Xu Anping stood atop a hill, overlooking the enemy camp with his 50 recruits. The wind blew fiercely, rustling the rebel flags and carrying with it an air of tension that was palpable. Despite the limited reports and his own knowledge, the imperial camp showed no obvious weaknesses. The wooden walls, though rudimentary, were sturdy enough to offer formidable defense. There were no exposed flanks or vulnerable points. The only way to take that base would be by sheer force, and Xu Anping knew it.
Beside him, Liang was restless, eager for battle. "We can't wait any longer, Anping. If we keep hesitating, we give them time to reinforce their defenses."
Xu nodded, knowing Liang was right. The group of 50 men he led was hungry and tired, but also filled with ambition and the promise of glory. He knew that in a situation like this, morale would be the deciding factor. If he could keep their spirits high, even the most fortified imperial base could fall.
He turned to his men, who looked at him with a mix of fear and expectation. There were tensions among them, especially those who had challenged him for leadership, but in that moment, those disputes seemed insignificant. They all shared a common goal: survival, and beyond that, the chance to rise in the rebel ranks.
"Listen to me!" Xu Anping raised his voice, making sure everyone could hear him. "What we have in front of us is our only opportunity. That base is filled with supplies, weapons, food... everything we need to survive. And what we take will be ours! No general or commander will take it from you. It will all be yours!"
The murmurs among the men began to grow in intensity. Hunger and the need for survival had hardened them. Xu could see how his words were filling them with renewed energy. But he knew it wasn't enough.
"And not only that!" he continued. "If we win this battle, we will rise! We won't just be mere soldiers. We will be recognized, and we will make a name for ourselves in this army. Today, we don't just fight for survival, we fight for power and glory!"
Liang, standing beside him, raised his spear and shouted, "We will be the ones to break down those cursed walls! Today we prove what we're made of!"
The morale among the recruits grew palpably. The neutral ones who had stayed silent until now were shouting with enthusiasm, gripping their weapons with renewed determination. Xu knew he had ignited the spirit of his men. Now, all that remained was to execute the plan.
"Prepare the battering rams," Xu Anping ordered firmly. The attack would be direct. They had improvised five battering rams using heavy logs, bound with leather and reinforced with metal. They would be their only hope of breaking through the wooden walls.
Xu and Liang placed themselves at the front of the charge, leading their men toward the camp. He couldn't afford to lead from the rear. Not this time.
"Charge!" Xu shouted, and the sound of running feet, battering rams thudding against the earth, and war cries filled the air.
The distance to the walls quickly shortened, and the imperial sentries, caught off guard, scrambled to organize themselves. Arrows began to fall, but Xu Anping and his men kept moving. The first impact of the battering ram struck the wooden gates with a dull thud. The wood creaked but didn't give way. Xu urged his men to push harder.
Liang, always by Xu's side, kept the recruits in order. "Don't stop, keep pushing!" he shouted, as the second impact sent vibrations through the gates.
Finally, with the third strike, the wooden gates cracked and broke open with a loud crash. The recruits roared with euphoria as the entrance to the imperial camp lay exposed. The first imperial soldiers who attempted to resist quickly fell under the relentless attack of the rebels. Blood stained the earth, and chaos erupted within the camp. Xu, at the front, slashed through the soldiers with his sword, with Liang by his side, cutting down enemies with fury.
However, victory would not come easily. As Xu Anping advanced, he realized the real battle had only just begun. The imperial soldiers, seeing that the entrance had been breached, began a strategic retreat, moving toward the large tower in the center of the camp. This tower, built of solid stone, offered a much stronger defensive position than the wooden walls. The imperials regrouped around the tower, ready for a fierce defense.
Xu looked at the scene with a sinking feeling. They had managed to breach the outer walls, but now the enemy was withdrawing to an even more difficult position to attack. The tower was tall, stocked with provisions, and with enough archers at the top to give them a significant advantage. Despite the initial euphoria, the rebels hesitated for a moment, sensing the weight of what lay ahead.
Liang, still fueled by the heat of battle, approached Xu. "They're pushing us into a siege. This won't be easy."
Xu knew it. Sieging the tower wasn't something he had anticipated, and his mind raced to find a solution. They could try to force their way into the tower with the battering rams, but that would expose them to the imperial archers. And the longer they spent without taking the tower, the more likely imperial reinforcements would arrive.
"Listen to me!" Xu Anping addressed his men again, knowing he had to keep morale high. "We've already broken through the walls! We've shown that these imperials are not invincible! Now they're hiding in that tower, but not for long. Everything inside that tower will be ours! Food, weapons, gold! If we take that tower, we secure our victory and the future we've been promised!"
Liang shouted again, rallying the men to prepare for the next attack. Despite the fear Xu Anping felt, he couldn't let it show. Morale was everything, and if he showed weakness, they would lose the psychological advantage they had gained.
"Prepare the battering rams!" he ordered, as he organized his men for the second assault. "We're going for that tower."
As the recruits regrouped, Xu Anping knew that the real challenge lay ahead. They had won a small victory, but the enemy had not yet been defeated. The tower was their last refuge, and it would be where the true battle for control of the camp would be fought.