On the day of the autumnal equinox, the first snow of this winter has fallen at the northern foot of Mount Wula, three hundred miles away from Xinyang Pass.
The snow was not heavy, and the fine snowflakes swirled in the cold wind and fell on the withered yellow meadow. They quickly melted away, leaving only wet and cold traces. But in the valley where the Northern Di king's tent was located, the snow was already up to the ankles.
The king's tent was three feet high, made of thirty-six hardwoods, covered with three layers of thick felt, and decorated with wolf heads, eagle feathers and yak tails. Inside the tent, eighteen butter lamps illuminated the huge space, but they could not dispel the bone-chilling chill - half of this chill came from the wind and snow outside the tent, and half came from the oppressive atmosphere inside the tent.
Northern Di King Yelü Hongshan was sitting on a low couch covered with intact white bear skin, wrapped in a dark purple mink fur. He was not tall, and was even a little short. Among the generally burly Di People generals, he sat there inconspicuously. But among the more than thirty generals above the rank of captain in the tent, no one dared to look directly into his eyes.
Those deep-set eyes, with a strange grayish-yellow color, are very much like the snow eagle that hovers at the top of Mount Wula all year round. When the gaze sweeps across, even the most unruly warriors will subconsciously tense their backs.
Fifty-three-year-old Yelü Hongshan looks much older than his actual age. His cheeks are sunken and his lips have stern lines from being pursed all the time. But when he spoke, his voice was still loud and steady, with unquestionable majesty:
"Everyone is here?"
"Your Majesty, all the commanders and above from all the ministries are here." The first one from the left, a strong man with a beard on his face and an empty left arm, responded in a deep voice. Helian Zheng, Iron Pagoda commander, Yelü Hongshan is the most Sharpness sword under his command.
Yelü Hongshan nodded slightly. He stood up slowly - this action seemed to cost him a lot of energy, but after standing still, his back was still straight. He walked to the huge sand table in the center of the tent, on which clay and wood blocks were piled up to represent the terrain of Xinyang Pass and the surrounding three hundred miles.
"Five years." He said, his gray eyes staring at the small wooden city representing Xinyang Pass on the sand table, "Five years ago, we lost 30,000 warriors here and were forced to retreat to the north of Mount Wula. In the past five years, some people think that I am old and afraid, and do not dare to look south again."
His voice was not loud, but every word struck everyone's ears like iron nails. "Today, I tell you - it's not that I don't dare, I'm waiting."
His skinny finger pointed at the position of Xinyang Pass on the sand table. "Wait until our Iron Pagoda is perfected, wait until Night Scouts's blades are sharpened, wait until Great Xuan people relax their vigilance, thinking that we will just rob the autumn grain and then go back to the grassland."
"Now," he raised his head, his eyes scanning every face like a hawk, "The time has come."
There was dead silence in the tent, except for the crackling of the butter lamp wick Bursting.
Yelü Hongshan took out a roll of sheepskin from his arms and slowly unfolded it. It was a summary of Northern Di's troops, provisions, and supplies.
"Fifteen days later, the army will set off." His voice suddenly rose, "I will personally lead the army and take my eldest son Yelü Yun with me, and the whole family will go south! In this battle, we don't want prisoners, we don't want property - we only want Xinyang Pass, we want Li Xun's heads, we will fight all the way to the Great Xuan capital, and drag their emperor down from the Golden Palace!"
He paused, his breath slightly confused, but he immediately regained his composure. "For this battle, a total of five hundred thousand elites, auxiliary soldiers, and slaves have been gathered from all departments. Among them -" He looked at Helian Zheng, "Iron Pagoda two thousand, and you will be the commander of the army, and you will be the vanguard of the entire army."
Helian Zheng knelt down on one knee and beat his chest with his right fist. "Xinyang Pass!"
"Three thousand Night Scouts, disperse and go out, intercept and kill all Great Xuan's scouts and messengers, and make them blind and deaf."
A general as tall and thin as a bamboo pole with a pale face bowed. "As ordered."
"Fifty thousand cavalry, divided into three groups: left, center and right. After breaking through the barrier, they did not enter the city, but passed through the city, inserted directly into the rear of the Great Xuan army formation, divided and surrounded them, so that they could not look at each other from head to tail."
The three tough cavalry generals agreed in unison.
"Eighty thousand infantrymen will follow up to wipe out the remaining enemies and stabilize the front." Yelü Hongshan looked at the other generals, "The rest of the auxiliary soldiers and slaves will escort the food, grass, equipment, and build fortifications. In this battle, you can only advance, and you are not allowed to retreat. Anyone who steps back will behead the entire clan!"
"No!" The generals in the tent roared in unison, the sound shaking the felt tent.
Yelü Hongshan slowly sat back on the couch. His breath was a little short, but he held on to prevent his hands from shaking. He looked at his eldest son Yelü Yun, a twenty-six-year-old young man standing beside him, as burly as a bear. His eyes Scorching Heat were a little less deep.
"Yun'er." He called.
"Father!" Yelü Yun took a step forward.
"In this battle, you will follow my army. Watch more and learn more." Yelü Hongshan stared into his son's eyes, "Your knife is sharp enough, but when and where to use it is more important than the knife itself."
"My son understands!"
Yelü Hongshan waved his hand. "Get ready. Fifteen days later, at sunrise, the army will set off."
The generals filed out. When the last person left, the heavy felt curtain of the king's tent fell, and Yelu Hongshan coughed violently, one after another, heartbreaking. He took out a piece of white silk and covered his mouth. When he took it away again, the silk was stained with dark red blood spots.
The old medical officer standing by the side hurriedly stepped forward, but was stopped by Yelü Hongshan.
"It doesn't matter." He hissed and threw the blood-stained silk into the brazier. "You can't die yet. At least... you have to see Xinyang Pass broken."
The old medical officer knelt down with tears streaming down his face.
Three days later, inside Xinyang Pass, the General's Mansion.
General Li Xun stood in the courtyard, looking up at the gloomy sky. Snowflakes were falling sporadically, and they melted when he touched his face. He stretched out his hand, caught a snowflake, and watched it melt quickly in the palm of his hand.
"Three hundred miles outside the pass, snow has accumulated." He murmured.
Behind him, the commander of the soldiers whispered, "General, we just received the message from Fei Ge, and a large-scale Di People assembly was found north of Mount Wula. The number of people... is probably no less than 400,000."
"It's not 400,000." Li Xun turned around, his eyes calm, "It's 500,000. Yelü Hongshan moved all the money out of the house."
He walked back into the house, where a huge Northern Frontier map was spread on the long desk. On the map, Xinyang Pass was like a nail, nailed into the north-south strategic point.
"We can't hold on." Li Xun pointed his finger across the open space in front of Xinyang Pass, "Defend the city, we can hold it. But Yelü Hongshan is not here to plunder this time, he is here to destroy the country. Once the barrier is broken, there is no danger to defend behind. The three hundred miles of plains are enough for his cavalry to crush our infantry."
"The general means..."
"Come out of the pass and fight in the field." Li Xun's voice was decisive, "Let's fight him in the open space in front of the pass."
The commander of the soldiers took a breath of cold air. "But Di People's troops are several times stronger than mine, and Iron Pagoda..."
"That's why we have to leave the customs." Li Xun stared at the map, "In the land in front of the customs, we dug trenches, deployed horses, and set up traps in advance. Our Horse-Slaying Sickle is prepared for Iron Pagoda. Our Armor Piercing cones are prepared for heavy armored cavalry."
He raised his head and said, "Here's the order: From now on, all auxiliary soldiers and civilians will work day and night to dig three staggered trenches within three miles of the pass. Behind the trenches, horseback troops and caltrops will be deployed. There will be 20,000 cavalry battalions, 20,000 heavy armored infantry, and ordinary infantry. One hundred thousand, all of them are out of customs and arrayed. Craftsmen's Camp Work quickly. I want to see five hundred Horse-Slaying Sickle and ten thousand Armor Piercing cones arriving at the front line within ten days."
"In addition," he paused, "Let Formation-Breaking Second Camp from Li Zhenwei, as well as elite commanders drawn from each battalion, form thirty mobile teams. Their only mission is to hunt down Night Scouts and protect our eyes."
"Yes!"
The order was passed down like snowflakes. The entire Xinyang Pass, like a huge and sophisticated war machine, began to operate at full speed.
Outside the pass, the auxiliary soldiers and civilians were digging trenches in the biting cold wind. The frozen soil was as hard as iron, and a pickaxe could only dig out a white mark. But no one dared to stop. The supervisor's whip was behind them. The trenches spread across the earth like ugly scars.
In Craftsmen's Camp, Qin Tiexin has not slept for three days. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were covered with burns and blisters, but the rhythm of forging was not disrupted at all. Zhou Cang is sitting in a wheelchair, staring at every link; Zhou Nan is responsible for recording each batch of iron materials and each process to ensure quality. Their faces blackened by smoke reflected in the fire are like the Dharma Protectors enshrined in the temple.
Ten days later, the quenching of the 500th handle Horse-Slaying Sickle was completed. Qin Tiexin personally installed it on the wooden pole, tightened it with iron hoops, and then walked to the testing site.
There were twenty hard wooden stakes covered with double-layered cowhide standing on the field. He took a deep breath, Treading Step, and waved his sickle.
"Click! Click! Click..."
There were eleven crisp sounds in a row. At the twelfth wooden stake, cracks appeared at the root of the curved blade, but the wooden pole was still intact.
"It's done." Qin Tiexin said hoarsely.
Behind him, Clerk Wang burst into tears. "Five hundred handles... that's enough, that's enough."
In the afternoon of the same day, five hundred Horse-Slaying Sickle and 10,000 thickened Armor Piercing cones arrived at the front line. Also arriving at the same time were grain, grass, chariots, and arrows urgently transported from the rear. Inside and outside Xinyang Pass, military tents stretched for ten miles, and smoke continued all day long.
On the eve of the decisive battle, the Great Xuan military formation outside the pass has taken initial shape.
Behind the three staggered trenches are densely packed horsebacks and traps. Further back, there is a square formation of 20,000 heavy armored infantry. They are wearing armor and holding long spears and large shields, like a city wall made of iron. On both sides of the heavy armored infantry are 20,000 cavalry. The horses are stamping their hooves restlessly, spitting out clouds of white steam. One hundred thousand ordinary infantry are arranged in the rear, with crossbowmen, sword and shield bearers, and spearmen taking their positions.
In front of the formation, three hundred selected Horse-Slaying Sickle hands stood quietly. They were all strong men selected from each battalion, with an average height of eight feet and arms as thick as legs. Next to each person stood a Horse-Slaying Sickle that was two feet long, and the curved blade glowed coldly in the gloomy sky.
Ten people Qin Tiexin and Team A are on the right wing of the heavy armored infantry phalanx. They are one of the thirty mobile teams. Their mission is to cruise on the flanks after the battle begins and kill any Di People that breaks through the line.
The night was getting darker, and the north wind was howling. Qin Tiexin was leaning against a sidecar, slowly chewing hard biscuits. Tu Dazhu was sitting next to him, sharpening the edge of his big axe, making a soft "chacha" sound.
Zhao Ling checked the quiver and counted them one by one. Lin Feng closed his eyes to relax and took a long breath. Chen San used a short knife to sharpen a wooden stick, cutting it very thin. Li Shun raised his head and twitched his nose slightly. "There is the smell of rust in the wind, and... the smell of horse manure, a lot."
Shi Meng came over and looked at each one without saying a word. He just patted everyone on the shoulder. When Qin Tiexin was patted, he paused and said, "Has your knife been sharpened?"
Qin Tiexin swallowed the last bite of the cake and nodded. "It's good."
"Okay." Shi Meng said hoarsely, "Let it drink enough tomorrow."
It's daybreak. But there's no sun.
Lead-gray clouds hung low in the sky, as if they were about to collapse at any time. The cold wind carried sand dust and scattered snow particles, lashing the soldiers' faces. In the wilderness in front of the pass, 150,000 Great Xuan soldiers lined up in solemn silence.
At the end of the horizon, there was a muffled thunderous sound first. It was not thunder, but thousands of horse hooves trampling the ground at the same time.
Then, a black tide slowly spread across the horizon.
The tide is getting closer and closer, getting wider and wider, and finally turns into an overwhelming black tide - The Northern Di army is coming.
At the forefront is a moving steel city wall.
Iron Pagoda.
Two thousand Iron Pagoda, both men and horses were wearing heavy armor. Only the eye slits and muzzles of the war horses were exposed. The knights were wrapped in cold wrought iron armor, and even their fingers were covered with iron rings. They were not advancing fast, but the ground was shaking with every step they took. The friction of the heavy armor made a "click, click, click" sound, like the dragging sound of chains coming from hell.
Iron Pagoda After that, there are 50,000 cavalry, divided into three lines on the left, center and right, like spread out black wings. After that, there is an infantry phalanx, with flags like a forest. Finally, there are endless auxiliary soldiers and slaves, driving ox carts, pack horses, and transporting siege equipment.
Northern Di is in the middle of the army. Under a three-foot-tall wolf-headed banner, Yelü Hongshan is wearing armor and holding a knife, standing on a chariot. His face is pale, but his eyes are still as sharp as an eagle. The eldest son Yelü Yun is guarding him on horseback, licking his lips excitedly.
"Father, they are leaving the city!" Yelü Yun pointed to the Great Xuan military formation in the distance.
"Just right." Yelü Hongshan sneered, "We don't have to attack the city. The order is sent: Iron Pagoda charges directly at the central army, and the cavalry flanks it. Today, I want the blood of Li Xun to water this land."
The trumpet sounds.
Iron Pagoda starts to accelerate.
It was a slow walk at first, then a trot, and finally it turned into a charge! Two thousand armored horses galloped at the same time, and the sound was no longer muffled thunder, but mountains and ground cracking! The earth was wailing, the sand and stones were beating, and even the air was trembling!
At the front of the Great Xuan military formation, three hundred Horse-Slaying Sickle held their breath. They could feel the vibrations coming from under their feet, they could see the steel city wall getting closer and closer, and they could smell the strong smell of horse sweat and rust in the wind. Some hands were shaking, some legs were shaking, but no one stepped back.
A hundred steps!
Fifty steps!
Thirty steps!
Iron Pagoda had already rushed through the first trench, which they had temporarily filled with sandbags and wooden planks. Although they slowed down, they did not stop. They ran into the Juma, and the armored war horses neighed and smashed the Juma to pieces and flattened them!
"Horse-Slaying Sickle--" A hoarse command came from the formation.
Three hundred people squatted down at the same time, holding the long pole with both hands and pointing the curved blade diagonally forward!
The next moment, the torrent of steel hit us!
"Hook!"
Three hundred Horse-Slaying Sickle were swung at the same time!
That's not chopping, it's hooking, dragging, pulling! The curved blade accurately hooks into the joint of the armored war horse's front leg, and uses the force of the horse's forward thrust to pull hard!
"Click! Click! Click..."
The harsh sound of gold and iron rubbing against each other, the sound of bones cracking, and the whine of war horses all rang out in an instant!
Iron Pagoda, the more than a hundred knights who were charging at the front, had their front legs broken at knee level! The heavy armored warhorse fell down suddenly, throwing the knight on its back violently! The following Iron Pagoda failed to catch up, trampled on the corpses of their comrades and continued to charge. For the first time, the formation was in chaos!
But there were too many Iron Pagodas. Only a hundred riders fell, and the following 1,800 riders continued to push forward like a wall! They stepped over the corpses of their comrades, stepped over the broken Horse-Slaying Sickles, and stepped over the sicklemen who could not retreat in time - more than a dozen Great Xuan soldiers were trampled into pulp in an instant!
"Gun array--top!"
The heavy armored infantry phalanx pressed forward with a roar! There were a forest of spears, pointing diagonally forward! The shield bearer in the front row slammed the big shield into the ground and held it firmly with his shoulders!
"Boom!!!"
The torrent of steel hit the steel city wall!
At that moment, time seemed to stand still. Then, a loud noise broke out! The sound of shattered shields, broken spears, broken bones, and dying screams all mixed into a scalp-numbing death symphony!
The heavy armored infantry in the front row were knocked away like straw, but the back row immediately made up for it! The spears stabbed wildly, looking for gaps in the armor! Armor Piercing cones pierced out from the gaps in the shields, specifically piercing the belly of horses and human eyes!
At the moment of contact, the battle entered the most brutal stage of meat grinding.
Right wing, Qin Tiexin holds Edgeless tightly.
He saw that Iron Pagoda's charge was delayed, but he also saw that the heavy armored infantry phalanx was retreating steadily. What was even more troublesome was that Di People's cavalry on both wings had begun to outflank the formation, trying to get behind the formation.
"Team A!" Shi Meng roared, "Follow me! Specialized in killing singles Iron Pagoda!"
Ten people were like arrows leaving the string, cutting into the battlefield from the flank.
Qin Tiexin was the first to bump into a lone Iron Pagoda. The knight had just stood up from the fallen horse and was wielding a scimitar to kill the surrounding Great Xuan infantry. Seeing Qin Tiexin rushing towards him, he roared and slashed down with the scimitar!
Qin Tiexin doesn't dodge or dodge, Edgeless uses "Mountain Collapse", fierce flirting from bottom to top!
"Clang--!!!"
The swords and armor collided, and sparks flew out! Iron Pagoda was knocked back three steps even with his armor, and the scimitar almost came off! He looked at Qin Tiexin in shock - what kind of monster strength is this?
At the moment when he was stunned, Lin Feng passed by him like a ghost, and the long sword accurately penetrated the gap in his armpit armor, and immediately retreated. Iron Pagoda screamed and fell to his knees. Chen San added another knife and cut his throat.
"Next!" Shi Meng commanded in a hissing voice.
Team A shuttled flexibly on the chaotic battlefield, specifically picking out those Iron Pagoda who were separated from the group and injured alone. Tu Dazhu shield withstood the impact, Qin Tiexin heavy sword Armor Piercing, Lin Feng, Chen San delivered the fatal blow, Zhao Ling, Li Shun provided remote support, and the rest of the people took over to provide support. The ten people were like precision daggers, tearing open tiny wounds in the torrent of steel.
But the wound was too small.
The main force of Iron Pagoda is still advancing. The heavy armored infantry phalanx has retreated more than a hundred steps, suffering heavy casualties. The Di People cavalry on both wings has engaged the Great Xuan cavalry, sabers against sabers, and flesh and blood flying everywhere.
In the sky, lead clouds are lower.
The first snowflake fell quietly.
It fell on Qin Tiexin's blood-stained shoulder armor, melted instantly, and dripped down mixed with blood.
He gasped for breath, Edgeless Saber dropped to his knees, and looked at the seemingly endless black tide ahead.
This is the beginning.