The Beast at Bay?

Twelve hundred cavalry drew the attention of every defender inside the pass.

The troops' flagging morale was revived by the thunderous rumble of hooves.

The soldiers guarding the city gate, however, were all dumbfounded.

A thousand two hundred elite cavalrymen, clad in heavy armor and armed to the teeth, were galloping toward the tightly shut gate.

The youth at their head was even shouting, "Open the gate!"

The Great Yan frontier army was in an extremely difficult position. Dingyuan Pass's defenses were hanging by a thread, and the pass could fall completely at any moment.

If they opened the gate...

"Squad leader!"

The defenders closest to the gate called out to a slightly older soldier beside them.

The soldier looked at the Tiger Leopard Iron Cavalry drawing ever nearer, showing no sign of slowing. He clenched his fist and made up his mind.

"Open the gate!"

"Yes!"

The creaking of wooden gears rang out as the enormous gate, three zhang wide, slowly swung outward.

Outside the city, the barbarian soldiers cheered when they saw the gate slowly opening.

In their eyes, the gate of Dingyuan Pass had opened because their warriors, who had climbed the ladders, had completely seized control of the city walls. The gate was opening to let the main force of their tribes into the pass.

"Ha lie! Ha lie! Ha lie!"

The barbarian soldiers raised their weapons high, leaping and shouting the barbarian word for "kill."

They were ready to slaughter to their hearts' content.

"Ha lie! Ha lie! Ha lie!"

Even after the gate had swung fully open, the barbarian soldiers held themselves back, waiting until their leader outside the gate gave the order.

"Ha lie!"

The barbarian soldiers roared, waving their curved sabers and maces as they surged toward the wide-open gate. Their excited