On the vast expanse near the Kunlun Mountains, amidst the winding mountain ranges, Gengnan City stood like a colossal boulder, directly blocking the Sichuan - Western Corridor. Thanks to its natural geographical advantage, it held back any passage into Sichuan.
This isolated city nestled in the precipitous mountains was originally an unreachable place for those from beyond the passes.
But now, Yazebu sat on his horse, clad in armor. His face was painted with white and red patterns of a ferocious bird, the symbol of Loulan - the God of War of Loulan.
Fifty thousand troops gathered behind Yazebu. With the sound of the horn, they let out an earth - shaking roar. Their blood was boiling, and the thrill of the impending battle excited every single one of them. The long knives in their hands trembled, and their sharp blades were about to be stained with blood, leaving a mark in history within Gengnan City.
And with the little girl's fall, the first flower of the netherworld had quietly blossomed beneath Gengnan City.
In the medical clinic, the "unconscious" little boy suddenly sprang up. He stabbed the doctor who was examining him to death with one swift move. While everyone was still in a daze, he managed to kill two soldiers in succession before finally being pierced through the body by a soldier's spear.
No one knew why such a young child could possess such a determined willpower, nor did they know how the people of Loulan had instilled the will to face death head - on into the minds of these two children. Wan Chengyan held the deeply unconscious Feng Zuo in his arms and stared at the dense enemy troops not far away. His eyes were ablaze with a torrential fury.
Yazebu raised his long knife. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, revealing a confident smile. "Charge!"
"Charge—!"
"Since the catapults can't be transported here, how long will it take you to breach Gengnan City?" A few hours ago, Qin Huailian and Yazebu were sitting in a cave in the Kunlun Mountains. She looked at the map and pointed at Gengnan City. "Can you do it within half a day?"
"Hey, even for a small city like Gengnan, isn't it a bit too hasty to expect me to breach it within half a day?" Yazebu had a blade of grass in his mouth. He crossed his hands behind his head and said helplessly, "At least a day."
"That's too long." Qin Huailian shook her head. "My father will come to the rescue as soon as he gets the news. You'd better breach Gengnan City within half a day, and then take the rest of the time to regroup in the city. My father is not an easy opponent. You can't beat him at all."
"Humph, I really don't know whose side you're on." Yazebu curled his lips. "It's impossible to breach Gengnan City within half a day."
Qin Huailian glanced at him and crossed her arms. "There's nothing impossible. Qian Shuyu is a useless fool. The only ones you need to deal with are those coming from the Protector - General's Office for support."
"Who?"
Qin Huailian thought for a while. "Feng Zuo and Wan Chengyan. I got this information from intercepting the 'Ruby Pigeon'. I have an impression of these two. They are outstanding generals trained by Wu Qiuyang, the Minister of War."
"Tsk." Yazebu sneered. "Is it that Wu Qiuyang who has been holed up in the capital because of his leg injury?"
"Even with his leg injury, his military - commanding ability can easily outshine yours." Qin Huailian glared at him.
"Humph." Yazebu didn't bother arguing with her.
"If you can breach the city within half a day, I can help you kill Feng Zuo first." A determined look flashed in Qin Huailian's eyes. "After that, the only person in the city who can lead the army will be that useless Qian Shuyu. Then, you can..."
Qin Huailian leaned over and whispered something in Yazebu's ear.
Yazebu's eyes lit up. He then turned to look at Qin Huailian.
"Understood?" Qin Huailian was expressionless.
"You're quite ruthless with this plan." There was an indescribable tone in Yazebu's voice. He had always thought that Qin Huailian would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, and now he was even more certain of it.
Qin Huailian shrugged nonchalantly. "It depends on who the target is. It will definitely work against that stupid Qian Shuyu."
"People are here." Keze'er walked into the cave from outside and said to Qin Huailian. Yazebu turned his head slightly and saw that behind Keze'er were a little boy and a little girl.
Before leaving, Qin Huaiqiu had given Wan Chengyan a "Ruby Pigeon". Now, the "Ruby Pigeon" had taken off from Gengnan City and was flying towards the distant Yutian City.
War was on the verge of breaking out. Gengnan City was caught completely off - guard. Except for the twenty thousand soldiers who had come with Feng Zuo and Wan Chengyan, most of the others were informed of the enemy's attack while they were still drinking.
The slack soldiers drunkenly put on their armor and rushed to the city gate. All they could see was a scene of slaughter and bloodshed.
Even Qian Shuyu, who had been muttering "It's okay, it's okay" all the time, was so stunned by the tragic sight that he stood still when he slowly reached the city gate.
The Loulan soldiers were like crazy beasts. Feng Zuo's twenty thousand soldiers had just received the news of their general's serious injury and then rushed into the battle. They were slashing their long knives desperately as if they had no regard for their own lives.
For a moment, the siege ladders were broken as soon as they were set up, but then they were set up again. Beneath the city wall, there were countless layers of corpses from both sides.
"Damn it! What are you standing there for!" Wan Chengyan roared at Qian Shuyu, who was standing still.
Qian Shuyu was finally awakened by this roar. He quickly tightened his trousers, picked up his long knife, and joined the battle.
But Qian Shuyu's soldiers had just been drinking. How could they be a match for the enemy? The original soldiers had thought that reinforcements had finally arrived, so they made room for them. However, many of the newly - arrived soldiers were so dazed that they were beheaded by the charging Loulan soldiers before they could even raise their knives.
As a result, there were suddenly large and small breaches in the well - defended city wall. The Loulan soldiers directly rushed onto the wall, and the two armies fought fiercely on the city wall.
"Damn it! Get them off! Get them off!" Wan Chengyan's eyes were red with anger. Although he knew that Qian Shuyu was useless, he didn't expect that at this critical moment of life and death, he would still be so ineffective!
"Damn it! Lead your troops out to attack their rear! What are you doing here as a commander!?" Wan Chengyan almost grabbed Qian Shuyu by the collar and roared at him.
Feng Zuo was seriously injured and unconscious, and Qian Shuyu was so useless. For a moment, Wan Chengyan had become the main leader of the entire Gengnan City.
Wan Chengyan was well aware of this. He directly grabbed Qian Shuyu by the collar and rushed down the city wall. He roared, "Where is the vanguard team!?"
"Here!" Some soldiers' responses came through the chaos.
"Everyone! Now listen to my orders! Thirty thousand of you will go out of the city with Qian Shuyu to meet the enemy head - on! Break up their rear troops. The rest of you will follow me up the city wall to kill the enemies on the wall, and then provide arrow support!"
"What? Go out of the city to meet the enemy?" Qian Shuyu panicked immediately. "The city wall is so solid. They can't break in!"
"Can't break in!?" Wan Chengyan angrily drew his sword and held it to Qian Shuyu's neck. "Don't you see that they've already rushed up? What's the use of your so - called solid city wall? If you don't go out, fine, I'll kill you right now and appoint someone else as the city defender!"
"You can't kill me! I'm a sixth - rank official!" Qian Shuyu's eyes widened in horror, and his whole body trembled.
"I was sent here to Gengnan by the emperor's order. I can kill you if I want to! If you don't lead your troops out now, when they breach the city, you're still going to die!" With that, Wan Chengyan made a gesture as if he was about to strike.
Qian Shuyu let out a scream and quickly knelt down and kowtowed. "My lord! My lord! I was wrong. I'll lead the troops out of the city right away!"
"Hurry up!" Wan Chengyan roared.
Qian Shuyu almost scrambled away. Wan Chengyan turned around and climbed back up the city wall to re - join the chaotic battle and take command.
Not long after, the city gate opened wide. Qian Shuyu summoned up his courage and led the soldiers out.
For a moment, the shouts of battle filled the sky. Severed arms and legs were hacked to the ground and then trampled into minced meat by the horses' hooves. The smell of blood was overwhelming.