Isolated town in northern border region

Xiao Lie's gaze fell on that mountain range.

"Xiao Xiong, can your warhorse pull cannons up the mountain?"

Xiao Xiong paused for a moment, then nodded.

"The newly bred warhorses have enough stamina; they can easily pull a few cannons up the mountain."

"But the mountain road is difficult to travel, it will probably take quite a while."

Xiao Lie looked up at the sky.

"Scout the way during the day, and take action at night."

He spread out a map and began to arrange his troops.

Xiao Xiong and Luo Daniu exchanged a glance and quickly said something.

"Your Highness! Isn't this too hasty?"

"Although we spent most of our journey by train, we were exhausted."

"To launch a direct attack on a heavily fortified city with an exhausted army is a cardinal sin in military strategy!"

Xiao Lie didn't even raise his head.

"Yuan Jia was an excellent defender of the city. He was mature and conservative in his methods. The longer the time dragged on, the more prepared he became."

"Jingzhou City is surrounded by plains on the east, south, and north sides. The south side has already been occupied by troops. Although the east and west sides are suitable for cavalry charges, Yuan Jia will never leave the city to fight our army in the field."

"The only way is to the west..."

"You all know this is a cardinal sin in military strategy, how could Yuanjia not know it?"

"But it's precisely because he knows that this is our only chance!"

Xiao Lie looked up at the hillside to the west.

"Xiao Xiong! Take the cannons by horse and ride them up the mountain tonight, then set them up on the western hillside!"

"Once the city gates open, immediately lead the Azure Wolf Cavalry to charge in!"

"Luo Daniu! As soon as the artillery fire starts, seize the west gate under cover of fire!"

"I led my army to create a feint on the east and north sides to lull Yuanjia into a false sense of security."

That afternoon, Xiao Lie ordered camps to be set up on the east and north sides, and to prepare meals.

As the smoke rose from the chimneys, Yuan Jia was inspecting the city walls of Jingzhou.

He was in his early fifties, with a slightly dark complexion and wrinkles etched with the marks of time and battlefield experience.

He stood on the city wall, gazing at the rising smoke in the distance, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Everyone says Xiao Lie is a skilled warrior, but in my opinion, he's nothing special."

He stroked his beard, his tone carrying a hint of the nonchalance typical of a seasoned veteran.

"What good are large numbers of cavalry if they are stationed on a plain with no natural defenses on any side?"

"I won't leave the city; what can he do to me?"

The deputy general next to him came over.

"General, the Chu state has many cavalry, and the southeast and north sides are flat plains, which are perfect for cavalry charges."

"Would they consider a direct assault?"

Yuan Jia waved his hand.

"A direct assault? My boulders and logs are more than enough!"

"Besides... he just arrived, his troops are exhausted and need to rest."

He turned and walked down the city wall.

"Pass down the order: send more sentries tonight, and the rest of you get some rest."

The deputy general clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"promise."

Yuan Jia's figure disappeared around the corner of the city gate, and the sound of footsteps gradually faded away on the city wall.

As the sun sets, smoke rises from the chimneys of Jingzhou city.

Xiao Lie stood in front of the eastern tent, holding a corner of the map in his hand.

Xiao Xiong had already led the cannons and warhorses up to the western mountainside, where ropes and logs were being used to secure the cannons.

Luo Daniu led his elite troops to lie in ambush in the bushes outside the West Gate, their bodies covered in grass and mud, like a pack of cheetahs lurking in the cracks of rocks.

Xiao Lie looked up at the sky.

Dusk was slowly creeping over the city wall, turning the gray wall a dark red.

He put down the map and drew the Taiping sword from his waist.

"It's about time!"

"You old scoundrel, I've come to claim your life!"

On the western hillside, the first cannon roared with a thunderous boom.

When the flames exploded on the mountainside, the entire west gate of Jingzhou City felt as if it had been slammed into the face by a giant iron fist!

Bricks and stones on the city wall cracked, wood chips flew, and fragments mixed with dust scattered everywhere.

Then came the second, third, and fourth sounds, like a series of drumbeats falling in sequence, each one landing precisely at different points on the west gate.

With the cannons positioned high above, shells flew over the city walls and slammed into the defenders!

The Chen Kingdom's sentries on the city wall were in chaos amidst the firelight. Some shouted "Enemy attack!", some covered their ears and rolled down the city wall, and some, unaware of what was happening, simply waved their weapons in the air.

They had never heard such a sound, never seen such a weapon, and never imagined that the city walls would crack in such a roar.

The west gate began to tilt after the fourth round of shelling.

The mortise and tenon joints of the door frame had loosened, and most of the sheet metal on the door panel had been blown off.

Luo Daniu stood up from the bushes, wiped the mud off his face, drew his sword, and pointed it at the tilting city gate.

"Trapped Camp! Kill!"

Three thousand soldiers surged out of the bushes like a silent torrent, pressing towards the crumbling city gate in the firelight.

Their footsteps were not accompanied by shouts of battle, but only the dense sound of iron boots treading on gravel.

To the east, Xiao Lie heard the first cannon shot coming from the west.

He immediately mounted his horse, his Taiping sword pointing south.

"All infantry, advance simultaneously from the southeast."

The army began to advance, treading on the blood-red sunset like vengeful demons.

Xiao Lie's horse hooves pounded the scorched earth, and all he could hear was the sound of the wind and the distant roar of cannons.

On the mountainside in the southwest, Xiao Xiong stood beside a cannon, looking at the city gate opening at the foot of the mountain, a smile appearing on his lips.

"That idiot Luo Daniu is surprisingly quick."

He turned to the gunner and said.

"Bombard the city gate!"

The gunner adjusted the angle, and another shell whistled out, landing on the city gate, sending up dust and gravel.

Then, Xiao Xiong ran down the hillside, led a warhorse out of the woods at the foot of the mountain, pointed his scimitar forward, and five thousand Canglang riders leaped out on horseback!

In Jingzhou City, Yuan Jia was eating when he was startled by the sound of cannons.

He leaped up, grabbed his armor, hurriedly put it on, and rushed out the door. By then, flames were already shooting into the sky from the direction of the west gate.

The lieutenant stumbled over.

"General! The Chu Kingdom has attacked the city!"

"West! Something's firing from the west! It's not a catapult! The sound is louder than thunder, the city gates are about to collapse!"

Yuan Jia didn't speak, but turned and walked quickly towards the west gate tower.

He took a few steps and then stopped, turning his head to look to the east and north.

Footsteps are approaching!

He gripped the knife handle tightly.

"Xiao Lie! You're really something!"

The artillery fire outside the city did not stop, and the Trapped Camp had already rushed into the breach in the west gate, driving into the city's defenses like a wedge.

The infantry from the east and south were rapidly approaching, their torchlight merging together and tearing gaps in the shadows of the city walls.

Xiao Lie rode his horse at the forefront, passing through the firelight and smoke. As his horse's hooves pounded on the ruins of the city gate torn apart by cannon fire, he saw the blades of the Trapped Camp rapidly spreading across the city streets through the western breach, like a blade tearing through silk.

The sound of the hooves of the Grey Wolf Riders poured into the gaps in the city gate from the side, and the two forces merged in the firelight.

"Soldiers! Charge!"