NOVPUBOutside the main southern wall, the Chichimeca Canine Descendants were fiercely brave. More than a thousand Canine Descendants, merely holding wooden shields that covered half their bodies, carried towering ladders and charged towards the city wall in a loosely formed array. Within just a few dozen breaths, the Canine Descendants had rushed to within fifty steps of the city wall, entering the dense range of projectile fire from the city.
Xiulote, without hesitation, waved the battle flag again, and the sound of the war drums suddenly accelerated. The crossbowmen let out a deep cry and unleashed a wave of fierce arrow rain. The thousands of Tarasco archers on the city ramparts also fired simultaneously, mixed with a rain of javelins and stones. Two waves of feathered arrows crossed in the air, like two fluttering wings, piercing the thin bodies on the city top and beneath.
Piercing screams suddenly rose, even overshadowing the relentless war drums. In an instant, hundreds fell over, and thousands of blood blossoms bloomed in the wind. Then, warm liquid flowed freely, coating everything around. The feathered arrows didn’t stop; the defending militia desperately shot arrows and hurled stones, and in groups, they died. The situation was even more brutal for the Canine Descendants below; the unprotected bodies were shot down in droves, showing signs of collapse instantly.
With many falling before even reaching the enemy, the Canine Warriors began to hesitate. A portion of the warriors still charged forward, and the first ladder was being positioned against the city top. Most of the warriors started to look around indecisively, and a few turned back towards the camp to flee.
Xiulote’s expression turned cold, and he mercilessly waved the battle flag. Nearly a thousand of his trusted aides stepped forward, blocking all paths of retreat, and without hesitation, shot dead the dozens of Canine Descendants who tried to flee. Then, the second wave of thousands of Canine Descendants was driven and intimidated to continue charging towards the city top. Being the first wave of the vanguard, the Canine Descendants were doomed to a fate of death.
Holding out for over a month, the quicklime on the city top was nearly depleted. A Tarasco warrior hurled down the last clay pot of quicklime, creating a blinding cloud of smoke below the city rampart. Several Canine Descendants immediately covered their eyes, crying out like wolves. The warrior, however, hadn’t hidden yet and was targeted by an archer, falling into the swirling ash cloud.
With the addition of the second wave of Canine Descendants, dozens of ladders were successively erected. The moment the copper hooks were secured, hundreds of Canine Descendants couldn’t wait to swing their shields and stone hammers, charging up to the city top. They were met with dozens of densely packed long spears. The sharp copper spears cruelly alternated attacks, impaling them into bloody, torn rags.
This tightly coordinated spear formation with copper spears was starkly different from the chaotic fighting on the highlands. The Canine Descendants swung their weapons in vain, melting away on the city top like snow in boiling broth, turning into red, bloody water.
Seeing that the Canine Descendants had finally climbed the city-top and were being rapidly depleted, Xiulote slowly nodded. He waved an exceptionally bright red flag, and his vigilant warriors brought thousands of selected, fearless Canine Descendants to the front. This was just over a hundred steps from the city wall, at the edge of missile range.
The gunpowder craftsmen were well-prepared. They lit over two hundred long-fuse clay tribuluses, then without pausing, stuffed the same number into the arms of the Canine Descendants.
"Run! Run faster! Get close to the city-top, at least climb halfway up the ladder, then throw the ’Divine Power’ spheres into the enemy’s lines at the city-top, and you can return! Remember, anyone who throws disorderly before reaching the city wall dies!"
Several tremulous translators, intimidatingly, repeated the instructions they had given over a dozen times before. Then, the warriors fiercely waved their war clubs, and the Canine Descendants charged like a driven pack of wolves.
More than two hundred Canine Descendants, holding burning "Divine Power" spheres, ran desperately. They crossed past rapid-firing shield carts, past bodies strewn along the way, to the city wall beneath the ladders, and finally, they climbed near halfway up the ladders!
"Boom, boom, boom!" A dozen early-ignited clay tribuluses exploded right on the ladders, blasting the sphere-holding Canine Warriors into pieces. The violent explosions roared like the wrath of gods, causing an instant uproar both above and below the city, unknown fear seizing everyone’s hearts!
Then, the remaining Canine Descendants, remembering the "divine" command, violently hurled the heavy spheres they carried. The grey-yellow clay tribuluses traced high arcs, landing among Tarasco’s spear formations. A warrior on the city top, puzzled, kicked a hissing hedgehog sphere.
"Boom, boom, boom!" The hedgehog spheres suddenly burst open, emitting countless fine, sharp clay fragments, instantly bringing down nearby Tarasco warriors. The fragments pierced the cotton armor, tore through delicate skin, penetrated soft bodies, and made hearts cease instantly. More lethal pieces shot upwards, piercing fragile eyeballs and deeply embedding into faces, leaving dense, horrific holes.
Within two steps of the explosion, a warrior in cotton armor fell silently, his body riddled with holes; blood gushed forth. Within four steps, the massive blast resonated inside and out, resonating in the ears of the defending army, knocking down militia and warriors alike. The crowded city top was suddenly emptied.
"Boom, boom, boom!" Nearly two hundred spheres exploded in succession. Some hit their marks, exploding on the city wall and mercilessly bringing down both the combatant Canine Descendants and the fighting defending army. Others, thrown too forcefully, landed behind the city wall, killing two or three waiting Tarasco militia, shocking the reserves behind them. Some failed, falling below the city wall, injuring the stunned Canine Descendants who watched.
