Chongshan Pass was not merely a pass—it was a fortified pass city.
Its walls stood four zhang high, wedged between two mountain peaks and connected to the Thousandfold Mountains, like a terrifying colossal beast lying prone amid the ranges.
The Zhenbiao Front, Middle, and Rear Battalions guarded the pass city, while the camps of the Zhenbiao Left and Right Battalions stood outside it, forming horns to support one another.
Since the great battle at Heiyun Mountain twenty years ago, Chongshan Pass had expanded continuously from its original form as a mere pass, and more and more commoners had settled both inside and outside the city.
By now, Chongshan Pass was divided into two parts. North City was the original pass city and the garrison site of the Town Garrison Camp, while South City was where the commoners lived.
Chongshan Pass City had once been the most prosperous city in the Northern Territory, but after the Hu Cavalry's previous incursion, it had become considerably more desolate.
Yet even in its decline, Chongshan Pass City was still far beyond comparison with the small county town of Anning County.
The merchant caravan traveled rather slowly, and it took Yang Zhengshan and the others three days to reach the foot of Chongshan Pass City.
On horseback, they could have arrived in a single day. Even by carriage, they could have set out at dawn and arrived by dusk.
But traveling with the long merchant caravan took three days. The wagons were all laden with goods and could not move swiftly, so their pace was actually about the same as walking.
Yang Zhengshan had chosen to travel with the merchant caravan because this was their first time going to Chongshan Pass.
The convoy slowly entered the pass city. Yang Mingzhi and the other young men