She reined in her horse and raised her hand... Immediately, the mighty Zhou army stopped on command, their movements perfectly synchronized. Bai Qingyan turned her horse around and shouted orders: "Bai Jinxiu, Bai Qingjue, lead the troops up the right side of the city. Bai Qingyu, Bai Jinhua, lead the troops up the left side. Within half an hour, we must have our Zhou black flag with the white python flying on the city wall, to boost our army’s morale!" "Bai Jinxiu at your command!" "Bai Qingjue at your command!" "Bai Qingyu at your command!" "Bai Jinhua at your command!" The four received their orders, each leading their men to spread out like two gigantic dragons rapidly racing towards the left and right of Yecheng Pass. "Heavy shields forward, proceed in order, escort the scaling ladders forward!" Upon hearing Bai Qingyan issue the order again, the messengers responded in kind, scattering quickly to relay the commands. The soldiers with heavy shields advanced, protecting their comrades hidden beneath, following the scaling ladders forward... The city gate was ultimately not closed, and a force of Zhou soldiers had already breached the city. The scaling ladders reached the city walls, and the Zhou soldiers sheltered beneath heavy shields charged out, some rushing out of the city, some already climbing the ladders. Thıs content belongs to 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱 Ye Shouguan understood that the Xiliang army was trapped inside and unable to act, while outside, the Zhou army gathered... their small units would be no match for the Zhou army. He looked along the winding city wall towards the hills on either side, hoping they could quickly circumnavigate to attack the Zhou army from behind, joining forces from inside and out to annihilate Zhou. Hidden on the right hillside of Yecheng Pass, Yang Wuce, with straw in his mouth, lay in ambush with his troops, eyes fixed on the brightly lit city wall... Hidden on the left hillside of Yecheng Pass, Zhao Ran lay prone, leading his troops in silence, waiting for the gate to open. Bai Qingyan openly led the Bai family generals to a frontal assault on Yecheng Pass to make Ye Shouguan believe... the main force of Zhou was fully committed, either relying on having the Emperor of Xiliang as leverage or forcing the Xiliang soldiers on the hills to come to the rescue. In any case, the goal was to get the Xiliang soldiers on the hills to move. Otherwise, without movement from the Xiliang soldiers on the hills, capturing the left and right hills of Yecheng Pass was a must; otherwise, even if Yecheng Pass were taken, it would be meaningless! This... was the reason Bai Qingyan had Sima Ruodan pose as Li Yingnan’s daughter; no matter what, it was crucial to make the Xiliang soldiers believe the Emperor of Xiliang was in the hands of the Zhou Emperor! The soldiers on the hills had to be activated! Before long, as Yang Wuce chewed on the straw, his spine suddenly tensed, adjusting his posture like a hunting leopard, fixedly staring at the gate. The sound of chains moving came, and the ancient heavy gate slowly opened, inside the gate... was the voice of Xiliang General Ye Shou boosting morale. "Our garrison general Ye Shouguan has opened Yecheng Pass gate, drawing the main enemy force to him at the front. Our task is to circle to the rear... joining forces with the brothers inside Yecheng Pass for an all-out attack, vowing to destroy Zhou! Capture the Zhou Emperor alive! Rescue our Xiliang Emperor! Avenge our fallen brothers at Wengshan!" The Xiliang soldiers inside the gate roared fiercely, filled with murderous intent. Outside the city walls, the Zhou soldiers lying in wait held their breath, fearing that even their hot breath might be detected, which would ruin the entire Zhou battle plan... "Warriors of Xiliang! Draw your swords! The God will protect our bravest warriors! Charge!" The Xiliang soldiers charged ferociously out from the open gate, rushing down from the hills, using the slope to accelerate quickly downhill... The Zhou army lying in ambush on both sides kept their eyes glued to the gate, watching as wave after wave of Xiliang soldiers poured out. The main force of Yecheng Pass’s Xiliang army was indeed stationed on the hills! Zhao Ran, guarding the left hillside of Yecheng Pass, was part of the Bai family army, and never doubted Bai Qingyan’s judgment. But Yang Wuce... was genuinely astonished; Yecheng Pass was indeed as Bai Qingyan had predicted, with their main force hidden entirely on both hills. As the main forces on each hill rushed out, racing towards the Zhou army in the rear, Yang Wuce and Zhao Ran launched the attack first... With Yang Wuce’s command, the Zhou soldiers charged towards the still-open gate, determined to seize it! On the hills, the sound of battle roared to the heavens. Bai Qingyan had instructed that when most of Xiliang’s main force emerged, Zhao Ran and Yang Wuce must take the hills’ gates at any cost and plant the black flag with the white python on them! The sounds of battle from the hills reached the commanders who had been lying prone down the mountain path for a long time. Suddenly, they stood up, shouting hoarsely, "Pull!" On the must-pass mountain path, numerous Zhou soldiers suddenly tightened the ropes wound around tree trunks... Countless ropes shot up, tripping the Xiliang soldiers charging downhill, causing them to tumble back towards their own men, trampling their own comrades! Before Lieutenant Ye Shou could call for his soldiers to move to the sides, the Zhou soldiers, frozen there for a long time, suddenly rose, wielding swords against the Xiliang soldiers. On the city walls of Yecheng Pass, Ye Shouguan heard the sudden sounds of battle from the hills and his eyes widened as he quickly walked forward, first looking to the left, then to the right... The battle cries from the hills, mixed with those in front of Yecheng Pass’s gate, formed an enormous web of terror, as if it fell from the sky, enveloping Yecheng Pass entirely, suffocating Ye Shouguan. He sharply turned his gaze to the space between the clouds carrying Li Tianfu and Ye Yingnan, looking far away, he could barely make out, under the light peeking through the dawn, the silhouette of Bai Qingyan in silver armor, holding the sun-shooting bow, horseback in the center. The Xiliang soldiers dared not shoot towards Li Tianfu and Ye Yingnan, making Bai Qingyan the safest at that spot. In Bai Qingyan’s ears there was only the sound of wind and battle cries, her cape billowing in the wind, her hair ribbon flying. With wounds on her face, blood-stained armor, riding a fine horse, holding the sun-shooting bow, her piercing eyes fixed on Yecheng Pass, nicknamed Xiliang’s impregnable fortress, determined to capture it, just like she was with Xiliang. Soon enough, the Bai family army’s black flag with the white python rose first on the high city wall of the right hill, followed by more flags on the left hill’s city wall, and the Xiliang army flags fell one by one. The Bai family soldiers charged down from the hills along the city walls, unstoppable.