My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

South bank of the Yellow River, Yanjin Ferry.

It was the dead of winter, and the Yellow River was frozen over, so there was no need for boats to cross the river. As a result, the ferry crossing lost its former liveliness, and only less than three hundred soldiers remained.

The three hundred guards never expected that countless Wei troops would suddenly attack from the north bank, so they had no choice but to abandon the ferry and retreat to Yanjin City, which was not far away.

Zhang He captured Yanjin Ferry without shedding a drop of blood.

Once the army landed on the south bank, Zhang He dared not hesitate for a moment and immediately led eight thousand Wei soldiers toward Yanjin City.

At this time, Zhao Tong, who was stationed in Yanjin City, did not lower his guard just because Yanjin was far away from the front line of Liyang.

As dusk approached, he was inspecting the city walls, making arrangements for nighttime duty.

As soon as they reached the North Gate, they saw several hundred soldiers fleeing from the ferry, claiming that a large number of Wei troops were attacking from the north bank.

Zhao Tong was naturally taken aback. He looked north and, sure enough, saw a Wei flag faintly rising in the direction of the ferry.

Outside the North Gate, a massive army, churning up clouds of snow dust, swept in.

Soon, the figures of the Wei army became clear.

With such a force, there must be at least eight thousand soldiers.

Nearly ten times the size of the garrison at Yanjin!
The Chu soldiers on the left and right were all panicked when they saw so many Wei soldiers suddenly appear before them like divine warriors descending from the sky.

"How could so many Wei soldiers appear in Yanjin?"

Zhao Tong frowned deeply, his eyes flashing with deep suspicion.

However, he was, after all, Zhao Yun's son.

After the initial surprise and doubt, Zhao Tong quickly calmed himself, drew his sword, and shouted:

"Issue my order: all troops must immediately ascend the city walls and prepare for battle. Follow me and deliver a crushing blow to the Wei army!"

"Aren't you just worried about not having a chance to make a name for yourselves? Now your chance has come, it's time for us to have a big battle."

"Brothers, follow me and defend Yanjin to the death!"

The Chu soldiers on both sides, who were originally tense and uneasy, instantly became excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Under the Fubing system, those who killed enemies and rendered meritorious service could be rewarded with land.

Every soldier of the Great Chu wanted to charge into battle, kill the enemy, and earn merit to be rewarded with land.
Originally, these more than a thousand men, who were stationed at Yanjin Ferry, could relax, but they were also suffering from being far from the front line of Liyang and had no merit to be gained.

With so many Wei soldiers' heads suddenly delivered to our doorstep, how could we not accept this windfall?
"General Zhao is right! Everyone, let's all cheer up and follow General Zhao to kill the enemy and achieve merit!"

"I was just worried about not getting any credit, and these Wei bandits have come at the perfect time!"

"Brothers, follow General Zhao and let's fight to our hearts' content!"

With swords and halberds in hand, the Chu soldiers shouted excitedly, their fighting spirit surging like a tidal wave.

Thus, more than a thousand Chu soldiers stood solemnly atop the city wall, defiantly facing the surging Wei army.

North of the city.

Zhang He and his eight thousand soldiers had already charged to within a hundred paces of the city.

A flag bearing the character "Zhao" came into view.

"Zhao Tong, Zhao Yun's little brat?"

"You brat, to die by my blade today is an honor for you..."

A disdainful smirk curled at the corner of Zhang He's lips as he pointed his long sword forward:
"Listen up, soldiers of the Great Wei! Give it your all and crush Yan Jin!"

"Slaughter all the Chu invaders, leave no one alive!"

The bugle sounded, piercing the sky above the south bank.

Eight thousand Wei soldiers, like wild dogs unleashed, swept up towards the line of the north gate of Yanjin.

The siege begins.

Although Yanjin is geographically important, it is actually a small city with low and thin city walls and no moat.

Taking advantage of the snowstorm, the Wei army quickly rushed to the north gate of the city.

More than a thousand archers, under Zhang He's command, launched a volley of fire at the Chu army on the city wall.

On top of the city.

Zhao Tong, of course, was not to be outdone and immediately ordered his archers to counterattack and suppress the enemy.

The advantage of Wei's superior numbers became evident at this moment.

The Chu army garrison numbered only a little over a thousand, with at most a hundred archers, while the Wei army had ten times that number.

Moreover, the north wind was strong at this time, and the Wei army was in a favorable situation.

After a brief exchange of fire, the Wei army naturally gained the upper hand, suppressing the Chu army with arrows that kept them unable to raise their heads.

"Climb to the top of the city wall! The first to reach it will be rewarded with a hundred gold pieces!"

Zhang He pointed to the city wall and promised a generous reward.

Under the heavy reward, there must be a brave man!
The Wei army immediately surged towards the city wall as if injected with adrenaline.

Because they had traveled lightly and quickly, and launched a surprise attack as soon as they crossed the river, the Wei army had no time to build siege ladders or other siege equipment, and could only rely on the grappling hooks they had brought with them to climb the city walls.

As a result, grappling hooks soared into the air and caught on the battlements.

Eight thousand Wei soldiers, scrambling and grabbing grappling hooks, frantically climbed up the city wall.

Although Yanjin City is a small city, it is not made of paper.

The Wei army originally thought they could storm the city walls with just a few grappling hooks, which was really overestimating their abilities.

But they had their eye on the Chu army's weakness: their small number of soldiers.

Of the thousand garrison troops inside the city, only six or seven hundred could be transferred to the north gate at this time, indicating a severe shortage of manpower.

Zhang He attacked the city with ten times the number of troops, gaining an overwhelming advantage that left the Chu army overwhelmed.

Thanks to their superior numbers and the suppression of arrows, the Wei army's grappling hooks and iron claws proved remarkably effective.

In the blink of an eye, five or six Wei soldiers, under the cover of archers, successfully climbed onto the city wall.

As soon as they landed, they untied the ring-pommel swords from their backs and began slashing wildly at the Chu army.

"Block the Wei invaders and drive them off the city walls!" Zhao Tong shouted fiercely, rushing over with his silver spear in hand.

With a single thrust of his spear, several Wei soldiers who had scaled the city walls were felled to the ground.

However, the number of Wei troops was simply too great.

Zhao Tong was constantly on the move, running back and forth, and killed seven or eight Wei soldiers who were climbing the city walls, but he could not suppress the Wei army's momentum in climbing the city walls.

"This can't go on like this; we can't keep fighting..."

Zhao Tong glanced around at the unfavorable situation, his eyes darting around rapidly.

Suddenly, a sharp light flashed before his eyes, and he shouted:

"Set up the pot for me, boil the snow until it melts, and use the melted snow to splash Wei Gou!"

It was nearly dusk, time to cook dinner. Several bonfires had already been lit and pots set up on the city walls.

As soon as Zhao Tong gave the order, the Chu soldiers quickly poured handfuls of snow water into the pot, and it melted in the blink of an eye.

The snow melted into water, and the Chu soldiers scooped up ladlefuls of water and splashed it fiercely onto the Wei soldiers on the city wall.

The pig-like screams echoed everywhere in the blink of an eye.

The scalding water was splashed onto the Wei soldiers, scalding them until they grimaced and screamed.

It's freezing cold now. Water splashed on your body quickly begins to freeze, turning from scalding hot to bone-chillingly cold in the blink of an eye.

The Wei soldiers were so cold that their hands and feet were numb, and the ropes were frozen and extremely slippery, making it impossible for them to hold on. One by one, they all slipped and fell.

"Bang bang bang!"

The sounds of impact echoed one after another.

Hundreds upon hundreds of Wei soldiers fell to the ground and were smashed to pieces.

The Wei army's fierce offensive was miraculously suppressed by the Chu army's "water-splashing" tactic.

Under the city wall.

Zhang He, who was originally confident of victory, couldn't help but change his expression when he saw this unexpected scene.

He clearly hadn't expected that Zhao Tong, who was defending the city, would be so quick to adapt to the situation. He had a brilliant idea and used the freezing cold to launch a "water-splashing" tactic.

This tactic is remarkably similar to the Chu army's tactic of using water cannons to freeze Liyang.

However, the one implementing the tactics has changed from the attacking side to the defending side.

"The younger generation of Chu is truly producing a wealth of talented generals..."

Zhang He frowned and sighed.

Even as an enemy, he couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for Zhao Tong, this enemy general.

I admire them as much as I do, but we still have to fight this siege.

We can't just give up the siege because the Chu army splashed a few ladles of water on us, and let this long-distance raid go to waste.

If word gets out, wouldn't he, one of the Four Pillars of Hebei, become a laughing stock?

How would they explain this to Cao Cao after they returned?
After his eyes darted around a few times, Zhang He immediately decided to adjust his tactics.

He ordered the archers to switch from random firing to concentrated fire to suppress the Chu army at seven or eight points along the city, ensuring that the Chu army could not raise their heads and dare not show their faces.

In this way, the Wei soldiers would not have to worry about being attacked by the Chu army by water and could climb up smoothly.

Once the tactics are adjusted, the situation changes again in the blink of an eye.

With the Chu army's water attack thwarted, Wei soldiers seized the opportunity to climb onto the city walls again, brandishing their ring-pommel swords and slashing at the Chu army.

Along the city line, there were seven or eight points that were firmly occupied by the Wei army.

Subsequent Wei soldiers continued to climb the city walls and calmly engaged the Chu army in battle.

On the city walls, the number of Wei troops was increasing, and the situation for the Chu army had become precarious.

"Great Chu soldiers, heed my command! We will live and die with Yan Jin, we would rather die than retreat!"

Zhao Tong brandished the blood-stained spear in his hand and let out a sorrowful and determined roar.

Despite the impending loss of the city, Zhao Tong did not consider abandoning it and fleeing.

As the eldest son of the General of Chariots and Cavalry of the Great Chu, how could he be afraid of death and abandon the city to flee?
He was determined to live or die with Yan Jin, brandishing his silver spear and charging at the surging Wei soldiers without regard for his own life.

But the Wei soldiers only grew stronger with each kill; for every one they killed, several more would rise to fill the gap, charging towards Zhao Tong like madmen…

"Uuuuuu——"

A hollow and distant bugle call rang out in the sky east of Yanjin.

Zhao Tong used his gun to push back two Wei soldiers, and subconsciously looked up to the east.

With just one glance, the tragic grandeur on Zhao Tongyuan instantly transformed into boundless ecstasy.

East of Yanjin, on the south bank of the Yellow River, a torrent of iron cavalry, swirling with snowflakes, is sweeping in.

The "Chu" character flag was faintly visible amidst the wind and snow.

"Our cavalry, our cavalry has arrived!"

Zhao Tong was overjoyed and brandished his blood-stained spear, shouting:

"Brothers, the king's reinforcements have arrived! It's our cavalry!"

"Brothers, kill them all!"

The Chu soldiers, who were struggling to hold on, looked up and saw their own iron cavalry reinforcements arriving. Instantly, they felt as if they had been injected with a powerful stimulant, and their morale surged like a tidal wave.

"Kill Wei the dog—"

"Kill Wei the dog—"

They roared like thunder, as if reborn from the ashes, unleashing incredible energy, and launched a frenzied counterattack against the Wei army.

The situation on the city walls has reversed once again!

"Chu cavalry? This, this... how is this possible?"

Zhang He, standing below the city walls, turned back to see the rolling Chu cavalry, utterly dumbfounded. (End of Chapter)