The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

The first wave of arrows had barely fallen when the second and third waves followed in quick succession!

At this moment, the rapid-fire capability of the Yuanrong crossbow revealed its most ferocious and terrifying side.

The Great Yan crossbowmen on the hillside only need to calmly pull the trigger to unleash all ten bolts in their quiver within a few breaths.

Three thousand steppe cavalrymen, crammed into this narrow valley, became the perfect sitting ducks. They had nowhere to hide, nowhere to conceal themselves.

The momentum of the charge was instantly interrupted. The entire team was plunged into chaos and panic.

Those in front tried to retreat, while those behind, unaware of what was happening, continued to push forward. The horses and men trampled each other, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

"The devil! This is the devil's weapon!"

"Run! Run!"

The surviving steppe cavalrymen were utterly devastated. They threw down their weapons, turned their horses around desperately, and tried to escape the valley of death.

Just then, Lei Lie, who had been "watching the show" at the valley entrance, revealed a ferocious smile.

"Brothers!" he shouted, raising his saber high. "The time for revenge has come!"

"Kill them all!"

Eight thousand well-rested and pent-up cavalrymen from the northern frontier, like tigers released from their dam, launched a devastating charge towards the chaotic valley entrance.

On one side were the demoralized and disorganized remnants of the army.

On one side were elite troops, their morale soaring, launching an attack fueled by rage.

From the very beginning, this battle turned into a one-sided massacre.

One hour later.

The battle is over.

The entire "One Line Sky" valley has been transformed into a living hell.

Of the three thousand steppe cavalry, only a few dozen managed to escape from the other side; the rest were all annihilated.

Lei Lie carried Batu's head, which remained open in death, and walked up the hillside. Looking at the infantrymen holding crossbows, their faces still showing excitement and shock, he felt, for the first time, genuine respect for these "two-legged" men.

He finally understood why the prince had said that this thing was the nightmare of the steppe cavalry.

The few dozen survivors who escaped back will also bring this nightmare back to Ashina Sun's royal court.

The distant grassland royal court.

Inside the golden tent, Ashina Sun anxiously awaited news from the front.

When he saw the dozens of blood-soaked, disarmed soldiers rushing back as if they had seen a ghost, he immediately had a bad feeling.

"Where is Batu? Where are the others?" he demanded sharply.

"The Khan... is dead... all dead..." A surviving soldier knelt on the ground, trembling and incoherent.

"We...we've encountered demons...there are demons within the Han Chinese army..."

"They have a weapon... that can shoot arrows like rain... We... we simply can't get through..."

"What?!" Ashina Jun grabbed the soldier by the collar and lifted him up, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Shooting arrows like rain?

What the hell is this thing?

He had fought his entire life and had never heard of such an absurd weapon.

But seeing the deep-seated fear in his soldiers' souls, he knew they weren't lying.

A chill rose from the depths of his heart.

He realized that this time, he might no longer be facing the Great Yan Dynasty he was familiar with.

He was facing a brand new, terrifying monster, created by Xiao Jingchen himself.

"The devil's weapon..."

Ashina Sun released his grip, letting the terrified soldier collapse to the ground. He sat back down on his throne, dazed, repeatedly muttering those words to himself.

The atmosphere inside the golden tent was extremely oppressive.

The tribal chiefs standing below were all pale-faced and silent as if trembling with fear.

The crushing defeat at "A Line of Sky" was like a boulder crashing into their already turbulent hearts. Three thousand elite cavalrymen were almost entirely wiped out within an hour. Such a casualty ratio was unprecedented in their history of battles against the Great Yan army.

The descriptions brought back by those dozens of survivors instilled in them a deep-seated fear.

A weapon that can unleash a torrential downpour of arrows.

Infantry phalanxes were able to withstand cavalry charges head-on and inflict devastating casualties.

This completely overturned their centuries-old military common sense. In the minds of the steppe people, infantry were simply meat on the chopping block for cavalry. But now, this meat had suddenly grown a mouthful of fangs.

"Great Khan, the Han people...the Han people have such a powerful weapon, how...how can we fight?" An elderly tribal chieftain spoke in a trembling voice, breaking the deathly silence.

His words echoed the sentiments of everyone.

If even the cavalry's proudest striking power becomes ineffective against the enemy, then what can they use to fight against Xiao Jingchen's 200,000-strong army?

"What's the panic!" Ashina Sun slammed his hand on the armrest of the throne, making a loud bang, forcibly suppressing his inner unease, and shouted sharply, "It's just the loss of three thousand men! It's just a little trick played by the Han people! Are you all so scared?"

"Where has the courage of us grassland warriors gone? When did we, the descendants of the wolf god, become so cowardly!"

His fierce gaze swept across the face of each tribal chief.

"I'm telling you! Weapons are never the key to victory or defeat in war! The key is people! It's our courage and fighting spirit!"

"They have strange crossbows, we have faster horses and sharper swords! Once we get to them, we can chop them into mincemeat!"

Ashina Sun used his inflammatory language to try to rekindle the confidence of his subordinates.

However, the effect was minimal.

Once fear is sown, it is difficult to eradicate. The leaders' faces were still etched with worry and dread.

Just then, a messenger rushed into the golden tent, bringing even worse news.

"Great Khan! Something terrible has happened! The Black Wolf Tribe, the Vulture Tribe, and... more than a dozen other small and medium-sized tribes... they... they've betrayed us!"

"What?!" Ashina E Falcon suddenly stood up, unable to believe his ears.

"They...they accepted the Han people's offer of amnesty!" the messenger said, his face contorted with grief. "A man claiming to be the Director of the Great Yan Commerce Department gave them large quantities of grain and winter supplies. Now, these tribes are openly flying the Great Yan banner and are...are attacking our supply convoys and rear pastures everywhere!"