The Wei Army had only appeared for a short moment, and the fighting on the battlefield became even fiercer. On the city walls, Su Yi and the Pingnan Army who had attacked the city became entangled with the Wei Army that was still holding on to defend the city. Even if they abandoned Qingzhou City, which they had almost captured, they couldn’t charge out in such a short time.

At the city gate, countless arrow towers and trebuchets were destroyed, and the Wei Army and the border army led by Geng Gong were locked in a fierce struggle.

The personal soldiers of Rong Heng guarded around the Commander’s Chariot, with drums pounding thunderously at their side. Their eyes remained calm, with only the tension in their arms gripping the blades, ever ready to attack.

In front of them, the young Prince, clad in battle armor, stepped down from the Commander’s Chariot.

Rong Heng placed one hand on the hilt of his sword, his dark hair tied up high, his expression icy cold. Yet from his indifferent and reserved dark eyes, a hint of restrained pride seeped through.

He didn’t ride a horse; each step he took was measured and calm.

Jiu, hidden within the ranks of personal soldiers, watched Rong Heng nervously. In his eyes, Rong Heng’s eyes were strikingly similar to Gu Lan’s.

The same unrestrained arrogance,

the same disdain for the world.

In truth, His Highness and Young Master Gu are alike, aren’t they? It’s just that His Highness has hidden his passionate heart so deeply that on the surface, he always appears composed and unflustered. Yet inside, he is already a raging storm.

"Prince, it is the best decision to retreat the troops now and gather our forces, then attack again once reinforcements arrive in a few days," said one subordinate. "If we want to rescue General Suyi, we must break through these twenty thousand men. Though our army does not fear death, such sacrifices would be meaningless."

Geng Gong sternly said, "I disagree with retreating. By withdrawing now, all the sacrifices made over these days would truly be pointless. Moreover, with the trebuchets and arrow towers destroyed, it would delay our next attack on Qingzhou City. The longer Wei Junzhuo holds Qingzhou City, the stronger his control over it becomes, and the higher our costs will be!"

Xiao Qi also suppressed his usual roguish smile, his voice deep, "The Prince’s safety is more important. I hope Your Highness will retreat, but... please allow me to personally go and rescue Su Yi. I cannot just stand by and watch my big brother not return."

For many years, Su Yi and Xiao Qi had fought shoulder to shoulder at the Southern Border. In Xiao Qi’s heart, Su Yi was his big brother.

Rong Heng looked at the generals in front of him, said nothing, but did not order a retreat either.

Wei Junzhuo frowned, once again urging his horse closer to the Commander’s Chariot. He raised his voice and said:

"Rong Heng, I admit your military orders and deployments are impeccable, you possess the steadiness and calm of a commander, but you are still too young, and youth leads to mistakes—today, you have lost. What I must tell you is this: these are the lands of Qi Country and have no relation to your Dayan. You might as well withdraw and abandon Qingzhou City. I will not pursue you."

Rong Heng’s excessive composure prompted Wei Junzhuo to probe, while he constantly pondered every detail on the battlefield in his mind.

The most troublesome Pingnan Army and Su Yi were on the city wall behind, with the remaining defenders barely holding them at bay. Once he took care of Rong Heng, Su Yi and his men would be caught in a trap.

The Dingyuan Army of Yan Country was indeed brave, but they had been consumed greatly over the past few days. Rong Heng simply couldn’t use three or four thousand exhausted cavalry to defeat twenty thousand infantry of Wei Country.

Most importantly, Wei Junzhuo even anticipated the possible outbreak of despair from the Dingyuan Army. Even if they could break through a ten thousand strong force with just three thousand cavalry, he had already prepared a cavalry to engage them.

Who could blame Yan Country’s soldiers for being superior individually, while most Wei soldiers were inherently terrified of them? How could they be beaten?

Wei Junzhuo even dared to say that if it weren’t for himself commanding the operations here, even if the Wei Army had several times the number of Yan Army, it probably wouldn’t defeat Yan Country.

Back then, he collaborated with Qiangrong, providing them with grain and military supplies. Basang, Jiang Qu, and others assisted Wei Country in training cavalry and imparted experiences. Over half a year had passed, and the Wei cavalry was starting to yield results. This time, the five thousand cavalry he brought was meant to use the Dingyuan Army as a whetstone.

Finally, before his eyes were the Yan border army and personal soldiers of Rong Heng, besieging the city for several days, and the Princess Changle of Yan Country, who had arrived beforehand but had not appeared on the battlefield yet.

Wei Junzhuo squinted his eyes and glanced back at the perimeter of the battlefield.

Flurries of snowflakes scattered over the blood-soaked land, and the soldiers on the battlefield seemed unfazed by the cold, fighting fiercely against the enemy.