Traveling back to the Northern Song Dynasty: Picking up a princess as my wife

Although the number of Jin soldiers killed or wounded continued to rise, the massive human wave tactic proved effective in this siege, with several Jin troop units already using ladders to scale the city walls.

Seeing the swarms of Jin soldiers rushing towards Tangyin City, Li Zhen picked up his walkie-talkie and pressed the send button.

"Yue Ying, it's your turn to go on stage."

As the gates of Tangyin opened, more than twenty modern engineering machines spewed out, belching black smoke. The Jin soldiers pushing the battering rams at the city gate were dumbfounded, unable to understand where these iron behemoths had come from.

The ram, made of giant logs, was pushed out of the ground by the loader driven by Yue Ying. As the loader flipped its bucket, the ram was dismantled into pieces, and countless Jin soldiers nearby were crushed to death.

Following the tactics meticulously planned the previous night, Yue Ying swiftly arranged the colossal steel behemoth into two iron formations, resembling a giant beast poised to pounce on an ancient battlefield, its gaze fixed on the impenetrable heart of the Jin army's formation.

With a deep and firm command, these cold, mechanical behemoths seemed to come alive, slowly starting up. Their massive wheels rolled across the ground, emitting a deafening roar, heralding the prelude to death and destruction.

As dawn broke, the sunlight failed to illuminate the bloody scene. The steel behemoth, with unstoppable force, swept straight into the heart of the enemy. Wherever it passed, the Jin army's formation crumbled like fragile paper. Beneath its wheels, flesh and dust mingled, painting a horrifying picture. Blood pooled into trickles, then quickly coalesced into rivers, staining the battlefield crimson—a silent indictment of this unjust war by nature itself.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and despair. The screams and cries of the Jin soldiers were drowned out by the roar of machinery. They tried to escape, but they seemed so small and powerless in the face of this steel torrent.

Yelü Shu, mounted on his warhorse, watched as the modified engineering machines rampaged through his ranks, and the Jin troops ahead showed signs of retreating.

"What are these things? Why have I never seen or heard of them before?"

Several Jin soldiers' lieutenants nearby also witnessed this scene. Apart from being dumbfounded, all they could do was try to dissuade their commander from launching any further attacks.

"Ding...ding..."

Jin cavalrymen occasionally fired arrows at Yue Ying's driver's cab, but Yue Ying, whose cabin had been fitted with thicker glass, showed no sign of panic except for being able to hear the noise.

Seeing that he had repeatedly charged through the Jin troops below the city walls twice, the Jin soldiers attacking the city walls were no longer able to mount an effective attack. Yue Ying then used the walkie-talkie to order them to form a triangular attack formation, targeting the enemy's central camp.

The loader he was driving had transformed into a steel behemoth on the battlefield, roaring and charging at the forefront, like a beast poised to pounce, eager to leave an indelible mark on the enemy's territory.

The Jin people were no longer simply enemies in his eyes, but symbols carrying too much blood, tears, and hatred. Every clash felt like seeking justice for the innocent souls who had perished, and every charge was a desperate fight against past humiliations. This flame of revenge did not consume his reason; instead, it ignited an inextinguishable fighting spirit and conviction within him.

Yelü Shu gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Give the order to retreat!"

Upon hearing this order, the lieutenants under his command felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from their hearts. They quickly sprang into action, methodically directing their soldiers to withdraw from the battlefield in a dignified manner, as if this were not a defeat but a strategic retreat.

However, Yue Ying's engineering cavalry swept in like a storm, shattering any semblance of composure they were trying to maintain. The Jin cavalry could barely maintain their formation thanks to their horses' speed, but the infantry became like duckweed in a tempest; their commanders' orders seemed utterly powerless in this life-or-death situation. They ignored any admonitions about order and discipline, their minds filled with only one thought—to escape to what they perceived as a safe haven.

On the battlefield, panic and chaos intertwined to create a breathtaking scene. The Jin army's retreat instantly turned into a chaotic escape, with everyone struggling for their own survival. The discipline and glory of the past were submerged by the desire to survive at this moment.

Finally, the fierce battle to defend Tangyin City drew to a close, its intensity awe-inspiring. In just two days, the Jin army suffered nearly ten thousand casualties; every inch of the battlefield seemed to whisper tales of resilience and tragedy. Along with the fallen came mountains of equipment and supplies—not only the ravages of war, but also a testament to the Jin's thwarted ambitions.

Yelü Shu, the once renowned Jin commander known for his bravery, could only stand under the setting sun, gazing at the few remaining defeated soldiers behind him, his eyes filled with resentment and helplessness. He knew this was not merely a defeat in battle, but an indelible stain on his military career. Exhausted and defeated, he had no choice but to order a retreat back to Puyang, where perhaps he and his troops could find temporary respite.

However, the heaviness in his heart remained ever-present. This defeat, so devastating, not only humiliated him but also threatened his position in the Jin court. The general's rank, once a symbol of glory, now flickered like a candle in a storm, ready to be extinguished at any moment. Yelü Shu knew that returning to Puyang would bring even harsher trials and an unknown fate.

Li Zhen silently examined the post-war situation, secretly calculating the heavy cost of this war.

Over the course of two days, arrows rained down like a storm. They were not merely a collection of cold metal and feathers, but a projection of the unwavering will and indomitable spirit of countless warriors. Now, his mysterious space had few unused arrows left, and the mortar shells had been completely emptied.

Fortunately, Li Zhen's side was the victor this time. After the war, he immediately sent soldiers outside to collect the arrows that had been shot. No matter how many there were, it would at least reduce the losses.

As for the mortars that once roared and dealt heavy blows to the enemy, their ammunition depots were now empty. Qian Dazhuang was also quite bold; during the most intense Jin army attack, disregarding the mortar's scorching hot barrel, he launched a continuous and precise bombardment of the enemy below the city, buying precious time for the defending soldiers.

Ultimately, if it weren't for the timely arrival of the engineering force of twenty steel behemoths led by Yue Ying, the fate of Tangyin City might have hung by a thread. Those colossal machines were not only mobile fortresses on the battlefield, but also the key to turning the tide of battle. With their unstoppable force, they showed the Jin soldiers of this era what absolute power truly meant. Their proud cavalry units were reduced to dust in the face of the machinery of later generations.

Although Li Zhen's side relied on advanced weaponry and defensive advantages, two to three hundred men still died in this battle, most of them killed by Jin soldiers' arrows. In response, Li Zhen immediately dispatched his henchmen to count the fallen soldiers. For those with families, the henchmen would personally deliver generous compensation to them and promise to take care of their future lives.