I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

"Young master, something's not right! Don't rush in so recklessly; it would be best to send a small team to probe first!"

"Good, it looks like there's an ambush on the other side!"

During the charge, the two Ironclad Warriors who had been protecting Murong Lie on either side couldn't help but speak up to remind him.

They were not ordinary Ironclad Pagoda soldiers, but rather the Regent's personal guards sent to protect Murong Lie, all of whom were peak eighth-rank experts!

With the close protection of two peak eighth-rank experts, Murong Lie, who had made numerous mistakes on the battlefield, was able to escape unscathed and turn danger into safety!

This time was no different; they clearly sensed that the other side had laid an ambush and wanted Murong Lie to be careful.

But Murong Lie wouldn't listen. In his eyes, the motionless vanguard of the Great Zhou was nothing more than a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

With just one charge, the enemy would be trampled into mincemeat.

As long as we win this battle, when people mention Murong Lie, they won't immediately think of his father, the Regent!

His name, Murong Lie, will resound throughout Northern Mang, and even the entire world!

"Pass on my order: all troops, charge!"

"Whoever beheads the enemy general will be personally given three women by this general."

"Roar roar roar!"

Upon hearing this, the five thousand Ironclad Cavalry charged even more fiercely.

In fact, even if there were ambushes on the other side, they were not afraid.

There are no traps that can stop the Iron Pagoda!

But just as the excited shouts faded, an unexpected turn of events occurred!

Without warning, the first row of ironclad cavalry, along with their riders and horses, suddenly crashed headfirst to the ground.

Due to the excessive speed and inertia, the man was thrown out, suffering broken arms and legs. The warhorse fared no better, its neck snapped.

In an instant, the battlefield was filled with the sounds of men and horses falling and screams echoing everywhere.

"What happened?"

Upon witnessing this scene, all the Northern Mang soldiers on the Qingling Pass city wall leaned out, widened their eyes, and strained to see, their shock tinged with disbelief.

Why would the Iron Pagoda fall off its horse for no reason on perfectly flat ground?

Just as they were raising their questions, several more Ironclad Cavalry soldiers fell off their horses.

Some horses didn't die immediately and tried to stand up again, but they limped and couldn't stand steadily at all, as if their hooves had been pierced by something.

"What exactly happened?"

Everyone was asking what happened; they wanted an answer.

The Iron Pagoda has never experienced anything like this before. If this continues, by the time the five thousand Iron Pagoda soldiers reach the enemy, they will have lost at least one-third of their strength!

No one knew the answer; only Zhou Biao and his group were secretly suppressing their laughter and feeling uncomfortable.

What else could it be? Of course, it's because when they came over, they lined up and scattered barbed wire along the way.

Even the hardest horseshoe can be pierced by barbed wire.

The Empress noticed their unusual behavior and looked at Qin Li, "What, Your Highness, aren't you going to give me an explanation?"

Qin Li's gaze remained fixed on the battlefield outside the city. Although the iron caltrops were formidable, most of the Ironclad Cavalry still charged forward.

The barbed wire can only serve this purpose; now it's up to the vanguard soldiers to do the job.

"An explanation? What explanation does Your Majesty require?"

Qin Li feigned ignorance, saying, "The area outside the city has been under your surveillance the whole time. It's impossible for our army to have set up a trap in advance."

Changing the subject, Qin Li added, "The strategist is so clever, he must know what's going on. Strategist, why don't you explain it to His Majesty?"

Seeing that Qin Li had thrown the question directly at him, Zhuge Yu even considered killing Qin Li.

He was a strategist, not a celestial master. He couldn't predict the future, and he didn't know anything about it.

But the Empress's gaze had already turned towards him, so Zhuge Yu had no choice but to explain.

He stammered, "Y-maybe... There were several heavy snowfalls a few days ago, and then the sun came out these past few days. The snow melted, and it's too slippery!"

Too slippery?

The Empress clearly did not believe it.

Even on ice, the Iron Pagoda has never experienced this situation, so how could it be possible on flat ground?

Moreover, according to her observation, the Iron Pagoda only suddenly collapsed in a specific area.

This wouldn't have happened before or after this area; the area had clearly been tampered with by the Great Zhou people.

But when did they start this? The Empress couldn't figure it out.

Outside the city, the army was constantly monitoring them. Even if the Zhou people took action under the cover of night, the army would discover it.

The only possibility...

The empress narrowed her eyes, realizing what she had just thought of.

It was Qin Li who did the dirty work on the way here with his men.

The Empress was puzzled when Qin Li appeared from afar before even entering the city.

Qin Li didn't bring many people, so why did they walk in a single file?

Looking back now, that's when I started doing it.

But no one knows what caused the Ironclad Cavalry to collapse.

nail?

impossible!

The nail couldn't stand up at all, let alone pierce the horse's hoof.

Moreover, Qin Li and the others did not dismount and drive the nails into the ground.

Seeing that the Empress couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried, Qin Li's lips curled up slightly.

He took a caltrop from his sleeve and placed it in front of the Empress.

This thing needs to be shown to others eventually.

Either he takes it out now, or it's picked up by the Northern Mang soldiers after the battlefield is cleaned up and presented to the Empress.

Barbed caltrops cannot be hidden.

It would be better if Qin Li took the initiative to bring it out and let these unsophisticated people broaden their horizons.

Sure enough, after the caltrops were taken out, not only the Empress looked at them, but also the nearby generals.

They couldn't understand how such a small thing could cause so many cavalry units to fall.

Soon, the Empress discovered the secret of the barbed wire.

She stretched out one hand and placed the caltrop on her snow-white palm. No matter how she placed it, one of the caltrops always faced upwards, while the other three supported it.

"I see!"

"Who did this?"

"How could their intentions be so malicious!"

The Empress asked.

Without a second thought, Qin Li blurted out, "My seventh brother, Qin Feng, the seventh prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

The Empress silently remembered the name. Although Qin Feng had malicious intentions, she had to admit that the appearance of the iron caltrops was a major nemesis of the Iron Pagoda. It was not only a nemesis of the Iron Pagoda, but also a nemesis of all cavalry and even infantry. A human foot is not as hard as a horse's shoe. Stepping on it would completely cripple the enemy.

Qin Feng was a man from the Great Zhou Dynasty, and from then on, he was added to her kill list.

"Oh, so many Ironclad Cavalry have charged forward?"

"The Ironclad Cavalry's combat strength truly lives up to its reputation as the strongest in the world!"

Hearing Qin Li's flattery, everyone's gaze was no longer fixed on a small iron caltrop, but turned to the battlefield in the distance outside the city.

On the battlefield, a large number of Ironclad Cavalry soldiers had fallen, at least a thousand, but many still managed to charge forward.

In the blink of an eye, they had already rushed to the front of the Great Zhou Vanguard Camp. The leading riders did not slow down at all and charged straight in.

Instantly, the vanguard soldiers standing at the very front, carrying shields, were sent flying, shields and all...