Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

boom--

The heavily armored cavalry slammed into the infantry formation, immediately crashing head-on into the crowd.

Looking down from above, a plume of dust rose from the battlefield, carrying billowing yellow sand as it weaved and galloped through the waves of people.

Bang~

A Taiji Kingdom soldier, who was bracing himself against a tree shield with both hands, suddenly felt a numbness in his wrists, and then his whole body flew backward uncontrollably.

"No, don't come any closer, I don't want to die, I don't want to die."

Another soldier turned and ran in terror, but he forgot that two legs could never outrun a warhorse.

Soon, as an armored cavalryman passed by him, the Goguryeo cavalryman on horseback swung his flail and smacked him on the head.

The next moment, the Taiji Kingdom soldier coughed up blood and collapsed in a pool of blood.

"Ah, help me, my dear~"

Another soldier was thrown to the ground and lay there desperately calling for help from his comrades.

But the thunderous sound of hooves and the shouts from all around had already drowned out his voice.

"Uu——"

Suddenly, the neighing of warhorses rang out behind the soldiers.

"No~smida~"

Amidst desperate cries for help, a horseshoe-embedded iron hoof stomped hard on his face, splattering blood and mud everywhere.

"Charge! Charge! Hahaha!"

Dangrui brandished his lance, his smile utterly ferocious.

Looking at the easily defeated Taiji Kingdom soldiers before him, he vowed to break through the enemy lines in one fell swoop.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

A soldier from the Cloud Kingdom, overcome with fear and terror, suddenly mustered unprecedented courage and slashed his sword fiercely at Dangrui's mount.

Ding~

After a flash of sparks, the blade shattered instantly upon striking the vest.

"What? How could this be..."

boom--

Looking at the broken sword in his hand, the soldier from Yunshang Kingdom was immediately filled with confusion.

But in that moment of distraction, the wooden shield hanging from the side of the swift mount slammed into his head, sending him flying.

"Stupid dwarf!"

Dang Rui spat out a mouthful of saliva, then slammed his spear down, instantly crushing the head of another Taiji Kingdom soldier who was attempting a sneak attack into his shoulders.

"Press them down, crush them!"

boom--

Once the heavily armored cavalry broke into the infantry formation, they were unstoppable. Any soldier who stood in their way was trampled into a bloodbath under their iron hooves.

In the blink of an eye, the first and second lines of defense had been torn apart by the cavalry's brutal charge.

At that moment, the two thousand light cavalry following closely behind the armored cavalry also joined the battle.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh—

The horse's bow fired rapidly in rapid succession, each arrow spraying blood as it was released.

Despair, fear, and chaos filled the entire battlefield.

The Taiji soldiers on the subsequent defensive lines were so terrified by the horrific scene that their limbs went limp.

"Ugh."

Seeing the one-sided situation on the battlefield, Ban Dingyuan sighed and walked up to Shen Lang, saying, "Duke Zhenguo, if this continues, I'm afraid we simply can't hold out. The Goryeo troops are already on the verge of collapse."

Shen Lang remained remarkably calm: "Pass down the order: anyone who dares to leave the formation without permission will be executed without mercy!"

Ban Dingyuan was taken aback: "Duke Zhenguo, if this continues, it might further provoke the Goryeo soldiers. Perhaps..."

"Excuting an order."

Shen Lang replied indifferently.

"Even if all the Taiji people on the battlefield die, you must stop these beasts for me."

"understood."

Although he didn't understand Shen Lang's intentions, Ban Dingyuan believed that the Duke of Zhenguo would never set up a useless scheme.

At this moment on the battlefield, the Goguryeo cavalry had broken through two lines of defense in succession, and the surrounding area was full of scattered Taeguk soldiers.

He shrugged off the third line of defense in front of him and couldn't help but snort coldly.

"It's the same old formation again, they don't even bother to change it. It seems the Tai Chi people are really scared out of their wits."

He immediately raised his spear high, quickly gathered all his armored cavalry behind him, and once again formed a wedge formation, preparing to launch a second attack on the Goryeo soldiers.

Meanwhile, in front of the Tai Chi soldiers, the supervisory team kept threatening and reassuring them, trying to stabilize their mentality.

But facing the densely packed, scattered figures of his comrades all around him, the Goryeo soldiers were filled with trepidation and had no courage to confront the Goguryeo people.

"Cheer up, everyone!"

Suddenly, Wang Xuance spurred his horse through the ranks, beginning to boost morale.

"See those two lines of defense ahead? Those are your brothers risking their lives and blood to buy you a chance."

"Those heavily armored cavalry are terrifying, but they are just livestock, and even the people riding them are just livestock!"

"Why do we call them livestock? It's because anything that breathes gets tired. Your comrades have already exhausted a lot of the cavalry's strength, and the enemy's morale is not what it used to be."

"Moreover, the Duke of Zhenguo already told you how to suppress the cavalry during the training. As long as you follow his instructions, you will definitely be able to defeat them!"

"As long as you follow orders, you will definitely survive and witness the moment of victory!"

Wang Xuance's words instantly calmed their restless emotions.

Everyone rallied and returned to their positions.

"Prepare to defend against the enemy!"

"Yes--"

Just as the Taiji Kingdom soldiers were bracing themselves for the test of the iron cavalry charge, Dangrui also led his armored cavalry in a second charge.

"Push them down, drill right through them!"

"Roar~~"

Amidst thunderous roars, the Goguryeo cavalry launched their second charge.

The overwhelming pressure from the surging waves of riders was indeed unprecedented, but as Wang Xuance had said, both men and horses had already exhausted a great deal of energy in the previous battles.

The warhorse was panting heavily, foaming at the mouth, and its hooves were not as swift and agile as they had been at the beginning.

Within the Taiji Kingdom's formation, several ronin from the Yunshang Kingdom loudly directed a squad of soldiers to carry a row of chevaux-de-frise, each as thick as a large bowl, half-erected behind a tree shield.

Another group of soldiers each carried a bundle of straw, ready to be deployed once the battle began.

When everything was ready, the heavily armored cavalry were less than ten paces away.

"Withdraw the shields!"

At Wang Xuance's command, the first row of tree shields opened to the side.

Call——

The moment the rows of chevaux-de-frise appeared, their sharp tips instantly spurred the warhorses to a halt mid-charge.

"Ah~"

A Goguryeo cavalryman screamed as his horse flung him into the enemy ranks.

As he fell, his chest was pierced directly by a thick, long barricade.

Many warhorses were also startled by sharp objects and resisted, throwing their riders off their backs.

Meanwhile, the light cavalry, charging behind the armored cavalry, were unaware of the unexpected turn of events ahead and crashed headfirst into their comrades.

In that instant, the infantrymen and their horses fell to the ground, and the originally dense cavalry formation was thrown into chaos.

"set fire!"

When the opportunity arose, the Goryeo soldiers immediately lit the straws in their hands and threw them directly at the cavalry.

Instantly, smoke filled the battlefield, so thick that the warhorses dared not advance another step.