181: Chapter 181 A Great Defeat to the Enemy Army

“Boom!”

A terrifying flame capable of illuminating the pitch-black night ignited instantly beneath the city walls!

Once the “fierce fire oil,” specially crafted by the Hundred Crafts Institute, was ignited, it would cling like bone-eating maggots, impossible to extinguish!

In an instant, the entire area beneath the walls of Yanmen Pass turned into a Hell on earth, filled with shrill screams and the stench of burning flesh!

Countless Wei Army soldiers rolled and wailed in agony amidst the terrifying flames, eventually turning into charred corpses!

The horrific and tragic scene made even the battle-hardened veterans of the Wei Army tremble with fear, daring not to take another step forward!

However, the Wei Army had the advantage in numbers!

Driven by Yuan Zhen's desperate, no-cost-spared urging, subsequent troops stepped over the still-warm corpses of their comrades, wave after wave, launching suicidal charges against the high walls without fear of death!

Finally, some fearless Wei Army elites, braving the rain of arrows and flames, successfully hooked their scaling ladders onto the city walls, which were already stained red with blood!

“Kill them all! A reward of a thousand gold pieces and a promotion of three ranks to the first one who reaches the top of the wall!”

Stimulated by the heavy rewards, countless fierce Wei Army soldiers, like mad dogs pumped with adrenaline, eyes burning red, climbed frantically up the precarious ladders toward the city wall that symbolized supreme glory!

Just then, the eager and restless fierce warrior of South Chu, Xiang Hao, finally received the order he had been waiting for!

“Divine Power Battalion! Charge for me!”

He let out a deafening, terrifying roar, and was the first to rush forward, wielding his custom-made giant hammer weighing three hundred jin, like a demon god descending from the mountain, meeting the swarming Wei Army soldiers who were like ants!

“Boom!”

A casual swing of the giant hammer in his hand smashed a siege ladder hooked onto the wall, along with the dozen or so Wei Army soldiers climbing it, into a spray of flesh and wood splinters!

The three thousand heavy infantry of the Divine Power Battalion behind him also let out roars filled with endless violence and fanaticism, swinging their giant spiked clubs weighing one hundred and fifty jin, unleashing a horrific, bloody slaughter upon the city wall!

This was not a battle between equals!

This was clearly a one-sided crushing of ordinary Mortals by a group of ancient Vicious Beasts wearing human skin!

Any Wei Army soldier who managed to climb to the top of the wall was like a fragile egg before their terrifying spiked clubs, which could split stones and crack monuments; they were easily smashed into a blurry pulp of flesh and armor!

On the city walls, blood flowed like rivers, and corpses piled up like mountains!

However, the number of Wei Army soldiers was simply too great!

After hours of crazy attrition regardless of casualties, the seemingly impregnable western section of the Yanmen Pass wall was finally smashed open by several battering rams, creating a massive gap several zhang wide at a poorly maintained weak point!

“A gap! The wall has been breached! Brothers! Charge!”

The Wei Army soldiers, whose eyes were already red with bloodlust, let out a deafening, crazed cheer upon seeing the long-awaited gap!

Like sharks smelling blood, they swarmed frantically toward the fatal breach!

“Oh no! The western wall is in danger!”

On the watchtower, the Grand Commander Du Wei's expression changed drastically at the sight!

He knew that once the main force of the Wei Army poured into the city through that gap, the entire defensive line of Yanmen Pass would collapse in an instant!

“Tiger Guard Battalion! Follow me! Swear to block the gap!”

Du Wei let out a roar filled with endless resolve, and he was the first to rush toward the imperiled gap, carrying his scarred tower shield!

The three thousand Tiger Guard Battalion soldiers behind him also let out a unified roar, following him like tigers descending from the mountains!

Just then, the “pulley lift system,” newly developed by the Hundred Crafts Institute, demonstrated its near-miraculous efficiency at this critical moment!

Dozens of giant lifts installed on the inner side of the city wall, with the precise coordination of gears and levers, transported thousands of Tiger Guard Battalion soldiers, along with tens of thousands of rolling logs and heavy stones, to the precarious western section of the wall in less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick!

“Hold the line for me!”

Du Wei took the lead, his body like an iron tower, blocking the gap where Wei Army soldiers were continuously pouring in!

His tower shield was long gone.

His long spear had long been snapped in two.

He used his own flesh and blood, already stained red, and his iron will, as immovable as a rock, to desperately defend the land behind him that he had sworn to protect with his life!

“Squish!”

A sharp long saber stabbed viciously into his left shoulder!

“Clang!”

A heavy battle-axe hacked down hard on his helmet!

Du Wei felt his vision go black, and a heart-piercing, bone-chilling pain spread throughout his entire body!

But he did not retreat!

He didn't even let out a single groan!

He suddenly let out a terrifying roar like a wounded beast, grabbed the long saber stuck in his shoulder, and pulled it out of his body!

Then, using his last ounce of strength, he stabbed that blood-stained saber deep into the heart of the Wei Army commander in front of him!

“If you want to pass this gate, step over my corpse first!”

Outside the gap, more Wei Army soldiers were preparing to tread over the corpses of their comrades to launch a new wave of charges!

However, just as they stepped onto the land already covered in blood and corpses!

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

A series of dull, thunderous, terrifying explosions rang out from beneath their feet without warning!

The pressure-triggered “Ground-Stepping Mine,” newly developed by the Hundred Crafts Institute, revealed its ferocious and deadly fangs at this critical moment!

Countless iron shards and steel balls, mixed with a terrifying shockwave capable of tearing steel to shreds, swept crazily toward the surroundings!

The thousands of Wei Army elites who had just assembled were blasted into a blurry pulp of flesh on the spot by the sudden, terrifying explosion, unable to even let out a scream!

The tragic and bloody defensive battle lasted from dawn until dusk.

The setting sun illuminated the sky, already stained red with blood, making it appear even more eerie and tragic.

After suffering heavy casualties of nearly fifty thousand men, the Wei Army finally sounded the retreat due to an inability to continue and temporarily withdrew.

Although Yanmen Pass was ultimately held, it came at an extremely heavy price.

Tens of thousands of garrison troops were dead or wounded, more than half the force.

On the city walls, there were broken corpses and snapped weapons everywhere.

The air was filled with an thick, nauseating stench of blood and burning flesh that wouldn't dissipate.

Doggy survived.

He leaned against the cold battlements, gasping for air.

His body was thoroughly stained red with the blood of his enemies and his comrades.

The youthful innocence that had originally been on his face was long replaced by a coldness and numbness that one only possesses after experiencing a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Looking at the hellish battlefield under the setting sun, his once clear eyes became incredibly hollow.

He didn't know what he was fighting for.

He only knew that he wanted to survive.

Just then, a warm and powerful hand gently patted his shoulder.

Doggy looked up and saw the towering figure that was already no different from a god in his eyes.

Gao Feng personally handed him a steaming coarse flour bun and a bowl of meat soup radiating an alluring aroma.

“You've worked hard.”

Gao Feng's voice was still as calm as ever, but it carried a hint of imperceptible gentleness and approval.

Doggy looked at this king of the northern border, who had been high and mighty like a god during the day, yet was now personally delivering food to him, a nameless soldier, just like a big brother from next door.

His heart, already numbed by the war, was completely filled with an unprecedented warm current at this moment.

His eyes instantly turned red.

He didn't say a word of thanks, but just took the piping hot meat soup and drank it in big gulps.

The warm soup slid into his already cold stomach, dispelling all his exhaustion, fear, and confusion.

He knew what he was fighting for now.

For the land behind him that allowed him to be fed and clothed, and never be bullied again.

For this king before him who regarded him as a “person,” not “grass.”

However, the short rest could not solve the imminent, enormous crisis.

That night, at the main military tent of Yanmen Pass.

The atmosphere was so oppressive that it was suffocating.

“Your Highness!” the logistics officer in charge of supplies reported to Gao Feng with a grave expression, “Although our army successfully repelled the enemy's attack today, our own consumption is equally shocking!”

“Especially the arrows! In just one day, those thousands of divine arm crossbows consumed nearly one million special crossbow bolts! We have already used up nearly seventy percent of all the inventory shipped from the Hundred Crafts Institute!”

“The rolling logs, heavy stones, and fierce fire oil are also running low!”

“At this rate, we can only hold out for at most three more days!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole tent was shocked!

Everyone turned their gaze to Gao Feng, who was sitting in the main seat, his face still as calm as water.

They knew that an even more severe test was already before them.

However, after hearing the logistics officer's report, there was not a trace of panic on Gao Feng's face.

He just slowly turned his gaze toward the General of Cavalry, Ma Qianli, who had been standing silently in the corner.

“Qianli, how are things prepared on your end?”

Hearing this, a brilliant light erupted from Ma Qianli's eyes, which were as bright as stars!

He took a step forward and clasped his hands together in a heavy salute toward Gao Feng, his voice filled with boundless confidence and soaring Battle Intent!

"Reporting to the Prince! The thirty thousand soldiers of the Wind Cavalry Battalion have already assembled! Each man has three horses, equipped with seven days of rations and the finest gear!"

"Sky Net has also sent back confirmed intelligence! The Wei Army's logistics and grain base is located in 'Five Mile Town,' a hundred miles away! Not only is their army's half-month supply of grain stockpiled there, but it is also garrisoned by thirty thousand logistics and transport troops, personally led by Cao Meng's nephew, Cao Anmin!"

"This general requests orders! I am willing to sign a military pledge! Within three days, I will surely set Five Mile Town ablaze! I will cut off their grain route and lift the siege of Yanmen Pass!"

"Good!" Gao Feng slammed his hand onto the table and slowly stood up, his deep eyes burning with a raging fire capable of setting the entire world ablaze!

"This Prince will give you three days!"

"This Prince will hold back Yuan Zhen's main force at Yanmen Pass for you, at any cost!"

"This battle must succeed; failure is not an option!"

"Go! Let this Prince, and everyone in this world, see the supreme Divine Might of the Wind Cavalry Battalion of the northern border!"

"This general obeys!"

Ma Qianli let out a roar filled with endless determination. He spun around and strode out of the central command tent, which was thick with a murderous Aura.

He knew that a thousand-mile raid, one capable of determining the outcome of the entire war, was about to begin under his command!

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

The thirty thousand soldiers of the Wind Cavalry Battalion, dressed in black, with wooden gags in their mouths and their horses' hooves wrapped, emerged like black phantoms from Hell. They silently slipped out from a path on the north side of Yanmen Pass, bypassing the blockade that the Wei Army had sealed off completely.

They carried no torches and made no sound.

Relying on the terrain they knew by heart and the guidance of the Big Dipper, which remained as bright as stars in the night sky, they marched frantically toward their predetermined target a hundred miles away!

This was a race against time!

This was an extreme test of will and stamina!

To save time, they abandoned all main roads, choosing instead to traverse rugged, inaccessible mountain paths.

When thirsty, they drank a mouthful of ice-cold mountain spring water.

When hungry, they gnawed on dry rations that had frozen as hard as stones.

When sleepy, they would steal a nap on the backs of their speeding horses.

Ma Qianli led by example.

He was no different from the ordinary soldiers; he ate the same rations, drank the same spring water, and endured the same fatigue and hardship.

His heroic face had long since been cut by fine, bloody gashes from the biting cold wind.

His once-bright eyes were now bloodshot from long nights without sleep.

Yet, his straight spine remained as unyielding as the silver spear in his hand!

His firm gaze and unshakeable fighting spirit served as the brightest lighthouse in the night, guiding the thirty thousand exhausted soldiers behind him as they struggled forward, step by step, toward their distant goal!

Finally, after two full days and nights of non-stop, extreme raiding.

At dawn on the third day, as the first ray of golden sunlight pierced through the clouds and bathed the vast land below.

The small town marked as 'Five Mile Town' on the map, with curling smoke and vibrant life, finally appeared before them.

Ma Qianli reined in his horse. Looking at the defenseless town, which hadn't even set up proper sentries, a flash of cold, extreme, and cruel murderous intent crossed his bloodshot eyes!

He slowly raised the silver spear in his hand, which glinted with a deadly, cold light under the morning sun.

Then, using all his strength, he let out the loudest and most murderous roar of his life!

"Wind Cavalry Battalion! Follow me! Flatten this town!"

"Kill!"

Thirty thousand iron-blooded knights, who had been suppressing their rage, let out a simultaneous, deafening, and frenzied war cry!

Like white lightning descending from the heavens, they charged with an unstoppable, terrifying Aura toward Five Mile Town, which remained fast asleep, completely unaware of the impending death.

Inside Five Mile Town, the Wei Army's chief logistics officer, Cao Anmin, was still in his warm, comfortable bed, dreaming of promotions, wealth, and marrying a beauty.

However, the next second, the terrifying sound of horse hooves—like an earthquake that made the very earth tremble—ruthlessly jolted him awake from his beautiful dream!

"Enemy... enemy attack! We're under attack!"

The shrill screams and shouts filled with boundless fear instantly echoed throughout the entire town!

Cao Anmin was terrified! He scrambled out of bed, not even having time to dress, and rushed to the window!

Then, he witnessed a scene of boundless fear and despair that he would never forget as long as he lived!

He saw an endless, dark mass of terrifying cavalry—a torrent of death emerging from Hell—sweeping toward his small town from all directions at a speed that completely defied his understanding!

The young general at the lead, riding a white horse and wielding a silver spear, looked like a Heavenly God descending to earth. With a casual sweep of his silver spear, he shattered the town gate—which had been desperately guarded by several personal soldiers—into a shower of wood chips on the spot!

"It's over... everything is over..."

Cao Anmin's eyes were filled with boundless despair and horror!

He never dreamed that the Panshi Army, which they had tightly besieged within Yanmen Pass, would still have the strength to dispatch such a terrifying cavalry unit, travel a thousand miles, and launch a surprise attack on his rear!

He couldn't even organize a decent resistance!

His thirty thousand so-called "logistics and transport troops" were nothing more than a group of recruits who had never seen blood, and a bunch of old degenerates whose bodies had been hollowed out by wine and women!

Faced with this elite force, which fought like tigers and wolves, they didn't even have the courage to draw their blades!

They could only let out inhuman, shrill screams, throw down their weapons, and flee in all directions like headless flies!

However, under the lightning-fast, terrifying hooves of the Wind Cavalry Battalion, any attempt to escape seemed so futile and ridiculous!

A horrific, one-sided bloody massacre was brutally unfolding in this small town, which had once been filled with peace and tranquility, in the most direct and shocking way possible!

Ma Qianli led the charge. The silver spear in his hand was like the Grim Reaper's scythe; with every swing, it inevitably sent a spray of hot blood into the air, along with a severed head wearing an expression of utter disbelief!

He headed straight for the largest and most conspicuous granary in the center of the town!

"Burn it! Burn every last bit of grain here for this general!"

With his cold command issued!

Countless pre-prepared torches were thrown into the mountainous piles of grain—enough to feed one hundred and fifty thousand troops for a full half-month!

"Boom!"

A terrifying conflagration, capable of lighting up the entire sky, erupted toward the heavens!

The billowing smoke could be clearly seen even from a hundred miles away!

On the ramparts of Yanmen Pass.

Yuan Zhen watched the terrifying plumes of smoke rising from behind him—a symbol of death and destruction. Every drop of color drained from his face, which was usually filled with courage and confidence, in that instant!

"No... impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

He let out an inhuman, shrill scream. His tiger-like eyes, filled with shock and disbelief, were fixed on that ominous smoke, which seemed to mock all his efforts!

Five Mile Town!

It was the lifeline of his one hundred and fifty thousand troops! It was where all his grain and supplies were stored!

Not only was his nephew Cao Anmin stationed there commanding thirty thousand troops, but he had also specially deployed several layers of open and hidden sentries just in case!

It was supposed to be as solid as a golden fortress! Infallible!

He never dreamed that the Panshi Army, which he had tightly besieged within Yanmen Pass and which he viewed as a turtle in a jar, would still have the strength to dispatch a ghostly, elusive force, bypass his layers of blockade, and strike directly at his heart!

"Report!"

Just as his composure shattered and his heart was torn with terror, a messenger, covered in blood and wearing shattered armor, scrambled up to him, his voice filled with boundless despair and sobbing!

"General... Great General! It's bad! Five Mile Town... Five Mile Town has been... wiped out by the Panshi Army's cavalry!"

"All the grain has been burned! General Cao Anmin... has been defeated and captured! The thirty thousand garrison troops have been completely wiped out!"

"Puh!"

Yuan Zhen felt a sweetness in his throat. Unable to suppress it any longer, a mouthful of blood erupted from his mouth!

His burly frame swayed violently, and he nearly tumbled from the high commander's platform!

It was over!

Everything was over!

The grain was burned, and his retreat was cut off!

His army of one hundred and fifty thousand had instantly transformed from an invincible, soaring force into an isolated unit that could collapse and mutiny at any moment due to the lack of food!

"Retreat... retreat..."

He used the last of his strength to squeeze these two words through his teeth—words that would bring him lifelong humiliation.