"Avenge the Bai family’s army brothers!" The Zhou Bai family’s soldiers also shouted loudly, "Charge!" On the tower, Ye Shouguan sensed something unusual before hearing Vice General Zhao’s shout. He shouted loudly to close the city gates... But the soldiers, seeing Vice General Zhao enter the city, noticed their comrades were still rushing towards the city on horseback. Reluctant to close the gates and let their comrades become casualties under enemy blades, they ignored orders and shouted for their comrades to hurry, delaying the closure of the gates. Hearing Vice General Zhao’s shout, Ye Shouguan looked up once again towards the distance, only to see black-armored cavalry surging like a tsunami, the flickering torches of the Zhou army lighting up the distant darkness, Zhou’s densely lined scaling ladders, battering rams, in imposing formations... Ye Shouguan felt a chill on his scalp and immediately drew his sword, shouting loudly, "Ballista! Fire!" "General! His Majesty is still..." Ye Shouguan’s forehead veins bulged, and he turned to chop off the commander’s head, shouting loudly, "If Yecheng Pass falls, Xiliang is doomed! Avoid His Majesty’s direction! Ballista! Fire!" Ye Shouguan shouted hoarsely, and the ballista soldiers dared not hesitate. They lifted their hammers and struck the ballista’s launch mechanism with force. Properly lined three-bow ballistas on Yecheng Pass’s walls fired thick crossbow arrows whizzing towards the distant Zhou army... The Zhou army formations were solid, with shield troops protecting the cloud-lifting Zhou soldiers who marched steadily forward. Even if the ballista’s arrows pierced a shield formation and disrupted their steps, shield troops quickly filled the gaps, continuing to push forward in a line, creating an intimidating momentum... And Zhou’s trebuchets hadn’t been used yet. Ye Shouguan didn’t know what Bai Qingyan, known for deploying unexpected troops, was waiting for, when the trebuchets would be used. He even felt Zhou wasn’t using them yet to wait for an opportunity to gain a decisive advantage. "Report..." A blood-soaked soldier staggered back onto the tower, having killed his way out with Vice General Zhao and fought back, bringing a battle report, "Zhou’s main forces deployed! Emperor of Zhou personally leads the army, Bai family generals are all present! The youngest is beside the Emperor of Zhou!" "Report... Right flank Ye Shouguan’s general reported, no sight of Zhou’s army attacking, seek command whether to assist?" "Report... Left flank Ye Shoumen’s general reported, no sight of Zhou’s army, seek command... whether to reinforce?" Scouts sent by Ye Shouguan along the walls and onto Yecheng Pass’s flanks returned breathlessly to report. Hearing the Bai family’s army’s revenge cries, Ye Shouguan instantly made a decision. He turned to his subordinate commanders: "Who is willing to lead the troops out to resist the enemy and ensure the gates close smoothly? This path... leads only to death, not survival!" His meaning was clear, someone needed to lead the troops out to die, to resist until the gates closed. The commanders kneeled on one knee, clenching their fists and declaring their willingness. Everyone knew the importance of Yecheng Pass, without a nation... there would be no home. As Xiliang people... they must defend Xiliang’s last line of defense. Ye Shouguan’s cousin gave his cousin a deep look, stabbed his silver spear into the ground, tore a strip from his clothing and tied it around his head, his gaze resolute, he shouted loudly: "Brother! Tell my mother, her son is unfilial... but will be loyal to the nation! In the next life, I will fulfill filial piety to her elderly self! Please, cousin, take good care of my mother!" Saying this, Ye Shouguan’s cousin swiftly pulled out the silver spear beside his feet and rushed down the tower... If this battle required someone to die to fend off Zhou’s army and give time for brothers to close the gates, Ye Shouguan’s cousin knew... as a member of the Ye family, he bore the responsibility! His cousin Ye Shouguan was the lead defender, he couldn’t die... but he was just a martial man and could die! He knew for many years... the Ye family stubbornly defended Yecheng Pass without ever engaging in a hard battle, so those below were unsatisfied with the Ye family. Cousin Ye Shouguan was also at risk of being marginalized. He hoped as a descendant of the Ye family, leading by example could unite these commanders with his cousin to resist Zhou! Ah, Xiliang’s first great pass couldn’t be lost by the Ye family! Ye Shouguan’s eyes widened, wanting to call his cousin back, but the words stuck in his mouth, he swallowed them, only shouting loudly, "Fight to the rear, burn Zhou’s trebuchets! You’ll be Xiliang’s greatest hero!" Ye Shouguan’s cousin did not turn back, raising a hand with his knife to signal his understanding. Only hearing Ye Shouguan’s cousin loudly call from the tower stairs: "Ye Shouguan stands as Xiliang’s last defense line, those daring to sacrifice for the country... for home, follow me!" Ye Shouguan’s eyes instantly filled with tears, he gritted his teeth: "Rise up! This battle... if we let Zhou breach Yecheng Pass, we’ll be ashamed to face the warriors willing to die for us! Pick up your bows and arrows! Move the stones! Fire oil! Today, we battle Zhou to the death!" Saying this, Ye Shouguan turned and looked at the two scouts descending from the high mountaintops flanking Yecheng Pass, loudly issuing orders: "Send men quietly up the mountains on both sides to deliver orders, no need to reinforce the city... immediately dispatch troops to flank Zhou’s rear, fireworks as the signal, then... I will let some of Zhou’s army into the city, ambush from both sides, we must target Zhou’s main forces, ideally capture the Emperor of Zhou, exchange for our Emperor of Xiliang!" "Yes!" The messenger received the orders immediately and went to deliver them. The source of thɪs content is 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩 High walls were also built on the cliffs of Yecheng Pass’s two flanks, with walls starting from the mountain’s base gates... winding up to the mountain, soldiers guarding the mountain walls had long heard Yecheng Pass’s turmoil below. But their task was to hold the high walls above, Ye Shouguan had previously commanded, if faced with warfare... without his orders, soldiers on the mountain must not descend to assist, they must close the passage from the mountain base wall to the mountain wall to prevent the enemy gaining the mountain and causing Yecheng Pass’s complete destruction, so commanders on both mountain flanks had not acted rashly. But commanders atop the peaks had already sent men down the walls to investigate the battle. The Bai family’s army was fighting right at the gates with enemy troops tens and hundreds of times their number, they held the gates fiercely, even using their corpses to block until the gates could close, ensuring Bai family’s brothers successfully entered the city. Ye Shouguan’s cousin led Xiliang’s soldiers, scimitar raised high, urging his horse to leap through the gates, his battle cry tearing through the clouds, charging head-on towards the Bai family’s direction, knowing this battle would bring sure death, he only shouted loudly: "Xiliang’s warriors! Even in death, take down as many Zhou dogs as possible! Charge!"