She reined in her horse and raised her hand…

“Halt!”

Instantly, the vast Great Zhou army followed orders and prohibitions with uniform precision, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Bai Qingyan turned her horse around and transmitted orders loudly: “Bai Jinxiu, Bai Qingjue, lead troops to scale the walls on the right side! Bai Qingyu, Bai Jinhua lead troops to scale the walls on the left side. Within half an hour, you must plant our Great Zhou black banner with white python on the city walls to boost our army’s prestige!”

“Bai Jinxiu receives the order!”

“Bai Qingjue receives the order!”

“Bai Qingyu receives the order!”

“Bai Jinhua receives the order!”

The four received their orders and each led their subordinates to spread out, like two giant dragons racing swiftly toward the left and right flanks of Yecheng Pass.

“Heavy shields forward, advance in formation, escort the siege ladders ahead!”

Hearing Bai Qingyan transmit orders again, the messengers responded and scattered in all directions, riding swiftly to relay the commands.

The heavy shield soldiers moved forward to protect the warriors hiding beneath the heavy shields, advancing behind the siege ladders…

The city gates ultimately could not hold closed. A force of Great Zhou army had already killed their way into the city, and the siege ladders had reached the city walls. The Great Zhou soldiers hiding beneath the heavy shields drew their swords and charged out—some killed their way out of the city, others had already climbed up the siege ladders.

Ye Shouguan understood that the Western Liang army was trapped inside the city with no room to maneuver, while the Great Zhou main army assembled outside… their small detachments charging out weren’t even enough for the Great Zhou army to kill. He looked along the winding city walls toward the upper reaches of the mountain bodies on both sides, only hoping they could quickly circle to the Great Zhou army’s rear. With attacks from inside and outside, they would surely be able to annihilate the Great Zhou.

At a concealed position on the right peak of Yecheng Pass, Yang Wuce bit a straw in his mouth, leading troops in ambush in the darkness, staring intently at the brightly lit city walls…

At a concealed position on the left peak of Yecheng Pass, Zhao Ran lay prone, leading troops in the darkness, quietly waiting for the city gates to open.

Bai Qingyan brazenly led the various generals of the Bai Family in a frontal assault on Yecheng Pass, precisely to make Ye Shouguan think… that all of Great Zhou’s main forces had been deployed, either emboldened by having the Western Liang Emperor in hand with no concerns, or using the Western Liang Emperor to force the Western Liang soldiers on the left and right mountain peaks to provide relief—in any case, she needed to get the Western Liang soldiers on the left and right mountain peaks to move.

Otherwise, if the Western Liang soldiers on the left and right mountain peaks didn’t move, and they couldn’t capture these flanking peaks of Yecheng Pass, taking Yecheng Pass would be utterly meaningless!

This… was the reason why Bai Qingyan had Sima Ruodan pretend to be Li Yingnan’s daughter, ensuring by any means that the Western Liang soldiers deeply believed the Western Liang Emperor was in the Great Zhou Emperor’s hands! The Western Liang soldiers on the left and right mountain peaks… had to move!

Before long, Yang Wuce, who was chewing the straw at the corner of his mouth, suddenly tensed his spine, adjusting his posture like a cheetah fixated on its prey, staring intently at the city gates.

He heard the sound of iron chains and winches turning, and the ancient, heavy city gates slowly opened. From within the city gates… came the voice of Western Liang General Ye Shoujiang boosting morale.

“Our city defense commander, General Ye Shouguan, has now opened the gates of Yecheng Pass, attracting the enemy’s main forces from the front. Our mission is to circle to their rear… and attack from inside and outside with our brothers in Yecheng Pass, vowing to destroy Great Zhou! Capture alive the Great Zhou Emperor! Rescue our Western Liang Majesty! Avenge our brothers who died at Weng Mountain!”

“Revenge and vengeance!”

“Revenge and vengeance!”

“Revenge and vengeance!”

The Western Liang soldiers inside the city gates roared fiercely, their killing intent soaring.

The Great Zhou soldiers hiding in ambush outside the city walls held their breath, fearing that the hot air from their breathing would be discovered, which would render all of Great Zhou’s strategic arrangements futile…

“Warriors of Western Liang! Draw your great swords! The gods will protect our bravest warriors! Kill!”

“Kill!”

The Western Liang soldiers charged out from the wide-open city gates, rushing down from the mountain, using the mountain’s slope to accelerate their downward charge…

The Great Zhou forces ambushed on both sides stared intently at the city gates, seeing Western Liang soldiers continuously charging out from within the gates.

The main forces of Western Liang’s Yecheng Pass were truly positioned on the mountain peaks!

Zhao Ran, who was stationed at the left peak of Yecheng Pass, being originally from the Bai Family Army, had never doubted Bai Qingyan’s judgment.

But Yang Wuce… was genuinely shocked. This Yecheng Pass truly was as Bai Qingyan had predicted, with all the main forces hidden on the flanking mountain peaks.

When the main forces from both mountain peaks charged out in succession, rushing toward the rear of the Great Zhou army below the flanking peaks, Yang Wuce and Zhao Ran launched their attacks first…

“Kill!”

With Yang Wuce’s command, the Great Zhou soldiers charged toward the still-open city gates, vowing to seize them!

On both mountain peaks, the sounds of battle immediately shook the heavens.

Bai Qingyan had instructed that when most of the Western Liang main forces had emerged, Zhao Ran and Yang Wuce should capture the city gates on both mountain peaks at any cost, planting the black banner with white python on the city gates!

As the sounds of battle came from the mountain peaks, the officers who had been lying in ambush along the downhill path for a long time suddenly stood up, shouting hoarsely: “Pull!”

On the essential downhill path, countless Great Zhou soldiers suddenly pulled tight the ropes in their hands that were wound around tree trunks…

Countless ropes sprang up from the ground. The Western Liang soldiers who had been leading the downward charge turned back to see the Western Liang soldiers charging down from the high slopes behind them, being tripped at the waist by the ropes, tumbling toward them in succession. Wherever the fallen soldiers rolled, they knocked down their comrades!

Before General Ye Shoujiang could shout for his soldiers to dodge left and right, the Great Zhou soldiers who had long been ambushed on both sides, their entire bodies nearly frozen stiff, suddenly rose and charged at the Western Liang soldiers with raised swords.

Ye Shouguan on the city walls of Yecheng Pass heard the sudden sounds of battle from both mountain peaks. His eyes widened as he stepped forward quickly, first looking left, then looking right…

The sounds of battle from both mountain peaks intertwined with the sounds of battle in front of Yecheng Pass’s city gates, forming an enormous net called fear that seemed to descend from heaven, completely enveloping all of Yecheng Pass within it, making Ye Shouguan suffocate.

He suddenly looked toward the distant siege ladders where Li Tianfeng and Ye Yingwen were hanging. Under the sky that had just begun to show a hint of dawn light… he could vaguely see in the firelight… Bai Qingyan in silver armor, holding the Sun-Shooting Bow, mounted on horseback in the center. The Western Liang soldiers dared not shoot arrows toward Li Tianfeng and Ye Yingwen, so Bai Qingyan was safest in that position.

Around Bai Qingyan’s ears were only the sounds of killing and wind, her cloak billowing behind her, her hair ribbon flying.

Her face bore wounds, her armor was stained with blood. Mounted on her fine horse, gripping the Sun-Shooting Bow, her sharp eyes gazed at Yecheng Pass, which bore the title of Western Liang’s fortress stronghold, with certain victory in her sights—just as she viewed Western Liang itself.

Soon, the Bai Family Army’s black banner with white python was first raised on the towering city walls of the right mountain peak. Following closely… the black banners with white pythons were raised one after another on the city walls of the left mountain peak, while the Western Liang military banners fell one by one.

The soldiers of the Bai Family Army charged down from the mountain peaks along the city walls with unstoppable momentum.