Lin Zhao's divine sense stood on a ruined wall within Yangping Pass, looking down from afar at the former famous general of Western Shu. For a moment, Lin Zhao's nose twitched. As Li Chunyang had said, Li Chunyang's fighting spirit today truly lived up to the title of a famous general.
He frowned, helpless to do anything but watch as tens of thousands of demon cavalry poured through Yangping Pass, engaging Li Chunyang's troops in fierce battle on the open ground within the pass. The battle was one-sided; the human forces were unable to resist. Coupled with the overwhelming power of several great cultivators from the demon race, Li Chunyang's forces were routed like a collapsing mountain.
Yet, no one retreated. Even the cooks in the army took up steel knives and charged forward, swinging them at the demon cavalry. However, most of them were instantly impaled by the fierce impact of the demon cavalry's lances, knocked over and trampled by warhorses, or cut down by swords along the roadside.
In the end, Li Chunyang also fell in a pool of blood. This Tiyuan martial artist, after taking a palm strike from Ran Qing of the thirteenth realm, was covered in bloody wounds. Immediately after, he was targeted by a volley of crossbow bolts from a group of demon cavalry, turning his entire body into a hedgehog, bleeding profusely, with even arrowheads stuck in his cheeks.
He held a bloody spear, propped behind him, and personally witnessed the demons storming Yangping Pass. Then, before his death, Li Chunyang gave a mournful smile and said, "It's alright... it's alright... the sons of the human realm will surely avenge me, Li Chunyang, and will surely slaughter you beasts..."
A demon cavalry captain galloped forward and swept his sword, sending Li Chunyang's head flying high. The next moment, his head was held aloft by the captain, who intended to intimidate the remaining human soldiers. However, the remaining two to three tens of thousands of armored soldiers, instead of being demoralized by Li Chunyang's death, charged headlong into the demon formation with their weapons, each facing death as if it were nothing.
In the end, blood stained the entire Yangping Pass. Of the sixty thousand defenders, all but a small number of wounded who retreated were annihilated!
Lin Zhao's figure gently floated up, looking down at the entire battlefield. His heart felt so heavy that he wanted to cry. This was all his doing, and every soldier on this battlefield was merely a pawn.
Li Chunyang, the Northern Marshal of the Great Shang Dynasty, a once famous general. The army he commanded could not be considered elite. Although the Linlu Legion was Li Chunyang's backbone, its combat power was only mid-tier within the Great Shang Dynasty, inferior to Chen Xi's Cangnan Cavalry, Lin Ruo's Panshi Army, and even Han Yetang's Vermillion Bird Cavalry.
However, Li Chunyang, with nearly three hundred thousand Linlu Cavalry, along with some border and patrol legions from Yan and Yun Prefectures, formed this army of sixty thousand, which stubbornly held off hundreds of thousands of demon cavalry for several years. Moreover, after its complete annihilation, it had still managed to deplete the strength of over two hundred thousand demon cavalry!
Li Chunyang truly lived up to his identity as a great "Gē" (weapon) of the human race!
Lin Zhao sighed. On this chessboard of war between humans, demons, and monsters, everyone was a pawn, and no one could stand aside. Wasn't he the same?
...
However, as Lin Zhao surveyed the battlefield through the lens of the Ten Year War version, he missed many details that he couldn't see from the version information.
After the fall of Yangping Pass, the demon army poured into Yan Prefecture.
Su Chan led the main force of nearly 500,000 demon cavalry, appointing the Divine Cavalry Commandant Yu Feng as the vanguard. Yu Feng was ordered to lead 200,000 cavalry southward to attack Lanxi City, the former capital of the Great Chen Dynasty, which was the capital of Yan Prefecture. However, Lanxi City had long since been fortified and its inhabitants evacuated south. Of the hundreds of thousands of people remaining in the city, 150,000 were Lin Ruo's Panshi Army, with the rest being laborers, artisans, and cooks.
Yu Feng attacked fiercely for several days without success. Lanxi City was as solid as a rock.
The Panshi Army was as firm as rock, being the most defensive army of the human race. Moreover, Lin Ruo was a renowned general, highly respected and skilled in command. The city was stocked with enough provisions for three to five years, so the morale of the Panshi Army was exceptionally high. For a time, the demon cavalry dared not continue their assault on the city.
Meanwhile, in the bitter cold of the twelfth lunar month, the New Year was fast approaching.
On the northeastern frontier, in a vast expanse of snow, two women slowly walked through the snow, leading their warhorses. One woman was clad in a white cloak, her right sleeve empty, holding the reins with her hand. Her face was pale and sickly. The other woman wore a light golden battle armor, exuding a powerful martial artist's aura, with a valiant hero's spirit on her face.
These two were Xue Zhi, who had been stuck in the Nascent Soul realm without her cultivation recovering, and Yu Wanning, whose Rebirth realm aura was nearing fullness.
The two had finally left Baidi City and, leading their army north through mountain paths, had returned to the Snow Dragon Dynasty. Behind them, the thunderous sound of hooves echoed. Ten thousand cavalry, clad in gleaming armor and wielding sharp weapons, followed the two. The cavalry captain and even the ten centurions were personally appointed by Princess Zhao Shutong, with their final orders being to always obey the commands of Xue Zhi, Yu Wanning, and Lin Zhao. Their families would be cared for by the Great Shang Dynasty.
"We're almost there."
Yu Wanning narrowed her eyes, looking at the wind and snow ahead, and smiled, "Indeed, it is a land of hardship and cold..."
Xue Zhi smiled slightly and said, "Today is New Year's Eve. If Master were here, he would surely have Dongcang and Li Ying prepare a sumptuous dinner and invite Su Shanjun, Han Laojianxian, and Tang Guangjun to a reunion feast. If the children were still here, Tong Yu would be fourteen years old this year, and would undoubtedly be a sword immortal as graceful as a blooming flower. As for Zhang Luobai, that boy's talent is monstrous. He's eleven now, perhaps already at the seventh or eighth realm. Zhuang Yirong practices martial arts diligently, so her realm should not be far behind."
Yu Wanning's eyes reddened. "Yes, if the Mountain Lord were here... everything would be better. But Dongcang and Li Ying, those two..."
"Don't say anymore..."
Xue Zhi sighed, powerless to do anything. The Peak Villa had fallen five years ago. The assassins of the Xiuyi Pavilion had gone to investigate countless times, but none of the reports were good. It was said that Liu Li Ying had once again sealed herself within the mountain wall, transforming into a fan spirit, but her primordial spirit had been destroyed, and the murals shattered. It was said that Dongcang had a great battle with a thirteenth-realm demon in Tianran Ju and disappeared afterwards.
The people of the Peak Villa were like survivors of a storm. Those still alive today were all precious.
"Hmm?"
Xue Zhi suddenly looked up, gazing ahead. In the valley, the sound of heavy, dense hoofbeats could be heard. Soon, a familiar battle banner appeared in their sight, it was none other than a Lin character banner, Lin Zhao's banner. And in all the world, only the survivors of the Snow Region Legion dared to fly the Lin character banner.
"It's really you!"
A group of Snow Region cavalry galloped forward. Leading them was Chen Qi, a cavalry captain from back then, who had now reached the Tiyuan realm, radiating the aura of a martial artist of the upper five realms. Upon seeing Xue Zhi and Yu Wanning, he immediately dismounted, rolling off his horse. A man of iron resolve, he knelt in the snow, tears and snot streaming down his face, saying, "Your subordinate Chen Qi pays his respects to both of you!"
"Chen Qi, rise."
Xue Zhi gently raised her hand and smiled, "You've worked hard all these years."
"It's not hard!"
Chen Qi gritted his teeth, looking south, and said, "I heard Yangping Pass was breached. Chen Qi only wishes he could immediately rush south and kill more demons and monsters, to avenge Marshal Lin and the brothers of the Snow Region Heavenly Pool!"
"There will be opportunities."
Xue Zhi said, "How many men do you have now?"
"Around eighteen thousand."
Chen Qi continued, "When my old brothers arrived at the Snow Dragon Dynasty, they were warmly welcomed. We have been stationed in several county towns on the border of the Snow Dragon Dynasty for the past few years, recruiting soldiers and training seven to eight thousand young cavalry!"
"Good."
Xue Zhi said, "Behind me, there are ten thousand White Deer Cavalry brought from Baidi City. They are the elite troops personally appointed by Her Royal Highness Princess Zhao Shutong. From now on, they are considered part of our Snow Region Heavenly Pool. Combined with your men, we already form a not insignificant force."
"Yes!"
Chen Qi's eyes lit up. "Xue Zhi, what are your plans?"
"To return to the Snow Region Heavenly Pool."
Xue Zhi pursed her red lips. "Although we cannot station troops in the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, we can patrol within a radius of several thousand miles around it, intercepting small groups of demon and monster armies, raiding their supplies and equipment, and making their rear areas uneasy. We will cut off their supply lines, putting them in a predicament where they cannot attend to both ends."
"Excellent!"
Chen Qi clapped his hands lightly. "This must be... one of Marshal Lin's original plans?"
Actually, it wasn't. Lin Zhao was not a celestial being and could not have predicted that Xue Zhi and Yu Wanning were still alive, and that the Snow Region Heavenly Pool could muster an army of tens of thousands of elite cavalry.
However, Xue Zhi still nodded and smiled. "Marshal Lin's strategic planning is indeed so."
At this moment, countless Snow Region cavalrymen who followed Chen Qi raised their weapons and cheered.
Chen Qi was filled with ambition. After all, nearly thirty thousand cavalry was already a force that could not be ignored. However, once entangled with the demons in the northern region, it would indeed be troublesome. But when Chen Qi saw Yu Wanning beside Xue Zhi, everything was put to rest. Yu Wanning's boxing intent was far more profound than Chen Qi's, who was at the eleventh realm. Clearly, as in the past, she was still a Rebirth realm expert!
With a Rebirth realm martial artist leading tens of thousands of cavalry, even if one or two thirteenth-realm great demons from the demon race came, they might not be feared.
Currently, the demon race was concentrating its full efforts on attacking Shanhai Pass, and it was impossible for them to deploy two thirteenth-realm great demons to deal with the situation in the rear. Therefore, the appearance of Xue Zhi and Yu Wanning was bound to be a variable, and there was a high probability that they could disrupt Qing Kui Demon Ancestor's scheme.
...
Real World.
Night fell. On both banks of the Yangtze River estuary, cannons roared. Instantly, pillars of fiery red light shot up from the river. In the glow of the fire, the figures of numerous sea beasts appeared, their sharp claws and writhing tentacles all horrifying.
Finally, the tide of sea beasts had breached the Yangtze River estuary, attempting to infiltrate the land that humans relied on for survival.