In Pengcheng, the night is lonely.

Under the blazing light of the fire, a group of fast cavalry suddenly rushed out from the darkness, like a gust of wind, rushing straight at them. The cavalry were wearing black armor, the sound of their horses' hooves was like thunder, and they had an unparalleled momentum, as if they were the gods of death rushing out of hell.

"not good!"

Guo Huaicheng, who was standing on the tower, turned pale and panicked. His intuition told him that this was definitely not a good sign.

The thing he was most worried about finally happened. The so-called northern barbarian reinforcements were simply a feint by the rebels. It was just a trap from the beginning to the end. His heart was filled with incredible anger and helplessness.

"Lin Zhongyun, you are such a sinister guy!" Guo Huaicheng roared in his heart, filled with resentment.

He never thought that Lin Zhongyun would be so courageous that he would burn down most of his camp in order to convince himself that the chaos in the camp was caused by reinforcements from the Northern Barbarians. Such a crazy move was simply a ruthless gamble on the entire battle situation.

In this fire, countless tents and food supplies will be burned to ashes. This is truly a desperate move.

But there was always a question in his mind, that is, the rebel army obviously already had a huge advantage, so why did they still do this kind of action that would hurt the enemy by a thousand and hurt their own eight hundred.

Aren't they afraid that the reinforcements from the Northern Barbarians will really come out at this time? Or if he keeps his troops in place from beginning to end, then wouldn't most of the camps be burned in vain?
However, no matter how shocked and angry he was at the moment, it would be of no avail.

The rebels who seemed to have been defeated by the northern barbarian reinforcements turned their guns around and attacked them in a well-trained and orderly manner.

In the light of the fire, the figures of the rebels seemed to be coated with a layer of gold by the flames, making them look particularly majestic.

At this time, the well-trained army of the rebels was fully demonstrated. In such a chaotic situation, they were still able to obey orders and quickly assemble into a military formation.

Every soldier seemed calm and composed, as if they had anticipated the upcoming battle. Their movements were coordinated and swift, like a precision machine, quickly forming strict battle formations, as if they were not affected by the chaos around them.

Guo Huaicheng was even more disappointed when he saw this scene, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. He asked himself, these elite soldiers under his command could never be as calm as the rebels. The panic and confusion of the soldiers were clearly visible to him, and facing the neat formation of the rebels, he couldn't help but feel powerless.

Only now did he suddenly realize that the rebels in the mountains that they had previously sneered at had already upgraded their weapons to become more elite soldiers than them.

"City gate! Close the city gate quickly!"

Guo Huaicheng shouted at the crowd, his voice full of anxiety and anger, trying to get his soldiers to gather again. He knew that if this cavalry was allowed to rush into the city, the consequences would be disastrous. Pengcheng was their last line of defense. If it was lost, the entire Daqian would be in dire straits.

However, facing this sudden change, his voice seemed so inaudible in the noise of the war. The chaos around was like a violent storm, and the soldiers' fear and anxiety spread in an instant.

More people were in disarray, abandoning their weapons and fleeing. The once proud elite soldiers were now like frightened birds, losing their minds and running towards the city gates, trying to escape the impending massacre.

Such a scene formed a sharp contrast with the rebel army that was advancing aggressively outside the city, and the difference in status was immediately apparent.

The soldiers of the rebel army looked extremely determined under the light of the fire, like an unstoppable torrent rushing forward. Their slogans echoed over Pengcheng, making Guo Huaicheng feel powerless.

Once upon a time, he had led these soldiers to fight through the battlefield without fear in the face of the enemy, but now he seems so vulnerable in a critical moment.

His heart was filled with despair and unwillingness. "If you see it this way, we don't blame you for losing. Daqian deserved to lose."

The opportunity for battle was at hand, and even though the defenders in Pengcheng discovered something was wrong at the first moment, they immediately began to close the gates.

But at this point, everything was too late.

The heavy wooden doors of the city gate made a low roar as they closed rapidly, but they were unable to stop the rebel cavalry that was pouring in like a tide outside.

Not to mention whether the rebel cavalry had rushed to the city, just the officers and soldiers who immediately returned when they saw that the situation was not right made it difficult to close the city gate completely for a while.

On the city wall, Guo Huaicheng's eyes flashed with despair and anger. He knew that time became extremely precious at this moment.

"Quick! Quick! Close the door!" he shouted loudly, but his voice was drowned out by the chaotic roars and the sound of horse hooves.

"Stop them! Don't let them in!" Guo Huaicheng's voice was hoarse and a feeling of powerlessness surged in his heart.

Driven by the instinct of survival, the officers and soldiers who had just escaped turned their horses around and began to rush towards the city gate.

Their faces were filled with fear, and their eyes flashed with madness between life and death, as if they had forgotten their former glory and responsibility, and only had the instinct to survive.

At this moment, there was chaos in front of the city gate.

Those officers and soldiers who had not yet run into the city saw the rebels coming and rushed into the city gate like crazy.

With death imminent behind them and the only way to survive ahead, their hearts were filled with despair and anger as they desperately squeezed towards the slightly open city gate.

The impact of the crowd caused the door, which was already open, to open even wider, and it could no longer be closed.

The rebel cavalry that rushed over dismounted, drew the long swords at their waists and began to charge towards the city.

Although they are all cavalrymen, before being selected, each of them was a battle-hardened infantryman, and their skills were no worse than those infantrymen who trained all day long.

In this way, the rebels and the defenders in front of the city gate began to fight, and real close combat hand-to-hand combat broke out in an instant.

The sound of swords clashing was like thunder, accompanied by screams and roars, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.

Just a moment later, before the two armies met, corpses fell to the ground and blood splattered, staining the bluestone slabs in front of the city gate red. The blood continued to flow through the cracks in the stones until it turned into blood drops and fell into the moat.

Such a tragic scene left everyone stunned and pale.

Those who were once terrified seemed to be awakened by the blood and despair before their eyes at this moment, and their hearts were also aroused with anger. Since they would die anyway, they might as well fight to the death and kill to their heart's content.

Fearless rage burned in their hearts, as if at this moment, all fear turned into courage.

"We'll die sooner or later anyway, so we might as well kill them all!" A fierce shout came from the crowd, the sound like a war drum, shaking everyone's heart. A burly soldier, abandoning his fear, began to kill the rebels from outside the city.

"That's right," another soldier followed suit, anger and despair intertwined in his heart. This was his counterattack out of despair.

"Revenge for our brothers!" another soldier roared, his eyes flashing with madness. Their actions were like sparks that ignited dry wood, instantly igniting the fighting spirit of the surrounding soldiers, and more and more people began to join this life-and-death struggle.

The soldiers' roars echoed in the night sky, as if tearing through the dull air. Blood splattered everywhere, the sound of blades cutting through flesh mixed with screams, and the battle in front of the city gate became more and more intense.

At this moment, as the last foundation of Daqian, the quality of the officers and soldiers under the emperor's feet was fully reflected at this moment.

Fearlessness dispelled the fear in their hearts, and they instinctively picked up their weapons and put their daily training to good use. Every swing of their swords and every stabbing was filled with anger and unwillingness.

For a while, the rebels finally squeezed into the city gate, but were forced out by the Daqian soldiers. The battle in front of the city gate intensified, blood flowed like a river, and corpses piled up like a mountain.

Guo Huaicheng stood on the city wall, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

His eyes penetrated the smoke and blood and fell on the chaos. He felt helpless but also a little touched. Although the fierceness of the battle exceeded his expectations, he never thought that the city gate could hold out for so long in the face of the offensive of the rebels.

As long as the city gate has not been broken, there is still hope.

"Come here, everyone, go down and block the city gate immediately and drive out the rebels under the city." He shouted loudly, his voice revealing an unyielding determination, and a fanatical fighting spirit ignited in his heart.

He knew that if the city gate was lost, Pengcheng would fall into endless darkness, and he would never let such an end happen.

Guo Huaicheng rushed down the tower and swore to himself: "This time, the city will survive if the people are alive, and the city will perish if the people are dead."

"Kill!" He held a long knife in his hand, the blade flashing coldly in the firelight, and he let out a shout. As he raised his hand and swung the knife, wailing sounds continued to be heard, and he rushed into the crowd like a tiger.

For a moment, broken arms and limbs flew everywhere.

When the defenders under the city saw Guo Huaicheng personally taking to the battlefield, their morale was even higher, and they all rushed towards the enemy without hesitation.

Wailing sounds continued to be heard one after another, and people fell down every moment.

Because the space in front of the city gate was short, corpses soon filled the ground, making movement increasingly inconvenient.

As time went by, Guo Huaicheng's arms became so numb and heavy that he could hardly wave them. However, the number of rebels outside the city did not decrease, but instead continued to pour into the city gates.

The rebel army was so densely packed that if one stopped killing for even a few seconds, an enemy would pounce on one's body. If one was stunned for a moment, one would be killed by the enemy.

"Hold on! We can't give up!" Guo Huaicheng said silently in his heart, but the reality was like a ruthless knife, cutting the last hope in his heart.

He saw his comrades falling one by one, and their blood dyed the bluestone slabs red, as if telling him the final outcome of the battle.

They were able to hold the city gate for a while because of their fearlessness and bravery, but the cruel reality was that the reinforcements from the Northern Barbarians never arrived.

They will eventually be exhausted, but the rebels' strength will never be exhausted, at least not until they are exhausted.

From the beginning to the end, when the city gates were not completely closed, the end of Pengcheng was already determined, and his fate was also already determined. His heart was filled with reluctance, but helplessness.

Just then, dazzling firelight came from the city wall.

Under the dark night, countless rockets, like flowers scattered from heaven, cut through the sky and shot towards Pengcheng with breathtaking momentum.

At that moment, the air seemed to freeze, as if even time was attracted by the magnificent fire, causing great despair in people's hearts.

The rockets drew beautiful arcs in the sky, falling like a meteor shower, but this beautiful scene made Guo Huaicheng's heart fall to the bottom. His eyes were attracted by the dense rockets, and a feeling of powerlessness surged in his heart.

He understood that the real offensive of the rebels was only now arriving, and he had already mobilized all his forces to stop the rebels in front of the city gate.

At this moment, he had no soldiers available, and facing the dense rockets, he couldn't help but feel despair in his heart.

Now the situation is set and he is powerless to change it.

Rockets rained down, carrying with them a breath of destruction, instantly enveloping the defenders on the city wall in a sea of ​​fire.

The sea of ​​fire further boosted the rebels' momentum. The rebels outside the city kept pouring in like a tide, and the city gate became more and more crowded.

Soon, the defense line of the city gate finally collapsed, and the mighty rebel army immediately rushed into the city.

Seeing that the rebels had already entered the city, the remaining rebels immediately became demoralized and fled in all directions.

The city gates were broken, Pengcheng's defeat was inevitable, and everything was a natural outcome.

Lin Zhongyun stood in the camp, his eyes piercing through the chaotic battlefield, and a surge of incomparable joy surged in his heart. The scene before him was just like the blueprint he had drawn in his mind. The defeat of Pengcheng had announced the final outcome of Daqian, and he was one step closer to unifying the world.

"A real man born in troubled times should do something." He talked to himself, his tone revealing his desire and confidence for the future.

Now it is very clear what he wants to do. The defeat in Pengcheng has announced the final outcome of Daqian. Now he can go straight to Huanglong.

From the beginning to the end, Lin Zhongyun believed that the matter of Pengcheng was a natural outcome.

The reason why he adopted this strategy of hurting one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of his own men was, on the one hand, because the rebel army was short of manpower at the moment, and on the other hand, he also wanted to test the combat effectiveness of the large army under his command.

The final result made him extremely satisfied. Being able to quickly organize an offensive in such a chaotic situation was unique in the world.

The results of the battle in Pengcheng also made him more certain that there would be no accidents at the Miyun Reservoir.

In fact, he had received Li Zhongwu's letter during the day. In order to cooperate with his actions, he also sent half of the rebel army's troops over, otherwise he would not have resorted to such a desperate measure.

But now it seems that such a risk is worth it. When he captures the capital of Handu, the threat from the northern barbarians will also be eliminated.

Standing on the tower, he gazed into the distance, his deep eyes flickering with a dim light. Now, the only thing missing was the Miyun Reservoir... (End of this chapter)