"Retract the drawbridge!! Quickly!" shouted the men at the outer city gate.

The shout echoed across the chaotic battlefield, and the faces of the soldiers in the barbican who had not yet crossed the bridge turned deathly pale.

If they were to lower the drawbridge at this moment, it would mean they would have to stay there and face the enemy forces behind them!

They were no match for them inside the barbican, but now they were fighting them in this open area, while more and more people were rushing out of the barbican, and their forces were growing stronger.

Staying here at this point means there's no way out but death!

then--

A roar quickly came from their mouths:

"No! Wait a little longer!"

"We'll put the drawbridge away after we cross!"

"We haven't crossed the river yet!!!"

At this moment, everyone mustered all their strength and sprinted forward, discarding any unnecessary items on their bodies, just to increase their speed by even the slightest bit.

"It's too late! Retract the drawbridge! Quickly!"

Beside the suspension bridge, soldiers pulled the winch, and with a series of clicks, the bridge gradually rose from the water, higher and higher, until it finally detached from the water.

Not just one, but every single suspension bridge was raised at this moment!

Although there are still many soldiers on the other side who have not yet crossed the river, if the enemy were to attack the drawbridge at this time and seize control of it, the subsequent battle to defend the city would be much more difficult!

The soldiers of the barbican who were rushing over saw the drawbridge being lifted out of the water, and their eyes completely lost their light.

The roars continued to echo from behind.

"Kill! Don't even think about escaping!"

Those were the shouts of the Beiwei Army soldiers and the Trapped Camp soldiers who had just emerged from the barbican.

Fully armed and wielding weapons, they charged forward like ferocious beasts unleashed from their cages, slashing and killing soldiers one by one.

A group of Beiwei soldiers were rapidly loading arrows with light crossbows!

The short crossbow bolt is placed in the slot above the crossbow arm, with the arrowhead resting on the string between the two teeth. By aiming at the target through the sight and pulling back the lever, the teeth retract.

Then—

With a "whoosh," the crossbow bolt shot out as the string recoiled.

Short but sharp crossbow bolts darted swiftly through the dim sky and the rising smoke of war.

Silver arrows pierced the backs, necks, hands, and feet of the soldiers in the barbican, or even passed right by their ears.

The body was pierced by a crossbow bolt, the skin and flesh were torn open, and blood and flesh were turned inside out. Large amounts of warm blood splattered out, emitting a whitish steam.

As the Beiwei Army soldiers closed in, their melee-focused broadswords came in handy. With a slash of the curved blade, a head was severed with each strike!

Blood gushed from the smooth neck, and the body crashed to the ground with a thud. Stepping over the corpse, the group continued forward.

——

On the outer city wall, seeing the battlefield ahead, the defending general could no longer sit still.

He gritted his teeth and waved his hand dismissively:

"Set up the ballistae, aim at the drawbridge, and if they charge forward again, fire! Fire!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers silently loaded their arrows and aimed at the river.

At this moment, Li Hai was climbing up the city wall when he saw them pointing forward. His face turned pale, and he looked at the guard in a trembling voice and said:

“Our people are still there.”

The garrison commander glanced at him and said coldly, "Anyang County cannot be lost!"

"The barbican has fallen; we must not allow anyone to cross the river!"

"If they manage to break through, we will fight to the death!"

After saying those two sentences, Li Hai stared blankly at the battlefield on the other side of the suspension bridge, his mouth agape. His hands clenched helplessly together, and a gust of wind swept over him, making him feel icy cold all over.

His jaw started trembling, and even his legs began to shake slightly.

——

After some time, as the battle drew to a close, the weapons inside the barbican were carried toward the moat.

The warhorses pulled the heavy trench bridge toward the drawbridge.

Gao Shun led the soldiers of the Trapped Camp and shouted:

"Quickly! Cross the bridge and attack Anyang County!"

Amidst shouts, the soldiers of the Trapped Camp replaced the Beiwei Army, and this time they took the lead in breaking through the city walls of Anyang County!

Several war machines rolled across the ground, making a rumbling sound, while the wide moat was now surging with waves, the icy water acting as a natural barrier between the two places!

On the city wall in the outer city, the garrison commander saw the moat bridge opposite and his expression changed. He immediately shouted:

"Shoot an arrow! Shoot an arrow!"

"Forget everything else, just shoot!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crossbow bolts that had already been set up on the ballista shot out all at once!

At this moment, these crossbow bolts indiscriminately shot at the other side!

Across the moat, chariots provided cover for the soldiers of the Trapped Camp to advance, while the trench bridges had already been dragged along by warhorses for some distance.

Despite the incoming arrows, they continued to advance fearlessly!

At the same time, the Beiwei Army set up ballistae on the ground and began firing at the opposite city wall!

The moat is quite close to the outer city wall. If it weren't for the long range of the ballista Qin Ze exchanged for, it would have been difficult to hit the opposite city wall.

Regardless, the ballistae on the outer city tower continued to fire. Unlike the watchtowers, the outer city tower was much more heavily fortified. After all, if the outer city tower was breached, it would mean that Anyang County had already been captured!

At this moment, the sky was filled with a rain of arrows from both sides!

The battlefield was covered with a dense swarm of arrows. The remaining small group of soldiers in the barbican, lacking cover, had long been shot to death by arrows near the drawbridge. Some soldiers, out of fear, chose to jump into the river.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!