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

"Invade the city!"

Tuoba Ye pressed his scimitar forward, his voice hoarse from the alcohol.

Of the hundred giant elephants, the thirty he selected were placed at the very front.

Each giant elephant was surrounded by nearly a hundred Nanman soldiers.

A dozen or so men carrying thick shields walked forward, close to the elephant's legs, to block the arrows from the city wall;

On both sides, men held up long spears to prevent the defenders from charging out through the gap;

Wooden platforms were placed on the elephants' backs, where archers and spearmen stood, pressing down on the city walls from their elevated position.

The scariest thing isn't these things.

It is a battering ram strapped to the front of an elephant's head.

A thick ironwood bar lay across the elephant's forehead, secured at both ends with iron chains, and the hammerhead was covered with black iron.

With each step the giant elephant charged forward, the battering ram swayed, its weight turning the faces of the Jiangnan defenders on the city wall pale.

This thing is beyond human capability.

Let alone flesh and blood, even an ordinary city gate would fall apart after being hit a few times.

Liu Jingshuang stood on the city wall, watching the first giant elephant being driven mad by the iron hooks of the Southern Barbarian elephant tamers, before it lowered its head and crashed into the relatively intact section of the wall next to the breach in the western city wall.

"boom!"

The entire section of the city wall shook.

The city bricks shattered, dust billowed up, and several city guards standing nearby nearly stumbled and fell.

Liu Jingshuang's hand rested on the hilt of the knife, her knuckles turning white little by little.

She had seen the Northern Rong cavalry charge into battle, the Western Qiang mountain troops launch night raids, and Wei Zhao single-handedly break through enemy lines.

But the elephant crashing into the city is another matter entirely.

It doesn't talk to you about martial arts, formations, or courage.

It just pushes forward.

We'll push you until you retreat, push you until you die, push you until the city walls crumble.

If it weren't for Shang Wanqing's batch of ballistae and rattan armor, how many people would have died if the Wei family army had to use their flesh and blood to block such things?

Five thousand?

Ten thousand?

Or more?

When the number popped into Liu Jingshuang's mind, her expression turned even colder.

Fortunately, Wei Zhao bypassed Mo Family Fortress.

Fortunately, Shang Wanqing, that taciturn woman, actually prepared a guillotine for the Southern Barbarians.

"Don't rush."

Huo Qingluan stood beside her, clutching the command flag in her hand, her eyes fixed on the elephant formation below the city.

Her tone was very flat, as if what was crashing down on the city wall was not a giant elephant, but a few ordinary infantrymen.

Liu Jingshuang glanced at her.

The fact that Huo Qingluan could remain calm at this moment shows that she is truly suited for strategizing. If it were her, seeing Tuoba Ye's face, she would have wanted to open the door and start killing him long ago.

"Let them bump into it a couple more times."

Huo Qingluan raised the command flag in her hand.

The messenger next to him swallowed hard, bracing himself for the order.

A second giant elephant crashed into them.

"boom!"

Cracks climbed up the wall from the base to the battlements, and bricks and stones fell down with a crash.

The southern barbarian soldiers below yelled strangely, and the spear thrower on the elephant's back hurled a short spear onto the city wall, piercing the shoulder of a Jiangnan garrison soldier.

The man screamed and fell backward, but was caught by his companion.

The archers on the city wall were still shooting.

The rain of arrows fell on the giant elephant, most of which were blocked by its leather armor, and a few pierced its flesh, only making the giant elephant even more ferocious.

The elephant driver grinned maliciously and plunged the iron hook deep into the elephant's head.

The giant elephant raised its trunk and roared, charging at the target for the third time.

"boom--"

A large section of the western city wall finally collapsed.

It didn't collapse completely; rather, it was forcefully smashed open, creating a gap.

Broken bricks and stones rolled into a cloud of dust, and the cheers of the southern barbarian soldiers below erupted.

Zhao Yuezhi stood behind the city gate tower, his face deathly pale.

"Madam, this...this wall is broken!"

Liu Jingshuang did not turn around.

Of course she knew the wall was broken.

She knew better than anyone that this was the effect Huo Qingluan wanted.

We need to make that mad dog Tuoba Ye see meat and smell blood, so he'll stick his neck into the noose.

"Azure Phoenix".

Liu Jingshuang's voice was very low.

"That's about it."

Huo Qingluan nodded, and the command flag was suddenly pressed back.

"Withdraw from the front lines!"

"Archers, retreat to the second street!"

"Shieldbearers cover the rear! Don't panic! Anyone who panics will be killed!"

The messenger shouted the order out at the top of his lungs.

The Wei family army on the city wall began to retreat.

They didn't flee in a panic, but fought and retreated simultaneously. However, to those outside the city, it appeared as if the city walls had been shattered by the elephant cavalry, and the defending troops were unable to withstand the pressure and were retreating into the city.

Before the Jiangnan garrison could react, they were grabbed by a veteran of the Wei family army.

"Walk!"

"Don't you dare stand there like a lunatic! The madam has given orders!"

Some people were really scared, their legs went weak, and they were dragged down the slope by their companions.

This actually makes it seem more real.

As Liu Jingshuang watched this scene, she felt extremely tense.

Feigning defeat is not the same as losing recklessly.

If the retreat is too orderly, Tuoba Ye may not fall for it; if the retreat is too chaotic, the southern barbarians may actually attack, and the front line will easily collapse.

This delicate balance rested entirely in Huo Qingluan's hands.

Can she control herself?

Liu Jingshuang looked at Huo Qingluan.

Huo Qingluan's eyes never left the battlefield. The command flag in her hand fell one by one, and each time someone retreated, leaving a small team behind to cut off the retreat.

It's stable, extremely stable.

Liu Jingshuang suddenly felt a sense of relief.

This woman is usually as taciturn as a stone, but on the battlefield, she can truly manipulate tens of thousands of people like chess pieces.

The moment Tuoba Ye saw the Jiangnan city wall collapse, he stood up from his horse.

broken!

It's really broken!

The Wei family army is nothing special!

What are Liu Jingshuang, Huo Qingluan, and the women of the Wei family? They all talk a big game, but when they encounter the Southern Barbarian elephant cavalry, they still have to retreat.

The frustration he felt when Wei Zhao chased him in Eagle's Beak Gorge was now like being slashed open, with scalding hot liquid gushing out.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Tuoba Ye burst into laughter.

He stared at the retreating Wei family army through the gap, his teeth grinding together.

He saw Liu Jingshuang's flag.

They also saw the Wei family's banner retreating into the city.

In his eyes, that wasn't bait.

That was the face of the Wei family being trampled under his feet.

Tuoba Yue seized his throne, Wei Zhao killed Batu, and the Wei family forced him to flee to the southern barbarians like a dog.

Let's start by collecting some interest on this debt in Jiangnan City today.

"Pour it on!"

Tuoba Ye roared.

"Kill one member of the Wei family army, and you will be rewarded with ten head of cattle and sheep!"

"Capture the women of the Wei family, and I'll personally bestow upon them the title of Ten Thousand Households!"

The southern barbarian soldiers couldn't understand all of the Western Qiang language, but they could understand the rewards.

Needless to say, the remnants of the Western Qiang tribe, their eyes gleaming, surged into the breach following behind the elephant cavalry.

Thirty thousand soldiers, as if whipped, rushed into Jiangnan City through the breach in the city wall.

The elephants were in front, and the infantry were behind.

The broken bricks were trampled into powder. The Wei family soldiers who had not retreated far from the gap fought and retreated, stabbing down several Nanman soldiers who rushed too fast with their spears, and then immediately retreating.

As Tuoba Ye watched them retreat, his excitement grew increasingly uncontrollable.

Keep retreating, keep retreating.

Once inside the city, the streets and alleys were too narrow, making it impossible to use the Wei family army's cavalry or set up the women's formations.

He'll go from street to street and kill his way through.

Liu Jingshuang, Huo Qingluan, and Su Qingyun.

There is also Wei Zhao.

If Wei Zhao doesn't come, he'll kill his woman first.

If Wei Zhao comes, that would be even better.

He wanted Wei Zhao to witness Jiangnan City turn into a sea of ​​fire.

In the distance, the barbarian king Tuwuhu stood on his chariot, holding a beast bone in his hand, his eyes fixed on the gap on the west side of Jiangnan City.

It was a bit of a surprise, but I didn't think much of it.

After all, since their invasion began, the elephant cavalry has been sweeping away all their opponents, advancing all the way from Jianmen Pass to Jiangnan City.

As Tuoba Ye led his army into the city, he wondered if it was a bit too easy.

From Jianmen Pass to Jiangnan, the elephant cavalry indeed advanced in a straight line. When the Wei defenders saw the war elephants, 70% of them were initially intimidated, and the remaining 30% could not hold out for long.

But Wei Jiajun is different.