Chapter 507: Dust Settles, Reinforcements to Jingxi |
Although Duan Heyang possessed Sun Manifestation Level cultivation and had the ability to fly through the air, he absolutely dared not take to the skies and flee first at this moment.
First, Xiao Kangcheng in mid-air was watching him like a venomous snake. The moment he left the military formation, Xiao would immediately give chase. Since his strength was inferior to Xiao Kangcheng's to begin with, the consequences of being entangled would be severe.
Second, the over one thousand remnant troops he was leading were already panicking. If he, their backbone, took to the skies and fled first, the remaining soldiers would undoubtedly lose all fighting spirit. They would either be completely annihilated or lay down their weapons and surrender. Either outcome would be extremely fatal to the current situation.
Fortunately, the Zhongyang Camp's overall area wasn't large. The distance from the southwest mountain path to the eastern camp gate was only about three kilometers in total. He led the over one thousand Warmth Realm soldiers and managed to get there in just over fifty breaths.
It was just a pity that when Duan Heyang arrived at the eastern camp gate and saw the scene before him, the last shred of hope in his heart was instantly snuffed out.
"Brothers, keep charging forward and killing!"
"The Xiaoshan Army has already breached the mountain path entrance and will soon attack from behind them! If we don't hurry up, the military merits will be someone else's! Kill!"
"The flag officer has already fought his way into the midst of the enemy troops! Brothers, keep charging!"
"Mere Beishuo wants to block the advance of Great Xia's troops?"
"Kill!"
………………
The eastern camp gate had already been breached. A rough glance showed at least five or six thousand Xia troops had already fought their way through the camp gate. One side was crimson red, the other earthen yellow; two military flags fluttering in the wind were constantly changing positions. Guided by them, the Xia troops split up and frantically advanced toward the northern and southern sides of the camp.
Closest to the two flags and with the most ferocious momentum were two large armies whose armor colors corresponded to the flags. On the left, two thousand people wore earthen yellow battle armor; on the right, two thousand wore crimson-gold battle armor. They were like two sharp knives, madly plunging into the heart of the Beishuo defenders, continuously penetrating deeper.
Bang…………
The leader of the left-side Yellow Armor Army, though he already appeared elderly, wielded a pair of blue-red long-handled twin swords, constantly slashing out dual-colored sword auras, reaping the lives of the defending soldiers along the way, truly displaying overwhelming momentum.
The leader of the right-side Chiyang Army had a middle-aged appearance and an exceptionally burly build. He held a nine-ringed silver-ringed large blade. Wherever the blade's edge went, none of the surrounding soldiers dared not evade. He killed with exceptional ferocity, even becoming somewhat detached from the main force he led.
"Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mu Qingyu of the Yellow Armor Army; Commander-in-Chief of the Chiyang Army, Sixth Battalion General of the Dongchuan Allied Army, Xia Houcen…"
Dongchuan was originally Beishuo territory. Although it had been taken away by Great Xia in the name of an alliance over the past two years, Beishuo had still conducted some infiltration into Dongchuan City. Therefore, Duan Heyang had some understanding of the Dongchuan Allied Army's situation.
But this bit of understanding was utterly useless now.
"Brothers, Lord Yang Qin is still here! I am still here! We have not lost! All defending troops, combine forces, take the Pure Cold Pills, and hold back the Xia troops!"
Duan Heyang raised the long blade in his hand, roared, and charged forward first, heading straight for the junction between the two armies.
Whoosh…………
There was no other reason. It was simply because at the junction of the two armies, Yang Qin was being besieged by Mu Longhe and his son Mu Qinghe. Although countless loyal soldiers rushed over to help him break the encirclement, they were only at the Warmth Realm cultivation level. How could they possibly block this father-son pair, both at the Sun Manifestation Level?
Clang…………
Since it was to break the encirclement, Duan Heyang naturally wouldn't strike randomly. He didn't choose the long-famous Mu Longhe. Instead, he slashed toward Mu Qinghe on the flank. Mu Qinghe had just broken through, so his strength couldn't be too high!
However, after this slash, his expression instantly changed.
Not only did his large blade fail to break the encirclement for Yang Qin, but Mu Qinghe even dodged it with a feint, then used his own blade to deflect it, actually guiding Duan Heyang's blade edge toward Yang Qin himself.
Ssssh…………
What was even more critical was that this slash of his actually managed to graze Yang Qin's shoulder.
"My lord…"
"He has 5 Jun of strength. We can't handle him one-on-one. Retreat! Fall back to the central wing of the main force! Lead the defenders and continue to maneuver against them!"
Fortunately, Yang Qin didn't blame him. The panic on Duan Heyang's face immediately vanished. Then, not daring to delay in the slightest, he immediately followed behind Yang Qin and retreated toward the central wing of the main force.
"Run? Where do you think you're running to!"
However, would the Mu father and son let them escape so easily?
Mu Longhe originally used twin swords. The reason he switched to a long staff was because both his arms had once been severed at the root. Although Xia Chuan had reattached them using threads and he had taken a Saint Meridian Pill, they still couldn't recover to their original state.
Twin swords relied on flexible arms. Arms that couldn't return to peak condition were no longer suitable for such weapons.
He and Xiang Fuhai were old acquaintances, and their experiences were similar. In recent years, their relationship within Great Xia had also grown better and better. Persuaded and guided by Xiang Fuhai, he also switched to using a long staff.
To speak of his long staff proficiency, it certainly wasn't as good as Xiang Fuhai's. But his cultivation level was high. With a base strength of 12 Jun, plus his Sacred Mark and martial arts level, he could unleash nearly 19 Jun of strength at his peak.
Who in the entire battlefield at present could match this level of strength?
Whoosh…………
Mu Longhe leaped high into the air. The long staff fiercely smashed down from above, heading straight for the heads of both Yang Qin and Duan Heyang.
"Dodge!"
Yang Qin's eyebrows twitched violently. After shouting loudly, he and Duan Heyang dodged left and right respectively.
Bang………………
Their cultivation was sufficient, so dodging was naturally fine. But the soldiers around them suffered miserably.
As the staff's wind descended, a terrifying immense force slammed down. The earth instantly trembled unceasingly. Several soldiers unfortunate enough to be under the staff's wind—forget their battle armor—even their flesh, blood, and bones offered no resistance. They were directly blasted into pulp.
That wasn't all. The massive wave created by the staff's impact split toward both sides, instantly sending nearly a hundred soldiers flying. The spectacle was utterly terrifying.
What was even more critical was that once these soldiers were sent flying, the Xia troops from behind immediately filled the vacated positions, then charged inward like sharp knives once more.
Xia Houcen was the first to rush in and fill the position. He turned his head and saw a Beishuo defender on the flank whose arm had been broken by the staff's wind. Despite this, the defender showed no change in expression and was still drawing his blade to resist their own soldiers. A cold glint flashed in Xia Houcen's pupils. He swung the silver-ringed large blade in his hand, leaped up fiercely, and hacked down savagely toward that soldier's shoulder.
"Not afraid of pain? Then go die!"
Crack…………
The thousand-forged iron armor on that soldier offered no protection whatsoever against Xia Houcen's large blade. As the blade edge descended, starting from the right shoulder, the man was directly cleaved in two. His life force was instantly severed.
After killing this defender with one strike, Xia Houcen turned his head to look at the Beishuo defenders who were still resisting tenaciously. A shadow of gloom flashed in his pupils.
The Beishuo Town Garrison Army wasn't afraid of pain. This was something he had only discovered after leading his troops in through the camp gate. He wasn't particularly surprised.
Four years ago, during the Dajue Temple upheaval, the Lord Leader only seized the organs of the three great masters: Vajra, Dragon Flame, and Wusheng. The remaining two great masters, Black Ming and Juyuan, were killed by Yang Jian and Qin Feng respectively.
If Great Xia could rely on the organs of the three great masters to imitate and produce the three types of pills—Sunshine, Golden Body, and Soul Departure—then naturally, Beishuo could also rely on Black Ming Master's organs to imitate and produce Pure Cold Pills.
Fearlessness of pain was also a major problem!
Seeing the casualties among his subordinate soldiers expanding, Xia Houcen's eyebrows and eyes twitched violently. He then leaped onto the roof of a nearby civilian house. Gazing into the distance toward the southwest direction of the camp, he saw a general clad in light golden armor had already appeared within sight. He immediately raised his head and shouted loudly:
"Lord Xiao! Commander-in-Chief Xiao! Faster! All the Beishuo defenders have taken Pure Cold Pills! They're not afraid of pain! Prolonged maneuvering will only increase casualties for no gain!"
"Brothers! Speed up even more! If mere Digging Realm cultivators can block you, if it takes this long to attack just a Zhongyang Camp, then how are we supposed to go attack Beishuo Town's main city?"
The first to charge into the center of the camp was, of course, Xiao Kangcheng. As for the general clad in light golden armor, that was the Xiaoshan Army Commander-in-Chief, Xiao Yuan.
One was in mid-air, the other on the ground. They both attacked and fought their way in simultaneously. As Xiao Yuan turned his head and roared, the morale of the Xiaoshan Army soldiers surged once more. In an instant, they charged forward and fought another several dozen meters.
But unfortunately, the number of Beishuo defenders at present was truly too large.
The area around the camp's eastern gate was only so big. Tens of thousands of people gathered together, and they were already scattered and in disarray from the Xia troops' charge. The chaotic scene went without saying. The Xiaoshan Army only charged forward less than a hundred meters before being blocked by the crowd again.
"Xiaoshan Army, heed the order! Take the Golden Body Pills! Ignore these Digging Realm cultivators! Focus all efforts on exterminating the Beishuo defenders!"
Xiao Yuan finally couldn't hold back any longer.
Earlier, when attacking the mountain path entrance, he only had the elite scouts from the scout battalion responsible for charging the gate take the Golden Body Pills. He didn't have the regular soldiers take them. The soldiers under Xia Houcen and Mu Qinghe had attacked from the front and had already taken the Golden Body Pills long ago. Probably because the fighting had gone on for too long, coupled with the defenders' numbers being truly excessive, casualties were visibly increasing. Naturally, he could no longer hold back.
The Xiaoshan Army had almost no casualties. Apart from the scout battalion, the remaining nearly 1,900 soldiers simultaneously took the Golden Body Pills. The entire force's morale instantly surged greatly. Like wild bulls entering the formation, they instantly broke through the Beishuo military formation. The leader, Xiao Yuan, actually linked up with Xia Houcen and Mu Qingyu.
"Retreat!"
The moment the two Xia armies linked up, Yang Qin, despairing to the extreme, finally let out a low cry. The sound wasn't loud. Duan Heyang, who was only three or four meters away from him, happened to hear it.
Duan Heyang instantly felt as if a great burden had been lifted. Without the slightest delay, using the momentum from an upward slash by Mu Qinghe, he abruptly soared into the air, intending to flee.
Of course, Yang Qin, who had issued the retreat order, was faster than him.
Yang Qin in front, Duan Heyang behind. The two directly leaped into the air and swiftly fled toward the southeast direction.
"Where do you think you're escaping to!"
"Don't let them get away…"
It was just a pity that the moment the two rose into the air, Mu Longhe and Xiao Kangcheng simultaneously let out furious roars, then abruptly ascended into the air to give chase.
"Mu Qinghe, Xia Houcen! You two lead the main force and continue clearing out the remnant troops within the camp. After clearing them, seal the camp. Not a single person is to escape."
"Your subordinate obeys the order!"
In the interval of his ascent, Mu Longhe also issued the final deployment. He then followed Xiao Kangcheng, chasing after the fleeing Yang Qin and Duan Heyang.
"Lay down your weapons! Surrender and you won't be killed!"
With Yang Ping dead in battle, and now with the two Sun Manifestation Level cultivators, Yang Qin and Duan Heyang, fleeing in such a wretched manner, the last vestige of fighting spirit in the throats of the defenders within the camp dissipated. Mu Qinghe and Xia Houcen simultaneously issued calls for surrender.
Although people on the battlefield gradually laid down their weapons and knelt to surrender, Beishuo ultimately still had some die-hard loyalists. Therefore, the fighting did not end.
Of course, apart from causing trouble for the Xia troops, they couldn't stir up any waves. They had no impact whatsoever on the overall situation.
Thus, the Battle of Zhongyang was settled!
"Zhongyang has changed hands…"
"Not just Zhongyang. Linya to the west of Zhongyang, Jingxi to the southwest, they've all changed hands. Including Baimu to the southeast, it should be happening soon too!"
Mu Qinghe spoke up, continuing Xia Houcen's line of thought. Upon hearing this, Xia Houcen, Xiao Yuan, and all the other officers who had gathered around were visibly shocked.
No wonder Commander Mu's attack on the Zhongyang Camp had dragged on for so long!
They looked up at the gradually brightening sky above. Clearly, they had already figured something out. The same thought emerged in all their minds simultaneously.
………………
"Did Lu Yang really say that?"
At the same time the Zhongyang Camp was breached, within Baimu City, Yang Jian, who had also noticed the sky was brightening, turned his head to look at his second elder brother, Yang Fa, beside him. A faint trace of joy appeared on his face.
Yang Fa nodded heavily and said, "It was personally relayed by Gu Tianxiong. Lu Yang said Jingxi is insignificant. If Beishuo's main force is defeated, forget about East Ridge, even that small number of people in Jingxi would be of no use. He also said that victories or defeats in small battlefields have no significance for the overall situation. We must concentrate our forces to ensure victory over the main Xia army…"
He paused slightly here, then continued, "Gu Tianxiong accepted his suggestion. Considering that speed is crucial in warfare, and fearing that the Xia army would learn the news and make countermeasures in advance, they secretly left Jingxi two hours ago. They are force-marching toward Baimu. Gu Tianxiong is skilled at maneuvering large armies. He came ahead to seek my pardon."
"Secretly left Jingxi? How exactly was it done secretly?"
Yang Jian directly ignored the last part of his second brother Yang Fa's statement. Gu Tianxiong's father, Gu Yingxuan, was an old minister of their eldest brother Yang Zun who had passed away. The Gu clan was also considered one of the core families in Beishuo and was absolutely trustworthy.
Moving ten thousand troops without superior military orders was, of course, a crime. But the severity of the crime could vary. The key was what they were mobilized to do. If it was to rashly engage the Xia army, winning could offset the fault, but losing would be a major crime.
For someone like Gu Tianxiong, who made corresponding deployments based on analysis of the battle situation without actually engaging the Xia army, it wasn't a big deal. Given Gu Tianxiong's standing in his mind, this matter was completely insignificant.
Hearing his third brother Yang Jian's question, Yang Fa's eyes gleamed slightly. He immediately made eye contact with him. The tacit understanding between brothers allowed them to instantly understand each other's thoughts. A faint smile appeared on both their faces.
"All ten thousand men wore black clothing, carrying their battle armor in packs on their backs. They headed south into Beining Mountain first, then circled along the outer perimeter of Beining Mountain to get here. They are currently hidden in Qingxue Gully to the southwest."
Upon hearing this, Yang Jian quickly walked over to the huge map on the side wall inside the hall. After locating Qingxue Gully, his pupils instantly lit up.
"Qingxue Gully is only 12 kilometers from our Baimu City!"
Yang Fa also followed him in and nodded heavily. "12 kilometers. If ten thousand troops move a bit faster, they can reach the vicinity of Baimu City in less than three hundred breaths…"
He paused slightly here, his face full of eager excitement. His tone carried some agitation as he continued, "Xia Chuan thinks we only have 25,000 men in Baimu. If the two armies engage and Gu Tianxiong and Lu Yang's ten thousand troops suddenly appear, catching the Xia army off guard…"
Hearing this, Yang Jian's face was also full of eager excitement. His expression even began to grow somewhat agitated.
"Feasible. Absolutely feasible. That scoundrel Xia Chuan arrived at the foot of Baimu City and directly set up camp. It's almost dawn, and he still isn't attacking the city. 25,000 men have scared him off. In that case, let's take the initiative and attack…"