The Battle of Tiannan Pass was crucial in determining whether Jiangnan could annex the southeast!
All of Jiangnan's top officials are now focused on this battle, especially those in the Underworld.
At this moment, within the Underworld of Yunzhou, the six Underworld gathered together, and all the forces of the Underworld were concentrated in one place. With the presence of the six Underworld themselves, this can be said to be the battle in Jiangnan that has mobilized the largest amount of resources so far.
"You two generals have worked hard."
On the front lines, the corpses of demons piled up like mountains, and the stench permeated the entire battlefield. Many who were participating in the Underworld war for the first time could not understand why, even though they were all spirits, they were still exploding with the flesh and blood of human bodies.
At this moment, two Yaksha generals, each two zhang tall, slowly walked back, revealing their true forms. Covered in flesh and blood, they exuded an intense ferocity, clearly indicating that they had just committed a great massacre.
Murong Bingyun saw this clearly. He had just witnessed these two Yaksha generals slaughter tens of thousands of demon troops and defend the southwest front with just the two of them. Their strength shocked him so much that he couldn't recover for a long time.
Is this the legendary Transcendent power?
He'd heard that the Dragon Palace possessed quite a few such powers, and he suddenly felt a surge of gratitude towards Princess Ao Zhen. If it weren't for her suppression, the West Sea Army would never have been able to subdue such a monster, would they?
"Haha, thank you for your hard work!" A voice even more childish than hers rang out from behind. Murong Bingyun curled her lips. Without turning around, she knew it was her unreliable boss: Shen Shiyi!
"Greetings, Lord of the Underworld." The two Yaksha were much more polite now, showing some respect for Shen Shiyi.
"You're too kind, we're all brothers, no need to be so formal in the future." Shen Shiyi casually, awkwardly imitating the forthrightness of those battlefield generals, which made Murong Bingyun and the judge next to her feel uncomfortable.
However, the two Yaksha didn't care; they were already quite content to be valued.
If Chen Ying were here, she would definitely recognize that these two Yaksha were the same two who escorted them to the capital some time ago. They died tragically because they did not expect the power of Wutu Gu of the Southern Barbarians, but the miraculous binding of the Divine Path Style allowed their spirits to be instantly pulled back to Jiangnan after their deaths, something neither of them had anticipated.
When they were recruited, they were unexpectedly assigned to Yunzhou, which made Shen Shiyi extremely happy. He distributed the extra Power of Faith to the two of them as if it were free, just to cultivate two majestic Ghost General. Yaksha's talent did not disappoint Shen Shiyi. After a large amount of Power of Faith was poured into them, their strength improved by leaps and bounds, and they were almost at the level of true dragons.
This is why the two of them showed great respect to Shen Shiyi. After all, he was different from Tian Heng in the West Sea; he was genuinely willing to invest resources in them, and they deeply appreciated this kindness.
Moreover, I've heard that the Underworld has a Samsara system, so even if they die in battle again, they can Samsara once more. With such a guarantee, what reason is there to complain?
"It's been nine days already!" The judge approached, gazing into the distance. " Tian Heng has captured four cities in five days, an astonishing achievement. However, at Tiannan Pass, the stalemate has lasted for four whole days. It seems this final pass won't be easy to take."
"Who says otherwise?" Shen Shiyi sighed, looking at the mountain of evil spirit corpses in the distance. He was also anxious. He had originally planned for a protracted battle, but the consumption was greater than he had imagined.
Even with the combined efforts of several major Underworld, utilizing all available combat forces and even temporarily employing Underworld secret techniques to mobilize Fighter Army from the mortal realm as underworld soldiers, they still found it extremely difficult.
There are too many evil spirits, and so far no big ones have appeared. Heavenly Capital is terrifying. If this continues, we can only hold on for five more days at most, and then the soldiers will be completely exhausted.
The Jiangnan is rich in martial prowess, and the living corpses left behind by the Ancient Insect were basically wiped out by the Fighter Army. In addition, the north is in conflict with the Giant Python Legion, and the casualty rate is actually not low. Over the years, each of the major Underworld has tens of thousands of the Fighter Army stationed there.
But this was built up over several years; this loss means who knows how long it will take to rebuild.
"To be honest, this territory is already quite large, isn't it?" Shen Shiyi sighed. "Since we can't take it all in, why not slow down for now? The evil spirits in the southeast have already gathered information, and their numbers are increasing. If this continues, we won't be able to hold out for more than a few days."
"We cannot give up." A voice rang out from behind, its tone rigid and serious. Shen Shiyi knew without turning around that it was Wei Gongcheng, the only Underworld official in Liuzhou whose surname was not Shen.
"Why, Lord Wei?" Shen Shiyi rolled his eyes. He didn't understand why his brothers would ask him to come with him, since their personalities were clearly incompatible.
" Tiannan Pass is mainly for defense against the Southern Wilderness Kingdoms. Although the southeast is mostly mountainous, a pass as large and natural as Tiannan Pass is extremely rare. Once it is captured, the Southern Wilderness Kingdoms will need five times the military strength to launch another attack. If this pass is surrendered, the southeast will become a gateway that can be invaded at any time."
"Although the southeast isn't as flat as the north, and most cities are built on mountains, the problem is that the Southern Wilderness is full of barbarian soldiers skilled in mountain climbing. The environment here is just as comfortable for those cavalrymen in the north, who thrive on flat terrain. The master's plan is to make this area a rear granary for the forces, and will make extensive use of Mountain God. As it is a rear granary location, it must be secure. Otherwise, if the Southern Barbarians attack and plunder from time to time, won't the grain produced belong to someone else?"
"Is it really that exaggerated?" Shen Shiyi scoffed. "It's like you're saying we couldn't win without that obstacle. Didn't you see how the West Sea Army slaughtered those Southern Barbarians like chickens and dogs? If it weren't for the Alliance of several major powers, how could they possibly stop the West Sea Army?"
"That's not how it's calculated." Wei Gongcheng patiently explained to the mischievous child, " The West Sea Army has deployed its absolute elite this time, which can almost be said to be the most advanced combat force in Jiangnan. According to my intelligence, the soldiers who kneel and worship at the Ghost Temple in the Southern Wilderness, especially in the Wutu Kingdom, are growing rapidly. Many of their elite units are comparable to our Fighter Army, and they are still getting stronger. The North already needs a large number of troops, and the Fighter Army is almost entirely in the North. The West Sea Army will also be withdrawing later to continue developing the West Sea Island."
"The southeast won't be able to supply many soldiers in the future. Under such circumstances, a strategic pass is crucial. Nowadays, the cities in the southeast aren't very high, and many Southern Barbarians can easily jump up to them, rendering them useless for defense. Only Tiannan Pass stands out."
Murong Bingyun, standing to the side, nodded in agreement. Tiannan Pass a complex terrain and its city walls were over ten zhang high, making it the largest defensive fortification built by the Great Jin. If it could be captured and equipped with powerful gatekeepers, even if the Southern Wilderness had reached the level of the Fighter Army, it would not be easy for them to breach it.
The large amount of troops saved can then be used to focus on defense against the north and the imperial court.
" Jiangnan will definitely need to expand its army in the future, but with the current military strength, if we can't take Tiannan Pass, we simply can't defend the southeast. Then all the efforts of these past few days, and all the soldiers lost by the Underworld, will have been for nothing!"
"Is it that serious?" Shen Shiyi asked somewhat awkwardly.
After all, he had actually considered giving up just now, but he didn't expect that failing to clear even one level would have such serious consequences.
"Unless we suffer a crushing defeat, we will not retreat," Wei Gongcheng said in a low voice. "Cheer up! Whether it takes five days or ten, we must hold this place for our lord!"
--
"This is a bit troublesome."
At the foot of Tiannan Pass, gazing at the massive pass and the densely packed Southern Barbarians soldiers on the city walls, both Tian Heng and Chen Qing felt an immense headache coming on.
Logically speaking, the Southern Barbarians should not be good at defending cities, but after three consecutive days of fierce attacks, they could not break through. The enemy's advances and retreats were well-planned, and they seemed quite experienced, especially in dealing with defenses against Transcendent forces.
"There's a master inside," Tian Heng sighed. "It'll be very difficult to take him down by force."
Chen Qing also frowned and bit his fingers. Tiannan Pass had to be captured, otherwise the losses of the past few days would be in vain, and it would also be a huge blow to morale. Since Jiangnan gained power, it had never lost a single foreign war. If it retreated now, it would be a major defeat. The already contradictory internal situation might develop cracks, and once cracks appeared, it would take a lot of effort to repair them.
In this current situation where the ancient past is about to fully recover, what is most lacking is time.
We must take this level!