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

At dawn, Liu Jingshuang's cavalry tore through the first wooden palisade on the east side of Huainan.

There was no horn to persuade them to surrender.

No messengers entered the city.

They didn't even set up camp.

The Huainan garrison thought that the Xinwu army had come from afar and would need at least half a day to rest. However, as soon as the first rank of patrols saw the Wei banner, Liu Jingshuang had already led her cavalry forward.

"Loose the arrows! Loose the arrows now!"

The Huainan military officers behind the wooden fence had shouted themselves hoarse.

The arrow had barely been raised when Liu Jingshuang's longsword cleaved into the gap in the gate, and the cavalry behind followed suit and rammed into it.

The wooden stake snapped with a crack, and several soldiers, shields and all, were trampled over by horses' hooves.

Liu Jingshuang did not turn around.

"Go through it."

Her voice was very cold.

These outer fortifications look dense, but they were actually all things that Du Heng forced laborers to build on the spot.

The wood wasn't dry, the ropes were tied in a mess, and the trenches were dug at varying depths.

It might scare away refugees, but can it stop the new Wu cavalry?

dream.

Once the eastern flank was breached, chaos immediately erupted in Huainan.

When Du Heng charged up the city wall in his armor, his helmet was askew.

"What's going on?!"

The commander's face turned deathly pale.

"Your Highness, the Xinwu Army hasn't stopped! They didn't set up camp, they attacked directly!"

Du Heng's mind went blank for a moment.

No campsite set up?

This is against the rules.

Wei Zhao led a million-strong new army, advancing from afar. Their provisions, supplies, medical camps, and weapons were all left behind. How could he dare to attack as soon as he arrived at the city?

What makes him dare to do that?

Du Heng opened his mouth to curse, but the second wave of disturbance had already arrived outside the city.

Huo Qingluan's heavily armored troops pressed forward.

Three hundred thousand heavily armored soldiers stomped on the ground, causing the entire fortifications outside the city to tremble.

The antlers, chevaux-de-frise, and earthen ramparts that Du Heng had forced to build overnight were no match for the heavy shields and long axes.

The heavily armored soldiers in the front row pushed with their shields, while the axemen in the back row chopped down the stakes, and the fortifications were dismantled section by section.

Huo Qingluan rode on her horse, holding only a battle flag instead of a long sword.

"Left flank presses the trench, right flank clears the barricades, center flank must not stop."

The messenger waved the flag.

The heavily armored formation continued forward.

Looking at the chaotic defensive lines outside Huainan City, she had only one conclusion in her mind.

Du Heng was afraid.

So afraid that you want everything, you end up doing nothing well.

They dug trenches to block the cavalry.

They set up palisades to block the infantry.

They wanted to burn the new siege weapon, so they piled up oil.

However, none of these things were systematic; they were simply placed outside the city for the new Wu Army to practice on.

Huo Qingluan hated this kind of person the most. They clearly didn't know how to fight, but they insisted on dragging all the common people down with them.

"Push it all down."

She pointed the battle flag forward.

"Within three hundred paces of the city walls, there is not a single place to shield oneself."

The heavily armored soldiers responded in unison.

On the city wall, Du Heng's lips began to dry.

"Where are the fire ships? Where is the naval base? Send the naval forces out to attack them from the flank!"

The general beside him whispered, "Your Highness, the salt route has been intercepted by Zhao Qiniang, and the eastern dock has been blocked by Liu Jingshuang's cavalry. The ships can't get out."

Du Heng turned to look at him.

"Can't get out?"

The general's throat moved.

"The new military force arrived too quickly."

too fast.

These three words made Du Heng want to slap him.

But he raised his hand and then put it down again.

Because he himself knew that this wasn't because his subordinates were incompetent; it was because Wei Zhao simply didn't give Huainan any time to react.

Last night he was still thinking about holding out for half a month.

Liu Suan's letter clearly stated that as long as they could hold out for half a month, they could launch a pincer attack southward after the Eight Princes' Alliance.

半月。

Looking out of the city now, Du Heng suddenly felt that those two words sounded like a joke.

Wei Zhao didn't even want to give him half a day.

morning.

The Xinwu army pressed forward to the walls of Huainan.

Wei Zhao was dressed in white, riding a white horse, with only 10,000 imperial guards behind him.

The archers on the city wall trembled when they saw that white figure.

"Is that Wei Zhao?"

"Has he gone mad? The emperor himself stormed the gate?"

"Shoot him! Shoot him now!"

Arrows rained down.

The Imperial Guards at the front held their shields aloft, their steps perfectly steady.

These 10,000 Imperial Guards were the elite troops that Prince Xiao Heng of Kao Shan had honed over ten years through countless battles.

After the surrender of Golden City, Wei Zhao neither abolished nor dispersed them, but instead reorganized them into the new Imperial Guard.

Many people are holding a grudge.

They once guarded the old Wei state.

They served until the emperor became incompetent and corrupt officials took over, and the people cursed them as lackeys of the old dynasty.

Now that they have new weapons, they want to prove that they are still worthy of wearing armor.

As the shield formation advanced, arrows clattered against the shields, occasionally slipping through the gaps, only to be immediately replaced by the rear guard.

The wounded soldier was dragged away, and the rescue team followed with a stretcher. As soon as the first-aid kit was opened, the hemostatic cloth was pressed directly onto the wound.

Wei Zhao glanced at it and felt reassured.

Xie Daoning's military medical department was a lifesaver.

In such sieges, the worst thing is for wounded soldiers to pile up at the back and cry out, which would demoralize the army.

Now, if one person is injured, another is carried away, and the survivors continue to move forward, so the formation won't fall apart.

Wei Zhao stomped his foot hard, and his spear pierced the gap in the city gate.

The first strike produced a resounding clang from the bolt.

The second time, the wooden beam behind the door cracked.

On the third strike, the spear shaft bent into an astonishing arc, Wei Zhao's arm veins bulged, and the Great Dao Floating Pagoda Technique circulated within his body, all his strength was concentrated on the spear tip.

click!

The iron bolt behind the city gate was snapped off.

No one on the city wall shouted anymore.

Du Heng witnessed this scene and collapsed to the ground.

Du Heng then realized that his so-called half-month defense was not even enough to last a day against Wei Zhao.

"Your Highness!"

The guard rushed over to help him up.

"Retreat quickly! The inner city can still be defended!"

Du Heng's lips trembled.

"Guard...guard my ass."

The city gates were pushed open by the Imperial Guards.

The first rank of Imperial Guards rushed into the gate, daggers cleared the way, shield bearers pressed against the wall, and spearmen thrust forward through the gaps.

The Huainan garrison was forced to retreat repeatedly, and some of the conscripted young men threw down their guns when they saw the Xinwu Army rushing in.

"Don't kill me! I was captured!"

"I surrender! I surrender!"

The officer tried to kill someone, but was knocked down by a salt farmer with a hoe.

The chaos spread from the city gate all the way into the streets and alleys.

When Wei Zhao rode into the city, Liu Jingshuang had already taken control of the east gate, Huo Qingluan's heavily armored troops had blocked the main street, Zhao Qiniang had cut off the direction of the salt warehouse, and Xie Daoning's medical camp had set up a wounded soldiers' area outside the city.

Huainan has fallen.

afternoon.

Du Heng changed into a soldier's uniform and ran out the back door with his neck hunched.

His face was smeared with ash, a broken knife hung at his waist, and he was accompanied only by two trusted confidants.

"Quick, let's go!"

His voice trembled.

As long as he can escape to the water village, as long as there are still boats, he can still live.

He can give up the title of prince, he can give up the salt route; he can come back after the Eight Princes Alliance.

Just being alive is enough.

What Prince of Huainan, what talk of holding out for half a month—it's all bullshit.

But outside the back door, a charcoal seller suddenly looked up.

"Prince Du, you changed your clothes quite quickly."

Du Heng froze.

Just as the two henchmen were about to draw their swords, people rushed out from both sides of the alley entrance at the same time.

With a crossbow to his throat and a rope binding his arm, Du Heng hadn't even uttered a sound when his knees were kicked and he was forced to kneel on the ground.

The charcoal seller tore off his fake beard, revealing the token of a secret sentry from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"His Majesty has ordered that Du Heng be captured alive."

Du Heng's face turned ashen.

It’s over.

Even their escape route has been blocked.

When Wei Zhao arrived at the back gate, Du Heng had already been pinned to the ground, his soldier's clothes covered in mud and dust.

The white horse stopped in front of him.

Du Heng looked up and saw Wei Zhao looking down at him, his calm gaze making him even more afraid.

"Your Majesty... I am willing to surrender. I am willing to offer up the Huainan Salt Circuit. I am willing to hand over the shipyard. I..."

Wei Zhao interrupted him.

"I already knew about Liu Suan's letter."

Du Heng suddenly looked up.

Wei Zhao looked down at him, his voice very calm.

"He's using you as bait, trying to keep me occupied for half a month."

Du Heng's lips turned pale.

Wei Zhao smiled.

"Unfortunately, you couldn't even hold out for a day."

Du Heng went limp.

He finally understood that it wasn't that the Eighth Prince couldn't save him in time.

From the very beginning, everyone treated him like a piece of meat to be thrown out and dragged along.