Still, they tried their best to avoid the official roads and traveled through the deep mountains and forests, hiding the tracks of most of the troops.
Zhao Fei led his ten thousand men in front of them. Before they even set off, he had already scattered over a hundred scouts to scout the path ahead to prevent any ambushes. Suppressing Second Hall's years of reorganizing had proven to be effective.
Miao Yi led his forces and stood in the center with Tao Qingli. If Miao Yi and the other two didn't stay by Tao Qingli's side, Tao Qingli wouldn't have the slightest bit of confidence. If Miao Yi wanted to stay, then it would be better to have Miao Yi stay by her side.
Sikong Wuwei naturally led his men from behind.
After traveling for several days and nights, the troops of the three halls finally arrived at the designated location, which was only a hundred miles away from the Sun Traversing Palace's border.
At this time, the forces of three palaces had already gathered here. Including the forces that Tao Qingli had personally led, there were already close to eighty thousand people gathered here. There were still four palaces that had yet to arrive due to the long journey.
Aside from the leaders of the various Halls, the rest of the eighty thousand troops had no idea what they were here for. The Hall Masters hadn't told them either. All they knew was that they were here to prevent Traversing Water Palace from attacking Traversing Sun Palace. They were all on tenterhooks, hiding in the forest and whispering amongst themselves.
Some of them even prayed to the heavens for protection, hoping that it was just a false alarm and that the Sun Palace would not attack.
Shang Liuhuan and Zhuang Youwen, who were watching from the sidelines, heard the discussions going on around them. They were rendered speechless. The people under Traversing Water Palace actually didn't know that they were going to attack Sun Palace?
The two of them immediately realized that things weren't as Miao Yi had said during the negotiations. The people of Traversing Water Palace didn't have the courage to fight to the death. 'Dammit! Traversing Wood Palace has been fooled!'
It was under another large tree that was as dense as an umbrella. The canopy of the tree was spread out in all directions, blocking the plants below from bathing in the sunlight. As a result, no weeds could be seen, making the place appear cleaner. This had become the central tent that Tao Qingli was guarding.
The two Advisors from Traversing Wood Palace quickly returned to Tao Qingli's side. Shang Liuhuan asked, "Palace Lord Tao, the people from Traversing Water Palace didn't know that we were going to attack Traversing Sun Palace at all. Just what are you two doing?"
Before Tao Qingli could say anything, Miao Yi had already taken the initiative and said, "It's not important whether the people below know about this or not. What was important was that this battle was imperative. Once they entered the battlefield, they had no choice but to fight with their lives on the line! More importantly, we will faithfully fulfill our promise and will not let you down. The two of you can wait and see. I will not disappoint you! If we can't abide by the agreement, Wood Traversing Palace can just bide their time and you won't lose anything. "
Tao Qingli nodded in agreement.
Shang Liuhuan and Zhuang Youwen looked at each other. Since he said so, they could only wait and see. At the very least, he didn't go back on his words.
Clad in a Third Grade Armor Artifact, Zhao Fei stood silently beside Tao Qingli with his Square Sky Halberd in hand.
Sikong Wuwei, on the other hand, was in charge of the perimeter. He personally arranged for his subordinates to spread out and patrol the area where the tens of thousands of troops were hiding. This was to prevent anyone from escaping and shake the morale of the troops, as well as to prevent enemies from approaching.
As more troops from the other four palaces arrived, Traversing Water Palace's 130,000 men were all present. The various Palace Masters and their subordinates gathered around Palace Lord Tao Qingli.
Once again, Miao Yi drew up a detailed attack plan on the map. After confirming with the Hall Masters that everyone had memorized it, Tao Qingli stepped forward. In a loud voice, he said, "This battle concerns the survival of our Traversing Water Palace, as well as the future of all of you. Therefore, we can only win! This empress now officially announces the rules of the battlefield. Those who defy orders will be beheaded! Those who wavered the morale of the army would be executed! Those who flee without permission will be beheaded! Those who cower and retreat will be beheaded! Those who don't give it their all will be beheaded! "
As soon as she announced the fifth severance, the various Palace Masters and Advisors exchanged glances. Among them, there was no lack of people who were prepared to flee if things went south!
Tao Qingli barked, "Have you all heard my decree?"
Regardless of whether they had heard it or not, everyone cupped their fists and replied, "We will obey the Palace Master's decree!"
Tao Qingli said solemnly, "After you go down, immediately relay my decree of the fifth severance to everyone under my command. Tell them that my orders will be strictly enforced. If anyone dares to defy my orders, they will be killed without mercy! Once we return, we can officially announce our intentions to our subordinates! "
"Understood!" everyone answered. As for what they were thinking, no one knew.
At this point, there was no need to care about what they were thinking. She could only use force. Tao Qingli turned around and looked at Sikong Wuwei. "Sikong Wuwei!"
"Your humble servant is here!" Sikong Wuwei cupped his fists.
Tao Qingli said expressionlessly, "I order you to lead the troops from our headquarters to supervise the army and carry out my decree of the fifth severance. As for the ten thousand troops of your Suppressing Second Hall, keep a close watch on me. If anyone dares to defy my decree of the fifth severance, kill them without mercy!"
"Your humble servant obeys!" Sikong Wuwei replied loudly.
As soon as she said this, the various Palace Masters felt their hearts skip a beat. They only had a total of one hundred and thirty thousand troops, and yet they were actually sending ten thousand of their own Hall's troops to supervise the army? This was clearly cutting off their path of retreat!
Back when Old Palace Master Tao had passed away, Sikong Wuwei had tossed out the head of the former Hall Master of Suppressing First Hall, Hou Feng, right before everyone's eyes. It was still fresh in everyone's minds. Instead of sending such a valiant general as the vanguard, they were using him to kill their own people. This …
They had no choice but to send one of the two strongest forces of Suppressing First Hall to do this. It wasn't easy for them to trick these people into joining the battlefield. Who knew if they would actually do their best even if they promised to do so? They could only threaten them by putting a knife to their necks. They had to understand that even if they didn't fight with their lives on the line, they would still have to fight with their lives on the line. If they disobeyed orders, they would only be threatened by one side. If they disobeyed orders, they would face a pincer attack!
Standing to the side, Shang Liuhuan and Zhuang Youwen exchanged glances. They roughly understood what was going on. They were being forced to fight this battle!
"Miao Yi!" Tao Qingli called out again.
Miao Yi cupped his fists and said, "Your humble servant is here!"
Tao Qingli said, "I order you to be the vanguard of the army on the ground!"
"Your humble servant obeys!" Miao Yi acknowledged. He had no other choice. He couldn't fly in the sky, and Tao Qingli's decree was something they had discussed beforehand.
As for Zhao Fei, he was left by Tao Qingli's side to command the army.
"Everyone, return immediately and relay my decree. In two hours, the army will launch an attack on Sun Palace's Suppressing Ninth Hall. Those who resist will be executed!"
Following Tao Qingli's final order, the army dispersed. However, as they returned, the Hall Masters all had ugly expressions on their faces. The Palace Lord wasn't giving them any leeway at all …
When the Hall Masters returned, they gathered the Manor Heads under them and announced the Palace Lord's decree to them. The army of over a hundred thousand was instantly thrown into an uproar. Some cursed, some said they wouldn't do it, and others said all sorts of things.
Standing under the tree in the center, Tao Qingli could hear the waves of curses coming from all directions. Her expression was ugly as well, and she couldn't help but turn to look at Miao Yi.
Miao Yi calmly said, "It will be peaceful!"
Even Shang Liuhuan and Zhuang Youwen found it funny when they heard this. How could they possibly fight a war with this kind of army? Traversing Wood Palace had really been fooled this time. They actually believed the lies of these people. If they had known that Traversing Water Palace was this cowardly, they probably wouldn't have even considered forming an alliance with them.
Not far away, Sikong Wuwei, clad in a Third Grade Armor Artifact and sitting atop his dragon steed, chuckled. His eyes shone with a ferocious glint as he turned to his trusted aides and said, "Send our men to those seven clans. Tell our brothers to see which clansmen are the fiercest. I want a thousand heads to serve as a warning to the rest. Not one less! No matter who they are, kill without mercy! Call me if you run into anyone you can't beat! "
"Understood!" His trusted aides acknowledged the order in unison.
In an instant, the sound of galloping hooves could be heard, and the army of over ten thousand scattered in all directions.
"What is the Palace Lord trying to do? This is a lie! We — "
Someone from Suppressing Tenth Hall shouted to the crowd, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the sound of galloping hooves. Then, ten riders charged through the crowd like ferocious wolves.
Before that person could even realize what was happening, he was already sent flying by a single spear strike. His cries of agony were still echoing in the air. Then, another rider leapt into the air, and with a swing of his blade, a head flew into the air, followed by a shower of blood.
Everyone below was stunned. One of the Manor Heads quickly stepped forward and pointed at the perpetrator, shouting, "Who are you? How dare you commit murder on your own!"
The man with the blade turned around and pointed at the Manor Heads, sneering, "Don't you know of the Palace Lord's decree? By the Palace Lord's decree! Those who threaten our morale will be executed! "
As soon as he finished speaking, screams of agony could be heard coming from the surrounding forest. Everyone was saying things like 'by the Palace Lord's decree', and so on. Everyone's faces paled in fright, and they trembled in fear. It seemed like they were being serious, so they immediately shut up.
Soon enough, the clamor in the surroundings quickly died down. Miao Yi, who was standing beneath a large tree in the center of the army, turned around and smiled at Tao Qingli, as if saying, 'I wasn't wrong, right?'
Sikong Wuwei had a pile of human heads piled up in front of his mount. Hefting his long axe, he asked, "How many heads do we have now?"
Beside him, the person tallying the heads replied, "Eight hundred and twenty-six."
Sikong Wuwei immediately swept a cold gaze across everyone who had replied. "I want a thousand heads. Didn't any of you hear me?"
One of his trusted aides cupped his fists and replied, "Milord, we haven't seen anyone spouting nonsense for the time being …" In other words, 'We can't just kill indiscriminately, can we?'
Unexpectedly, Sikong Wuwei glared at him and said, "There were so many people making a ruckus just now. How could there not be any heads? You just didn't notice. Go to the other palaces and collect a few more heads to make up the numbers. See which one looks the most displeasing to the eye. The one you don't like must have been making a ruckus just now. Bring me their heads. If you can't gather a thousand heads, then don't come back to see me! "
"Yes!" The cavalry immediately acknowledged their orders and dispersed.
Then, as the enforcers were patrolling among the troops of the various palaces, the leader of one of the enforcers suddenly raised his spear and pointed it at a man who was glaring at him furiously, but didn't dare to speak up. The members behind him immediately rushed over, and that man shouted, "What are you doing? I didn't say anything! "
There was no time for him to quibble. A few spears rushed over and pierced through his body, leaving bloody holes. Someone chopped off his head and brought it to the leader.
That leader sneered. He had never seen such a stupid person who didn't even know how to resist. He raised his head and shouted at the surrounding crowd, "Someone reported that he had spoken rudely and shaken the morale of the troops. Behead him!"
After he finished speaking, he turned his mount around and left with his head in his hand.
The group of people immediately looked at each other. Someone actually reported him?
Not even in their wildest dreams would they have imagined that Sikong Wuwei would issue a decree to kill anyone they didn't like. Thus, they all looked at the people around them with slight wariness. It would be a lie to say that they weren't worried about being reported. It should be known that most of the people had been venting their dissatisfaction with Sikong Wuwei just now.
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