Deciding the Battle

The north wind is like a knife, whipping up thousands of piles of snow.

As the colossus of war crashed down, cracks spread rapidly across the towering city walls like a spiderweb, and the smoke and snow fog filled the city walls as battle cries shook the heavens.

Under the control of the Second Prince City Protection Array successfully killed a thick-skinned Ice Beast Colossus during its attack, but the impact of the last bear-shaped giant directly shattered the overloaded array patterns of the South City.

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King has achieved his tactical objective at the cost of the three-headed Ice Giant.

Although the massive city walls were not completely destroyed, the entire City Protection Array in the south of the city was paralyzed.

More importantly, the corpses of the war colossus, which fell onto the city wall after their deaths, directly became a natural trestle leading to the city gate tower.

The Barbarian Tribe vanguard split into two groups and stormed the city walls and the destroyed Triumph Gate like wolves.

The two armies clashed instantly.

The Barbarian Tribe totems and the illusory weapons formed by the Great Yan army formation constantly intertwined and collided, creating a series of booming sounds.

In a war of this scale, most high-level cultivators dare not show their faces.

But even in these critical moments, some reckless high-level cultivators will still risk their lives to strike, wiping out a large area of enemy troops before instantly fleeing far away.

This naturally included Zhou Chen, who was forcibly assigned to guard the city.

Zhou Chen drew the jade sword from his back and had just used his internal Cultivation Method to kill a group of the Barbarian Tribe soldiers who had climbed the city wall and were waiting for reinforcements when he felt his aura being locked onto.

Subsequently,

No sooner said than done, a White Tiger totem shot directly towards him from the snow and smoke below the city!

Its speed was so fast that even he had no time to dodge.

Zhou Chen's pupils contracted slightly, and the dark Daoist sword light he had prepared flashed, slashing fiercely at the giant tiger phantom.

"Boom!"

Two powerful Source Qi collided violently on the city wall, creating a large crater.

Zhou Chen, unable to withstand the force, transformed into a blur as the roar resounded, plummeting rapidly into the city, crashing through several buildings and creating a cloud of smoke. His fate remains unknown.

And this is only one aspect of the entire war.

Every minute, no, every second, countless Yanren and Barbarian Tribe died in this meat grinder. Bone spikes pierced their hearts, and Spirit Blade severed their heads. Crimson and black blood spread rapidly throughout the South City.

Despite the deafening shouts of battle and the countless Barbarian Tribe swarming the city walls, the city gate tower, as the largest stronghold in the South City, remained as solid as a mountain.

Yuan Hao ignored the fighting below, because he had no time to pay attention to it at the moment.

His eyes were fixed on the faintly visible figure of the last Barbarian Tribe war colossus.

A good general can always quickly analyze the greatest threat on the battlefield.

The situation in the South City is indeed critical, but the greatest threat is not the barbarian army that has stormed the city walls, nor the barbarian army that has entered the city through the triumphant gate, but the last surviving war colossus.

Without the City Protection Array, the defensive siege weapons on the city walls were completely unable to inflict fatal damage on the war colossus. And once the war colossus reached the foot of the South City...

Most of the city wall might be smashed down by that beast.

Once the city walls are destroyed, the entire South City will be indefensible.

Once the war colossus enters the city, the resulting chain reaction will directly lead to the complete fall of Beifeng City.

There's no way to fight in urban warfare.

The thought flashed through his mind, and a look of seriousness crossed Yuan Hao's handsome face.

The Prince Wu Yuan assigned him 30,000 border troops from the sect to command, which is why he did not use his own Black Scale Army.

Most of the guards on the city wall are now border troops from various sects. He only sent a small number of mid-level officers to shout instructions and maintain discipline.

As for his Black Scale Army, they formed a battle formation within the city to serve as the supervisory force.

Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy!

This includes considerations of preserving strength and the overall situation.

It's a very simple principle.

If the Black Scale Army were to defend the city walls alongside these border troops, aside from the fact that their different Cultivation Method would prevent them from forming a cohesive military formation, the more important issue would be that the morale of the Black Scale Army could easily be eroded by these swine.

Once the enemy is routed, the entire battle situation in the South City will be completely ruined.

If the Black Scale Army Black Scale Army were to hold the line at the front, and they suffered too many casualties while defending the city and needed to retreat, it would be wishful thinking to rely on these second-line sect border troops to retake the city gate.

However, after the war began, the development of the battle situation was somewhat beyond Yuan Hao's expectations.

Perfect strategies only exist in illustrated books.

Although Yuan Hao made many preparations before the battle, he never expected that the smoke and dust released by the "Sun Veil" and the snow fog rising from the snow would actually have a "reassurance" effect on the border troops of the sect defending the city.

In a hazy, obstructed view,

People can only see the area in front of them. Even if someone is afraid of death and wants to escape, they cannot see the others who are fighting to the death.

In the heat of battle, they were temporarily locked in a stalemate with the onrushing Barbarian Tribe.

It was a pleasant surprise.

Thinking of this, Yuan Hao looked at the colossal war statue rushing towards the city wall with earth-shaking force, and slightly tightened his grip on the sheath of his sword.

A decision needs to be made.

He had to lead the Black Scale Army out of the city to kill the remaining giant statue.

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Hao glanced back at the Black Scale Army, who were fully prepared and ready to go below the city.

This journey out of the city is likely to be extremely dangerous, with a slim chance of survival and no guarantee of success. But he has to do it, otherwise, he will face certain death.

Having made his decision, Yuan Hao didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately turned to the deputy general Li Qingyan had recently assigned to him—a middle-aged, burly man with a thick beard, who was also the commander of the sect's 30,000 border troops—and solemnly said:

"Deputy General Qing, I don't care what methods you use, you must use your troops to defend the city walls."

Upon hearing this, Deputy General Qing frowned slightly.

He had a clear understanding of the overall situation, so he did his best to control the army formation and maintain the city wall's defensive line.

However, his understanding of the bigger picture did not diminish his dislike for this Yuan commander.

As the key figure maintaining the border army's formation, Qing Genglan could clearly sense that in every moment, countless brothers under his command had vanished forever.

On what grounds?

Why should Yuan Hao's Black Scale Army be able to supervise the battle from the rear, while his own men are fighting desperately on the front lines?

After a moment of silence, Deputy General Qing bowed again, gritting his teeth as he said:

"Of course, with Commander Yuan's Black Scale Guard overseeing the battle from the rear, my troops naturally dare not retreat."

Yuan Hao looked at Deputy General Qing, his tone calm:

"Don't feel resentful. I will personally lead the Black Scale Guard out of the city immediately."

Upon hearing this, Deputy General Qing was stunned for a moment. He could naturally see the battle situation clearly, and subconsciously glanced at the mountain-like shadow several miles away:

"Leave the city? You're going to leave the city to slaughter that giant statue?"

Yuan Hao smiled, as if he were having a casual conversation:

"Deputy General Qing, you should know very well that if we don't kill that giant statue, we'll all die here."

After saying that,

The two generals on the city gate tower fell silent for a moment.

The biting hurricane howled through the sky, but the deafening battle cries had all masked its chill.

After a few breaths without receiving a reply, Yuan Hao turned and left.

There is no time to lose in the fight.

At this time,

With her eyes lowered, Qing Genglan suddenly spoke loudly behind Yuan Hao:

"The reserve reinforcements from within the city will arrive soon. I will organize an army to clear the way for you, Commander Yuan."

Yuan Hao paused slightly, turning around with a hint of surprise.

Qing Genglan grinned, revealing his unshaven mouth:

"Commander Yuan, we are not on the same path, and we may even come to blows in the future."

But at this moment,

"I think we should be considered comrades."

"."

A moment of silence,

Yuan Hao gave the unshaven middle-aged man a deep look, then chuckled and shook his head.

"You're not too bad. I'll go easier on you next time."

Having said that,

He jumped directly off the city wall.

Qing Genglan's lips twitched upon hearing this, and she spat in the direction Yuan Hao had left.

"Damn it, this arrogant brat is so cocky. Let's focus on surviving first."

Having said that, he activated his military formation Cultivation Method and began to assemble the soldiers in the inner city.

If the battle on the city walls was a meat grinder, then the site of the destroyed Triumph Gate was an absolute meat grinder.

The Barbarian Tribe, taking advantage of the power of the dead colossus, stormed into the city and established a bridgehead, but the well-prepared Great Yan army had already surrounded the area.

The Barbarian Tribe wanted to hold onto this bridgehead within the city and continue to expand, while the Great Yan wanted to destroy this bridgehead.

Both sides suffered continuous casualties and continued to commit troops.

The violent collision caused the Source Qi in the air to become chaotic. The corpses of both sides piled up like mountains, but in an instant, they were blasted into a bloody pulp by the powerful phantom of the military formation, with blood and flesh flying everywhere. The city walls and the ground were covered with red and black flesh and blood, and the stench was overwhelming.

Dying here, even leaving behind a complete body is just a hope.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, this bloodbath will continue until one side runs out of manpower or suffers too much damage and retreats on its own.

But things changed very quickly.

Because, in addition to this magnificent Triumph Gate, two of the other three giant gates of the South City are being slowly raised.

The Barbarian Tribe army waiting below the city was stunned by the sight, but soon some of their leaders realized that this was a sign that the Yan people were about to leave the city.

Their superior military skills allowed the Barbarian Tribe elites to form a temporary defensive line the moment the city gates were fully opened, ready to launch a counter-attack and expand the meat grinder beneath the city walls.

Heavy cavalry, clad in border armor, charged forward to clear a path, followed by heavy infantry who advanced towards the flanks.

Progress is rapid.

However, because the soldiers forming the army were all martial apprentices of the eighth or ninth rank, this advance lasted for less than half a quarter of an hour, and the Barbarian Tribe outside the city held their ground after covering only a mile.

A medium-sized military formation consisting of 10,000 people is formed by small, interconnected squads of soldiers who support each other.

Under the onslaught of the Barbarian Tribe army outside the city, small military formations were quickly destroyed, and medium-sized military formations consisting of 10,000 men began to crumble.

"The Yanren army is about to collapse!"

"These Yan people dare to leave the city and launch a counterattack!"

"For the King! For the Ancestral God! Charge into the city!"

The barbarian shouts rose and fell, signaling the start of their counterattack.

But at that moment,

The thunderous sound of hooves suddenly rang out, and a black torrent, with unstoppable force, burst forth from the city gate.

Clad in Black Scale commander's armor, Yuan Hao rode a Black Scale horned horse, leading the charge. Looking at the crumbling border army formation around him, he chuckled with a hint of amusement.

"Tsk tsk. You couldn't even maintain your formation after losing 30% of your small military units? Considering you're not a bad person, I, Yuan, will personally give you a quick death later."

Having said that,

He roared a song:

"Qing Genglan, get out of my way! If you don't move, your soldiers will follow me!"

On the city wall,

Qing Genglan cursed under his breath, sounding slightly weary, but still obeyed the other party's orders, ordering the elite border cavalry to make way for the Black Scale Army, while simultaneously letting out a low growl:

"Prepare the ballistae! Clear the way for this bastard! Fire!"

The Black Scale Heavy Cavalry then took over the position from their opponent.

Yuan Hao took the lead, and with the support of the military formation, he wielded his halberd with wide, sweeping movements. Each swing produced a blade of light that could take the lives of more than a dozen tall Barbarian Tribe in front of him.

Hot, dark blood splattered on his face, making his handsome features contort with excitement.

Like a sharp spearhead, it pierced through the Barbarian Tribe army's formation, charging towards the mountain-like behemoth.

Even with only two thousand men, and even as the army suffered heavy losses due to the sudden attacks, the Black Scale Iron Cavalry continued their relentless advance.

"For the ancestral gods, for the king."

"Brush!"

A single halberd strike cleaved a three-zhang-tall Barbarian Tribe in two, spraying black blood onto the ground. Yuan Hao was about to look up at the enormous black shadow...

A hoarse voice echoed throughout the battlefield:

"Die!"

"Buzz---"

A golden blade of light flashed across the sky, carrying an aura that Sun Veil, and struck the distant colossal black shadow directly!

"Roar!!!!!"

The war colossus with its enormous goat horns let out a deafening, agonizing roar, and a massive, visible wound crippled one of its legs!

The enormous body crashed to the ground, causing the entire plain surrounding Beifeng City to tremble violently!

And the next moment,

A broken, booming voice in the Great Yan language followed:

"Wu Yuan! Since you dare to come, then stay here for me!"

In the midst of the conversation,

A gigantic phantom of a savage god materialized out of thin air and slapped the ethereal figure that had risen into the air.

"BOOM!!!!"

With the support of the elite Imperial Guards, the beautiful figure directly took the blow head-on, creating a hurricane that completely dispersed the surrounding smoke and snow mist!

"."

The dramatic change that occurred on the flank of the chaotic army still caused Yuan Hao to be momentarily stunned.

"Commander Yuan!"

While he was still in a daze, several giant crossbow bolts shot towards him, and two guards fell from their horses while trying to shield him from the arrows.

Composing himself and continuing the charge, Yuan Hao now understood what had happened. His body, amplified by the military formation and overflowing with Source Qi, began to tremble uncontrollably with excitement.

His master once told him.

A good general is one whose army is strong and can defeat the enemy.

A general who defeats an enemy with comparable military strength is a master strategist.

A general who defeats the enemy despite having weaker military strength is a master.

Only those whose military strength is invincible and who defeat their enemies can be remembered for eternity.

He realized what the princess was planning to do.

By feinting to the east and attacking in the west, the enemy is lured into an invasion. The city provides cover, mitigating the disparity in troop strength, while the majority of the elite forces are concentrated for a surprise decisive battle.

Yuan Hao enjoyed killing, but he also enjoyed the thrill of defeating his enemy while his life hung by a thread.

"Madman! Hahahaha! No wonder His Highness Wu Yuan transferred Qing Genglan to me as his deputy! Black Scale Army, charge with me, cut through the battlefield! Join forces with the princess!!!"

And it was at this moment that...

A series of ferocious roars came from behind the towering Beifeng City. Hundreds of huge flying Demon Beast belonging to the Black Scale Army crossed the walls and rushed towards the rear of the Barbarian Tribe army!

On the chaotic battlefield, dozens of Demon Beast were knocked down by the Barbarian Tribe in the blink of an eye, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. Even so, a small portion of the Demon Beast still managed to fly to their designated positions.

In an instant,

Countless Source Crystal bombs rained down, directly blocking the Barbarian Tribe rear guard from sending reinforcements to the front!

It's a bit late, or?