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

Just as Deng Ai and Wang Qian were locked in combat, the two other battles on the sidelines gradually began to tilt in their favor.

Zhang He and Wu Tong fought for a long time. With his rich combat experience and steady moves, Zhang He gradually gained the upper hand, pressing Wu Tong with every move and making it difficult for him to breathe.

But Wu Tong gritted his teeth and persevered, barely managing to withstand Zhang He's offensive with his tenacious willpower, without flinching in the slightest.

On the other side, Wei Yan dominated Li Yi throughout the entire fight.

Li Yi was still recovering from his injuries and was no match for Wei Yan in strength. He could only defend with all his might, desperately resisting Wei Yan's fierce attacks. He had no chance to retaliate and suffered several more wounds, making his situation increasingly difficult.

Overall, the situation is extremely favorable for Deng Ai and his two companions. As long as Wei Yan can capture Li Yi as soon as possible, this protracted battle can be completely ended, and the Liao army entering the city will be leaderless and easily annihilated.

Seeing this situation, Wang Qian's expression grew increasingly grim, his brows furrowed tightly as he silently plotted:
Now that the three sides are in a stalemate, although he can barely hold off Deng Ai, if the Han army receives reinforcements, the three of them will surely be defeated. At that time, not only will they be in danger, but it will also affect the advance of the Liao army outside the city.

Deng Ai looked at Wang Qian in front of him, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes. A slight smile played on his lips as he asked:
"Your skills are quite good; you're a formidable opponent. I am Deng Shizai. May I ask who you are?"

Wang Qian stared intently at Deng Ai, his eyes filled with vigilance, and replied in an icy tone:
"I am Wang Qian."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two gathered their strength again, their auras suddenly surging, ready to engage in another fierce battle.

Without further ado, the two grappled again, their moves becoming increasingly fierce and their struggle more intense.

Zhang He and Wu Tong, Wei Yan and Li Yi beside him were also locked in a fierce battle, with every move and stance a matter of life and death.

Wei Yan was already harboring a lot of anger.

Of the four city gates, the west gate was the first to be breached, disrupting the Han army's deployment. He remained resentful about this and vented all his dissatisfaction and anger on Li Yi.

Each of his strikes was powerful and heavy, carrying immense force. Li Yi found it increasingly difficult to defend himself. Every attack from Wei Yan made Li Yi's arms go numb, his whole body tremble, and his blood surge.

However, Wei Yan was older than Li Yi, and the long, intense fighting gradually took its toll on his stamina, causing his offensive to slow down and his movements to become somewhat sluggish.

Wang Qian and Wu Tong keenly noticed this change, and their hearts were filled with joy, a glimmer of hope flashing in their eyes.

They kept a close eye on Wei Yan, hoping that Li Yi could seize this rare opportunity to counterattack Wei Yan and turn the tide.

Li Yi also noticed Wei Yan's exhaustion. He knew in his heart that this was his only chance to fight back. If he missed it, his life would surely be in danger today.

Just then, while fighting Deng Ai, Wang Qian excitedly shouted to Li Yi:

"General Li, hold on! Seize the opportunity and launch a full-scale counterattack!"

Hearing Wang Qian's shout, Li Yi's heart pounded, and his fighting spirit was instantly ignited. He unleashed all the remaining strength in his body and exerted his power again, searching for an opening to counterattack.

Finally, in the moment when Wei Yan attacked again with his spear and his movements were slow, Li Yi seized the opportunity, dodged the attack to the side, and launched a counterattack, his weapon aimed directly at Wei Yan's weakness.

Caught off guard, Wei Yan could only hastily switch to defense and barely manage to withstand Li Yi's counterattack.

Seeing Wei Yan fall into a defensive position, Li Yi was overjoyed and intensified his offensive, pressing forward relentlessly and giving Wei Yan no chance to breathe.

However, Wei Yan was highly experienced, and even when he switched to defense, his defense remained solid. Although Li Yi launched fierce attacks, he was still unable to completely defeat Wei Yan.
The sounds of fighting echoed through the city. The six men remained divided into three battlefields, their swords flashing and their attacks deadly.

On the flank of the battlefield, Ma Su personally commanded the troops, with his Han soldiers lined up to block the main passage of the city gate, refusing to yield an inch and strictly prohibiting any Liao soldiers from stepping into the city.

He kept his eyes fixed on the battle, occasionally issuing orders in a deep voice to adjust the formation and ensure that the defense line was impregnable.

Without a commander to direct them, the Liao army was like headless flies, relying solely on their fierce courage and reckless charge.

The soldiers in the rear were eager to break through the city and kept pushing forward. The soldiers in the front row holding shields were pushed and staggered. The shield formation was about to collapse, but they still gritted their teeth and held on.

Relying on the advantage of the city gate, the Han soldiers fought to the death, their spears like a forest and their swords and shields clashing, holding off the Liao army's onslaught. The battle at the city gate became a stalemate.

The two sides traded blows, resulting in numerous casualties, and it was difficult to determine a winner for the time being.

The battle on the city wall was equally fierce. Liao soldiers climbed up the ladders, desperately trying to break through the Han army's defenses, but were repeatedly thwarted by Han soldiers on the city wall with rolling stones and arrows. Their progress was extremely slow, and every step forward came at a heavy cost.

At this time, apart from the west gate, which had been breached by the Liao army and had soldiers pouring in, the three city gates in the east, south, and north were still firmly in the hands of the Han army.

The Liao troops who stormed into the city did not venture too far, but instead engaged in fierce battles with the private armies raised by wealthy merchants in the city's streets.

Screams echoed through the streets and alleys, turning every corner into a blood-soaked battlefield.

However, the private army's fighting strength was ultimately no match for the Liao army's elite troops, and after several battles, the effect of hindering them was minimal.

Upon seeing this, the Liao soldiers who had rushed into the city stopped engaging the private army and turned around, rushing towards the three city gates in an attempt to launch a coordinated attack from within and without, and completely breach the city.

With the west gate breached, the greatest defensive pressure now rests entirely on the east gate.

At the east gate of Fangcheng, Deng Ai, Zhang He, and Wei Yan were engaged in a fierce battle with Li Yi, Wang Qian, and Wu Tong.

After a long and fierce battle, Wei Yan was exhausted. His movements slowed down, and his moves were full of flaws. He could lose his life if he was not careful.

Deng Ai and Zhang He watched with growing anxiety, their attacks becoming increasingly fierce, eager to end the current entanglement as quickly as possible and go to support Wei Yan to stabilize the battle.

On the other side, Wang Qian and Wu Tong also noticed Wei Yan's predicament. They took the opportunity to increase their output, each move ruthless, and kept Deng Ai and the other man firmly in check, not giving them any chance to support Wei Yan.

Just then, shouts from Liao soldiers suddenly came from behind the six men.

The Liao army reinforcements have arrived!
Upon hearing this, Li Yi, Wang Qian, and Wu Tong were overjoyed and their attack became even more ferocious.

Deng Ai, Zhang He, and Wei Yan, however, wore grave expressions, their hearts sinking as they realized the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable.

Upon hearing the Liao army's shouts, Wei Yan's mind went blank, his attention was momentarily diverted, and the openings around him widened once again.

Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Li Yi roared and thrust his spear fiercely toward Wei Yan's heart, determined to kill him with a single blow.

Wei Yan realized the danger and hurriedly withdrew, but Li Yi was already poised to strike and pursued him relentlessly, his spear always locked on his vital points.

At this moment, the eyes of Deng Ai, Zhang He, Wang Qian, and Wu Tong were all focused on Wei Yan, and the battlefield momentarily froze. Deng Ai and Zhang He were shocked and tried to break away to help, but were held back by Wang Qian and Wu Tong.

Wang Qian and Wu Tong looked delighted, waiting for Li Yi to succeed and completely turn the tide of the battle.

But to everyone's surprise, Wei Yan, who seemed to be exhausted, suddenly shifted his body and moved nimbly, barely dodging Li Yi's fatal blow.

Before Li Yi could react, Wei Yan turned around, raised his long sword high, and used the momentum of the turn to slash down fiercely at Li Yi.

Li Yi was so focused on the pursuit that he was caught off guard and had no time to dodge. The long sword struck his vitals, and he died on the spot.

Upon seeing Li Yi killed, Deng Ai and Zhang He were overjoyed and intensified their attack.

Wang Qian and Wu Tong's expressions changed drastically, and they panicked, knowing that the situation was hopeless.

In a moment of panic, Wang Qian seized the opportunity when Zhang He was off guard and suddenly thrust his sword at him, attempting to launch a sneak attack and turn the tide.

Zhang He was a seasoned veteran with exceptional alertness. Sensing the strong wind behind him, he instinctively dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

Seeing that his sneak attack had failed, Wang Qian knew that staying any longer would only lead to his death. He immediately grabbed Wu Tong, stopped fighting, turned around, and left the battlefield. He mounted his horse and fled towards the direction of the Liao reinforcements.

Upon seeing this, Deng Ai, Zhang He, and Wei Yan immediately spurred their horses to give chase, but Wang Qian and the other man fled at top speed, heading towards the direction of Liao reinforcements.

The three pursued for several miles, but seeing that they could not catch up and worried about the city gate defenses being breached, they had no choice but to temporarily abandon the pursuit, turn their horses around, and rush back to the east gate to join the Han army defending the city.

In no time at all, Wang Qian and Wu Tong arrived at the East Gate with reinforcements from the Liao army.

At this moment, the Han soldiers were attacked from both sides. The Liao army outside the city gate was launching a fierce attack in front, and the Liao army brought by Wang Qian was attacking from behind. They were caught in a dilemma, and their casualties continued to increase, and their formation began to loosen.

This sudden turn of events put Ma Su, Deng Ai, and others in a difficult dilemma:

If all forces are gathered and a full-scale counterattack is launched, there may be a chance to break through the Liao army's encirclement and preserve some of the troops.

However, this would mean the complete loss of the East Gate, forcing the Han army to retreat into the city and shrinking the battle line, which would be extremely detrimental to subsequent city defense operations and could even lead to the fall of the entire city.

In this critical moment, Ma Su acted decisively, without hesitation, and loudly issued the order:

"Everyone assemble! Charge into the city!"

Upon hearing this, the Han soldiers immediately obeyed orders and, led by Deng Ai, Zhang He, and Wei Yan, abandoned the city gate defenses and charged into the city.

Meanwhile, the Liao army outside the city gates, unaware of the changes inside the city, continued to push forward with their fierce courage, completely oblivious to the approaching danger.

In the chaos, the Liao soldiers at the front were pushed off balance by the continuous force from behind and fell to the ground. The soldiers behind them could not stop in time and could only step on their fallen comrades to continue advancing.

Taking advantage of the chaos in the Liao army, Deng Ai, Wei Yan, and Zhang He personally protected Ma Su and led the Han soldiers in a fierce charge towards the Liao army led by Wang Qian and others.

The Han army's heavy cavalry took the lead, using their powerful charge to force a gap in the Liao army's wall of soldiers. The rest of the Han soldiers followed closely behind, taking the opportunity to break through the Liao army's pincer attack.
Wang Qian and Wu Tong stood under the east gate, only able to watch helplessly as Deng Ai and others led the Han army through the Liao army's encirclement and sped into the depths of the city.

The frustration of Li Yi's death and the failed ambush was still in their hearts, but when their eyes swept across the open east gate and they saw the Liao soldiers pouring into the city like a tide, their tense nerves suddenly relaxed and the fierceness on their faces dissipated.

After all, the east gate had been breached, and the Liao army had entered the city smoothly. A huge gap had appeared in Fangcheng's defenses, and it was only a matter of time before the Han army was put on the defensive.

The two men stopped dwelling on their failure to retain Deng Ai and the others, and immediately began to reorganize the Liao army at the East Gate. They reprimanded the disorderly soldiers and ordered them to return to their ranks, counted their numbers and gathered their weapons. In a short time, they had the Liao army at the East Gate in perfect order.

Subsequently, Wang Qian and Wu Tong discussed and decided to divide the Liao army at the east gate into two. Each of them led half of the troops, mounted their horses, whipped their horses, and galloped at full speed toward the north and south gates.

They planned to take advantage of the Han army's unstable foothold, cooperate with the Liao army outside the city, and completely breach the other two city gates to capture the entire Fangcheng.

On the other side, Deng Ai and his men broke through the Liao army's pincer attack and sped all the way to the center of Fangcheng.

This is the transportation hub of the city, with crisscrossing streets and alleys, and the sounds of fighting can be clearly heard coming from the north and south gates.

Without a moment to catch their breath, Deng Ai and Ma Su acted decisively and clearly divided their tasks:

Deng Ai personally led his troops, together with Ma Su, to the South Gate to provide support and stabilize the South Gate defense line.

Wei Yan and Zhang He led the other half of their soldiers to rush to the north gate to defend against the impending Liao army offensive and hold the two remaining city gates.

After the discussion, the two groups immediately parted ways and sped off towards their respective destinations.

At this moment, the atmosphere on the fourth floor of the most bustling Da Liao Fang in Fangcheng was unusually solemn.

Several wealthy merchants sat together, the faint sounds of fighting outside the city reaching their ears, making them increasingly panicked.

A messenger knelt on one knee and urgently reported the battle situation both inside and outside the city. After listening, the wealthy merchants frowned even more and whispered among themselves, full of worry.

They knew that if the city fell, their own property and even their lives would be in danger.

Xiao He stood by the window, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic battle within the city. His fingers tapped lightly on the windowsill, his expression calm, his mind racing as he searched for a way to break the deadlock.

He knew in his heart that the situation was now extremely critical:
Seventy thousand Liao troops have successfully entered the city. The east and west gates are completely under Liao control, while only the north and south gates remain in Han hands.

In terms of troop strength, the Han army is far inferior to the Liao army. If the stalemate continues for a long time, defeat is inevitable. We must find a clever move to break the current deadlock.

After pondering for a long time, Xiao He suddenly turned around, his gaze falling on the wealthy businessman Chen Li, and suddenly asked:
"Can you immediately assemble all your private troops?"

Upon hearing Xiao He's question, Chen Li paused for a moment, then lowered his head to think:

The private army was scattered throughout the city. Some were fighting with the Liao army that had stormed into the city, while others were guarding their own residences. It would not be easy for them to gather all of them in a short period of time.

But he also knew that this was a matter of life and death, and only by working together could they have a chance of survival.

A moment later, Chen Li raised his head and replied with a firm tone:

"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, yes, I will immediately send men to gather them. I will be able to assemble all the private troops in the shortest possible time." (End of Chapter)