Crushing the Barbarians

"Your Majesty, First Prince, dispatch troops to save Shanhe City immediately!"

"Shanhe City is in imminent danger!"

"If we don't save it now, it will fall into the hands of others!"

The light cavalryman fell to his knees with a heavy thud.

He cried out, almost in tears.

Instantly, Tuoba Ashina and the First Prince's hearts trembled violently.

Shanhe City was the foundation of the barbarians' foothold in the Northern Frontier, and their fortress overlooking the Central Plains. Should it fall, this once-in-a-century advantage would be completely reversed.

"Pass down the order, sound the retreat!"

Tuoba Ashina said through gritted teeth.

The First Prince was still somewhat unwilling. He felt that Yunji City was already in their grasp, and this was his chance to ruthlessly suppress Tuoba Xiangtai and greatly increase his prestige in the army!

Just give up like this?!

But...

If they didn't give up, what else could they do?

They could only follow orders.

Soon, the barbarian siege forces retreated one after another, leaving behind countless corpses. Ignoring everything else, they vanished without a trace at a speed even faster than when they arrived.

On the walls of Yunji City, Sun Xiang was initially stunned by this sight, which quickly turned into ecstasy. "The Great General must have returned to reinforce us!"

"We have held Yunji City!"

This loud shout ignited the soldiers who had grown numb from days of warfare. In an instant, the walls of Yunji City boiled with clamor.

"We held it!"

"We beat back the barbarians!"

"Those damned barbarians actually dreamed of setting foot in our Yunji City, absolute wishful thinking!"

...

Su Hong was also streaming with tears.

By repelling the barbarians, he had achieved a great merit.

After returning this time, the Great General wouldn't make things difficult for him anymore, right?

His Su family wouldn't need to rely on marriage alliances or flattery; they could rightfully become the Great General's favored subordinates!

He, Su Hong, carrying this heavy burden, could also carve out a whole new world for the Su family!

...

The barbarian army galloped wildly.

Composed mostly of light cavalry, their advantage was fully displayed at this moment, unlike the stifling frustration they faced under the walls of Yunji City.

Their speed was like an arrow.

After riding for half a day, a pair of mountain peaks appeared before them.

Like two giants, they guarded this wide pass.

However, neither Tuoba Ashina nor the First Prince paid much attention to it.

Or, more accurately, they completely overlooked this place.

After all, when they came, the path was completely unobstructed.

Right now, they naturally didn't take it to heart.

They rode swiftly past, just as before.

Soon, half of the army had passed through. But right at this moment, a sound like roaring thunder erupted from the peaks. The rolling blast of gunpowder explosions made it seem as if the sky itself was being blown apart.

Accompanied by this earth-shattering explosion, massive boulders instantly cascaded down from both the left and right peaks. The mountainsides were blasted into countless fragments of rock.

Rocks, big and small, rained down endlessly.

In that instant, both Tuoba Ashina and the First Prince's faces drastically changed.

"It's a trap!"

"Those damned Yu people have eight hundred dirty tricks!"

But their realization came too late.

A small half of the barbarian army had passed, a small half was directly beneath the twin peaks, and a small half was still behind.

The army was forcefully sliced into two or three segments.

What fell upon them were giant boulders and rolling logs, descending like divine soldiers from the heavens!

In an instant, the army's morale descended into utter chaos.

Casualties were disastrously heavy.

But this was only the appetizer!

Countless soldiers swarmed out from both sides of the peaks. Aside from hurling objects down mercilessly, many soldiers began firing arrows into the gorge.

The military's strong bows already had a long range, and shooting from a high vantage point gave them even more power. Even if their accuracy suffered slightly due to the angle and line of sight, the overwhelming rain of arrows still dealt the barbarians a devastating blow!

"Hurry through, hurry through, hurry through..."

Protected by his personal guards, Tuoba Ashina barely dodged some attacks and began shouting impatiently.

After all, those running in the front were the light cavalry.

They were the barbarians' greatest reliance.

But Ren Tianye had lain in ambush for a long time; how could he let them have their way?

Large numbers of troops were already lying in wait at the entrance and exit of the twin peaks. Seeing the barbarians fleeing in panic like drowning dogs, what were they waiting for?

"Kill!"

"Slaughter these barbarians!"

"Damn it, daring to invade the Northern Frontier? Is the Northern Frontier a place you dogs can just come to?"

"Kill them all!"

...

The ambushing troops poured out in full force.

Catching the unprepared enemy off guard, coupled with the countless barbarian casualties beneath the peaks, the barbarians completely lost the initiative of the battle in less than half an hour.

They turned into stray dogs being hunted down.

Ren Tianye commanded from the high ground as the entire army charged in for the kill.

They slaughtered from dawn until dusk, chasing the barbarians for several miles. The battle raged until the sky grew dark, blood flowed like rivers, and barbarian corpses littered the ground.

But...

Ren Tianye was still not satisfied.

Such an excellent opportunity was incredibly rare.

He had just gathered so many new recruits, whose combat quality was uneven and whose unity was uncertain. He could use this hearty, decisive victory to completely consolidate the army's morale.

With a wave of his large hand, the main banner pressed forward!

"Kill!"

The soldiers had long since seen red with bloodlust.

The Northern Frontier and the barbarians were blood enemies with a sea of deep hatred between them. It was just that because the barbarians had always been blocked outside Shanhe City by the Chifeng Army, unable to launch large-scale invasions, and the Chifeng Army had not launched large-scale invasions into the grasslands either, there hadn't been many tragic clashes in recent years.

Now, they had finally caught the opportunity.

If they didn't chop off a few more barbarian heads, how could they face the brothers of the Northern Frontier who had died or been injured over the years?

If they didn't chop off a few more barbarian heads, how could they properly express their loyalty to Ren Tianye, the new Great General?

Howling at the top of their lungs, they chased after the barbarians to slaughter them!

In reality, the barbarians were not very afraid of being pursued.

In their tactics, there was a terrifying maneuver: deliberately slowing down their horses while being chased, and once the enemy got close, shooting back with their bows and arrows.

In this way, with the short distance between the two sides, the accuracy of their arrows would become extremely high, and the power would increase.

Through this tactic, it was very easy for them to turn the tide when the battle situation deteriorated.

But right now, the situation was completely different.

The army was routed. Soldiers could not find their generals, and generals could not find their commanders; they were completely scattered.

The bravery and fearless spirit of the barbarians had been utterly crushed under the giant boulders of the twin peaks.

The current barbarian soldiers had no other thoughts except wishing their horses had grown two extra legs. They had become complete living targets.

"Run, run..."

Tuoba Ashina and the First Prince fled madly.

Looking up, they could already see Shanhe City.

A glimmer of hope swelled in their hearts.

As long as they could run to Shanhe City and rely on its geographical advantage, they could shake off the pursuit of these Yu soldiers!

Thus, they rode even more frantically.

Their speed increased.

Finally, they arrived before Shanhe City.

"Third Brother, open the city gates quickly and save Father!"

"Third Brother, you damn idiot, come out and save your older brother! What are you waiting for?"

...

The two ordered their cavalry to shout loudly.

And then...

From above Shanhe City, arrows fell like rain!

...