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

Upon seeing this, Wei Yan smirked, calmly dismounted, dodged the fatal blow, and then swung his sword to counterattack, engaging Li Yi in a fierce battle.

At the same time, the soldiers around the two men also engaged in fierce fighting, with shouts of battle and the clash of weapons filling the air, and the entire area under the south gate was in chaos.

Li Yi and Wei Yan were evenly matched, fighting fiercely and evenly. Sparks flew as their swords and spears clashed, and each move was deadly.

For a time, neither side could defeat the other, and the fight reached a stalemate.

After a brief but intense battle, Li Yi gradually came to his senses. He realized that his objective was to help the Liao army enter the city, and that engaging Wei Yan in a protracted and exhausting fight was not a wise move and would only delay the opportunity to win the battle.

Therefore, he had the idea of ​​getting away and wanted to get rid of Wei Yan as soon as possible to support his soldiers.

But Wei Yan had already seen through his thoughts. Knowing that Chen Xun had already escaped, he knew he couldn't let Li Yi get away, or there would be endless trouble. So he kept his eyes fixed on Li Yi, and his sword strikes became even more fierce, not giving Li Yi any chance to escape.

Li Yi was firmly restrained by Wei Yan, who locked his gaze on him. No matter how he tried to break free, he could not find an opening. He became increasingly anxious, and his fighting spirit gradually dissipated. His mind was filled with thoughts of how to escape.

Wei Yan was incredibly perceptive. He immediately noticed Li Yi's distraction, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes. Seizing this opening, he suddenly exerted force with his long sword and launched a fierce attack towards Li Yi's heart.

Li Yi was startled and hurriedly swung his gun to block, his expression panicked and his composure completely lost.

Unexpectedly, Wei Yan's move was just a feint. Before Li Yi could regain his footing, he suddenly changed his thrust into a sweep, and a fierce horizontal sweep slammed into Li Yi's leg.

Li Yi lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

Wei Yan pressed his advantage, wielding his longsword relentlessly, each move a close attack. Li Yi could only cower on the ground, passively defending himself, utterly powerless to retaliate.

Under Wei Yan's relentless offensive, Li Yi's defenses gradually began to falter, revealing more and more weaknesses.

Seeing this, Wei Yan intensified his attack. Each time his long sword fell, it carried immense force, making it difficult for Li Yi to breathe and making his defense increasingly difficult.

After several rounds, Li Yi's armor was covered with dense cracks, and some parts were even damaged. If he continued to passively defend, he would be killed by Wei Yan sooner or later, and would have no power to fight back.

Li Yi made a snap decision, abandoned his defenses, gripped his longsword tightly, and launched a desperate attack on Wei Yan.

The spear tip was sharp, and every move was ruthless.

They wanted to do everything in their power to force Wei Yan to retreat and find a way to escape.

When Wei Yan saw Li Yi suddenly change tactics, abandoning defense and launching a fierce attack, he was somewhat surprised. He then adjusted his stance and engaged Li Yi in battle again, and for a time they were evenly matched.

The longer the fight went on, the more alarmed Li Yi became.

He hadn't expected Wei Yan to be so strong, with both offense and defense prowess. If he wasn't careful, he would be suppressed and put on the defensive.

What worried him even more was that the Liao soldiers outside the city were fighting a desperate battle with the Han heavy cavalry. The heavy cavalry had no way to break through the defenses, and the Liao army's move was undoubtedly courting death.

By this time, the Liao army had already suffered heavy losses. In addition to the casualties from the earlier breach of the city gate, the number of soldiers killed or wounded had reached nearly 10,000. The surviving soldiers were all wounded, their morale was low, and they were in dire straits.

This situation made Li Yi extremely anxious, and he desperately hoped that reinforcements would come to help him and alleviate his current predicament.

Wei Yan, holding a long sword, his eyes as cold and sharp as knives, stared at the besieged Li Yi and shouted:

"Don't expect anyone to come to your rescue. I have already surrounded this place, and no one can break in to save you in the slightest."

Hearing Wei Yan's harsh words, Li Yi's heart sank. He instantly realized that he was in a desperate situation with no hope of outside help. The only way to survive was to fight to the death on his own.

He suppressed the panic in his heart, gripped the long sword in his hand tightly, and locked his eyes on Wei Yan.

Sensing Li Yi's wariness, Wei Yan's aura suddenly changed; the mockery from before faded, replaced by a chilling killing intent.

The two faced each other a few steps apart, their gazes clashing fiercely in mid-air, each silently gathering their strength.

After a moment of silence, the two moved at the same time.

Wei Yan was the first to attack, his long sword flying like an arrow, piercing straight for Li Yi's heart with a whooshing sound.

Li Yi didn't hesitate either, drawing his longsword and thrusting it with all his might at the spear tip, the two figures instantly intertwining.

But just as the weapons clashed, Li Yi suddenly changed his move. He flipped his wrist, flicked his longsword lightly, and used the force to deflect Wei Yan's longsword. He then retreated rapidly, using the momentum to quickly escape the battlefield.

Having finally managed to create some distance between himself and Wei Yan, Li Yi dared not delay for a moment. He rushed to his warhorse, mounted it, spurred it on, and galloped towards the city.

Wei Yan was enraged by Li Yi's feint, his face instantly darkened, and his eyes flashed with even more murderous intent.

He shouted sharply, then quickly mounted his horse, lashing the saddle with his whip. The warhorse galloped off, chasing closely after Li Yi's figure.

During the march, Wei Yan reined in his horse and shouted orders to the soldiers behind him:
"Everyone, listen to my command! Retreat back into the city immediately!"

He added as soon as he finished speaking:

"Heavily armored cavalry, follow me into the city. Kill them on sight, and make sure Li Yi is captured!"

Upon hearing Wei Yan's command, the heavily armored cavalry, who were already fully equipped and ready, quickly assembled and followed closely behind Wei Yan, galloping towards the city gate.

As Li Yi fled, he heard the approaching sound of horses' hooves behind him. He glanced back and saw Wei Yan in hot pursuit. His heart tightened, but there was nothing he could do.

His purpose in rushing into the city was to find Chen Xun. If the two of them joined forces, they might be able to contend with Wei Yan and defend the city.

But when Li Yi rode his horse into the city, he immediately saw Chen Xun lying in the corner.

He was covered in blood, his armor was stained crimson, and a deep wound on his chest was still bleeding. He had clearly been seriously injured by Wei Yan, and his breath was weak, making it impossible for him to even stand.

Seeing this, Li Yi's anger surged instantly. He pulled on the reins, dismounted, and charged towards Wei Yan, who was not far away, with his long sword in hand.

At this moment, Wei Yan was focused on the chase and did not notice the strange movement behind him until a sharp gust of wind came and he suddenly became alert. He subconsciously turned his head and saw a cold light aimed directly at his face.

Without a second thought, Wei Yan darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. However, due to the suddenness of the attack, he lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.

Hearing the noise, Chen Xun, who was in the corner, opened his eyes with difficulty and saw Li Yi rushing over. He smiled and said:

"General Li... I've come to your aid."

He was covered in blood, and the excruciating pain from his wounds made him tremble. Although the injury was not yet fatal, he coughed up blood with every word he spoke.

Looking at Chen Xun's appearance, Li Yi felt a pang of sadness. Just as he was about to speak, Wei Yan's angry rebuke came from behind him:
"Li Yi, you brat, where are you running to!"

It turned out that Wei Yan had already stood up, long sword in hand, and was angrily charging towards him. Seeing this, Chen Xun mustered all his strength, grabbed the long sword that had fallen beside him, and shouted loudly at Li Yi:

"General Li, you go first! Don't worry about me, defending the city is the most important thing!"

"General Chen!"

Looking at Chen Xun, who was covered in wounds but still persevered, Li Yi felt a pang of guilt and reluctance, and was caught in a dilemma.

If they stayed, they might both lose their lives.

Leaving behind his seriously wounded comrade was too much to bear.

Chen Xun noticed Li Yi's hesitation and spoke again:
"General Li, the safety of the two northeast gates depends entirely on you. You must leave quickly and not let the sacrifices of our brothers go to waste. Defending the city is the best way to repay us!"

Looking into Chen Xun's determined eyes, Li Yi knew he could no longer hesitate, and he nodded heavily:

"General Chen, rest assured, I will not fail in my mission to safeguard the two northeast gates!"

Having said that, he turned around, mounted his horse, steeled his resolve, and spurred it to gallop northeastward.

Watching Li Yi's departing figure, Chen Xun revealed a relieved smile. He slowly walked to the middle of the road, straightened his broken body, gripped the long sword firmly on the ground, and stood resolutely in front of Wei Yan and Zhang Liao, determined to use his last strength to buy more time for Li Yi.

Soon, Wei Yan caught up. Chen Xun showed no fear and, despite his serious injuries, thrust his spear at Wei Yan.

Although the force was weak, it was driven by a determination to die.

Wei Yan's eyes turned cold, and he swept his long sword out, striking Chen Xun heavily in the chest. With a loud "bang," Chen Xun was sent flying and crashed heavily into the corner of the wall.

A mouthful of blood gushed out, and more blood seeped from the wounds on his body, his breath growing weaker and weaker.

Wei Yan looked at Chen Xun lying on the ground, then turned to Zhang Liao beside him and said:

"It seems that their real purpose in attacking the city is to lure us into this trap. Li Yi is just a pretext."

He paused, then gave the following instructions:
"You can handle this man. I'll lead the others to continue guarding this place and prevent the Liao army from taking the opportunity to attack the city."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao nodded slightly, mounted his horse, cracked his whip, and galloped off in the direction Li Yi had gone, determined to capture him.

Wei Yan watched Zhang Liao's departing figure, then glanced down at Chen Xun, who was lying dying in the corner, without feeling any pity.

Chen Xun was severely injured and had no power to resist; he was doomed to die.

So he didn't linger any longer, turned around and led his soldiers toward the south gate, his expression still cold.

Chen Xun lay in the corner, watching Wei Yan and the others leave, a relieved smile on his face. He slowly closed his eyes, using his life to complete his final act of perseverance.

Meanwhile, Zhang Liao quickly returned to the south gate. He immediately reorganized his soldiers, directing them to deploy defenses and stand ready to intercept the Liao soldiers who were attempting to attack the city.
However, at this moment, the Liao army's light cavalry had taken advantage of the chaos to sneak into the city, looting and fighting everywhere, and the situation instantly became critical.

Zhang Liao remained calm in the face of danger and immediately made arrangements:
Order the heavy cavalry to disperse immediately and wipe out the Liao light cavalry that have entered the city, making sure to eliminate them completely.

The remaining soldiers quickly reorganized their defensive lines, tightened their formation, and firmly blocked the continuous stream of Liao army forces outside the city gates, preventing them from advancing any further.

Regaining his composure, Zhang Liao issued a loud and authoritative order:

"Everyone, listen up! Immediately move the defensive line into the city, deploy it in the streets and buildings, and hold the line to the death!"

Upon hearing the call, the soldiers acted without hesitation, retreating in an orderly fashion towards the city. In a short time, they formed a new defensive formation, firmly guarding the key passage inside the city gate.

"Archers, prepare!"

Wei Yan gave the order again.

The Han archers, who had been waiting for orders, quickly assembled and spread out in a fan shape on the streets and rooftops on both sides of the city gate. Their bows were drawn to the fullest, and their arrows were all aimed at the city gate. They were just waiting for Wei Yan's order to fire a fatal shot.

Seeing this, the Liao soldiers outside the city did not retreat. They roared and charged into the city, their eyes fierce, wanting to break through the Han army's defenses and join up with the light cavalry inside the city.

"put!"

At Zhang Liao's command, the archers instantly released their bows, and a dense rain of arrows shot towards the Liao soldiers like a dark cloud.

Screams rose and fell as the Liao soldiers at the forefront were struck by arrows and fell to the ground, riddled with arrows in an instant. Their corpses piled up at the city gate, blocking the path of the Liao army that followed.

After the first volley of arrows, the remaining Liao soldiers, seeing this, dared not charge directly at the city gate. Instead, they turned around and rushed towards the streets and alleys on both sides of the city gate, trying to bypass the Han army's arrow defenses and break through from the flanks.

"Cease fire! Everyone, put down your bows and arrows, pick up your weapons, and move forward to stop them!"

Zhang Liao made a decisive decision and ordered a halt to the archery.

Archery has lost its advantage against the Liao army's scattered charges; close combat is now the key.

The Han soldiers immediately put down their bows and arrows, grabbed their swords, spears, and halberds, and rushed towards the charging Liao soldiers. The two sides instantly clashed, with flashing blades and flying blood and flesh.

Meanwhile, on another street in the city, Li Yi was desperately fleeing, while Wei Yan was in hot pursuit. The two of them were running and chasing each other at a speed as fast as the wind, raising clouds of dust behind them.

As Li Yi fled, he saw Han and Liao soldiers fighting everywhere he looked, with traces of fierce battles everywhere.

Li Yi dared not linger for even a moment, with only one thought in his mind:
They ran towards the north gate of the city.

He knew that as long as he could open all the city gates and allow the main force of the Liao army outside the city to enter smoothly, he could disperse the Han army's defensive forces, reduce the pressure on his side to attack, and buy time for subsequent deployments.

Having made up his mind, Li Yi ran at full speed towards the North Gate, with Wei Yan still in hot pursuit behind him, and the distance between them never widened.

Along the way, Li Yi encountered resistance from Han soldiers on several occasions.

The soldiers, unaware of his identity, assumed he was a spy for the Liao army and drew their swords to stop him.

Li Yi had no choice but to grit his teeth and break through the obstruction with all his might, fearing that Wei Yan would catch up with him and put him in a desperate situation.

After overcoming numerous obstacles and traversing several battlefields, Li Yi finally managed to reach the north gate of Fangcheng after exhausting all his strength.

But the scene before him gave him a jolt:
The Liao army's breaching rams had just smashed through the north gate, causing it to collapse with a deafening roar, sending debris flying. Liao soldiers outside were preparing to seize the opportunity to flood into the city. (End of Chapter)