Chapter 715

The defenders were desperately short-handed, and the number of experts was even more scarce.

Disciples of the Demon Master Palace and Wuzun Sect, along with imperial patrons of the Great Yuan, lurked within the attacking army and struck suddenly.

In these mere seven days, more than two thousand of the original five thousand defenders now lay dead here.

Even those still alive were now half of them wounded, some lightly, some severely.

The other half were utterly exhausted, having not slept properly once.

"Seven days—we've held for seven days! It truly is a miracle…"

Even Captain Chen leaned against a pillar on the rampart, speaking slowly.

He had been at Yanmen Pass for countless years and had endured even fiercer battles.

But this kind of battle—isolated, unsupported, with no clue when relief might come—he had never faced before.

"Enough! Friends, this is not the time to rejoice.

Seven days have passed—the time agreed upon with Lord Di has arrived.

General Su has, as planned, seized the Hetao region.

Once General Wang receives the news, we will launch a coordinated strike from within and without to drive out the Great Yuan barbarians."

Yuchi Zhen was also utterly exhausted, yet still stepped forward to speak.

These past days, Great Yuan experts had repeatedly infiltrated the attacking army to launch ambushes.

Each time, they caused great trouble—and even casualties—among the defenders.

To ease the pressure on the walls, Yuchi Zhen fully leveraged his Wu Gong cultivation and the Kanglong Jian he received from Di Renjie.

Whenever Great Yuan experts appeared—even Meng Chixing or Bi Xuan—he would lead a band of death-seekers.

Wait for the right moment, then charge backward.

Each time, relying on the Kanglong Jian's invincibility.

He could even shatter Meng Chixing's unique mental ice blades outright.

But men are not iron, and Yuchi Zhen's cultivation was quite ordinary.

Over these many days, he had suffered countless wounds.

He still stood only because of that one last breath.

And because Yi Tianxing, the Eleventh Hall Master of the Qinglong Society, had said: to survive, we must hold Yanmen Pass!

"Yes! We've all received the news—General Wang must have too."

Captain Chen nodded with a smile, glancing at Yuchi Zhen with a touch of admiration.

"General Yuchi, Captain Chen—the enemy is coming again."

At that moment, a scout suddenly cried out.

Through these days of shared bloodshed and counterattacks, Yuchi Zhen had won the respect of every man at Yanmen Pass, including Captain Chen.

Thus, though Lord Sikong held a higher official rank, these men of Yanmen Pass still called Yuchi Zhen "General."

Once, that title of "General" was reserved solely for Wang Xiaojie, the commander of Yanmen Pass!

Yuchi Zhen smiled faintly and walked with Captain Chen and others to the front of the rampart, gazing outward.

Indeed, Borhu's assault had begun once more.

But this time, Borhu had concentrated heavy forces on all three sides: east, south, and north.

It was as if he intended to seize Yanmen Pass in one decisive blow.

"Good! Has Borhu learned nothing from these past days of bloody battle?

Our Yanmen Pass is an unyielding rock.

No matter how fierce the storm, this rock will stand."

Ba Fenghan was a man of the Wu Lin, ignorant of military strategy, and said this as he watched.

"Fenghan, I fear they're preparing to fight to the death…"

Yuchi Zhen, however, came from a family steeped in military tradition and understood perfectly what Borhu sought.

"Now General Su leads the Left and Right Elite Guards and has taken the Hetao region.

That means Borhu's rear supply lines are cut—he cannot retreat back to the Great Yuan.

His only options are to head east to Youzhou and join forces with Mu Huali's main army, or

to find a stronghold in these two western states and hold out for reinforcements."

Hearing this, Ba Fenghan gasped, stamped his foot, and said,

"Yuchi, you mean he intends to use our Yanmen Pass as his stronghold?"

"Of course!"

Pei Xingjian slapped Ba Fenghan's shoulder and smiled,

"Borhu brought ten thousand men to attack Yanmen Pass, defended by only five thousand.

Seven days passed—and still he failed.

The two western states are vast and open—where else could they go?"

"Damn it…"

Ba Fenghan was so furious he nearly drew his sword and charged down right then.

"Enough! You and Lord Kou, go down now!

Your task is to hold the core of the formation—don't let them break through."

Yuchi Zhen said.

Yanmen Pass had held for seven days primarily because the defenders were united, resolute, and five thousand strong, fearless of death.

But the key was also the defensive array inscribed on Yanmen Pass, and the three walls' massive siege crossbows.

These past few days, to prevent Bolhu and the others from discovering it.

Yuchi Zhen not only publicly called Pei Xingjian the Bandit Chief, but even addressed him as such in front of the Tang garrison.

No matter how dire the city's defenses became, Yuchi Zhen always fought alone, wielding the Kanglong Mace, alongside the suicide squad.

Even though Seeing Ba Fenghan and Pei Xingjian's Wu Gong cultivation was no lesser than his own, he still dared not let them take this risk.

Deceiving Watching Bi Xuan relied on borrowing the Qinglong Society's hide.

For this, he had been warned by Yitianxing of the Qinglong Society.

If their momentary hardship exposed Pei Xingjian's true identity.

The defense array would likely be shattered by Bolhu's men in an instant.

Only then would the true calamity of Yanmen Pass begin.

With Pei Xingjian and Seeing Ba Fenghan's withdrawal, the back-and-forth battle for the city walls resumed.

The Tang left five thousand to guard the pass; now only about three thousand remain.

Generally, siege losses exceed defense losses by more than a factor of two.

But this time, the Great Yuan deliberately mixed conscript laborers into their assault ranks, so their soldier casualties remained low.

They lost only about three thousand.

Conversely, the laborers suffered heavy losses, totaling at least five thousand.

The Tang and Qin laborers were mostly their own citizens conscripted, called levies.

But the Great Yuan was different: they forcibly conscripted laborers from other small and large nations at the last moment.

Thus, no matter how many laborers died, neither Bolhu nor Mu Huali would so much as blink.

This final all-out assault aimed to seize Yanmen Pass and preserve their base of holding out for reinforcements.

Bolhu had nearly committed his entire army.

The numbers attacking from three sides were substantial, and elite warriors were hidden among them.

Once the assault began, it rolled forward in successive waves, like crashing tidal surges.

With over eight thousand, nearly nine thousand lost, it seemed to make no difference at all.

In contrast, Yanmen Pass, after losing two thousand men, now faced serious defense problems.

Previously, they could coordinate arrow volleys with siege crossbows to suppress the Yuan assault.

Now, the siege crossbows still had operators, but the synchronized arrow volleys were gone.

They could only resort to sporadic shots.

Yet every Yuan assault always included numerous Great Yuan elites.