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

The third day of the Battle of Liyang.

The atmosphere inside the military council tent was deathly silent.

Despair over the lack of food enveloped everyone.

"Dou Jiande!" Gao Shida suddenly stood up and drew his sword.

With a clang, the long knife was placed against Dou Jiande's neck, the blade close to his skin, leaving a shallow bloodstain.

The leaders in the tent jumped up in surprise; some reached for their sword hilts, while others retreated in panic.

"You have to attack today, whether you like it or not!" Gao Shida's voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot, and he spoke each word slowly and deliberately, "If you dare to hold back again, I'll abandon Liyang. I'll kill you first, then die with the government troops!"

Dou Jiande's face was ashen, his neck was cut by the blade, and blood was trickling down his neck.

He clenched his fists tightly, a flash of anger crossing his eyes, but he ultimately suppressed it.

After a moment of silence, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. I'll attack. But it's agreed that if I capture the North Gate, half of the Liyang granary will belong to me."

Gao Shida sneered, abruptly drawing back his long sword and flicking his sleeves: "Don't even mention half of it! If you can take the north gate, I'll give you the entire granary! As long as we can breach the city, I don't care about anything else!"

Outside the North Gate of Liyang, Dou Jiande personally went to the front line.

He sat on his horse, holding a whip, his face stern.

Eight thousand elite troops stood in formation behind him, their swords and spears forming a forest, and the battlefield was completely silent.

"Liu Heita!" Dou Jiande shouted sternly.

"exist."

"Lead three thousand armored soldiers, erect siege ladders, and launch a fierce attack. If we fail to breach the north gate today, we'll bring you our heads!"

Liu Heita clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, turned his horse around, and shouted to the three thousand armored soldiers behind him, "Brothers, our supplies are exhausted. If we don't break through this city, we'll all starve to death! Charge with me!"

Three thousand armored soldiers shouted in unison, raised their heavy shields, pushed their ladders, and charged through the rain of arrows from the city walls to the foot of the city.

Arrows rained down from the city walls, and logs and stones cascaded down, striking the shields with a loud "bang" like the beating of drums.

As the soldiers fell in waves, another wave rushed forward, one after another.

They finally set up ladders on the city wall, one, two, three—densely packed together.

Liu Heita took the lead, grabbing the ladder with one hand and using his sword to deflect arrows with the other, before leaping onto the city wall.

He swung his sword, slaying three defenders in quick succession. Blood splattered as the blade passed, and he roared, "Break the city! Kill!"

The defenders on the city wall were intimidated by his bravery and began to retreat in disarray, with their defenses on the verge of collapse.

Upon hearing the news at the East Gate, Zhang Yi's eyes widened, and he roared fiercely at the city below, "Yuchi Gong! The North Gate is under attack! Go and provide reinforcements immediately!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the clanging sound of armor rang out.

Yuchi Gong led his forging troops at breakneck speed, rushing towards the north gate like an iron torrent.

"Forging soldiers! Follow me!"

The soldiers of the Forging Army swung their heavy swords in unison, and the armored soldiers who had climbed the city wall had no time to react before being cut down one by one. Some were cleaved off the city wall with a single blow and smashed to pieces, their screams echoing incessantly.

A soldier who was originally a blacksmith swung his heavy hammer, smashing the armored soldier's shield to the ground with a single blow. He then kicked the soldier off the city wall, roaring, "Dare to attack my Liyang City? You're asking for death!"

Another soldier swept his heavy sword across, cutting down two armored soldiers who were climbing the ladder. Blood dripped from the blade, leaving crimson streaks on the city wall.

The forging army stood like an indestructible iron gate, firmly blocking the breach in the city walls, remaining unmoved no matter how fiercely the armored soldiers attacked.

Yuchi Gong had already spotted the enemy general on the city wall, and strode forward, heading straight for Liu Heita.

The long spear thrust out, accompanied by the sound of it cutting through the air.

Liu Heita raised his knife to parry, and the blade and spear clashed, sparks flying everywhere.

Liu Heita gritted his teeth and tried his best to block, but his strength was no match for Yuchi Gong.

After only a few rounds, he was forced to retreat repeatedly, his tiger's mouth split open, and blood flowed down the hilt of the knife.

Yuchi Gong's eyes widened, and he roared, "State your name, general! My blade does not slay nameless ghosts!"

Liu Heita's face flushed red. He was already at a disadvantage against the long spear with his short sword, and if the fight continued, he would surely be defeated.

He feinted with his sword, and taking advantage of the gap in Yuchi Gong's parry, he leaped off the city wall and fled back to the rebel army's ranks.

Yuchi Gong stared in the direction Liu Heita had fled, and coldly snorted, "Next time we meet, I'll definitely take your dog's life!"

He turned around and led the forging troops to reinforce the defenses, wiping out all the remaining armored soldiers who had scaled the city walls.

The defenders on the city wall regained their footing, the archers returned to the crenellations, and the rolling logs and stones continued to be hurled down.

Seeing the fierce attack from the North Gate, Gao Shida ordered his main force to launch a full-scale offensive from the East Gate.

However, most of the rebel army's siege equipment had been destroyed, morale was low, and the soldiers were hungry and unable to even lift their swords.

They attacked several times, but were easily repelled by the defending troops.

Gao Shida paced anxiously behind the lines, but was at a loss for what to do.

On the Yongji Canal, a sail appeared at Liyang Wharf.

Wang Yu stood at the bow of the ship, his armor gleaming, a sword drawn from its sheath.

A thousand elite guards stood on either side of the ship's gunwale, with swordsmen and shieldmen in front and archers and crossbowmen behind.

The fleet sailed in perfect unison, its sails billowing in the north wind, cutting through the waves.

"Dock!" Wang Yu ordered sternly.

Dozens of cargo ships docked at Liyang Wharf one after another. The planks of the ships were placed on the wharf, and the escorting soldiers filed down and quickly formed ranks.

On the dock, the five hundred soldiers who had been holding out were already waiting. When they saw the reinforcements arrive, they cheered in unison.

Wang Yu climbed to a high place and quickly surveyed the battlefield: the north gate was in a stalemate, while Gao Shida's troops at the east gate had the lowest morale and were the most exhausted and hungry.

"Pass down the order: prepare more banners and flags to create a show of force!" Wang Yu whispered a few words to the captain beside him, who obeyed and left.

The soldiers protecting the canal carried dozens of large flags off the boats and planted them along the riverbank, the red flags fluttering in the wind.

Then several dozen cavalrymen were dispatched, dragging tree branches as they galloped back and forth behind the formation, raising clouds of dust that blotted out the sun.

The drummers beat their drums with all their might, and the sound of horns pierced the sky and shook the surrounding fields. Combined with the smoke and banners, it looked like a scene of "tens of thousands of troops pressing in".

On the battlefield at Dongmen, Gao Shida's troops were already exhausted from lack of food. The soldiers were so hungry that they were dizzy, pale, and emaciated, and they almost didn't have the strength to hold their swords.

Seeing the billowing smoke and dense banners in the distance, and hearing the deafening sound of drums and horns, the morale of the army collapsed instantly. Some soldiers were so frightened that their legs went weak and they threw down their weapons and ran away on the spot.

"Reinforcements have arrived! The imperial court has sent a large army! Tens of thousands!"

"Run! If you don't run, you'll be surrounded and stuffed like dumplings!"

Panic spread like a plague. The auxiliary troops were the first to collapse, followed by the main infantry, and then the archers. The entire rebel formation at the East Gate was thrown into chaos in an instant.

Seeing that the rebel army was in disarray, Wang Yu seized the opportunity and personally led the elite guards of the grain transport army to attack Gao Shida's weak position.

The Gao troops were already at their limit, and when this fresh force charged, they collapsed completely.

Gao Shida killed more than a dozen fleeing soldiers, but he couldn't stop the rout.

Dou Jiande stood behind the North Gate, watching the billowing dust and the dispersing crowd from the East Gate, his face ashen.

Liu Heita had retreated, his armor stained with blood, and a gash on the web of his right hand, from which blood was gushing.

He walked up to Dou Jiande's horse and whispered, "General, this is a feint. The real reinforcements number no more than a thousand."

Dou Jiande remained silent for a moment.

He could tell. The dust was drawn by tree branches, and although there were many banners, there was no sign of any following troops.

But Gao Shida has already collapsed. Even if he leads his elite troops to attack now, he cannot save the situation from defeat.

Besides—why would he save him?

"Withdraw," Dou Jiande said coldly, turning his horse around.

Liu Heita was taken aback: "General, are we not fighting anymore?"

"Gao Shida is finished." Dou Jiande looked at him. "If we continue fighting, our elite troops will also be wiped out here."

Holding a riding whip, he sternly ordered, "Pass on my order: the entire army must retreat in an orderly manner. Archers and crossbowmen, cover the rear! Do not panic! Anyone who dares to break formation will be executed on the spot!"

Gao Shida's face turned pale. Looking at his scattered troops and Dou Jiande's calm retreating figure, he finally understood everything.

The guard urged, "General, let's go. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave."

Gao Shida gritted his teeth and brandished his sword: "Retreat!"

He led his remaining troops and followed Dou Jiande in their northward retreat.

The troops were dragged along for miles, their armor and weapons scattered, in a sorry state.