The Empress has abandoned me? I'll support a new emperor and destroy your kingdom!

At the third quarter of the Yin hour, the darkest and coldest time of day in the world.

Iron Wall Pass is like a giant beast lurking in the bitter cold of the far north, its body covered in wounds but its fangs still intact. In the last deep darkness before dawn, it silently tenses every muscle and every bone.

The torches atop the city wall flickered erratically in the increasingly violent north wind, like the heavy breathing of a giant beast, carrying the stench of blood and rust.

There were no bugles, no war drums, and not even the usual shouts.

Before the first rays of dawn had even pierced the eastern night, a shadow, darker and deeper than the darkness itself, had already silently risen over the frozen earth outside the Iron Wall Pass, a land soaked in days of gunfire and bloodshed.

They are Di people. Luandi Maodun has staked everything.

It's no longer a probing attack, no longer localized harassment.

It was a truly all-out, determined attack!

Like a silent avalanche, the black tide surged slowly yet irresistibly toward the isolated Iron Wall Pass from three directions!

Cavalry in front, infantry behind, countless siege ladders, battering rams, and makeshift arrow towers dragged their shrill sounds across the frozen snow.

There was no noise, only the clashing of armor, the crunch of horses' hooves on the snow, and the deep hum of tens of thousands of heavy breaths, suppressed to the extreme, as if they were about to burst open at any moment.

Modu rode a magnificent black horse, clad in golden wolf armor, standing beneath the central army banner. His gaze, like that of a wolf on an icy plain, was fixed on the indistinct outline of the Iron Wall Pass in the darkness.

He knew that once dawn broke, Marquis Weiyuan's army would be completely connected with the garrison inside the pass, making it as difficult as ascending to heaven to break through the pass.

This is the last chance, and the only chance.

He must, before dawn, crush this fortified city with absolute power, crush the woman inside who has repeatedly ruined his plans, and crush those ignorant southerners who dare to resist his iron hooves!

"Pass on the order," Luan Di Maodun's voice was hoarse, filled with the desire of blood and fire, "First wave, Blood Wolf Cavalry will lead the formation, all units will drive away slave soldiers and prisoners to fill the trenches!"

At all costs, I want the moat filled with corpses within half an hour!

The second wave: a fierce infantry assault! All ladders are mounted on the city walls! The Kheshig troops, prepare yourselves! When the city gates fall, follow me and charge in, leaving no one alive!

"Waaaaah—!"

The mournful sound of a bull's horn finally shattered the deathly silence! The attack has begun!

Like a dam collapsing, the black tide suddenly accelerated, roaring deafeningly!

Driven ahead were ragged, wailing captive civilians and prisoners of war, forced by swords and guns to carry sacks of earth and bundles of firewood towards the already frozen but still deadly moat!

Behind him were the cold arrows of the Di cavalry; any hesitation would mean certain death!

"Fire!" On the city wall, Zhou Bo roared furiously, his eyes bloodshot.

Arrows rained down, indiscriminately striking friend and foe alike, falling upon the dense crowd below the city.

Screams instantly echoed through the sky as countless figures collapsed on the edge of the icy moat, their blood melting the ice and soaking the frozen ground.

But many more, driven by the fear of death and the swords and guns behind them, surged forward frantically, pushing the corpses of their comrades and enemies, along with sacks of earth and bundles of firewood, into the river!

Tragic! Tragic like never before!

"Thunderbolts! Rolling stones!" Zhou Bo's voice was hoarse from shouting.

Huge stones and logs crashed down from the city walls, carving bloody furrows through the crowded streets.

The oil was poured on, the rockets ignited, and the area below the city instantly turned into a sea of ​​fire. The stench of burnt human flesh and the agonizing screams were nauseating.

But the Di people were too numerous and their offensive too fierce! Corpses and debris piled up rapidly, and the moat was filled in and became shallower at a visible speed!

"A siege ladder! It's a siege ladder!"

Dozens of tall siege ladders were pushed frantically toward the city wall by the Di infantry, on the road paved with the lives of slave soldiers and prisoners of war. The heavy ladder heads slammed heavily onto the crenellations, causing the entire city wall to tremble!

Countless Di soldiers, with curved swords in their mouths, climbed upwards like ants!

"Swordsmen and shieldmen! Push forward! Pikemen, thrust down! Oil! Pour oil!"

The city walls instantly transformed into a brutal battlefield.

Amidst the flashing blades and flying blood and flesh, the defending soldiers roared and poured scalding hot molten gold and oil down, burning the climbing Di people into flames as they screamed and fell to the ground.

Long spears, like a forest, fiercely thrust out from the gaps in the battlements, piercing through the Di soldiers who had just peeked out.

But there were simply too many Di people, and they were fearless in the face of death. As soon as one fell, another immediately took its place. Soon, some brave Di soldiers leaped onto the city wall and engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand battle with the defenders!

In front of the Zhenbei Tower, Yun Jin's silver armor was stained with blood and dust.

She held a strong bow in her hand, and her arrows never missed their mark, targeting the Di officers and brave warriors who were about to scale the city walls.

Qingdai, holding a short sword, stood guard beside her, her face pale, yet she did not retreat an inch.

Like a loyal shadow, the night owl always kept Yun Jin within three steps, firing crossbow bolts in rapid succession to kill any Di soldiers who tried to get close.

"Your Highness! There are three siege ladders at the East Gate! They can't hold out much longer!" A captain with a bloodied face staggered in to report.

"Send Han Lie's archer battalion over there! Use armor-piercing arrows to cut the ropes of the siege ladders! What about the men Commander Zhao left behind? Send half of them over there and drive the Di dogs who are scaling the city walls back!"

Yun Jin spoke calmly and quickly gave the order. The bowstring in her hand twanged again, and a Di centurion who had just peeked out from the rampart a dozen paces away fell to the ground with an arrow stuck in his throat.

"yes!"

The battle began with the most brutal attrition from the very beginning.

The Di people, disregarding casualties, surged wave after wave, like an endless tide, relentlessly crashing against the seemingly precarious yet unyielding reef of Tiebi Pass.

On the city walls, the defenders were suffering heavy casualties; corpses piled up, leaving almost no room to step. Arrows, logs, rolling stones, and oil were being used up rapidly.

In many areas, the defending troops were already using their own flesh and blood to withstand the blades of the Di people.

"Report! An inside agent has appeared near the Ximen granary and is attempting arson!"

"Report! Toxins have been found in the wells in the southern part of the city. The wells have been sealed off, but the water level is low!"

"Report! There are Di assassins digging at the east gate's secondary gate!"

Bad news kept coming in.

Luandi Modu truly lived up to his reputation as a powerful warlord of the grasslands, not only launching direct attacks but also employing intrigue and cunning to the fullest extent.

"Commander Zhou, you personally go to the West Gate, extinguish the fire, find the traitor, and execute him without mercy!"

Yun Jin said to Zhou Bo, who was covered in blood beside her, "Night Owl, take men to the south city, activate the backup water source, and protect the well! Qingdai, send a signal to the special force left by Commander Zhao to go to the east gate and bury the Di dogs who are digging the tunnel inside!"

Despite the extreme chaos and danger, the orders remained clear and decisive.

Zhou Bo gave Yun Jin a deep look, his eyes filled with worry, determination, and a trust that transcended superior-subordinate relationships, a trust that was bound together by life and death.

He nodded emphatically, drew his sword, and charged toward the west gate.