You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

As expected, this alarmed Feng Tianyin, who personally went to the battlefield, instantly igniting morale.

A significant portion of the soldiers defending the city were survivors who had been evacuated from the beacon towers. They had suffered some setbacks and were feeling uneasy. Now, seeing such a formidable army, they were overjoyed.

"Open the city gates."

With Liao Liang's command, the outer gate slowly opened, revealing the entire border post:

Compared to the "city" that people imagine as habitable, this place is clearly more like a "castle".

Even with continuous consolidation and expansion, it still feels a bit cramped.

Although small, it was complete in every way. The outer area where we were now was actually a fence made of earth and wood, with a large number of trenches and barricades dug to implement anti-cavalry warfare, turning this outer area into a place where enemy corpses were piled up.

Step across the suspension bridge.

What comes into view are city walls, battlements, and a tower, interspersed with protruding walls.

It's nowhere near as impressive as the city of Xiayi, with an estimated circumference of only 4 kilometers. But its advantage lies in its location; strategic choice is more important than effort. It perfectly guards a narrow mountain pass, making it difficult for the enemy to cross.

Anyone who sees it will marvel at its formidable defenses.

At the head of the procession, Feng Tianyin rode her horse and looked down over the inner courtyard. Various logs, stones, arrows, and oil were piled up on the ground, clearly indicating that preparations were being made for a defensive battle.

The city had only 500 people, but they were still full of courage and planned to fight alone.

"You did a great job."

The silvery voice was melodious and pleasant to hear, and everyone immediately bowed and stood in a neat row.

Lieutenant Zhang Zhongsi stepped forward and spoke with the garrison commander and others. After a moment, he introduced a man: "Sir, this is Shen Xingyao, who covered the rear and killed the enemy commander during this evacuation..."

“I see the marks of blessing on you, and I can probably guess why.”

"Yes, I am blessed by Heaven."

"From now on, you are a captain. From now on, you will serve as the vanguard for me. I believe you will perform even better."

Yes, sir.

He nodded excitedly upon hearing this.

Originally, he was just an ordinary peasant soldier who was conscripted. Later, he was recognized for his talent and promoted because he worked hard and fought bravely. He never expected that he would be able to act with the High Priest today.

Charging into battle is naturally dangerous, but the rewards are extremely high and the merits are outstanding, especially when it involves fighting alongside Feng Tianyin.

She's known for her straightforward, blunt, and direct approach.

Typically, the direct command is handed over to the adjutant, while the commander himself is responsible for making the final move, leading the cavalry to decide the outcome in one fell swoop, and is always victorious, though he also suffers heavy casualties.

How about this tactic when facing the northern barbarians who are even more skilled in mounted archery than the Daqian people?

Hard to say.

In any case, Shen Xingyao had crossed the class threshold, because a captain was the threshold for a senior military officer, with a certain degree of independent command authority, capable of leading 1000 or even 5000 troops, and was a figure of considerable importance.

His face was filled with undisguised excitement, and he thanked them repeatedly.

"Gentlemen, we have been delayed a little longer in Xiayi, but we have had time for your families to write letters, which we have brought with us."

Feng Tianyin ordered the distribution.

The soldiers guarding Dongku Pass were overjoyed to receive the letter from home, and their unease dissipated.

A letter from home is worth a fortune; it is the best medicine for boosting morale.

The reason why they were able to quickly find out who was stationed at Qingguan was because of the advanced military system of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Since innovation in artificial intelligence is insufficient and it's easy to learn from advanced achievements, she copied the Qin army's system, linking household registration with military registration. They organized the personnel into corresponding units:

A squad consists of 5 soldiers, with a squad leader.

The term "shè" consists of two "wǔ" (伍), totaling 10 people, with one "shèngzhāng" (什长) in charge.

A tun (屯) consists of 5 shi (什) units, totaling 50 people, and is headed by a tun leader.

Hundred: Composed of 2 "tun" (屯), totaling 100 people, with one "hundred general" (百将).

Then there are "five hundred commanders" and "two five hundred commanders," followed by mid-level officers and captains, and then senior officers.

It was actually only established in recent years.

Because the Great Qian Dynasty was too small to discuss a luxury like a standing army a few years ago, Feng Tianyin temporarily adopted a rough organizational structure. It was only after the Heavenly Dao revealed the impending war last year that she finally decided to implement sweeping reforms.

The Great Qian Dynasty, which had just experienced a population boom, indeed needed this to stabilize the situation. It was a good opportunity to absorb the large number of people contributed by the Western Regions Valley, and they were also willing to join the army.

fortunately.

Without a more comprehensive and scientific organizational structure, we might not have survived this surprise attack.

"Report: A thousand barbarians have been detected attacking."

The sudden report put everyone on high alert, and they proceeded according to plan. An attack in broad daylight indicated a formal war, not a nighttime raid.

Zhang Zhongsi astutely observed, "It must be that the unsuccessful night attack on the beacon towers made them hesitate, but they still made up their minds to attack."

"High Priest, this group is at the height of their power; it's best to avoid open battle."

He cautiously reminded his immediate supervisor.

Although he was in direct command, the actual commander-in-chief was Feng Tianyin. Moreover, her appearance with purple pupils and black and white braided hair was well-known throughout the Great Qian Dynasty, and her prestige was deeply rooted in the army. She was the absolute helmsman, and ultimately, everyone had to listen to her opinions.

However, this person always tends to rely on open-field battles to leverage their strengths, but the situation is different now.

"I know."

"Just hold the city, there's no need to fight them in the open. It's not time yet, we'll have to wait for the chariots from the rear to arrive one by one."

In order to penetrate deep into the grasslands and fight against the barbarians, the new weapon was the chariot.

Of course, they are also relatively slow and require more preparation, so the timetable is reserved for the next batch of elites. As for the batch led by Feng Tianyin, they need to arrive as quickly as possible; their very existence will boost morale.

The facts are as expected.

The officers reached a higher tower and finally saw the whole picture: a cavalry unit of over a thousand men.

"Most of them were the ones who attacked us that night."

“There are unfamiliar faces; they are the banners of other tribes; it is a united force.”

“They are vicious and have killed many of us. Now that we have attacked, we cannot let them go. Let these guys sleep forever.”

The previous attack had ultimately weakened Etu Khan's power base, so this time he fielded an army of approximately 1500 men, composed of men from multiple tribes. It wasn't a large force, nor was it a small one; it was more like a test.

They didn't bother to demonstrate; instead, they brought in heavy ballistae and even heavier siege engines from the rear.

"attack!"

The next moment, the barbarians pounced on them.

A volley of crossbow bolts and longbows, fired at high angles, whizzed across the battlements. Despite the relatively low height of the walls, they still posed a considerable threat.

Arrows were seen stuck into the battlements with a clattering sound, accompanied by a foul odor.

There are also enchanted attacks; if they pierce a wound, they will definitely cause infection.

The Daqian army was not one to passively take a beating; they immediately retaliated. Their crossbows were superior in both equipment and technology, whistling through the enemy lines and quickly suppressing any ranged attacks.

High to low.

Beat up idiots.

The people standing on the city wall kept firing, and their accuracy was even better, causing many barbarian warriors to fall.

Once the barbed arrows of the Great Qian Dynasty pierced their bodies, they were difficult to remove, and the arrows continued to tear at their bodies, causing them to scream in agony.

"Damn it, these guys aren't as weak as the ones at the beacon tower."

"Nonsense, are a sneak attack and a head-on fight the same thing?"

Little did they know that they were unlucky; the fortress's garrison had just received a reinforcement, and these were elite troops selected by Feng Tianyin, which is why their attacks were so accurate and deadly.

Although the Daqian army was better than expected, the offensive could not be stopped, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and keep going.

"Build a cloud ladder".

Similarly, the city walls were too low; even the 16-meter-high siege ladders of Xia Yi, the capital of the Great Qian Dynasty, couldn't match them, necessitating the use of siege towers. Such large-scale machinery was difficult to construct, not to mention the inevitable losses during an attack—too many variables.

However, Dongku Pass can be covered with ladders.

Therefore, they climbed the ladders without hesitation, only to be met with rolling logs and stones from the attackers, which often knocked down a large number of people with a single stone.

The person at the very front of the climb suddenly instinctively clutched a rock to their chest.

"It's for you."

The force of gravity caused him to fall before he could grab the ladder properly, but the back felt soft; he had bumped into an ally, causing everyone on the ladder to fall halfway down.

Some brave barbarian warriors would dodge and block their way, climbing up in dense groups of two or three.

But there was still a way: the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty poured a pot of boiling water down on them.

"It's so hot!"

Boiling water was poured over them from head to toe, leaving no room to dodge. Plus, in winter, thick clothing and protective layers meant the water clung to their skin, instantly causing blisters and scalding. This was highly efficient area-of-effect damage, capable of taking care of several people in one go.

Winter is already freezing cold, and pouring boiling water on your hands and feet would put your immune system to a severe test. Even if you don't die from the fall, your fighting ability would be questionable.

Although the siege ladder teams were numerous and impressive, they failed to achieve anything significant.

"Charge the city gate."

Even though they knew the city gates would be heavily guarded, they couldn't care less.

Continuing like this will only lead to greater losses.

Upon discovering this, the warriors of Daqian immediately gathered at the city gate. Above the gate, there was a section of the city wall extending outwards. This section was full of gaps at the foot, allowing spears and arrows to pass through. Stones and boiling water were no problem either, just waiting for guests to arrive.

The barbarian warriors roared as they charged, shields raised, forming ranks and slowly closing in, gathering towards the city gate, with more falling along the way.

This tiny space will become a meat grinder, but we have no choice but to grit our teeth and go for it.

"Three, two, one, push!"

Eight burly barbarian men pushed the siege spikes with all their might, slamming them against the gate with a loud clang.

Their allies around them raised their shields to try to shield the siege squad.

Crackling sounds!