Defeat after defeat. The commander bore an inextricable responsibility. To excuse oneself by simply saying the enemy was too strong was feeble and unconvincing. When two armies faced each other, strength and weakness were determined by skill in battle. Defeat ant inferiority.
After successive defeats, a suffocating sense of frustration had built up in the hearts of all the National Defense Guards. They had always been the ones waging offensive battles, the aggressors. But now, they were rely waiting for the enemy to co to their doorstep, and they were still suffering losses...
With Chen Yang's orders, all the Martial Guards clenched their fists tightly. Are we finally done being on the defensive? Are we about to take the initiative and attack? They longed for this battle!
「anwhile」
In the Barbarian camp, inside a tent at the very center, a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe toyed with a three-inch dagger. His long black hair was neatly tied back, and his eyes were as sharp as blades. "Are you sure it's Chen Yang?"
The vice-general, Luo Wei, replied with the utmost respect, "Reporting to the King, it is certain. In addition to him, the Forr Hanyun Valley Martial Guards have also arrived."
THUMP.
A flash of cold light burst forth. The three-inch dagger shot out, piercing the forehead of a portrait of Chen Yang posted on the wall.
The man in black's lips curved into a smirk. "Excellent! You will personally lead a team to bring that good-for-nothing Hua Ying back.
"Also, see that all the Martial Guards eat and drink their fill. At nightfall, launch the general offensive. I will lead the troops."
This man in black was the Barbaric New Sovereign, Heiqi. With his hands clasped behind his back, he stated indifferently, "Wherever my army passes, not even chickens and dogs will be spared."
"Understood!"
Luo Wei retreated.
Heiqi removed his black robe and unhurriedly donned the dark, lustrous battle armor that hung on a stand. Finally, he picked up a massive silver longspear.
SWOOSH.
The spear shot out like a dragon. As the silver streak flew, it seed to pierce through the very void itself.
"I hope you won't disappoint ."
…
In a newly cleared tent, Chen Yang, Yang Hu, Liu Wu, Yuan Zhi, and the advisors from the Elders' Court, led by Zhou Qing, were all present.
Chen Yang stood before the sand table, inspecting it for a mont. With one arm crossed over his chest, he pointed at a mountain on the map. "How tall is this mountain?"
"Over three thousand ters," Yuan Zhi responded, handing over a file. "Here's the topographic map."
"This mountain is steep. The temperature at the summit is low even under normal conditions. With this snowfall, it's probably below minus ten degrees up there, with winds that cut like knives." Yuan Zhi was slightly nervous, but he did his best to prove himself, using this as a way to completely distance himself from Chen Jian.
"For us in Hanyun Valley, it's also a natural barrier," Zhou Qing interjected, speaking seriously. "Without this mountain, the already lengthy battle line would probably stretch for another several dozen kiloters."
"Liu Wu!" Chen Yang issued a direct order. "You will lead four hundred thousand Hanyun Valley Martial Guards over this mountain."
Yuan Zhi was speechless.
So was Zhou Qing.
This mountain… can it even be crossed? The two exchanged a glance, seeing deep shock and confusion in each other's eyes.
"Beyond the mountain lies a vast plain, which is the path the Barbarian Military Guards must take to advance north," Chen Yang said, tapping the sand table with a long stick. "After you cross, assess the situation. You will either join forces with in a pincer attack or march directly north and strike the Barbarian Capital."
"Yes, Commander!" Liu Wu declared.
Gulp.
Yuan Zhi and Zhou Qing exchanged another glance before Yuan Zhi stepped forward. "Commander, this mountain is difficult to cross. With this terrible weather, I fear…"
"Where there's a will, there's a way. No mountain is uncrossable," Chen Yang said flatly, then nodded at Liu Wu. "Go."
Liu Wu delayed no further and turned to leave.
Zhou Qing opened his mouth several tis, a stomachful of words stuck in his throat, but ultimately, he couldn't say a thing.
'Where there's a will, there's a way,' indeed, he thought. But considering the terrain, the current weather, and the fact that it's the dead of night… to put it bluntly, one misstep and we might not make it up the mountain, not to ntion the heavy casualties we're likely to suffer.
Chen Yang knew exactly what they were thinking. With his hands clasped behind his back, he stared out at the swirling snow. "If it weren't for this snow, I wouldn't be climbing this mountain. Since this is war, isn't it all about overcoming difficulties? Co, we're heading to Phoenix Water Mountain."
Yuan Zhi glanced back at the sand table. If those four hundred thousand n really make it over, then…
Hiss.
Just at the thought, the vice-general couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air. It would be a sharp blade plunged straight into the enemy's heart.
「Half a day passed.」
Hua Ying, whose collarbones had been pierced, wasn't dead yet. He no longer struggled as violently, but his occasional mournful howls echoed through the desolate mountains, creating a deeply unsettling atmosphere. Subtly, this was having a trendous psychological impact on the Barbarian Military Guards.
This was precisely why New Sovereign Heiqi insisted on bringing Hua Ying back.
By the ti Chen Yang and his party arrived, the Forr Hanyun Valley Martial Guards stationed here were already locked in a fierce battle with the elite Barbarian forces sent to rescue Hua Ying.
Ning Kun held the command flag in one hand and a broadsword in the other, charging at the very front.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a dark figure shot up from among the Barbarian Military Guards. He moved like an arrow, swooping toward the suspended Hua Ying with the speed of lightning.
"Wishful thinking," Yang Hu muttered. Holding a battle saber in a reverse grip, he burst forward to confront the dark figure head-on.
BANG!
The fierce collision was like a blade slicing through a thousand layers of snow. Yang Hu raised his hand again. A white line leaped through the void, condensing into a palm that swept toward the dark figure.
CRACK.
Yang Hu retracted his strength just in ti.
And so, Hua Ying was no longer lonely; he had company.
But this was not the end. More and more people charged forward, determined to cut Yang Hu down.
Half an hour passed.
Atop the peak of Phoenix Water Mountain, Yang Hu fully demonstrated the aning of "one man holding the pass against ten thousand."
BOOM!
Another earth-shattering punch landed. This ti, his opponent dissipated into the wind.
By now, the number of n strung up at the peak had increased to eight. Their wails shook the heavens in a grueso chorus.
And Yang Hu stood atop the mountain peak like a statue, a god of slaughter looking down upon all of creation.
RUMBLE, RUMBLE.
The Barbarian Military Guards charged to the rescue, and the entire earth trembled violently.
Yuan Zhi stood by, amazed by Yang Hu's prowess and the formidable combat strength of the Hanyun Valley Martial Guards. He finally rembered sothing and exclaid, "This is... this is the 'lure them in with a corpse' tactic!"
At the sa ti, he understood Chen Yang's ultimate plan. Is the Forr Chief Military Commander planning to use Phoenix Water Mountain as the breaking point, to shorten the lengthy battle lines and decide the war in one fell swoop?
Chen Yang took a step forward.
Behind him, the Heavy Armored Military Guards stood ready with their sabers. They moved like a black dragon, coiling and winding as they closed in.
The sa was happening in the enemy's formation.
The scene was one of black clouds pressing down on the city, threatening to break it; the glint of sun on armor opened like golden scales.
Beneath the whipping wind and snow, the light from the blades was dazzling.
The east wind blows, the war drums thunder!
With bones of iron, what man among us has ever feared a fight?
KILL
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