A piece of news spread like wildfire in the Western Qin Empire.
The allied forces of the five prefectures led by Lord Zhenxi marched into the hinterland of Fufeng Prefecture. Although they had an absolute advantage, they suddenly suffered heavy losses. Among them, the 400,000 troops of Qianyang Prefecture and Qishan Prefecture were completely wiped out. Apart from the commander-in-chief, no one survived. As for the main forces of Jintai Prefecture and Chang 'an Prefecture, more than half of them were killed. Jin Xingwen, the magistrate of Jintai Prefecture, the Mountain-suppressing Fist, died in battle, and Li Gang, the magistrate of Chang' an Prefecture, the Secular Sword Whiz, was seriously wounded …
The allied forces of the five prefectures collapsed almost overnight.
The general situation of suppressing the rebellion that was just around the corner was instantly reversed. The dying regime of Lord Zhenxi finally got a chance to breathe. The entire northwest hinterland of the Western Qin Empire seemed to have a poisonous sore that could not be removed for a while.
Between suppressing the rebellion and the rebel army, the offensive and the defensive were reversed.
The news spread like wildfire, shocking the whole country.
The fact that Lord Zhenxi led the troops of two prefectures to rebel was already a major event that had never happened in the Western Qin Empire since the resurgence of the Glorious Force. It could be said to be a very bad omen. When the emperor was in closed-door training, the crown prince who was in charge of the state and the cabinet jointly issued a decree to mobilize the forces of the five prefectures to suppress the rebellion. They had thought that it was just a process and Lord Zhenxi's downfall was just around the corner. But to their surprise, the coalition army of the five prefectures was defeated.
That was a great humiliation.
After that battle, it would be very difficult for the Western Qin Empire to organize another encirclement against Lord Zhenxi in a short time. At least in this winter, the royal family of the Western Qin Empire was unable to organize another large-scale military operation. It would take time to mobilize troops from farther provinces, and during that period, there would be all kinds of conflicts of interest and bargaining among local governments.
Without the emperor, such a military operation with the power of the whole country would be extremely slow.
What was more fatal was that the allied forces of the five prefectures had lost more than half of their forces, so the prefectures around Fufeng City were unable to organize a second siege. It could even be said that their military force was empty. However, a large number of armaments had been collected by the Western Army, which could guarantee them to survive the winter. After recuperating, the reorganized Western Army would definitely gain a firm foothold in Fufeng City in the next spring. By then, it would be scary to think about what kind of combat force it would have.
Of course, those were all long-term effects, which were the headaches of the big shots at the top of the empire.
What most people were curious about was, how did the Five Provincial Alliance Army lose?
This was supposed to be a war without any suspense.
Since Lord Zhenxi launched his army in a hurry, he did not have a solid foundation. Under the circumstances that the royal family of the Western Qin had been managing the Fufeng and Fengxiang Prefectures for so many years, he could not control the people's will. At most, he could control most of the troops. Many administrative units and officials at the basic level might not necessarily be completely on his side. In the face of the powerful pressure of the Allied Forces of the Five Provincial Forces, there were also many fence-sitters who betrayed them. Although they were not in a state of disunity, their cohesion was really pitiful, which could be seen from the fact that the Allied Forces of the Five Provincial Forces easily recovered the Fengxiang Prefecture at the beginning of the war.
However, the one who had the last laugh was the Western Garrison Liege Lord who was supposed to be destroyed.
The sudden defeat of the allied forces of the five prefectures gave the Western Army the opportunity to recapture the Fengxiang Prefecture again, and also led the war into the territory of Jintai Prefecture and Qishan Prefecture. Although they were unable to launch a large-scale invasion, they had turned from defense to offense and gained the upper hand.
The cavalry of the Western Garrison Army plundered the surrounding prefectures and plunged the people into misery and suffering.
As for the spies, spies, and scouts of the Western Army, like fry scattered into a lake, had snuck into the surrounding provinces and prefectures. From time to time, they created some small-scale disturbances and riots, which made the officials at all levels of the Western Qin Empire anxious and troubled …
News kept coming from all sides.
Among them, one piece of news shocked all sides.
On the night that led to the sudden defeat of the Allied Forces of the Five Provincial Forces, on the main battlefield about a hundred miles away from Fufeng City, the capital of Fufeng Prefecture, there once appeared the aura of gods and demons, and the power of extraterrestrial demons appeared …
…
…
"Extraterrestrial demons? What's that? "
Li Mu asked curiously in the tavern on the first floor of the Longcheng Inn in the center of Longcheng Pass, an important town in the border area of the Western Qin Empire.
Guo Yuqing, who was sitting opposite him, said with a slightly solemn face, "Some terrible existences from outer space. For the Divine Land, they are invaders, destroyers, and the common enemy of the entire continent."
Li Mu's interest was aroused when he heard that.
If they came from outer space, then they must be the universe.
Li Mu also came from outer space. Seriously speaking, wasn't he also an extraterrestrial demon?
"So, Lord Zhenxi is digging his own grave by turning to the extraterrestrial demons, isn't it?" Li Mu said, "Turning to the common enemy of the continent is no different from directly betraying the world, right? All the people in the world can kill him. "
Guo Yuqing said, "The world is not that simple. Since ancient times, there have been incidents of extraterrestrial demons descending on the Divine Land. After such a long time, countless extraterrestrial demons have lurked on the continent. Some have done as the Romans do when in Rome, while some have been hiding in the dark to spy on the world. Among them, countless sects and dynasties were established by extraterrestrial demons. Their control and infiltration of the world have reached the point of pervasive. For example, before the Western Qin Empire, the Great Moon Empire that ruled this land was founded by an extraterrestrial demon force and ruled for as long as three thousand years …"
There was such a thing?
It was the first time Li Mu had heard of it.
He felt it was a bit like the rumors on Earth, such as the Brotherhood, the Knights Templars, the Rothschild family, and the old European nobles, which secretly controlled the development of Earth, the change of countries, and even planned and promoted World War I and World War II.
In that case, wasn't the so-called Divine Land a testing field for the superpowers in outer space?
"Fortunately, it is not easy for the extraterrestrial demons to descend on the Divine Land. They have to go through disasters and tribulations. If they are not careful, they will be turned into ashes." Guo Yuqing said, "The Way of Heaven has its own order. In the long years, the number of extraterrestrial demons that really descended is limited. Otherwise, the entire Divine Land would have become a paradise for demons."
"That's right."
Li Mu nodded.
"It seems that Lord Zhenxi's rebellion is not that simple."
"By the way, big brother, you just said that the Great Moon Empire used to rule the Western Qin. Could the power of the demons outside Fufeng City be the remnants of the Great Moon Empire?" Li Mu's mind wandered and he casually made up a story, "Has Lord Zhenxi colluded with the remnants of the Great Moon Empire?"
Guo Yuqing could not help but take a closer look at Li Mu.
He now thought highly of his third brother, who usually looked careless and not serious at all. Li Mu's political thinking was very clear, because he also had the same judgment in his mind.
The two of them set out the day before yesterday and traveled day and night. Today, they arrived at Longcheng Pass.
According to the agreed time and place, they were waiting for the arrival of the second earthworm.
Along the way, they heard a lot about the defeat of the five provincial allied forces. The news from all sides was mixed with falsehoods, which made them feel like they were in a precarious situation. The Western Qin Empire seemed to have entered an eventful period.
However, what was the truth and how long the Western Army could hold out after the empire reacted were not the two's concerns. As for the remnants of the Great Moon Empire, it was just a casual thought. The two were waiting for Qiu Yin's arrival. After all, entering the vast pasture in the northeast to rescue Shangguan Yuting was the most urgent task at the moment.
However, to the two's surprise, Qiu Yin the Broadsword Man did not show up until the appointed time passed and it was already evening.
That was not right.
Because Qiu Yin had always been a punctual person. He would never miss the appointed time unless he was delayed by some major event.
But just yesterday, the two received a message from Qiu Yin, saying that everything was normal. He had arranged everything in Guanshan City and was on the way to Longcheng Pass. It was unlikely that he would encounter any major event.
In this world, the major event that could make Qiu Yin miss the appointed time was definitely a really major event.
Qiu Yin did not show up until it was dark.
After a brief discussion, Li Mu and Guo Yuqing decided to stay in Longcheng Pass for a day to see if Qiu Yin would come later.
The two checked in at the Longcheng Inn.
After leaving Longcheng Pass, they arrived at the vast pasture in the northeast.
For Guo Yuqing, after so many years, when he was so close to the vast pasture again, all kinds of feelings welled up in his heart. When he returned to the room in the inn, he could not help recalling some past events, so he did not want to go out again.
But it was the first time for Li Mu to come to the border area of the Western Qin Empire, so he was quite curious. So, he left the inn alone and wandered around in Longcheng Pass. There were many pedestrians on the street, but they were not as prosperous as Chang 'an. Nevertheless, they had a different charm.
There were also a lot of roadside stalls and hawkers.
Longcheng Pass was an important town in the border area, so those stalls and hawkers were all recognized by the border army. Around 11 o 'clock in the evening, Earth time, a curfew would be imposed.
At that time, there was still less than an hour before it got dark.
Li Mu casually ate some food from the roadside stalls, which tasted mediocre. Then, he remembered the vegetarian noodles cooked by Granny Cai in Peace Town. Since they parted at the military cemetery in Chang 'an, Granny Cai, her granddaughter, and Wu Beichen, the border army officer, had all come to the border area. Logically speaking, they should be in one of the five towns in the border area. But Li Mu was not sure if they were in Longcheng Pass.
He wandered around. Longcheng Pass was not large, and there were no scenic spots. When it got a little dark, he was ready to go back to the inn to rest.
Coincidentally, at that time, Li Mu saw a familiar figure.
Wu Beichen.
At the gate of the military cemetery, the hot-blooded border army officer who stood up to scold the young lord Qin Lin.
"He is really in Longcheng Pass?"
"So, Granny Cai and Caicai are also there, aren't they?"
Li Mu was delighted and went up to greet him.
"You are … Ah, Your Honor Li?" Wu Beichen recognized Li Mu and was pleasantly surprised.
Li Mu said, "Captain Wu, eh? Have you been promoted? Haha, your strength has also greatly improved. Well, you are now at the peak of the Great Master Realm.
It seems that your cultivation has been going well recently. "Li Mu could tell that Wu Beichen's cultivation had improved a lot.
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