If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

Horse hooves flew, and snowflakes fell like mist.

Three hundred barbarian cavalrymen, clad in wolf-hide armor, broke away from the main battlefield of Eagle Beak Gully under the stern command of a centurion with a scarred face. Like a black-gray whirlwind, they followed the edge of the low-lying, gentle wasteland and headed straight for the shallow riverbed southeast of Broken River Fortress.

To these elite barbarian cavalrymen who had roamed the northern frontier for years, the Han army, though formidable with its heavy lamellar armor and long spears, could be completely disintegrated from within if the cavalry managed to tear a hole in their flank.

More importantly, the flat mudflats southeast of Duanhebao had been dry and level mud and sand for decades, and even with a thin layer of snow, they were wide enough for galloping horses to pass through without any hindrance.

"Charge! Chop all those traitors who are repairing the irrigation canals to pieces!"

The centurion of the Canglang tribe raised his heavy steel scimitar, his eyes flashing with bloodlust, and let out a sharp, piercing wolf howl.

Three hundred cavalrymen roared forward, billowing dust that rose into the sky like white waves. Their iron hooves trampled the frozen earth, and with unstoppable force, they plunged headlong into the flat riverbed, which was dozens of feet wide!

However, the centurion at the forefront did not notice that this seemingly ordinary riverbed was no longer the abandoned and dried-up old riverbed it once was.

A few days ago, Zhao Lihua led more than two thousand young and strong refugees to dredge and clear silt from this mudflat. Bai Zhi, relying on the system's city defense map, thoroughly renovated the wooden and stone sluice gate upstream. The hardened old mud that had accumulated at the bottom of the river for decades was all turned up layer by layer, and the surface soil was loosened like fermented dough, ready to be used to irrigate the three thousand mu of military farmland reclaimed along the river.

At this moment, this fertile land that should have been nourishing crops has been transformed into a swampy trap for prey amidst the swirling snow.

Two miles upstream from the shallows, behind a hidden and sturdy bluestone embankment.

Clad in iron armor, Liang Shun lay prone behind the windbreak, his rough, calloused hands firmly gripping the handle of the cast-iron winch. Behind him, thirty strong soldiers held their breath, each gripping a crowbar and iron chain, their eyes piercing through the howling wind and snow, their gazes fixed on the barbarian cavalry rushing into the riverbed below.

Five hundred steps... three hundred steps... one hundred steps!

As most of the three hundred Canglang cavalrymen surged into the narrow area in the middle of the riverbed, a cold glint appeared in Liang Shun's eyes, and he pressed his right arm down heavily:

"Open the floodgates!"

"Raise the rope—!"

Thirty soldiers strained in unison, and the cast iron winch emitted a dull, heavy creak of bearing friction. The two heavy-duty, concealed gates, made of iron-clad timber as thick as a man's embrace, were raised in response!

"Splash—!"

The icy torrents that had accumulated for half a winter in the upper reaches of the Broken River, mixed with broken ice and foam that rolled down from upstream, rushed down the water diversion canal that was dug more than ten feet deep, like a white dragon awakening, pouring into the river beach along the gentle slope!

The water did not form towering waves, but in just a few breaths, it quickly soaked the entire loosened and plowed riverbed sandy land along the intricate branches and gullies of the dry canal.

The dozens of barbarian cavalrymen at the forefront, relying on their astonishing speed, trampled the floating ice with their forehooves and used the remaining momentum to cross the main channel of the dry canal and reach the edge of the opposite bank.

However, the two hundred or so riders following behind were not so lucky.

Hundreds of warhorses, each weighing over a thousand pounds, repeatedly trampled the same soaked mud as they galloped at high speed. The surface frozen soil, originally frozen by the low temperature, collapsed and crumbled under the scouring of the torrent and the violent trampling. The water quickly merged with the black mud that had been turned up, turning into a deep, sticky, and heavy pool of mud several feet deep!

"Pfft! Snap!"

A tall, sturdy blue horse charging into the middle of the formation had its front hooves deeply embedded in the mud. The momentum of its high-speed gallop caused its hind hooves to suddenly lurch forward, accompanied by a teeth-grinding cracking sound as its front leg snapped!

The warhorse neighed and fell to the ground, throwing the barbarian knight on its back violently off and onto the muddy ground.

Then came the second, the fifth, and the tenth horse!

"Hiss—!"

The mournful, terrified neighing of warhorses echoed across the riverbank.

The once orderly and fierce charging formation was completely shattered in the mud. The horses in the front rank were stuck, and the cavalrymen behind could not stop their momentum in the narrow river channel, crashing into the rump of their comrades. The spinning hooves thrashed wildly in the mud, but sank deeper and deeper, the icy mud and water reaching above the horses' knees and even up to their chests and bellies!

"Trap! Ambush! Retreat! Turn your horses around and retreat immediately!"

The commander of the Canglang tribe was terrified and desperately pulled on the reins, trying to pull his horse out of the mud.

In this deep pit of mud that had been turned over and prepared by human hands several times, once a warhorse lost its momentum, it was no different from a lamb to the slaughter.

Just as the three hundred barbarian cavalrymen were in dire straits, their horses and men stumbling and unable to advance or retreat—

Behind the seemingly empty, gentle snow slope on the west side of the shallows, the heavy, muffled sound of iron wheels crushing the ground suddenly came!

"Form ranks! Encircle them!"

Guo Shan's rough, deep roar exploded like thunder through the wind and snow.

Dozens of sturdy supply wagons, linked end to end by iron chains and covered with raw cowhide and iron shields, were pushed by dozens of heavy infantrymen and strong mules. Like a steel mobile city wall rising from the ground, they steadily and ruthlessly cut across the western flank, firmly blocking all retreat routes from the shallows to the dry plains!

Behind the wagon formation, fifty Iron Gate Fortress garrison soldiers and thirty volunteer crossbowmen from the caravan quickly took their positions.

Guo Shan, wielding a broad-bladed heavy sword, stood atop the central cart, his cold gaze sweeping down upon the struggling barbarian soldiers in the mud. His heavy sword slashed diagonally down.

"Release the arrows!"

"Boom boom boom boom boom—!"

The powerful crossbow strings vibrated resoundingly, creating an impenetrable barrier.

A dense barrage of armor-piercing short arrows poured down from the firing ports of the chariot formation, turning into a deadly rain of arrows that pierced through and impaled the barbarian riders who were stuck in the mud!

This was the first time Guo Shan had led a separate team to conduct a tactical blockade, and he showed no panic whatsoever, displaying the composure and experience of a seasoned general. With the chariot formation in place, the shallows became a trap. This flanking force, originally intended to launch a surprise attack on the flank, was trapped the moment it stepped onto the riverbed.

Meanwhile, on the city wall of Duanhebao, less than two miles away from the shallows, another, even more deadly, point-and-click attack was unfolding.

At the top of the highest arrow tower of the city wall, the cold wind was biting and piercing.

Bai Zhi, dressed in a smart leather armor with fitted sleeves, held a fine bronze wrench in her hand and knelt on one knee beside three heavy ballistae made entirely of cast iron and fixed to a bluestone base.

These three ballistae were defensive heavy weapons modified by Bai Zhi based on the system's basic city defense blueprints. The bow arms were made of eight layers of high-quality mulberry wood and elastic steel sheets stacked and pressed together. The winch required two strong men to turn it together, and the range could reach an astonishing 400 paces!

Three heavy armor-piercing arrows, each five feet long, forged entirely from fine steel and fletched with iron feathers, were already quietly embedded in the grooves.

Bai Zhi narrowed her eyes slightly. Her clear eyes held no murderous rage, only the calm and focus unique to a top craftsman.

Instead of aiming those three incredibly powerful weapons at the ordinary cavalrymen in the mud, she traversed hundreds of paces of open space through the wind and snow to precisely lock onto the dark blue wolf-head banner in the center of the Canglang tribe, which was attempting to regroup and was fluttering wildly in the wind!

"I do not seek to kill the enemy."

Bai Zhi's clear voice was exceptionally calm in the wind as she gave the order to the winch operator beside her:

"Specially designed to bombard flags!"

"Crossbow number one, half an inch to the left, wind-controlled position!"

"put!"

"collapse--!!"

The heavy bowstring emitted a deep, resounding thud.

The first five-foot-long steel arrow transformed into a black line tearing through the wind and snow, ripping through the sky with a piercing shriek. In an instant, it swept across more than three hundred paces of void, accurately piercing the chests of the two guards in front of the Canglang tribe's banner. With its remaining force, it slammed into the bluestone at the foot of the flagpole, scattering a large amount of gravel!

The battle flag suddenly swayed.

"Crossbow No. 2, raise the elevation angle by half a point, and calibrate!"

Bai Zhi quickly adjusted the gear in the slot with the copper wrench in her hand, and waved her hand again expressionlessly.

"put!"

The second giant arrow roared out!

"Snap!"

The incredibly sharp steel arrowhead grazed the centurion's helmet, severing all three windproof cowhide fastening cables tightly wrapped around the ironwood flagpole!

The flag swayed violently in the gale, and the flag bearer, his face ashen, clung tightly to the leaning flagpole.

"Crossbow No. 3, bullseye."

Bai Zhi exhaled softly, her slender fingers steadily pulling the trigger of the last ballista.

"boom--!!"

The third giant steel arrow, weighing over ten kilograms, arrived with terrifying, destructive kinetic energy!

"Snap!!"

A crisp, piercing cracking sound echoed across the entire shallows.

The main flagpole of the Azure Wolf, as thick as a bowl and meticulously crafted from tough ironwood, was pierced in half by this heavy arrow in mid-air!

The huge, dark blue wolf-head battle banner whistled and fell in the wind and snow, crashing heavily into the cold, filthy mud, where it was instantly swallowed by the rushing mud and water!

Three arrows cut the flag!

In the grassland barbarian armies that value totems and general's flags, the fall of the main flag is tantamount to the collapse of the sky and the sinking of the earth.

Already mired in the mud and surrounded by chariots, the Canglang cavalry, seeing their commander's banner fall, completely shattered their last shred of fighting spirit. The soldiers threw down their scimitars, jumped off their horses, and scattered in all directions, rolling and crawling through the mud. The entire detachment of three hundred cavalrymen vanished in an instant.

……

In the distance, at the top of the gentle slope of the main battlefield on the front line of Yingzuigou.

A gust of wind, carrying the pungent smell of blood, rushed towards him. Wugu reined in his wild and restless black warhorse, his fleshy face now deathly pale.

His gaze shifted from the impregnable array of heavy spears in front of him, which remained unmoved even after losing over two hundred elite soldiers, and turned towards the shallows to the southeast.

As far as the eye could see, the upstream sluice gates had been opened to release water, turning the area into a mud pit. The iron gates and wagon formations on the west side formed an iron wall, and the heavy ballistae on the city wall accurately blasted down the battle flags. The three hundred elite Canglang troops did not even reach the base of the Duanhe Fortress before being completely wiped out in the mud!

They couldn't break through from the front, couldn't penetrate from the flanks, and there was even a hint of encirclement from the mountain troops of Qingyabao.

At that moment, a bone-chilling cold rushed up Wu Gu's spine to the top of his head.

His bloodshot, menacing eyes widened, and his hand gripping the heavy scimitar trembled violently uncontrollably.

He finally woke up completely in the face of the bloody reality—

The Broken River Fortress before us is by no means an isolated and helpless dilapidated earthen fortress.

This is a complete steel defense line that perfectly integrates terrain, water sources, deep canals, vehicle formations, heavy crossbows, and sturdy armor!

In Xu Qingshan's hands, the four originally dilapidated border fortresses have been transformed into a colossal net capable of swallowing up thousands of troops!