The Wilderness was a desolate expanse rarely visited by human beings, situated at the junction of three prefectures. It was a notorious deathtrap across several nearby provinces, with complex terrain shrouded in mist year-round.
The site of this military exercise wager between Marquis Xingqing and Marquis Anling was the Wilderness.
Within the Wilderness stood a small mountain less than a thousand meters high, known as Lei Ze Ridge. The key to victory in this exercise lay atop Lei Ze Ridge.
Whichever commander could seize and hold Lei Ze Ridge for one hour would win.
After the two sides' armies of ten thousand arrived in the Wilderness and underwent inspections by the other side's supervisory delegation, they entered a waiting period.
They waited for the various kings and marquises who had come to watch the battle.
Given the influence wielded by the two immensely powerful princes backing Marquis Xingqing and Marquis Anling, all the invited kings, marquises, and nobles arrived on schedule.
Some had even come several days early.
With Marquis Xingqing and Marquis Anling making every possible preparation, this wager had turned into a grand event among kings, dukes, and nobles. It had even become entangled in the struggle between certain factions.
The original cause of this wager had stemmed from the Human-Demon Battlefield.
The Great Zhou Empire prized merit above all else. Even imperial clansmen, even those who could effortlessly inherit noble titles through the lingering favor of their fathers, needed presentable military achievements if they wished to further elevate their ranks and obtain a good official post within the Great Zhou Empire.
Thus, several years ago, like most imperial clansmen and the children of many other kings, dukes, and nobles, Marquis Xingqing Ji Tao and Marquis Anling Ji Jia had gone to train on the front lines of