In this realistic war game, only I understand the course of the battle.

What Shen Du didn't know was that the opponent who made him wary was named Wen Ding-Tie Fu in the game, and was one of the core combat members of the Wen Ding Guild in the Dezhou city defense system.

His only task today was to hold the watchtower and at least buy him another incense stick's time.

But Shen Du didn't need to know who the other party was. He only knew that anyone who stood in his way on the battlefield had to die.

Shen Du's second strike didn't hit the person, but instead struck the axe handle.

This strike was delivered with full force; the blade of the goose-feather saber pierced half an inch into the axe handle, sending wood chips flying. The battle axe commander's hand went numb from the impact, and the axe handle nearly slipped from his grasp.

Taking advantage of the moment when his arm went numb, Shen Du thrust forward, his shoulder slamming into his chest and knocking him back two steps.

However, Iron Axe swung back with a heavy blow, killing most of the members of Team C who couldn't dodge in time.

At this moment, due to the "Pawn Crossing the River" effect, Shen Du's retreat was extremely heavy, and he was almost killed on the spot.

Iron Axe sneered, "A mere trick."

Shen Du thought to himself, "Damn! What kind of power talent is this? Could it be an elite member of the Ascendant Guild?"

Upon realizing this, Shen Du didn't hesitate and immediately shouted, "Hide at the narrow alley entrance!"

Shen Du stood at the entrance of the narrow alley, his gaze sweeping over the shield formation that had regrouped below the watchtower. At least five ways to break the formation flashed through his mind, but he rejected them all.

The throwing axes are running out of ammunition; Zhao Laoliu only has four left on his back, and the other throwing axemen have run out of spare axes as well, unable to break through that iron wall.

Time is on the enemy's side. Every moment that drags on, Baojia Camp becomes more isolated and helpless, and the encirclement of Chenjia Camp and Banbian Camp to the south tightens.

"Zhao Laoliu." Shen Du stuck his goose-feather knife into the ground, squatted down, and drew a few lines on the muddy ground. "Call everyone over."

Twenty breaths later, all the combat personnel of Team C squatted in a row along both sides of the narrow alley.

Gu Zhang's men are blocking the traffic trench at the south wall and cannot be recalled for the time being.

Shen Du only had his last remaining men on hand—four in the obstacle-breaking team, three in the trench-filling team, two spearmen, three axemen, plus Zhao Laoliu and himself, making a total of fourteen people.

"Listen carefully, I'll only say it once." Shen Du's knife tip marked a spot on the muddy ground.

"This is a watchtower. There are about twenty elite soldiers left at the foot of the tower, with eight shields, ten spears, and the leader wielding a long-handled battle axe. Their shields are thick and their spears are long, so they can't be charged head-on."

He flicked the tip of his knife to the side. "We only have one advantage: they are guarding the tower and won't chase us out. They dare not leave the watchtower."

Old Zhao, with a pipe dangling from his lips, frowned deeply: "Master Li, how should we fight?"

Shen Du looked up, his gaze sweeping over every face.

"I don't need you to defeat them. I need you to hold them off."

He drew two lines on the muddy ground, one running straight from the narrow alleyway into the front of the shield formation, and the other going around from the side of the granary to the rear of the watchtower.

"Zhao Laoliu, lead the obstacle-breaking team to confront them head-on. Don't fight them to the death; just stand ten paces away and throw your throwing axes. After you've finished throwing them, don't linger; retreat and throw them again."

The goal was singular—to prevent their shield formation from disintegrating.

"Spearmen stood on both sides of the alley entrance, with their spears propped against the earthen walls. They would stab anyone who peeked out from the shield formation."

"The trench-filling team piled the remaining sacks at the alley entrance, creating two low walls. They wouldn't stop their charge, but they could trip them up."

Old Zhao took the pipe out of his mouth: "Master Li, everyone in the front is here. Where are you?"

Shen Du pulled out the goose-feather knife and put it back at his waist, then took out the cloth bag from his arms.

The oil paper was peeled off layer by layer, revealing the last gunpowder packet inside.

Shen Du rewrapped the gunpowder packet, stuffed it into the lining of his breastplate, and patted it down.

"I went and blew up the watchtower."

The alley suddenly fell silent. Zhao Laoliu opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Shen Du stood up and stretched his ankles.

As his feet touched the muddy ground, a subtle sensation spread from his feet to his limbs; it was the passive effect granted to him by the system being activated.

[The pawn that has crossed the river], I won't retreat anymore, okay?

Shen Du faced the direction of the watchtower and took a step forward.

With just one step, a warm force surged up from my ankle, as if something was burning in my veins.

The power surged within my muscles, my peripheral vision became clearer, and my breathing became smoother.

Once the soldiers have crossed the river, they can only advance, not retreat.

Every step he takes towards the enemy makes him faster and stronger.

"Once you're ready, let's move out." Shen Du gripped the hilt of his sword, his eyes fixed on the centurion wielding an axe below the watchtower. "When I'm not around, Zhao Laoliu from Team C will be in command."

Zhao Laoliu gripped his short-handled axe, stood up, and shouted to the people behind him, "Breakthrough team, follow me!"

The four of them followed him and rushed out of the alley.

The instant he rushed out of the alley, Zhao Laoliu swung his right arm in a wide arc, and the flying axe slipped from his hand.

The axe spun in the air and smashed into the left corner of the shield formation, sending splinters of wood flying.

The soldiers behind Zhao Laoliu followed suit, throwing out a second and a third axe, the dull thud of the blades striking the shields echoing throughout the village.

The shield formation remained completely still.

The axe-wielding centurion stood behind the shield wall, his lips barely twitching. Having suffered a loss at Shen Du's hands in the direct confrontation, he was now even more cautious and would not easily break formation.

"Keep smashing!" Zhao Laoliu roared, pulling another throwing axe from behind his back. "Don't hold back! Smash them all!"

While the main battle raged on, Shen Du had already circled around to the side of the granary.

He crouched and ran past the broken eaves of the granary, the mud beneath his feet being trampled silently.

The passive ability of the soldier who has crossed the river continuously increases with every step he takes towards the enemy. His agility is already much higher than normal, and he can barely hear his footsteps when he runs.

Between the end of the granary and the watchtower was an open space of about twenty paces, without any cover. Shen Du leaned against the earthen wall of the granary, glanced to the side, and looked down at the watchtower. The shield formation was still airtight, with two crossbowmen standing behind it, their arrows pointed in Zhao Laoliu's direction.

He took a deep breath, bit the goose-feather knife in his mouth, braced himself with his hands on the ground, and lowered his body to its lowest point. Then, he pushed off the ground with his heels.

The bonus from the soldier who crossed the river was fully unleashed in this kick.

Shen Du's body shot out from the side of the granary like an arrow, covering a distance of twenty paces in less than three breaths.

The people inside the shield formation didn't even notice what flashed past on the side—their attention was entirely focused on the shields that were being smashed around by Zhao Laoliu in front of them.

When Shen Du rushed to the base of the watchtower, the first person to spot him was an archer who was loading arrows at the bottom of the tower.

The archer saw a dark figure rushing towards him from the side. Before he could even nock his arrow, he shouted, "There's one on the side—!"

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Du's knife had already slashed across his throat.