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

Upon hearing Chen Li's affirmative answer, a glint of light flashed in Xiao He's eyes. Without further hesitation, he immediately gave the order:
"Immediately assemble all private troops and send them all to reinforce the South Gate. The South Gate defense line is currently under the most strain. Only by holding the South Gate can we buy the Han army a chance to catch their breath and have a chance to turn the tide of the battle."

"Yes!"

Chen Li and the others responded in unison, not daring to delay for a moment, and immediately turned and left, sending their men to various places to gather private troops.

Before half an incense stick had burned, Chen Li hurriedly returned to report:

"Grand Marshal, the summons has been issued and all private troops have set off one after another, heading towards the south gate. They should arrive in as little as a quarter of an hour."

Xiao He nodded slowly upon hearing this, walked to the window again, looked south, frowned slightly, and continued to ponder the next steps.

Although the private army has been dispatched, the Liao army is strong, and it is still unknown whether the private army and the Han army at the south gate can hold the line.

Just then, a soldier, drenched in sweat, loudly reported:
"Reporting to the Grand Marshal! The Liao army that entered through the east gate has split into two groups and is advancing at full speed towards the north and south gates. They are expected to arrive soon!"

These words were like a thunderclap, instantly shattering the tranquility of the room.

The wealthy merchants, who had been whispering amongst themselves, suddenly erupted into a commotion. The discussions grew increasingly heated, with some showing signs of panic and others pacing anxiously back and forth, worried that the north and south gates would be breached and the city would fall completely.

They knew better than anyone that the private army was not a regular elite force. If they encountered the enemy on the way, it would not be a simple skirmish, but a bitter battle to the death.

Moreover, the opposing force is the fierce Liao army. Given the equipment and combat strength of the private army, a direct confrontation would inevitably result in heavy casualties, and the entire army might even be wiped out.

Overwhelmed with worry, Chen Li could no longer contain himself and quickly stepped forward, bowing to Xiao He and asking:

"Grand Marshal, what should we do now that things have come to this?"

Xiao He stood silently with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed, gazing intently into the distance at the battlefield, lost in deep thought…

On the other side of the battlefield, Song Qi was personally leading a group of Han soldiers, trudging through the dust, and speeding towards the south gate.

Not far behind them, the private army that was providing support was also hurrying along, following closely behind. However, neither Song Qi's Han army nor the private army behind them noticed that an invisible crisis was quietly approaching.

Song Qi and his group walked along the wide road, heading straight for the South Gate, while the private army was also converging towards the South Gate. Although the two groups had the same goal, they never met, and they were unaware that the battlefield ahead was already a mess.

By this time, outside the south gate, corpses lay strewn everywhere and blood flowed like rivers.

Deng Ai and Ma Su led another detachment of Han troops and hurriedly arrived at the city gate, where they saw the fierce battle unfolding in the distance:

Wei Yan stood alone at the front of the battle, clinging tightly to the makeshift barrier, desperately trying to stop the Liao army's attack. His body was already surrounded by the corpses of Liao soldiers.

Han soldiers and Liao soldiers were locked in a fierce battle.

The Liao soldiers were never afraid of death. Even when they saw the corpses of their comrades piled up like mountains, they showed no fear and continued to surge towards Wei Yan's direction like a tidal wave.

The main battlefield at the South Gate remained outside the city, where Han soldiers were fighting desperately against wave after wave of Liao army's frenzied attacks.

The heavily armored cavalry at the front of the battle were like tigers descending from the mountain. Wherever their hooves trampled, Liao soldiers fell to the ground, mercilessly reaping the lives of the enemy.

Even the few Liao soldiers who managed to escape the cavalry charge were quickly hit by arrows fired by the Han army from behind and fell to the ground.

Beneath the city gate, a group of Han soldiers holding shields stood close together, blocking the south gate completely and giving the Liao army no chance to take advantage.

Behind the shields, Han soldiers wielding spears waited for their chance to strike. Whenever Liao soldiers approached, they would thrust their spears forward and bravely kill the enemy.

Meanwhile, the city walls of the south gate had already been regained control by the Han army. The archers on the walls were providing precise long-range support to the Han soldiers below, with arrows raining down and constantly suppressing the Liao army's offensive.

With such tacit cooperation, the Han army at the south gate suffered very few casualties and managed to stabilize the battle situation for a time.

Faced with the relentless attacks of the Liao soldiers, the Han soldiers were exhausted both physically and mentally, and their faces were etched with fatigue.

No one knows how long this resistance can last.

Just as the Han soldiers were gradually losing their strength and showing signs of exhaustion, they suddenly heard a series of rapid hoofbeats and footsteps behind them.

When everyone turned around and saw that reinforcements had arrived, their faces instantly lit up with joy, and their fatigue dissipated somewhat.

Subsequently, Ma Su ascended the city wall, his gaze quickly sweeping across the battlefield. He decisively ordered the Han troops on the city wall and below to quickly adjust their formation and build new defensive fortifications.

But Ma Su knew in his heart that the battle situation was still dire:

Two city gates have already fallen. The total strength of the Han army is far inferior to that of the Liao army. If they want to withstand the Liao army's fierce attack for a long time, the only way is to kill as many Liao soldiers as possible and deplete the enemy's manpower. Only then can they have a chance of survival.

What worries him even more is that the army's ammunition reserves are running low and cannot support long-range support for long periods of time.

After weighing the options, Ma Su had no choice but to grit his teeth and order the cessation of long-range support from the city walls.

As the firepower on the city walls suddenly ceased, the Han army outside the city was instantly placed under immense pressure.

Previously, with the suppression from long-range support on the city wall, the Liao army's charge was repeatedly interrupted, and only a small number of soldiers were able to reach the city gate.

But now that the city walls are no longer a barrier, more and more Liao soldiers are rushing to the city gates, forming dense formations, and their offensive is becoming increasingly fierce.

Even though the heavily armored cavalry at the front were still fighting hard and constantly killing Liao soldiers, the pressure on the Han army was rising sharply in the face of the endless stream of enemy troops.

Fortunately, Ma Su brought a heavy cavalry unit with him. The two cavalry units cooperated and fought hard to hold off the enemy, barely managing to stabilize the situation and keeping the pressure under control for the time being.

At this critical moment, Ma Su glanced up unintentionally and was shocked to see a figure that made his heart sink.

Song Qi was leading a group of men toward the south gate.

Upon closer inspection, Ma Su's face instantly turned deathly pale:
Following behind Song Qi was actually a group of Liao soldiers!
Another Liao army reinforcement arrived, and the Han soldiers, already under immense pressure, were plunged into despair upon seeing this, their joy vanishing completely.

Suppressing his shock, Ma Su decisively ordered the Han soldiers to adjust their defensive formation and concentrate their forces, hoping to temporarily hold off Song Qi's Liao army and buy time for reinforcements from other directions.

But he knew in his heart that the makeshift defense he had put together could not solve the problem at its root.

If all the Han troops could have gathered at the south gate, they might have had a fighting chance and could have put up a fight against the Liao army. But now, the number of Han troops present was limited, and they could only barely hold their own, with no ability to launch a counterattack.

Before long, under the fierce onslaught of the Liao soldiers, the defensive line painstakingly constructed by the Han army was gradually breached and broken through.

Ma Su stood atop the city wall, watching the Han army retreating steadily below. His face was grave, his brows furrowed, and his hands clenched into fists as he anxiously pondered a way to break the deadlock.

Just as the situation was at a stalemate, chaos suddenly broke out in the Liao army led by Song Qi.

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized that it was the private army that had been traveling earlier. Taking advantage of the Liao army's unpreparedness, they quietly circled around to the flank and launched a sudden attack, creating chaos in the Liao army's ranks.

The private army's surprise attack caught the Liao army off guard, disrupting their deployment. Many Liao soldiers were disoriented and suffered casualties. The first wave of the surprise attack was a resounding success.

But Song Qi was a seasoned veteran with exceptional mental fortitude. After a brief moment of panic, he quickly regained his composure and shouted sharply:

"Everyone stay calm! Don't panic!"

The Liao soldiers, who had been scattered, gradually calmed down upon hearing the sound, gripped their weapons tightly, regrouped, and regained their footing.

Immediately afterwards, Song Qi gave another order, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"Soldiers in the rear, turn around quickly, form a defensive formation, and attack the attacking enemy with all your might to hold the rear!"

After the order was given, the Liao soldiers in the rear immediately turned around, formed a neat formation, and launched a fierce attack on the private army.

The private army was just a hastily assembled force with limited combat power, and its success relied entirely on surprise attacks. Now, facing the organized counterattack of the Liao army, it was simply unable to resist and was routed in no time.

Seeing this, Song Qi's lips curled into a contemptuous smile, his eyes filled with disdain, as if mocking the private army's utter weakness.

However, he failed to notice that this brief period of chaos had given the Han army a chance to catch their breath. The Han soldiers, who had been forced to retreat step by step, took the opportunity to withdraw significantly, readjust their defensive posture, and alleviate the previous pressure.

Song Qi's gaze swept across the battlefield, and upon seeing the situation, he immediately ordered the Liao soldiers to launch a more ferocious offensive, hoping to take advantage of the Han army's recent adjustment of formation and unstable footing to break through the defenses and regain the initiative on the battlefield.

Just as the Liao soldiers launched a fierce charge, swarming densely towards the Han army's defensive line, the Han soldiers on the city wall suddenly raised their weapons and began firing intensively.

Arrows rained down like rain, and the Liao soldiers at the forefront had no time to dodge. They fell to the ground in droves, screams echoing everywhere, and the momentum of their charge was instantly halted.

Standing at the front of the battle line, Song Qi witnessed the heavy casualties among his soldiers. His expression changed drastically, and his previous contempt vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, the private army that had previously scattered and fled quietly regrouped and launched another attack.

They were adept at guerrilla warfare, avoiding direct confrontation with the Liao army. Instead, they would strike and then retreat, immediately disappearing afterward. This kept the Liao soldiers busy and unable to advance with full force.

Ma Su, perched atop the city wall, looked down at Song Qi, who was in a state of utter disarray on the battlefield, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Song Qi noticed Ma Su's gaze and, seeing his soldiers suffering terribly from the harassment by the private army, his expression grew increasingly grim.

What troubled him even more was that after the two sneak attacks, the Liao soldiers had become wary and began to be on guard against the private army. Everyone was anxious and couldn't help but look around when marching.

Taking advantage of the Liao army's demoralized state and the slowing of their offensive, the Han soldiers retreated again, reinforcing their defensive lines.

At this point, the battle line outside the south gate of Fangcheng was finally stabilized.

Although the Liao army remained aggressive, it was unable to advance even half a step, and the two sides were locked in a brief stalemate.

The prolonged fighting rapidly depleted the morale and physical strength of both armies' soldiers.

The Han soldiers held on desperately, not daring to relax their guard, as their forces were already at a disadvantage and a slight misstep could lead to total defeat.

As time passed and the sun began to set, the physical strength of both armies began to decline noticeably, their movements became sluggish, and the intensity of their fighting was not as fierce as before.

However, the Han army was significantly more exhausted than the Liao army. Both their manpower and physical strength were nearing their limits, and many soldiers could barely stand by supporting themselves with their weapons.

On the open ground outside the south gate of the city, corpses had already piled up like a mountain.

Inside the south gate of the city, Song Qi remained undeterred, still directing the Liao soldiers to break through the Han army's defenses and try to break the current stalemate.

However, the private army's guerrilla tactics constantly roamed behind and on the flanks of the Liao army, launching harassment attacks from time to time, hitting and running away, making it impossible for the Liao army to defend against them and concentrate all its forces to attack the Han army's defenses.

Thus, the two armies remained deadlocked inside and outside the South Gate, neither able to break through the other's defenses.

The fighting was equally fierce at the north gate of Fangcheng.

Fei Yi sat on the city tower, his expression calm and composed, directing Zhang Liao and Guan Suo in an orderly manner to jointly resist the fierce attack of the Liao army.

Xiao He had already devised a delaying tactic, and Fei Yi's every command was precise and ruthless, with only one objective.

Hold back the Liao army firmly, buying enough time for reinforcements from other directions.

Seeing this, Liao army commander Su Pi once again mobilized a large number of troops, which poured into Fangcheng.

The Liao army that came this time numbered 100,000, more than twice the size of the Han army, and their densely packed figures filled the open field outside the North Gate.

Fortunately, the private army arrived in time to provide support, diverting some of the Liao army's forces and relieving much of the pressure on the Han army. The defense line, which was on the verge of collapse, was also stabilized.

As planned, Guan Suo led a detachment of Han soldiers to garrison the city, relying on the city walls and streets to build defenses, blocking the Liao army layer by layer, and doing everything possible to delay the Liao army's advance and prevent them from easily breaking through the city gates.

Zhang Liao personally led his heavy cavalry in a preemptive strike, engaging the main Liao army in a fierce battle in the open area outside the north gate.

At this time, the north and south gates of Fangcheng had been reduced to mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Whether in the open fields of the North Gate or inside and outside the city gate of the South Gate, corpses were piled up like mountains, and blood soaked the ground.

Another fierce battle raged on for a long time, and the situation on the battlefield gradually became clear.

The intense, continuous fighting left both armies increasingly exhausted, but only their inherent resilience sustained them as they continued to fight. (End of Chapter)