Chapter 750 - 30: Breaking Through Juyong Pass, Restoring Yan Yun

Actually, the Song Army was the same as well.

At this point, both the Song and Liao armies were essentially fighting on sheer willpower!

Rumbling...

Drums of war roared, and the sounds of battle rose again.

The Song soldiers surged toward the walls of Juyong Pass like a tide, ladders raised, arrows raining down like a locust swarm.

Though the Liao soldiers atop the pass were weary and numb, their survival instincts and the harsh military discipline still drove them to mechanically repeat defensive actions—shooting arrows, pushing down logs and rocks, using long spears to stab and knock down the Song soldiers climbing up the walls...

The battle seemed to have returned to its usual, despair-inducing cycle.

The Liao soldiers’ gazes were empty, wielding their weapons numbly, even their roars sounding feeble.

At this stalemate, when both sides were at their limits—

From the north of Juyong Pass, in the direction connecting to the hinterlands of the pass, came a sudden and urgent sound of horse hooves, dust rising in its wake!

The Liao defending general and some soldiers on the tower instinctively turned their heads to look, but their expressions showed no sign of panic.

They saw a cavalry unit of considerable size rapidly approaching the pass walls, the banner they bore was distinctly Liao!

Though their armor was stained with dust and some blood, looking somewhat disheveled, the flag and armor design were unmistakably Liao.

At the front of the unit, a man in Liao military attire, his face mostly hidden by dust and the shadow of his helmet, shouted in loud official language with a thick Khitan accent toward the pass:

"Open the gates quickly! We are reinforcements sent by Chancellor Wang!"

His voice was urgent, carrying an undeniable command.

The Liao general on the wall, upon hearing this, first scrutinized carefully, then gestured to open the gates without hesitation.

—This was the side effect of numbness.

In normal circumstances, the gates of Juyong Pass would never be so easily deceived into opening.

But now was different.

No one could possibly imagine the Song Army would detour for a surprise attack, nor could anyone anticipate Gu Jin would dare to use such a basic ruse immediately after the surprise attack to trick the gates open.

This audacity was hard for others to match.

Of course, the most crucial point was, Wang Yingchen had indeed been sending troops to Juyong Pass in recent days.

Nearly every ten days, a wave of personnel would arrive.

Initially, these people would undergo thorough inspections before the gate was opened.

But who would care about such things now?

The soldiers within the city wished for nothing more than for fresh troops to come and ease their burden.

Creak—

The enormous gate was slowly pushed open under such circumstances.

In the very center of the crowd, Gu Jin tightly gripped the spear in his hand, watching the gate before him slowly open, trembling uncontrollably.

It was not fear, but excitement!

If Juyong falls, Yan Yun can be reclaimed!

For Gu Jin or the entire Great Song, it was a milestone.

How could he not be exhilarated?

Even time seemed to pause at this moment.

The battle cries gradually quieted at this moment, everything around too, all Gu Jin could hear was his heavy breathing.

Until the gate was completely pushed open.

"Quickly come in, the Song Army is attacking the pass!"

"It’s your chance to earn merit!"

As the guard’s voice rang out once more, everything around abruptly resumed.

Without hesitation, Gu Jin waved his hand.

The next moment, the army slowly proceeded toward Juyong Pass.

What followed was the sound of slaughter echoing from within the pass, and a rising blaze of flames!

—The fire was a signal Gu Jin left for the Song Army.

He had told them before departing.

As soon as the fire rose within Juyong Pass, they were to fight with all their might!

—Murderous intent suddenly appeared!

The suddenly rising flames and the sounds of battle thoroughly disrupted the fragile balance within Juyong Pass!

Following Gu Jin as he first tore off the Liao military attire.

His soldiers immediately followed suit.

Then, came slaughter without any warning!

The sounds of battle filled the air.

Accompanied by the raging flames, under the thick night, it became the most brilliant starlight!

Outside the pass, the main Song Army camp.

The lookout who had been fixated on the direction of Juyong Pass immediately rushed back at the same moment the flames shot up.

Though he did not know why he had to watch Juyong Pass daily,

But at this moment, he too couldn’t hold back his excitement!

"General!! My Lord!!"

"There’s fire within the pass!!!"

When Zhao Guangyi heard the shouting, he immediately stood up, disregarding any decorum, and even without putting on his shoes, he rushed straight out of the tent.

He dashed to a high point and saw the great fire inside the pass!

He then burst into wild laughter, tears streaming down as he laughed!

"Pass on the order!"

"Inform the generals of each camp to mobilize immediately!"

"We must break Juyong Pass today!!!"

"...."

The sound of drums echoed from each camp one after another.

The Song Army used a rotation system for attacking the city, which was the only way to withstand many days of assault.

And as of now.

Zhao Guangyi and others naturally had no intention of hiding anything from these soldiers!

The Grand Tutor’s surprise attack —

Chaos has already erupted within Juyong Pass!

When the soldiers heard this news, their exhaustion seemed to vanish almost instantly!

If it were someone else, they might not believe it.

But Gu Jin was different!

This was the Gu Clan!

A surprise attack from the Gu Clan!

Even those who had never read a book had heard stories of the Gu Clan’s surprise attacks.

Moreover, Gu Jin had not been seen for many days.

Why would they doubt?

The army set out in an instant.

And at this moment, the Song Army’s offensive suddenly changed.

There was no difference in tactics.

From start to finish, the Song Army had always been fighting desperately.

But in the current situation of chaos within and without, everything appeared significantly different!

And the most crucial point is —

Under continuous assaults from the Song Army over several days, the gates of Juyong Pass had already suffered significant damage, and although the Liao Army was constantly repairing, they couldn’t keep up.

In the past, all this had little impact.

After all, Juyong Pass was a natural stronghold.

As long as the stronghold remained, there wouldn’t be any major issues at Juyong Pass!

But now it was entirely different!

Under external and internal pressure, the Liao Army’s formation fell into disarray in an instant!

Especially when they heard the Song Army charging and setting fires inside the pass shouting incessantly "Lord Gu is here," these words instantly shattered any will they had for resistance!

This is the reputation of the Gu Clan!

——Actually, if Wang Yingchen or Yelv Xian were here, it might not have been so disastrous.

After all, one was the emperor of Liao, and the other was the current chancellor.

The prestige these two held in Liao was unmatched by others.

But matched against others, who could compare to Gu Jin?

The situation instantly descended into chaos.

Gu Jin continually led his men causing havoc within the pass; he did not directly storm the gates because it was impossible, as the main defense of the Liao soldiers was there.

His small band was insufficient.

He only needed to cause chaos, and it would be enough!

As the saying goes, "the defeat of an army is like a landslide," and as the cries and fires within the pass grew louder and fiercer, it was destined that nothing could stop it!

Boom — Boom — Boom —

The sound of the battering ram thundered again and again.

When the last barrier of Juyong Pass fell open with a great crash, victory and defeat were decided.

This was a massacre without suspense.

The scattered Liao Army could not organize any meaningful resistance.

Just like at Gubeikou Gate, Gu Jin did not restrain the soldiers’ ferocity — the frustrations accumulated over days of fierce battle needed such an outlet.

For several days, Juyong Pass turned into a meat grinder.

Until the final clash of weapons ceased, Gu Jin finally managed to catch his breath.

"Repair the defenses immediately, guard against Liao’s counterattack."

"Reorganize the army, rest."

He barely managed to instruct his generals, his voice so hoarse it was barely audible, "Once the soldiers recover their strength, proceed directly to Yan Yun!"

Before his words had even finished, the taut string that had been stretched for months finally snapped. Amid the generals’ cries of alarm, Gu Jin could no longer stand and fell straight backward...

...

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