Dozens of soldiers skilled in swimming were the first to enter the water, pulling themselves across the river using ropes. Soon, the ropes were secured to both banks. The rest of the troops then carefully waded across the river, leading their horses along the ropes.

Agula was the last to cross the river, stepping onto the soft sandy south bank. He warily scanned his surroundings. Darkness, silence, only the sounds of wind and water. It seemed the Yan people had indeed been negligent in their defenses here. A surge of triumphant joy and a murderous urge welled up within him.

"Quickly! Organize your equipment, check your weapons, and get ready to go!" Agula ordered in a low voice.

Unbeknownst to them, less than fifty paces from the bushes and rocks on either side of the riverbank, hundreds of cold eyes, like venomous snakes eyeing their prey, were fixed on them. Lei Bao lay prone behind a rock, his crossbow already cocked, the arrowhead coated with deadly venom. He licked his dry lips, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

"The garrison commander is incredibly astute; these barbarians have indeed arrived," he thought to himself, patiently waiting for the perfect moment.

Agula had assembled his team, determined their direction, and was preparing to stealthily advance towards the back of "Wild Fox Castle." Just then, a sudden change occurred!

"Whoosh—smack!"

A whistling arrow, carrying a mournful cry, suddenly shot into the night sky from the forest behind them, exploding into a bright green flash! Illuminating the riverbank into a ghastly green!

"There's an ambush!!" Agula roared in terror.

But it was too late!

"Release the arrows!"

Lei Bao's roar was like a thunderclap!

"Whoosh whoosh-!!"

In an instant, hundreds of crossbow bolts burst forth from the darkness on both sides! At such close range, and with such a barrage, the elite troops of the Northern Desert had no time to react. In an instant, they fell in large numbers, like wheat being harvested! Screams, groans, and the neighing of warhorses mingled together!

"Form ranks! Break out to the south!" Agula's eyes were bloodshot as he brandished his scimitar to deflect the arrows and roared his command. The remaining northern desert soldiers also reacted. As battle-hardened elites, they remained calm despite the initial shock and quickly retreated to the center, raising their small round shields in an attempt to form ranks and resist.

However, Lei Bao didn't give them a chance at all.

"Second round, shoot!"

Another volley of arrows! This time, even more numerous and denser! The round shields of the northern desert people had limited area, and under such a dense rain of arrows, people kept falling, and their formation began to falter.

"Charge! Fight the Yan dogs!" Agula knew that holding the line would only lead to certain death. With a roar, he charged ahead towards the relatively sparsely populated Wild Fox Fortress! The remaining two hundred or so fierce soldiers from the northern deserts also let out beast-like howls and followed closely behind, launching a desperate charge! They believed that as long as they could break into the forest or reach the foot of Wild Fox Fortress, they would have a chance!

Lei Bao sneered and waved his hand: "Throw!"

The warriors of the "Falcon Battalion," who were already prepared, suddenly stood up from their ambush positions, not wielding swords or knives, but rather short spears with pottery jars tied to their tips! They hurled these spears at the charging northern desert crowd!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

When the earthenware jar was smashed on the ground or on a person, it shattered instantly, spilling the thick, pungent black kerosene inside and splattering it all over the people of the northern desert!

"Rocket!" Lei Bao gave the order again.

Dozens of ignited rockets roared out and landed on the ground and among the crowd, which were splattered with kerosene!

"boom--!"

Flames erupted instantly! Soldiers from the northern deserts, splattered with oil, screamed and became human torches, rolling wildly and spreading the flames to more of their comrades. The riverbank was instantly engulfed in flames, turning half the sky crimson and reflecting the desperate, distorted faces of the northern desert people.

"Retreat! Retreat to the north bank!" Agula, his arm scorched by the flames, was terrified. Knowing he had fallen into a trap and had no chance of winning, he could only hoarsely order a retreat. However, coming was easy, but retreating was difficult. The riverbank was narrow and blocked by a sea of ​​fire and a hail of arrows, turning the retreat into a chaotic rout where everyone trampled each other.

How could Lei Bao let them go? The warriors of the "Falcon Battalion" drew their swords and charged out from both sides like tigers unleashed, intercepting and killing the fleeing northern desert soldiers. Crossbowmen continued to pick off the fleeing soldiers from the rear.

The battle quickly turned into a one-sided massacre. The three hundred most elite suicide squads of the Blood Falcon tribe were wiped out in less than half an hour after crossing the river. The riverbank and shallow water were littered with corpses and burning flames, and the air was filled with a strong stench of burning and blood.

Agula's head was severed by Lei Bao's own blade, his eyes, filled with resentment and fear, remained wide open.

Almost simultaneously with the ambush at Laoniu Bay, deafening battle cries and bugle calls echoed from the direction of the Northern Desert camp downstream. The Vulture and Snow Leopard tribes, as planned, launched feint attacks at several crossing points. However, they were met with a hail of arrows and some fire arrows. The rafts and wooden planks used for crossing were set ablaze, and the Northern Desert soldiers who fell into the icy water struggled before being shot dead. The feint attacks quickly turned into suicide attacks, and the two tribes, leaving behind hundreds of corpses, retreated in disarray to the north bank.

In the central command tent, Batel first heard faint shouts of battle and saw glimpses of firelight from upstream, and a sliver of hope rose in his heart. But then he saw the raging flames soaring into the sky and the smoke signals of the feigned retreat of the downstream troops. His heart sank as if into an ice cave.

"General! It's terrible! General Agula's surprise attack... has been completely wiped out!" A scout, covered in blood and having narrowly escaped from "Old Ox Bay," scrambled into the tent and cried out the news.

"Downstream...the feint attack downstream also failed, with heavy casualties..." Another general entered, his face pale.

Batel's vision went black, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, staggering backward before collapsing onto a wolfskin chair. Three hundred of the most elite Blood Falcon warriors, utterly wiped out! The surprise attack had failed miserably! The feint attack had thwarted! Morale... was gone!

"Yan Ren... Lin Feng..." He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms, drawing blood. His eyes were filled with deep-seated resentment and a hint of...uncontrollable fear. This opponent was terrifying! It was as if he could see right through his thoughts!

Just then, an even greater commotion and shouts suddenly arose outside the camp.

"The granary is on fire!"

Batel looked up sharply and saw that a raging fire had broken out in the southeast corner of the camp, near the snow leopard tribe's camp, where the grain and fodder storage area was located! The fire, fueled by the wind, spread rapidly, illuminating half of the camp!

"Quickly, put out the fire!" The generals panicked.

In the chaos, however, no one noticed that several ghostly figures had vanished into the shadows of the camp after setting the granary ablaze. It was the "Night Owl" team who had taken advantage of the confusion to strike!

The burning of supplies, the disastrous failure of the surprise attack, the setback of the feint attack... a series of blows, like heavy hammers, slammed into the already crumbling morale of the Northern Desert Army.

The leaders of the Vulture and Snow Leopard tribes could no longer contain themselves. They stormed into the central command tent, their faces ashen and their voices forceful: "General Batel! Things have come to this point. If we continue fighting, our entire army will be wiped out! We must retreat immediately! It's better to plead guilty to the royal court than to die here!"

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