Chapter 534: Clash, Heaven's Thunder Ignites Earth's Fire |
"Qin Feng's fifty thousand troops did not come to Wuchuan City!"
Xu Ning rushed to the foot of Wuchuan City without stopping, quickly found Xia Chuan to report the situation, but the reply he received instantly stunned him.
He was only dazed for a moment before immediately realizing something, his expression changing drastically as he looked at Xia Chuan, only to discover that Xia Chuan's complexion wasn't much better than his own.
*Thud…*
"Three thousand Yellow Candles were allocated to each of the four route armies before the battle, yet Luo Yuan still fell for it. How is he serving as the Central Route Marshal?"
Xia Chuan slammed the table hard, rising directly from his chair.
Xu Ning said with a grim expression, "The scouts were too careless. The Wuchuan military camp is only two or three kilometers from Donggu City. Marshal Luo was watching from the sky the whole time. Who knew the Caiqiu people could use Trickery right under his nose…"
"Stupid is stupid. Military affairs allow not a single slip. That's fifty thousand troops. With Caiqiu's top-tier combat power assisting, it's enough to turn the tide. Now things are looking bad."
Hearing Xia Chuan's tone so grave, Xu Ning was momentarily stunned but quickly reacted, exclaiming in shock, "They wouldn't…"
Xu Ning's face also instantly turned extremely grim.
The Right Route Army below Pass City totals only forty thousand men. With Qin Feng's fifty thousand troops going there, if Jinshan Town's sixty thousand troops pour out in full force, that would be a full one hundred and ten thousand.
Although the Right Route Army has the Lord Leader present, Cai Qianshan is also there. Moreover, he witnessed the entire exchange between the Lord Leader and Cai Qianshan last night. Caiqiu is currently dead set on helping Jinshan and Wuchuan resist Great Xia. Who knows how many people they might mobilize from the Feudal Towns?
Thus, Pass City is in danger!
"Go quickly and inform Luo Yuan, tell him not to come to Wuchuan City, to lead his army east swiftly to reinforce the Pass. Also, send separate messengers to Longgu and Yangju to inform Li Yangtian and Yuan Cheng to lead their armies to reinforce the Pass with all haste, without delay."
"Your subordinate obeys the command!"
Xu Ning immediately bowed to accept the order. As the War Banner Messenger, he specialized in moving between the four route armies to deliver military reports. This was his duty anyway.
And so, Xu Ning, who had just arrived at Wuchuan City, having spoken only a few words with Xia Chuan, turned and flew south towards Luo Yuan's army.
"Department Chancellor, are we still continuing to surround Wuchuan City without moving?"
There were quite a few generals in the main tent at this moment. Seeing Xu Ning leave, Liu Yuan, Commander-in-Chief of the Cloud Python Army, immediately stepped forward to ask, his eyes brimming with eagerness.
Xia Chuan met his gaze and immediately guessed what he was thinking.
However, he did not speak, instead turning to look at the other generals in the tent.
The twenty thousand elite Xia troops besieging Wuchuan City consisted of eight designated armies plus the Dragon Garrison Captains. Therefore, all the Sun Manifestation Level generals present, including Liu Yuan, Zhouyuan, Meng Yi, Zhao Long, Hou Tong, Mu Longhe, Mu Qinghe, and even Tie Xinchuang, Commander-in-Chief of the Dragon Garrison Captains, were all there.
Their pupils were filled with Fighting Spirit, clearly not placing Wuchuan's sturdy city defenses in their eyes. If Xia Chuan gave the order, they would dare to storm the city walls immediately.
"No…"
Despite the surging Fighting Spirit of the crowd, after consideration, Xia Chuan still shook his head.
"It's only just entered the night. Wuchuan City itself has two hundred thousand Digging Realm soldiers, not to mention that Caiqiu is now dead set on helping them. Who knows if Caiqiu has sent anyone into the city? The Lord Leader is not here. We have no high-end combat power at all. Twenty thousand men rashly attacking the city has too small a chance of success!"
"Department Chancellor, we could transfer Lord Yue's ten thousand troops over. Also, isn't there still… in Dongchuan City…"
"We captured Beishuo City less than two days ago. It's unclear whether the Yang Clan relatives and Beishuo die-hards within the city have been dealt with. Yue Feng cannot be moved. The twenty thousand troops in Dongchuan City are even more out of the question. Caiqiu is now determined to enter the fray. What is Chencang's reaction, who…"
"Reporting to the Department Chancellor, urgent military intelligence from Dongchuan!"
What one fears often comes to pass. Before Xia Chuan could finish speaking, an urgent voice came from outside the tent.
"Come in quickly!"
Xia Chuan's expression changed slightly as he hurriedly signaled for the scout to enter.
A dust-covered scout swiftly rushed into the tent from outside. The situation was clearly too urgent. The scout even forgot to salute upon entering, directly cupping his hands to Xia Chuan and speaking, "Department Chancellor, scouts north of Danxue Peak report that Chencang has sent a large number of clandestine operatives into the Blood Corridor for reconnaissance. Yanling Commandery has dispatched a large workforce to clear the snow path on the northern side of the Blood Corridor."
Hearing this intelligence, the expressions of everyone in the tent instantly changed.
Danxue Peak is just north of Dongchuan City. Behind the peak lies the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor. Crossing the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor leads to Chencang's Yanling Commandery.
A large number of clandestine operatives entering the Blood Corridor for reconnaissance, and Yanling Commandery dispatching manpower to clear snow paths—this clearly indicates preparations for troop movement.
Chencang is also entering the fray!
"So this is the number one strong Feudatory of Mo'ao Chuan? Taking advantage of our conflict with Caiqiu to pick up the pieces, despicable and shameless!"
"The Lord Leader said the miasma contraction is a sinister trick by the Abominations, meant to make our human camps fight amongst themselves. These two Feudatory Fang Bos simply don't care. They're all sending troops south."
"News has already come from across the Bone-Erosion Path. Caiqiu troops are assembling within Evergreen Valley. They are expected to cross the Bone-Erosion Path in at least three days. Both Feudatories are sending troops south."
………………
Upon learning that Chencang was sending troops south, the emotions of the generals in the tent ran high. Some angrily cursed, some had grim expressions, and others wore deep worry on their faces, clearly not optimistic about the upcoming battles.
Half an hour ago, the latest news from the Right Route Army reported that the scouts Yuwen Tao had planted across the Bone-Erosion Path informed them that Caiqiu was already mobilizing troops, preparing to march south via the Bone-Erosion Path.
The scouts were planted by Yuwen Tao, so naturally, the Right Route Army was the first to receive the news that Caiqiu was preparing to send troops south.
Xia Hong was currently stationed with the Right Route Army, so he was the first to get the news. A messenger from the Right Route Army had just brought Xia Hong's order for Xia Chuan to continue drawing troops from within Great Xia's territory to reinforce Dongchuan and Jinyang cities.
Dongchuan and Jinyang were the first cities Chencang and Caiqiu would reach heading south, so Xia Hong's meaning was clear: to formally break with the two Feudatories, even if it meant war.
Objectively speaking, this decision was somewhat bold.
Those were two major Feudatories. Who knew how many troops they would bring? Even if Great Xia mobilized all the Warmth Realm experts from the entire town, they likely couldn't hold them off.
So why was Eldest Brother still doing this?
Xia Chuan's eyes flickered. Regarding Xia Hong's intention, he actually had some speculation in his heart.
The two Feudatories probably wouldn't invest heavily in the Southern Foothills territory. After all, their biggest current trouble wasn't Great Xia, but the Blood Mire Plains. Moreover, during the initial negotiation between Eldest Brother and Cai Qianshan below Pass City last night, Eldest Brother had displayed strength sufficient to make the Feudatories wary. If the two Feudatories continued to increase their investment in the Southern Foothills territory, it would clearly be more loss than gain.
It could be determined that given the current situation of the Four Feudatories of Mo'ao Chuan, Chencang and Caiqiu absolutely could not join forces. As long as this point could be firmly grasped, combined with the fact that the two Feudatories wouldn't invest too heavily in the Southern Foothills territory, it could be basically concluded that as long as Great Xia displayed sufficient determination, Chencang and Caiqiu would likely retreat in the face of difficulty.
"Eldest Brother putting up this posture is probably to intimidate the two Feudatories, making them hold back and abandon their designs on the Southern Foothills territory. Normally, it should be achievable. But nothing is absolute. Who knows what the two Feudatories truly think? What if they really bring a large army to attack? We must be prepared…"
Xia Chuan pondered internally for a long time. After slowly sorting out his thoughts, he looked at the generals in the tent and said solemnly, "Chencang and Caiqiu sending troops south will take at least three days. I have already ordered Qiu Peng to mobilize all Town Garrison Armies within Great Xia's territory to march north, totaling roughly one hundred and sixty thousand. With the Twin Dragon Mountain secret passage and the advantage of terrain, we can definitely station the troops in Jinyang and Dongchuan cities before the two Feudatories arrive. So, for now, we don't need to worry about the two Feudatories. They might not actually fight. Even if they do, one hundred and sixty thousand troops are enough to hold them off."
Actually, the last statement needed a question mark.
With the Lord Leader personally present, holding off the Feudatories wouldn't be a problem. But if the Lord Leader wasn't present, the situation would be completely different.
After finishing, Xia Chuan paused and continued, "The current crux lies at Pass City. As long as we capture Pass City before the armies of the two Feudatories set foot in the Southern Foothills territory, Jinshan and Wuchuan cities will collapse without a fight. Then, even if the two Feudatories want to get serious with us, we won't be afraid."
The generals in the tent weren't foolish. Upon hearing this and thinking for a moment, they immediately understood.
In short, a Great Xia that has captured Jinshan and Wuchuan is a completely different concept from a Great Xia that hasn't captured these two towns.
Caiqiu now sees that Jinshan and Wuchuan still have the strength to resist, hence their intention to support them. And Chencang now dares to brazenly march south because they see Great Xia is at war with Caiqiu.
The Pass is the gateway to Jinshan. Jinshan has staked all its military strength here. If this place cannot be held, the town city has even less chance.
And now Qin Feng has pulled his fifty thousand troops to the Pass, so all the anti-Xia forces in the north are currently concentrated here.
Therefore, the crux of everything lies at the Pass.
"Qin Feng's fifty thousand troops have poor marching speed. They probably aren't as fast as Yuan Cheng and Li Yangtian's two armies. Moreover, the Lord Leader is personally stationed at the Pass. As long as the two armies can reinforce in time, the problem shouldn't be significant."
"Xu Ning has already gone to inform Luo Yuan. Luo Yuan changing route to advance east means he's following behind Qin Feng. If Qin Feng dares to attack the Right Route Army from behind, he's seeking death."
"Wuchuan isn't important right now. We just need to keep an eye on the Pass."
"Department Chancellor, in that case, can we few go to the Pass to help? Since we aren't attacking the city here anyway?"
………………
Everyone's emotions gradually calmed down. In the end, Mu Longhe even proactively suggested going to Pass City to help.
Upon hearing this, the others were immediately tempted and all turned to look at Xia Chuan.
"If we were only fighting Wuchuan, I would send you over. But now we are fighting Caiqiu, and Chencang might also be watching from the shadows. Then we cannot act rashly. Continue watching here. Quietly await news of the battle at the Pass!"
Xia Chuan's vigilance was not without reason.
From last night when he rushed back to the foot of Wuchuan City until now, roughly over four hours had passed. He had sensed no less than twenty instances of inexplicable aura probing, and the other party's aura was very powerful. It was easy to deduce they were at the Tribulation Body Realm level, similar to Cai Qiuhu.
Most likely, there is a Tribulation Body Realm expert from Caiqiu within Wuchuan City!
One Tribulation Body Realm expert cannot determine the outcome of a battle involving over ten thousand troops, but it can still bring many variables. Moreover, capturing Wuchuan City now, aside from driving Qin Feng's fifty thousand troops to desperation, wouldn't serve any other purpose.
He had also considered before whether to gather all the northern troops to attack Wuchuan City, then use the families within the city to threaten Qin Feng's fifty thousand troops into surrender.
But he quickly dismissed this idea. This strategy could easily be seen through, and the biggest prerequisite was to ensure Wuchuan City could be successfully captured.
Whether it could be captured was still a question. After capturing it, if Caiqiu's people saw through it and stirred up something that provoked public outrage, Qin Feng's fifty thousand troops would likely fight Great Xia to the death.
Unnecessary!
"With Eldest Brother personally stationed there, Pass City probably won't be in too much trouble…"
………………
The speculation of Xia Chuan and the others in the tent was, admittedly, quite reasonable.
Qin Feng's fifty thousand troops advanced east early. Luo Yuan, upon receiving the news, immediately followed behind. Given the Xia army's high level of training, if not catching up, at least following not too far behind was achievable.
As for Li Yangtian and Yuan Cheng's two armies, they would definitely reach the Pass before Qin Feng because the distances from Longgu and Yangju to the Pass were much shorter than from Donggu City.
Sun Manifestation Level experts flying through the air to deliver messages took almost no time. Even accounting for the time for them to go back and forth to report, it could be inferred that the speed of the two Xia armies reinforcing the Pass was absolutely faster than Qin Feng's fifty thousand troops.
Therefore, Xia Chuan and the others concluded that Pass City wouldn't be in trouble.
However, the biggest premise of this conclusion was that Qin Feng's fifty thousand troops would arrive at the Pass after Yuan Cheng and Li Yangtian's two armies.
Coincidentally, this premise had a problem!
"Kill!"
"Kill them…"
"Destroy the Xia army, reinforce Wuchuan."
"With the Feudatory's assistance, what are we afraid of?"
"The Wuchuan brothers have arrived. Brothers, follow me and charge out of the city!"
"Drive out the Xia dogs!"
"Trying to annihilate Jinshan? Wishful thinking!"
"Longgu, Beishuo, and Yangju three towns have already fallen. If we don't resist now, we'll all become dogs for the Xia people in the future. Brothers, if not now, when?"
"Kill!"
………………
The gates of Pass City had long been wide open. A noisily crowded mass of Jinshan soldiers charged out madly, heading straight for the Xia army camp outside the city. Countless arrows rained down from the sky, almost drowning the Great Xia military camp.
What was fatal was that a large army was also charging madly from the west side of the Great Xia camp, similarly led by countless arrows, instantly covering the Xia army camp in a hail of projectiles.
With armies converging from east and west, Yuwen Tao's Right Route Army was actually sandwiched between the two forces.
"The straight-line distance from Donggu to Pass City is over 110 kilometers. Normally, marching would take at least half a day. We used Divine Wind Movement to enhance speed, taking less than two hours. Even if Xia Hong racked his brains, he wouldn't expect Wuchuan's fifty thousand troops to be here. Great Xia is about to take a major fall."
"A town-level camp, daring to compete with our Caiqiu. The Fang Bo is willing to cede Wuchuan, already giving Great Xia enough face. That Xia Hong is insatiably greedy, still dreaming of dominating the Southern Foothills? Dream on!"
"Shangguan Yang has already led his troops to charge out. Even if the twelve Beast Emperor-Level Puppets are strong, they can't withstand the charge of one hundred and ten thousand troops. First, annihilate Great Xia's Right Route Army. When our Caiqiu troops march south, make Great Xia spit out all three towns they swallowed earlier."
"Don't be careless. The Xia army has shown no movement until now. What's going on?"
"We came too fast. Xia Hong is powerless to turn the tide. What can he do even if he moves? These forty thousand Xia troops are already turtles in a jar!"
………………
At the forefront of the Wuchuan army formation on the west side, Cai Qiu Hong led a group of Sun Manifestation Level experts standing in the air. Watching the army below being less than a kilometer from the Great Xia camp, their pupils were filled with excitement.
But a few among them wore a trace of suspicion.
Qin Feng was one of them.
Qin Feng was now completely unable to speak. Apart from when Cai Qiu Hong ordered him to command the army just after arriving two kilometers west of the Xia army, he had basically become a figurehead the rest of the time.
But precisely because he wasn't involved in command, he could calmly think.
Caiqiu's Divine Wind Movement technique was indeed impressive. It could both conceal the army's tracks on the snowy plains and significantly increase marching speed, allowing them to travel from Donggu City to the Pass in just over two hours.
But that technique wasn't that miraculous.
Great Xia had been stationed at the Pass for so many days. They must have placed many scouts around. Although Cai Qiu Hong ordered the Sun Manifestation Level experts to disperse and capture many Xia army scouts before the army arrived, it was unlikely they caught every single one, right?
Taking a step back, even if they caught all the scouts, the snow fog area created by Divine Wind Movement was so close. Wasn't it too outrageous for Great Xia to have no detection at all?
Forget Xia Hong, anyone with a bit of military experience, suddenly seeing such a large snow fog area approaching, could guess something was wrong.
Moreover, at this moment, the Jinshan army from Pass City had already charged out. His fifty thousand troops were less than a kilometer away. The iron-tipped arrows shot by the front-row soldiers had already poured into the Great Xia camp area.
Why was the Xia army still showing no movement at all?
Qin Feng frowned tightly. If his perception range wasn't two kilometers, allowing him to clearly sense that there were indeed large numbers of soldiers in the Great Xia camp, he would even suspect that Xia Hong, having received the news in advance, had already led his men away.
Facing the converging attacks from the east and west armies, the Great Xia camp remained in this eerily quiet state. Meanwhile, Cai Qiu Hong and the others in the sky showed no intention of stopping the army, still staring intently below, waiting for the troops to officially charge into the Xia army camp area.
"Heaven's road you don't take; hell's gate you barge into. Qin Feng, this Lord Leader originally considered you a figure. Now it seems you are nothing but an utter fool. Caiqiu is doing this risk-free business, and you're willing to gamble the lives of fifty thousand soldiers to accompany them!"
Just as the armies from east and west were within the final kilometer of the Great Xia camp, an enraged, mocking roar suddenly resounded across the field.
*Boom…*
A black shadow suddenly rose from the main tent area of the Great Xia military camp. The shadow shot straight up, suddenly expanding and growing larger at an altitude of several hundred meters.
"Screech…"
A sharp, ear-piercing cry shook the entire field. The black shadow in mid-air had already transformed into a pitch-black giant bird.
The bird resembled a black eagle, completely dark. The feathers covering its body, set against the night sky, appeared as sharp as blades. Its body length was only over a hundred zhang, but with its wings fully spread, it reached about five hundred zhang, almost covering the entire Great Xia camp area below. Describing it as blotting out the sky and sun was no exaggeration.
"This is…"
Seeing this eagle-shaped Frost Beast, Qin Feng's expression instantly froze.
Not just him, the other Sun Manifestation Level experts from Wuchuan reacted the same.
However, Qin Feng was somewhat different from the others. After all, he had been to Mo'ao Chuan and had some understanding of Five Luminaries Realm Beast Emperors.
"A Beast Emperor… no, it's a Beast Emperor-Level Puppet. Xia Hong has a Beast Emperor-Level Puppet? How is this possible… how is this possible…"
Qin Feng instantly realized. Great Xia having Frost Beast puppets was no secret in the Southern Foothills territory. But a Beast Emperor-Level Puppet? How was this possible!
"All troops…"
"Shut up! What are you afraid of with just a Beast Emperor puppet?"
Qin Feng subconsciously wanted to shout orders to the Wuchuan army below, clearly already starting to think of retreating. Unfortunately, he only got two words out before being harshly interrupted by Cai Qiu Hong in front.
Seeing the warning in Cai Qiu Hong's eyes gradually turning to killing intent, Qin Feng's heart shook. He hurriedly lowered his head and shouted orders to the army below, "A few puppets are nothing to fear. All troops, continue the charge!"
The specific situation Qin Feng was in was probably unknown to the Wuchuan army. But it must be said, his status as Lord was still quite high in the hearts of the soldiers below. With his order, the army, whose speed had somewhat slowed, immediately became reinvigorated as if injected with adrenaline and continued charging toward the Xia army camp area.
On the other side, the army from Pass City finally reached the front edge of the Great Xia camp, only two hundred meters away.
"Vanguard charge! Center army control crossbows! Rear army fire arrows! Ignore the west side! Cut through the Jinshan rebel army! Take Pass City!"
Just as the front ranks of the Jinshan army entered the two-hundred-meter range of the Great Xia camp, Xia Hong, standing atop the Black Mysterious Eagle puppet's head, finally spoke.
"Brothers! After holding back for so many days, we're finally fighting!"
"Military merits! These are countless military merits! Hahaha!"
"Kill! Cut through the Jinshan rebel army! Capture the Pass!"
"Hiding in the city for so long, they finally came out. What does one hundred and ten thousand troops matter? Great Xia's military might is invincible! Charge!"
………………
The originally calm Great Xia camp, upon Xia Hong's command, instantly erupted with excited roars. From within the forty black military tents, countless Xia army soldiers charged directly eastward, their target clearly the Jinshan army charging out from Pass City.
The Xia army was divided into three parts: vanguard, center, and rear. The vanguard charged the fastest and had already engaged the Jinshan army in close combat. The center army had fewer men, roughly two thousand, operating twenty Divine Machine Crossbows. They advanced eastward while frantically shooting west, toward the direction of Wuchuan's fifty thousand troops. The rear army held powerful bows and crossbows, shooting rapidly into the sky. Arrows traced arcs, raining down on the rear ranks of the Jinshan army to the east.
"Roar…"
Not needing to worry about the Wuchuan army to the west—since Xia Hong dared say this, he naturally had something to rely on.
As soon as the Wuchuan army's front ranks charged into the Great Xia camp, eight beast roars capable of breaking metal and splitting stone immediately sounded. The five black military tents at the very rear of the Great Xia camp suddenly burst open, and eight Frost Beasts with powerful, imposing auras pounced out.
When these eight Beast Emperors appeared, their body lengths were less than a hundred meters. But after a few roars, they rapidly expanded to over two hundred zhang, like five thick, impenetrable walls directly blocking the path of the Wuchuan army.
*Bang…*
However, as soon as the eight Beast Emperor puppets appeared, a sky-blotting giant cyan palm suddenly slammed down from above.
That heaven-propping giant palm was extremely terrifying in power, actually sending two Beast Emperor-Level Puppets flying with a single strike.
"You think you can turn the tide with just these few Beast Emperor-Level Puppets!"
"Whether we can turn the tide, please watch carefully, Fang Bo Cai."
On the head of the Black Mysterious Eagle, although Xia Hong was slightly shocked by Cai Qianshan's strength internally, he naturally wouldn't show it now. He gave a cold laugh and fiercely waved his hand. Four beams of intense light immediately flew from his sleeve.
"Roar…"
Four more Beast Emperors appeared, not only filling the gap blasted open by Cai Qianshan but with two of them directly charging at Cai Qianshan, relentlessly entangling him.
"Qiu Hong, Qiuhu, Yuhe, Qingfeng… lead everyone to entangle these puppets! Open a passage! Let the Wuchuan army charge through to attack the Xia army!"
A Fang Bo was indeed a Fang Bo. Cai Qianshan, entangled by two Dual-Element Beast Emperors, not only showed no fear but instead gave a cold laugh. He actually closed in and landed, standing right in the middle of the twelve Beast Emperor-Level Puppets, pulling two more Beast Emperors into the fray.
Then, with an order, Cai Qiu Hong and the others above immediately led their men down. Eight Tribulation Body Realm experts plus over a hundred Sun Manifestation Level experts instantly divided the labor clearly, entangling eight Beast Emperors.
Wait, it should be the eight Tribulation Body Realm experts entangling the Beast Emperors. The remaining over one hundred Sun Manifestation Level experts formed army formations, cooperating with the eight Tribulation Body Realm experts to continuously split and pull the eight Beast Emperor puppets apart, quickly creating several paths in the middle.
Those paths were naturally cleared for the Wuchuan army.
With the help of Cai Qianshan and Caiqiu's group of Tribulation Body and Sun Manifestation experts, the twelve Beast Emperor-Level Puppets were indeed entangled. Seeing the path ahead open, the Wuchuan army immediately accelerated, continuing to charge toward the rear ranks of the Xia army.
"Continue the charge! Don't mind the army to the west! Cut through the Jinshan army, and we win!"
Yuwen Yong, Great General of the Second Battalion of the Right Route Army, was currently leading the charge at the front. He glanced back and saw the Wuchuan army was about to make contact with the rear ranks. His pupils contracted slightly. With a roar, he fiercely cleaved through two Jinshan soldiers in front of him, his body surging forward over ten meters.
"Brothers! The Lord Leader's puppets are guarding the rear! Don't be afraid!"
"The Jinshan army is trash! They can't stop us!"
"Charge forward! They can't hold! Hahaha…"
Yuwen Yong's furious shout injected another dose of morale into the Great Xia vanguard. As the soldiers charged, they shouted continuously. In less than a hundred breaths, the Xia army actually tore a large breach in the Jinshan army. Led by Yuwen Yong, Hou Quan, and several other Sun Manifestation Level experts, they plunged three to four hundred meters deep.
………………
*Clang!*
"Cut through the Jinshan army, and they win? What does that mean?"
Qin Feng in mid-air deflected a crossbow bolt shooting toward his face with his sword. He turned to look at the still-charging Great Xia vanguard, his pupils filled with suspicion and confusion.
Suddenly, he seemed to notice something. He lowered his head to carefully examine the formation of the Xia army to the east, and his expression abruptly changed drastically.
"Wrong! The number of Xia troops is wrong. There are at most twenty thousand here…"
Yuwen Tao's Right Route Army had forty thousand men in total.
A full half were missing!
What was going on?
*Boom…*
Just as confusion rose in Qin Feng's mind, a thunderous explosion suddenly came from the direction of Pass City.
That was… the city gate of Pass City?
The city gate had collapsed!
Qin Feng's pupils trembled uncontrollably. He could already see the terrifying figure of the Beast Emperor behind the city gate.
Of course, not just the Beast Emperor. The key was that below that Beast Emperor were thousands upon thousands of soldiers clad in golden armor.
A figure suddenly rose into the air near the Pass City gate.
"All troops, hear the order! Charge and attack the rear ranks of the Jinshan army!"
As that person issued the command, countless Great Xia soldiers clad in Thunder Kui Gold Armor surged out from within the collapsed city gate like tigers released from a cage, clearly charging toward the rear ranks of the Jinshan army.
The Jinshan army was currently fiercely engaged with the Xia army to the west. How could they be concerned about Pass City behind them?
It wasn't until over ten breaths after Yuwen Tao issued his command that people within the Jinshan formation slowly began to react—someone was attacking from behind.
"Tunnels! The Xia army dug tunnels! They've attacked directly from behind Pass City! Lord! Quickly turn the army around! The Pass cannot be lost! The Pass cannot be lost!"
A figure in tattered clothes flew out from within Pass City, quickly darting above the Jinshan army, shouting hoarsely. He was clearly speaking to the Jinshan Lord, Shangguan Yang.