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

"No, absolutely not!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Tuo became anxious and quickly grabbed Ban Dingyuan's hand.

"I beg you to take me to see the Duke of Zhenguo! Take me to see the Duke of Zhenguo!"

"So many of my warriors have died. If I don't get any benefits, how am I supposed to explain this to the families of my tribesmen when I return?"

Ban Dingyuan shook off his hand: "That's your own business. Your agreement with the Duke of Zhenguo didn't include him being responsible for these trivial matters."

That's settled then. The Zhenguo Guild will send someone to bring you some food later, as a token of appreciation for your efforts during this time."

No! Absolutely not!

Shatuo was on the verge of collapse upon hearing this.

He pointed to his chest and said, "I've fought this far, just one step away from conquering Rangzhou City. Now you want me to give up and hand this opportunity to someone else? Don't dream about it!"

Ban Dingyuan's face instantly darkened: "Shatuo, who are you talking to?"

"Don't think I don't know what the Duke of Zhenguo is up to!" Shatuo went completely mad. "Why are those Solon people here? They're probably just trying to steal my credit!"

Ban Dingyuan's tone was threatening: "I advise you to think carefully before you speak. Didn't the Duke of Zhenguo give you a chance? You couldn't seize it, so who can you blame!"

"Then go tell the Duke of Zhenguo! Today, right today, I will take Rangzhou City and show him!"

"Go tell him that I'm going to take all the women and money from Rangzhou, and nobody can take them from me!"

After saying that, Sha Tuo kicked over a stool and, without waiting for Ban Dingyuan's response, continued cursing and swearing all the way, enjoying his old age.

As soon as he left, Shen Lang peeked out from inside the tent.

"Commander, these Shatuo seem a bit difficult to control. Should we take some action?"

Shen Lang shook his head: "No need. Notify the entire army to prepare to take over Rangzhou City. At the latest, the army can gradually occupy the entire Rangzhou before dawn tomorrow."

Ban Dingyuan seemed to be deep in thought, then his eyes lit up: "What the Commander means is..."

Shen Lang waved his hand to stop him from speaking: "This kind of person is so greedy that he has gone mad."

I believe he will stop at nothing to take Rangzhou City next.

What we need to do is take over all the defense lines in Rangju as quickly as possible.

Ban Dingyuan: "Does the commander really intend to give all the city's supplies and people to the Shatuo?"

Shen Lang countered, "If they've all been given, where will the military pay come from?"

"So the commander's intention is..."

Ban Dingyuan made a gesture as if he were chopping vegetables.

Shen Lang immediately denied it: "How could that be? If I did that, who would trust me in the future? The image of Great Chu would also be affected."

In short, don't worry about it. I'll handle this properly. You can go now.

"Yes."

After Ban Dingyuan left, Shen Lang looked at the galloping warhorses in the distance and couldn't help but smile knowingly.

"Shatuo, now it depends on how much you are willing to pay for the benefits."

……

"Warriors! Charge in! Seize the grain! Seize the money! Seize the women!"

"Oooooooo-"

Severely provoked, the Shatuo launched a desperate offensive against Rangzhou just after noon.

This time, he was determined to take the city no matter the cost.

"Beat the drums and cheer!"

Shen Lang, who witnessed this scene in the Goryeo army, decisively ordered the Taegi Kingdom to beat the drums.

dong dong dong-

The heavy drumbeats resounded, and the battlefield was instantly filled with a chilling atmosphere of killing intent.

"Hold on! Everyone, hold on!"

Standing atop the city wall, Xue Yan instinctively sensed that this attack by the Goryeo army was different from the past, and immediately ordered the entire army to defend it at all costs.

Before the breach in the city wall, soldiers from the Shatuo and Liaodong tribes climbed upwards one by one, rushing into the city like zombies.

At the breach, a group of Goguryeo veterans, along with many new recruits, nervously held their spears, assuming a defensive posture.

boom--

Finally, in the instant of close combat, a piercing, muffled impact echoed over the city.

The two armies fought fiercely together, their shouts and cries echoing throughout the air.

puff-

A long spear mercilessly pierced the abdomen of a foreign warrior.

The Goguryeo spearman, his face contorted with rage, twisted his spear violently and then yanked it out, instantly pulling the foreign warrior to the front of the battle.

boom.

The spearmen in the front row, with their swords and shields working in close coordination, slammed their shields into the alien's face the instant his body leaned forward, twisting and deforming his features on the spot.

But the next moment, a tiger spear emerged from the alien group like a venomous snake, bypassing the edge of the shield and piercing the throat of the swordsman and shield bearer.

The swordsman's pupils contracted, his gaze quickly became unfocused, and he lost consciousness in the blink of an eye.

puff-

However, soon after, the alien spearman was also pierced through the chest by a spear as thick as a bowl.

"Ah~"

Feeling his life slipping away rapidly, the alien warrior let out his last roar, threw away his spear, and charged forward, lunging at the Goguryeo spearman, letting the spear pierce through his body from both ends.

The next moment, he gripped his opponent's cheeks tightly with both hands and twisted them violently with all his might...

Clunk~

A sound of bones cracking echoed through the air.

The next moment, the Goguryeo spearman's neck was snapped, and he fell into a pool of blood along with the foreign warrior.

The fighting grew increasingly fierce, with more and more foreign soldiers climbing the slope, using every means possible to take away the Goguryeo garrison guarding the area.

The momentum of these people's attack now is completely different from that of the morning; they are all acting like madmen, showing no fear of death.

Xue Yan broke out in a cold sweat, watching the figures falling one by one at the breach, knowing that Rangzhou City might not be able to be defended.

The lieutenant, Lou Tai'a, kept swinging his broad, heavy sword. After cleaving a Shatuo soldier from shoulder to waist with a single blow, he then swung his sword backhand and shattered the shield and forehead of a swordsman.

However, just as he was about to unleash his third strike, Shatuo's heavy mace struck him squarely on the forehead.

"Die! Die! Anyone who stands in my way must die!"

Shatuo's eyes were bloodshot as he fiercely pulled back his spiked club, scattering splattered white brain matter across the battlefield.

"Warriors, once we conquer Rangzhou City, each of us will be rewarded with a bushel of grain, and those who die in battle will receive double! What are you waiting for? Follow me and fight!"

"Kill!"

Driven by enormous profits, these foreign tribes from the Liaodong region descended into utter madness and gradually seized control of the breach.

Xue Yan was shocked: "We can't let them break in! Quickly, stop them! Stop them!"

With that, Xue Yan personally took charge, intending to eliminate Shatuo first.

But the instant he leaped off the city wall...

boom--

A gunshot was quickly drowned out by the sounds of fighting.

The hot bullet pierced his helmeted head.

The moment he landed, Xue Yan died.

Upon witnessing this scene, the Goguryeo soldiers all stopped, staring in disbelief at Xue Yan's corpse.

In their view, Xue Yan had fallen to his death.

What a disgrace it was for the commander of the defending army to fall to his death.

Instantly, the morale of the Goguryeo defenders plummeted, and faced with the onslaught of foreign soldiers, they immediately abandoned their weapons and chose to flee.

"attack!"

Upon seeing this, Shen Lang immediately ordered the entire army to attack.

As the Taiji Kingdom's army surged into the city walls like a tidal wave, Rangzhou City finally fell...