At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

Hundreds of thousands of Yan troops surged forth outside the pass, their vanguard soldiers having long since lost all vigilance in the ecstasy of the city's fall.

In their view, after the collapse of the Duanyun Pass gate, the army's morale would inevitably collapse and they would flee in panic. At this moment, the area inside the pass must be a mess, devoid of any fighting power, with only remnants of soldiers waiting to be slaughtered.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the desolate and silent passageway of Duanyun Pass was not a scene of defeat and escape, but rather a deadly ambush that was about to unfold.

The passageway inside Duanyun Pass is narrow and deep, with high walls on both sides. The walls are interwoven with crenellations, hidden towers, and secret passages for hiding soldiers. The terrain is narrow and treacherous, making it a natural and deadly place for encirclement and killing.

Just now, Xiao Yunche decisively abandoned the gate and retreated. All the soldiers guarding the city did not retreat or flee. Instead, they all hid on the high walls on both sides, in the secret passages, and in the hidden bunkers. Everyone held their breath and focused their attention. They nocked their bows and drew their swords, staring intently at the open gap in the city gate, quietly waiting for their prey to fall into the trap.

Before the dust had even settled, countless Yan vanguard soldiers were already rushing into the pass.

They charged forward, brandishing sharp blades and roaring, each eager to claim credit and be the first to storm the pass, reap the rewards, and raze the enemy camp. They were completely oblivious to the pairs of cold, resolute eyes peering from the high walls on either side.

One wave, two waves, three waves...

A steady stream of Yan troops poured into the narrow passageway, which was instantly filled with a dense mass of people. The front and back were crowded together, and the vanguard was compressed into a small, desperate area. Their formations were piled up in a mess and they could not deploy at all.

As the number of people increased, all three thousand vanguard soldiers of the Yan army entered the pass and were completely trapped in the heart of the Duanyun Pass, completely cut off from the main army outside the pass by the city gate.

The time has come!

On the high wall, Xiao Yunche, who had been concealed and waiting for orders, suddenly sharpened his eyes, a chilling killing intent sweeping over him. He roared in a deep voice, "All troops, attack! Kill!"

One word falls, and eons of calamity begin!

In an instant, the two high walls that were once lifeless came to life!

Countless soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty suddenly appeared from the battlements, hidden towers, and secret passages, unleashing all their killing moves without the slightest hesitation!

shhhhhh!

A hail of crossbow bolts whistled through the air, densely packed and overwhelming, precisely covering the crowded and chaotic Yan army below.

At close range, the arrows unleashed their full power, piercing through armor and tearing flesh apart. Each arrow that fell left a trail of bloody carnage.

Boom boom boom!

Huge boulders and thick logs crashed down from the high wall, carrying immense weight as they slammed into the crowded throng.

The boulder hit the ground, blood and flesh splattered, and the sound of bones cracking was deafening. Several soldiers were instantly smashed into a bloody pulp. The scalding hot log swept across, crushing a group of soldiers in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, barrels of boiling, burning kerosene were poured down with a roar!

The crimson oil was poured onto the crowd, and it ignited upon contact with the wind. The raging fire instantly engulfed a large number of Yan soldiers.

"what!"

A series of heart-wrenching, desperate screams echoed throughout the passageway, one after another, tearing at the heart.

The excruciating pain of being burned by flames, the icy chill of being pierced by sharp blades, and the despair of being crushed by boulders instantly enveloped all the Yan soldiers trapped in the ambush.

What they thought would be an overwhelming charge turned into lambs to the slaughter in the blink of an eye.

The narrow passageway offered no way to move forward or backward, no way to dodge, with comrades constantly pouring in from the front, the city gate blocked behind, and deadly traps looming on both sides.

The completely crowded formation left them no room to parry or turn to escape; they could only endure the relentless slaughter.

Blood instantly stained the bluish-gray stone floor red, and the gushing blood flowed and gathered along the cracks in the stone, forming shallow blood pools.

Corpses were piled up everywhere, severed limbs were scattered all around, and the smell of burning flesh and the strong, pungent stench of blood mingled together, permeating the entire passageway inside the pass. The scene was gruesome and terrifying, a truly shocking sight.

In the short span of half an incense stick's time, the three thousand vanguard soldiers of the Yan army who rushed into the pass were completely wiped out in this unexpected ambush!

Not a single one survived!

Outside the city gates, the Yan army's follow-up troops, who were preparing for a major advance, suddenly froze as they watched the rapidly changing and tragic scene inside the pass and heard the layers of desperate screams.

The ecstasy on everyone's faces froze instantly, replaced by extreme horror and chill.

One second they were unstoppable and about to break through the barrier and win, the next second all three thousand vanguards fell and their corpses littered the ground!

Bulging smoke and dust, carrying a bloody killing intent, poured out of the city gate. The tragic scene was shocking and instilled fear in the Yan soldiers who were charging forward. No one dared to advance rashly. The surging tide of soldiers came to an abrupt halt at the city gate. Tens of thousands of troops stood still, and the scene was extremely stagnant.

News of the chaotic situation quickly reached the front lines.

A messenger captain, covered in blood and wearing tattered armor, rushed to Murong Di's horse, knelt heavily on one knee, his expression terrified, and his voice trembling urgently: "General! Something terrible has happened! Our army has fallen into a trap!"

"The Daqian garrison did not flee; they all hid within the high walls and strategic locations inside the pass, deliberately luring our vanguard into a trap!"

"The three thousand vanguard soldiers who had just charged into the pass were ambushed and annihilated, with not a single survivor!"

"The passageways inside the pass are littered with corpses, and the terrain is treacherous. Rushing in rashly will surely result in heavy losses!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding air instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Murong Di, who was standing on horseback, suddenly turned ashen-faced, his aura of violence surged, his eyes burned with rage, he gripped his spear tightly, his veins bulged, and his overwhelming anger almost burst out of his chest.

"Damn it! What a cunning and treacherous scheme by Xiao Yunche!"

He gritted his teeth and roared, his voice icy cold and filled with boundless rage.

He never expected that, with the city gates breached and the situation seemingly settled, Xiao Yunche would remain calm and deploy such a ruthless ambush, resulting in the loss of three thousand of his elite vanguard troops!

Gongsun Yu, standing beside him, spoke slowly with a solemn expression, his tone full of apprehension: "General, this is the most terrifying aspect of Xiao Yunche: his composure, patience, exceptional wisdom, and temperament far beyond that of ordinary people."

"Knowing full well that the city gates would inevitably fall and all natural defenses would be lost, he decisively abandoned the plan to defend the city gates to the death. He did not fight for short-term gains or losses, but deliberately showed weakness to lure the enemy. He used the narrow terrain of Duanyun Pass to set up a deadly trap, severely damaging the morale of our army. He planned every step meticulously and left no room for error."

Tian Cheng's expression was also grim, and he echoed in a deep voice, "If this man is not eliminated, our army will suffer heavy losses when we conquer Duanyun Pass!"

Murong Di's chest heaved violently, his anger surging. After a moment, the anger in his eyes turned into a chilling killing intent. His gaze was fixed on the blood-stained breach in the city gate ahead, and his voice was resolute and domineering.

"My army of over 100,000 is pressing in, with fierce generals like clouds and lions like rain, and the Nanzhao elephant army is also here to assist!"

"A mere passage through the pass and a few thousand remnant soldiers lying in ambush—they think they can stop my army's advance? Utterly delusional!"

"I'd like to see what makes Xiao Yunche think he can stop me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Murong Di raised his spear high and ordered in a stern voice, "Order the entire army! The siege echelon will launch a fierce assault with ladders, while the frontal assault team will advance with full force! Attack from both sides simultaneously!"

"A portion of the troops will scale the city walls and completely eliminate the defenders!"

"A portion of our forces will charge straight into the pass, crushing the remaining enemy! Today, we will raze Duanyun Pass to the ground, leaving not a single blade of grass behind!"

The stern military order fell with a thunderous roar, instantly spreading throughout the entire army!

The stagnant Yan army formation instantly erupted with overwhelming fighting spirit once again!

The siege echelon, which had been waiting in advance, immediately took action. Countless siege ladders were erected with a roar, densely packed on the outside of the Duanyun Pass city wall. Countless elite Yan soldiers, fearless of death, swiftly scaled the city wall using the siege ladders and charged with all their might!

The assault team regrouped, charging madly through the corpses and blood, roaring and howling as they charged toward the tunnel inside the pass!

Murong Di's two-pronged attack instantly tore apart Xiao Yunche's ambush plan!

The Daqian defenders focused all their firepower and attention on the Yan army charging inside the pass, and were solely focused on suppressing the enemy forces advancing from the front, leaving them no time to attend to the siege echelons climbing the city walls from the outside.

In no time at all, several thousand elite Yan soldiers had already stormed the ramparts of the city wall.

The ambush advantage from the high walls collapsed instantly!

The Daqian garrison, which originally held a commanding position and enjoyed a strategic advantage, was suddenly caught in a desperate situation, attacked from both sides.

On the top of the wall, Yan soldiers poured in one after another, and close combat suddenly broke out! The flashing of swords and the clanging of weapons filled the air as a fierce melee swept across the entire city wall.

With the high walls breached and the ambush rendered ineffective, the deadly threat within the narrow passageway was completely eliminated.

Undeterred, the endless stream of Yan troops from outside the pass surged into Duanyun Pass like a tidal wave, filling the entire passageway with densely packed soldiers and advancing deep into the pass along the main road.

Inside the pass, the 30,000-strong Daqian garrison, which had been waiting for orders, immediately met them. The two armies clashed violently, and a fierce, large-scale melee broke out!

The sounds of battle, the clash of weapons, and the screams of agony echoed throughout the Broken Cloud Pass, turning every inch of land into a battlefield.

Just as the main forces of the two armies were engaged in a fierce battle, a deafening roar of a giant beast resounded once again across the land beyond the Great Wall!

Aww...

Ten heavily armored Nanzhao war elephants, with heavy steps that shook the earth, thundered into Duanyun Pass!

The behemoths entered the pass, and were invincible!

Its massive, mountain-like body rolled over, kicking away all the bricks, stones, and corpses that blocked its path.

Each war elephant was like a mobile war fortress, charging wildly and unstoppable, forcefully entering the core battlefield of the battle between the two armies!

On the elephant's back, Mengshan, holding a long knife, looked down and gave orders in a stern voice.

The Nanzhao elephant cavalry, wielding heavy crossbows and swords, rampaged from their high vantage points, raining down arrows and sweeping blades. With each strike, they took the lives of several Daqian soldiers.

The war elephants charged wildly, their hard bodies impervious to all weapon attacks. The long swords and spears thrust out by the Daqian soldiers struck the heavy armor, but all their efforts were ineffective, failing to even budge the war elephants in the slightest.

With each rise and fall of the giant leg, countless soldiers who couldn't dodge in time were crushed to the ground, their flesh mangled and their lives extinguished on the spot.

The previously tense stalemate on the battlefield collapsed instantly with the arrival of the war elephants!

The Great Qian army's formation was smashed, torn apart, and scattered by one giant beast after another!

The once orderly battle formation was shattered and routed, with soldiers scattering and dodging, unable to regroup, and unable to organize any effective resistance.

Amidst the chaotic battlefield, Zhou Lin, covered in blood, rushed to Xiao Yunche's side, his expression anxious and grave. He cried out urgently, "Your Highness! The situation is hopeless! The Yan army has completely entered the pass, the city walls have fallen, and the ten war elephants are unstoppable. Our army's formation has completely collapsed! What should we do now?"

Xiao Yunche stood amidst the chaos of the army, his silver armor stained with blood, his posture upright. Even though he was surrounded by enemies and trapped in a desperate situation, there was no fear in his eyes, only a fierce killing intent and a resolute determination to defend to the death.

He coldly surveyed the rampaging war elephants, the charging Yan army, and the retreating soldiers of his own side, and spoke in a chilling, deep voice: "There is no other way to deal with it but to fight to the death!"

"Though Duanyun Pass has fallen, Pingzhou still stands! Behind us lie the people of Pingzhou and the vast territory of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

"Even if it costs us every last soldier and every drop of blood, we must hold back the Yan army's advance, never allowing them to step out of Duanyun Pass, never letting their forces reach Pingzhou!"

"Soldiers, follow me! Gather your forces, hold your formation, and fight to the death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yunche gripped his longsword and charged into the enemy ranks!

The sharp sword light crisscrossed, and with each swing, a Yan soldier would perish.

He led from the front, fighting bloody battles and using his own body as a weapon to stabilize the crumbling morale of the army.

Seeing their commander charge forward fearlessly against the odds, the remaining soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty were instantly rekindled with fighting spirit. They roared and drew their swords, following Xiao Yunche in another counterattack. On the chaotic battlefield within the pass, they launched the most brutal and desperate battle.

……

Outside the pass, Murong Di had already ridden his horse into the pass, his black warhorse trampling over blood and corpses, standing in the center of the battlefield.

His gaze swept past the raging tide of soldiers, fixed on the official road deep within the pass leading to Pingzhou. His eyes blazed with ambition and fierce battle intent. Raising his longsword, he roared, "Yan soldiers, heed my command! Slaughter with all your might! Wipe out the remaining enemy!"

"Crush Duanyun Pass, seize Pingzhou City! Take control of the three realms of Daqian in one battle!"

With their commander personally leading the charge, morale soared once again!

Countless Yan soldiers launched a fierce counterattack, their killings becoming increasingly ruthless and brutal. They advanced step by step, crushing the enemy layer by layer, constantly shrinking the living space of the Daqian defenders.

At the heart of the battlefield, the ten Nanzhao war elephants remained unstoppable, wreaking havoc across the entire field and becoming the greatest weapon to crush the defending army.

Countless soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty charged forward desperately, trying to stop the rampaging behemoth, but all their attacks were like ants trying to shake a tree, futile and ineffective.

Amid the chaos, soldiers roared and cried out urgently:

"Everyone concentrate fire! Do not attack the war elephants' bodies! Focus on the enemy soldiers on their backs!"

"As long as we kill the soldiers commanding the elephants and the Nanzhao general, the war elephants will be left uncontrolled and will naturally collapse without a fight!"

His words were a wake-up call for everyone!

The surviving archers immediately turned their arrows around, abandoning the massive elephants and aiming them all at the Nanzhao elephant soldiers and generals standing dozens of feet in the air atop the battle tower.

A hail of arrows soared into the sky, all hurtling toward the elephant's back!

The expected results did not materialize.

War elephants are enormous and move constantly, shifting and turning on the battlefield, their movements unsteady.

The towering battle tower on the elephant's back was suspended high in the air, extremely far from the ground. Coupled with the constant movement of the war elephants, the chaotic surrounding troops, and the constant interference of arrows and stones, it was impossible for the ground soldiers to accurately lock onto their targets with their arrows.

The vast majority of arrows missed their mark, and the few that managed to get close to the battle tower were precisely blocked and cleaved in two by the Nanzhao elephant soldiers.

Not only were they unable to harm the enemy in the slightest, but the soldiers who exposed themselves were all instantly killed by the heavy crossbows mounted on the elephant's back, lying in pools of blood.

The war elephants continued their rampage, and the elephant cavalry continued their wanton slaughter!

The counterattack by the Daqian defenders was completely futile!

Their formation collapsed, they suffered heavy casualties, and they were helpless!

The entire battlefield was completely dominated by war elephants!

Amidst the chaos of battle, Xiao Yunche, fighting a bloody war, witnessed it all.

He watched as his soldiers fought desperately to the death, only to be killed repeatedly. He watched as the indestructible war elephants crushed the enemy formations at will. He watched as the Nanzhao generals stood atop the tallest war elephant, calmly directing and rampaging through the enemy. The murderous intent and rage in his heart reached their peak.

Ordinary fighting and layers of obstruction are now meaningless.

The key to this battle was not the tens of thousands of Yan soldiers, but the Nanzhao war elephants and the elephant general who was in charge of the central army and controlled the overall situation!

To catch the thief, first catch the king!

Once the leader is killed, the elephants will be leaderless and in chaos. This unstoppable weapon of destruction will surely crumble on its own!

The thought formed in the blink of an eye, and Xiao Yunche's eyes suddenly narrowed, a resolute glint flashing in them.

He looked up and locked his gaze on the most imposing war elephant at the forefront of the battlefield, clad in heavy, gilded armor, and on the composed yet sharp figure atop its back.

Xiao Yunche no longer hesitated, turned his horse around, sheathed his long sword, and suddenly squeezed his legs tightly around the horse's belly!

With a long neigh, the warhorse beneath him suddenly accelerated, breaking through the layers of fighting soldiers and charging headlong into the invincible and rampaging war elephant ahead, braving the rain of swords and arrows!