My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

The second day of the siege.

The corpses below the East Gate were piled up to half the height of the wall. The rebels climbed up by stepping on the corpses of their comrades, only to be crushed down by rolling logs and stones.

Dou Jiande's troops simply lined up at a distance from the north gate, occasionally firing a few arrows, without setting up siege ladders or charging the city gate.

This isn't a siege, it's clearly watching a show.

As the sun began to set, the rebel army's offensive noticeably weakened.

The siege ladders have decreased, the battering rams have stopped, and even the arrows are sparse.

Zhang Yi, leaning against the battlements, watched the retreating rebel army below the city walls and understood in his heart—it wasn't that they didn't want to fight, but that they were too exhausted to fight.

Night falls, in the central command tent of the rebel army camp.

Gao Shida slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, his voice trembling with anger: "Dou Jiande! You have eight thousand elite troops standing still in the north, letting my twenty thousand brothers die in vain at the east gate?"

Dou Jiande tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his tone calm: "Brother, containing the north is the key to the siege. If I lead my troops in a direct assault, and the government troops break out from the north gate, we'll be attacked from both sides. How will we recover then?"

"A diversionary tactic?" Gao Shida laughed in fury, overturning the table in front of him. Documents, water bowls, and oil lamps rolled all over the floor. "I've been attacking for two days, suffering thousands of casualties, and your 'diversionary tactic' hasn't even reached the city walls! You're clearly deliberately holding back, wanting to watch all my men die!"

The leaders inside the tent were silent, none of them daring to speak.

Dou Jiande remained expressionless, stood up, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Gao Shida: "Since you don't believe me, there's no point in saying more."

He turned and strode out of the tent, his cloak billowing behind him and making the tent flaps flutter.

Inside the tent, Gao Shida stood still, his chest heaving, his eyes filled with anger, yet he was helpless—he knew that he could not touch Dou Jiande's eight thousand elite troops.

Liyang City Wall.

Zhang Yi leaned against the battlements, gazing at the lights of the rebel camp, his brow furrowed.

Despite suffering heavy casualties in the continuous siege, the rebel army continued to pour in.

Although Gao Shida suffered heavy losses, Dou Jiande's eight thousand elite troops were almost completely unharmed.

Yuchi Gong strode over, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Director Zhang, order me to lead the forging troops in a night raid on the bandit camp and burn their supplies!"

Zhang Yi turned around, looked at his iron-black face, and hesitated, saying, "There are tens of thousands of troops outside the city. It's too risky for you to go out with only a hundred men. Once surrounded, you won't be able to retreat."

Yuchi Gong said, "I served in the army in my early years and know how to do things. I will lead my brothers to change into their uniforms, sneak in under cover of night, burn the weapons, and leave without lingering in battle."

He paused, his voice low but firm, "If this fails, I'll offer my head!"

Zhang Yi remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the man's face several times.

There was no impulsiveness in the dark-faced man's eyes, only a calm and resolute certainty.

"Okay. But remember, if you encounter any obstacles, retreat immediately and don't try to be reckless."

Yuchi Gong clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around, and strode down the city wall.

The night was as dark as ink, and the stars and moon were without light.

The hundred-strong Forging Army, dressed in black with captured rebel uniforms over them, and with wooden sticks in their mouths, slid down from the north of the city, silently into the moat, climbed out onto the other side, and lay prone in the withered grass.

In the northeast corner of the rebel camp, a high fence stood around the grain storage area, and two bonfires burned at the entrance, illuminating the surroundings.

The guards were densely packed, numbering over a thousand. Some patrolled with spears, some squatted by the fire eating dry rations, and a few leaders were chatting and laughing in front of the tent.

The shadowy figures deep inside the grain storage clearly indicated that a reserve force was hidden there.

He retreated into the bushes and gestured to the forging soldiers behind him.

A hundred blacksmiths silently drew their heavy knives, the blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Yuchi Gong slowly put on his iron helmet, tightened his chin strap, held his long spear horizontally in front of him, and hung his iron whip at his waist.

He took a deep breath and suddenly sprang up—

"Forging Army! Charge with me!"

The long spear cut through the wind, and before the first guard could react, his throat was pierced.

Yuchi Gong swung his arm and flung the corpse away, knocking down two rebel soldiers who rushed at him.

The Forging Army roared in unison, and a hundred heavy swords cleaved into the enemy ranks like a raging tide, their blades flashing in the firelight.

Caught off guard, the rebel soldiers were slashed down by the first seven or eight men in the front row, their blood spurting out.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" The bugle sounded in panic, accompanied by terrified screams.

The guards poured out of their tents, some carrying swords, some spears, and some not even properly dressed, rushing over in a chaotic frenzy.

Yuchi Gong thrust left and right with his long spear, as if entering an empty field.

Where the spearhead passed, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

A burly man who looked like a leader raised his knife and slashed at him. Yuchi Gong dodged to the side and swept his spear shaft across, striking the man squarely in the side. The burly man was sent flying and crashed into the hay cart behind him.

"Light it!" he roared.

The forging troops split into several groups. Some swung torches with oilcloth tied to them beforehand and threw them at the grain sacks; others overturned oil barrels, poured oil onto the grain stacks, and threw out torches, causing flames to leap up ten feet high.

The firelight illuminated half the sky. Thick smoke billowed, and waves of heat swept over us.

Yuchi Gong looked back and saw that although the forging soldiers were setting fires everywhere, seven or eight of them were entangled with the rebel army and could not get away, fighting and retreating at the same time.

The rebel army surged in from all directions, growing ever larger, their battle cries deafening.

Yuchi Gong turned his horse around, brandished his long spear, and charged straight into the densest part of the rebel army.

Where the spearheads passed, the rebel soldiers fell like grass being cut down.

He swung his iron whip backhand, smashing the head of a charging leader with one lash, and then sent a shield flying, along with the man, flying.

The rebels were intimidated by his ferocity and retreated.

"Forging Army! Retreat!"

The Forging Army fought and retreated, slicing through the rebels blocking their path with heavy swords, and rushed towards the North Gate.

Yuchi Gong covered the rear, wielding his long spear and iron whip, killing more than ten pursuing soldiers in succession.

An arrow flew by, and he dodged it by tilting his head. The arrow grazed his iron helmet, leaving a trail of sparks on the helmet's surface.

The forging troops broke through the encirclement and rushed to the north gate of the city.

The garrison on the city wall lowered the drawbridge to allow them to enter the city.

Yuchi Gong was the last to enter the city, covered in blood.

He dismounted, removed his helmet, and glanced back.

The rebel camp was ablaze with flames and thick smoke, turning half the sky red. The grain and fodder storage area was a sea of ​​fire. The rebels tried to put out the fire by carrying buckets of water, but the fire only grew bigger and bigger. The air was filled with the smell of burning grain.

Several rebel soldiers tried to snatch the unburnt grain sacks, but were engulfed by flames and fell down screaming.

He grinned slightly, revealing a set of white teeth.

Zhang Yi stood at the city gate and personally greeted them.

He patted Yuchi Gong on the shoulder, his eyes full of approval: "Well done! This fire threw the enemy army into disarray."

"A mere trick." Yuchi Gong dismounted, removed his helmet, and wiped the soot from his face. "Most of our supplies have been burned. Let's see what they'll use to attack the city tomorrow."

Zhang Yi grinned: "No matter what the skill is, if it can defeat the enemy army, it's a good skill! Quickly take the brothers to rest and recharge their energy; we have a tough battle to fight tomorrow."

The rebel army camp.

Gao Shida stood in front of the charred grain bin, his face ashen, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Auxiliary troops camp.

When news spread that the supplies had been burned, the auxiliary soldiers were so hungry that their eyes gleamed with hunger.

They hadn't received much food to begin with, and now they were about to lose even their last bit of stored grain.

"Brothers, go over there and get some food!" A bearded man stood up and pointed in the direction of Gao Shida's main force.

"That's the leader's rations over there..."

"Isn't the leader's ration food? I risk my life for him, and he won't even give me a full meal?" He grabbed a wooden stick and strode over there. Dozens of auxiliary soldiers followed.

The guards stopped Gao Shida's main force in front of their grain depot.

"Back off! This is the chief's rations, who dares to touch it?"

"Screw you!" The man swung a stick at him.

The two groups started fighting.

More and more auxiliary soldiers were scrambling for food, and the garrison killed several of them, but they couldn't stop the surging crowd.

Upon hearing the news, Gao Shida rushed over, drew his sword, and slashed several people, his face splattered with blood. He roared fiercely, "Anyone who dares to steal again, I'll kill him!"

The auxiliary soldiers were stunned, dropped their food sacks, and scattered in a panic.

But morale had already crumbled, and whispers were spreading throughout the camp.

"The leader eats and drinks the finest food, while we can't even get porridge."

"What's the point of fighting? We've run out of food."

"Run, run under the cover of night."

Gao Shida stood in front of the granary, looking at the hungry auxiliary soldiers, his anger rising, but he was helpless.

He stared at the walls of Liyang City, gritting his teeth: "I'm not finished with you!"