In this chaotic world of vying for power, I can become stronger by marrying a wife.

As dawn broke, the deafening sound of war drums resounded outside Jing'an City.

The Northern Barbarian army pressed forward in a dark mass. This time they were smarter; instead of having their commander stand in front as a target, they slowly advanced using shield carts and siege towers.

On the city wall, the defenders gripped their weapons tightly, their palms sweating.

"They're here." Su Ming stood on the city wall, looking at the densely packed barbarian army in the distance, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Wei Lang ran over and whispered, "Sir, all the jars are ready, and the catapults are set up."

"Very good." Su Ming turned to look at the dozen or so simple catapults behind him, which were filled with black pottery jars. "When they get within three hundred paces, start smashing them."

"Three hundred paces?" Wei Lang was stunned. "My lord, their archers can shoot us from that distance."

"I know." Su Ming patted him on the shoulder, "So you guys better stay hidden, or you'll get shot into a pincushion."

Murong Yan walked over, a curved sword in her hand: "Shall I lead men to provide support outside the city?"

"No need," Su Ming shook his head. "You just stay here and watch; there's going to be a good show later."

Murong Yan frowned, but still nodded.

The northern barbarian army drew ever closer, five hundred paces, four hundred paces, three hundred paces...

"Release!" Su Ming commanded.

More than a dozen catapults started up at the same time, and the pottery jars flew in an arc as they crashed into the barbarian army's formation.

"Hahaha! The people of the Central Plains have gone mad! Hitting people with jars?" a barbarian general laughed.

But the next second, his laughter froze.

boom!

The first pottery jar hit the ground with a deafening roar, flames shot into the sky, and a dozen barbarian soldiers were instantly blown away, their limbs and torsos flying everywhere.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions rang out, and the barbarian army's formation was thrown into chaos.

"What kind of sorcery is this?!"

"Run!"

"ah--!"

Screams rose and fell, and the barbarian army's formation completely collapsed.

On the city wall, the defenders were dumbfounded.

"What...what is this?"

"Heavenly lightning?"

"Has Commandant Su summoned the Thunder God?"

Ignoring the discussions, Su Ming calmly ordered, "Continue loading, don't stop!"

The soldiers frantically loaded new clay pots onto the catapults, lit the fuses, and launched them again.

Boom boom boom!

Another round of explosions shattered the barbarian army's shield carts into pieces, and the siege towers were engulfed in flames.

In the Northern Barbarian camp, the gaunt old priest had a terribly gloomy face.

"Damn those Central Plains people, they've actually mastered the power of the Fire God!" he gritted his teeth. "Release the Giant Spirit God!"

"High Priest, the giant spirit god is not yet fully tamed..."

"I said, release!" The old priest waved his hand, and the lieutenant immediately shut up.

Deep within the camp, the heavy sound of dragging chains could be heard.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening roar resounded.

Roar! !

On the city wall, everyone felt the tremors beneath their feet.

"What is it?" Wei Lang's face turned pale.

Su Ming narrowed his eyes and looked deep into the barbarian army camp.

A colossal creature is slowly emerging.

It was a colossal beast, three zhang tall, covered in thick iron armor, with limbs as thick as pillars, and every step it took made the earth tremble.

Its head resembled a wild boar magnified ten times, with tusks as tall as a person and eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty red light.

"What kind of monster is that?" Murong Yan gasped.

[Ding! Extremely dangerous creature detected: Giant Spirit God (Rank 6 Ferocious Beast)!]

[Warning: This creature is thick-skinned and tough; normal attacks are ineffective!]

[Recommendation: Focus fire on its weak points such as the eyes and joints!]

Su Ming's face darkened.

A sixth-grade ferocious beast is equivalent to the combat power of a sixth-grade martial artist, but with even stronger defense.

If this thing were to reach the city walls, it would smash them down.

"All catapults, aim at that beast!" Su Ming shouted immediately.

Boom boom boom!

A dozen or so pottery jars were smashed at the giant spirit, and the flames from the explosion engulfed it.

But when the smoke cleared, the giant beast merely shook its head, its armor showing not a single dent.

"It's no use?" Wei Lang was in despair.

"It's not that it's useless, it's just that there isn't enough gunpowder." Su Ming gritted his teeth. "Wei Lang, gather all the remaining gunpowder and make a big one!"

"Sir, how big is it?"

"The bigger the better!" Su Ming turned to look at Murong Yan, "Take your men to the city walls and organize the people to evacuate, the farther the better."

Murong Yan was taken aback for a moment, then understood what he meant.

"You're going to blow up the city walls?"

"What else?" Su Ming sneered. "It's better than letting that beast barge in."

Murong Yan gave him a deep look, then turned and left.

Half an hour later, a huge pottery jar was carried onto the city wall.

This jar was as tall as a person and filled with gunpowder, with a fuse as thick as a hemp rope.

"Sir, if this explodes, half of our city wall will collapse." Wei Lang swallowed.

"Then let it collapse." Su Ming picked up the tinderbox. "As long as it can kill that beast, it's worth it."

He lit the fuse, and then with all his might pushed the huge pottery jar off the city wall.

The pottery jar tumbled through the air, crashing straight down on the charging giant god.

The giant spirit seemed to sense the danger, stopped, and tried to turn and run away.

But it was too late.

boom--!

A deafening roar shook the entire city of Jing'an.

A massive fireball shot into the sky, the shockwave blasting away all the surrounding barbarian soldiers. The giant spirit's screams abruptly ceased in the explosion.

On the city wall, everyone's ears rang from the shock, and it took them a long time to come to their senses.

When the smoke cleared, everyone saw that the giant spirit had been blown into a pile of charred minced meat, and within a hundred paces around it, not a blade of grass grew.

A small section of the city wall did collapse, but it was still defensible.

"We won?" Wei Lang couldn't believe it.

"We won." Su Ming exhaled a breath of stale air. "Temporarily."

[Ding! Slayed the Rank 6 ferocious beast, Giant Spirit God, gaining +1000 Luck Points!]

[Ding! Successfully defended the city on day one, gained 2000 reputation points!]

[Ding! Hidden quest triggered: The Secret of the Northern Barbarians!]

[Mission Objective: Investigate the true identity of the Northern Barbarian High Priest!]

[Mission Reward: Mysterious Treasure Chest x1, Luck Points +500!]

Su Ming frowned slightly as he looked at the system notification.

High Priest of the Northern Barbarians?

He looked towards the distant barbarian army camp, where the gaunt old man was standing in front of the tent, staring intently at them.

Their eyes met in mid-air, as if lightning flashed between them.

"Interesting." Su Ming sneered and turned to leave the city wall.

Murong Yan came forward, her face still showing shock: "You really blew up that monster."

"What else?" Su Ming stretched his shoulders. "Let's go check on the casualties."

"Wait," Murong Yan called out to him, hesitating for a moment, "Aren't you afraid the city walls will really collapse and the barbarian army will rush in?"

Su Ming stopped and looked back at her, saying calmly, "I'm afraid, but what I'm even more afraid of is doing nothing and just watching that beast rush in."

"Lieutenant Murong, remember this: defending a city is not about defending the walls, it's about defending the people. Walls can be rebuilt if they collapse, but if the people are gone, everything is lost."