On the nineteenth day, the snow stopped, but the sun still couldn't be seen.
In the backyard of Xiping Prefecture, Lin Muyu accompanied Qin Yin, Tang Xiaoxi, Chu Yao, and Feng Jixing to eat the Spiritual Fire Department's big pot of rice, a bowl of vegetable soup, and two meat pies. Moreover, this kind of meat pies were only minced meat mixed with vegetable leaves. The taste was indescribably strange, but it was considered good to fill one's stomach when there was a shortage of food.
After eating the last mouthful of meat pies, Lin Muyu looked at the sky outside and said, "It's been seven or eight days. Why hasn't Ding Xi come back yet? Is he detained? Even if he is detained, at least Situ Sen can fight his way out of the encirclement and report … "
Feng Jixing said, "Who knows …"
At this moment, there was the sound of hurried footsteps outside. Wei Chou said excitedly, "General Ding Xi is back!"
"Please come in."
"Yes!"
In the front hall, Ding Xi came in with a helmet in his arms, his face full of smiles.
"Greetings, Your Highness, greetings, Lin General!" He knelt on one knee and saluted.
"You may rise, General Ding Xi." Qin Yin said with a smile.
"It seems that Ding Shuai has completed his task!" Lin Muyu said with a smile.
"Your subordinate has not failed his mission. The pirates of the southern islands have agreed to send troops, but … they have a condition."
"Oh, what condition?"
Ding Xi hesitated for a few seconds and said, "They will attack the seaport of Lieshan Province in ten days, but they will not attack Qianshan City. Instead, they will wait for us to take Qianshan City and give them the city, and we will give them 100,000 catties of gold in succession. Otherwise, the deal will not continue."
"How greedy!" Feng Jixing said.
"Yes, pirates are greedy." Ding Xi's eyes lit up and he said with a smile, "And if I'm right, once these pirates get Mount Qianshan City, they will plunder wantonly, rob money and women, return to the sea with the money and women, and continue to live like emperors in the archipelago. They want Mount Qianshan City not to occupy it, but to covet the treasures it has accumulated for thousands of years."
"Thieves will always be thieves." Feng Jixing laughed. "Yu, are you going to agree to their conditions?"
"Why wouldn't they agree? As long as they agree to attack from the West Coast, it'll be fine. At the very least, they'll be able to restrain a portion of Longxi's forces."
"What about Thousand Mountain City? Should we give it to them? "
"Give it. You must give it to the Qin Empire. You will do what you say." Lin Muyu's eyes were filled with ridicule.
Tang Xiaoxi smiled and said, "Mu, what are you up to?"
"I'm not selling medicine. It's just that these pirates want it, so we'll satisfy them. It's a deal anyway." Lin Muyu raised her eyebrows. "Ding Shuai, how many people do they have? How many ships? "
Ding Xi pondered and said, "As far as I know, there are more than 3,000 ships in the archipelago. As for the number of people … the total number is more than 100,000. They have been harassing the coastal villages of the Blackstone Empire and the Tianji Empire for a living. In recent years, they have often harassed the Lingkong and Lingdong Provinces of our country. These people are like cancer to the Celestial Pole Continent and the Shattered Cauldron World."
Lin Muyu gently stroked the hilt of the Xuanyuan Sword at her waist with her left hand, pondering in silence.
"Mu, what are you thinking?" Tang Xiaoxi asked.
Feng Jixing smiled faintly and said, "He's ready to kill."
"Oh?"
"Every time Yu strokes the hilt of the sword, it means that he's about to make a decision that ordinary people don't dare to make, right?" Feng Jixing asked with a smile.
Lin Muyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Brother Feng, you're really observant … That's right, I want to take this opportunity to eliminate these pirates. There's no benevolence to speak of with this group of scum. We'll pretend to agree to their conditions and let them enter Mount Qianshan. Then, we'll ambush two elite troops to cut off their retreat and block these pirates in Mount Qianshan. If they're willing to surrender, we'll put them in the prison camp. If they're unwilling, we'll kill them on the spot. Anyway, sooner or later, Mount Qianshan Province will be our territory.
"I agree. We'll kill many birds with one stone." QianFeng nodded.
Qin Yin smiled faintly. "I agree too."
"Then it's decided." Lin Muyu thought for a while and said, "Let's keep the original plan unchanged. When we attack Mount Qianshan Province, the pirates will also launch an attack on the harbor. We'll attack from the west and north together. Let's see how Longxi can resist!"
"Yes!"
…
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. It was the New Year.
On the 2nd of January, it was snowing heavily.
In the past half a month, Si Kongyao had sent out the Tianji Sect's summon order. Thousands of people had already gathered in Xiping City. Bai Ze Mercenaries' summon order had also been sent out a long time ago. An endless stream of Bai Ze Mercenaries gathered from all directions. With Si Kongyao and Liu Buyi's powerful rallying power, they actually managed to summon close to 100,000 people in half a month. This also meant that Lin Muyu could mobilize a total of 250,000 troops this time!
Early in the morning, the war drums sounded. 250,000 troops set off from Xiping City in an endless stream, heading towards Mount Qianshan Province. Lin Muyu personally led the troops that would accompany them to battle. QianFeng, Wei Chou, Xu Jiantao, Qin Yong, Qin Yan, Si Kongyao, and Liu Buyi were among them. Feng Jixing, Xiang Yu, and Chen Xiaoli were left behind to guard Xiping City.
Feng Jixing's literary and military talents could be counted on one's fingers. It was reassuring to let him guard Xiping City.
Fortunately, the snow had stopped for nearly half a month. The snow on the ground had long melted. It was not difficult to transport the Magic Crystal Cannons and other supplies. Moreover, Si Kongyao and Liu Buyi had already built sturdy official roads when they were guarding Xiping City. It was not difficult for them to travel to Mount Qianshan Province.
…
Three days later, the army arrived at the Northern Pass of Mount Qianshan Province.
The army was exhausted from the march. Lin Muyu ordered the three armies to set up camp five kilometers outside the pass. The attack would begin at dawn the next day.
At dusk, the flames of the oil lamps flickered in the cold wind. Outside the tent, the northern wind howled. The weather was so cold that everyone was shivering.
A huge map was spread out on the table in the commander's tent. On the map, the Northern Pass was marked in red.
Wei Chou placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and said, "The Northern Pass is the only way from Xishan Province to Mount Qianshan Province. It is also one of the military's most important towns. The pass is very sturdy and has a height of 20 meters. It is said that Longxi has sent General Liu Liang to guard the Northern Pass. There are nearly 100,000 troops under his command. Moreover, Qianshan City is 200 kilometers south of the Northern Pass. The cavalry can arrive in half a day. Once we begin to attack the Northern Pass, it will mean that we have officially begun to clash with Longxi's army."
"Will Longxi send his main force to the Northern Pass?" Lin Muyu asked.
Wei Chou smiled. "It was originally very likely, but now it is impossible. Since this morning, the hundreds of thousands of pirates on the islands have begun to attack the seaports of Mount Qianshan Province. Longxi can't even take care of himself. How can he send his main force to the Northern Pass?"
"I don't think so."
Lin Muyu said lightly, "Don't you smell something?"
"Smell?" Wei Chou and Xu Jiantao were shocked.
QianFeng smiled. "I have the same premonition as Marshal. Something will definitely happen tonight."
"Are they … going to attack the camp?" Wei Chou was shocked.
Lin Muyu nodded. "That's right. After we arrived, the Northern Gate was completely silent. We didn't even see a single cavalry scout. This can only mean that they knew we were coming and were prepared. If I were the defending general, I would also take advantage of the fact that our army is exhausted from the long journey to attack the camp."
"But there are only a hundred thousand soldiers in the Northern Pass!"
"Those who are good at using troops must be good at using surprise."
Lin Muyu frowned. "Forget it. Order the three armies to strengthen their vigilance. Wei Chou, you lead twenty thousand cavalrymen of the Longdan Army Camp to ambush in the jungle on the right side of the camp. Situ Sen, order the Artillery Battalion to prepare all the magic crystal cannons. Aim at the front of the camp and prepare to bombard. QianFeng, order the Armor Demon Battalion. Once the enemy attacks, the Armor Demons will be the first line of defense."
"Yes!"
Everyone cupped their fists together and then received Lin Muyu's arrow of command.
…
After a while, Lin Muyu raised her head and looked at Ding Xi. "Our dragonriders brought back military reports. Why does it seem like the pirates aren't making any big movements? It's quiet."
"Marshal, don't worry. There will definitely be movements."
"Is Marshal Ding sure these pirates won't rebel? After all, they only recognize money. "
"They won't." Ding Xi smiled faintly. "I have already signed the contract. No matter what price anyone offers, my army is willing to pay three times the price!"
"Will they believe you?"
"Yes. When I told them that they were willing to pay three times the price, they looked very distressed. It was as if they were selling their wives."
"…"
Lin Muyu pursed her lips and was speechless.
…
At the same time, at the western port of Thousand Mountain City, a Black Lava Army cavalry regiment arrived at the port. On the ocean, there was a dense group of pirate warships.
Zhou Ziyang, who was dressed like a scholar, entered the meeting hall of the port. The other party was a group of pirates with moustaches. Each of them looked fierce. If not for the group of Black Lava Army generals behind Zhou Ziyang, he would have lost in terms of momentum.
"It's decided."
Zhou Ziyang pushed the document forward. "As long as your alliance is willing to attack the Qin Army from the sea, I am willing to offer you fifty thousand top quality beauties, three hundred thousand kilograms of gold and one million bolts of cloud brocade."
"Lord Military Advisor is really generous. With such sincerity, we have no choice but to cooperate!" The pirate leader squinted his eyes and kept the document with Zhou Ziyang's signature. "Military Advisor, please go back and report. Tomorrow morning, we will go ashore and attack the Qin Army from the side."
"No, tomorrow morning is too late. I want you to attack through the night!"
"Ah?"
"Why, can't I?"
"Alright, alright, why can't I?" The pirate leader smiled. "Then it's a deal!"
"Good!"
Zhou Ziyang exited the meeting hall and immediately said to the generals on both sides. "Release the letter and tell Lord Longxi that the plan is successful. Immediately launch an attack and use the entire army to attack the Qin Army. This is our only chance. Otherwise, in a protracted battle, we will not be a match for the elites of the Qin Army. We must use speed to catch Lin Muyu off guard!"
"Yes, Military Advisor!"
Zhou Ziyang looked coldly at the snow outside. He tightened the belt of his cloak and mounted his horse. "Let's go. We will rush to the battlefield at the Northern Pass. Now … the battle there should have already started."
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