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

They destroyed the Northern Rong, they pacified the Western Qiang, and that white-clad killing god named Wei Zhao even drove Tuoba Ye, a steppe wolf, to flee to the Southern Barbarians for survival.

Would such a loyal army retreat so easily?

The tiger gripped the animal bone, its fingers slowly tightening.

A barbarian general standing nearby couldn't help but speak up.

"Your Majesty, Tuoba Ye has gone in!"

Another barbarian's eyes lit up.

"Jiangnan City has plenty of grain, silver, and women! If we don't go in soon, the Western Qiang people will plunder it all!"

Upon hearing this, Tuwuhu's expression changed.

Without hesitation, he decisively ordered the entire army to advance!

This is Jiangnan City, after all.

One of the richest places in the Great Wei Dynasty.

He will definitely enter the city as soon as possible and plunder it.

We can't let Tuoba Ye get all the benefits!

When Wei Zhao put the telescope down from his eyes, he tapped the lens barrel with his finger.

The city wall on the west side of Jiangnan City has been breached.

The defending troops are retreating.

The Wei banner was also shrinking into the city.

The guards' expressions changed instantly.

"Young Marshal, is Jiangnan City... beyond our defense?"

Wei Zhao did not answer immediately.

He rode behind a low slope, with 100,000 cavalrymen in full armor ready to go behind him. The first 10,000 men had already changed into rattan armor, with dark green plates pressing down on their bodies, completely different from the iron armor that the Wei family army was used to.

Ten ballistae were covered with black cloth, their wheels stuck in the mud, and the craftsmen beside them were holding the ropes down tightly.

The shouts of battle from Jiangnan City came like a tidal wave.

Tuoba Ye rushed in.

The southern barbarian elephant cavalry also charged in.

It appears that the city has fallen.

But Wei Zhao's lips twitched slightly.

"wrong."

The guards were stunned.

Wei Zhao raised the telescope again and stared at the city wall for a few moments.

The retreat was too cautious; a true rout doesn't look like this.

A true rout is when flags fall, men scatter, and military orders are broken; those in front trample those behind, and those behind push those in front, with no one knowing where to run.

But the Wei family army in Jiangnan City is different.

The front ranks retreated, the rear ranks took over, the archers retreated to the second street, the shield soldiers pressed at the back, and people were left on both sides of the gap to slow down the Nanman.

It's chaotic, but the chaos has a certain order; the technique is too skillful.

It's Huo Qingluan.

Wei Zhao's heart, which had been taut for so long, relaxed a little, but then tightened even more.

Good guy.

They are using Jiangnan City as bait and the 200,000-strong Wei family army as hooks to lure out the more than 400,000 main force of the Tuwu Tiger.

They're incredibly bold, and truly ruthless.

"Young Marshal?"

The guards are still waiting for orders.

Wei Zhao handed the telescope back, his eyes fixed on the main camp of the Southern Barbarians.

"Order the entire army to prepare."

The guard's eyes lit up.

"Should we fight now?"

"No."

Wei Zhao shook his head.

"Wait a little longer."

If we attack now, we can only catch Tuoba Ye by the tail.

Although Tuoba Ye's 30,000 soldiers and Yongzhen's troops deserved to die, they were not the biggest threat. The real danger lay with Tuoba Ye's main force.

With Jianmen Pass breached and Jiangnan besieged, the Southern Barbarians' rampage of burning, killing, and looting relied on the fear instilled by their elephant cavalry and poison soldiers.

Simply repelling them in this battle is useless.

The southern barbarians will come again.

The Donghu and Xianyuan would also watch the Great Wei bleed, and then pounce on it to take a bite.

Therefore, we can't just hit the nerves; we have to hit them in a fearful way.

Ideally, we should defeat the southern barbarians so that they dare not look north for a hundred years, and defeat them so that they would detour whenever they hear the word "Wei".

Wei Zhao's fingers touched the white wax spear.

The murderous intent in his heart gradually subsided, becoming very stable.

It can't be rushed.

Not all the prey are in the cage yet.

In the distance, the main force of the Southern Barbarians finally moved.

First, several squads of messenger cavalry charged out from the central army, raising the animal banners one after another. Then, a large number of infantrymen began to form ranks, and the remaining giant elephants of the elephant corps were driven towards Jiangnan City.

Wei Zhao narrowed his eyes.

The total strength of the Southern Barbarians this time was 430,000.

He didn't suffer many losses while fighting his way through Jianmen Pass, but he wiped out 7,000 men from Mo Family Fortress.

Tuoba Ye led his 30,000 troops and one Yongzhen soldier into the city first, while Tuwu Hu outside the city still had about 380,000 troops left.

380,000.

This number is alarming.

But once the army moves, it's no longer just a number.

The vanguard entered the city, the central army was congested, and the rearguard was still moving outside the camp. The elephant soldiers were sandwiched among the infantry, and the poison soldiers were pushing forward with the clay pot carts.

The line stretched out, and the tail of the line started to show.

This was the moment Wei Zhao had been waiting for.

"The ballista is cocked."

His voice wasn't loud.

The craftsmen behind him immediately sprang into action.

The winch creaked and turned, the thick crossbow string tightened little by little, and the iron spear-like crossbow bolt was pushed into the slot.

The sound wasn't loud, but it made the cavalrymen beside him ache with rage.

Shang Wanqing was also next to the crossbow cart.

She hadn't wiped the soot off her face, her sleeves were rolled up, and her eyes were fixed on the copper ruler of the first ballista.

"Don't rush to shoot."

She didn't even look up.

"Wait until the elephant herd turns and their sides are exposed before shooting. Their frontal armor is thick, while their lateral heads and behind their eyes are soft."

Wei Zhao glanced at her.

At this moment, Shang Wanqing was even calmer than him.

Or rather, she won't act rashly as long as it involves weapons.

"I'll listen to Fifth Madam."

Wei Zhao raised his hand.

"All ballistae must not be placed haphazardly. Each ballista is equivalent to one elephant. Anyone who misses will be punished with a beating."

Several veteran crossbowmen grinned.

"Don't worry, young marshal, you can hit such a big beast even with your eyes closed."

Shang Wanqing looked over coldly.

"You can't hit the target with your eyes closed."

The old soldier's smile froze.

Wei Zhao almost choked on his laughter at her words.

Shang Wanqing is truly capable of seriously undermining things at a time like this.

The smile only lingered on his lips for a moment before he quickly suppressed it.

Because the main force of the Turkic Tigers had already begun to flood into the city.

The gap on the west side of Jiangnan City looked like a torn mouth, and the southern barbarian soldiers poured in like a tide.

Tuoba Ye had already rushed into the outer city streets, and the main force of the barbarian king followed suit.

Very good, go in, go in a little further.

Come in, then we can close the door and beat the dog.

……

Inside Jiangnan City, Tuoba Ye slashed down a Wei family soldier who was covering the rear with a single blow. Before the smile on his face could fade, he heard a gong sound from the street ahead.

"clang!"

The sound was crisp, but not loud.

But it made the skin on the back of his neck tighten instantly.

The doors of houses on both sides of the street, which were originally closed, suddenly opened.

They are not ordinary people, but the army that protects the family.

Rows of spears burst out from behind the door, and before the Nanman soldiers at the front could react, their chests were riddled with holes.

On the rooftop, the archer stood up.

Arrows rained down from both sides, not at the giant elephant, but specifically at the elephant charioteers on its back and the archers on the wooden platform.

A scream suddenly erupted.

A giant elephant, out of the control of its charioteer, swung its trunk wildly, sending two barbarian soldiers flying. The foot soldiers behind it were pushed and fell, only to be trampled into the mud by the elephant's legs.

Tuoba Ye's smile froze.

This is not a defeat.

This is an ambush.

He yanked the reins hard, and the gray-maned warhorse reared up, nearly throwing him off.

"Stop right now!"

The sounds were mostly drowned out by the shouts of battle.

The southern barbarian soldiers behind were still pushing in, while the elephant cavalry in front wanted to retreat but couldn't. Thirty thousand remnants of the Western Qiang were caught in the middle, cut into sections by the streets and alleys.

They fell for the trap.

He instantly understood the Wei family army's plan, but it was too late to turn back and shout for the barbarian king not to enter the city.

Because the barbarian army had already stormed into the city and was right behind him!