Hulao Pass!
Dang! Dang! Dang!
The sound of retreating rang out outside Hulao Pass.
Hulao Pass was a large city gate tower sandwiched between two steep cliffs. At this moment, be it on the city gate tower or outside Hulao Pass, the ground was littered with corpses and countless rockets. Smoke rose everywhere. A large number of scaling ladders burned at the city gate tower.
Guqin, whose hair was dyed white, stood at the entrance of the city gate tower, looking down at the large number of Song Dynasty soldiers retreating.
Chen Tianshan and Chen Liangyi stood behind Guqin.
Unexpectedly … unexpectedly, it was a lie. He arrived faster than we expected. Furthermore, they are all elite soldiers. If you had not been prepared, Hulao Pass would have fallen, "Chen Tianshan said with lingering fear on his face. Chen Tianshan's expression was filled with lingering fear.
Chen Liangyi nodded affirmatively and said, "Fortunately, you prepared kerosene and burned their scaling ladders the moment they climbed up. Otherwise, it would have been unthinkable, unthinkable. Indeed, they are ferocious soldiers. As long as one of them climbed up, they could match five of our soldiers. This … this …" Chen Liangyi said with lingering fear.
Guqin did not look at the two. Instead, he looked into the distance and said softly, "The two of you, no matter what, don't let it slip. Remember, I am now Gu Hai!"
At this moment, Guqin's hair was dyed white, and many wrinkles appeared on his face. Although he did not look like Gu Hai, very few people had seen Gu Hai before. In fact, not many people had seen Guqin in recent years. Furthermore, Guqin's appearance had changed significantly. Ordinary people would find it hard to recognize him. Furthermore, it was impossible for the Gu Residence's trusted subordinates to expose him.
Chen Tianshan and Chen Liangyi looked at Guqin. Solemnly, they nodded.
Back then, when Gu Hai made the arrangements, Chen Tianshan had been very reluctant. He had been worried that something unexpected would happen. However, he no longer felt resentful. At the very least, Gu Hai had predicted the enemy's actions. Unexpectedly, he managed to block the attacks that lasted for ten hours. Gao Xianzhi had to return empty-handed.
"I'll listen to you. I'll do whatever you want, as long as you can stop Gao Xianzhi!" Chen Liangyi said firmly.
"Immortal Master Chen, Adoptive Father wants to defeat the Song Nation in the shortest time possible. Hence, you should not reveal Adoptive Father's whereabouts to prevent accidents," Guqin said Solemnly.
Chen Tianshan nodded and said, "I will keep this a secret for you. However, in the earlier siege, three thousand people died. Gao Xianzhi only lost three thousand. This is just a small portion of Gao Xianzhi's army. When his army continuously gathers at Hulao Pass, how are you going to block them?"
"Don't worry, I believe in Foster Father. Foster Father will tie them up quickly!" Guqin said after a moment of silence.
"Oh?"
"The one who barged in earlier was Gao Xianzhi's vanguard general, that general called Lin Chong. This person is very ferocious and needs to be paid close attention to. Later, get the artist to draw his appearance and show it to all the soldiers on the city walls. As long as they see him, immediately fire with all your might," Guqin said seriously.
"Alright!" Chen Liangyi answered.
Outside Hulao Pass:
In a large tent in a large camp:
An elegant man in his forties, dressed in red, was holding a cup of hot tea in his hand and carefully looking at a huge sand table. The sand table described the terrain outside Hulao Pass in detail.
A group of guards stood at the side quietly. No one dared to disturb this refined man holding a cup of tea.
This man looked handsome and had an indescribable heroic air between his eyebrows. When one looked at him, one would feel energized.
After drinking a mouthful of tea, this man gestured with his hand on the sand table.
"Report!"
Immediately, a majestic man covered in blood rushed into the tent.
Plop!
The muscular man fell to his knees with a thud, showing a guilty expression.
However, the refined man holding the cup of tea had his back to the muscular man as he continued looking at the sand table.
"Grand Marshal, this Lin Chong is incompetent and could not conquer Hulao Pass. That commander of Hulao Pass seemed to have known that we were going there in advance and prepared the kerosene long ago. We suffered heavy casualties. Three thousand soldiers unfortunately died, and two thousand suffered varying degrees of injuries. This subordinate is incompetent, resulting in such a large loss. Please punish me, Grand Marshal!"
The Grand Marshal holding the cup of tea did not turn around. Instead, he continued looking at the sand table.
"Grand Marshal, please punish me. This subordinate is incompetent and could not conquer the city walls!" the muscular Lin Chong said as he kowtowed again.
"It is normal that you did not conquer the city walls. If you could, then it would be abnormal," the Grand Marshal said indifferently as he held the cup of tea.
"Ah?" Lin Chong looked at the Grand Marshal in confusion.
It was Gao Xianzhi, the Grand Marshal who defeated Daewon!
Gao Xianzhi held the cup of tea and slowly turned around. Then, he looked at Lin Chong and smiled faintly. "I did not expect you to conquer Hulao Pass in one go. I just wanted the vanguard to test the strength of Hulao Pass. You don't have to blame yourself. The people guarding the city are not people you can deal with. "
"Grand Marshal, you don't blame me?" Lin Chong asked in shock.
Gao Xianzhi took a sip of the tea in his hand and nodded. "I already got people to investigate the terrain around Hulao Pass. As expected of Gu Hai. To think that his defenses are so impenetrable. He even managed to safely collapse the cliffs of that dangerous mountain pass, cutting off one of our dangerous paths!" Gao Xianzhi nodded and said, "I already got people to scout the terrain around Hulao Pass.
"But … but our three thousand brothers …" Lin Chong said with an unsightly expression.
"Alright. When there is war, there will naturally be casualties. This Gu Hai is different from all the people we have seen in the past. Do not underestimate him. You have to treat him as an extremely strong opponent. Remember, he is even stronger than me!" Gao Xianzhi said seriously.
"Ah? How can that be? Grand Marshal, in the current Song Nation, I only submit to you! "Lin Chong said in disbelief.
"However, in the current world, I only submit to him!" Gao Xianzhi said seriously.
"Ah? What? "Lin Chong exclaimed in shock.
"Although I submit to him, I still want to defeat him. Hence, you all have to be careful!" Nnly, Gao Xianzhi said to Lin Chong.
"Yes!"
"When this Gu Hai uses troops, it is hard to guard against. Furthermore, he has many tricks up his sleeve that you cannot discover. In the future, even if you are not on the battlefield, inform me immediately if anything strange happens!" Gao Xianzhi said seriously.
"Yes!"
"Attack for another three days. Even if a group of people dies, it does not matter. If they die, a group of people in Hulao Pass will die as well. When that group of inferior soldiers in Hulao Pass see their companions die, they will definitely feel suspicious. After three days, we will withdraw. When we attack with a large army, they will definitely panic and destroy themselves!" Gao Xianzhi said coldly as he drank the last mouthful of tea.
"Yes!"
Three days later:
On the city gate tower of Hulao Pass:
"They withdrew! They finally withdrew!" Chen Liangyi's eyes brimmed with hot tears.
"However, ten thousand of our men died in the past three days!" Chen Tianshan said with an unsightly expression.
They had only one hundred thousand inferior soldiers. Ten thousand died. This was a horrifying blow to their morale. Furthermore, the other side still had seven hundred thousand to eight hundred thousand soldiers.
"Are you worried that there will be a commotion in the camp?" Guqin smiled faintly.
"Will there be?" Chen Liangyi asked worriedly.
"Yes!" Guqin said with certainty.
"Ah?"
"Gao Xianzhi learned psychological warfare from my father. If he knows it, how can my father not know it? Don't worry. Leave this to me. I'll use a different method to advertise. These ten thousand deaths will not scare them into submission. Instead, it will arouse their ferocious nature, making them view death with equanimity, "Guqin said with a smile.
"Ah?"
Gao Xianzhi rode on a large black horse, leading ten thousand injured and wounded soldiers as he slowly headed for a large city not far away.
Although Gao Xianzhi had not taken down Hulao Pass, he was already satisfied. Gao Xianzhi had already planted a seed of fear in the hearts of the remaining Chen Guojun at Hulao Pass.
Ten thousand deaths in the Chen Guojun's army at Hulao Pass might arouse their ferocious nature. However, so what? In the future, when the eight-hundred-thousand-strong army arrived at the city, the seed of fear in the depths of the Chen Guojun's heart would take root and sprout. Furthermore, it would shatter the ferocious nature that the Chen Guojun had just built up.
Before Xiao Chen was the largest stronghold of the eight-hundred-thousand-strong army. It was also the largest city in the Chen Nation aside from the capital. It was called Merchant City, the place where the richest man of the six nations made his fortune.
At this moment, Xiao Chen had already taken over Merchant City and used it as a stronghold to spread his troops to the surrounding cities.
"The Grand Marshal is back!" Soldiers came to welcome Xiao Chen from afar.
"Are there any merchants in Merchant City who are behaving improperly?" Gao Xianzhi asked.
"No. Grand Marshal, don't worry. You already got us to keep watch. It is not just Merchant City but the other cities as well. No merchant dares to mess around," the young general said.
"Right!" Gao Xianzhi nodded.
The large army slowly entered the city. They headed for a large drill ground in the center of the city. The drill ground was also where the army gathered. Not including the soldiers who were out on expeditions, there were at least three hundred thousand soldiers stationed here.
There was still some distance to the drill ground camp. Gao Xianzhi suddenly frowned. The sound of firecrackers came from the drill ground in the distance.
Crackle! Crackle!
The firecrackers did not stop for a moment, making the place incredibly noisy.
"What's going on?" Gao Xianzhi frowned slightly.
"Grand Marshal, these are some wealthy merchants from my Song Nation. They are here to congratulate our army!" that young general said with a smile.
"What? Wealthy merchants? "Gao Xianzhi's expression changed.
Xiao Chen immediately thought of the richest man of the six nations, Gu Hai.
"Giddy-up!"
Gao Xianzhi whipped the horse's butt, and the black horse immediately galloped away.
Soon, Xiao Chen arrived at the drill ground camp. At this moment, a group of people in embroidered robes bowed respectfully to a middle-aged man in embroidered robes.
We merchants are incompetent and can only express our sincerity. It is really nothing much. It is just our sincerity. We feel very happy to see my Song Nation grow stronger. Hence, our city's merchant association decided to send supplies for the army's use to prevent the Chen Nation's Gu Hai from taking advantage of any loopholes, "the leader, a rich-looking man in brocade robes, said extremely respectfully.
The middle-aged man in embroidered robes was the Song Nation's crown prince. At this moment, satisfaction flashed in his eyes as he stood before the group of wealthy merchants.
"The Great Commander has returned to the camp!" Suddenly, a soldier shouted.
"Hualala!"
Be it the soldiers, crown prince, wealthy merchants, or miscellaneous workers, they all turned their heads.
However, they saw Gao Xianzhi riding over on a large horse.
Firecrackers rang out nearby. However, a cold light flashed in Gao Xianzhi's eyes.
"Greetings, Grand Marshal!" Crown Prince Song said with a smile.
"Greetings, Grand Marshal!" the group of wealthy merchants greeted excitedly.
"What's going on?" Gao Xianzhi asked coldly.
"Oh, this is the merchant association of my Song Nation's Peng City. They heard that you ordered the monitoring of all the granaries and medicinal herb warehouses in the world to prevent Gu Hai from using commerce to cause trouble and cut off our needs. Hence, Peng City's merchant association organized themselves and sent large amounts of grain and medicinal herbs over to do their best for the nation and cooperate with our army," Crown Prince Song said with a smile.
"Oh?" Gao Xianzhi felt slightly surprised.
When Gao Xianzhi heard that Gu Hai was leading the army, her first reaction was to prevent Gu Hai from using commerce to cut off their resources. She had not expected the Song Nation's Peng City's merchant association to be so self-aware.
The leader of the wealthy merchants smiled and said, "Congratulations, Grand Marshal. You have been leading the way and even destroyed the Chen King. When we received the news, we were all moved and sincerely convinced. Hence, we brought some military supplies. On one hand, we wanted to express our sincerity. On the other hand, we wanted to bring our most sincere congratulations. Grand Marshal, please allow us to do so!"
However, Gao Xianzhi frowned as she stared at this group of wealthy merchants. Given Gao Xianzhi's vigilance, she immediately guessed that these people were spies sent by Gu Hai and that they were up to no good. However, when she saw the mountainous piles of grain and medicinal herbs, Gao Xianzhi appeared confused. That does not seem to be the case.
However, if they are really here to offer congratulations and resources, there is no need to attack them.
"Then, I thank all of you on behalf of the army. I am a little tired after such a long journey. I will not entertain all of you! "Gao Xianzhi said.
"Of course, of course!" The group of wealthy merchants laughed.
"Grand Marshal, go and rest. I will take care of this." The Crown Prince smiled.
Gao Xianzhi nodded.
In the evening, Lin Chong walked into Gao Xianzhi's tent.
"Grand Marshal, I have already checked. There are no problems with the grain and medicinal herbs. They are all of the best quality. It seems that this group of wealthy merchants has nothing to do with Gu Hai! "
"All of the best quality?" Gao Xianzhi frowned slightly.
"Yes, these merchants are too enthusiastic. There will be a fireworks display later to congratulate us on our great victory!" Lin Chong laughed.
"Send someone to keep an eye on these merchants!" Gao Xianzhi said in a low voice.
"Grand Marshal, I heard that they will leave early tomorrow morning. Why …?"
"I have a bad feeling about this. Keep an eye on them in case of any accidents!" Gao Xianzhi said in a low voice.
"Yes!"
The next day, Gao Xianzhi got up and washed up.
"Crackle!"
Outside the camp, the sound of firecrackers could be heard again.
"Huh? Lin Chong! "Gao Xianzhi shouted coldly.
"Here!" Lin Chong quickly entered the tent.
"Didn't I ask you to keep an eye on the wealthy merchants of Peng City? Did something happen? "Gao Xianzhi said in a low voice.
"No, they left early this morning. Oh, but today, the wealthy merchants of Yun City came to reward the army. The firecrackers exploded from outside the city to the camp. They also brought a large amount of medicinal herbs and grain. It seems that they are not lying! "Lin Chong laughed.
"Wealthy merchants of Yun City?" Gao Xianzhi showed a trace of confusion.
"Yes, they are all grain and medicinal herbs of the best quality. We have sent people to check. Haha, now we don't have to worry about Gu Hai interfering!" Lin Chong laughed.
Gao Xianzhi showed a trace of confusion.
Song Nation's capital, Song City Tian Mansion
In front of Gu Hai was a Go game. Gu Hai played with himself while his foster son Gu Han stood beside him.
"Foster Father, Peng City's Chamber of Commerce, Yun City's Chamber of Commerce, and Hui City's Chamber of Commerce are continuously sending large amounts of grain and medicinal herbs to Merchant City. Under our instigation, the various Chambers of Commerce are also on their way. However, what is the use of sending so much grain and medicinal herbs?" Gu Han asked in confusion.
Gu Hai placed a white Go stone on the Go board. Then, he revealed a faint smile and said, "Indeed. So what? Gu Han, can't you think of it? "
Gu Han's expression changed. "Oh, I know. Foster Father, because Gao Xianzhi is guarding against us, they have already prepared sufficient grain and medicinal herbs. Hence, the grain and medicinal herbs we send are useless. If there is a lack of grain and medicinal herbs, they will be extremely precious. However, when there is enough, it will be useless no matter how much there is. They can only be stored and collected, and they need people to watch over and transport them. In fact, they are not as practical as money. Money can be rewarded to the three armies to boost morale. However, grain is not easy to reward. At the very least, it cannot be rewarded during war. Even if it is rewarded, the soldiers will not be able to take it away. Grain and medicinal herbs are like trash, but they can fool others. "
"This is called 'the moon is full and the moon is full.' If it is too much, not only will it be useless, but it will also cause harm," Gu Hai said seriously.
"Yes. When those soldiers see large amounts of grain and medicinal herbs arriving at the camp without any benefits for themselves, they will definitely feel somewhat unbalanced," Gu Han said with a smile.
"What else?" Gu Hai asked as he placed another black Go stone.
Gu Han knew that Gu Hai was guiding him, so he did his best to analyze the situation. After a moment of silence, Gu Han's eyes suddenly lit up, and horror flashed in them.
"Firecrackers and fireworks?" Gu Han exclaimed in shock.
Gu Hai smiled faintly and asked, "What do you mean?"
"There are three hundred thousand soldiers stationed in Merchant City, while the other five hundred thousand are split up into many groups, continuously conquering various cities. Merchant City is the headquarters, but it is also a place to recuperate. Elite soldiers are constantly sent out, while injured soldiers are constantly brought back to Merchant City to recuperate and heal. Some people have broken arms or legs, and their bodies are covered in wounds. Naturally, they feel very sad. With their bodies disabled, they even feel despair about their future. However, at this moment, others are singing and dancing, setting off firecrackers in celebration. This is a huge difference in the hearts of the injured soldiers. This is like sprinkling salt on the wounds of the injured soldiers, "Gu Han said.
"Continue!"
"The fireworks at night look dazzling, but it is like a mockery to the injured soldiers. It is a mockery to the future of the disabled. Furthermore, large amounts of rations and herbs are shipped over, but they are not distributed to everyone. This makes the injured soldiers feel even more unbalanced. Why should others enjoy prosperity and victory while they can only have a future of despair? "Gu Han said.
Gu Hai nodded and asked, "Is there anything else?"
Gu Han thought for a while before his expression changed.
"Adoptive Father, are you talking about the citizens of Merchant City?" Gu Han asked in shock.
Gu Hai put down the Go pieces in his hand and nodded. "Indeed. Gao Xianzhi killed six hundred thousand Chen Nation soldiers. These six hundred thousand people were the pillars of support for countless ordinary people. They were sons, husbands, and fathers. They were the spiritual pillars of their families. Now that they are dead, the ordinary people are in mourning. They are in so much despair that they have no future. However, they could not resist this group of invaders. At this moment, this group of invaders is celebrating every day, laughing loudly. They are like demons trying to assimilate the citizens. Although they are forced into a corner, this will only breed more and more hatred in their hearts. "
"When this hatred gathers to the peak one day, it will become an extremely horrifying force," Gu Han said after a deep breath.
"Remember, no matter who it is, they will not be able to withstand the rage of the sea of citizens. When the wave of rage surges, it will be like the sky collapsing, unstoppable," Gu Hai said sullenly.
"Gasp!" Gu Han sucked in a deep breath of cold air.
"Adoptive Father, this child did not expect these insignificant firecrackers and fireworks to have such a dangerous effect. To think that they can affect the hearts of the people!"
"The heart of the people is the strongest. Similarly, the heart of the people is the weakest. Punishing the heart is just the beginning. "
After speaking, Gu Hai placed another Go stone on the Go board.
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