With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

Just as Li Zhengfang's head was about to fall, Morigen swayed and easily caught it with his hand; the blood-stained head was still wide open.

Morigen weighed his head and loudly ordered his troops, "Surround Lulong Prefecture and kill all the Northern Han soldiers. Do not let a single one escape!"

We can't cause trouble for our allies, after all, we'll need them later, hahaha!

The laughter was chilling, echoing across the city walls and sending a shiver down one's spine.

"Tanker these two heads and send them to Shuofang and Beiyuan City to show those cowards of the Northern Han. Let them know that this is what happens when they resist."

Upon receiving the order, the Northern Xiongnu army immediately tightened the encirclement, trapping the remaining defenders of Lulong Prefecture in the streets and corners, where the sounds of fighting and wailing erupted once again.

That day, Chen Hai was inspecting the training progress in the camp when he was suddenly summoned to a meeting.

Before long, he returned quickly, his face solemn, and immediately summoned the battalion commanders, as well as Lin Hu, Liu Yun, and others to his tent.

"I just received an urgent military intelligence," Chen Hai said, glancing around at everyone. His voice was low and urgent.

"Two days ago, Lulong Prefecture was captured. General Yangwei Li Zhengfang and General Jing'an Xue Tao were both killed in battle, and the 150,000 soldiers defending the city were all captured by the enemy."

The tent fell into a deathly silence; even breathing seemed to be suppressed.

"At present, Beiyuan City and Shuofang Prefecture have been besieged by the Northern Xiongnu army, and the battle situation is extremely critical."

Following the orders of General Feng Kun, General Luo Jian will personally lead 40,000 troops to reinforce Shuofang, while 10,000 troops will remain in Yulin Prefecture to garrison the area.

Our Chen family, numbering 1,500, has been incorporated into this main force of 40,000.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the tense faces: "The main force will join forces with the 40,000 reinforcements from Anyuan Prefecture, totaling 80,000, to rush to the aid of the 150,000 garrison in Shuofang Prefecture and jointly defeat the 100,000 Northern Xiongnu troops besieging the city."

After repelling the enemy, they marched straight towards Beiyuan City, where 200,000 Northern Xiongnu cavalry were pressing in, and the prefecture of Beiyuan was in imminent danger.

The entire military camp was in turmoil, with the various lords' troops starting to pack up their camps, supplies, and check the condition of their weapons and soldiers.

The soldiers' relaxed expressions were replaced by solemnity. Some were talking in hushed tones, while others were silently wiping their weapons. The air was thick with the tension of impending battle.

Under the command of General Luo Jian, the army lined up in formation, banners fluttering, the sound of hooves and footsteps blending into a deep rumble as they marched toward Shuofang Prefecture.

Shuofang Prefecture was the first line of defense of Beiyuan County, located in front of Yulin Prefecture.

The terrain along the way was open, and with air troops providing cover, there was no need to worry about surprise attacks from the Northern Xiongnu.

As long as Shuofang Prefecture is not lost, the enemy will never dare to easily bypass it and rush straight to the rear, otherwise they will be in danger of being attacked from both sides.

As they approached Shuofang Prefecture, billowing dust appeared on the distant horizon, indicating that 40,000 troops from Anyuan Prefecture were rapidly approaching.

The two armies responded to each other from afar and soon joined forces. Their battle formation stretched out like an iron torrent, with their banners linked together, and they advanced majestically towards Shuofang Prefecture.

As the army gradually approached Shuofang Prefecture, scouts from the Northern Xiongnu began to appear on the horizon ahead.

Those were Northern Xiongnu warriors riding wolf-riding cavalry, scattered in twos and threes along the edges of the distant hills and forests, occasionally urging their mounts to maneuver forward, their eyes and senses locked on the movements of the main army.

In the air, Northern Xiongnu flying soldiers circled back and forth, their wings sweeping across the sky, patrolling between the clouds and the ground, and transmitting what they saw back to the enemy camp as signals.

General Luo Jian, who was prepared, immediately dispatched cavalry and aerial reconnaissance troops to drive them away.

However, the enemy was still far away and acted cautiously, withdrawing before our forces could get close. Several attempts to drive them away yielded little result.

Luo Jian had an elite force under his command, the Azure Vanguard Cavalry, personally led by him, a first-rate martial artist. There were eight Azure Vanguard Cavalry, all of which were contracted by him and his subordinates.

Seeing this, Luo Jian ordered them to attack. The eight riders shot off like arrows, chasing after the Northern Xiongnu scouts ahead and quickly catching up with them using their speed.

Together with their own cavalry who arrived shortly afterward, they surrounded and attacked, killing the two Northern Xiongnu warriors in a short time.

Apart from that, there were no other gains.

Although two scouts were killed, the whereabouts and approximate size of the army were already known to the Northern Xiongnu.

This is not surprising. In this world, although flying nests are rare, behemoths like the Northern Xiongnu and the Northern Han must have reserves.

Especially in the military, aerial reconnaissance soldiers are almost standard equipment, and long-distance reconnaissance is not difficult.

As the outline of Shuofang Prefecture City came into view in the distance, the communications soldier on the city wall flapped his wings and came running, bringing the latest military intelligence.

The army then continued its southward advance, pressing forward relentlessly.

The Northern Xiongnu clearly realized that their own forces were strong and were worried about being attacked from both sides. The enemy troops that had surrounded the south gate began to slowly retreat northward and shrink towards the north gate of the city.

Moments later, the entire 100,000-strong Northern Xiongnu army assembled outside the North Gate, forming an impenetrable formation, awaiting the arrival of Northern Han reinforcements.

Luo Jian led his troops to the south gate of Shuofang Prefecture, but did not order them to enter the city.

Firstly, there was concern that the large army entering the city could easily cause chaos, and if the formation and command were disordered, it would give the Northern Xiongnu an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Secondly, once they entered the city, the Northern Xiongnu would encircle them again, effectively locking the 80,000-strong army inside, leaving them with no room for maneuver.

In the past, such a situation would not have been unsolvable. The 230,000 defending troops, relying on the fortified city, could have held out against the enemy for a long time, until the enemy ran out of supplies and retreated without a fight.

This time, however, the situation was completely different. The Northern Xiongnu army had just plundered a large amount of supplies from Lulong Prefecture and had ample provisions. If they were trapped in an isolated city, it would be the Northern Han that could not afford to wait.

Therefore, the two armies were left with only one option: open field battle.

Abandoning the protection of the city walls and instead engaging the Northern Xiongnu in a direct confrontation on the open field is undoubtedly a poor strategy from a military point of view, but the Northern Han has no time to waste at the moment.

The messengers from Beiyuan City kept flying in from afar, pleading for reinforcements. Facing 200,000 Northern Xiongnu cavalry, Beiyuan City was in dire straits. They had to defeat the 100,000 enemy troops in front of them as soon as possible before they could spare troops to rush to Beiyuan's aid.

The consequences of the fall of Lulong Prefecture are gradually becoming apparent.

Firstly, the Northern Xiongnu thus obtained a large amount of food and equipment supplies, greatly increasing their combat strength and endurance, and they no longer needed to worry about logistics in the short term.

Secondly, the Northern Xiongnu forces that were originally divided to attack three cities have now been concentrated in the Northern Plains and Shuofang due to the success of Lulong Prefecture, forming a clear advantage in troop strength.

Third, the Northern Han's margin for error has been reduced to an extremely low level. If they lose another tough battle, their defenses may collapse completely, with unimaginable consequences.

The first line of defense of Beiyuan County has been breached, although there are second and third lines of defense behind it, including Yulin Prefecture.

However, everyone knew that the troops stationed on these two lines of defense had already been largely redeployed to the front lines, and their combat readiness and defensive strength were far less than before.

If Beiyuan City falls again, Shuofang Prefecture will inevitably be unable to hold on alone and will also fall.

Once the first line of defense falls completely, it's only a matter of time before Beiyuan County is occupied by the Northern Xiongnu.

If Beiyuan Commandery is lost, the Northern Xiongnu can advance unimpeded and further threaten the situation in Yanmen Commandery, and the entire western border defense system of the Northern Han will face the danger of collapse.