Beifeng Falls

"Well"

A soft sigh escaped Xu Yuan's lips; he understood perfectly what Li Qingyan meant.

From the moment the Barbarian Tribe army bypassed the city to the south, the fall of Beifeng City was already inevitable.

When the city fell did not actually depend on the determination and morale of the defenders, but rather on how much the Barbarian Tribe were willing to pay for the Beifeng City.

If we want to change things, if we want to break the deadlock, then we have no choice but to fight a historic battle where the few defeat the many.

Li Qingyan did this, but failed.

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King was not Sun Shiwan.

Although Li Qingyan had achieved considerable success on this mission, given the absolute disparity in military strength, even if the Barbarian Tribe suffered double the losses, the mission would be considered a failure unless he could decisively break through the Barbarian Tribe ' morale and trigger a chain reaction of defeats.

Post-war statistics indicate that Beifeng City still had approximately 60,000 combat-ready soldiers remaining.

The problem is that the vast majority of these 60,000 soldiers are second-line border troops with only eighth or ninth-grade cultivation levels. The two truly elite forces within the city have already been decimated in the decisive battle in the South City.

But the situation is far more serious than that.

The Source Crystal for the City Protection Array Beifeng City are in short supply, the array patterns of South City have been completely destroyed, eight or nine out of ten flying Demon Beast have disappeared, and snow has started falling from the sky again.

In silence,

Xu Yuan suddenly understood Li Qingyan's plan:

"Your purpose in leaving the city is actually to feign weakness to the enemy?"

"Not entirely."

Li Qingyan leaned back against the table behind her, raised her fair chin, and looked up at the high beams of the barracks with her phoenix eyes, speaking leisurely:

"My lord, in military campaigns, one must always prepare for both possibilities. If this expedition succeeds, the siege of Beifeng can be lifted. If it fails, it will still inflict significant damage on the barbarian army, deterring them from making further sacrifices to launch a forced attack on the city."

Now that the great formation no longer protects Beifeng City, the Barbarian Tribe only need to bombard the city from afar with their powerful catapults to take over this giant city that has blocked their Beifeng advance for thousands of years without shedding a drop of blood.

Having been able to take down the ruined city of Beifeng without bloodshed by simply waiting for the right moment, the Barbarian King naturally wouldn't waste his military strength on a direct assault.

This was exactly the result Li Qingyan wanted.

If the Barbarian Tribe really waited that long, the high-level cultivators she sent to the Dali Mountain for help would have been enough to make Marquis of Martial Achievement and Zong Qingsheng return to reinforce them.

At that time, the ' Cloud Qi Bomb ' dispersed the blizzard, and the entire barbarian army was trapped like turtles in a jar.

Silence filled the barracks. Xu Yuan suddenly said in a low voice:

"In that case, my act of having the ' Cloud Qi Bomb ' detonated in the Houting County did indeed disrupt Qingyan's plans."

His actions alerted the Barbarian Tribe, giving them advance notice of his deadly plan.

Upon learning that the blizzard in the Houting County had been dispersed by the Great Yan's celestial weapons and that the sect's elite forces had begun their southward march, the Barbarian King was left with only one desperate option.

Ignoring the losses, they continued their fierce attack on the ruined city of Beifeng, aiming to capture Beifeng before the sect's elite troops arrived, thus completely trapping the 700,000 elite troops of the Great Yan in the Snow Plain.

Li Qingyan did not intend to blame anyone.

"Your Highness, you meant well but things went wrong. The Barbarian King is seriously injured and probably won't dare to go to the battlefield again. If deployed properly, with the current military strength in the city, it shouldn't be too difficult to hold off those Barbarian Tribe for two days. However, it's highly unlikely that we'll be able to completely wipe out these barbarians this time."

He paused for a moment,

Li Qingyan stared at Xu Yuan, smiled, and said, "Alright, come with me to walk along the city walls. They need me there to stabilize morale."

The Yulin Army was much emptier. The soldiers who used to patrol the camp were gone, and only a few officers and soldiers in armor ran around relaying orders.

After leaving the camp, Xu Yuan and Li Qingyan each rode a fine horse along the empty road towards the city wall.

The Barbarian Tribe catapults continued to bombard everything within the Beifeng City.

Pure white snowflakes, like willow catkins, drifted silently from the sky, swirling and undisturbed, landing gently on the ruins.

Xu Yuan remained silent the entire way.

The horse's hooves trod through the snow, leaving a hoofprint on the road.

Some people were crying out for help in the ruins, but no one paid any attention.

Some martial arts practitioners, unwilling to fight on the city walls, were captured and taken away by the sect's border troops.

There was a young man sitting beside the ruins, his face numb.

There were also border soldiers rescuing civilians from the ruins.

When the word "war" falls upon an individual, it carries the weight of Mount Tai.

As the two rode their horses around a street and arrived at the South City, Xu Yuan couldn't help but frown.

The battlefield here is still not completely cleared.

corpse

Corpses of all sizes, some intact, some mutilated.

The cleared ground around the city wall was filled with the corpses of the Beifeng garrison. White cloth was no longer enough for such a large number of bodies, so as to cover the bones of these soldiers with endless green and floral cloths, preventing them from being exposed to the air.

Xu Yuan originally thought he should have gotten used to this kind of scene, but every time he saw it, he still couldn't help but feel waves of emotion.

Just a few hours ago, they were probably laughing and joking with their comrades, talking about which prostitutes offered the best service, and how they would go and have some fun if they survived and received their pay.

Several hours later, they became cold corpses that would never speak again.

war

"The Prince Consort."

Li Qingyan's voice suddenly came from beside him.

He turned around upon hearing this.

She looked at the soldiers' remains, but her voice remained calm:

"Remember what you said at the foot of Beifeng City."

Xu Yuan lowered his eyes, nodded slightly, and uttered three words:

"I won't forget."

Erecting a monument

Erect a monument for these fallen soldiers.

Regardless of what happens in the future, at least at this moment, they died for the Great Yan.

After that, neither of them said anything more.

Li Qingyan's arrival quickly stirred up waves among the soldiers.

Not only the Yulin Army, but even many soldiers from the border armies of various sects showed a hint of excitement in their eyes.

The military is a complex thing, but it can also be very simple, especially in this extraordinary feudal dynasty.

Soldiers always have a special kind of admiration for valiant generals, let alone Li Qingyan, a princess of the imperial family.

and,

In these uncertain times of uncertainty about the future, they need a "god" to provide spiritual support.

As the one who personally severed the Barbarian Tribe banner and one of the Barbarian King's arms, Li Qingyan naturally became the "god" they needed.

As the snow fell heavier and heavier, the soldiers' field of vision became increasingly narrow.

As time passed by,

With the great formation unable to be maintained, most of the sect's high-ranking disciples took the opportunity to escape, also taking with them a portion of the high-level combat power within Beifeng City.

However, Li Zhaoyuan perfectly fulfilled Li Qingyan's instructions to him.

Under his methodical command, Beifeng City, which had been nearly paralyzed after a fierce battle, was brought back to operation.

Not only martial arts practitioners, but also many ordinary people in the city were mobilized under his organization as a prince.

The Source Crystal were used to power the great formation; cartloads of defensive equipment were pulled from the warehouse and sent to the city walls; and the armor of the fallen soldiers was stripped off and distributed to the temporarily recruited martial arts troupes and escorts.

Under Li Zhaoyuan's leadership, the preparations for the war in Beifeng City proceeded in an orderly manner.

Unfortunately, time was not on their side.

The time given to Beifeng City by the Barbarian Tribe was not enough for Li Zhaoyuan to fully mobilize the city's military and civilians.

Amidst the blizzard, the sky was as black as ink, and the alarm bells suddenly rang out over Beifeng.

The Barbarian Tribe have begun their siege once more.

The first night,

The barbarian army began a large-scale attack on the south city wall, which was not guarded by a large formation. About 70,000 knights and bodyguards were thrown into the battlefield in batches, and the south city wall was completely turned into a millstone of flesh and blood.

The next day,

After a night of fierce fighting, these conscripted warriors were rotated off the city wall due to heavy losses.

Li Qingyan personally led a mixed force of the Yulin Army and Black Scale Army to repel several attacks by the Barbarian Tribe.

However, due to the shortage of troops, even with Li Qingyan organizing the army, it was impossible to maintain the long defensive line of Beifeng South City.

At 3:45 PM, Li Zhaoyuan dispatched his last reserve force to the battlefield south of the city.

As night fell the next day,

Li Qingyan ordered the soldiers' corpses to be burned to prevent them from becoming food for the Barbarian Tribe.

Half an hour later,

The Beifeng and South City were completely lost, and the Barbarian Tribe occupied the city walls and began to spread outwards.

At this moment, the battle in Beifeng City had completely devolved into street fighting.

The large group of knights and escorts used the formation crossbows issued to them, relying on the formations of various military camps, and struggled to block the advancement of the barbarians in the blizzard.

But all these resistances seemed futile given the overwhelming disparity in military strength.

Before midnight, the entire South City had completely fallen, and countless tall Barbarian Tribe soldiers surged into the city like a tidal wave along the Beastwalk Road.

Two hours later,

The Barbarian Tribe army reached the heart of Beifeng City, the Beifeng Government Office.

At dawn on the third day, the Beifeng Government Office was destroyed.

The remaining garrison in the city was forced to abandon all other districts and retreat to the last northern city, where they relied on the formations of the two giant military camps Black Scale Guard and the Spirit Water Palace, for defense.

The barbarian army's advance was stalled, and after a prolonged siege, they attempted to breach the north city wall directly from the east and west walls, thus encircling all the defenders inside the city.

At this moment, the City Protection Array, which had not been activated for two days, was finally ordered to be activated by Li Qingyan, blocking the barbarian army's attempt to encircle them.

At this point, the war was temporarily at a stalemate.

Snowflakes fluttered and strong winds rose.

Standing on the north city wall, Li Qingyan surveyed the entire massive city of Beifeng with a cold and aloof gaze.

In just three days, the once densely packed buildings in the city were now in ruins, and the smoke of gunpowder everywhere made the city look like the end of the world.

After gazing for a long time, Li Qingyan's expression gradually became somewhat complicated, but these complexities eventually turned into a wisp of hot breath that dissipated into the air.

The distant shouts and roars of battle made the city gate tower seem exceptionally quiet.

Xu Yuan stood aside, quietly watching the desolation on her face.

For the past three days, he has not stayed by her side, but has remained inside the north city wall.

However, the Black Scale Guard reported everything she had done over the past three days to him.

From the South City to the South City, then to the government office, and finally back to the north city wall.

They fought the enemy, gave the order, and reluctantly retreated step by step until they had nowhere left to retreat.

"Qingyan." His voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the shouts of battle in the distance, "You grew up in Beifeng, didn't you?"

Li Qingyan didn't turn around, looking at the chaos in Beifeng, his voice low:

"Of course, I was sent here by my father when I was young, so it can be considered half of my homeland."

"Homeland?"

Xu Yuan sighed and slowly advised:

"Qingyan, there's no point in continuing to defend Beifeng."

As he spoke,

Xu Yuan glanced sideways at the snow and wind outside the northern city.

There, a large border army of a sect was entrenched, but they showed no intention of sending reinforcements.

As dawn broke on the third day, the elite forces of the sects in the Houting County had already arrived Beifeng City, but they showed no intention of coming to reinforce them. Instead, they began to set up camp Beifeng City.

Li Qingyan frowned slightly, remained silent for a few moments, then chuckled softly and shook her head.

"The bottom line of these sects remains unchanged."

"Don't have any expectations of the sect; they'll always show you what a surprise is."

Xu Yuan smiled and agreed, then paused and asked softly, "By the way, Qingyan, why don't you think they're coming to help?"

Li Qingyan looked up at the sky, which was covered by thick, snow-covered clouds:

"They're waiting, waiting for Uncle Mu and Mr. Zong to come south and join them. They don't want to face the entire main force of the Barbarian Tribe alone; the losses would be huge. Anyway, we have the ' Cloud Qi Bomb,' so we can't be defeated."

"Laugh"

Xu Yuan chuckled softly upon hearing this, his gaze turning cold as he looked towards the direction of the camps. "My guess is pretty much the same as yours, but there's one thing you seem to have forgotten."

Li Qingyan turned to look at his smiling gaze, her beautiful eyes flickered, and she smiled:

"You mean they're also waiting for the Barbarian King to make a choice?"

"Yes."

Xu Yuan snapped his fingers and laughed, "Didn't you say before that if the Barbarian King chooses to withdraw his troops, these sects would most likely sit idly by and let them pass through to the north?"

Li Qingyan narrowed his eyes:

"If we allow the Barbarian Tribe to pass through and advance north, then the area around Houting County will become our defensive perimeter."

The defense line surrounding Houting County consists of several small and medium-sized border towns, which were previously destroyed, but have been repaired over several months and are now relatively sturdy.

Xu Yuan naturally understood the other party's feelings to some extent, and sighed:

"By letting the Barbarian Tribe pass through, these sects can not only recapture the captured Beifeng City, but also allow the Barbarian Tribe to take over the Marquis Pavilion defense line that they have repaired."

He paused for a moment,

Xu Yuan gently placed his hand on the icy, bone-chilling battlement:

"In this way, only Lord Marquis and Mr. Zong will remain as the army trapped in the Northern Border Snow Plain. Why not?"

"."

The wind and snow tousled the red-clad woman's long hair, her voice devoid of any emotion. "I will exterminate the entire clan of these sect members sooner or later."

Seeing her anger, Xu Yuan reminded her again:

"So, shall we retreat?"

Li Qingyan hesitated for a moment, then turned his head and asked instead of answering:

"My lord, where has Yuan Hao gone?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes revealed a perfectly timed hint of doubt:

"Yuan Hao? He's gone?"

Li Qingyan spoke slowly and deliberately:

"In the past three days, I have neither seen him nor received any reports from other officers about him. With his abilities, he should not be so unknown."

Xu Yuan frowned:

"I don't know about that. I guess they either escaped or died in battle."

Having said that,

Xu Yuan took out a lens and crushed it.

He's going to call people to come and pick him up so he can escape.

The Mr. Wine who escorted Li Yunqing to Houting County had already returned to Beifeng City before the Barbarian Tribe invasion.

But after a few breaths

Mr. Wine didn't come; instead, Xu Yuan smelled a scent of Poison Rose.

Lou Ji is back.

After appearing, Lou Ji nodded to Li Qingyan, then looked at Xu Yuan with a smile and whispered:

"Has Changtian finally decided to leave?"

"Now that the work is done, it's time to leave."

With Lou Ji by his side, Xu Yuan spoke more directly, replying matter-of-factly, "Besides, if we don't leave now, it might get a bit late."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly.

"Finished the task. What task?"

Xu Yuan turned around, grinned, and pointed to the north city wall beneath his feet:

"Thanks to Your Highness, I can freely enter and exit any part of this north city wall."

Li Qingyan's crimson pupils contracted slightly, as if he had realized something:

"What do you mean?"

Xu Yuan shook his head and simply said:

"Qingyan, everything has its price; you have to give up something to gain something. I'll be waiting for you in the Houting County."

Lou Ji smiled and waved to Li Qingyan upon hearing this:

"Little sister, I'll take Changtian with me now~"

After saying that,

The wind and snow continued, and the two figures disappeared from the city wall.

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