Xuantian had someone bring containers filled with fire oil and sent them to the city walls.

When Murong Wushuang saw the jars and the fire oil inside, her eyes instantly brightened.

How had she not thought of this before?

The fire oil in these jars, when launched by a trebuchet, would scatter, and the burning oil would stick to anyone it touched, impossible to extinguish for a while.

Murong Wushuang ordered the trebuchet to prepare for attack.

The moment the fire oil-filled jars exploded in the enemy ranks, more than a dozen enemy soldiers were wounded by the flaming oil.

Once the burning oil touched them, no matter how they tried to put it out, they were immediately engulfed in flames, their bodies becoming fiery torches.

As the fire blazed, those soldiers screamed in agony, lunging toward their comrades in a desperate attempt to escape, causing the others to scatter in fear.

As more enemy soldiers caught fire, the Northern Rong army fell into disarray.

The ladders leaning against the city walls were also soaked in fire oil, and as soon as they were ignited, the soldiers still on the ladders were instantly burned alive.

Though this tactic was brutal, war itself was merciless.

“Retreat, retreat!”

What had begun as a fierce siege battle ended in a hasty retreat.

Beilu Qi did not expect Beichen Yuan to be struggling so desperately.

He was curious to see how much longer he could hold out.

“Your Highness, their fire oil is too powerful. We may need to come up with another plan,” an officer suggested.

Back at the camp, Beilu Qi was furious.

He had led an army of three hundred thousand yet failed to take Yanzhou City.

If word got out, he would surely be mocked by his fellow brothers.

“Yanzhou City is surrounded now, and they cannot transport more fire oil into the city. Even if they have reserves, it will not be much. Keep a close watch to see if anyone tries to leave the city to fetch more fire oil. If we can find where they are getting it from, the siege will be much easier,” Beilu Qi ordered.

Fire oil could be useful for them, just as it could be for the enemy.

Northern Rong also had oil fields, though they had once thought the oil was of little use and harmful to the land.

Little did they know it could serve such a purpose.

“Yes, General. I’ll have someone keep watch,” General Shi replied, cupping his hands in respect before leaving.

Though Beilu Qi was the commander of the expedition, he was less experienced in battle compared to General Shi Kun, who had fought Beichen Yuan for years and had some understanding of his tactics.

However, Beilu Qi had limited experience in leading troops, and his impatience led to his hasty attack.

Originally, General Shi had planned a nighttime raid, but Beilu Qi couldn’t wait and insisted on an attack in broad daylight.

The result was a loud, uncoordinated assault that ended with the enemy simply throwing a few fireballs, forcing Beilu Qi to retreat.

Had it not been for the significant difference in their forces, Beilu Qi would have been no match for Beichen Yuan.

After a few days, Beichen Yuan, accompanied by Gu Qingwan, quietly left the city.

Beichen Yuan noticed they were being followed but did not alert their pursuers. Instead, they rode a long way before stopping to deal with the tracker.

Initially, Gu Qingwan had planned for both of them to ride separate horses, but Beichen Yuan insisted that using two horses would cause too much noise.

Since he was injured and couldn’t ride alone, it was better for them to share one horse.

Gu Qingwan didn’t think too much of it, understanding that their mission was more important.

Beichen Yuan wanted to ask her how she planned to transport the iron, but Gu Qingwan told him to just take her to the route, and she would handle the rest herself.

Although Beichen Yuan was curious, he didn’t press the matter further.

Under the cover of night, they made their way to Yandang Mountain.

The terrain there was complicated, full of dangers, and if one wasn’t familiar with the area, it would be difficult to find their way, especially at night.

Riding together on one horse was rather cramped, and since Beichen Yuan had his arm around Gu Qingwan, she found it hard to move.

She finally gave up trying to sit straight and simply leaned into his chest.

After all, it was a long ride, and there was no harm in resting for a while.

Feeling the warmth of her soft body, Beichen Yuan found it difficult to remain indifferent. Gu Qingwan could clearly feel his heartbeat quicken.

She wasn’t blind; she could tell Beichen Yuan had feelings for her.

After all, the body’s reactions couldn’t lie.

Just as they were about to reach Yandang Mountain, Beichen Yuan suddenly sensed they were being pursued.

“The pursuers are coming. Hold on tight.”

He said this while pulling her closer to his chest and, with one hand on the reins, urged the horse into a gallop.

Gu Qingwan thought, “Why does he need to hold my waist? Does he think I’ll fall off?”

But Beichen Yuan’s chest was broad, full of a sense of security.

“Catch them!” came the shouts from behind, as the sound of hooves grew louder.

Beichen Yuan’s expression grew more serious as he saw the pursuers drawing closer.

Fortunately, the moonlight was bright tonight, so Gu Qingwan could clearly see their numbers.

However, after counting, she was silent. To chase after just two people, they had sent a thousand to two thousand cavalrymen?

“There are about a thousand riders behind us. You’re injured, so we can’t face them head-on. We have to abandon the horses for now, enter the forest, and be ready to jump off,” Gu Qingwan said, taking out a smoke bomb from her sleeve and throwing it ahead.

Beichen Yuan was startled as the smoke billowed out.

“Charge through!” Gu Qingwan shouted at him, then fixed another smoke bomb to the saddle, pulled the safety pin, and yelled, “Jump!”

Beichen Yuan immediately understood and leaped off the horse with her, heading straight for the forest.

It was the first time Gu Qingwan experienced lightness, as Beichen Yuan carried her, leaping effortlessly and landing steadily.

The two of them entered the forest, running for a long while before daring to stop. Fortunately, the forest wasn’t too dense, so they didn’t lose their way.

If it had been daytime, it would have been hard to hide, but at night, the limited visibility made it much easier.

Beichen Yuan was still puzzled about where Gu Qingwan had pulled out the two iron objects from, but before he could ask, he saw her take out a pair of black, circular objects and put them on her eyes.

Once she wore the night-vision goggles, she could clearly see their surroundings and the cavalrymen chasing them.

Just as Gu Qingwan relaxed, Beichen Yuan stared at the strange objects and asked, “What are these? Can you really see the road with them?”

He was certain that Gu Qingwan hadn’t had these items on her before because when she was in his arms earlier, he would have felt even the slightest object on her body.

So where did these come from?

Gu Qingwan realized Beichen Yuan had probably sensed something, since he was a warlord with sharp observation skills. But there was no time to explain—if she didn’t act now, they might be in for a fierce battle.