"What?"
Inside the Zhou Army's command tent, Nangong Shi stared intently at the ashen-faced messenger and asked in surprise, "The Chaoge Army has already reached Tong Pass?"
"Yes, General!"
The messenger saluted properly and lowered his head. "No one can get in or out of Sishui Pass. Our brothers had to cross mountains and ridges to get this news out, and it was no easy feat."
An army's movements were unlike other intelligence; they simply could not be concealed. Besides, Xiqi had planted covert agents inside Tong Pass long ago, so obtaining accurate information was not difficult.
"This makes things a little tricky. Is this report true?" Nangong Shi looked doubtful. "I thought King Zhou had little interest in the Western Expedition and intended to wait until Wen Zhong returned to court before deciding, which was why he kept delaying it. I never expected him to actually send troops."
The messenger said, "Yes! They reached Tong Pass from Chaoge in just three days. Had Your Humble Servant run any slower, the enemy might already have reached Sishui Pass!"
"Three days?" Nangong Shi exclaimed. "Wen Zhong took Chaoge's main force with him. Even if Chaoge sent troops on a Western Expedition, they could only be those newly recruited slaves. How well-trained could troops like that possibly be? How could they force-march from Chaoge to Tong Pass in three days?"
Lei Zhenzi also looked grave. "If we cannot breach the pass before the Chaoge Army arrives, I fear Sishui Pass will become very difficult to take."
He was not afraid of the Slave Army, but Chaoge had an extraordinary number of talented and unusual people. If a few generals arrived who were skilled in combat and knew some unorthodox arts, even he would struggle to deal with them. Then they might have