It seemed that, even in his final moments, the officer's eyes were filled with questions, silently demanding why Zhang Han had suddenly struck him down.
But after Zhang Han drove his spear through the Yan officer, the Qin cavalry behind him did not hesitate for a moment.
"Kill!"
Their battle cries echoed throughout the eastern city.
One by one, the cavalrymen raised their spears and slaughtered the unsuspecting Yan soldiers around them.
In an instant, rivers of blood flowed, and corpses littered the ground.
Zhang Han personally led the charge, his true energy surging as he wielded his spear.
Riding his warhorse, he was unstoppable.
The cavalry quickly spread out, launching a frenzied massacre against the Yan army. Even those with a black cloth tied around their arms meant to be a sign of surrender to Qin were not spared.
This was all part of a scheme.
A ploy to trick Le Cheng into opening the eastern gate.
With the 300,000-strong Wu'an army attacking from both flanks, Yuyang City was doomed to fall.
"What's happening?"
"Didn't General Le Cheng say that as long as we tied black cloth to our arms, the Qin army would treat us as their own?"
"Why are they attacking us instead?"
"Fight back! Quickly, fight back!"
"Prepare to engage"
At the eastern gate of Yuyang, chaos erupted among the Yan troops.
Originally, they had planned to lure the Qin army into the city, cut off their retreat, and encircle them. But now, that plan was nothing but a joke.
The Qin army had never fallen for their trick.
They had never believed them.
"Wu'an Cavalry Battalion!"
"Follow me and cut through Yuyang!"
"Anyone who stands in our way kills without mercy!"
"Until the city is secured, leave no survivors!"
"Kill!" Zhang Han roared.
He led his troops in a relentless charge into the city.
He took the main road, while five of his lieutenants led their cavalry divisions along different paths.
Anyone who wasn't wearing Qin's black armor was slaughtered without hesitation.
Under such a relentless assault, the Qin cavalry rampaged through the city, leaving the Yan army in complete disarray.
Even though the Yan archers on the walls rained down arrows in desperation, they could not stop the onslaught.
The Yan soldiers below the walls were completely overwhelmed by the charging Qin cavalry.
"Infantry, advance!"
"Kill!"
Deputy General Liu Wang shouted.
The infantry followed closely behind the cavalry, while archers outside the city exchanged fire with those on the walls.
Once inside, they engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat, slowly taking control of the city walls.
It had all happened so quickly.
With minimal losses, the Qin forces had slaughtered countless Yan soldiers and successfully captured the eastern gate of Yuyang.
Inside the Eastern City
"General!"
"Bad news!"
"The Qin army is slaughtering our troops!"
A panicked lieutenant rushed to report to Le Cheng.
"The Qin army fell into our trap. That's good news."
"Once they enter the city, they'll be trapped. No matter how many of them there are, they'll have no way out," Le Cheng said confidently, unaware of the reality.
"General!"
"Something is wrong!"
"The Qin army entered the city without speaking a word to our men. They didn't negotiate, they didn't hesitate they just started killing!"
"Tens of thousands of Qin cavalry have charged into the city, completely overwhelming our forces. The troops defending the eastern gate have already been routed, and the Qin army now controls the entrance!" the lieutenant reported urgently.
"What?"
Le Cheng's expression changed drastically.
"Why?"
"General!"
"We've been deceived!"
"The Qin army never intended to use us as an inside force. They just wanted to trick us into opening the gates!"
"They are attacking from both the west and east gates at the same time!"
"Our ambush has already failed!"
"The Qin cavalry will soon be upon us!" The lieutenant was on the verge of despair.
Le Cheng's face turned pale as his heart pounded violently.
"I've been tricked. I fell for Zhao Feng's scheme."
"He never believed I would surrender to Qin."
"He used my past as a defector against me, knowing I would feign loyalty. But he saw right through it."
"All he wanted was for me to open the city gates."
At that moment, Le Cheng's face was devoid of color.
His once confident posture wavered.
He had thought he could lure the Qin army into a trap, crush Zhao Feng, and earn eternal glory by saving the Yan state.
But in the end, he was nothing more than a pawn a fool dancing in Zhao Feng's game.
"Zhao Feng…"
"What a masterful strategist."
"You can even see through the hearts of men. You knew I would never truly surrender."
Le Cheng let out a bitter laugh, but it gradually turned cold.
His gaze hardened with killing intent.
"Soldiers of Yan!"
"The tyrant state of Qin seeks to destroy us!"
"Today, I, Le Cheng, will stand my ground and fight to the death!"
"Soldiers of Yan!"
"Engage the enemy!" Le Cheng roared, ordering his troops into battle.
The ambush was now meaningless.
Their two-pronged encirclement was laughable.
With the Qin cavalry rampaging through the city, everything was a farce.
Western City
"Report!"
"The western city gate has fallen!"
"The Qin army's assault is overwhelming!"
"Report!"
"The first line of defense outside the city has collapsed!"
"Report!"
"The Qin army has reached the second line of defense! Our soldiers can't hold them back!"
…
Inside the Yan royal court, messengers delivered one dire report after another.
General Qing Qin's face grew darker with each one.
"How can this be?"
"The Qin army is made of flesh and blood, just like us!"
"I stationed 150,000 troops to defend the western city. I built ten layers of defenses. If one falls, reinforcements should fill the gap. How is it still falling apart?" Qing Qin barked.
"General!"
"The Qin army is simply too strong!"
"Zhao Feng himself is leading the charge, and his soldiers fear nothing!"
"Our forces can't match them!" a Yan officer reported.
Qing Qin's expression turned grim, and he roared, "Pass my orders!"
"If one man dies, another takes his place. No defensive position is to be left unguarded!"
"If anyone retreats, they will be executed!"
"If the frontlines collapse, the reserve forces will take over!"
"Hold back the Qin army at all costs!"
Qing Qin's voice was ice-cold.
"Understood!"
The generals immediately relayed the orders.
"Given the current defense of the western city, the only way to defeat the Qin army is to wait for the ambush in the eastern city to succeed," Qing Qin said slowly.
"With nearly 200,000 troops defending the eastern city, we should be able to wipe out the Qin forces that have entered the city in one swift move."
"Rest assured, General Qing Qin," a deputy general quickly chimed in. "General Le Cheng will surely eliminate the Qin forces inside the city. Once we destroy this force, the Qin army will suffer a devastating blow."
At that moment
"Report!"
"Urgent news from the eastern city!"
"General Le Cheng reports that we have fallen into the Qin army's trap. After entering the city, the Qin forces immediately launched an assault. The eastern city walls have fallen, and General Le Cheng is currently engaged in a desperate battle against the Qin army!"
A soldier rushed in, his voice filled with fear as he made his report.
As soon as these words were spoken, Qing Qin's face changed. Like Le Cheng before him, his complexion turned pale.
"Zhao Feng…"
"What a brilliant move…"
"You've turned my plan against me…"
"Yuyang is finished."
"The Yan state is finished."
With this news, Qing Qin knew their defeat was sealed.
He had originally planned to ambush the Qin troops inside the city, then redeploy forces to repel the Qin attackers outside, hoping to crush Zhao Feng's army in one decisive battle.
But to his shock
Zhao Feng never trusted Le Cheng's surrender in the first place. His only goal was to deceive them into opening the gates and allowing his forces to enter the city without a fight.
Now, the situation has completely changed.
The entire Yan army inside Yuyang was surrounded by Zhao Feng's 300,000-strong force.
Defeat was inevitable.
The only question left was how long they could hold out.
"Your Majesty," Qing Qin murmured, his eyes filled with guilt.
"I have failed you."
At this moment, he finally understood the vast difference between himself and Zhao Feng.
The outcome of this battle, which would determine the fate of the Yan state, had already been decided.
Yuyang was a large city, and the Qin army's slaughter continued.
With both gates now under Qin control, Yuyang had become a death trap for the Yan army, with tens of thousands of Yan soldiers trapped inside.
"Kill!"
Zhao Feng shouted.
His Dragon Spring Sword slashed through the air.
With each strike, over a dozen Yan soldiers fell.
Even though each slain soldier only granted him a small increase in power, the sheer number of enemies before him meant an endless supply of gains.
If they refused to surrender
He would simply keep killing.
"Kill! Kill them all!"
"Exterminate the Yan forces!"
"Kill"
Behind him, countless Qin soldiers charged forward.
Spears thrust and halberds smashed down.
Each soldier fought as if willing to trade their life for a kill.
With the invisible blessing of the Qi Fortune Seal, their combat strength tripled.
Against such ferocious attacks, the Yan troops, despite their desperate resistance, could not hold the line and were forced into retreat.
Time passed.
One day.
Two days.
The battle within Yuyang still raged on.
However, the space occupied by the Yan army kept shrinking.
After over two days of relentless fighting
Both the eastern and western outer walls had completely fallen to the Qin army.
The defeated Yan forces had retreated into the inner city.
After securing the outer city
Zhao Feng did not press forward recklessly.
Instead, he ordered a temporary halt to the attack, instructing his troops to eat, drink, and rest. The wounded were taken away for treatment, while the remaining Yan soldiers who had not yet died were finished off.
After all
Three days and two nights of continuous battle had pushed his soldiers to their limits.
Even with the Qi Fortune Seal's triple enhancement, they needed to recover.
"General!"
"A report from General Zhang Han has just arrived."
"We have successfully conquered the eastern outer city as well."
"General Le Cheng has been captured by General Zhang Han."
"The remaining Yan forces have retreated to the inner city of Yuyang."
"Within three days, we should be able to secure final victory."
Zhang Ming approached Zhao Feng and reported.
Zhao Feng looked up at the darkening sky.
Then he said, "We have killed many Yan soldiers in this battle, but there are still more than 200,000 of them holed up in the inner city. If we wish to take them down, psychological warfare is the key. We must break their will to fight so that we can minimize our casualties."
From beginning to end
Zhao Feng had only one goal: to keep his soldiers alive as much as possible.
Even a desperate enemy could still inflict significant damage.
More than 200,000 Yan soldiers remained.
If they were pushed to the brink, they could still bring heavy losses to the Qin army.
After all, they still had weapons.
They were still an organized force.
"General, please give your orders."
The resting Qin generals stood up, looking at Zhao Feng with reverence.
"Send soldiers with strong voices to shout towards the inner city."
"Starting today"
"The Great Qin accepts surrenders."
"Anyone who surrenders will be spared."
"Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy."
Zhao Feng instructed.
"Understood!"
The generals respectfully accepted the order and quickly set about implementing it.
"At this point, the Yan army's morale is already shattered," Li You said with a smile.
"They are completely cut off from the outside world. For them, surrender is the only path to survival."
"Let the soldiers rest well."
"Tomorrow, we will launch the final attack and claim this city," Zhao Feng said.
"I understand."
Li You nodded respectfully.
Under the night sky
Qin soldiers patrolled the streets of the outer city to prevent sneak attacks.
Most of the army, however, was resting.
After three days and two nights of relentless battle
Even Qin's elite troops had reached their limits, let alone the trapped Yan soldiers, who were now nothing more than cornered beasts.
At that moment
"Yan soldiers inside the city, listen carefully!"
"You are now surrounded by the Great Qin army!"
"The Qin army has come to avenge its wrongs!"
"The Yan king was treacherous, using the pretense of diplomacy to assassinate our king!"
"Today, our General Zhao Feng has been ordered to wipe out the Yan state!"
"But our general values the shared heritage of the Huaxia people!"
"He does not seek to punish the soldiers of Yan!"
"Starting today"
"Any Yan soldier who surrenders will be spared!"
"Any who resist"
"Once the Great Qin destroys the Yan state, your names will be recorded, and your families will suffer the consequences!"
All around the outer city, many robust Qin soldiers shouted toward the inner city.
One person's voice was not loud, but when hundreds or even thousands of voices combined, it was enough to be heard throughout most of the inner city.
Inside the city, the exhausted Yan soldiers who heard the shouting were filled with fear.
"If the State of Yan is destroyed and we remain enemies of Qin, will they punish our families?"
"What should we do?"
"If our families are punished, then everything is over for us."
"We've already lost. Perhaps surrendering is the only way. I can die, but my family cannot."
"What should we do?"
"We have already been defeated. The State of Yan is about to fall..."
Under this psychological warfare, the Yan soldiers in the inner city were gripped by fear. Many of them, who had already lost their will to fight, became even more demoralized.
As the night wore on, a significant number of Yan soldiers even started running toward the Qin defensive lines.
"Don't shoot!"
"I surrender! I'm surrendering!"
"Spare my life..."
In the darkness, many Yan soldiers fled the inner city, raising their hands in surrender.
The psychological warfare had begun to take effect.
Inside the inner city, in Qing Qin's residence, the great hall was filled with defeated and demoralized Yan generals.
"Supreme General!"
"A grave situation has arisen!"
"The Qin army is shouting at our troops, saying that surrender will spare their lives, but if they refuse, their families will be punished after Qin destroys the State of Yan."
"Many soldiers have already escaped under cover of night to surrender to the Qin army."
"However, I have ordered all defenses to be strengthened, and any deserters attempting to surrender will be executed immediately."
"But even so, our troops' morale has suffered a devastating blow."
A frontline Yan general entered the hall and reported to Qing Qin.
"Psychological warfare..."
"Zhao Feng..."
"He is truly meticulous and cautious."
Qing Qin sighed.
How could he not understand the current situation?
The morale, which was already hanging by a thread, had completely collapsed under Zhao Feng's psychological warfare.
By the time the Qin army, now well-rested, launched their attack the next day, the Yan forces would not last long.
Zhao Feng's plan was an open strategy, one that left them with no counterplay.
Ultimately, Qing Qin and Le Cheng had greatly underestimated Zhao Feng. They assumed he would believe their empty words of allegiance, especially since he was the one who reached out to them first.
They had never expected that it was all part of Zhao Feng's scheme.
If the eastern city gate had not been breached, they wouldn't be in such a dire situation.
At the very least, they would still have had a chance to retreat.
But now, with no way out, they were surrounded.
"Any news from our reinforcements?" Qing Qin sighed and asked.
"Supreme General,"
"The last message received three days ago stated they would arrive within half a month. However, we are now trapped inside the city, and no information can get in or out."
"We have no way of knowing the reinforcements' status," a Yan general replied bitterly.
"Supreme General..."
"Can we still fight our way out?"
A general asked.
All the Yan generals in the hall turned their eyes toward Qing Qin.
"Generals, are you willing to die for the State of Yan?" Qing Qin asked, looking at them.
Upon hearing this, the generals in the hall all responded, "We are willing to die for Yan!"
However, Qing Qin's gaze swept over them, and he could tell that not everyone spoke from the heart.
To die in battle…
It was easy to say, but much harder to do.
"Enough."
"Our troops are exhausted after days of battle."
"The Qin army will likely attack tomorrow."
"Go and rest, all of you."
Qing Qin waved his hand dismissively.
Seeing this, the Yan generals quietly withdrew.
Qing Qin sat alone at his desk, his face filled with hesitation and struggle.
"General Le Cheng..."
"The choice you once faced has now fallen upon me."
"In this situation, our soldiers have completely lost their morale. When the Qin army attacks tomorrow, we will be defeated in a single battle."
"If we do not surrender, it will only result in unnecessary deaths."
"But if I surrender, I will bear the eternal shame of betraying my country."
"What should I do?"
Qing Qin held his head in his hands, deeply torn.
The next day
As the sun rose, the Qin elite troops had already eaten the rations delivered by the logistics units and assembled for battle.
Zhao Feng rode his warhorse, standing at the center of the main road, followed by a contingent of cavalry.
At this moment, he held the Overlord Spear firmly in his hand.
"Where are the elite warriors of Qin?" Zhao Feng raised his spear high and shouted.
"Wind! Wind! Wind!"
"A great wind!"
The roar echoed throughout Yuyang City.
From the western city to the eastern city, the entire city resounded with their battle cries.
Just as Zhao Feng was about to give the order to attack,
From the front, a Yan general holding a sword slowly walked out of the city, followed by a group of Yan generals.
"Qing Qin."
"It seems he has made his choice."
Seeing this, Zhao Feng's lips curled into a smile.
Then, he slowly lowered his raised Overlord Spear.
His eyes remained fixed ahead.
Behind the Yan generals, large numbers of Yan soldiers followed, but none of them showed any signs of hostility.
Under the watchful eyes of the Qin army,
Qing Qin stepped forward, having already removed his battle armor.
"Qing Qin, Supreme General of Yan, surrenders to Supreme General Zhao Feng of Qin."
"I implore Supreme General Zhao Feng to show mercy to our people and cease further bloodshed."
Qing Qin took a deep bow before Zhao Feng.
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