Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

The elderly couple were undressing and were about to get intimate when they were overcome with passion.

Suddenly, the door was violently kicked open from the outside.

Clang!

A soldier stumbled in.

They scrambled and crawled, looking utterly pathetic.

Hong Qianyi shuddered.

Depend on...

He turned around abruptly, his tenderness freezing on his face, which then turned into fury.

"How dare you be so insolent! Don't you know how to knock?"

It was indeed impolite, but the soldiers didn't care.

"General! Something terrible has happened! The Great Yan army... the Great Yan army is already at the city walls!"

"Bullshit! It's at least several hundred miles from the capital to Liaocheng, and the entire route is swarming with scouts from the military governor. Even if Chen Shao had wings and flew over, he couldn't possibly sneak up on the city walls without a sound!"

"If you dare to give false military intelligence again, I'll chop you up right now!"

The soldiers were so anxious they cried:

"General, it's absolutely true! They're already attacking the city! The Emperor's banner has been raised at the city gate, embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon—there's no mistake! If you don't go soon, the city gates will fall!"

Hong Qianyi's pupils suddenly contracted.

He casually fastened his belt, grabbed the sword hanging on the wall, and rushed outside.

He rushed out of the mansion gate, mounted his horse, and galloped all the way to the city wall.

The closer he got to the city wall, the louder the shouts of battle became, and the colder his heart grew.

The emperor personally led the expedition... How did they arrive?

boom!

boom!

A series of loud crashing sounds rang out; it was the enemy army ramming the city gate.

Liaocheng was easy to defend and difficult to attack, but even it couldn't stop the divine soldiers from descending from the sky.

Hong Qianyi climbed up the city wall using both his hands and feet.

I looked down and was almost scared to death.

A pontoon bridge had been erected over the moat sometime earlier.

A dense mass of soldiers had already gathered below the city.

A large black banner embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon fluttered in the morning breeze.

At the city gate, the young man in the dragon robe was holding a heavy iron cauldron weighing over a thousand pounds in both hands.

They smashed it violently towards the city gate.

That iron cauldron was originally placed at the city gate to suppress the river; it was too heavy for dozens of people to lift.

"Holy crap... is it even human?"

Hong Qianyi considered himself a famous general, having fought on the battlefield for decades; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was a match for ten thousand men.

But I have never seen anyone use a tripod as a weapon.

Or is he the emperor?

Everyone says Chen Shao is very strange, and seeing him today, it's clear that the rumors are true.

The heavy city gates were already groaning under the weight of the burden.

It looked like it was about to be restarted.

Hong Qianyi, leaning on the battlements, realized then that his wife was truly a female Zhuge Liang, with uncanny foresight.

Unfortunately... I actually...

The surrounding soldiers gathered around.

Everyone's face was deathly pale.

"General... what should we do..."

"The city falling is a foregone conclusion, should we...?"

He dared not say what came next, but everyone knew the truth.

withdraw!

Preserve our strength!

If you save the land but lose the people, you lose both the land and the people; if you save the people but lose the land, you save both the land and the people.

Hong Qianyi gritted his teeth and drew the sword from his waist.

He raised his knife and roared at the crowd:

"As long as the city stands, we stand; if the city falls, we fall!"

"We are all deeply indebted to the General, and our eyes are only on him, not on the imperial court!"

"Today, even if we fight to the last man, we will not retreat a single step! Anyone who dares to surrender will be executed on the spot!"

He roared until his voice was hoarse, and the veins on his neck bulged.

His impassioned words stirred the blood of the soldiers around him, and they drew their swords and spears.

"We swear to live and die with Liaocheng."

This is the role of a general in war.

The power they can exert goes far beyond simply riding horses and charging at the forefront.

They are the soul of the entire army, its spiritual pillar, and its source of reassurance!

The lady, without anyone noticing, also climbed up to the city wall.

From afar, one could hear her husband's resounding pre-battle declaration.

Her eyes suddenly reddened.

He secretly thought that he had indeed entrusted the wrong person.

With your skill, even if we lose the city today, you will still be a hero!

She walked up quickly and bowed deeply to Hong Qianyi in front of everyone.

"I have not misjudged you. I am proud of you, General, for you are willing to live and die with the city."

There are two kinds of people in this world whose life goal is to leave their mark on history.

A scholar and a courtesan.

As for scholars, it goes without saying that their purest ideal is to spend their whole lives studying and leave behind a lasting reputation.

Courtesans are proud and arrogant; they have long since transcended the level of serving men with their beauty.

I will wash away my stain by leaving my mark on history, and live on in my best works to prove that I existed and was extraordinary.

This is their salvation.

If we perish today, that will be our greatest work.

The lady's voice was clear and loud.

"If Liaocheng falls, and the general marties for the city, I will never live on alone."

Boom!

A deafening roar, like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting open.

The city gate finally succumbed to the repeated bombardment of the heavy iron cauldron, and the gate panel shattered with a crash.

The Great Yan army surged in through the breach like a tidal wave, their battle cries shaking the heavens and the earth.

Hong Qianyi staggered and grabbed the battlement for support, his face ashen.

"The tide has turned..."

"It's over, how am I supposed to face Commander Jie now?"

Liaocheng is easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it the most crucial strategic area in the entire Hedong region.

Wang Yuanji entrusted this important task to him because he trusted him implicitly.

Before even engaging the enemy, this formidable city, which seemed impregnable, fell...

At that moment, Hong Qianyi felt like dying.

After the city fell, all that remained was street fighting, which for the defenders was simply a more valiant way of dying.

The entire city of Liao only had 10,000 soldiers; how could they possibly be a match for others?

Everyone else looked ashen-faced, but the lady alone showed no sign of panic.

Her remarkable qualities as a woman are fully displayed.

She straightened a strand of hair at her temple and spoke calmly:

"General, you rose from humble beginnings and have received great favors from the king and nobles. This city of Liao is your final resting place."

"As long as the city stands, people live; if the city falls, people die. Further words are of no use."

"General, although I am a woman, I know how to write the words 'loyalty' and 'righteousness'."

"I will go ahead and make arrangements for the general on the way to the Yellow Springs."

The lady had exceptional foresight; knowing this, sacrificing herself for the city was the best option.

They will not be humiliated, much less be used by Chen Shao to threaten the military commander.

She smiled slightly at Hong Qianyi.

There was no sadness whatsoever, only the joy of marrying the right person.

The couple embraced tightly, their love evident.

"What is love in this world that makes people willing to die for it?"

After saying this, the woman released her husband's hand and jumped.

A cold splash rose from the surface of the moat.

Hong Qianyi lunged onto the battlements, half of his body sticking out of the opening.

"My lady! My lady!"

The shouts were hoarse and mournful, and the sight of it made the surrounding soldiers seem to forget their impending doom as the city fell, and they all wept.

With her last ounce of strength, the lady shouted towards the city wall:

"Master, jump! If you don't jump now, it will be too late. If Chen Shao captures you, he will definitely force you to rebel!"

Hong Qianyi clung to the battlements, tears streaming down his face.

Several times she tried to turn over and jump down, but her toes kept retracting as if she had been electrocuted.

"lady..."

"It's not that I jumped for my husband, it's just that it's late autumn... the river water is too cold..."

The lady was dumbfounded:

"???"

The tears in the eyes of the surrounding soldiers suddenly froze.

At that moment, a voice rang out from the city wall.

"You are surrounded. Lay down your weapons and surrender, or you may live!"

"Those who resist to the bitter end will be killed without mercy!"