At this moment, Meng Xingzhou felt an unending surge of strength coursing through his body, fueled by the burning hatred in his chest, rendering him fearless.

It was the first time Rong Yunfei had seen this kid display such explosive power—his combat ability had more than doubled in an instant.

This small city of Yanzhou had taken him a whole day and night to attack without success.

Beilu Qi, already fuming with rage, was preparing to personally lead his troops to storm the northern gate when, unexpectedly, a group of people appeared from the rear.

A dozen or so people suddenly emerged on the battlefield—wasn’t that pure suicide?

Before Beilu Qi could even give an order, his men had already rushed forward to intercept them.

Just as they were about to block these intruders, the group threw out strange objects that exploded on the spot with shocking power.

If they could capture these people alive, such weapons would become theirs—what a prize!

With that thought in mind, Beilu Qi ordered his men to capture them alive.

However, he hadn’t expected these people to possess so many explosive weapons.

The blasts were so terrifying that his soldiers didn’t even dare to get close.

Beilu Qi wanted to go see for himself what was going on, but Shi Kun, worried for his safety, wouldn’t allow it.

Though Beilu Qi disliked being told what to do, he valued his life too much to risk being caught in a blast.

Watching his own soldiers torn to shreds, Beilu Qi began to feel a twinge of fear.

Just as he was about to push for a swift conclusion to the battle, a new threat emerged—the catapults atop the city walls launched even more powerful weapons.

The black iron balls hit the ground and exploded with thunderous force.

If the earlier explosions had only surprised him, this one filled him with dread.

He couldn’t imagine what would happen if such weapons rained down en masse—how long could his 300,000-strong army hold out?

Beilu Qi realized something was off.

If Beichen Yuan had these weapons all along, why wait until now to use them?

The only explanation was that they had limited quantities—otherwise, they would have used them sooner.

After fighting for a day and night with heavy casualties, giving up now would be a total waste of their efforts.

Beilu Ye gritted his teeth and declared, “They can’t have many of those weapons. Let’s launch an all-out attack from the northern gate—Yanzhou City will fall today!”

Shi Kun, aware of Beichen Yuan’s cunning, urged caution.

Sensing the tide turning and facing enemies armed with such terrifying weapons, he believed the battle was slipping away.

“Your Highness, we must not continue. Our losses today are too severe. If we press on, we may suffer even greater casualties. It would be better to sound the retreat and fight another day.”

But Beilu Qi refused to give up such a golden opportunity.

“If they truly had large numbers of such devastating weapons, they wouldn’t have waited until now to use them. This only proves they are running low. They’re using them now because the city is on the verge of falling.”

Beilu Qi’s analysis sounded reasonable, so Shi Kun said no more and ordered the army to launch a full-scale assault on the northern gate.

However, the Beirong troops had already been terrified by the explosions of the “Thunderbombs.” Like startled birds, they kept glancing toward the sky, fearing the next blast might strike them.

Beichen Yuan’s firepower was now focused on the northern gate, and with the Thunderbombs in play, the Zhenbei Army fought like gods.

Alongside the repeating crossbows mounted on war chariots and over ten thousand handheld versions, the Zhenbei Army, fueled by high morale, surged out of the opened city gates and pushed the Beirong forces back.

Though the Beirong army had the numbers, their spirits had been shattered by the explosions.

None dared charge forward, and the dense volleys of bolts from repeating crossbows and the fearsome war chariots became their worst nightmare.

Gu Qingwan rode out of the city to catch up with Beichen Yuan.

Despite his injuries, he had dared to fight outside the city. Was he insane?

As she fought her way toward him, she witnessed Beichen Yuan’s terrifying strength—even badly wounded, he held out.

Once again, Gu Qingwan was awed by his power.

No wonder the King of Beirong feared him so much.

Beichen Yuan truly was a terrifying force.

Even if she hadn’t come today, the Zhenbei Army might have been annihilated, and Beichen Yuan might have fallen, but Beirong would not have claimed an easy victory.

Beichen Yuan would have made them pay dearly.

“Beichen Yuan…” Seeing that silver-clad figure fighting amid a sea of enemies, Beilu Qi ground his teeth in hatred.

“General Shi, no matter what happens today, Beichen Yuan must die!” he growled, bloodlust in his eyes. Though he wanted to face Beichen Yuan himself, he knew he wasn’t a match.

Nor did he dare approach, so he ordered Shi Kun to do it.

Shi Kun led his troops to encircle Beichen Yuan.

Seeing his soldiers being routed, he roared, “Kill! Anyone who slays Beichen Yuan shall be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver! Anyone who flees will be executed on the spot!”

With that threat, no one dared retreat. Gritting their teeth, they surged forward.

Though the Zhenbei Army had fewer than 20,000 soldiers left, they fought like 200,000. With the Thunderbombs and repeating crossbows covering them, they were unstoppable.

Shi Kun led his troops to surround Beichen Yuan, thinking the man’s death was inevitable.

He swung his blade toward Beichen Yuan’s head, ready to take it—when suddenly, a woman leapt into the fray.

Her combat strength was formidable. Before Shi Kun could react, she kicked him hard in the chest, sending him stumbling backward.

“You old bastard, trying to ambush?” Gu Qingwan’s eyes blazed with killing intent, her aura overwhelming.

It was the first time Shi Kun had been called an old bastard—his face twisted in rage. “The battlefield isn’t a place for women like you!”

He slashed at her with his broadsword.

Gu Qingwan was about to dodge when she suddenly felt herself pulled back. Beichen Yuan had appeared behind her, deflecting the blade with his spear.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, deftly swinging her onto his horse. In that moment, Gu Qingwan’s heart raced.

She finally understood what had been missing between her and Beichen Yuan.

It was trust that could be passed on to future generations, and the kind of partnership where each could rely on the other in battle.

What she wanted had never been just a lifelong companion or a beautiful face—it was a soul in sync with her own and unwavering loyalty until death.

Riding together, Gu Qingwan and Beichen Yuan fought as one, pushing Shi Kun back again and again. Realizing the battle was lost and badly wounded, Shi Kun dared not linger.

The deafening roar of artillery grew louder, and most of the corpses on the ground were Northern Rong soldiers.

Shi Kun no longer had the courage to stay and fight.