On the fifteenth day of the fifth lunar month, after six days of a large-scale and roundabout battle, the fifty thousand cavalrymen under Feng Jixing arrived at the Yun Zhong Sluice in a grandiose manner. On top of the Yun Zhong Sluice stood a fortress that had been around for decades. It was the Yun Zhong Pass, and the purpose of Feng Jixing's trip this time was the Yun Zhong Pass. Only by guarding the Yun Zhong Pass could they stop the iron hooves of Long Ji's army from continuing to invade the south. Feng Jixing had no other choice.
Raising her head to look at the towering fortress, Luo Yu could not help but furrow her brows and said, "I wonder how long we will have to stay here."
"Until we have accumulated enough power to go on a northern expedition and recover our lost land." Feng Jixing's gaze was deep as he said, "Enter the pass and pass down my order to take over the entire Yun Zhong Pass. Send a letter to all the prefectures and prefectures of the Yun Zhong Province. Take in all those who have yet to surrender or have already surrendered, as long as they come to seek refuge in the Yun Zhong Pass, we cannot let the hearts of the people of the empire be bitterly disappointed."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The Yun Zhong Sluice was adjacent to the Ancient Cloud Road, which was the lifeline of transportation. A large number of iron hooves entered the fortress from the Ancient Cloud Road. The general guarding the city was an old subordinate of Lin Muyu, who was once a Gold Star instructor of the Divine Temple. Now, he had become a general guarding the city. When he saw Feng Jixing's arrival, he did not hesitate to hand over the city to him. To the soldiers of the empire, Lin Muyu and Feng Jixing were the two gods of war, supreme existences.
Feng Jixing stepped onto the city wall and gazed into the distance to the north. Ignoring his weariness, he continued to issue orders for the defense of the city and recruited people to repair the city wall. After all, there had been no war between Yunzhong Province and Lanyan City for many years. Much of Yunzhong Pass's city wall, which stretched for dozens of miles, had been in disrepair for a long time. If it was not repaired, it would collapse at the first blow.
Leaning against the cold stone wall, Feng Jixing looked at the endless flow of the Daojiang River from the north. The current was rapid, and in the middle of the river, there was a constant stream of gigantic heads. These were the Frost Armored Horned Dragons. They lived in the Daojiang River's Yunzhong Province, and for decades, no one was willing to go near the Daojiang River. These Frost Armored Horned Dragons were huddled together below the sluice gate, roaring. It was this huge sluice gate that prevented them from going south. If they all went south, then the southern fishermen and farmers would suffer a calamity.
"Your highness, do you have any other instructions?" Luo Yu asked in a low voice.
"No more."
Feng Jixing felt a little helpless. He frowned and looked at the rapid Daojiang. After a few seconds, he said, "Luo Yu, how is the defense of the Seven Seas Province? Fang Lan is not a good person. After taking Muyu City, the next step is probably Seven Seas City. If we lose the two great cities in the north, we will be the sinners of the empire, an eternal shame. "
"Rest assured, Your Highness. The Seven Seas Province is temporarily guarded by General Chen Xiaoli. A few days ago, he began to gather the troops of all the provinces in the province. Including the troops of the headquarters, there are at least 150,000 people. The mountain range between the Seven Seas Province and Yunzhong Province is easy to defend and hard to attack. With General Chen Xiaoli's ability, I believe there will be no problem."
"Yes."
Feng Jixing muttered to himself, "It's been a long time since I've seen Chen Xiaoli. I wonder how he is now … That's right, send out the War Eagle scouts to search for the scattered Steel Blade Army and bring them back to Yun Zhong Pass. Send as many as you can. Also, send messengers to all the prefectures and prefectures of Heaven's Pivot Province. Order more than seventy percent of the prefectural army to come to Yun Zhong Pass and await my orders."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Wait."
"Is there anything else, Your Highness?"
Feng Jixing pondered for a moment, then said, "Order people to rub a hundred war banners with the word 'Qin' on them and distribute them to all the divisions in Yunzhong Pass. I want the whole army to know whose army we belong to and who we are fighting for."
"Yes, Your Highness, Your Highness!"
Feng Jixing could not help but take a deep breath as he watched Luo Yu leave in a hurry. It was a wise decision to ask Luo Yu to come over from Lin Muyu's side back then. Otherwise, how could he have such a capable general now? As for Zhang Wei, it was fine for him to charge and break through enemy lines. He had the air of a general, but it was far from enough for him to do some administrative work. The empire's military had always valued military strength over civil affairs, but there were many drawbacks. If the empire really did not fall after this war, it would be time to pay more attention to civil affairs. After all, the money and finances that Qin Jin had accumulated for so many years had almost all been used up in these ten years. At this moment, the empire's treasury could be said to be empty and the entire country was exhausted.
It was not until the afternoon that the voice of a messenger woke Feng Jixing up from his dream.
"Your Highness, the remnants of the Steel Blade Army have returned!"
"Ah …"
Feng Jixing flipped over and fell from the chair. He had not slept for five consecutive days and was too tired. He only activated his divine power when he was about to hit the ground. With a wave of his palm, his body floated up and he opened the door. He asked, "Who is back?"
"Your Highness, it is the Steel Blade Army that followed Commander Luo Xin out of the city to meet the enemy. They were led by Qin Yong, the commander of the Right Army of the Steel Blade Army. After they were ambushed, they were chased by Long Ji's army twice and suffered heavy losses. They are now outside the city. General Zhang Wei asked me to report and ask if they should be allowed to enter Yunzhong Pass."
"Alright, I will go over now."
Feng Jixing stepped forward. A flash of lightning flashed, but he had already disappeared from where he was. He had broken through the void and left.
…
"Pa pa!"
Under the shade of the willow tree on the ancient path in the clouds, a flash of lightning burst forth. With a sway of his body, Feng Jixing appeared several lis away. When he appeared, Zhang Wei and the others behind him were slightly stunned. However, they soon calmed down. Everyone in the Imperial Guards knew that Feng Jixing was a Divine realm expert and did not find it strange.
However, on the ancient path, a group of defeated soldiers stood there in an extremely dismal and solemn manner. The person at the very front leaped down from his battle horse. His armor was no longer complete, and there were saber marks on his arms and chest, stained with blood. The battle saber in his hand was also filled with cracks, and his face seemed as if it had been smeared with blood.
Qin Yong was a distant descendant of the Qin royal family. His ancestors were of the ancestral bloodline, but in this generation, they were getting further and further away from the direct line of descent. As a result, Qin Yong was originally just a minor commandant of a province. However, this minor commandant had relied on his own capabilities to slowly climb up to the position of the Right Army's Commander through his battle achievements.
"All troops, get off your horses and pay your respects to Prince Xin!"
Qin Yong let out a loud bellow, and the soldiers behind him, who seemed as if they had just been fished out from a pool of blood, got off their horses. They performed the Empire's military salute in unison, kneeled on the ground with their right knee, and placed their left hand naturally on their left knee. They lowered their heads respectfully. This was the Empire's military salute, and it would only be used when meeting with marquises and the Emperor.
"Rise."
Feng Jixing's voice was resolute and decisive as he said, "Perform the military salute. I, Feng Jixing, am a soldier!"
"Yes!"
Qin Yong stood up and led the soldiers behind him in saluting. They cupped their fists, holding onto their weapons with their right hands while their left hands covered the back of their right hands. They appeared respectful and mighty.
Feng Jixing also saluted them. This was the respect between soldiers.
"General Qin Yong, how many more people do you have?" he asked.
Qin Yong's body trembled. "Your Highness, when we left the city, there were 50,000 men who followed Duke Xin. Among them, close to 20,000 were my brothers from the Right Corps. After we were ambushed, we lost 50% of our men. I only brought 10,000 men with me and fought our way out. After that, we were hunted down twice three and five days ago, leaving only over 7,000 brothers. Along the way, we lacked rations, and many of our brothers were injured or died of hunger … I'm incompetent, and over 1,000 of our men died of hunger. Many of our war horses have been slaughtered, but …"
"Are there no villages or towns along the way?" Feng Jixing said fiercely, "Why didn't you resupply rations in the villages or towns?"
"Your Highness, I …"
Qin Yong trembled and once again knelt on the ground, saying, "I'm incompetent, but the Empire's military law states that we mustn't disturb the commoners. The villages and towns along the way have already been plundered by the Tianji Empire's soldiers. Many commoners have lost their homes and don't even have food to eat. How can I command my troops to plunder? Those … those brothers from the Right Corps who died of hunger would rather die than plunder commoners. Your Highness … please punish them!"
"Good!"
Feng Jixing's eyes were a little blurry, and his voice was a little shaky, "Good job, General Qin Yong. This is the model of the Empire's soldiers … A year ago, His Highness Yu reformed the military system and reorganized the military salute. The left hand holding the lid is the hand holding the soldier. The meaning is' bravery doesn't cause chaos, and strength doesn't violate the law. 'General Qin Yong, you … you are more qualified to be a soldier of the Qin Family than Su Zhangyan, who surrendered."
"What?" Qin Yong was stunned, "Deputy Commander Su Zhangyan … he surrendered?"
"Otherwise?"
Feng Jixing's face was cold as he said, "Su Zhangyan didn't resist and easily gave up Muyu City. This is a disgrace to the Empire and also a disgrace to the Su Family. Qin Yong, I appoint you as the new commander of the Iron Blade Army. From today onwards, you will receive the scattered soldiers of the Iron Blade Army that have returned from Yunzhong Pass. The soldiers that we recruit will also be used to replenish the Iron Blade Army. Can you be a good commander?"
Qin Yong was stunned. In an instant, he was promoted from the commander of the Right Corps to the Iron Blade Army. This promotion came too quickly, but he didn't have time to be happy. His heart was filled with revenge. He cupped his fists and said, "This general obeys!"
"Let's enter the pass! Zhang Wei, arrange a camp for the brothers of the Iron Blade Army. Immediately send orders to the Spirit Fire Department to cook. Let everyone have a full meal first. "
Zhang Wei cupped his fists and said, "Yes, Your Highness!"
…
Luo Yu stood beside Feng Jixing and watched the defeated soldiers of the Iron Blade Army enter the pass. Her heart was indescribably heavy, just like Feng Jixing's. Feng Jixing had transferred the last fifty thousand cavalrymen from the Imperial Guards, Longdan Army Camp, and God Might Battalion to reinforce Muyu City, but he didn't expect this result.
The result of ten famous generals dying on the battlefield could be lost just because of a single general who surrendered.
Three days later, the remnants of the Iron Blade Army gathered from the mountains, fertile fields, and jungles of Yunzhong Province. In the end, there was a troop of thirty thousand people. People couldn't help but wring their hands. The Iron Blade Army, which used to have two hundred thousand people, now only had this one person left. Praises like "Northern Iron Lion", "Empire's First Army", and "Su Family's Mighty Army" all became fleeting clouds.
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