The Korean army was unaware of the changes within Xiangcheng.
Even if they had known, they would not have cared.
They had received confirmed intelligence: the garrison in Xiangcheng numbered only a thousand men.
This was why they had chosen a smaller path, bringing three thousand troops to outflank the Qin army.
Once Xiangcheng fell, and the Korean front lines reconnected, their army would have a chance to defeat the Qin forces.
Coincidentally, the main Qin army was pinned down, and Xiangcheng's defense was weak. This was a golden opportunity for them.
In the next moment, the Korean commander personally led the charge.
"Follow me, everyone!"
"Their archers are insufficient. Disregard their arrows, and let's break through Xiangcheng's city gates directly!"
The men charging at the front effectively drew Xiangcheng's fire.
Thus, the Korean commander understood the true strength of Xiangcheng's defending forces.
He noticed a lamentable lack of archers in Xiangcheng, which immediately made him realize victory was within reach.
In the next instant, he led a large contingent of cavalry straight towards Xiangcheng's city gate.
Although they encountered arrow fire during their advance, he easily dodged it.
In a flash, he led his cavalry to the vicinity of Xiangcheng's city gate.
"Attack! Break down the city gate!"
"Understood!"
Upon receiving the order, several strong men immediately hefted thick battering rams and charged towards Xiangcheng's gate.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
The heavy thuds of the ram against the gate made the hearts of the Qin soldiers behind it pound. Everyone was on edge.
They did not stand behind the gate to withstand the powerful impact.
Instead, they held their weapons, ready to charge out at any moment.
On the city walls, Qin soldiers frantically pushed down logs and heavy stones, killing many Korean soldiers.
Yet, even so, the sound of battering the gate did not cease.
After ten full strikes, a light suddenly appeared before the eyes of the Qin soldiers inside the city.
Cheers from the Korean army echoed from outside the gate.
"It's broken! We've broken through Xiangcheng's city gate!"
At these shouts, the Korean army immediately reacted!
"Charge! Everyone, kill your way into Xiangcheng!"
However, the Qin forces within Xiangcheng reacted faster than them!
"Kill!!"
Without a word, Li Yinghao directly led his men out.
They had long prepared for a desperate fight, and now that the battle had begun, they would not falter.
Like an arrow, they shot out from Xiangcheng and charged towards the Korean army.
This sudden charge startled the Korean army.
Some Korean soldiers were decapitated before they could even react.
Many other Korean warriors were in a state of panic.
But the Korean commander, standing near the city gate, saw it clearly. He saw Li Yinghao, the commanding general, leading the Qin army out.
This immediately spurred him to action. Now that the gate was breached, it was time to fight with all their might.
"All soldiers, heed my command! Xiangcheng is right before us. No one shall take a single step back! Fight!!"
"Kill!"
The general's command was the soldiers' direction.
Before the order was given, the Korean soldiers were still a bit flustered. Once the command was issued, they immediately knew what they had to do.
In the next moment, they charged towards Li Yinghao and his men as if they had gone mad.
The dense formations, like a sea of people, advanced, making it difficult to breathe.
Li Yinghao and his men all felt immense pressure.
Yet, even so, they did not retreat.
Taking a deep breath, Li Yinghao roared:
"We, the men of Great Qin, fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!"
The city gate had been breached, and Li Yinghao and his men were ready to fight to the last.
During their charge, they plunged directly into the enemy ranks and began a fierce slaughter.
Their swords moved swiftly, striking down any enemy they saw.
In a blink of an eye, Li Yinghao had dispatched three enemies.
But as he was about to strike the fourth, a long sword suddenly emerged from his flank and stabbed him in the abdomen.
If Li Yinghao had not reacted quickly and been wearing armor, he would have been disemboweled on the spot.
Even so, after evading, this wound cost Li Yinghao at least thirty percent of his combat effectiveness, leaving him in peril.
The situation for the others was not much better than Li Yinghao's.
Many had fallen, while quite a few, though severely wounded, continued to fight.
Some, with severed limbs, were still killing enemies.
Their bodies were covered in flowing blood.
The soldiers from the city walls had descended. They did not want to stand on the walls and watch their comrades fall. They too wanted to fight.
Even the archers abandoned their bows and took up their Qin swords to fight.
Their participation intensified the battlefield's ferocity.
Ultimately, however, the Qin forces within Xiangcheng were too few. By the end, only a hundred or so remained alive.
The surviving Qin soldiers were all severely wounded, their blood flowing incessantly.
Yet, even so, they stood their ground, swords in hand, not a single one retreating.
However, their enemies were still numerous, nearly two thousand strong.
This disparity in numbers presented an impossible situation for Li Yinghao and his men.
"Since ancient times, the great path has been followed, regardless of fortune!"
"To fight for the eternal glory of Great Qin, my life is of little consequence!"
"Today, I, Li Yinghao, have paid my loyalty to Great Qin!!"
Accompanying Li Yinghao's voice was a tragic battle hymn.
"Gallant Qin, together we face calamity."
"Gallant Qin, we shall reclaim our land."
"Until our blood runs dry, we shall not cease the fight!"
"Great Qin in the west, rising like the sun."
"A hundred years of hatred, a hardship that cannot be pacified!"
...
Until our blood runs dry, we shall not cease the fight. This was Li Yinghao and his men's resolve.
It was also their final battle song.
The Korean soldiers heard it with little reaction, only gripping their swords tighter.
They knew that what they had to do next was to kill these remaining Qin soldiers.
Then, Xiangcheng would belong to their Korean kingdom.
With Xiangcheng taken, their Korean battle lines would connect, and their defenses would be further strengthened.
Therefore, even though Li Yinghao and his men were ready to fight to the death, the Koreans still had to fight.
In the next moment, the Korean commander issued the order to kill.
"Kill!!"
However, as soon as his order was given, a chorus of Qin-specific voices rang out from behind them.
"Who says we have no armor?"
"We share it with our comrades."
"The king is mobilizing his troops, prepare our spears and swords."
"We share your hatred!"
"Who says we have no armor?"
"We share its lining."
"The king is mobilizing his troops, prepare our spears and halberds."
"We march together with you!"
"Who says we have no armor?"
"We share its outer layer."
"The king is mobilizing his troops, prepare our armor and weapons."
"We march together with you!"
...
The Qin wind, the armor.
Reinforcements... had arrived.
...