In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.
In these ten years, the various countries in the continent had been embroiled in wars, but most of them were only small skirmishes. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the rulers of the various countries were unwilling to be left out. Once this round of probing was over, the entire continent would probably be engulfed in the flames of war.
At this point, it was no longer a country that could simply protect themselves. Even if a person had no intention of harming a tiger, the tiger would still harm a person's heart. Even if they wanted to protect themselves, they would still have to join in the war for hegemony!
The Sky Bearing Empire had been embroiled in wars for the past few years. Being sandwiched between several other countries, they were naturally the main opponent for the surrounding countries to test their strength. Fortunately, the Sky Bearing Empire had an invincible commander, Ling Xiao, holding the fort. Furthermore, the other countries did not dare to send their entire army to invade, lest the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. If that were to happen, all their hard work would have gone to someone else.
Thus, although the Sky Bearing Empire was constantly in shock, they did not suffer any serious injuries. The citizens firmly believed that as long as General Ling was around, they would not have to worry about any external invasion. Thus, although the situation within the country was slightly tense, it was still peaceful.
Western Front Camp. Commander's Tent.
Ling Xiao frowned as he looked at the military map hanging on the wall, his eyes filled with worry.
Behind him, a row of soldiers stood in an orderly manner, their eyes fixed on the commander, waiting for Ling Xiao to come up with a new battle plan.
With a sigh, Ling Xiao pointed at the map and said, "Look at this place. Between the two mountains is a valley about five to six li long and the narrowest part of the valley is only a few dozen zhang wide. It is the only way for our army to advance or retreat from the enemy. If the Western Han set up an ambush here, they would set up ambushes on both sides of the mountain and wait for our army to pass by. They would either use rolling logs or stones to attack us, or they would use fire to attack us. Even if we were to pass through, we would definitely not have the strength to fight against the enemy on the other side of the gorge. However, this canyon is the only way to advance. There is no other way. "
All the generals gathered behind Ling Xiao and focused their gazes on him. All of them were already well aware of the situation. The reason why the Western Han and Sky Bearing had been at war for the past few decades was because of this canyon. Over the years, at least tens of thousands of Sky Bearing soldiers had been buried in this canyon. The army called it the "Valley of the Weeping Soul" and the two mountains the "Mourning Soul Mountains"! As a result, the Sky Bearing Army would retreat the moment they reached this valley, not having any intentions of advancing.
One of the deputy generals raised his head to look at Ling Xiao, before he probed, "Commander, the previous battles have always ended here. Why must we take this Soul Sobbing Valley this time? Our army is also taking advantage of the perilous situation to defend this place. The stronghold must not be lost. "
Everyone in the tent nodded, "That's right, that's right."
Ling Xiao bellowed, "Muddleheaded! Today is different from the past. The world is about to descend into chaos. If our Sky Bearing Empire can take down the Mourning Soul Mountain and the Valley of the Weeping Soul, the western front will be safe. We can even transfer our troops to the other fronts. The moment chaos breaks out, with the Valley of the Weeping Soul in our hands, we can attack or retreat. The initiative will be in the hands of our army! How can this be compared to the past? "
After pausing for a moment, he asked, "Is there any news from the scouts?"
A young general stepped forward and cupped his hands, "Reporting to general, there is no news." As he said that, a trace of worry could be seen on his face. Since the start of the war, there were at least ten batches of scouts sent to the Mourning Soul Mountain. However, not a single one of them had returned. It could be seen how tight the enemy's defenses were.
The worry on Ling Xiao's face grew even more intense, "The Western Han general, Han ShiZe, is proficient in the art of war. He has already been stationed at the Mourning Soul Mountain for five years. With the accumulation of time, he has already turned this place into an iron fortress. How hateful! Our army must take down this Mourning Soul Mountain no matter what. If not, once chaos breaks out, our empire will be attacked from the front and back. The danger of our empire being destroyed is right in front of us! "
His brows furrowed as he asked, "How many days has it been since the last batch of scouts left?"
That young general replied, "It has been five days."
Ling Xiao let out a long sigh and said, "It bodes ill rather than well!" After pausing for a moment, he continued, "Scout again, report again!"
All the generals remained silent. They all knew that the Marshal was determined to take down the Mourning Soul Mountain. If it was in the past, the compassionate Marshal would definitely have given the order to retreat outside the Valley of the Mourning Soul Mountain.
From the importance that the Marshal placed on the Mourning Soul Mountain, all of them could feel that something was amiss. Could it be that chaos was about to break out?
Ling Xiao saw the looks on everyone's faces and knew that they were puzzled. He waved his hands and ordered for the map on the wall to be removed and replaced with another one. Everyone took a look and saw that it was a rough map of the empire.
Ling Xiao pointed with his finger and said, "According to the latest report from the military, the Northern Wei is currently gathering 150,000 troops in our empire. They will be marching to the north of our Sky Bearing Empire soon. In at most three months, they will arrive. Together with the 80,000 troops from the Northern Wei, they will have a total of 230,000 troops! There is no need for words to explain his intentions. "
All the generals took in a breath of cold air.
Ling Xiao continued to point to the east and said, "In the east of our empire, the Moon Deity Empire and the Great Zhao Empire are still at war. Currently, both sides are in a stalemate. However, regardless of which side wins, our Sky Bearing Empire will be the first to bear the brunt. In the south, while the Wu Empire and the Southern Zheng Empire are biding their time, they are secretly recruiting soldiers into their armies. It is obvious that they are also preparing to make a move. Our Sky Bearing Empire is located in the center of the continent. Out of the four fronts, only one has been stabilized! If we are thrown into chaos, we will definitely be invaded from all sides and be torn apart. "
Ling Xiao then turned around and faced the generals, saying resolutely, "Thus, no matter what price we have to pay, we have to take down the Mourning Soul Mountain in the shortest time possible and stabilize the west. At that time, out of the 100,000 troops stationed in the west, we can transfer 60,000 to the other three fronts. This is to ensure that we do not fall. "
All the generals were dumbfounded. Never in their wildest dreams would they have imagined that the situation had already reached such a grim state!
An old general in his forties said with a face full of confusion, "In recent years, our Sky Bearing Empire has always been on good terms with the neighboring countries. We are also in-laws with the Wu Empire, the Southern Zheng Empire and the Northern Wei Empire. We have always been on good terms. Why would we suddenly …"
Ling Xiao looked at him and did not say a word. He scolded in his heart, Old fool! Old bastard! No wonder you are still a general even after 30 years in the army. How can a mere political marriage be more important than the hegemony of the continent? At such a time, which country's ruler would be so foolish to care about this?
Currently, everyone's attention was on the battle of the Mourning Soul Mountain between the Sky Bearing Empire and the Western Han Empire. If Sky Bearing were to win, then the peace in the continent would last for a few more years. If Sky Bearing were to lose, then the continent would be engulfed in flames of war! It would be out of control. No country would be able to tolerate the Western Han Empire breaking the balance of power and monopolizing the Sky Bearing Empire! They would definitely send their troops to Sky Bearing to take a share of the loot.
While this battle was only a confrontation between two countries with less than 200,000 soldiers, it was extremely crucial for the continent!
Ling Xiao had already been in the Western Han Empire for half a year. In this half a year, both armies had their fair share of victories and defeats. However, the commander of the Western Han Empire, Han ShiZe, was also an experienced general and had seen through Ling Xiao's intentions. He only wanted to defend the Mourning Soul Mountain and not advance recklessly. This caused Ling Xiao to be at his wit's end. If this battle were to drag on, it would be extremely disadvantageous for Sky Bearing Empire!
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