The siege of White Elephant City was nearing its end, and the Tang army launched the final assault.
Inside White Elephant City, the defending soldiers, running short on food, resorted to slaughtering their warhorses for meat, digging up grass roots, and eating tree bark. What little they could eat, they had eaten. Already exhausted and lacking energy, how could they still have the strength to defend the city? Xue Rengui sent troops to feint attacks every other day, causing the city's leaders to live in constant fear, yet mockingly said the Tang army's bark was worse than its bite.
Eventually, Xue Rengui switched from feinting to launching real attacks, and swiftly breached the northern city gate. The defense forces lacked the will to recapture it and instead retreated into the inner city. The Tang army took over the outer city like a hot knife through butter, immediately commenced the attack on the inner city, giving the enemy no respite.
