The Yan army had breached the city. This was undoubtedly terrible news for the people of Yanmen Commandery.
Especially when the Yan army entered the city and began to kill wantonly, the situation became even more dire.
Initially, the common people did not have a strong desire to resist, but upon witnessing the Yan soldiers slaughtering the residents of Yanmen Commandery indiscriminately, their hearts turned.
"Damn it, these Yan troops are nothing but bandits! They are slaughtering our people!"
"Brothers, these are the enemy! We cannot let them kill our people!"
"The enemy has broken in! We must take up our weapons and defend our homes, protecting the safety of the people behind us!"
At this moment, a large number of civilians picked up weapons to resist the Yan army.
This resistance, however, caused considerable trouble for the Yan army.
They had already stormed into Yanmen Commandery, intending to slaughter wantonly and conquer the entire region.
But who would have thought that they would be blocked at the city gate by the people of Yanmen Commandery, unable to advance further?
Such a situation was quite detrimental to the Yan army.
Their primary objective was still to capture Yanmen Commandery.
However, these Yan soldiers paid no heed to the resistance.
Instead, they looked at the Yanmen Commandery residents who were defending their home with mockery.
"No way, do they really think they can resist our army's advance just by picking up weapons?"
"These ignorant peasants are truly laughable. Our entire army has entered the city, and they still don't welcome us, but choose to resist? Isn't this just courting death?"
"It doesn't matter, if they seek death, we shall oblige them!"
Witnessing this act of self-destruction, the Yan soldiers' eyes were filled with ferocity.
They had already decided to slaughter every single resident of Yanmen Commandery who stood in their way.
These foolish people did not deserve to obstruct their path.
Fueled by this thought, their slaughter became even more brutal, and the Yanmen Commandery people's will to resist grew even stronger.
"Hold the line! Hold our city, hold our fellow villagers!"
"Soldiers, hold on! We must believe that General Lin Tian will return soon! General Lin Tian will not abandon us, he will surely come to our aid!"
"Damn Yan soldiers! They want our lives! We'll fight them to the death!"
The advancing Yan army exerted immense pressure on every single resident of Yanmen Commandery.
Especially the wanton slaughter by the Yan army, which would instill fear in the fainthearted.
Yet, even so, they, along with the Yanmen defenders, held their ground.
Despite the continuous onslaught of the Yan army, they fought desperately to defend their city.
This staunch defense came at a significant cost to both the Yan army and the people of Yanmen Commandery.
The Yan army suffered several thousand casualties, while Yanmen Commandery also lost over a thousand lives.
Crown Prince Dan was not satisfied with such losses and the state of the battle.
After all, this battle was crucial to whether he could remain the Crown Prince of Yan.
Therefore, he desired a decisive victory, the complete capture of Yanmen, not a war of attrition against the Yanmen defenders.
Consequently, he berated the Yan generals beside him:
"What is going on? Why has Yanmen Commandery not been taken after such a long time? Do you treat warfare as a game?"
"Your Highness, we...!"
"This is war, not a playground for you to trifle with civilians and indulge yourselves! I command you to launch a full-scale attack and swiftly capture Yanmen Commandery!"
Crown Prince Dan actually understood his soldiers' behavior, and he himself had almost been drawn into it.
However, this time, it concerned his position as Crown Prince and his princely authority.
Therefore, he could not allow such a situation to persist.
Upon hearing Crown Prince Dan's words, the Yan soldiers realized that their actions were inappropriate in battle and quickly relayed the Crown Prince's command.
"All soldiers heed my command! Launch a full-scale attack and ensure Yanmen Commandery is captured within today!"
"Anyone found slacking, toying with the enemy, or wasting time will be executed!!"
With these words, the Yan army dared not harbor any further intention of trifling.
All their forces surged forward.
This immediately put even greater pressure on the Yanmen defenders and civilians!
Watching the endless stream of Yan soldiers pouring in, many felt a sense of despair.
"Heavens! Will our Yanmen Commandery truly be broken by these Yan people? Will these Yan people truly trample upon our Yanmen Commandery?"
"No, I do not want to become a subject of Yan! We, the people of Yanmen, do not want to be cannon fodder in the flames of war!"
"Great General Lin Tian, General Li Mu, please return quickly! Return and save our Yanmen Commandery!"
At this time, many civilians were crying out for the return of General Lin Tian's army.
They hoped for General Lin Tian's army to return to Yanmen Commandery and drive away the entire Yan army.
As if hearing their pleas, from a great distance beyond Yanmen Commandery, the unique sound of horse hooves echoed.
This was the sound of horseshoes striking the ground, the sound of a large cavalry force approaching.
The moment this sound was heard, it attracted the attention of not only the people of Yanmen Commandery but also the Yan army.
Everyone turned to look and saw black banners and a large cavalry force appearing in the distance.
They instinctively assumed that General Lin Tian's army had returned.
Instantly, the Yanmen defenders and civilians rejoiced.
"Look quickly! They're back! General Lin Tian and his army are back!"
"Wonderful! General Lin Tian is back! Our Yanmen Commandery is saved!"
"Hahaha! Yanmen is saved! We are saved! Our Yanmen Commandery will not fall!"
Lin Tian leading his army back was a cause for great joy for everyone in Yanmen Commandery.
As long as Lin Tian returned, as long as Lin Tian led his army back, their Yanmen Commandery would be saved.
In contrast to the joy of the Yanmen Commandery populace, the Yan army's reaction was quite different.
Upon seeing an army approaching, they also assumed it was Lin Tian's army returning, and fear instantly enveloped them.
"Qin army! The Qin army is here!"
"Didn't they say General Lin Tian's army had already gone to the Xiongnu and was annihilated there? Why are they appearing now?"
"It's over! Lin Tian's army is back! We have no chance! We must retreat!"
They were immensely fearful of Lin Tian's army.
They also understood very well that if Lin Tian's army were to engage them, they would likely not be a match for them.
Especially now, being bottlenecked at the city gate, it would be even more difficult for them to deal with Lin Tian's army.
Therefore, many of them had a clear objective: they wanted to retreat.
And they were not the only ones who wished to retreat; Crown Prince Dan of Yan also harbored the same desire.
Compared to them, Crown Prince Dan was even more terrified.
"Retreat! Withdraw!!"
Before any orders could be conveyed to others, Crown Prince Dan's command to retreat reached the ears of every Yan soldier.
...