At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

At the front of the Great Qian formation, dozens of elite artillerymen worked together to push several massive, dark cannons steadily forward to within a hundred meters of the front.

The heavy cannon barrel gleamed with a cold, metallic light, its muzzle menacingly aimed at the imposing Dongyi East Gate, exuding an awe-inspiring power.

The soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty had burning eyes and excited expressions on their faces.

Having accompanied the army on many campaigns, everyone had witnessed firsthand the terrifying power of cannons. This weapon was the decisive factor in the Great Qian's cross-sea conquests, capable of bombarding ships and breaching cities with unparalleled might.

Today, everyone is certain that a single cannon shot will be enough to completely shatter the last defensive barrier of the Eastern Barbarians.

On the opposite east gate tower, all the Dongyi soldiers were bewildered, their eyes fixed on the rows of unprecedented black behemoths in front of the Daqian formation, their hearts filled with doubt and unease.

"What is that thing? It's dark and has a strange shape; I've never seen such a weapon before!"

"Looking at their bulky and rugged appearance, could it be that the Great Qian Dynasty plans to conquer cities with these iron lumps?"

"However, this object possesses a terrifying aura and is clearly no ordinary item; it's probably not that simple..."

On the high platform, Ito Shinbu and Minamoto Yoshikiyo's eyes were fixed on the cannons. Their pupils contracted sharply, and a chill ran through their bodies as an extreme fear swept over them. They almost blurted out, "Oh no! They're Daqian cannons!"

The horrific scenes of the East China Sea naval battle instantly flooded their minds.

Back then, hundreds of elite warships of the Eastern Barbarians were destroyed and their crews perished in the vast ocean under the relentless bombardment of such terrifying firepower. The overwhelming power of the cannons was enough to instantly shatter sturdy warships and annihilate an entire navy, making it extremely powerful!

They suffered heavy losses even when they were separated by the vast ocean. Now that such a weapon is facing the gates of the imperial city, the consequences are unimaginable!

Minamoto no Yoshikiyo's face was deathly pale, and he roared hoarsely:

"All archers, listen to my command!"

"Fire arrows immediately! Shoot down the Daqian soldiers ahead! We must not let them fire their cannons! Stop them at once!"

The hundreds of archers on the city wall were startled by the sound and immediately drew their bows and nocked their arrows. A dense barrage of arrows was instantly drawn and aimed at the artillery formation below the city, ready to unleash a volley of arrows at the order to fire.

But it was too late!

In the instant the Dongyi soldiers reacted hastily, Su Mu, standing at the front, his eyes sharp, shouted in a deep voice that pierced through the flames and wind, echoing throughout the heavens and earth: "Fire!"

At a single command, military orders are absolute!

The artillerymen were skilled and lit the fuse without hesitation.

The crackling sound of the igniting wire rang out rapidly, in a mere instant...

"boom!!!"

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted!

A heavy cannonball, carrying boundless thunderous power, hurtled through the air and struck the center of the Dongyi East Gate with perfect accuracy!

This imperial city gate, which required a tremendous amount of manpower to build, was as fragile as a piece of paper in the face of terrifying artillery fire!

Click!

Boom!

The ear-piercing cracking sound and the sound of collapse crashed together!

Countless iron and wood chips exploded and flew everywhere, and the entire door collapsed with a loud crash!

"The city gates have been breached!"

Within the Great Qian army formation, someone roared out first.

The next instant, a deafening roar of battle cries erupted!

Qin Hao and Xu Cheng, who had been waiting at his side for a long time, had their eyes flashing with a sharp light. They simultaneously drew their swords and raised their arms, shouting:

"All troops, charge! Storm into the city!"

In an instant, hundreds of thousands of elite troops of the Great Qian Dynasty surged forth!

An endless black tide of people surged forward, their fierce killing intent soaring into the sky, and they swept towards the broken city gate with unstoppable force!

Dust swirled in the air before the ruins of the city gate.

The Dongyi soldiers on the city wall stared at the completely collapsed city gate and the endless enemy army rushing towards them. They were all stunned, their faces ashen, and the last bit of fighting spirit in their hearts vanished completely.

Ito Kamui forcibly suppressed the fear and despair in his heart, gritting his teeth and roaring fiercely:

"The entire army must hold the city gates! Block the gates! Fight to the death to prevent the enemy from entering the city! Not an inch of ground will be yielded!"

The remaining Dongyi soldiers dared not retreat. They could only grit their teeth, suppress their fear, and charge towards the breach in the city gate with their weapons, desperately trying to stop the Daqian army.

A brutal alleyway fight erupted instantly!

Swords clashed, blood splattered, and shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, and screams of agony mingled together, echoing throughout the entire eastern city.

The flames of war raged, smoke filled the sky and earth, and the battle was fierce and extremely dangerous.

However, the difference in combat strength and morale between the two armies was like heaven and earth!

The soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty won one victory after another, their morale soaring, and they were all fearless and ruthless in their killing.

In contrast, the Eastern Yi garrison was demoralized, feared the enemy like a tiger, and suffered heavy losses: generals were killed, city gates were broken, and high-ranking officials betrayed the country. Under these repeated blows, they had long lost the will to fight to the death.

Coupled with the overwhelming military superiority of the Great Qian Dynasty, a continuous stream of soldiers poured into the city, and the battle turned into a one-sided massacre from the very beginning!

In a short time, the breach in the city gate was filled with the corpses of Dongyi soldiers, and blood soaked the bluestone ground, staining the entire street red.

The Great Qian army, like a surging torrent, broke through all obstacles and advanced deeper into the inner city, crushing everything in its path with unstoppable momentum.

Seeing the complete fall of the Eastern City and the continuous influx of enemy troops into the Imperial City, Ito Shinbu's eyes were bloodshot with rage and anxiety, but he was powerless to reverse the situation.

In this critical moment, he gritted his teeth and issued another military order, roaring out the command:

"Immediately dispatch the garrison troops at the South and North Gates at full speed to reinforce them, flanking them from both sides to engage the enemy in a desperate battle and fight the Daqian bandits to the death!"

The surviving messengers fought desperately to break through the encirclement and rushed to the north and south gates to deliver the message.

Moments later, all the Dongyi garrison troops at the north and south gates were mobilized. The two armies lined up on the left and right, and charged aggressively towards the rear of the Daqian army that had entered the city, attempting to launch a pincer attack, reverse the decline, and fight to the death to turn the tide.

However, in the open fields outside the city, there were still 100,000 elite troops of the Great Qian Dynasty standing still, quietly waiting for orders!

Seeing the two Eastern Barbarian armies pouring out in full force and launching a proactive attack, Su Mu remained calm and composed, his eyes showing no emotion. He calmly gave the order: "Ye Qingzhou, Chu Tianba, you two lead the left flank to encircle and annihilate the enemy coming from the south gate!"

"Han Shixun and Wen Jiuyuan, you two will lead the right flank army to intercept the enemy forces at the north gate!"

"Remember, slaughter them all, leave no survivors!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

The four generals bowed in unison to receive the order, their voices echoing across the battlefield!

The next second, all 100,000 troops outside the city were mobilized!

Two elite armies lined up on the left and right, like two steel torrents, fiercely charging towards the attacking Dongyi troops!

A new round of fierce battle erupted instantly!

The generals of the Great Qian Dynasty were all highly skilled and had extraordinary combat power, completely overwhelming the generals of the Eastern Yi.

With 100,000 elite troops in high spirits, with excellent teamwork and skillful formations, they were a complete annihilation of the Dongyi remnants who were already in disarray and hastily engaged in battle.

On the battlefield, the Dongyi soldiers suffered repeated defeats, with heavy casualties, corpses strewn across the fields, and rivers of blood flowing.

Countless Dongyi soldiers abandoned their helmets, armor, and swords and fled. The once orderly army completely collapsed, and the defeat was utterly one-sided and devastating!

The entire imperial city, inside and out, was littered with the corpses and broken armor of the Eastern Yi soldiers, their cries of agony filling the air, a truly horrific sight.

In the center of the chaotic battlefield, Ito Shinbu, wielding a longsword, was covered in blood and looked utterly disheveled.

His sideburns were disheveled, his armor was stained crimson, and his face was covered in blood. He had personally killed several Daqian soldiers who had stormed into the inner city, but no matter how hard he fought, he could not stop the defeat.

His personal guards and bodyguards were dwindling, and the ground was littered with the corpses of his soldiers.

Looking around, all that could be seen were the surging and charging soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty. Wherever their banners went, nothing could stop them. The Great Qian army's momentum was like a raging wildfire, completely engulfing the entire Eastern Yi imperial city.

Endless despair completely enveloped Ito Shinbu's mind and body.

The longsword in his hand trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with resentment, regret, and dejection.

He lost.

We lost completely.

The entire East China Sea navy was annihilated, the imperial city's defenses collapsed, generals were killed in battle, high-ranking officials betrayed the country, and soldiers deserted. In the end, the vast Eastern Yi kingdom was lost in his hands.

He was determined to fight to the death and sacrifice himself for his country, but even if he was brave and fearless, how could he withstand the hundreds of thousands of fierce and powerful troops of the Great Qian Dynasty?

There was no way to reverse the situation; there was no cure!

"Your Majesty! Let's go!"

A hurried shout came from behind.

Minamoto no Yoshikiyo, covered in wounds, fought his way through a bloody path and staggered to Ito Shintake's side, his face filled with anxiety, urgently urging him:

"The tide has turned, morale is completely broken, and the capital cannot be defended!"

"To remain here any longer is certain death!"

"As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of firewood burning!"

"Your Majesty, please follow me in a breakout and retreat to preserve yourselves. In the future, after recuperating and rebuilding, we can still reclaim the lands of the Eastern Barbarians and regain our former glory!"

Breaking out and escaping is now the only way to survive, and the only hope!

Looking at the devastated and war-torn imperial city, and at the corpses scattered everywhere and the rout of his soldiers, Ito Shinmu felt a sharp pain in his heart and was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

He felt a deep sense of resentment and humiliation, yet he also knew that everything Minamoto Yoshikiyo said was true, and there was no room for further stalemate.

After a long silence, he closed his eyes, and with endless despair and sorrow, nodded heavily: "Break through!"

"Protect His Majesty! Escort His Majesty to break through the encirclement!"

Minamoto no Yoshikiyo immediately roared, and the few dozen remaining personal guards quickly gathered around Ito Shinmu, forming a defensive formation to protect him as he hastily retreated towards the rear of the imperial city.

The remaining soldiers fought and retreated, desperately trying to break through the encirclement, wanting nothing more than to escape this hellish battlefield.

In the distance, Su Mu, sitting on his horse and quietly observing the entire situation, had already taken in every move of Ito Shinbu and the others in front of the army formation.

Su Mu's eyes turned cold as he fixed his gaze on the fleeing figure, coldly saying, "Trying to escape? No way!"