The Wang Clan's sudden declaration of war against the Zhou Clan shocked the entire Barrier Alliance.
The Wang Clan's 1st Field Division crossed Luoyang City at lightning speed and arrived at the Zhou Clan's northern defensive line. Although the Zhou Clan was prepared for this, the Zhou Clan's defenses were lax, and even their military discipline was lax. As a result, they were forced to retreat in the first week of the war.
The Zhou Clan, led by Zhou Qingyang, started leaving Stronghold 73 and migrated south to the Zhou Clan's political center.
This cowardly attitude also chilled the hearts of the Zhou Clan's soldiers. Many people said that Zhou Shiji and Zhou Shoushi's generation would be the last of the Zhou Clan's glory.
Amidst all this commotion, no one noticed that an off-road vehicle was driving alone in Stronghold 144 in the Northwest. It was heading towards the even lonelier Fortress 178 in the distance.
The current Northwest was bustling and prosperous after the opening up of trade.
The dozen or so strongholds that originally belonged to the Soong Clan in the Northwest were like a huge matrix that was constantly being constructed and developed with Stronghold 144 as the center.
Only Fortress 178 stood tall in the more remote Northwest region. It was mottled but majestic.
Nowadays, businessmen did not really like going to Fortress 178 because there were more soldiers from the Northwest Army stationed there. As a result, the profits from doing business in Fortress 178 had always been far inferior to the other strongholds.
Moreover, the other strongholds in the Northwest were only 100 to 200 kilometers away from each other. But if they wanted to get to Fortress 178, they could only set off from the nearest stronghold, Stronghold 141, and then cross nearly 400 kilometers of uninhabited land.
There was no place to refuel or eat along the way. Everything was very desolate.
Due to the lack of traffic, the nearby sandstorms caused by soil erosion would often cover the road with a layer of yellow sand.
Ren Xiaosu drove the off-road vehicle alone and sped along the road. A huge cloud of yellow sand was kicked up by the wheels, and it looked like the off-road vehicle was dragging a long tail as it streaked across the wilderness like a meteor.
He had set off from Stronghold 144 in the morning. By the time he arrived at Fortress 178, it was already evening.
In the past, Ren Xiaosu had also been here before. But when he saw the towering fortress again, he still felt inexplicably shocked.
This was a stronghold that was completely different from the other strongholds. Everything was built for the sake of war. The walls were densely packed with firing towers, and there were even cannon holes in the cracks of the walls that looked like a beehive.
From the outside, the fortress gave off an extremely oppressive and intimidating feeling, but once inside, one could see the complex structure of the fortress walls.
Different roads led to different parts of the fortress walls. There were wide tracks for transporting cannons, and there were 'horse paths' for soldiers to pass through.
Ren Xiaosu could even imagine how lively it would be on top of the walls when the war came to this fortress again.
Xu Xianchu was already waiting outside the gate of Fortress 178. When he saw Ren Xiaosu, he gave Ren Xiaosu a warm hug after getting out of the car. "Long time no see. Let's go. The commander is waiting for you."
Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, "Long time no see, Old Xu."
Xu Xianchu suddenly felt that Ren Xiaosu was particularly familiar with calling him "Old Xu." It was as though the two of them had never been separated before.
This made Xu Xianchu feel that Ren Xiaosu really treated him as a friend!
The two of them walked all the way into the fortress. Ren Xiaosu was going to drive, but Xu Xianchu stopped him with a smile. "The commander has specifically instructed that you'll have to walk from now on."
Ren Xiaosu was surprised. "Didn't he say that I'll only have to walk when I'm going through all the checkpoints? Why is it starting now? Is there such a rule? "
"Oh, it's not a rule." Xu Xianchu said with a smile, "It's just that the commander wants everyone in the fortress to see what their Young Marshal looks like in case they don't get to know him in the future."
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. At this moment, he realized that people were starting to rush over from both sides of the road. They were here for no other reason than to see their Young Marshal.
Everyone had kind smiles on their faces, and the residential buildings on the side of the road were filled with onlookers from the fortress.
Xu Xianchu explained with a smile, "The people of Fortress 178 take pride in joining the army to protect their homeland. If someone from our family can be selected to join the Northwest Army, it'll be a glorious thing for our family. We'll even have to treat our neighbors to a meal. Everyone loves us, so it's normal for them to be curious about what the Young Marshal looks like. "
Ren Xiaosu couldn't help but laugh. "You're exaggerating a little."
Xu Xianchu glanced at the young girls gathered nearby, then said with a smile, "If everyone didn't know about your relationship with Miss Xiaojin, there would be a lot of matchmakers trying to stop you on the road right now. Speaking of which, it's quite a pity. When we came out of Stronghold 113 together, you were a refugee and I was a down-and-out private army officer. Now that time has passed, you're already the future commander of our Northwest! "
At this moment, an old man on the side of the road said with a smile, "Comrade Little Xu, you don't have to belittle yourself. You're the Wok King of our Northwest! Everyone says you're so good at using your wok that it can blot out the sky and cover the sun! "
Xu Xianchu said reservedly, "Sir, you flatter me!"
Ren Xiaosu was speechless.
He did not even know that Xu Xianchu was already known as the Wok King.
And what the hell did he mean by 'the wok can blot out the sky and cover the sun'? Just how big was Xu Xianchu's wok?!
"Um …" Ren Xiaosu asked nonchalantly, "How big is your wok?"
Xu Xianchu said with a smile, "It's not as exaggerated as being able to blot out the sky and cover the sun. It's only a few dozen meters in diameter."
"But it's still big enough!" Ren Xiaosu said with a sigh.
At this moment, there were a few veterans in military uniforms standing by the side of the road. Their hair had already turned white, and their bodies were hunched over. The military medals they wore on their chests had been wiped clean until they shone brightly.
To everyone, the Young Marshal's entry into the city was like a ceremony. From today onwards, the authority in the Northwest would be replaced bit by bit until Zhang Jinglin finally handed over all the authority in his hands to Ren Xiaosu. Only then would it be considered over.
A veteran watched Ren Xiaosu walk down the long street and muttered softly, "I heard that this Young Marshal is especially good at fighting. I wonder if he'll be like the old commander-in-chief and Commander-In-Chief Zhang and sympathize with the new recruits."
Another veteran laughed and scolded, "Do you need an old man like you to worry about this kind of thing? Who do you think you are! "
These veterans were all very old. When Zhang Jinglin became the commander-in-chief, they had already retired. When Zhang Jinglin entered the city as the Young Marshal, they were also standing on the street and watching from afar.
The old commander-in-chief they were talking about was not Zhang Jinglin, but Zhang Jinglin's predecessor.
At this moment, someone nearby laughed and said, "In the battle against the Soong Clan, the Razor Sharp Company achieved many meritorious deeds under his leadership, but not a single one of them died. So he'll be guarding this place like the previous commander-in-chief of the fortress. Don't worry, everyone. "
Several veterans turned around and were surprised to see Zhang Jinglin standing next to them. Ren Xiaosu also noticed Zhang Jinglin's figure. He smiled and greeted him, "Mr. Zhang."
Zhang Jinglin walked out of the crowd. "Are you ready? Once you've made the decision, you can't turn back. "
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