The silence was a weapon more brutal than any catapult. For an entire day, not a single arrow or stone was launched at Zoaging. This profound, unspoken threat was a greater shock to the Gimsong soldiers than the initial assault had been. Throughout the long, restless night, the men stood on the walls, unable to close their eyes for fear that the next moment of darkness would be their last. The hours dragged on, each one an eternity of grinding fear. Soldiers huddled together in small groups, shivering not only from the biting autumn wind but from a dread that had seeped into their very bones.
The next morning, as a cold dawn began to take over the sky, the Gimsong soldiers were finally able to get a full report of the damage the unknown enemy had caused. Their sleepless night had been well-founded; the assault had taken its toll. The platform on the city wall was now unsteady in some parts, its stones shattered, and the mortar reduced to dust. Recognizing the danger, they quickly moved away from the compromised sections, gathering in a more stable part of the city wall where they could regroup and assess their grim situation.
Xue and Konn walked down the length of the long city wall, their eyes scanning every stone for damage. While they found only minor injuries among the soldiers, their worried gaze was fixed on the wall itself. As they walked, they realized that many parts of the parapet were simply not safe to station a large number of soldiers, not that they had many to spare. Xue sighed to himself. The platform might not be able to hold many men, but perhaps three or four could stay along the side of a stone rail. He knew he had to rethink their entire strategy and re-station his soldiers to have any chance of patrolling effectively against the unseen enemy.
Xue sighed, his gaze sweeping over the wounded but not broken men. "It's a good thing that there aren't many soldiers who are injured," he said, his voice a weary rasp. He then pointed to the damaged section of the city wall. "We must find another way to make sure we have men there. Leaving it open is giving an opportunity for the enemy."
"I will make sure that this happens before nightfall," Konn said with a determined nod. "Although we didn't suffer much up here, the nearby streets are in chaos, father. This morning, when I rode my horse, I saw that the damage to the people is worse than I thought. The dead cannot be taken out of the city to be buried, and others are still dying from their injuries." He sighed, his voice tightening with concern. "Father... I don't think we are going to survive this."
"We will do what we can to hold on as long as possible," Xue said, letting out a long, heavy sigh. He gently squeezed Konn's shoulder, a gesture that was both a comfort and an acknowledgment of their bleak reality. "We can't get out of the city to seek reinforcements from Suina. Therefore, we can only hold on for as long as we can, and hopefully, news of our plight will somehow reach Suina."
Konn knew his father's words were meant to lift the soldiers' fighting spirit, but he couldn't bring himself to believe them. He knew with a cold certainty that Suina would never send reinforcements. Instead, Menglua would order his soldiers to strengthen Suina's own defenses in case of another attack. He also knew that no king in their right mind would ever send aid to a city that was about to fall.
"By now, word of us would have reached his Majesty already, but he will not send reinforcements," Konn said sadly, his voice thick with resignation.
"Don't lose hope," Xue replied, trying to reassure his son. "Hope can rise at any given moment."
"Father," Konn said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you think the Magoli will attack us from the rear?"
Xue let out a heavy sigh. "Most likely not now, since they just captured Nue-Li. But knowing Batzorig, he will not let this opportunity pass. He will attack us; it will most likely be in the next two days." He exhaled heavily. "So, yes, there is a high chance that Batzorig will attack."
Xue looked at his young son, a soft smile gracing his lips. He knew that with both of them standing on this wall, their days likely numbered, he had to express what was in his heart. As a traditional man, he would not normally say such words unless he was on his deathbed but facing two enemy forces and the certainty of their doom, he knew he might not get another chance.
Xue turned to face Konn, a soft smile gracing his lips. "I want you to know that I am very proud of you," he said. A light chuckle escaped him as he recalled a distant, happy memory. "I was so happy when the midwife ran out of the room, holding you in her arms and shouting, 'General, it's a boy! It's a boy!'" He smiled wider. "I didn't believe her. I had to lift the swaddle and confirm it myself."
Konn looked at his father, his heart aching with a new kind of sorrow. He knew that Xue was not the type of person who spoke a lot, especially not of matters of the heart. He didn't interrupt, holding his breath as his father spoke. He knew this was likely Xue's final confession, a father's last words spoken in the face of a fate they both now understood to be certain.
"As you were growing up, everyone had their eyes on you," Xue continued, a soft chuckle escaping him. "Even before you could walk and speak, they already made judgments and predicted what kind of person you would grow to be. Most of them were not good. They said you, as my only son, would be a spoiled brat who would ruin my good name. But over the years, you have proved them wrong again and again." He now turned to face Konn completely. "Son, you are my pride, and my proudest. From the moment you shot your first arrow to this final moment here, fighting our enemy, you have never disappointed me once."
Xue gently patted the side of Konn's upper arm, a soft smile on his face. "Having you as my son is the greatest gift from your mother," he chuckled warmly. "Oh... I miss that woman dearly." He let out a long, happy sigh, the sound filled with the contentment of cherished memories rather than sorrow.
"She was so beautiful when she was young," he said, a warm, distant look in his eyes. He giggled at a private memory. "You know, there were a lot of men chasing her back in those days, but I was the only one who bent down and wiped her shoes for her." He burst into laughter, the sound surprisingly joyful. "I didn't know wiping dirt off her shoe would be the ultimate test from that sneaky woman." He then turned to face the distant enemy tents below the city wall, his smile softening. "You know, your mother was the smartest woman I've ever met. Every time I came across an issue that I couldn't figure out, she would always come up with an extraordinary solution to a problem many claimed was unsolvable."
Xue's soft smile faded into a look of profound sincerity. "Is that why you never remarried after her death?" Konn asked.
Xue's gaze shifted back to Konn, his eyes full of love and a lingering sorrow. "Yes," he said simply. "A man can have many children, but a woman like your mother only comes once in a lifetime."
Xue turned his gaze from the distant horizon and rested it on Konn. "Son," he began, his voice soft, "when you find a woman like your mother, a woman who is not just beautiful but whose mind is as brilliant as her spirit, never let her go. Many men chase beauty, but a wise man pursues a soul."
Konn nodded, his expression solemn. "I understand, Father."
Xue smiled, a weary but loving light in his eyes. "In life, we don't always get to choose our battles, but we can choose who we stand with. When you find that woman, hold on to her with everything you have. Don't let a moment pass you by."
"I think a woman like mother would be hard to find," Konn said, his eyes wide. "Mother is one of a kind, the perfect pearl in the entire ocean. If it's not a meeting by chance, no matter how much you search, you will never find it." Konn gave his father a small, sad smile in return.
"One day, you will find your pearl," Xue said softly. He gave his son's arm one last, gentle pat before turning his gaze back to the silent, threatening enemy at the foot of the wall, the warmth of the memory fading as the cold reality of their situation returned.
The siege had been a test of their defenses, but the silence had become a far crueler weapon, a pressure that would either forge them into hardened steel or break them entirely. For now, the only thing that remained standing between hope and despair was the strained bond between a weary father and his resolute son.