"You're committing a capital offense!"

Ignoring Jiang Chen's roar, the men carried him toward the back of the gate.

In any case, Shi Gate Pass was now in a critical state. If Jiang Chen were to die here, there would truly be no hope.

"Your Majesty, as long as you are alive, we have hope. If everyone is lost here, there will be no one to avenge us."

Just as they were desperately protecting Jiang Chen's retreat, the already crumbling city gate finally collapsed with a crash.

The stones used to support the city gate behind it did not last long either. Soon, the Xiongnu people charged in with savage yells.

The imperial guards, who had been lying in ambush behind the city gate, immediately engaged the Xiongnu vanguard in a fierce battle.

The chaotic scene seemed to give Jiang Chen an unexpected surge of strength.

Before anyone could react, Jiang Chen broke free from their restraints and rushed back.

The Xiongnu who had just stormed into the city saw Jiang Chen and immediately turned their attacks toward him.

"That guy's armor looks valuable. He must be a high-ranking official."

Just as they thought Jiang Chen would be an easy target, he swung his sword and felled the man in the lead.

The surrounding imperial guards, seeing this, quickly retreated and formed a battle line with Jiang Chen.

For a moment, the Xiongnu who had charged into the city were locked in a stalemate with Jiang Chen's group.

Before long, the imperial guards who had been stationed on the city wall were forced to retreat continuously.

After all, the Xiongnu's offensive was too fierce to be stopped.

With the loss of the city wall, Jiang Chen had no choice but to lead his men in a fighting retreat.

"These guys are without horses. Use the alleys to delay them as much as possible. Our reinforcements are on their way."

Even so, stopping these bloodthirsty Xiongnu would be extremely difficult.

Days of constant defense had already left everyone exhausted, making it impossible to continue fighting these men.

Fortunately, the people inside the city had been evacuated before the city gate was breached.

Just as everyone was beginning to feel overwhelmed, Jiang Chen gritted his teeth and led everyone to another city wall.

"This is our last line of defense. If we retreat now, there will be no more strategic locations to defend."

Jiang Chen's words seemed to invigorate the men.

But when they climbed onto the city wall, they were stunned.

They did not have enough supplies on this city wall to withstand such a high-intensity attack from the Xiongnu.

What's more, the ladders leading up to the city wall were completely exposed to the Xiongnu.

"Damn it! Quickly cover His Majesty's retreat! Shi Gate Pass is too small to deploy our troops. There are still some brothers stationed outside the city. Escort His Majesty to the military camp outside the city!"

"We're here in Shi Gate Pass. Even if we all die here, we must buy more time for His Majesty's reinforcements!"

Seeing that the Xiongnu who had charged into the city had not yet reached this side,

someone quickly helped Jiang Chen and ran toward the outside of the city.

Unlike the men who had previously been afraid to offend Jiang Chen, those who were now covering his retreat were prepared to die.

"Your Majesty, please forgive us."

With that, they charged directly out of the city gate.

As soon as they put Jiang Chen down, they turned around and rushed back into Shi Gate Pass.

Seeing this, the troops stationed outside the city could not help but redden their eyes.

It wasn't that they didn't want to go into the city to support their brothers, but Shi Gate Pass simply couldn't accommodate so many people. If everyone went in, it would not only fail to strengthen the defenses of Shi Gate Pass, but it could also become the culprit for its rapid collapse.

The Xiongnu's attack had been too sudden. They hadn't even had time to replace their exhausted brothers.

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?"

Perhaps due to excessive panic, the generals stationed outside the city were all momentarily stunned, not knowing what to do next.

As everyone fell into confusion, the battle on the last city wall of Shi Gate Pass officially began.

Perhaps because they had the advantage of height, or perhaps because they were in a desperate situation,

everyone fought with their lives, without any hesitation.

The Xiongnu, who had rushed into Shi Gate Pass earlier, had now lost their initial ferocity after successfully breaching the gate. Seeing these fearless opponents, they actually began to retreat in fear.

"How long until our reinforcements arrive?"

Hearing Jiang Chen's question, everyone noticed that his eyes were bloodshot.

"Your Majesty, four more days."

This news caused the anger that had been suppressed in Jiang Chen's heart to erupt.

"I'm leading men in a bloody battle here, and they're leisurely traveling in the rear? If they want to change emperors, they can just say so!"

As soon as he said this, no one in the tent dared to speak.

After all, according to normal marching speed, their pace was not a problem.

But in this critical situation, they were still so leisurely. It was hard to say that they didn't have other ideas.

"Your Majesty, they've come all the way from the south and must be tired from the journey. It's already good that they can maintain this speed."

Just as someone spoke, Jiang Chen's eyes locked onto him.

"If I'm not mistaken, among the generals leading the troops from the south, there must be someone from your Su family, right?"

"Do you think I don't know anything about the situation in the country and dare to use such words to敷衍 (fū yǎn - perfunctorily answer) me?"

Jiang Chen's bloodshot eyes caused everyone present to lower their heads.

And the man who had just spoken was sweating profusely.

He had only defended his cousin, but Jiang Chen was staring at him like this.

Before he could explain, Jiang Chen had already turned his attention to the map in front of him.

"According to the requirements of forced marching, they should arrive at Shi Gate Pass tomorrow. Now they're delaying until now and telling me there are still four days to go? I'll give them two days. If I don't see them by the day after tomorrow, they can bring their heads to me."