I asked you to go hunting, and you ended up wearing a yellow robe?

"Call me 'mother'!"

Yelü Mulang kicked Steward Liu to the ground, then suddenly drew his scimitar and roared fiercely at the surrounding high walls.

"Ambush! Retreat! Retreat now!"

The five hundred Hu cavalrymen were thrown into chaos instantly, their warhorses neighing and circling within the narrow barbican.

The horses' hooves screeched against the bluestone slabs, and the clanging of armor echoed throughout the air.

boom!

The heavy iron city gate was suddenly pushed shut from the outside, the sound of the bolts locking like muffled thunder.

"The back is closed too!"

A centurion cried out in surprise, his voice trembling slightly.

The Hu cavalrymen turned around and saw that the two heavy gates at the front and back had fallen simultaneously, completely sealing off the barbican.

Yelü Mulang's face was ashen, and he gripped his mace so tightly that it rattled.

He stared intently at the tightly closed inner city gate ahead, his chest heaving violently.

We've fallen for their trap! It's a trap from beginning to end!

"General! What should we do?"

A guard, his face contorted with panic, was pulling on his frightened warhorse.

Before Yelü Mulang could speak, a cluster of torches suddenly lit up the city wall.

The firelight illuminated Qi Shan's face as he stood behind the battlements, expressionless, watching the chaotic Hu cavalry below.

Seven constables stood in a row beside him, each holding a musket.

Qi Shan's lips moved, but he only uttered two words.

"ignition."

Hundreds of pottery jars were lit at the same time, and the hissing sound of the burning fuses was particularly clear in the night wind.

White smoke billowed from the mouth of the earthenware jar, sparks flew everywhere, casting flickering light on the faces of the people on the city tower.

Chen Chong gritted his teeth, puffed out his cheeks, picked up a pottery jar, and smashed it down hard.

"Smash those bastards to death!"

Meng Da roared and hurled the earthenware jar with both hands.

"put!"

Hundreds of earthenware jars filled with raging oil and iron filings fell from the city wall at the same time.

The earthenware pots shattered on the bluestone floor, creating a series of crisp sounds.

Followed by.

boom!

A fireball exploded from the center of the barbican, and orange-red flames rose three zhang high.

The second, third, and fourth earthenware jars exploded one after another.

The inferno spread through the narrow barbican, with iron filings and shards of porcelain flying everywhere with the shockwave from the explosion.

The first sound was the pitiful screams of warhorses, which pierced the eardrums.

A brown warhorse had its mane licked by flames, and its entire head instantly turned into a fireball.

It kicked wildly, its front hooves rising high, violently throwing the rider on its back off.

The cavalryman fell into the fire, his armor ablaze, and he screamed and rolled around, but he couldn't put out the flames.

More warhorses charged wildly through the flames, trampling each other, and the Hu riders fell off their backs one after another like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

"Shields! Raise your shields!"

Yelü Mulang brandished his spiked club and roared loudly in a hoarse voice.

His bodyguards raised round shields, trying to protect him.

The iron shot hit the shield surface with a crackling sound, like hail hitting tiles.

Several guards were a fraction of a second too slow in raising their shields, and the iron pellets pierced through their leather armor and embedded themselves in their flesh.

Screams echoed throughout the room.

Manager Liu got up from the ground, his face covered in blood, his legs shaking like a leaf.

"General! General! I don't know, I really don't know..."

He shouted as he ran backward, trying to rush out of the city gate.

A warhorse engulfed in flames charged from the side, its front hooves landing on his back.

A snap.

Manager Liu's spine was broken by being trampled, and he was knocked to the ground.

The warhorse's hind hooves followed closely behind, trampling over his head.

With a muffled thud, brains splattered everywhere.

Before he could even scream, he was trampled into a bloody pulp by the hooves of the horses surging up from behind.

On the city wall, Qi Shan raised his Storm Gun, placing the barrel on the crenellation of the battlements.

He squinted his right eye, aiming his crosshairs at a centurion below who was wielding a sword and giving orders.

Pull the trigger.

boom!

A burst of fire shot from the muzzle, followed by billowing smoke.

The centurion had a bloody hole between his eyebrows, fell backward, and the scimitar in his hand clattered to the ground.

"They specifically target military officers."

Qi Shan pulled back the bolt, ejected the empty cartridge case, and reloaded, speaking as calmly as if he were discussing the weather.

"Don't let a single one escape."

Bang bang bang!

Eight Storm Guns fired simultaneously, the sound echoing over the barbican.

Behind the firing ports in the city wall, gun muzzles continuously spat out tongues of fire, each shot fired with perfect precision.

A squad leader who was gathering his fleeing soldiers was shot in the neck, blood gushing from between his fingers, and he collapsed to his knees.

Another centurion raised his sword and shouted to stabilize the formation, but was shot twice in the chest and sent flying, knocking down two of his personal guards behind him.

Fire, reload, fire again, reload again.

Eight Storm Guns fired in turn, the people behind the firing ports working in perfect coordination. The loader squatted next to the shooter, his hand never stopping as he handed over spent cartridges.

Yelü Mulang's eyes were bloodshot and his face was covered in blood from the iron filings.

He watched as the officers around him fell one by one, from centurions to deputies, and now even messengers were nowhere to be found.

The command system completely collapsed, and the five hundred barbarian cavalrymen became five hundred headless flies.

"General!"

One of his last remaining guards grabbed his arm, his voice trembling with tears.

"We can't get out! There are heavy-duty barriers in front and behind! We're doomed!"

Yelü Mulang shoved him aside and slammed his spiked club on the ground.

"Shut up!"

He looked around and saw that the surviving Hu cavalry were still struggling in the sea of ​​fire, but their formation had completely broken up.

Some people hid behind the corpses of warhorses, trembling with fear; some knelt on the ground, holding shields, and prayed to the Eternal Heaven; while others went mad, hacking at the city walls with their knives.

Yelü Mulang took a deep breath, his lungs filled with the stench of sulfur and burnt meat.

He raised his head and stared intently at the figure on the city wall.

The firelight reflected on Qi Shan's face, which was unbelievably young, but completely expressionless.

Yelü Mulang gripped his spiked club tightly, his knuckles cracking.

He suddenly turned around and looked at the inner city gate—that gate was thinner than the outer city gate. If he could break it open and rush into the town for street fighting, he could at least fight to the death!

"The warriors of the Yelü tribe!"

Yelü Mulang raised his mace high and roared hoarsely.

"Charge with me! Break down the inner city gate!"

The surviving few dozen Hu cavalrymen grasped at a straw and gathered around him.

These were elite guards who had crawled out of piles of corpses, each covered in blood, yet their eyes still gleamed with ferocity.

They raised their shields to protect Yelü Mulang, and dozens of them huddled together, rushing madly toward the inner city gate.

The heavy thud of the ramming echoed through the barbican, the tin-clad wooden door creaking loudly.

Yelü Mulang personally swung his spiked club and slammed it hard against the door bolt, sending splinters flying.

On the city wall, Chen Chong's expression changed.

"Magistrate Qi! They're trying to break in through the inner city gate!"

Qi Shan put down the Storm Gun and drew his long sword from his waist.

The blade gleamed coldly in the firelight, illuminating the outline of half of his face.

He turned to look at Chen Chong and Meng Da, his tone calm.

"Open the door and let him in."

Chen Chong's eyes widened, thinking he had misheard.

"County Magistrate Qi? Let them in?!"

Qi Shan had already walked down the steps of the city tower with his knife in his hand. His steps were unhurried, and his boots made a thumping sound on the stone steps.

He didn't even turn his head.

"Keep the heavy gate closed, only open the inner city gate."