After the system ran, I took off with my family

Just as Deputy General Zhong had predicted, the Turkic camp ten miles outside Yangcheng Pass remained calm overnight, and no unusual activity was observed until the evening of the following day.

Deputy General Zhong stood on the city wall, looking in the direction of the Turkic camp, his brows furrowed.

"Pass down the order to strengthen vigilance and not let our guard down," he said to the soldier beside him.

"Yes."

.........................................

As night fell, Yangcheng fell into silence, and the dim yellow lanterns hanging under the eaves on both sides of the streets swayed in the cold wind.

The sound of the night watchman's clapper could be heard in the distance.

"Boom-thump-"

The sound echoed through the empty streets and alleys, becoming even clearer.

On the city tower of Yangcheng Pass, the cold wind howled and the banners fluttered in the wind.

Soldiers clad in iron armor, wielding spears twelve feet long, paced back and forth on the city wall.

On the bluestone steps, Deputy General Zhong leaned against a pillar of the city gate tower and closed his eyes, pretending to doze off.

A soldier blinked his slightly sore eyes and muttered to his comrade beside him, "Are these Turkic barbarians scared? Why aren't they making a move? If they're going to fight, they should just do it already. What's the point of dragging this out like this..."

His companion glared at him: "Stop muttering nonsense, pay attention, and keep a close eye on things."

The soldier shrank back sheepishly, then turned his head and continued to stare intently in the direction of the Turkic enemy's encampment.

Perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him from staring at it for too long, but he seemed to see a dark shadow moving toward Yangcheng Pass in the distance.

The soldier rubbed his eyes suspiciously, then looked again, and his expression changed drastically. He exclaimed in alarm, "Something's wrong!"

Zhong, who had been feigning sleep with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, rushed to the city wall, and looked in the direction the soldier was pointing.

The soldiers who were patrolling the city wall immediately tensed up. They quickly adjusted their positions, gripped their weapons tightly in their right hands, and looked out at the night outside the city, ready for battle.

The dark shadows approached rapidly like a tidal wave, and if you listened carefully, you could hear the faint sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar.

"Damn it, I knew it! These Turkic barbarians hadn't made a move all day. Turns out they were planning a sneak attack in the middle of the night."

Deputy General Zhong spat angrily, "What were the scouts we sent out good for? They've already gotten to our doorstep."

The dark figure moved very quickly; it should reach the city walls in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

As Deputy General Zhong gazed at the deep night, a glint of light flashed in his eyes. He whispered to his attendant beside him, "Immediately issue the order to have the archers and cooks prepare."

The vanguard and cavalry battalions were then instructed to assemble below the city walls and await further orders. The rest of the troops on the city walls were to remain as usual and not disturb the enemy.

He tapped the bricks of the city wall lightly with his fingers, producing a dull sound. "When the enemy arrives at the city, they shall obey my orders."

"As ordered."

The attendant responded and left, quickly relaying the orders to all departments.

Time passed slowly, and in the darkness of night, Ashina Bar led his army to stealthily approach the woods less than a hundred meters from Yangcheng Pass.

Looking through the gaps in the woods at the firelight and figures moving on the Yangcheng Pass tower, Ashina Bar had already made up his mind. He solemnly said to a burly man beside him, "General Keshe, thank you for your trouble."

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will do my utmost." General Keshe's voice was rough and hoarse, filled with an unwavering determination.

Having said that, he raised his arm and led the vanguard army to quickly approach the city walls of Yangcheng.

Catapults and siege engines rumbled forward in the ranks, followed closely by soldiers carrying ladders, with Ashina Barr trailing behind with a few trusted men.

When they reached the edge of the woods, General Keshe ordered the entire army to halt.

After carefully observing the situation and confirming that the defenders on the city wall had not noticed anything amiss, he waved his hand, and thousands of vanguard soldiers escorted the Turkic soldiers carrying siege ladders as they rushed down from the city.

The Turkic soldiers who rushed to the city walls first quickly set up siege ladders and climbed up the walls without a word.

Ashina Bar, who was being protected at the back of the group, looked at the soldiers who were almost halfway up the mountain and suddenly felt uneasy.

Before they could think any further, a deafening sound of war drums suddenly rang out from the city tower.

Accompanied by the death knell of the drums, a dense mass of dark figures suddenly emerged from the crenellations of the city wall—hundreds of archers clad in leather armor.

They moved in unison, drawing their bows and aiming their arrows at the Turkic enemy troops below the city.

The drums beat rapidly, and arrows rained down like a storm. The Turkic soldiers who were still charging forward below the city were pierced through the chest by a dense barrage of arrows and fell one after another into pools of blood.

Suddenly, the drumbeats changed, and buckets of boiling water were poured out from the city wall.

The Turkic soldiers climbing were doused with boiling water, which immediately tore their skin and flesh.

Amidst the rising heat, heart-wrenching screams echoed as they plummeted from mid-air, and the nascent siege formation collapsed with a deafening roar.

The dense rain of arrows had not yet stopped, and in an instant, the Turkic army below the city was filled with cries of agony, with countless dead and wounded.

Ashina Bar's heart sank suddenly, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his entire body.

What he thought was a meticulously planned night raid now seems like a joke.

Witnessing this scene, General Keshe's eyes turned bloodshot, and veins bulged on his forehead. He brandished his battle sword and roared, "Warriors of the grasslands, charge with me!"

"Come on!"

The remaining Turkic soldiers charged again, and Ashina Bar, with a somber expression, directed his men to push the catapults down to the city walls and aim them at the top of the walls.

Just as the order was about to be given, the tightly closed city gates of Yangcheng Pass suddenly burst open, and a cavalry force charged out of the gates like tigers emerging from the mountains. Leading them was none other than Deputy General Zhong.

Deputy General Zhong glanced at the disheveled Turkic enemy troops, laughed loudly, and then raised his arm and shouted, "Brothers, charge!"

"kill--!"

The cavalry charged forward, brandishing their broadswords, with the vanguard soldiers close behind. Like a sharp blade, they plunged straight into the Turkic army formation with lightning speed.

Deputy General Zhong took the lead, his spear moving like a dragon emerging from the sea, and cries of agony rose wherever he went.

The Turkic enemy, already caught off guard, quickly had their formation broken and were thrown into chaos.

General Keshe, his eyes bloodshot, ignored the knife wound on his chest and wielded his broadsword to fight against the Zhenbei Army.

However, the Zhenbei Army's offensive was too fierce and could not be stopped at all. They were constantly retreating under the fierce attack.

Seeing that his soldiers had suffered heavy losses and that continuing the fight was pointless, Ashina Bar had no choice but to grit his teeth and order a retreat.

The Turkic enemy retreated in panic, but Deputy General Zhong did not pursue them rashly. The most urgent task was to treat the wounded and assess the battle losses.

At the same time, flames soared into the sky at the Dongguan Pass, and the sounds of fighting and clashing weapons mingled together.

On the battlefield below the city, Xie Yi, clad in silver armor, wielded his long spear with unparalleled skill, cutting through the enemy's encirclement with unstoppable momentum, heading straight for the enemy general, Bahazan.