An All-Out Battle

Wan Li's long saber was knocked into the air by Wei Li, and he swiftly urged his horse back.

Seizing the opening, Wei Li attacked again, slashing at the horse beneath Wan Li.

But before his blade could reach the horse, Wan Li flattened himself against its back and spurred it straight toward Wei Li. Drawing a dagger concealed against his belly, he thrust it at Wei Li's armpit.

Alarm shot through Wei Li, and he hurriedly pulled back his saber and urged his horse into retreat.

In his panic, he failed to notice Wan Li firing a sleeve dart straight at his chest.

By the time he came to his senses, it was already too late.

The sharp sleeve dart buried itself viciously in his chest.

Wei Li gave a muffled groan and toppled backward.

Seeing the situation turn dire, the guards behind him immediately spurred their horses forward. One confronted Wan Li, while another caught Wei Li, hauled him onto his own horse, and retreated toward the city gate.

With a single strike, Wan Li knocked the guard from his horse. When he looked up again, Wei Li had already been taken back inside Yan Pass. He sneered. "I wonder which fool who doesn't know the height of heaven or the depth of earth will come next?"

Faced with Wan Li's brazen arrogance, Zou Haidong donned his armor and rode out to face him, despite not having fully recovered.

"Wan Li, Yan Pass belongs to Western Chu. You've led troops here time and again. Do you have any regard at all for Western Chu's soldiers?"

Wan Li snorted. "So what if it's Western Chu? Sooner or later, you'll all be subjects of His Highness of Northern Liang."

Zou Donghai roared, "Such arrogant words! Let this deputy general test your mettle!"

Unlike Wei Li, Zou Donghai wielded twin hammers, their handles linked by refined copper. They were called the Heaven-Shaking Thunder.

Seeing Zou Donghai swing his twin hammers, Wan Li hastily raised his saber to block. He had not expected Zou Donghai's blows to retain such power despite his recent injuries. Though he successfully blocked the strike, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger tingled with numbness.

Leaning back slightly, he pulled his saber free from beneath Zou Donghai's twin hammers. Just as he was about to counterattack, Zou Donghai pressed forward and struck the spine of his saber with a copper hammer once more.

This blow was even fiercer. Startled, Wan Li nearly lost his grip on his saber.

Only by gritting his teeth did he manage to draw the long saber back.

As Wan Li lost his composure, Zou Donghai hurled one of his copper hammers, striking the horse beneath him squarely.

Shocked, Wan Li clutched the reins with all his might and barely managed to steady his horse, which had gone wild.

But that strike had also exhausted all of Zou Donghai's strength.

His old wounds had yet to heal. He had gained that slight advantage over Wan Li partly by catching him while he underestimated his opponent, and partly by choosing an exceptionally tricky angle of attack.

Arrogant though Wan Li was, he did indeed possess genuine skill.

Zou Donghai tightened his grip on the Heaven-Shaking Thunder, forcibly suppressing the turbulent energy churning in his chest.

"Wan Li, can you still fight? Today, I, Zou Donghai, will make sure you come here and never return!"

Secretly alarmed by Zou Donghai's brute strength, Wan Li nevertheless raised his head and looked west.

When he saw a sudden blaze of fire shoot skyward there, he could no longer conceal the smile tugging at his lips.

Seeing Wan Li suddenly smile, Zou Donghai was puzzled at first. Then he turned to look, and his expression changed.

"This is bad! Someone has broken into the West Corner Tower!"

Before his words had faded, a tremor shook the earth and mountains.

Now, not only did Zou Donghai's expression change, but Chen Lin, who was watching the battle from the gate tower, also paled.

Beyond the West Corner Tower lay a sheer cliff, with a great river running below it. The treacherous terrain made passage by boat or on foot extraordinarily difficult. Thus, to the defenders of Yan Pass, the West Corner Tower was a natural barrier, and almost no one would think to launch an attack from there.

Unless they knew of the Secret Passage that led straight to the mountaintop.

Now, the roaring flames that had suddenly leaped skyward seemed to ignite the fury in Chen Lin's eyes as well.

Of all the positions in Yan Pass, the West Corner Tower had the fewest defenders.

And now that enemies had appeared at the West Corner Tower, it could mean only one thing.

The Northern Liang troops had learned of the Secret Passage and climbed up through it.

"Siege troops, prepare!"

Watching the raging flames to the west, Wan Li turned and gave the order to his soldiers.

The soldiers who had been standing abreast all moved aside in orderly fashion. Row after row of fully armed archers appeared, bows held in both hands. Behind them stood soldiers carrying scaling ladders and massive logs.

"Attack!"

At Wan Li's command, the archers fired one after another, sending their long-prepared arrows toward the soldiers of Yan Pass atop the walls.

"Deputy General Zou, I leave this position to you. I must lead men to reinforce the West Corner Tower!"

As Chen Mu spoke, he turned and ordered, "Soldiers, heed my command! Assemble a detachment and follow me at once to reinforce the West Corner Tower!"

The West Corner Tower could not be allowed to fall. Once the Northern Liang army broke through there, they would face enemies from both front and rear.

"Bu Er, stay here and assist Deputy General Zou. I'll accompany the old general to the West Corner Tower."

Yang Qing gave Bu Er his orders.

Bu Er nodded and took the armor handed to him by a nearby soldier.

After swiftly putting it on, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Zou Donghai atop the gate tower.

"Lord Yang, it's dangerous here. You should withdraw to Yan Prefecture with Deputy General Wei. Only then will you be safe."

Seeing that Yang Qing intended to accompany him to the West Corner Tower, Chen Lin tried to dissuade him.

Wei Li had been wounded by Wan Li, and there was no adequate treatment available within Yan Pass, so he could only be sent to Yan Prefecture. If Yang Qing left with Wei Li, Chen Lin would have one less worry weighing on his mind.

But Yang Qing rejected Chen Lin's suggestion. "What matters most now is holding Yan Pass. As long as Yan Pass stands, Yan Prefecture stands. If Yan Pass falls, where could I go to find safety?"

Seeing that his persuasion had failed, Chen Lin could only nod helplessly. "Please take care, Lord Yang."

"Go on ahead, old general. I'll follow shortly."

Chen Lin glanced at him, then mounted his horse and led the others swiftly toward the West Corner Tower.

Once the others had gone some distance, Yang Qing sprang onto a horse beside the road. As he rode forward, he asked, "What is the situation at the West Corner Tower now?"

"Several hundred Northern Liang troops have come up along that narrow path, with several hundred more awaiting orders beneath the cliff. There are also more than a dozen boats ferrying reinforcements across the water. Their total numbers are in the thousands."

A faint voice drifted through the wind, yet not a single figure could be seen.

There was very little room to stand beneath the cliff. Those thousands of men had all concealed themselves on either side of the Secret Passage as ordered, while those who simply could not fit remained aboard the boats awaiting orders.

"Northern Liang has certainly sunk its fortune into this attempt. But hold off for now. Wait until everyone aboard the boats has landed, then seize all the boats."

Yang Qing gave a cold snort.

"Yes! Our men have already laid an ambush there, with several more ambushes along the mountain path. Once chaos breaks out up here, we'll strike."

"Make sure those Northern Liang troops come here and never return!"

"And keep a close eye on that traitorous wretch who feeds at our table while serving outsiders. It isn't time for him to die yet!"

As his words fell, Yang Qing squeezed the horse's flanks with his legs and galloped toward the West Corner Tower.

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