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

On the sixth day of the siege of Yangguan, half of the arrows had been used up, and seventy percent of the boiling oil had been used.

"We don't need the eastern section anymore."

Huo Qingluan plunged her sword into a crack in the city bricks. The sound wasn't loud, but it frightened several captains nearby, turning their faces pale.

The lieutenant thought he had misheard.

"General, if the eastern section falls, the Black Flag Army will be able to enter the outer city!"

Huo Qingluan raised her hand and pointed to the gap in the distance.

"They're already inside."

Outside the breach, camel carcasses and black-armored cavalrymen were piled together.

As soon as the third wave of attacks receded, the next formation began to push forward.

Shields pressed against shields, people pressed against people, as if they were trying to pave a road of life all the way to Yangguan City.

She saw it very clearly.

The eastern section of the outer city cannot be defended.

It wasn't that the soldiers weren't fighting hard enough, nor that the crossbows weren't powerful enough.

The wall was too old, and the opening was too big, so the Black Flag Army was willing to trade lives for it.

If they hold out any longer, those three hundred-plus people in the eastern section will be wiped out.

The outer city will still be lost, and the people will be gone too.

This is not difficult to calculate.

The difficult part is speaking up.

Saying "I don't want it anymore" is equivalent to handing over the city walls that you have guarded for six days.

For the defending troops, this was worse than being stabbed.

"Order the garrison in the eastern section to retreat and enter the second inner city wall."

Huo Qingluan drew her sword and pointed it at the corner of the inner city.

"Reposition all ballistae. Use crossbows to cover the gaps. Anyone who dares to run away and disrupt the formation will be executed."

"yes!"

The order was given, and the garrison in the eastern section began to retreat.

The Black Flag Army quickly noticed the change.

The bugle sounded.

A troop of black-armored cavalry pressed forward through the gap, the front ranks holding shields and the rear ranks wielding swords, with camels trampling over corpses to squeeze in.

The camel's legs got stuck in the pile of corpses, so the cavalrymen used their knives to cut through the bodies blocking their way and continued pushing forward.

Shang Wanqing stood at the corner of the inner city, her face covered in soot and ash, holding half a broken crossbow string in her hand.

"They're coming in."

"I saw it."

Huo Qingluan stared at the gap.

She was not afraid of the enemy coming in.

What I fear is that the enemy won't come in.

The outer city is too wide, allowing the Black Flag Army to deploy its forces.

The inner city has narrow corners, and camels turn slowly; once the ballistae are set up, that place becomes a killing field.

This is not a defeat.

This is like putting your neck into the incision.

"Balloons await my command."

Huo Qingluan raised her hand.

The first Black Flag Army unit charged through the breach.

Ten steps.

Twenty steps.

Thirty steps.

The cavalrymen in front had already seen the second wall and the ballistae protruding from behind it.

Someone started shouting, which was unintelligible, but Huo Qingluan could guess what it meant.

It's nothing more than rushing over and killing them all.

She felt very calm.

Come.

Closer.

The black-armored cavalry charged to within fifteen paces.

Huo Qingluan's hand fell.

"put!"

All twelve ballistae were released at the same time.

Thick crossbow bolts shot out from both sides of the inner city, like two iron gates closing in the gap.

The camel at the front was shot through the head and neck, and its massive body fell forward.

The cavalry behind couldn't stop in time and crashed into the corpses, tumbling over with their camels.

The second volley of crossbow bolts followed, pinning black armor, shields, and camel saddles to the ground.

Chaos erupted at the breach.

Some people wanted to back out, but those behind them kept pushing forward.

Someone tried to dismount from the camel, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, he was shot in the chest by a crossbow bolt.

Huo Qingluan did not blink.

There are never any pretty ways to die on the battlefield.

The only question is whether we can reduce the enemy's movement by one step.

"Round Two"

Shang Wanqing personally pressed the trigger.

"put!"

The second volley of crossbow bolts was fired.

The Black Flag Army's first attack into the outer city was repelled.

Half an hour later, they poured in through the gap for the second time.

This time, instead of riding camels, the front ranks were replaced by infantrymen with swords and shields charging on foot.

The camel cavalry behind them held back the breach, waiting for the infantry to tear open the inner city wall before charging in all at once.

Huo Qingluan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

The fact that the opponent changed their tactics shows that they know the pain.

If it can feel pain, it's not iron.

"How much hot oil is left?"

"Less than 30%"

The lieutenant answered quickly, his face grim.

"Use one-tenth."

Huo Qingluan said, "Just splash the very front."

The lieutenant was getting anxious.

"General, even a tenth is too little; we can't hold them off!"

"I didn't mean to block it."

Huo Qingluan stared at the black-armored infantrymen who were charging with shields raised.

"I just want them to raise their shields."

The lieutenant was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening.

If boiling oil is poured on them, the Black Flag Army will surely raise their shields to protect their heads. Their chests and abdomens will be exposed. That's what the Divine Arm Crossbow is waiting for.

Soon, the oil tank was lifted onto the wall.

The Black Flag Army charged to the base of the wall.

"splash!"

The hot oil was poured in, and screams immediately followed.

The black-armored infantrymen in the front row all raised their shields.

The next moment, the crossbows fired simultaneously, with the short crossbows shooting in from the side and embedding themselves directly into the gaps in the armor plates.

A section of the wall collapsed.

The second charge ended in retreat.

But Huo Qingluan was not happy at all.

Half of the arrows have already been used.

Seventy percent of the hot oil has been used up.

The defenders could grit their teeth, but things don't just appear out of thin air.

That's the most critical part.

People can be rotated, but equipment cannot breathe.

At Shenshi (3-5 PM), the Black Flag Army pressed forward for the third time.

They pushed aside the bodies that had died at the gap the first two times, and then laid planks on the camel carcasses to forcibly build a narrow path.

"The ballista retreated three steps."

Shang Wanqing looked up.

"Retreat?"

"They'll go even deeper this time."

Huo Qingluan said, "Let them think that the position they were in last time could avoid the crossbow line."

Shang Wanqing's eyes lit up.

"it is good."

She turned around and shouted.

"Move the two on the west side back! Don't raise them that high, lower them by half an inch! You, don't touch that mechanism, do you want to lose your hand?"

The craftsman shrank back in fright and quickly did as instructed.

The third wave of attacks came even more fiercely.

The Black Flag Army poured in through the breach, with the front ranks stepping on wooden planks, making them much faster than before.

They indeed avoided the spot where the first ballista had fired, and with their shields raised at an angle, they headed straight for the inner city wall.

The lieutenant was so anxious that his forehead was covered in sweat.

"General!"

"wait."

Huo Qingluan stared at the black-armored cavalry at the front.

She was anxious too.

But it cannot be exposed.

When the head coach gets anxious, the subordinates will become chaotic.

She can't be like a person now; she has to be like a stone. A stone has no fear.

Even though he had cursed the reinforcements eight hundred times in his heart.

If you don't come soon, I'm really going to tear down the yangguan door and use it as arrows.

The Black Flag Army charged across the original crossbow line.

Shang Wanqing raised her hand.

Huo Qingluan nodded.

"put."

The ballista fired from a more rearward angle, piercing diagonally through the middle of the charging column.

One arrow pierced two people, and the camel behind was also nailed down.

The black-armored cavalry at the front lost their support and were stabbed by spears above as soon as they reached the base of the wall.

The gap was once again filled with corpses.

This time, the corpses really did pile up into a low wall.

If the Black Flag Army wanted to charge, they would first have to get over the pile of their own dead bodies.

As darkness fell, the Black Flag Army finally retreated thirty paces.

Huo Qingluan stood on the inner city wall, the blood on her arm already dried.

She glanced down at the roster.

Two hundred and ninety-one people were evacuated from the eastern section.

Forty-seven fewer.

She closed the register.

I'll remember this debt.

Shang Wanqing walked over, followed by several craftsmen.

Those people were carrying pots, door bolts, iron plows, broken knives, and even iron basins sent by the people of the city.

"All the usable ironware in the city is here."

Shang Wanqing kicked a deformed iron pot aside.

"It's melted down, so we're rushing to make arrowheads. I've already gathered the ballistae at the inner city corner; the remaining crossbow arms are still usable. The three broken ones have been dismantled, and the spare parts have been replaced."

Huo Qingluan asked, "How much longer can we hold out?"

Shang Wanqing wiped her face, making the black ash look even more messy.

"The materials can last for another two days."

Huo Qingluan nodded.

"Two days is enough. Reinforcements are either on their way, or I'll die here."

Shang Wanqing looked at her.

"That's an unlucky thing to say."

"You still believe in this?"

"I don't believe it."

Shang Wanqing paused for a moment.

"But I don't like listening to it."

Huo Qingluan did not respond.

She doesn't like it either.

But Yangguan Pass cannot be protected by sweet words.

Now every word you say has to count.

If I say two days, then it means two days.

Even one more day feels like a lie.

After nightfall, the Black Flag Army did not sound the retreat.

Torches were lit in rows and pushed out of the gap.

Arrows kept flying towards the city walls, not for the sake of killing many people, but for the sake of keeping the defenders from raising their heads and for the sake of keeping everyone awake.

The lieutenant's expression changed.

"Aren't they leaving tonight?"

Huo Qingluan stared at the torches, a bitter taste in her mouth.

"They're dragging us down."

This is troublesome.

They attack the city by day and harass it by night. The defenders get no rest, and the next day their hands tremble, their eyes become blurry, their crossbows misfire, and their gates close slowly.

The Black Flag Army doesn't intend to take Yangguan tonight.

They were waiting for the Northwest Allied Army to arrive.

When the Yangguan garrison was too exhausted to stand, when they ran out of arrows, and when Bai Tukui led even more men to press forward.

"Pass on the order."

Huo Qingluan turned around.

"From now on, the shifts will be every four hours. Those who can sleep, go to sleep now; those who can't sleep, close your eyes. Anyone who dares to wander around during rest periods will receive twenty strokes of the cane."

The lieutenant nodded.

"There will be fewer people on the city walls."

"Even if it's just a little bit, we have to replace it."

Huo Qingluan said, "People aren't wooden stakes that can be stuck into a wall and used indefinitely."

The order was passed down, and the guards on the city walls began to rotate in batches.

Some people fell asleep as soon as they sat down, still clutching their crossbows.

Someone was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, still cursing the Black Flag Army.

After looking around, Huo Qingluan felt a little more at ease.

As long as they can still criticize, the company hasn't collapsed yet.

In the middle of the night, she leaned against a pillar on the city wall and closed her eyes for a while.

Perhaps only a few breaths.

Perhaps half a cup of tea.

Shang Wanqing sat down next to her, her voice very low.

"Have you slept with him?"

Huo Qingluan opened her eyes.

"Going to sleep."

"Does that count too?"

"Just close your eyes."

Shang Wanqing hugged her knees, looking at the torches in the distance.

"Are all you generals this good liars?"

Huo Qingluan remained silent for a moment.

"For the first time in three years, I feel that being a general is more tiring than being an emperor."

Shang Wanqing chuckled.

"Then go back and exchange with His Majesty."

Huo Qingluan did not laugh.

She looked at the low wall formed by the pile of corpses at the breach, and her voice lowered.

"Let's talk about it when I get back."

Shang Wanqing stopped smiling.

The two sat against the pillar for a while, neither of them speaking again.