Seizing the Cauldron

That's Mayi!

Following the Xiong State's army, Zhang Xuezhou and his group found the location of this small border town for raising horses.

From the encampment, one could still see some disturbed flocks of sheep running around in all directions.

This is the territory of the Great Han Dynasty, where the vast plains begin to give way to the grasslands, forming a long and narrow region surrounded by mountains.

"I'm not sure where the Han Kingdom army is lying in ambush, but they're definitely lying in ambush!"

Relying on the centurion who was replaced by the new emperor, and wearing face masks to shield themselves from the wind and sand, Zhang Xuezhou and his group kept moving around.

Having heard the news from the centurion, they were also summoned to the ten-thousand-man commander for reprimand.

The thousand-man legion of the Xiong State has a cultivation level of around the Divine Ability Realm, and there are a hundred people in the legion, but there are only ten ten-thousand-man legion leaders.

Each commander of ten thousand men was responsible for a cavalry regiment of ten thousand men, and each commander was a military strategist, no longer relying on simple brute force.

Surrounding these Wan Chang were groups of skilled cultivators, and Zhang Xuezhou could even spot some familiar figures.

These powerful cultivators included Venerables and Dharma Masters from the Yedie River Holy Land, Great Demonic Birds from the Xieluosi River Holy Land, and Great Demonic Beasts from the Nine Spirits Holy Land.

Above the Wanzhang are the Da Danghu, Da Duwei, Guduhou, Da Jiang, Zuo You Guli Wang, etc. These officials are responsible for issuing orders and charging into battle. They are also elite small groups that gather many cultivators and experts.

Looking around, one could see that the elite forces of the Xiong State's royal family were almost all gathered in one place.

While listening to the young border guard's repeated recounting of his surrender, Zhang Xuezhou also met the Great Khan, whom he had seen several times before.

The opponent's body was still burly and looked incredibly strong, but it now had several short, protruding horns on its head.

It wasn't the horned helmet that the new emperor and others wore on their heads, but something that actually grew on their heads. The other person had layers of strange colored stripes on their body, or it seemed to be covered with layers of cracked keratin.

Perhaps Zhang Xuezhou stared at it for a couple of seconds longer, because he saw the Great Zhang Xuezhou's gaze sweep over him quickly.

This made him quickly lower his head.

If their identities are revealed in this area, it won't give them any chance to retrieve the Sky Shuttle, nor will it allow them to control their Law Treasure to take to the sky.

Zhang Xuezhou could still fly up immediately, at most taking a few dozen arrows before running away; the new emperor would inevitably perish here.

"That centurion has a murderous look in his eyes; he's a fine man from our Xiong State, not bad!"

The Great Chanyu's gaze swept over Zhang Xuezhou, then focused on the new emperor.

The new emperor couldn't understand the Xiong State's language, but he could understand the voice of the young Han Kingdom border guard who had been arrested and paraded by the chief.

If a gaze could kill the young general who spilled the news, the new emperor's gaze would be enough to kill him dozens of times over.

When their eyes met, the new emperor's gaze was filled with murderous intent, which made the Great Chanyu nod repeatedly.

"I know you all want to achieve great things and seize Mayi before winter arrives, but the Great Han people want to emulate Lord Wu'an, Li Mu, and ambush us again!" the Great Chanyu shouted. "That battle caused our Xiong State to lose 100,000 elite troops, and we haven't recovered for decades. How can we repeat that now!"

"As long as we don't move, the Great Han army's ambush won't dare to move!" Crown Prince Yu Dan, wearing a seven-feathered golden crown, shouted. "But we still have things to do. The Great Chanyu needs to select brave warriors to charge into Mayi and retrieve the heavy cauldron there. With this cauldron, we will have an inexhaustible supply of elixirs!"

"Anyone who participates in the battle for the cauldron in Mayi will be promoted one rank below the rank of general and rewarded with ten spirit pills; those above the rank of general will be rewarded with one hundred spirit pills and will be qualified to go to the Yedie River Holy Land to invite the Venerable One to make medicine," the Great Chanyu said, raising his arms.

"Warriors, step forward!"

Left Wise King Hulugu raised his arms and shouted, his eyes scanning back and forth among the many generals.

Some officers, undeterred by the stares, were itching to step forward; others picked up their weapons and spurred their horses forward; still others lowered their heads.

Charging into Mayi City requires extremely high individual bravery and skill; the slightest mistake could result in casualties.

The generals of the Xiong State were not the main players in this contest; they were more like pawns. The real protagonists were the cultivators and experts from the three Sacred Land.

The cultivators of the Sacred Land are an important part of the Xiong State's fighting force. More importantly, many of their lineages originate from the Sacred Land and involve heavenly materials and earthly treasures, elixirs, and so on. The power and relationships involved are intertwined, and even the royal family cannot act independently and can only continuously cooperate with the Sacred Land.

For example, this operation to seize the cauldron was coordinated with the operation of the Sacred Land; the fighting to obtain wealth and food was secondary.

This is also the main reason why the Xiong State's army did not retreat after learning of the ambush, but instead continued to confront the enemy.

The affairs of the Xiong State can be neglected, but the affairs of the Sacred Land must be completed.

"Very good, very good!"

People stepped forward from time to time, and the Left Wise King Hulugu, would clap her hands from time to time.

However, if the Left Wise King Hulugu, were to step forward personally, he certainly wouldn't do such a thing.

This wasn't just true for him; many high-ranking officials and generals were no different. Only a few brainless, brave high-ranking officials excitedly rode off, while those with even a modicum of intelligence didn't rush out.

"Junchen, your men don't seem to follow the Sacred Land's orders very well!"

Only when the faint voice came did Hulugu's heart tighten suddenly.

"I don't need all of your royal experts to rush in, but you must send at least 30% of your truly capable fighters. If you ruin our plans, you'll be in big trouble!"

Beside the Great Chanyu, an old man draped in black robes removed his hood and directly warned the Great Chanyu.

The Great Chanyu nodded with pursed lips, and then slowly drew his 1.2-meter-long horse-slaying saber from behind him.

"I will go myself," the Great Khan said in a low voice.

"The army needs someone to oversee things here. If you stay, no one will say anything," said the old man in black robes.

"Without my participation, I cannot meet the requirement of being one of the top 30% of the experts!"

The Great Chanyu's face showed a slight bitterness, but he straightened his body and urged the demon horse with its red fur beneath him to gradually walk to the forefront of the charging group.

"Walk!"

While officers of the rank of centurion are at the bottom in such situations, joining the elite suicide squad is not a problem, especially with the Great Chanyu setting an example at this moment. It is perfectly normal for them to be 'excited' and accompany him.

Having overheard everything, Zhang Xuezhou quickly nudged the solemn new emperor, signaling him to spur his horse forward immediately.

The new emperor was still somewhat confused about what these people were talking about, but he acted swiftly.

Wearing a mask to shield him from the wind and sand, and a long ram's horn helmet, he spurred his horse forward, passing many people, and almost immediately took the lead.

There were quite a few people with their speed of action, including experts from various official positions such as centurion, thousand-manager, ten-thousand-manager, and chief steward, accompanied by their personal guards.

Zhang Xuezhou and his group acted quickly and were not squeezed at the back, making it difficult for them to pass.

"You... you... you..."

When the Left Wise King Hulugu, kept pointing at people, she hesitated for a moment, glancing at the new emperor's crown several times, and then at the long sword hidden under the new emperor's sleeve. In the end, she nodded and let the new emperor enter.

They did not succeed in replacing the commanders of thousands and tens of thousands, but eventually they entered the core group without having to wait in the fierce cavalry legion.