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

One after another, the painstakingly constructed fortifications were ruthlessly shattered like fragile paper under the fierce attacks of the Han army.

Countless Wei soldiers were powerless against the rain of boulders, instantly struck and smashed to pieces, their flesh and blood flying everywhere.

Inside Puban Pass, Cao Cao had long lost his composure.

He fled from the city tower in a disheveled state, huddled tightly at the foot of the city wall, his body trembling.

The city wall behind them was shaking violently under the continuous bombardment of the Han army's divine thunder cannons, as if it would collapse at any moment.

Every minute, every second, gravel mixed with swirling snowflakes falls like the blade of death.

Despite Xu Chu carrying a huge shield that firmly blocked Cao Cao's head, creating a barrier for him, Cao Cao remained completely unharmed.

However, the dull thud of the pebbles hitting the shield struck Cao Cao's heart like a heavy hammer, making him tremble with fear and break out in a cold sweat.

Time slowly passed amidst fear and torment, and half an hour later, the thunderous bombardment finally subsided.

In an instant, the world seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, returning to a deathly stillness.

Cao Cao breathed a long sigh of relief, as if he had just escaped from the gates of hell.

He hurriedly ordered Xu Chu to help him up, and they rushed straight to the city tower.

Cao Cao knew perfectly well that the Han army had a well-established and ruthless set of siege tactics:
First, they bombard the city with stones. Once the bombardment stops, the army will immediately launch an attack like a tidal wave.

Cao Cao was quite adept at this tactic.

At this moment, the bombardment of the divine thunder cannons had ceased, and according to common sense, the Han army would inevitably launch a large-scale attack immediately afterward.

Cao Cao knew he had to climb the city wall to quickly appease his troops and stabilize the situation; otherwise, the Wei army would fall into chaos and collapse without a fight.

When Cao Cao climbed the city wall and looked around, he couldn't help but gasp, his face turning deathly pale.

The scene before me was like a living hell.

Half of the city gate tower collapsed, and the originally sturdy battlements were also completely destroyed, with broken rubble piling up like mountains.

More importantly, the walls on both flanks have been blasted beyond recognition, with countless places collapsed and cracked, as if they had been wantonly kneaded by an invisible giant hand.

Cao Cao clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, and was filled with regret.

He realized that he had seriously underestimated the terrifying firepower of the Divine Thunder Cannon and overestimated the sturdiness of the river defense barrier he had painstakingly built.

They thought these fortifications could hold off the Han army for a while, giving them enough time to respond, but to their surprise, they proved to be so vulnerable under the relentless bombardment of the Divine Thunder Cannon.

"Your Majesty, we must immediately order Xu Gongming and the others to fill the gap!"

Just then, Sima Yi's urgent reminder rang out from behind.

At this moment, his voice was trembling slightly, clearly indicating that he was losing confidence in the face of such a dire situation.

Cao Cao suddenly snapped out of his reverie, brandishing his cane and shouting sternly:

"What are we waiting for? Send my decree to Xu Huang and Li Tong: fill the gap with wooden fences and seal it up at all costs!"

The Tiger Guards dared not delay in the slightest, and hurriedly went down from the city to deliver the imperial decree.

Below the city, more than 60,000 Wei soldiers had just begun to recover from their terrifying fear.

When they shook off the thick dust and snow from their faces, straightened their backs, and looked back, they were all stunned and shocked.

The city wall, stretching for ten miles, has been riddled with holes, resembling a giant sieve with countless collapsed gaps.

Meanwhile, the situation outside the city became increasingly tense. The bugle calls of the Han army rang out like thunder, and the dark, surging Han troops, like a mighty tide, rushed madly towards the breach in the city wall.

The Wei army was filled with fear and panic, and they were at a loss for what to do.

Looking at the Han army surging in like a tide, he was filled with fear and despair, as if he could already see his own death.

"I told you long ago, once the Han army crosses the river, we simply can't stop them, but His Majesty just wouldn't listen, alas—"

Xu Huang complained inwardly, his heart filled with helplessness and resentment.

He knew that complaining was useless at this moment. As the only remaining famous general of Wei, he had to step forward and lead his soldiers to fight back.

Then, Xu Huang raised his long axe and shouted sharply:
"Push up the prepared wooden fence immediately to seal the gap."

"Listen up, soldiers of the Great Wei! The time has come for you to serve the Emperor! Fight to the death with me and do not retreat a single step!"

Based on his prestige accumulated over many years in the army, Xu Huang's words barely inspired a sliver of fighting spirit in the Wei soldiers.

They quickly recovered and began to frantically follow orders.

One by one, the pre-prepared wooden fences were pushed to the gap by the soldiers' vigorous efforts, like nails temporarily sealing the crumbling breach.

Tens of thousands of Wei soldiers, under the command of their officers, climbed back onto the ramparts, gripped their weapons, and prepared to fight a desperate battle with the Han army.

Just then, a whooshing sound suddenly rang out, like streaks of lightning piercing the sky.

The Wei army's archers were the first to attack, and thousands of arrows soared into the air with sharp whistling sounds, swarming towards the surging Han army like black locusts.

Screams erupted outside the wall in an instant. Under the rain of arrows, Han soldiers were immediately nailed to the ground, their blood staining the pristine snow.

How could a few arrows possibly stop the Han army's desire for glory!

The more than 200,000 Han soldiers were like bloodthirsty beasts, their hearts filled with only the desire for victory.

Undeterred, they continued to surge forward, and death could not stop their advance.

At the same time, tens of thousands of arrows whistled into the air, raining down on the Wei army like a net from heaven.

The Han army launched a counterattack with arrows.

Moreover, its momentum is even more ferocious.

A series of screams erupted as countless pillars of blood rose amidst the flying snow, like blooming red flowers.

The Wei soldiers on and around the city wall were nailed to the ground in droves, their blood staining the walls and the ground red.

The Han army's arrows outnumbered those of the Wei army's, and in the blink of an eye, they suppressed the Wei army's arrows, forcing the Wei soldiers to keep their heads down.

They could only huddle behind the ramparts, barely managing to fend off the rain of arrows with their shields.

A few breaths later, the Han army, like a monstrous wave, crashed heavily into the crumbling wall with overwhelming force.

Zhang Fei pointed his spear and roared like thunder:

"Set up the ladder, and let's see who can grab the credit for being the first to climb it!"

"See that gap in the wall? Push the battering ram up there and smash your way through!"

"Within an hour, I will raze Puban to the ground and cut off Cao Cao's dog head!" (End of Chapter)