance, rushing forward frantically, trying to seize the top of the city wall.

The ferocity of the Tibetans was beyond Yang Ling's expectations. Facing the spear fire from the city wall, these Tibetans disregarded their lives and climbed desperately to the top of the city wall, trying to climb up the wall regardless of whether they were injured or not.

Seeing the enemy's bravery, Yang Ling hurriedly said, "Archers, get ready!"

Following Yang Ling's order, more than 2,000 archers bent down, drew their bows and arrows, and then shot at the Tibetan soldiers under the city.

Arrows poured down like a torrential rain, shooting down the Tibetan soldiers outside the city. However, such an attack obviously could not stop the enemy.

This time the Tibetan army's attack seemed extremely tenacious. Yang Ling and Li Chengen personally went to the front line to command the troops, but the Tibetan army still desperately attacked the East Gate and quickly occupied the positions near the East Gate.

This crazy offensive of the Tubo army frightened Yang Ling, but he still ordered an all-out counterattack regardless of casualties.

The battle near the East Gate was extremely fierce, with both sides engaging in hand-to-hand combat, with swords flashing. Yang Ling's troops relied on their numerical advantage to hold on and suppress the enemy.

Seeing that the situation at the East Gate was precarious, Yang Ling immediately mobilized more troops to reinforce the East Gate.

Under Yang Ling's order, each camp successively dispatched elite soldiers to reinforce the East Gate, and the situation at the East Gate was finally stabilized slowly. Although the Tibetan army was still trying hard to attack, it was impossible to break through the defense line of the city wall defenders in a short time.

After Yang Ling relaxed a little, he noticed that his troops had suffered heavy casualties. This was not only due to the enemy's fierce attack, but also because it was a night battle, which greatly affected the soldiers' vision.

The visual impairment at night made it difficult for Yang Ling's troops to organize an effective defense. Many soldiers dropped their weapons and fled because their eyes could not adapt, resulting in greater casualties. That was why Yang Ling's troops were unable to capture the East Gate.

When the battle at the East Gate was intense, Yang Ling sent out scouts to investigate the surrounding situation.

The scouts soon learned that two large armies, with a force of about four thousand men, were stationed on a mountain range eight miles to the west and were besieging the east city gate.

Yang Ling frowned when he heard this.

According to the scouts' report, this army consisted of about six to seven thousand people, including at least two thousand Tibetan infantry and two thousand archers.

Yang Ling couldn't help but secretly curse the Tibetans for being cunning. They actually deployed so many troops near the East Gate and dispersed their forces to attack our army. This made it difficult for Yang Ling's troops to concentrate and they were unable to pose any threat to the enemy. They could only passively take the beating.

At this time, the adjutant beside him reminded: "Marshal, the enemy is approaching the East Gate. I am afraid they will launch a general attack soon. Let's retreat first."

"No, if I lead the retreat, our army's morale will collapse completely, and we may not be able to win the battle today."

"But if we delay any further, won't we suffer too much loss?"

"Pass the order down, order all battalions to counterattack the East City Gate with all their strength, and make sure to recapture the East City Gate for me. Don't give up the East City Gate."

The adjutant reluctantly agreed, and immediately passed on Yang Ling's order.

As the order was conveyed, our army's attacks became more fierce and the Tibetan soldiers' resistance became increasingly difficult.

Yang Ling knew that he couldn't delay any longer, so he shouted, "Everyone, follow me and attack the city immediately!"

Yang Ling took the lead by sitting on the warhorse and charging towards the Tubo army.

In fact, Yang Ling's cavalry battalion had just arrived, but was harassed by the Tibetan army on the top of the Donghua Gate, so they dared not show their heads easily. (End of this chapter)