With a million soldiers, the empress begged me not to rebel

The dry north wind brought with it sand and dust, making it impossible to open one's eyes.

The wind also made the flags on the city walls flutter, as if they were playing a war song for the upcoming battle.

"Fire arrows!"

With Liu An's order, arrows rained down from the city wall, pouring towards the enemy.

Arrows flew through the air, making sharp whistling sounds.

Under the dim sky, they were as dense as locusts.

However, the enemy was well prepared and raised their shields to form an impenetrable shield wall.

The shields collided, making a dull sound.

The rain of arrows hit the shields, making crackling sounds, but did not cause many casualties.

Occasionally, a few arrows passed through the gaps in the shields and hit enemy soldiers.

It was only a minor injury and he was quickly helped down by his companions.

Liu An looked at this scene and his expression became increasingly gloomy.

This was just a tentative attack by the enemy, and the real fierce battle was yet to come.

He took a deep breath, tried to keep himself calm, and shouted an order:

"Prepare rolling logs and rocks, and hot oil! If they get close to the wall, smash them hard!"

The soldiers on the city wall immediately took action and pushed the rolling logs and stones to the edge of the wall.

Place large pots on the fire.

The oil in the pot made a sizzling sound and emitted pungent smoke.

Under the city wall, the enemy's vanguard troops have approached the moat.

Although the moat was dry, the riverbed was still muddy.

The warhorse struggled forward in the mud and its speed slowed down significantly.

"Charge! Break through the city gates and enjoy endless wealth and glory!"

The Javanese generals waved their swords and shouted at the top of their lungs, trying to boost morale.

The Javanese soldiers shouted and screamed loudly and rushed towards the city wall.

"Let go!" Liu An roared.

Huge logs and rocks rolled down from the city walls and crashed into the enemy's formation.

Suddenly, people and horses fell to the ground and screams were heard.

Scalding hot oil poured down.

Like fire dragons, they burned the enemy soldiers until their skin was torn and they wailed incessantly.

Some soldiers were hit by rolling logs and rocks and died on the spot.

Corpses lay scattered across the moat bed, blood staining the soil red.

However, the enemy troops were numerous and they fought bravely and fearlessly.

They stepped on the corpses of their companions and continued to charge forward.

Some soldiers carried simple ladders and tried to climb the city wall.

The defenders on the city wall fought desperately with spears, bows and arrows, stones and other weapons they could use.

"Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"

Liu An waved the long sword in his hand and personally went into battle to kill the enemy.

Although he is old and frail, he has been through many battles and his swordsmanship is still sharp.

With one blow of his sword he chopped down an enemy soldier who was trying to scale the city wall.

Blood splattered all over his face, but he was completely unaware.

The battle lasted for a whole hour, and both sides were mad with rage.

Beneath the city walls, corpses piled up like mountains, and blood formed streams flowing on the dry moat bed.

The imperial guards in the capital also suffered heavy casualties, and many soldiers were injured.

But they still gritted their teeth and persevered, and no one backed down.

Liu An looked at the tragic scene in front of him, his heart filled with anxiety.

If this continues, the Southeast Pass will be breached sooner or later.

We must find a way to turn the tide of battle.

"Lee Jun!"

Liu An shouted behind him.

"Sir, I'm here!"

Li Jun walked quickly to Liu An with a bloody big knife in his hand.

Liu An pointed at the enemy troops outside the city and said:

"Take five hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, leave the city through the west gate, go around to the rear of the enemy army, and harass their food and supplies!"

"Remember, you must be quick! You must be ruthless!"

"Yes!"

Li Jun did not hesitate at all. He immediately turned around, gathered his men and horses, and rushed towards the west gate.

Liu An watched Li Kui leave and prayed silently in his heart:

I hope this raid will be successful, otherwise Southeast Pass will be finished...

"kill!"

Li Jun led five hundred tiger and leopard cavalry and galloped towards the west gate.

The big knife in his hand was still dripping with blood, and his eyes were full of murderous intent.

Seeing this, the commander of the west gate quickly opened the city gate and let them out.

As soon as Li Jun and his entourage left the city, they immediately ran towards the rear of the enemy.

Dust was flying, the sound of horse hooves was deafening, and five hundred elite soldiers were galloping across the wilderness like a black torrent.

On the city wall, Liu An watched Li Jun go away, took a deep breath, and turned to look at the deputy general beside him.

"Pass the order down, have all soldiers prepare to face the next wave of enemy attacks!"

The deputy general immediately took the order and ran along the city wall.

Convey Liu An's orders to every soldier.

Liu An stood on the city wall, looking into the distance with a frown on his face.

He knew that Li Jun's surprise attack was only a temporary measure and it was hard to say whether it would succeed.

Even if it succeeds, it can only temporarily relieve the pressure on the capital and cannot completely reverse the situation of the war.

The shouts and cries of killing from under the city wall resounded through the sky again.

The enemy launched another attack, and countless soldiers rushed towards the city wall like ants.

"Shoot!" Liu An ordered again.

On the city wall, arrows fell like raindrops again, but the effect was still limited.

An enemy soldier carried a ladder, rushed to the city wall, and placed the ladder on the wall.

The other soldiers immediately climbed up the ladder.

"Push them down! Push them down!" Liu An shouted loudly.

The soldiers defending the city used all their strength to push down the ladder.

The enemy soldier above fell down with a scream, landing heavily on the ground.

Some were killed on the spot, while others broke their legs and groaned in pain on the ground.

Liu An wiped the sweat and blood from his face and turned to look in another direction.

Suddenly, a gap appeared among the dark enemy troops.

A team of cavalrymen wearing heavy armor and riding armored war horses slowly drove out.

They wore black armor and ferocious masks.

The most eye-catching thing is the war horses under their crotch, which are also covered with iron armor.

The horses' hooves hit the ground, making a dull roar, and the earth was shaking.

The setting sun shone weakly on this steel torrent, reflecting a chilling metallic luster.

"Iron Pagoda!"

Someone on the city wall screamed, his voice trembling with fear.

Liu Qi, who was beside Liu An, was so frightened that his face turned pale.

He grabbed Liu An's arm tightly and shouted incoherently:

"Dad! Dad! What kind of monster is that!"

Liu An glared at Liu Qi fiercely and cursed in his heart:

"Useless things!"

He forced himself to calm down and said in a deep voice:

"That's the Iron Pagoda of Java, their elite heavy cavalry!"

Liu An's voice was low.

Obviously he was also shocked by the power of this heavily armored cavalry.

This heavily armored cavalry rushed towards the city gate like a steel torrent.

They were not fast, but they were unstoppable, with a momentum that could crush everything.

The archers on the city wall shot arrows in panic, and the arrows hit the iron armor.

It made a tinkling sound, like a mayfly shaking a tree.

There is no way to stop the Iron Pagoda's progress.

The arrows bounced off weakly, drawing parabolas in the air.

Finally it fell to the ground, like a helpless sigh.

"Catapult! Use the catapult!"