Chapter 692

I am preparing to lead thirty brave men out of the city to fight against the enemy.

"This battle may well be one-way. Who will come with me?"

"I will!"

"I will!"

……

As soon as the words fell, nearly all of the hundred-plus men nearby stepped forward.

The enemy force is one hundred thousand; the defenders number five thousand.

To sally forth and fight is almost certainly a one-way trip.

In a situation of certain death, not a single one of these Tang men was willing to retreat.

Yuchi Zhen could not help but nod, and said with emotion,

"Very good! But I only need thirty men.

Those with parents, wives, and children at home — only sons, step back.

Those with parents, wives, and children at home, and two brothers — the younger brother, step back!"

With his words, the hundred-plus Tang soldiers were reduced by more than half in an instant.

After a quick count, fewer than twenty-plus remained before him — not even thirty.

"Very good! These brothers will do.

Are you afraid of death?"

Yuchi Zhen unfastened his Kuanglong Mace and asked these men who were ready to die.

"Afraid!"

All hearts are made of flesh — who among us truly does not fear death?

"But we are willing to shed our last drop of blood for the Great Tang, for our fathers, elders, and fellow villagers."

Over these years at Yanmen Pass, Wang Xiaojie had not only constantly drilled the troops and prepared for war, but had also told these soldiers why they must hold this frontier pass.

These soldiers had long since tied their own lives to this frontier pass.

Therefore, though they feared death on this mission, they went calmly and without panic.

"Good, good, good!"

Yuchi Zhen was stunned for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter, lifted a jar of wine, and took a swig,

"I'll drink a mouthful of farewell wine first, then go on ahead — everyone follow after.

If we don't die today, you shall be my brothers.

The parents, wives, and children of those who fall in battle will be cared for by my Yuchi family to the very end."

Though Yuchi is not a common surname, within the Great Tang it is a noble and distinguished clan name.

Even before Yuchi Zhen's arrival, word had already spread through the city that this man came from Guogong Prefecture.

Since their own wives and children would be supported by the Duke of E in the future, what worries would they have at home?

Fewer than thirty of these men ready to die each took a mouthful of farewell wine.

Then they bade farewell to the comrades beside them, and amid their hot tears, followed Yuchi Zhen and leapt down from the city wall together.

Every garrison soldier who could come to Yanmen Pass possessed Wu Gong.

The lowest among them had the skill of a first-rate martial artist.

Their lightness skill was naturally beyond question.

Though the city wall was high, leaping down would not injure them.

Seeing Yuchi Zhen lead these fewer than thirty men leaping down from the city wall,

those Devil Master Palace disciples all sneered, thinking it was simply delivering heads and merits to them.

Therefore, most of the Devil Master Palace disciples no longer sought to ambush the defenders on the wall.

Instead, they shot their hidden weapons at these mere thirty men.

Yuchi Zhen had long anticipated that once he leapt down from the wall like this, he would surely come under concentrated fire.

Seeing the dense volley of hidden weapons flying toward him, he laughed heartily, raised his Kuanglong Mace, and swung the eight-sided golden mace like a windmill.

Channeling true essence into it, a faint attractive force emerged, drawing countless hidden weapons toward it.

Then, activating the special property of the Kuanglong Mace, he smashed all those hidden weapons into powder.

After Yuchi Zhen shattered the incoming hidden weapons, he led fewer than thirty Tang soldiers and actually counter-charged into the Yuan army formation.

He made straight for where the Devil Master Palace disciples were and cut his way toward them.

Only now did the Yuan soldiers, including the Devil Master Palace disciples, realize—

that this Yuchi Zhen, though so young, had already reached the half-step Realm of Heavenly Beings in cultivation.

Moreover, with that unique Kuanglong Mace in his hands, whether it was divine weapons and sharp blades, or heavy weapons like wolf-tooth clubs and iron caltrops—

every time he struck with all his might, every weapon blocking his path was smashed into powder.

For a time, Yuchi Zhen was incomparably valiant.

Leading fewer than thirty Tang soldiers, he cut through this Yuan army assault formation, throwing men and horses into chaos.

The Yuan army had not expected that such a small number of Tang soldiers could possess such terrifying power.

Moreover, since no one could withstand Yuchi Zhen's Kuanglong Mace, the Yuan army's assault and the Devil Master Palace disciples' hidden weapons were instead suppressed.

"Truly a tiger general!"

Captain Chen, seeing this scene, could not help but clap his hands in admiration,

"Quickly, archers keep firing arrows — ease the pressure on Sikong Yuchi."

Everything happening now was in fact a stalling action, waiting for the fourteen giant siege crossbows to arrive.

As long as the fourteen siege crossbows arrive, then before the dense barrage of giant bolts—

the little tricks of the Devil Shaman Palace disciples won't even be worth a snicker.

Captain Chen immediately switched the covering fire to precision shots.

Hoping to help Yuchi Zhen buy more time.

On the Yuan army's main formation side, Borhu and Meng Chixing were watching the battle from the observation platform and directing it.

Seeing Yuchi Zhen single-handedly disrupt the Yuan army's siege rhythm, Meng Chixing could not help but fly into a rage.

This time, in order to destroy Yanmen Pass's defensive formation, they had long since transferred all their tribute experts to the north.

It was precisely so that on the south side, Meng Chixing could draw enough fire from the siege crossbows.

Then Bi Xuan would strike, forcibly destroying the formation eye of the defensive array.

Right now the south side had the most Yuan troops, but when it came to experts, it actually fell short of the north.

Thus not a single Devil Shaman Palace disciple could match Yuchi Zhen.

Watching his own disciples being killed one after another, Meng Chixing immediately said,

"What a bold boy, daring to leave the city and fight back. General, shall I go capture and kill this whelp?"

"No rush, no rush!"

How could Borhu not know that Meng Chixing was feeling the pain of his Devil Shaman Palace disciples.

Only this battle was, from the start, a hard fight with no flourishes.

The Great Yuan soldiers under his own command had also suffered considerable losses.

This was precisely the moment when selfish motives could not be allowed.

Borhu soothed him at once, saying,

"If the Devil Shaman steps out now to capture and kill this man, it will very likely draw the attack of the siege crossbows.

Once the siege crossbows attack, this man will be able to escape.

Our plan is very likely to be affected.

Anyway, relying on him alone, he can forget about reversing the battle.

Wait until all their siege crossbows have arrived and they think victory is in the bag—then we strike, and not a moment too soon."

Hearing Borhu say this, Meng Chixing could only hold back for now.

Four siege crossbows were indeed not the full force of Yanmen Pass.

He needed to draw as many siege crossbows as possible, so that Bi Xuan could smoothly break into the pass.

Everything could only be endured a while longer.