I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

At the same time, thirty li north of Xuanfu, at Laoyaling.

Chen Yuan reined in his horse and gestured for Chen Jin behind him to stop.

The two lay prone on the hillside, looking down.

On the official road, the dark mass of people were all cavalry.

The Tatar vanguard, estimated at least three thousand cavalry, were fully armored and rode magnificent horses. A dozen large wolf-head banners fluttered in the morning breeze. At the very front stood a general in golden armor, addressing the troops loudly in Tatar.

"What are they saying?" Chen Jin asked in a low voice.

"After the city falls, the wealth and women will be distributed according to merit," Chen Yuan said coldly. "He also said that the city would be massacred for three days, leaving no one alive."

Chen Jin shivered.

Three thousand iron cavalrymen lined up on the flat official road, and their murderous aura could be felt even from this distance.

Chen Yuan estimated their marching speed and concluded that they would reach Xuanfu City in at most two hours.

"Can Xuanfu be defended?" Chen Jin asked.

Chen Yuan did not answer.

He saw the Tatar army's siege equipment—three catapults, five ladder carts, and more than a dozen shield carts. This equipment was not what rangers should have; it belonged to a proper siege force.

The Tatars are serious this time.

Moreover, the timing they chose was too perfect.

The garrison in Xuanfu numbered less than 8,000, of which less than 5,000 were capable of fighting, and they had to be divided to guard the four gates.

Zhao Guang was an incompetent fool; he had no idea how to manage defenses.

The fall of the city was almost a foregone conclusion.

"Should we... still go into the city?" Chen Jin's voice trembled.

Chen Yuan remained silent.

Reason told him that he should bypass Xuanfu and head south directly. He should take Chen Jin away from the battlefield to Jiangnan or Shu, where they could live in anonymity and wait for an opportunity.

But he couldn't.

He thought of Zhang Meng, his brothers from the Night Scouts, Boss Zhou from the Old Soldiers' Tavern, Wang the Cripple on the city wall, and ordinary people like Li Er's family.

If he leaves, all these people will die.

"Brother Yuan?" Chen Jin asked, noticing that he remained silent for a long time.

Chen Yuan turned to look at him: "Chen Jin, if I let you go alone, can you survive?"

Chen Jin was stunned: "Where...where are you going?"

Chen Yuan resolutely said, "Return to Xuanfu."

"I am the night watchman; my brothers are there, and my duty is there."

"But you'll die!"

"Maybe," Chen Yuan said, "but some things are more important than death."

Chen Jin looked at him, then suddenly smiled, a resolute smile in her eyes: "Then I won't leave either."

"I am also a member of the Chen family."

Chen Jin said, "The Chen family has been loyal and brave for generations; there are no cowards who would desert their posts. My father taught me that when the country is in peril, every citizen has a responsibility."

Chen Yuan stared at him for a long time before finally nodding: "Okay. But you have to promise me one thing."

"you say."

"Once you enter the city, hide in a safe place and don't go up the city walls. If I die, you must live on and avenge the Chen family."

Chen Jin wanted to say something, but Chen Yuan's gaze made him swallow his words.

"I agree."

The two turned their horses around and instead of taking the official road, they sped along the mountain path towards Xuanfu.

This road is a secret passage for scouts, known to few, and can be used to avoid the Tatar vanguard.

As dawn breaks, the eastern horizon turns golden red.

But a dark cloud hung over both of them.

War drums resounded atop Xuanfu city walls.

"Enemy attack!!"

The sentry on the watchtower shouted himself hoarse.

On the northern horizon, a dark line surged in like a tide, and the sound of horses' hooves shook the earth.

Zhang Meng rushed up the city wall, and when he saw the scene, his heart sank to the bottom.

It was faster than he had expected.

"Prepare for battle! Archers on the wall! Roll logs and boulders ready!" he roared.

The soldiers on the city wall hurriedly took their positions, but their movements were chaotic, and many of them were pale and their hands were trembling.

Most of these soldiers were garrison troops who had not fought in many years, and seeing such a scene inevitably filled them with fear.

Zhao Guang also came up, wearing a bright silver armor, and ascended the city tower surrounded by his personal guards.

He glanced outside the city, his face paling, but he forced himself to remain calm: "What's the panic! What can mere Tartars do to me?"

Zhang Meng stepped forward: "General, the enemy is powerful. We should quickly transfer the troops guarding the South and West Gates to support the North Gate, and at the same time send people to Datong and Jizhou to request reinforcements."

"What do you know!" Zhao Guang retorted. "Divide the troops? What if the Tartars use a feint attack? I've studied military strategy thoroughly and have my own plan!"

Zhang Meng tried to argue, but Zhao Guang ignored him and gave the order: "Archers, listen up! Shoot when the enemy is within a hundred paces! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

Zhang Meng almost cursed.

The optimal range for a crossbow is sixty to eighty paces; its lethality decreases significantly beyond one hundred paces. This idiot doesn't even understand that?

But he could not disobey orders.

The Tatar cavalry drew closer, their faces becoming clearer. The golden-armored general at the front raised his scimitar and roared to the sky.

"Waaaaah!! Waaaaah!!"

The call to attack has sounded.

Three thousand cavalrymen began their charge, their hooves thundering and kicking up clouds of dust.

Some of the new recruits on the city wall were so frightened that their legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground.

Zhang Meng drew his sword: "Hold your ground! Archers, prepare—!"

Eighty steps.

Seventy steps.

Sixty steps.

"Fire the arrows—!"

Arrows rained down.

However, the effect was limited.

The Tatar cavalry raised their round shields, blocking most of the arrows; only a dozen or so riders were hit and fell from their horses.

The cavalry, without slowing down, charged straight at the city walls.

"Release it again! Release it now!" Zhang Meng roared.

A second volley of arrows rained down, and another twenty-odd riders fell.

But the Tatar army had already reached the city walls.

The ladder truck was pushed up, and heavy wooden planks were placed on the city wall.

The Tatar soldiers, with scimitars in their mouths, began to climb.

"Roll logs! Boulders!" Zhang Meng took the lead, picking up a millstone-sized rock and smashing it down.

With a loud crash, a ladder was smashed in half, and the Tatar soldiers on it fell with screams of agony.

The battle reached its climax.

Zhang Meng was like a mad tiger, charging back and forth across the city wall.

Every time the goose-feather saber is swung, a Tatar soldier is killed.

His personal guards surrounded him, forming a small battle formation, and held their ground against a section of the city wall.

But other places weren't so lucky.

Zhao Guang's command was a complete mess; the defending troops fought independently, and several lines of defense were quickly breached.

Tatar soldiers climbed onto the city wall and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the defenders.

"Hold on! Anyone who retreats will be executed!"

Zhao Guang shouted from behind his personal guards, but dared not step forward himself.

Zhang Meng cut down a Tatar centurion, and when he turned around and saw this scene, he was so angry that his eyes almost burst.

But he couldn't retreat; the section of the city wall he was defending was crucial, and if it fell, the north gate would be finished.

blood.

Blood was everywhere.

The city walls were stained red, and corpses piled up like mountains.

There were Tatar soldiers and garrison troops.

One by one, Zhang Meng's personal guards fell down, until only three remained.

He himself was also stabbed in the left shoulder, the wound so deep that the bone was visible.

"Commander! We can't hold on any longer!" a soldier shouted.

Zhang Meng gritted his teeth: "We have to hold on, even if we can't! Night watchmen—"

"Fight to the death!" the remaining guards roared in unison.

The roar seemed to have a magical power, and the surrounding defenders were invigorated, actually pushing back the Tatar soldiers who had climbed the city wall.

But at that moment, an unexpected change occurred.

Exclamations of alarm came from the direction of the east gate: "The east gate has fallen! The Tartars have entered the city!"

Zhang Meng felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

The East Gate is the section guarded by Wang the Cripple.

This old soldier, in the end, is still...

"Commander! What should we do?" the guard asked anxiously.

Zhang Meng looked down at the city walls; the main force of the Tatars had already begun to move towards the east gate.

Clearly, they had found a breakthrough over there.

"You all stay here," he hissed. "I'm going to the east gate."