Chapter 237 – The Army Arrives
Zhou Tong’s joy over Northern Qiang’s retreat was shortlived.
The main forces of Northern Qiang arrived the next day, armed with a full array of siege equipment. Siege ladders, battering rams, trebuchets, and more menaced the city.
Three hundred thousand troops marched in a mighty procession from the north, joining the two hundred thousand cavalrymen already encamped outside the city. Together, they set up a truly massive camp.
Five hundred thousand troops. Even at its peak, Liangzhou Prefecture, with all its bustling prosperity, had never been host to so many people. If two hundred thousand cavalry harassing the city before had been like a tiger cautiously circling a bull, then the arrival of three hundred thousand additional troops turned the city into a mouse under a cat’s paw.
"There's only five hundred thousand?" Zhou Tong muttered, standing atop the city wall, his brow furrowed.
Jiang Chao nodded from behind Zhou Tong. "Yes... It matches the intelligence I gathered on the way here. Only three hundred thousand troops were on their way here. Adding that to the cavalry already stationed here, it makes five hundred thousand in total."
"Where are the remaining three hundred thousand then?" Zhou Tong wondered, "And who is leading Northern Qiang’s forces?"
Jiang Chao remained silent for a moment before replying, "We haven’t identified them yet, but in a battle of this scale, it’s unlikely to be anyone other than the Grand Marshal. It is said that all of Northern Qiang besides their King is under his command."
Zhou Tong’s body trembled slightly as he spoke bitterly, "Yelü... Zhige."
Upon hearing the name, Jiang Chao’s expression grew even graver. He nodded and said, "External Prime Minister Qi had already suspected that he would be the one to lead their army. Among the people of Northern Qiang, there’s a legend.
"The heavens, pitying the hardships of the Qiang people, sent down two guardian spirits to protect them. One excelled in governance, the other in warfare. These two brothers are none other than Yelü Jiejia and Yelü Zhige."