At the end of the third month of the sixth year of Qi Yuan, Stone City, which had resisted the attacks of the Demon Race for two years, fell, and the Demon Race once again extended their hands into the hinterland of the Chiyou Race.
Nobody expected that Yan Shifang, who had made such a bet with Li Banshan at the cost of his life, would surrender Stone City to the devils without any resistance on the very first day he became the commander-in-chief, which deepened the suspicion that the devils were spies.
Over the next ten days, they even abandoned six cities in succession and gave the territories that the nine great orthodoxies and the Chiyou Tribe had fought so hard to snatch back to Li Xueyi for meritorious service. The local Chiyou Race, who had been full of hope for Yan Li, now cursed him with gritted teeth. The entire Chiyou Territory was full of complaints, especially the Chiyou Race, who were ruled by the Demon Race. They hated Yan Li to the core.
Yan Shifang's reputation plummeted, and the Celestial Realm's Heavenly Strategies Tower removed him from the Heavenly Star List, saying that he was not qualified to be on it.
Frost Leaf City was also a dangerous place, located in the depths of Coiled Mountain. Coiled Mountain was surrounded by steep mountains, which looked like winding old vines from afar, hence its name. Compared to Stone City's sturdiness, Frost Leaf City was known for its strangeness. It happened to be surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the only way in and out was through a crack between the mountain walls, which could only allow one carriage to pass through. Therefore, the exit could not be entered, and the entrance could not be exited, or it would cause a traffic jam.
On a mountain peak where they could observe the entire Frost Leaf City, Guan Xiaolong and Xu Longxiang stood side by side in black robes. Xu Longxiang observed the surroundings and said, "If we want to attack this city, we have to cross the mountains and valleys. The Cultivators are waiting for us to be exhausted. This is the best situation."
Guan Xiaolong knew that Xu Longxiang did not say this for the sake of the Cultivators, but because he felt that the situation was good for them, so he did not care. He felt that it was necessary to remind the latter of some details, so he said, "Why do you think Yan Shifang repeatedly gave up the cities and put himself in a state of disdain?"
Xu Longxiang said, "He had a falling out with Li Xueyi and was certain that he couldn't defend the city by himself. What else could he do other than retreat?"
Guan Xiaolong said, "These years I don't have to run around everywhere, so I often read books in my free time. In the art of war, there is a phrase called 'gathering force'. How is Force formed? On the battlefield, momentum was people. The more people there were, the greater the momentum. Yan Shifang seems to be retreating step by step, but in reality, he is preparing to subdue the entire Chiyou region! "
Xu Longxiang shuddered and said, "What do you mean?"
Guan Xiaolong knew that the other party had started to pay attention to this matter, so he continued, "Yan Shifang retreated from Stone City, but his forces were still intact. After that, he brought along all the guards in every city. When he reached this city, the forces he gathered had already reached a considerable scale. Do you understand what I mean? "
Xu Longxiang was not an idiot, and he immediately understood. "I understand. He knows that the people Li Banshan left him in Stone City can only be used for defense, so he continuously gave away cities in order to gather the available forces and then choose an opportunity to counterattack and annihilate the invading demons in one fell swoop! As long as the main forces of the demons suffer heavy losses, he can take the opportunity to counterattack … Not only did he show weakness to the enemy, but he also completely reversed the disadvantageous situation for him … This person … "He gritted his teeth and couldn't think of a word to describe it. Or rather, all the words he could think of were suspicious of diminishing his prestige, so he didn't want to say them.
Guan Xiaolong said, "It's easy as long as you understand. What we have to do next is also very clear. We will do our best to assist Tower Master in taking down Frost Leaf City. No matter how capable Yan Shifang is, he will not be able to reverse the situation! "
"That's great, then what should I do?" Xu Longxiang was a little excited. As long as it was disadvantageous to Yan Li, he would be very proactive.
"Come closer to me." There was an old pine tree on the edge of the cliff in the West Mountain, and two people stood under it. They were also discussing the same thing, but their moods were very different.
"Your Highness, if Frost Leaf City is lost, Chiyou Region may really be taken down by Tower Master. Are we just going to watch it happen?" The person who spoke was dressed as a man. He had the heroic spirit of a man, but also the femininity of a woman. It was contradictory, but also strangely harmonious.
The person who was called "Your Highness" was naturally Ye Qiuchi. His face was calm, and his eyes were as calm as an ancient well. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but his tone was very low. "First, we need to confirm two things."
"Which two?"
"First, was Yan Shifang's continuous retreat really to gather his forces? Second, why didn't Senior Sister return from Evil Prison as soon as she came back to Sky Devil Palace? Is it really as she said, that she is in seclusion to stabilize her realm? I heard that she kidnapped a prisoner who should have been executed during the internal strife in the Court Of Sword. That prisoner has a deep grudge against Yan Shifang. This behavior contains a lot of information. "
"For example?"
"For example, how did Senior Sister escape from Evil Prison? According to what she told my adoptive father, she hid in the Kun Boat and sneaked out. But we ignored a very important problem: After so many years, she should have killed Yan Shifang in that damn place. Why are both safe and sound? From the kidnapping of the prisoner, I am sure that Senior Sister and Yan Shifang must have an unknown relationship. "
Lu Suxue sighed and said, "It's not strange. This is your choice."
Ye Qiuchi's face turned green. He turned his head and looked at her coldly. Suppressing his anger, he said, "It's your problem to let Yan Shifang sneak in, not mine!"
Lu Suxue sighed again. "Yes, the target is Yan Shifang, but the result is completely different … Tower Master looks more free and easy than before, and also more cheerful. So you suspect that Yan Shifang deliberately gave the city to Tower Master so that she could make a contribution? "
Ye Qiuchi took a deep breath and said, "It's just a very small possibility. Unless he is really obsessed and is willing to give up everything for Senior Sister and betray the Devil World. In any case, it's not the last moment yet. The possibility of us cooperating with Yan Shifang, at least in Frost Leaf City, is not high. Let's wait and see. "
"They're coming!" Lu Suxue suddenly said.
Ye Qiuchi turned his head and looked. On the other side of the mountain, a dense black army of demons and ghosts was surging over majestically. There were those flying in the sky, those swimming in the water, those running on the ground, and those digging in the soil. There were demons like hell dogs, demons with fleshy wings, ghosts who were good at digging, and strange demons and ghosts …
In Frost Leaf City, the meeting hall was full of people. Huang Shouyi sat below Yan Li and was too lazy to say a word. He didn't understand why Li Banshan hadn't issued a new letter of appointment. Why did he, the Great Elder, have to endure this kid's anger?
Yuan Qianquan was the first to break the silence and said tentatively, "Commander Yan, we can't run this time, right?" He had made up his mind that as long as Yan Li dared to say anything related to retreat, he would immediately turn hostile.
Yan Li said in surprise, "There's a natural stronghold to defend, why should we run?"
Yuan Qianquan's face immediately turned purple. These words made it seem as if he was the one who advocated abandoning the city and fleeing. When everyone heard that there was going to be a fight, they finally heaved a sigh of relief. The atmosphere was no longer so stiff.
"The problem is how to fight," Huang Shouyi said lightly.
Yan Li said, "What wise idea does Old Senior have?"
Huang Shouyi said sarcastically, "Old Senior? How would I dare? It's only been ten days, and when have you, Yan Shifang, ever respected me as a senior? You still ask me what wise idea I have? My wise idea is no wise idea! "
Yan Li said, "Then tell me what I think."
"Why can't I even speak?" Huang Shouyi almost jumped up again. He thought he had the right to say some angry words, but he didn't expect this brat to take advantage of the situation and ignore him. How could he tolerate this?
Yan Li said indifferently, "If you have something to say, why don't you just say it?"
Huang Shouyi's face turned ashen. He couldn't help but think, Stone City has already been lost, so it's a foregone conclusion. It's better to let him defend it himself. Even if we lose Chiyou in the end, it's the result of his stubbornness. Thinking of this, he snorted coldly. "Commander, you think you're more capable than others. If you don't like to listen to the words of an old man, then say it yourself."
Yan Li smiled and continued the topic from before. "Li Xueyi will definitely take advantage of our great victory to attack, so we'll prepare to face him head-on at Frost Leaf City. The first to attack will definitely be the Winged Devil. They're relatively unintelligent and easy to deal with, but we have to be careful of the Black Demon Arrows. I think Elder Tao will deal with them. "
"Yes." Elder Tao's name was Tao Qian, an elder of the Court Of Sword. He led the fiftieth group of Yuan Chen to guard Frost Leaf City. The new hierarch had ordered them to unconditionally obey the new commander's orders.
"From the scouts' report, we've only seen Li Xueyi for now. I can deal with her, but if other experts appear, I'll need the support of the elders."
"Of course."
"Elder Yuan, the Dao Court's method is good at dealing with conflicts. I'll leave those Mourning Devil to you."
"Understood." Yuan Qianquan didn't dare to openly disobey despite his unwillingness.
"You also have to pay attention to the Ghost Clan's poison curse. I've suffered from it before." Yan Li turned to another elder and said, "The Pure Yang Shrine's method can restrain the poison curse, so I'll have to trouble Elder Kong."
Elder Kong's name was Kong Zhongxuan. He came from the Zither Academy, one of the four academies of Pure Yang Shrine. His zither skills were at the peak, and his ability to use music to defend against enemies had also reached the acme of perfection. He could avoid the poison curse's attack to the greatest extent.
Kong Zhongxuan was still a little resentful at first, but when he saw Yan Li's orderly arrangements, he agreed.
Each Confucian orthodoxy had their own duties, and the division of labor was clear, so he was prepared. Following that, the atmosphere became more and more lively as they discussed some details.
In the end, Yan Li ordered people to prepare a banquet. After a quick meal, everyone went to their assigned positions to defend.
Li Zhengjun stayed behind and asked Yan Li in confusion, "Each Confucian orthodoxy has their duties, why is the Upper Wilderness God Temple left unattended?"
Yan Li smiled and said, "Of course, your role is more important, and it can't be known to a third person."
Li Zhengjun asked doubtfully, "Is there a spy among us?"
Yan Li said, "I don't know about that. However, one more person knowing about it means one more risk. "
Li Zhengjun said, "Don't beat around the bush!"
Yan Li transmitted his voice and said, "Take some Chiyou disciples who are familiar with the local area and secretly investigate where the demons have set up camp. Li Xueyi isn't a brainless person. If Frost Leaf City can't be taken in two or three days, she will definitely find a place to set up camp. If a divine soldier descends from the sky and attacks, do you think she will look for the front or the back? "
Li Zhengjun immediately laughed heartily. "Yan Shifang, so this was your plan from the beginning."
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