Amidst the rumbling sounds of war drums, the south once again raised their weapons.
Empire Calendar, Year 7742, May 19th, the Blackstone Empire's 200,000 elite soldiers and 50,000 surrendered soldiers, totaling 250,000, attacked Xu Jiantao's Dragon Slaying Pass.
Outside the Dragon Slaying Pass, banners covered the sky. Countless Blackstone Empire's troops were already wildly preparing for battle. Each and every one of them wore a fierce expression, their eyes filled with greed as they stared at the pass that stood between two mountain ranges.
Dragon Slaying Pass. During the era of their ancestors, a dragon descended from the heavens and devoured the common people. Afterwards, it was killed by a vassal king who guarded Hundred Ridge City with a single slash of his sword. As a result, the fortress that was built afterwards was called Dragon Slaying Pass. Even the Dragon Slaying Pass's conference hall had the head of that giant dragon hanging in front of it, even though it was only a low-level pseudo-dragon.
"They're finally here."
On top of the pass, a group of Qin family generals stood in great numbers. Among them, the one wearing commander's armor was precisely Xu Jiantao. His hand was resting on the hilt of his sword, trembling slightly. His pair of tiger-like eyes looked at the enemy army in the distance, only to see the cruel and ruthless Blackstone Empire troops uniformly raising three-meter-long spears. Every spear was pierced with a head, and those heads belonged to the imperial soldiers who had followed Yao Yuan and died in battle in Ling Han City. Apart from that, there were also many heads of the common people. At a glance, there were at least 10,000 heads.
Xu Jiantao's hand trembled even more violently, his eyes surging with deep hatred. He said, "Bastards, these bastards … The bandits of the Blackstone Empire aren't human, they're a group of uncivilized beasts …"
Next to him, the deputy general said, "Marquis, the Blackstone Empire's bandit army has arrived. It seems that they didn't suffer as many losses as we thought. Their main force is still around 200,000, and they've even enslaved the Sky Province's prefectures, turning them into their vanguard army. We … how should we fight this battle? We can't possibly use our magicite cannons to greet our former comrades, can we?"
"Let's act according to the circumstances. Besides, we are running low on cannonballs. Most of the cannonballs from Lanyan City and Winter Frost City have been sent to the Luo River Estuary, Cloud Middle Pass, and Seven Seas City. We have less than ten percent left. I'm afraid that we will run out of cannonballs after a few rounds of bombardment.
"If we don't use magicite cannons, how will we stop the Blackstone Empire?"
"Use bows, arrow boxes, and ballistae!"
Xu Jiantao clenched his fists, his eyes filled with determination, "Use everything that can be used. Behind us are more than ten prefectures and millions of people in the Lingnan Province. We must not let the beasts of the Blackstone Empire cross over. Otherwise, you and I will be the sinners of the Qin Empire."
"But …"
The deputy general's voice trembled as he said, "We only have 50,000 soldiers, and most of them are new recruits with less than a month of training. How can we resist 200,000 elites …"
"Don't shake the morale of the army."
Xu Jiantao looked coldly at the deputy general and said, "It doesn't matter if you and I die here, but we can't lose the face of His Highness Rain, and we can't lose the people of the Longdan Army Camp. In the end, it's the Longdan Army Camp that guards the Dragon Slaying Pass. It's the strongest army of the Qin Empire. Don't talk about those cowards anymore. The soldiers of the Longdan Army Camp never fear war or death."
"But Marquis …"
"Stop talking! Go count the number of arrows and conscript the civilians in the pass. Let all the workers come into the city and cut down the birch forest in the back of the mountain to help us make arrows. In addition, take out the flag of the Longdan Army Camp and hang it up. I want our brothers to know that they are members of the Longdan Army Camp. Even if they die in battle, they will go to hell with me as soldiers of the Longdan Army Camp! "
"Yes, Marquis!"
…
The sounds of the war drums became more and more intense, and the army outside the city was ready to make a move. However, there was still no movement until the afternoon. When the soldiers on the walls of the city were about to become impatient from waiting, another drumming rhythm finally sounded out. The battle formation of the Darkstone Empire made way, and a group of soldiers dressed in khaki clothes appeared behind them. They were the surrendered soldiers of the Qin Army.
"They're here …"
A Captaincy gnashed his teeth and said, "Do they want the surrendered soldiers to die in the front? The Qin people didn't kill the Qin people, so they are forcing us to submit. Despicable Baili Qin! "
Xu Jiantao took a deep breath and said, "Surrendered soldiers … Don't shoot first."
"Yes!"
The Deputy General was stunned and said, "We … we are not going to defend the city?"
"No, defend."
Xu Jiantao squinted his eyes and said, "Look carefully, do you know anyone among the surrendered soldiers?"
"Yes!"
A ten-man squad leader said loudly, "Marquis, the black-faced man at the front is called Zhang Xiao Si. He is from the same hometown as me. Last year, he was sent to Ling Han City to guard the city, but he was captured …"
"Marquis, I know a few people. That one … and that one … They used to be part of the garrison of Bai Ling City. Later on, they were transferred to join the navy."
Shouts resounded out successively, and it allowed Xu Jiantao to discern some subtle information. Indeed, the members of the Darkstone Empire were ruthless and ferocious, and they would absolutely not allow their own people to give their lives away first. So they'd organized these 50,000 surrendered soldiers to attack the city first. These surrendered soldiers utterly didn't possess any decent weapons in their possession, and they were either rusty halberds or broken iron swords. Moreover, the clothes they wore were temporarily pieced together from the clothes of commoners, and they didn't seem like a real army at all.
"Pass down the order, no one is allowed to shoot these surrendered soldiers!"
Xu Jiantao smiled and said, "I should be thanking Baili Qin for giving me fifty thousand reserve soldiers … Men, prepare to pass down the order. When these surrendered soldiers get close to the city, immediately open the gates and let them in."
"Yes!"
"Please don't, Marquis!" The Deputy General said angrily, "Is Marquis trying to put [Zhan Long] in a difficult situation? Once we open the gates, the surrendered soldiers will rush in and it'll be hard to close the gates. The Tiger Leopard Cavalry of the Blackstone Empire will charge into the city. How are we going to defend against them? "
"Don't worry, they won't charge in." Xu Jiantao said confidently.
"Why should we?"
Xu Jiantao smiled, "Deputy General Wang, do you remember when I ordered you to lead the troops out of the city three days ago and dig a hole a few miles away from the city? Then fill it up and keep the soil fresh?"
"I know … but what does that have to do with all of this?" The Deputy General was stunned.
"Of course it has to do with it. We don't have any extra Magic Crystal Cannons to set up an underground cannon array. That's why I ordered you to dig over ten thousand holes outside of the city as a diversion. Baili Qin will definitely be able to see these holes, but he doesn't know what I'm thinking. As the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy. They don't know if there really is a cannon array outside of [Zhan Long Pass], so I'm sure that Baili Qin won't dare to send an army to follow the surrendered soldiers into the city. Be at ease and boldly open the gates.
"… …"
The Deputy General was suddenly enlightened, his face full of pleasant surprise, "The Marquis really is a godly strategist … no wonder … no wonder … I understand, I'll do it right away!"
On the city walls, orders to not shoot could be heard everywhere. Sure enough, not a single one of the tens of thousands of soldiers guarding [Zhan Long Pass] shot an arrow. When the surrendered soldiers came trembling with fear and weapons in their hands, Xu Jiantao jumped onto the battlements and flashed his military rank, shouting in a low voice, "I am the Marquis of Cangnan, Xu Jiantao. I know that you have been forced to surrender. Today, I'll give you a chance to pledge your loyalty to the Empire. All of you, enter the city. Don't push and trample, there will naturally be divine soldiers that will cover your retreat!"
The surrendered soldiers below the city walls were dumbfounded.
"Creak … creak …"
The iron chains twisted, and the city gates slowly opened. The great gates of [Zhan Long Pass] were opened just like that.
The surrendered soldiers' eyes suddenly became clear, as if they could see the light of day again. The ups and downs of life came too quickly. Just a moment ago, they felt that they would die in humiliation under the blades of their own people. Now, they were actually forgiven so quickly. One by one, they hurriedly flew into the city. The five great city gates of [Zhan Long Pass] opened at the same time. The speed at which they entered the city was extremely fast, like a tide.
"All Magic Crystal Cannons aim a thousand meters away. Cover the retreat for our brothers in the Sky Province!" Xu Jiantao ordered loudly.
The Magic Crystal Cannons all aimed into the distance, and raised their heads.
… …
In the main army camp of the Blackstone Empire, Baili Qin, Baili Yan, Fu Yu, Han Shu and the others stood on a high platform, watching everything that was happening in the distance. However, they seemed powerless.
"They've switched on and received the surrendered soldiers …" Baili Yan's sword-like eyebrows were tightly locked together, "Xu Jiantao, that bastard. His actions are always unexpected. Why does he dare to switch on and off so boldly? Isn't he afraid that we'll take advantage of the situation and kill our way in?"
"Even in his dreams, he wants us to kill our way in."
Baili Qin coldly said, "There are tens of thousands of cannon pits outside the city. As long as our army kills our way in, he will be able to kill and injure tens of thousands of our empire's fierce warriors without suffering a single scratch. Hmph, he really has wishful thinking."
"Ancestor, are we just going to watch these fifty thousand surrendered soldiers go back like this?" Baili Yan was somewhat unwilling.
"Those who want to achieve great things must learn to be patient. These fifty thousand surrendered soldiers are just a bunch of clay chickens and pottery dogs. They are not worth mentioning at all. So what if we give them to Xu Jiantao? Let's wait a little longer. Once the sky turns dark, immediately dispatch elite soldiers with iron shovels. Under the protection of the shield soldiers, dig out their Magic Crystal Cannons. Don't send too many people. Destroy them one by one, and leave Xu Jiantao helpless. "
"Yes, Marshal is wise!"
Fu Yu nodded.
… …
In the blink of an eye, night fell. Thousands of Blackstone Empire's elites rushed to the front of Zhan Long Pass, avoiding the shooting range of the archers. They began to wave their iron shovels and dig large pits. However, after digging one pit after another, and every pit was several meters deep, there was nothing. Immediately, everyone was at a loss. Naturally, this loss quickly aroused the anger of the central army's marshal tent.
"Bastard!"
Baili Qin shattered the table with a palm strike. With a pale face, he said, "That bastard Xu Jiantao actually dared to make fun of this marshal. Only by tearing his corpse into ten thousand pieces can I quench the hatred in my heart!"
Fu Yu raised his blade, "Marshal, this general requests to be deployed. Let me attack Zhan Long Pass this very night!"
"Alright, go!"
"Yes!"
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