Choose Liu Bei at the start, I am the only one who knows the plot of the Three Kingdoms.

The sounds of war drums and horns shook the heavens and the earth as swarms of Hun cavalry surged toward the walls of Yangle like a tidal wave. Numerous, albeit rudimentary, siege ladders were erected atop the walls, and Hun warriors, swords in their mouths, fearlessly climbed upwards.

Arrows swarmed through the air like locusts, while logs and stones rained down, sending up sprays of blood and screams. Every inch of the city wall was the scene of a fierce battle.

Chen Dao led the charge, wielding his long sword, his body covered in blood, and he had cut down the Xiongnu warriors who had charged onto the city wall countless times.

He glanced around briefly, his heart sinking. Several sections of the city wall were in danger; despite the defenders' desperate resistance, the Xiongnu were simply too numerous, and their attacks surged wave after wave. The ten thousand cavalry reinforcements sent by Gu Rubing had arrived several days earlier.

However, in the face of such a large-scale siege, the role of cavalry in defending the city was relatively limited, serving more as a strike force and a last-reserve. After days of bloody fighting, nearly half of these 10,000 cavalrymen had been lost.

As for the two thousand militiamen recruited at the beginning... they had already been almost entirely wiped out in the tug-of-war a few days ago.

Lacking training and armor, they were often the first to fall in the brutal battles for the city walls. Today, those still standing on the walls are almost all veterans and a few elite soldiers.

"General!"

A lieutenant, his face covered in blood and his armor tattered, staggered toward Chen Dao, his voice hoarse and filled with despair.

"A section of the arrow tower at the east gate has been destroyed by hurled stones, and the barbarians are launching a fierce attack there. Commander Li has been killed in battle! The brothers are about to collapse! The pressure at the west and south gates is also immense. We... we are dwindling in numbers! Including all those who can move, I'm afraid... I'm afraid there are less than five thousand left!"

Chen Dao looked in the direction the deputy general pointed and indeed saw smoke and dust billowing in the direction of the east gate, with particularly intense shouts of battle.

He wiped the blood splattered on his face, his eyes bloodshot, yet his resolve remained unwavering.

"Even if we have less than five thousand, we must hold on! The reinforcements' supplies are on their way, and our lord's reinforcements will arrive soon! Tell the brothers that if we retreat even a step, our parents, wives, and children will all become victims of the barbarians' blades! Follow me and kill!"

He raised his long, blunt sword, about to rush toward the most dangerous east gate, when the lieutenant grabbed him again. His face showed not only anxiety but also other complex emotions. He lowered his voice and said urgently.

"General! There's one more thing..."

The lieutenant grabbed Chen Dao's arm with surprising strength, his face drained of color, and his voice trembled slightly with urgency and a deeper unease.

"General! I just retreated from the breach at the East Gate... Not just the East Gate! Many of the crenellations at the South and West Gates are on the verge of collapse, and many ladders are stuck there. My brothers risked their lives to fill the gaps so that the barbarians could not gain a foothold!"
But... but the Xiongnu were really going all out this time, deploying an unprecedented number of troops and launching repeated attacks. Our casualties were too high! More than half of our archers were killed or wounded, our arrows were almost all gone, and we had used up all the boiling oil and molten gold!
The most critical issue is... morale! Several hundred-man squads are already showing signs of collapse, and the supervisory teams are barely able to maintain order! General, the city... the city is probably really..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his bloodshot and fearful eyes said it all—Yang Le City couldn't be defended.

Chen Dao's body stiffened for a moment, his ears filled with deafening shouts of killing, screams, and the clash of weapons, and his nose was filled with the heavy smell of blood and smoke.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze passing over his subordinates who were fighting bloody battles with the Xiongnu soldiers on the city wall, and looked towards the outside of the city.

All that could be seen was a dark mass of Xiongnu cavalry, like an endless cloud, surrounding the isolated city. More infantrymen, carrying makeshift ladders and battering rams, charged forward, howling as they went.

In the distance, the banners of the Xiongnu generals could be faintly seen moving, clearly indicating that they were deploying fresh troops in preparation for the next wave, which might be the decisive general offensive.

Looking around at his exhausted and wounded soldiers, his eyes held a resolute determination to fight to the death, but deeper within them lay an undisguised despair and numbness.

The city walls were already damaged in many places, and the repair speed could not keep up with the rate of destruction. The lieutenant's words, though harsh, were undeniably true. Continuing to passively endure attacks and desperately defend every inch of the walls would only result in total annihilation, the fall of the city, and the death of all.

A cold, resolute resolve replaced his previous impatience and anger, rising in Chen Dao's heart.

He suddenly grabbed the deputy general's shoulder, his voice low and urgent, drowning out the surrounding noise.

"Send the order! Abandon the collapsed arrow tower at the East Gate and the nearby sections that cannot be defended. Set fire to block them, and move your forces back to the main city wall! Tell all the brothers who can still move, hold on for just fifteen minutes! Just fifteen minutes!"

"A quarter of an hour?"

The lieutenant was stunned.

"Yes! In fifteen minutes, listen to my command!"

A near-mad glint flashed in Chen Dao's eyes.

"If we can't hold it, then we won't hold it!"

Without offering any further explanation, he turned and sprinted into the city, issuing orders to the officers he encountered along the way.

"Gather all the rideable warhorses in the North Gate plaza! Quickly! Notify the entire cavalry to check their weapons and armor, feed their horses, and prepare for a charge!"

The order was passed down, and although many people didn't understand it, Chen Dao's usual prestige remained, and the remaining military command system began to function with difficulty. The defenders on the city wall received the order to "hold out for another quarter of an hour."

Although the reasons were unclear, the clear time limit seemed more acceptable than a boundless and desperate defense. Surprisingly, some spare strength was unleashed, and several dangerous situations were temporarily suppressed. Some of the Xiongnu soldiers who had already climbed the city walls were even driven back down.

This brief but intense "last gasp" surprised the Xiongnu allied forces outside the city, causing them to slow their offensive and seemingly reassess their position.

A quarter of an hour feels incredibly long on the edge of life and death, yet it also seems to pass in the blink of an eye.

When Chen Dao reappeared inside the North Gate, nearly three thousand cavalrymen had already gathered there.

This was the only fighting force remaining from the 10,000 cavalrymen that Gu Rubing had dispatched after more than a month of bloody fighting.

Everyone was wounded, their warhorses were exhausted, and their armor was tattered, but their eyes rekindled a flame after receiving the order to prepare for battle—a flame of survival in dire straits, a flame that would rather die on the battlefield than be trapped and die miserably in the city.

Chen Dao mounted a warhorse brought by his personal guard; this horse was one of the relatively strong ones that had been specially kept.

He surveyed the silent knights before him, offering no lengthy mobilization speech, but simply raised a new, intact longsword, its tip pointing towards the tightly closed north gate. His hoarse yet clear voice pierced through the shouts of battle outside the city walls.

"Brothers! The city walls are about to fall! To hold them is to wait for death! To charge out might offer a sliver of hope! Follow me, break through the enemy lines, and turn their world upside down! If you're a true man, charge with me!" "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Long-suppressed anger and the will to survive erupted into a brief roar. The soldiers at the city gate, their eyes red with rage as they watched their comrades about to die, began to vigorously push the winch.

With a creaking sound, the heavy north gate slowly opened a crack, which then widened. The Xiongnu troops outside the city, facing the north gate, clearly hadn't expected that the defenders, who had been besieged for over a month and were on the verge of collapse, would dare to open the city gates on their own initiative!

Most of them were infantrymen who dismounted to participate in the siege, or light cavalry responsible for guarding and patrolling. Their formation was not tight, and their attention was mostly focused on the other fierce battles at the city gates.

When the north gate of Yangle City was fully opened, Chen Dao took the lead and rushed out like an arrow, leaving many Xiongnu soldiers stunned in place.

"The Han dogs have left the city!"

"They want to run!"

"Stop them!"

Chaotic shouts rang out from the Xiongnu ranks. Chen Dao paid no heed to any of this; he focused on the banner of a Xiongnu centurion ahead, the enemy group closest to the city gate and appearing the most disoriented.

"Target, that wolf flag! Pierce them!"

"Roar!"

Three thousand cavalrymen roared in despair, following closely behind Chen Dao, transforming into a resolute torrent of steel that crashed into the unsuspecting Xiongnu army formation!
The iron hooves of the warhorses crushed the hastily assembled makeshift chevaux-de-frise, and the gleaming longswords and lances, propelled by the momentum of the charge, easily tore through leather armor and flesh. Chen Dao charged at the forefront, slashing left and right with his longsword, causing men and horses to fall wherever he went.

The cavalry behind him also went berserk, completely abandoning their defenses and only caring about slashing and stabbing at any figure wearing nomadic clothing.

For the past month, the Xiongnu allied forces had become accustomed to besieging the city and forcing the defenders to remain entrenched and passively defend themselves with bows and rolling stones.

How could they have imagined that the enemy, already on the verge of death, would still have the courage and strength to launch such a fierce counterattack? And from their relatively weak north gate, from the most unexpected moment!
In the chaos, the Xiongnu were unable to organize an effective defensive line to stop the cavalry that charged out with a do-or-die mentality. The troops at the front were scattered and disorganized, and the orders from the central army could not be effectively transmitted.

Panic spread like wildfire, and many Xiongnu soldiers instinctively scattered to both sides, trying to avoid the onslaught of these desperate men.

Chen Dao's three thousand cavalrymen were like a red-hot dagger, piercing deep into the "waist" of the Xiongnu allied forces, tearing a large hole in the originally tight encirclement and causing great chaos!

Chen himself didn't expect the results to be so good.

His original plan was simply to fight to the death, break out and create chaos. If he could disrupt the Huns' siege strategy, even if it only delayed them for a few hours, it would be good to wait for reinforcements who might be on their way.

He was even prepared that if he rushed out, he would never come back.

However, the panic and disarray of the Huns before him revealed more possibilities.

"Don't stop! Don't get bogged down! Keep charging forward! Disrupt their central and rear lines!"

Chen Dao shouted loudly and led his cavalry to charge left and right through the Xiongnu formation, specifically targeting areas with brightly colored flags and large gatherings of people.

Their primary goal was not to kill as many enemies as possible, but to disrupt enemy formations and create panic.

This charge lasted for almost half an hour, until the men and horses were exhausted and the momentum of the charge completely gave out. Only then did Chen Dao decisively order a turn. He did not linger in the battle, but instead charged diagonally along the torn opening, shaking off the main entanglement. After circling around, he charged from another direction.

Under the watchful, bewildered gaze of the Xiongnu, they charged back through the wide-open north gate. The city's garrison, already prepared with bows and spears, welcomed them into the city and immediately closed the gate again, lowering the heavy bolts.

The Xiongnu allied forces outside the city were brought to a complete standstill by this chaos. The various troops were in disarray, and the commanders needed time to regroup and restore order.

They were truly stunned and terrified by Chen Dao's reckless attack. Who could have imagined that a cornered beast's desperate struggle could possess such power? For the entire afternoon, the once bustling area outside Yangle City became eerily quiet.

Only a few scattered scouts lingered in the distance, while the main force of the Xiongnu troops retreated back to their camp, seemingly licking their wounds and reassessing this city that appeared to be on the verge of collapse, yet might suddenly bare its fangs.

Yang Lecheng gained a precious respite.

Inside the city, Chen Dao practically tumbled off his horse, sustaining several new wounds and reopening old ones, his battle robe soaked in blood. His personal guards helped him back to his temporary quarters, where a military medic rushed to treat him.

Despite the excruciating pain, Chen Dao removed his blood-stained armor and took a leather pouch from his personal guard. Inside was a special medicinal powder prepared by Hua Tuo, which could stop bleeding, promote tissue regeneration, and had a certain analgesic effect.

He carefully sprinkled the powder on several deeper wounds. The powder stung his skin, instantly covering his forehead in cold sweat, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

While tending to his wounds, his mind raced, taking stock of the remaining forces within the city. Although the cavalry charge was successful, several hundred men had been lost, and now he probably only had a little over two thousand cavalrymen available.

The infantry suffered even heavier casualties. After the fierce battle in the afternoon and the previous losses, the number of infantrymen who could fight at all four city gates was probably less than three thousand.

That's all—less than five thousand remaining soldiers, guarding this besieged, dwindling, and desperately short-supply city. Reinforcements…when will the reinforcements and provisions sent by our lord arrive?
A deep sense of exhaustion and helplessness washed over him, but he quickly forced it away. At least, they had bought themselves a little more time.

However, Chen Dao could never have imagined that while he was shedding blood and exhausting himself for this city, a conspiracy that could render all his efforts futile was quietly unfolding in the darkness within the most fortified and magnificent area of ​​Yangle City—the Gongsun family's fortified village.

Deep within the Gongsun family's fortified village, in a secluded room with its doors and windows tightly shut and the lights deliberately dimmed, sat three people. At the head of the table sat Gongsun Han, whose face showed no signs of illness, only the shrewdness and calculation of a businessman. Beside him sat Tian Chou, his fingers lightly tapping his knee, his eyes gleaming.

The third person sitting opposite them, although dressed in slightly oversized Han Chinese clothing in an attempt to conceal his identity, clearly indicated that he was not Han Chinese, but rather a Xiongnu from the grasslands, with his high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and coarse, yellowish beard.

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat stagnant, with only the occasional soft crackling sound of the lamp wick popping.

In the end, it was Gongsun Han who spoke first, his voice very low.

"We have considered your suggestion, Your Excellency. However... Chen Dao, though a warrior, is quite stubborn, and having just repelled your attack, the morale of the city's garrison seems to have rebounded. To act now would be quite risky." (End of Chapter)