Demon Lord Tang Dynasty

Zhang Ziyan decisively issued the order.

Although he desperately wanted to achieve great deeds and live up to the weapon in his hand and the high expectations of his adoptive father.

However, Zhang Ziyan is by no means an ambitious but incompetent person who only talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk.

He grew up by Yang Lin's side and received his personal instruction from him.

Although she was born a woman, Zhang Ziyan's talents were by no means inferior to most men in the world.

Otherwise, no matter how much Yang Lin loved him, he wouldn't have rashly entrusted Zhang Ziyan with such an important task.

The bizarre changes in the situation made Zhang Ziyan feel extremely dangerous.

Prior to this, the army marched north, with a formidable force of 20,000 elite troops on its side, ensuring that Wuchuan City remained as stable as Mount Tai, unafraid of any disturbances.

But now that the army has left, the devastated state of Wuchuan City has been instantly exposed.

A city that is leaky on all sides requires an enormous amount of defensive power.

Right now, what she lacks most is undoubtedly power.

Most importantly, it is the King's Banner of Kaoshan.

That was the symbol of Yang Lin, the symbol of the Kao Shan Army, and even the symbol of the Sui Dynasty.

Its importance goes without saying.

Previously, with the army still present, the royal banner was naturally synonymous with grandeur and imposing presence, enough to awe all around.

But now, Wuchuan's power has greatly weakened.

Wang Qi is still Wang Qi, but he has suddenly become a very conspicuous target.

Once the enemy finds out, there's no need to think twice about what they will choose to do.

Zhang Ziyan understood this, and even Luo Fang, who had already left, understood it.

However, after discussing it, the two decided to leave the flag in Wuchuan instead of having the army carry it.

I'm just worried about encountering danger.

The sudden fall of Baiguan Pass strongly suggests that the main force of the Turks was mobilized.

Moreover, this situation is very much like a siege attacking reinforcements.

In Luo Fang and Zhang Ziyan's view, their journey to Baiguan would inevitably lead to an unimaginable bloody battle.

They had no choice but to go, but the banner of the King of the Mountain could not be lost.

Of course, there's also the most important point.

This flag represents Yang Lin.

If Yang Lin were to abruptly withdraw his flag and return after marching north, it would undoubtedly signify his defeat.

No one will investigate whether it was Yang Lin or his adopted son who commanded the army.

All they could say was that Yang Linwang's banner went north into the desert, but they didn't even see the enemy before slinking away south in disgrace.

For their adopted son and daughter, who regarded Yang Lin as their faith, this was worse than killing them.

"Yes, Your subordinate will immediately convey the message to General Xue," the lieutenant replied swiftly.

Zhang Ziyan finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Wuchuan is now an isolated city. They have no idea whether the enemy will come or from where.

This feeling keeps me up at night and sends chills down my spine.

But leaving Wuchuan is even more impossible.

Even if Wuchuan falls again, it is still just a city.

To abandon the city walls and venture into the boundless grasslands and deserts is to walk into a trap.

Most importantly, there are also food supplies within Wuchuan City, which must not only supply Xue Liang's vanguard but also support Luo Fang's troops.

If Luo Fang is unable to capture Baiguan in a short time, the food supplies of Wuchuan City will be the lifeblood of the army.

Therefore, no matter how worried Zhang Ziyan was, she had to stay firmly in Wuchuan.

The best solution now is to get Xue Liang back quickly.

With his thousands of elite troops replenishing the defenses, Wuchuan's defenses will be even more solid, and even if the battle at Baiguan goes badly, they will have enough strength to provide support.

"Alright, that's settled then. Everyone, be on your best behavior. Also, keep a close eye on the situation at Baiguan. Send out scouts and report back every day. We must not delay."

"yes!"

Zhang Ziyan rubbed her temples before waving her hand: "Alright, everyone go down and do your jobs."

The lieutenants below all bowed in unison.

Just then, a figure covered in blood rushed straight into the tent.

"General...the enemy...the enemy attacks..."

"boom!"

The entire command tent looked as if it had been bombed.

……

"kill!"

West of Wuchuan City, through a gaping hole in the city wall, a chilling tide of cavalry surged in.

After hesitating for a long time, Gao Yi finally couldn't bear to give up the temptation in front of him.

If things proceed as planned, he would lead his cavalry back and, together with Bai Yue'er, launch a pincer attack. He would be almost 90% confident of defeating Xue Liang's vanguard.

After that, he was able to gain a considerable amount of space to maneuver.

But to be honest, the subsequent developments were still not very promising.

After all, the current environment of the Maitreya sect is very strange.

Following the path of wisdom and development exemplified by the Dharma Protector, the Maitreya sect can be said to have become a product that neither truly belongs to the group nor to the group.

He was in the Turkic Khaganate, and had no connection with the Sui Dynasty, but he also did not have a close relationship with the Turkic Khaganate.

The Maitreya religion developed in the Turkic region for many years, much like a self-sufficient mountain village.

These days, if you're out in the world, without connections or networks, how can you possibly have any potential for advancement?

During the Sui Dynasty, powerful aristocratic families held sway.

The same applies to the Turks; if one has connections with the Ashina royal family or other top-tier powerful clans, one can naturally live a prosperous life.

But it's clear that Protector Bai doesn't have such connections, and has never even considered it.

That's why, even if Gao Yi wins the battle and then moves on, there aren't really any good places for him to go.

While the Turkic peoples were indeed a dog-eat-dog world, they also had their own set of rules.

Seize territory? Seize people? With just a few thousand men?

Gao Yi wasn't that naive.

One or two might not be a problem, but if you steal too many, it will definitely attract a siege.

It should be noted that among the three powerful states in the north and south, the Turks had a million archers, and the Sui Dynasty was naturally no less formidable, and could even prevail if pushed too far. Even Goguryeo, which was being beaten by the Sui Dynasty, could field a strong army of five or six hundred thousand.

If you only know how to fight head-on, you're just asking for trouble.

Gao Yi knew that the Maitreya sect had great potential.

After all, there was Mahayana Buddhism before it, and White Lotus Buddhism and Luo Sect after it.

These are all organizations that share the same lineage and are dedicated to their mission.

However, for it to truly spread like wildfire, both time and space are required.

In other words, it requires a process of rapidly increasing troop numbers.

Everything Gao Yi is doing now is in order to seize time and space.

If it were just the previous plan, Gao Yi could only break the deadlock, but ultimately could not directly change the situation.

But things are different now; the situation in Wuchuan City has given him an opportunity.

If it were any other city, Gao Yi would never have made this choice.

After all, after several battles, he only had a little over a thousand cavalrymen left.

Attacking a fortified city with such limited strength will only result in utter defeat.

But Wuchuan is different. Just as Protector Bai said before, Wuchuan is now a ruined city.

Although the Sui army moved in and made some repairs, it was only a rough renovation and they couldn't make any major changes.

However, Gao Yi did not dare to be careless in the slightest.

This battle was different from the previous two. Although it was also a siege, it was a real head-on collision.

Moreover, even if he were to break into the city, he wouldn't have an absolute guarantee of victory.

So this time, Gao Yi didn't just stand by and watch; instead, he spurred his horse and charged to the very front.

This time, there is no turning back! Victory or death!