Blowing Up the City, Breaking the Pass! (6K)
"General Pang, please rise quickly." Zhao Xing jumped up twice to help Pang Guangyao up. "With your help, General, I still have a million soldiers."
Hearing this, Pang Guangyao felt a warmth in his heart.
As expected of the Heir Apparent of a prominent family, he speaks so eloquently.
Unlike the princes of the royal court, who were all arrogant and looked down on everyone.
"I am ashamed and do not deserve the Heir Apparent's praise," Pang Guangyao said, cupping his hands. "I am merely Mountain Patrol Envoy and do not hold any important position."
"I sent an Heir Apparent earlier, but I was afraid that it would not be of any help to Heir Apparent and might even jeopardize your important plans. That is why I have not replied yet. Please forgive me."
Zhao Xing didn't know what Xia Jing and Pang Guangyao had talked about, but he was still good at making empty promises. "I'm sorry to trouble the general."
"A dignified Sixth Rank expert has been sent here to suffer? The royal court is utterly blind!"
"However, now that General Pang has submitted to our Great Zhou, he is now a person of Great Zhou. All the hardships and grievances of the past will be a thing of the past!"
"I, Xia Jing, swear by the honor of my family, that I will fulfill all my previous promises after we conquer this formidable pass!"
"The injustice the general suffered at the royal court will never be repeated in the Great Zhou!"
"Once we conquer the Fire Demon Tribe Clan's territory, we might even allow the General to return to his hometown to take up a post, ensuring he suffers the slightest injustice!"
"If I break this oath, I, Xia Jing, will be unworthy of being a son!"
Pang Guangyao was used to being suppressed by the royal court. Now that he had surrendered, he was deeply moved when he heard such a promise from an Heir Apparent of such importance.
Swearing an oath on the honor of the family—how much does he value Pang Guangyao?!
He immediately knelt down with a thud.
"Pang Guangyao is willing to Heir Apparent like a dog or a horse!"
The pie in the sky has been painted, but we need to get some real substance.
Zhao Xing winked at Long Xiao and Chen Shijie: "General Pang, you will first serve as a lieutenant in this mixed Vanguard Battalion, following this Valiant Commandant under my command. Once we reach Fire Dragon Pass, I will petition the Military Realm to officially promote you."
"This subordinate obeys the order." Pang Guangyao immediately clasped his hands in obeisance, knowing that he had only come to serve under orders on a whim.
It's highly unlikely that Xia Jing would have prepared any documents or appointments.
Looking at the setup next to Xia Jing, it's clear he's a young Marquis of the Great Zhou. He has Seventh Grade swordsman by his side, Sixth Rank Military Sima Nong accompanying him, and a powerful beast as a battle pet.
For someone like him who was temporarily recruited, being able to serve as a subordinate is already quite good; anything else will depend on his merits.
In Zhiyou City, the Black Armor Army is stationed at the East Gate military camp.
"Achoo!"
Xia Jing rubbed his nose, and put down the military book in his hand with some surprise.
"I've already perfected my demonic arts, why am I suddenly sneezing?"
"Yuan Yang, Yuan Yang!"
Yuan Yang, the military doctor, was from the Black Armor Army. Xia Jing also had many geniuses who came from the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, and Yuan Yang was one of them.
"General, what is it?" Yuan Yang replied from outside the tent after a short while. Ever since Xia Jing won over the hearts of the various camps of the Black Armor Army, Yuan Yang had also started to address Xia Jing as General in formal occasions.
"Come in quickly and take a look at me. Is there something wrong with my body? The great battle is imminent, and we can't afford any hidden dangers," Xia Jing said.
"Yes." Yuan Yang then pushed open the tent and went inside.
After entering, Yuan Yang examined Xia Jing by observing, listening, questioning, and feeling her pulse. He then had Xia Jing remove her armor and carefully inspected her before falling into deep thought.
"How?"
"There's nothing wrong. Your five elements are still balanced, only your kidney fire is slightly excessive." Yuan Yang shook his head. "Your feeling of sensing something might be due to the tension before the battle."
Hearing this, Xia Jing felt relieved. "That's good."
It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous at all when fighting the Fire Dragon Pass.
Although Zhao Xing had prepared Fire-Warding Robe to cross the mountain and had spies as his inside agents, Fire Dragon Pass had never been breached before, and its reputation spoke for itself.
Xia Jing led several battalions to the east, separating himself from the main force of the Black Armor Army in the north, which was a risky move.
Following the main force in the north, we won't necessarily have a smooth journey, but at least we won't suffer a major defeat.
But here, we might suffer a defeat.
Yuan Yang told Xia Jing to rest more before leaving the camp.
Xia Jing, however, couldn't fall asleep no matter what she tried.
"We'll be crossing the Flame Mountain tomorrow, and the siege will begin the day after. I wonder how many people Ye Chongxian has persuaded to join us."
On September 14th, the Black Armor Army, the Divine Might Army, and the Sea Pacifying Army gathered in the Military Hall to discuss matters, mainly to assign combat tasks.
The Fire Dragon Pass stretches for thirty miles, more than enough for a large army to deploy its forces.
On the Divine Might Army side, there are mainly two forces led by Wen Shaoyang and Liao Rulong, totaling more than 70,000 people.
The Black Armor Army consisted of only 15,000 men led by Xia Jing.
More than 30,000 people were led by Jiang Ming, the Sea Pacifying Army.
There are also fifteen armies of varying sizes, but these armies are relatively small in number, with the largest having only four or five thousand men and the smallest only two or three thousand. Most of the commanders are only of the Seventh Grade. They came to the east simply because they couldn't get a high-ranking position in their original armies, so they wanted to try their luck here.
The Divine Might Army wanted to break through Fire Dragon Pass and join forces with the Divine Thunder Army in the west to attack the Qinggang Mining Area, hoping to get a piece of the pie by following behind them.
These fifteen detachments, totaling forty to fifty thousand men, shared the same idea: to follow the newly emerging Divine Might Army and try their luck.
Among the three main forces, Wen Shaoyang has a special battalion called the "Great Halberdier Camp".
Liao Rulong's distinctive battalion was the Five Elements Battalion. As for the Divine Mechanism Battalion and the Nine Section Battalion, these were standard formations, and everyone had them.
However, since Zhao Xing joined the force, the Nine Section Battalion, which originally included Chen Shijie, has become a distinctive feature of Liao Rulong's unit.
Under Xia Jing's command, there was a 2,000-strong Black Armor Dragon Cavalry, because the Black Armor Army had three exotic beast breeding bases, one of which was located on Dragon Island in Pinghai Province.
This place has nurtured some hybrid dragon species, and the mounts of the Tigron Army also originated from Dragon Island.
The two strongest armies in Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven have both achieved high rankings in the Military Realm Legion Grand Military Exercise and have secured a place on Dragon Island.
The ability to ride dragon riders is the foundation of a powerful army.
Therefore, although Xia Jing only brought more than 15,000 people, he also had Sixth Rank Agricultural Official and Priest to assist him, as well as two thousand dragon-blooded beasts. It can be said that his strength was actually the strongest.
Only the combined forces of Liao Rulong's and Wen Shaoyang's troops in the Divine Might Army could give him a decisive advantage.
Jiang Ming, the commander of the Sea Pacifying Army, is known for his warships.
The warships of the Great Zhou usually refer to air warships, and their numbers are generally relatively small.
Only ships of the fifth rank can be called warships; flying boats are all below the fifth rank.
The size of the warships determined the size of the "Divine Mechanism Battalion," because the carrying capacity of siege equipment depended on the number of warships.
Marquis Lan Hongming of Zhenhai went to great lengths to get the two Sea Pacifying Army forces ashore.
Li Que's branch was unremarkable.
But Jiang Ming brought an entire battalion of warships with him!
Because after learning that Zhao Xing had created the Earth Fire Lotus Fire-Warding Robe, he immediately increased his bet.
They have sent Jiang Ming a considerable number of warships and airships over!
There are 120 Tier 5 warships alone!
The number of flying boats exceeded five thousand!
Only the Sea Pacifying Army can call its warships "battalions"; the combined warships and flying boats of the Black Armor Army, Divine Might Army, and others don't even amount to as many as the Sea Pacifying Army.
In addition, other armies use their warships in the air.
However, because Jiang Ming was burdened with Lan Hongming's expectations for meritorious service, one-third of the warships he transferred were dual-purpose (water and air).
There were even three unique Fifth-Tier Premium warships called the "Five Elements Warship"!
Not only can it be used in both water and air, but the warship can even travel underground.
The three Five Elements Warships were equipped with many land-based flying boats and escape flying boats.
Zhao Xing agreed to cooperate, and Marquis Lan did not disappoint him. Sea Pacifying Army provided great support in the warship project.
After the warships were assembled, Jiang Ming straightened his back, walked with a swagger, and spoke louder:
"Captain Liao, half of my warships can be allocated to the brothers of the Divine Might Army and the Black Armor Army!"
"Our Sea Pacifying Army's Divine Mechanism Battalion can control the Five Elements Warship to burrow underground and break through the underground defenses of Fire Dragon Pass."
"The underground alien tribes north and south of the pass can also be dealt with by our Sea Pacifying Army!"
"We have nothing but plenty of boats!"
"According to intelligence, our forces can disable the underground defense mechanisms and Magic Array along the twenty-mile stretch north and south of Fire Dragon Pass for at least three hours!"
Jiang Ming shouted, "Brothers on the ground, you don't need to worry about falling into a pit or being ambushed by the Fire Demon Tribe's traps while fighting."
"Alright, alright," Liao Rulong said with a cupped-hands gesture and a smile. "Then I'll have to trouble Commander Jiang."
"With the help of Commander Jiang's warship battalion, we will definitely be able to take this pass!" Xia Jing also praised.
As fate would have it, Jiang Ming has now been promoted to Commandant Jiang, instead of "that guy".
There was no other way, Sea Pacifying Army only sent two detachments ashore, unlike the Divine Might Army, the Black Armor Army, and the troops of Xia Jing, Wen Shaoyang, and Liao Rulong, which were only a part of the main force.
The Divine Might Army and the Black Armor Army are not only fighting in the Fire Demon Tribe territory of the Golden Feather Royal Court, but also have troops deployed in other war zones against the Sacred Spirit Royal Court, the Purple Dragon Royal Court, and the Blazing Light Royal Court.
Jiang Ming's troops are the only remaining Sea Pacifying Army unit on land. Whether they can achieve merit depends on him. All the resources mobilized by Lan Hongming are being poured into his army.
"Tonight, our three armies will unite and send a total of 18,000 men to cross the Flame Mountain."
"Separately capture four castles, one in the south and one in the north of Fire Dragon Pass, with the aim of destroying the pass's defensive formation."
"If even one point is breached, the main force outside will be able to storm in!" Liao Rulong said. "To create conditions for the troops that have infiltrated, the three armies will launch their attack tomorrow at 7 PM!"
"The thunder in the Astral Wind winds is a signal!"
Starting at noon on September 14th, a total of 15,000 people crossed the Flame Mountain. Since Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie had already led 3,000 people in a day earlier, the actual number was 18,000.
Xia Jing led a team of four thousand men to cross the Flame Mountain from a place called "Guan Shan North".
As for the command of the Black Armor Army, it was temporarily handed over to the deputy general Jin Ming.
In the Divine Might Army, Liao Rulong dispatched Yu Ziqi as the camp commander, leading 5,000 men to cross the Flame Mountain from the Guan Shan South.
Wen Shaoyang's troops dispatched Fei Liangxun, leading 6,000 men, to cross the Fire Pass Tail.
As for the Sea Pacifying Army, they did not participate in the sneak attack, but joined the main force of the frontal attack outside the pass.
Let's rewind to the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) on September 14th.
With Pang Guangyao as their guide, Zhao Xing, Chen Shijie, Long Xiao, Gao Jue, Xu Quan, Zhang Ying, and others led three thousand men across the Fire Dragon Mountains and quietly arrived inside the pass.
Using the Five Elements Mist Concealment high-level spell as cover, the three thousand-strong army silently left the patrol area of the Flame Mountain Range and arrived in a dense forest outside a fortified city.
"Your Heir Apparent, ahead lies the 'Round Moon City Pass' of Fire Dragon Pass," Pang Guangyao said. "It is one of the array foundations of Fire Dragon Pass."
"Within a radius of twenty miles, there are twenty-one cities of varying sizes. However, the others are merely fortified passes and strongholds. Only the Round Moon City, built upon the fire vein, is one of the main foundations of the Fire Dragon Pass's defensive array."
"It's destroyed. All the defensive Magic Array within twenty miles south of Fire Dragon Pass will be paralyzed. Even if a backup Magic Array is activated, its power will be reduced by more than 60%, and many of the alien races underground will even be suffocated."
"Even with emergency repairs, it will take at least four hours."
"And once Round Moon City is destroyed, its reconstruction will take more than four hours. Given the efficiency of the Fire Demon Tribe, it will take three or four months," Pang Guangyao said with a hint of sarcasm.
Zhao Xing certainly knew the importance of Round Moon City.
Round Moon City is essentially a city of traps and mechanisms!
Why is Fire Dragon Pass considered a formidable pass?
Other Magic Array bases, such as the Clear Waters, Distant Horizons Formation that he had Wang Ji set up in Cloud City, had only eighty-one bases.
Each array base weighs about a hundred tons, which can be transported by flying boat. The Longmen Triple Crane can easily lift it, and it can also be lifted up from the river.
However, the smallest base of the Fire Dragon Pass is a castle covering an area of four or five hundred acres.
It can be used as a dwelling place, and it is also a Magic Array in itself.
A city like Round Moon City covers an area of 100,000 mu!
There are forty-nine such cities in Fire Dragon Pass.
Using cities and castles as formations, the power of the fire veins is continuously drawn to power the Magic Array in front of the Fire Dragon Pass.
It's impossible to take it down; we can't even get past a single fifth-tier 'Fire Dragon Formation'.
Just think about the scene when they crossed the Flame Mountain, and you'll know that even with thorough preparations, they could still be burned to death by the strange, unintentionally spewed-out fire.
At Fire Dragon Pass, these ground fires are controllable and can even be formed into dragon-shaped flames to attack enemy troops.
Of the barbarians guarding the Fire Dragon Pass, only about 30,000 to 40,000 are truly combat-ready. However, as long as there are no internal problems, even a million men would be useless in a war of the highest Sixth Rank).
"The city lord of Round Moon City is named 'Badas,' and he is Yue Haisheng's nephew," Pang Guangyao continued, "But he is merely at the early stage of the Heavenly Gang realm."
"Are there no other Sixth Rank?" Chen Shijie asked.
"No more." Pang Guangyao shook his head. "There are two or three hundred people who have reached the peak of the Earthly Fiend, all of whom are Basida's guards."
"This setup doesn't sound quite right," Long Xiao said. "In such a heavily fortified city, how come he's the only Sixth Rank?"
"Because he's Yue Haisheng's nephew, if there's another Sixth Rank, the profits won't be enough for his nephew to share," Pang Guangyao mocked. "The Earth Fire Lotus in the Lava Cavern, the Flame Crystal in the Guan Shan Mining Area, the rare treasures in the Round Moon Forest Area —aren't they all treasure troves? They're all lucrative!"
Chen Shijie shook his head upon hearing this. Pang Guangyao, a powerful Heavenly Star Realm, could only be sent here as Mountain Patrol Envoy. Meanwhile, Basida, a Heavenly Gang early stage cultivator, was stationed to guard Round Moon City.
If people are used in this way, even the most formidable pass will eventually be breached.
"It doesn't matter whether it's Basida or anyone else," Zhao Xing laughed. "If Fire Dragon Pass can't stop them, a hundred more Basida won't make a difference."
"General Pang, do you have any connection with this Basida?"
Pang Guangyao shook his head. "He and his uncle have humiliated me many times. I wish I could eat... or chop them up."
Zhao Xing said, "After the city is breached, he will be handed over to you for disposal. However, you are now a general of my Great Zhou. Do you understand what I mean?"
"This subordinate understands." Pang Guangyao nodded; he didn't really intend to eat people.
"How much longer will it take to change clothes?" Zhao Xing asked Old Chen again.
After passing the Flame Mountain, one naturally cannot wear the Fire-Warding Robe to fight anymore. The robe's main function is to ward off fire, but it is only so-so in other aspects and cannot withstand a few blows from a fourth-tier Divine Soldier.
The Fire-Warding Robe were made a size larger, mainly so that armor could be worn underneath. In addition, some supplies were still brought with them.
For example, Agricultural Official's Wen Bamboo Box and a small number of siege weapons were disassembled into parts and placed in vehicles made of Earth Fire Lotus.
"The changes were completed long ago," Chen Shijie said. "The soldiers are resting now."
"How much time do we have left?" Long Xiao asked.
Zhao Xing took out the almanac and looked at it. "It's not yet Mao Shi (5-7 AM), there are still two and a half days until the agreed time to seize the pass."
Liao Rulong was a cunning man. He sent 3,000 Divine Might Army soldiers over first so that he would have ample time to prepare.
Zhao Xing and the others have already arrived, Xia Jing and the others haven't set off yet.
It will be several more hours before Xia Jing and Wen Shaoyang's troops cross the Flame Mountain.
They won't arrive until tomorrow.
The signal for the army to begin fighting outside the pass will be sent the night after tomorrow.
Therefore, Zhao Xing's team has ample time to prepare.
If all goes well, after conquering Round Moon City, they will have time to attack other places.
The more you do, the more merits you accumulate.
"Have the two teams of Agricultural Official take turns farming. Remember, don't make too much noise," Chen Shijie ordered.
Despite the interference from the Mist Concealment, just in case, he still instructed the Military Sima Nong in the Vanguard Battalion to harvest some seeds.
Making time would allow the soldiers to rest more fully and also allow the Agricultural Official to prepare.
What do we need to prepare? We can grow materials for siege equipment, food, and even weapon materials—there's so much to it.
They were stuck between Round Moon City and the Flame Mountain Range, where the environment wasn't too harsh, and they could at least grow some fire-attribute food.
Zhao Xing also started planting. He knew the advanced techniques of the True Self Faction, and at this time, as the Military Sima Nong, he was the main source of support for the three thousand men in the Vanguard Battalion. Whether it was food, tools, or higher-end materials, he was the main provider.
With abundant underground fire, the most suitable crop to grow is, of course, Firecracker Bamboo.
Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie each carried a box, peeled off the Earth Fire Lotus on the outside of the boxes, and took out Firecracker Bamboo seedlings from them.
"How many plants are still alive?" Chen Shijie asked.
"I still have a 50% chance of you surviving."
"My box has about the same amount," Chen Shijie said. "Fifth-tier Firecracker Bamboo seedlings. If they survive half of them after being carried across the Flame Mountain, that would be considered pretty good."
Dozens of people have died, let alone seedlings.
But it's good that more than half of them are still alive.
Planting Fifth Level Firecracker has many benefits.
Old Chen knows how to use magic to escape, and so does Zhao Xing. Among the three thousand people, there are also quite a few sorcerers from the Five Elements Battalion.
There are at least one hundred people who know how to escape.
The Round Moon City is not located outside the pass; even the Fire Demon Tribe Clan members come and go, and some even live there.
It's impossible for it to be like the area outside the Great Wall, where there are guards for dozens of miles underground, and there are deadly magic Magic Array and traps.
The interior of a formidable pass is always very vulnerable; it would be easy to infiltrate it.
As long as there are enough Firecracker Bamboo, burying some inside Round Moon City will be enough to Firecracker Bamboo Basta to heaven without any effort on his part.
Let's begin!
Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie each led a team of Agricultural Official to begin planting Fifth Level Firecracker in the forest.
Since the Firecracker Bamboo are already at level five.
Therefore, there is no need to use the Instant Primordial.
On the contrary, spells like Wasteland Essence Condensation and Savage Growth are more suitable for cultivation.
The use of the Time Law was prohibited because Zhao Xing had already used the Five Elements Mist Concealment to hide this area in the forest. If another Agricultural Official to use the Time Law, they might be discovered.
The Earthly Advantage Method can be used. Both the Earth Treasury Return to Origin and the Earth Palace Art can be used, one to gather the primordial energy and the other to regulate the intensity of the fire veins.
"Hiss hiss hiss~"
The Firecracker Bamboo grew at an astonishing rate, and soon a bamboo forest sprang up.
It is about to enter its growth stage.
Zhao Xing immediately cast two more spells.
"The Hundred-Li Essence Analysis Art!"
Compared to the Instant Primordial, the intermediate-level Hundred-Li Essence Analysis Art only allows the Firecracker Bamboo to grow better, but it does not break its original rank.
"The Nine Dragons Bend the Nodes Technique!"
Immediately afterwards, Zhao Xing used his True Self Spell again.
The branches of the Firecracker Bamboo quickly fell off, and the top four sections of all the Firecracker Bamboo withered and cracked.
Its nutrients flow back and into the bamboo nodes below.
The fiery red bamboo forest suddenly became bare.
"You've mastered all four of the Minor Methods of the True Self Faction?" Chen Shijie watched from a distance. While he was still waiting for the time to ripen, Zhao Xing had already mastered a batch of them.
"Well, there's a whole basketful to learn. The spells of the True Self Faction all complement each other," Zhao Xing said casually.
"..." Chen Shijie didn't know what to say.
Who doesn't know that they complement each other?
The problem is, do you have the energy and talent to learn it?
He saw that Zhao Xing's True Self Faction, was already at the intermediate-level perfection stage.
In addition, there is a high-level technique Instant Primordial that is also available to you.
"What kind of monster did I bring out of Gucheng?" Chen Shijie even suspected that Cao Xi had turned Gucheng into some kind of blessed land.
Pang Guangyao was also puzzled. Wasn't the Heir Apparent supposed to be a martial artist? How come he could also farm?
Farming—shouldn't that be the job of the Agricultural Official of the Great Zhou? In the Southern Barbarians lands, only sorcerers do this kind of work!
Is this person really Heir Apparent Xia Jing?
Pang Guangyao had a vague feeling that he had gotten on the wrong bus.
They worshipped the wrong person.
However, since he was right next to Long Xiao and Mountain Cat, he didn't dare to ask any questions, even if he had doubts.
He had already killed a Mountain Patrol Envoy and was now completely on the Great Zhou's pirate ship. At this point, even if he wanted to get off, it would be impossible.
We can only wait until we take Fire Dragon Pass before making any decisions.
Time flies, and two days have passed in the blink of an eye.
Today is the agreed-upon day for the three armies to attack the city and break through the pass.
"Is it almost time?" Chen Shijie stood atop a large tree, gazing at the Astral Wind Layer. "There's still an hour until Xu Shi (7-9 PM), but it's about time. We're in the Guannan section; judging by the time, the fighting outside should have started by now."
"I think so too." Zhao Xing grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth. "In that case, let's prepare to blow up the city! Send Basida to the heavens!"
One more chapter to go!