Still with his hands behind his back, Yuwen Huaji stood at his original spot. Standing behind him, tall and short, were eight martial art masters, his personal bodyguards. They appeared to be the elite figures, the inner circle of the Yuwen Clan.

Fu Junqiang still chose guerilla-war technique; she flew from the top of the palace hall among the corridors and wooded areas to control large number of enemies, the dead bodies she killed were everywhere, the postures of the corpses were fantastic oddities of every description, some corpses were even hanging on the trees. It is thus clear how desperate the battle was. But obviously her attack on Yuwen Huaji just now did not return any merit.

This Gaoli beauty’s body also suffered multiple injuries. The situation was not optimistic at all.

Yuwen Huaji personally, by way of bugle horn, conducted the operation to surround and block the four persons.

The three men flew up to the top of the palace hall, and met again on the roof. Immediately another situation emerged. By the time the enemies from everywhere frantically pursued and attacked, the three also moved out to meet the enemy head-on. Automatically they formed a triangular battle formation. Because there was no fear of trouble in the rear, the three were able to have a free hand in facing the enemies attacking violently from the front, killing them that dead bodies were strewn all over the roof, flesh and blood splashing, dyeing the snow on the roof of the palace hall red with fresh blood, including the blood from their own wounds, old and new.

‘Dang!’

Kou Zhong sent out a swift saber chop. The snow-covered top of the palace hall was slippery and did not provide any traction. Although the attacker was a martial art master among the enemies, his martial art skill was outstanding, he was barely able to block Kou Zhong’s saber strike, but the soles of his feet was not obedient, hence he slipped down the slope of the roof, and fell onto the ground.

Suddenly there was no enemy on the roof, leaving only shocking-the-eye, astonishing-the-heart bloodstains, as well as few dozen dead bodies strewn along the roof ridge and rood edges.

Bugle horn sounded again. Following the order, the soon-to-be-scattered enemies once again laid out a defense on the public square between the main palace hall and the hall where Yuwen Huaji was standing. The number of men was greatly reduced to about a hundred men.

The square was nearly forty ­zhang wide; to kill Yuwen Huaji, one must break through this barrier first.

Yuwen Huaji indeed had rigorous schemes and deep foresight; seeing the turn of events was not too encouraging, he immediately changed strategy. To the Wei Army, the spacious and open wide square was definitely greatly beneficial to regroup just like during the training.

Under the snowflakes swirling in the air, the sound of clashing weapons of the fierce battle between Fu Junqiang and the troops pursuing and attacking her was still coming from a distance place that they were unable to see behind the palace hall where Yuwen Huaji was standing, a clear sign that momentarily she would not be able to pose any threat toward Yuwen Huaji on this side.

The torches were burning in the public square, illuminating the plaza as bright as day, while also heightening the somber and desolate situation of the Wei Imperial Palace under the frigid wind and bitter snow.

Standing on the back of the roof, Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling and Hou Xibai looked into the distance at the decisiveness with which Yuwen Huaji was conducting the operation; they were groaning inwardly.

It was clear that Yuwen Huaji was carrying out a delaying tactic, waiting for the Wei Army guarding outside the city wall to be transferred back. If there were two or three thousand more men in here, they could forget about getting away.

The three also knew that they had brought suffering to themselves. By killing their way to this place, particularly the fierce battle during which they were charging up to the top of the palace hall, they had added more than a dozen cuts on their bodies. Although these were all skin and flesh injuries, but it still adversely affected their strength greatly. Gradually their true energy consumption was accelerating, forcing them to regulate their breathing to recover their qi. For the time being they simply could not launch their second round of violent attack.

Even more unfavorable was that after killing and injuring nearly seventy martial art masters of the enemy’s side, their acute spirit gradually disappeared; from the bottom of their hearts, there appeared the compassion, as well as weariness after killing people, which substantially weakened their will to fight. If the battle continued, in order to save their own life, they would not have the time to have this kind of feeling instead.

This moment the bloody battle was stopped somewhat; in their physical and mental fatigue, were it not for their blazing hatred supporting them, perhaps they would have broken the siege and run away early on, and given up the massacre.

Suddenly a figure came to Yuwen Huaji’s side and spoke in low voice. Immediately Yuwen Huaji’s countenance changed. After listening to some orders, the man submitting the report left immediately.

Kou Zhong’s heart was moved, he shouted, “Yuwen Huaji, is it the Tang Army’s solders at the city walls, so that you are unable to transfer your men back to defend your dog’s life?”

Immediately the Wei Army in troop formation at the square was abuzz; evidently Kou Zhong’s remark has stirred up the troops’ heart.

Yuwen Huaji let out a string of laughter with a hint of desolation inside; he thundered, “Even if I, Yuwen Huaji, am going to die, I will pull you along to be buried with me. Release the arrows!”

The more than twenty archers at the front of Wei Army formation put their arrows on the bow; the twanging of the bows rang out continuously, arrows and darts filled the sky, piercing the rain of snow, shooting toward them.

Kou Zhong rushed forward, the Moon in the Well turned into ten thousand streaks of yellow light, single-handedly he blocked the powerful arrows shooting in. Were it not for the arrows were concentrated, that is, they were shot only from the front, even with Kou Zhong’s ability, he would not be able to display such an eight-sides prowess.

From the back, Hou Xibai spoke in low voice, “We’ll circle around and attack from the back, their troop disposition will collapse.”

Xu Ziling had his gaze fixed on Yuwen Huaji, who was standing on the other palace hall’s roof, across the public square, without letting any micro changes on his expression slip by; he spoke heavily, “That is precisely what he wants us to do, so that he could slip away to the city wall outside.”

Hou Xibai’s pair of eyes lit up, he said, “I have a way to beat him at his own way; if I am guessing correctly, Yuwen Huaji will leave together with Wei Furen. Ziling understands my wish and kindness?”

Kou Zhong retreated to the other two, he spoke in low voice, “Let’s seize the victory!”

Just before the second round of arrows and darts were released, the three somersaulted down the palace hall roof and pounced on the enemy ranks. They were just like the rock on the surface of flowing water; immediately they stirred up the waves of war. The archers at the front row separated to the left and right, the more than a dozen axe-and-shield-wielders from behind rushed forward to attack, holding the shield on their left hand and axe on their right, assisted by twenty spear- and lance-wielders, using the ten-thousand-jun-thunderbolt momentum closing in toward the three men.

By this time the three already had deep understanding of the battle formation’s formidable power. Each one of these axes weighed no less than a hundred catty, their blades flickered brightly; if they got hacked, no matter how formidable the true qi protecting their body was, due to the direct shock, there was no way that they would suffer only skin-deep injury.

Furthermore, because their long shield thoroughly protected their neck, chest, abdomen, and the vital point on the lower part of their body [orig. yin – genitalia], they were able to focus their power to attack the enemy. Combined with the spear- and lance-wielders’ offensive, their destructive power was doubled. One long, the other short, whether it was close-distance combat or long-distance attack, they occupied the ultimate superiority.

Kou Zhong took the first position to rush out; the person following the saber, the saber turning into yellow light, like a streak of violent lightning it arced down into the middle of the enemy ranks, producing a loud ‘Dang!’ shaking the entire palace, like the sound of the death knell announcing the demise of the Yuwen Clan.

The iron shields disintegrated, the enemy’s big axes flew off their hands, and they tumbled backwards. By the time the two lance-wielders on his left and right found out that they had lost the shield protection, before they had any chance to raise their lances in counterattack, Kou Zhong’s Moon in the Well already slashed the side of their neck, sending them into their instant death.

This fierce and severe, hard-to-believe saber technique immediately chilled the enemy’s guts; upon self-inspection by putting themselves in other people’s shoes, they knew that they would also end up stricken and dead.

Kou Zhong’s Moon in the Well flared out in hundreds and thousands rays of light again, forcing the attacking spear-, lance- and saber- and axe-wielders away. Letting out a long laughter, he said, “I know who is coming! It’s Dou Jiande! Am I right? Huangshang [Your majesty the emperor]!”

The enemy ranks burst into another uproar; unexpectedly they withdrew some more, not only they were intimidated by Kou Zhong’s direct attack, but they were disturbed by Kou Zhong’s words.

Kou Zhong also retreated to Xu Ziling and Hou Xibai’s side. ‘Qiang!’ the Moon in the Well returned to its scabbard. Kou Zhong’s pair of eyes shot two streaks of lightning as he gazed at Yuwen Huaji standing on top of the palace hall across the battle formation on the public square.

Xu Ziling shouted coldly, “Yuwen Huaji, what kind of character are you? Rather than waiting for Dou Jiande to kill you, why don’t you take the chance to see if you could kill us? You could even seize the opportunity to escape. But you only know how to send your men to throw away their lives for you. You are really despicable.”

Hou Xibai was also a man of similarly above average ability and wisdom, he immediately understood the two boys were carrying out psychological tactics, striving to disturb Yuwen Huaji’s men’s fighting spirit. Greedy for life, afraid of death was human nature; just how many people can really put life and death outside the sphere of their consideration?

As long as they were able to affect half of the men here, not only they might be able to kill Yuwen Huaji, they might also be able to easily escape afterwards. Just now Kou Zhong charging into the enemy ranks and opening up a gap appeared to be effortless, but in reality Kou Zhong had to pay a great price, which was considerable wear and tear to his true energy.

Under current circumstances, if Kou Zhong was asked to simply repeat his feat three more times, it would be guaranteed that he would drop down in exhaustion. Since they could not win by force, it’s only natural that they must outsmart the enemy.

Thinking to this point, Hou Xibai opened up his Fan of Beauty, and casually fanned Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling on his left and right sides. In this bitter snow and intensely cold night, his action appeared to be absolutely absurd; but Hou Xibai was doing it so naturally and elegantly, without the slightest bit of pretense. He sighed and said, “There is only one explanation on why Huangshang does not make his move personally, which is Dou Jiande’s soldiers are at the city walls, since Huangshang can retreat from Weixian, naturally you also can withdraw from Xucheng to other places to evade. Therefore, as long as Huangshang has your men entangling us, Huangshang can take the opportunity to slip away.”

These words were even more formidable; it had enough power to wake up the Wei Army, to remind them not to be Yuwen Huaji’s scapegoat.

Kou Zhong thundered, “Wei State has fallen, you haven’t run for your life?”

His voice echoed over the Wei Palace.

Snowflakes sprinkled down on the Wei Army in the square, everyone was as dumb as wooden chicken, the crow and peacock made no sound. Even after Kou Zhong’s voice disappeared, it still echoed in every single one of their hearts.

The harsh light in Yuwen Huaji’s pair of eyes flared greatly, ‘Pei!’ he spat in fury, and roared, “You have the cheek to mislead the public with rumors, to disturb my soldiers’ heart. The day I, Yuwen Huaji, am still here, the Great Wei has not perished.”

With equal harshness, Xu Ziling said, “Why did Huangshang call yourself ‘I’ and not ‘Zhen’? Could it be that you no longer dare to shamelessly declare yourself a lone way [not sure