A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Just as the first siege engine at the west gate had advanced sixty paces, three heavy crossbows on the city wall simultaneously tightened their bolts.

"put!"

The crossbow bolts left the bowstring and pierced the wheels, axles, and ropes in succession.

The massive siege engine lurched to the side, its front end crashing into the mud. The Tieling soldiers behind it didn't have time to stop, and their shields shattered.

Qin Lie's army formation was thrown into disarray for the first time.

Huo Qingluan stood behind the battlements, staring at the chaos, her fingers never leaving the array diagram.

It became.

The most ruthless aspect of Xiao Heng's Chaotic Flag Eight Gates Formation is not that it deceives the enemy, but that it makes the enemy unable to believe their own judgment.

The more stable the Tieling army is, the more it needs to rely on orders to advance.

Once it becomes difficult to distinguish between genuine and false claims, those in front and behind will be a step behind.

Half a beat is enough for a heavy crossbow to kill.

"Ximen, fire two more rounds of crossbow fire. Don't be greedy and kill too many. Take the cart!"

Huo Qingluan's words were relayed, and the crossbowmen immediately adjusted their direction.

The second volley of crossbow bolts pierced the roof of the second siege vehicle belonging to the Tieling army.

The soldiers inside had barely poked their heads out when they were driven back in by spears.

The guards at the west gate burst into shouts.

That wasn't a cheer.

They finally discovered that this anti-king coalition, which claimed to number a million, was not invincible.

Huo Qingluan did not laugh. She knew the enemy wouldn't retreat just because two cars were destroyed.

Sure enough, the drumbeats from the rear of the Tieling army immediately changed.

Three short and one long.

Qin Lie's generals are changing formation.

"He wants to abandon the vehicle and use the shield array to press down on the wall instead."

Xiao Heng looked out of the city, his voice low and deep:

"We can't keep using crossbows to wear them down. Prepare fire arrows to burn their shields."

Huo Qingluan glanced at him for a moment.

This former king, who relied on the mountain, was not only skilled in battle formations.

He knew the enemy's rhythm as well as he knew his own military manual.

"I'll listen to Your Highness."

She turned and ordered, "Prepare the rockets, and fire the shields when they are fifty paces away."

Xiao Heng looked at her without saying anything.

Huo Qingluan knew very well that having Xiao Heng by her side at this time was like having an extra pair of eyes that could see through the enemy.

She doesn't like leaving the outcome to others, but she dislikes even more people who are clearly useful standing by and watching.

Ximen has stabilized.

The Black Mountain Army at the North Gate was blocked at the base of the wall by the Iron Lock Gate Formation.

Rows of shields were laid out horizontally, shield bearers shoulder to shoulder, and spears kept thrusting out from the gaps.

The Black Mountain Army had many men, but they couldn't squeeze through.

The denser the ladders are built, the harder it is for people below to turn around.

Han Dashan stood at the rear of the formation and witnessed the three cloud ladders being burned through by oil. His fat face twitched.

"Let the others continue!"

The guard whispered, "Your Highness, the front is already packed. If we push forward, we'll only trample our own men."

Han Dashan turned around and slapped him.

"Can't I see? If we don't advance, are we waiting for Wei Zhao's reinforcements to arrive?"

The guard covered his face, not daring to say anything more.

Han Dashan knew he was getting angry.

But he couldn't help but get angry.

He originally thought that the garrison in Golden City was weak.

Wei Zhao led the veterans to Guiping, leaving only a group of newly recruited soldiers and millions of refugees in the city.

If we launch a full-scale attack from all sides, chaos will surely ensue within the city.

But now?

The new army stood firm.

The refugees also stopped.

The crossbow bolts, oil, and logs from the city walls were rained down as if they were free.

What distressed him even more was that the civilians who originally only wanted to escape actually began to help the defending soldiers by carrying arrows, lifting stones, and repairing the crenellations.

Why don't they run away?

Because of the new military merit system.

Defending a city and killing enemies can earn you military merit, as can transporting weapons, treating wounded soldiers, and repairing city walls.

Once the military officers confirm it, they can exchange it for grain, silver, and land after the war.

For the first time, Han Dashan felt that Wei Zhao's set of rules was more difficult to deal with than a million-strong army.

He can't give me land.

So he had no choice but to threaten people with a knife.

Wei Zhao, however, ordered the people to defend the city for him.

"Your Highness, the East Gate has fallen again!"

The messenger rolled up to Han Dashan, his face covered in blood.

"Prince Zhou's Red Blade Army scaled the wall twice, but were driven back both times. The guards at the East Gate are still pushing corpses down."

Han Dashan kicked him over.

"What's there to lose? It's not broken yet, is it?"

The messenger lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

Han Dashan stared at the walls of Golden City, his chest heaving.

This city is too tough.

It's not that the wall is hard, it's that the people inside have changed.

In the past, the common people defended the city because there were government troops supervising them from behind.

Once the government troops retreated, they scattered. These people are now defending the city because if the city falls, they will lose their fields, their military merits, and their families will be captured again by the rebel king.

They no longer viewed the city walls as belonging to the imperial court.

They considered the city wall as their life.

Three days have passed.

Five days have passed.

Ten days have passed.

The Golden City was not destroyed.

The Eight Princes' Alliance attacked the city every day, and retreated every day carrying corpses.

The Black Mountain Army lost over 60,000 men at the North Gate, while the Red Blade Army suffered even greater losses at the East Gate.

The siege towers of the people at the south gate caused the Baiyue army to run into rope nets and barricades several times during their charges, while the siege engines of the Tieling army at the west gate were burned one after another.

The corpses outside the city piled up to the edge of the moat.

However, there was no chaos within the city.

Someone was in charge of moving the arrows.

Someone is in charge of boiling water.

Some people were specifically tasked with collecting weapons dropped by enemy soldiers and handing them over to military officers for registration.

Even women and the elderly who didn't know how to fight began to help sort wound medicine and mend shields.

The new recruits on the city wall saw this and gripped their guns even tighter.

They began to understand that the merit-based system was not intended for brave generals.

As long as you're willing to work hard, you can get what you want from this battle.

Once this group accepts the debt, they won't easily disperse.

Day 18.

Day 23.

Day 29.

Zhou Laodao stood on the high platform outside the East Gate, staring at the still-standing Xinwu Army flag, his short knife in his hand turning white from gripping it so tightly.

"Why hasn't it broken yet?"

No one answered.

The general beside him lowered his head, his voice hoarse.

"The garrison in the city is rotated too quickly. Veteran soldiers hold the line, new troops fill the gaps, and refugees are in charge of logistics. We breach a crenellation, and they immediately seal it off with wooden palisades. People are still bringing food and water to the south gate, and the city has never run out of hot meals."

Old Zhou's lips twitched.

The people delivered grain.

The common people carried arrows.

The people repaired the city.

Is this still the gateway to the capital?

This is a metal plate that bites.

Back when he and Han Dashan attacked Huangjincheng, there were garrison troops and civilians inside the city.

But back then, the garrison was the garrison, and the people were the people.

Those on the city walls died, and those below only thought about escaping.

Now Huo Qingluan has brought everyone together.

Those who kill the enemy are rewarded with land, those who transport grain are recorded as meritorious, those who rescue wounded soldiers are rewarded, and those who repair walls are also recorded.

Adding to that the four sets of formations from the former dynasty's powerful prince, the Golden City seemed to have grown several layers of bones.

After conquering one level, there's another.

The more Zhou Laodao thought about it, the more annoyed he became, so he raised his hand and chopped down the wooden fence beside him.

At that moment, several royal flags behind them moved simultaneously.

Han Dashan's men delivered a military report, and Qin Lie, Ma Chengyi, Xu Zhongmou, Xue Feng, Sun Qing, and Feng Wanjun's men were also urging for discussion.

They couldn't continue fighting.

But no one dared to be the first to back down.

Because once they retreat, Wei Zhao will take the opportunity to chase after them.

Nobody knows what's going on in Guiping anymore.

Wei Zhao never returned with his troops.

Is he still in Guiping?

Was Du Heng of Huainan defeated?

If the Golden City continues to drag on, the Eighth Prince's supplies will run out first.

But if they retreat now, will they be able to stop Wei Zhao when he leads a million-strong new army north?