Chapter 417 - 350: We of the Jin Kingdom Are Willing to Lend the Second Prince a Hand
Chapter 417: Chapter 350: We of the Jin Kingdom Are Willing to Lend the Second Prince a Hand
Two days later, Qin Siyao left Yanmen Pass. Although she was extremely reluctant to leave, she had left without the Sovereign of Qin’s permission. If she didn’t return soon, the Sovereign would surely be furious.
Besides, Qin Siyao felt it wasn’t appropriate for a woman like herself to remain in a military camp.
So, after careful consideration, Qin Siyao could only obediently leave with Hua Sheng.
After Qin Siyao’s departure, the date for the Northern Wilderness Army to set out drew ever closer.
The troops were well-rested, the provisions were fully stocked, and all preparations were complete.
Moreover, the Northern Wilderness Army had also incorporated a large number of surrendered soldiers.
These surrendered soldiers were scattered and distributed among the various units.
The reasoning for this was simple: as long as the army didn’t break, these new soldiers, led by veteran elites from the Qin Kingdom, would follow their lead and charge into battle.
If they were allowed to group together, however, their actions would be unpredictable, and they would inevitably start to harbor other intentions.
Eight days later, the Northern Wilderness Army advanced on Yue Tong Pass.
In Xiao Shi’s opinion, the only general in the Wei Kingdom worth fearing was Xiahou Nan.
But Xiahou Nan was likely still taking a circuitous route back toward the Wei Kingdom City.
Therefore, the general at Yue Tong Pass was no match for the Northern Wilderness Army. After all, not only were the troops well-fed and rested, but their morale was also soaring after conquering the Southern Realm.
The general defending Yue Tong Pass knew his own limits.
When the Northern Wilderness Army arrived, he simply sealed the gates and hunkered down to defend the city.
But unfortunately for him, Yue Tong Pass was breached by the Northern Wilderness Army in less than half a month.
With the fall of Yue Tong Pass, the Wei Kingdom was left wide open to the Northern Wilderness Army.
According to the original plan, Xiao Shi divided the Northern Wilderness Army into five columns, intending to advance on the Wei Kingdom City from five different directions.
However, Xiao Shi was still debating which general would be best suited to lead the attack on each front.
After all, Xiao Mo, Fang Weiming, Zhang Kui, and the other generals each had their own distinct command style, and the enemy generals and troop strengths they would face in each city also varied.
After a day of discussion, it was decided that Xiao Shi would lead the main army in a direct assault on the Wei Kingdom City from the north. The more aggressive generals like Zhang Kui and Yue Lie would command the forces on his flanks, but only as Vice Generals, deferring to the decisions of Huang Sifan and Fang Weiming on all matters.
The most prudent commanders, Liu Xing and Xiao Mo, were assigned to the army’s outer wings. They bore the heavy responsibility of both capturing cities and territory and protecting the main army from flanking attacks.
On the day before the army was to march, Xiao Mo heard a piece of news: the eldest young master of the Xiao Mansion had left the Taoshan Sect and would soon arrive at the Northern Wilderness Army’s camp to lend his strength to their cause.
Upon hearing this news, Xiao Yishen was inwardly thrilled.
He had been completely marginalized these past few days. In contrast, Xiao Mo’s status in the Northern Wilderness Army had only continued to rise, leaving Xiao Yishen feeling intensely resentful.
Now that his eldest brother was on his way to the Northern Wilderness Army, he naturally hoped his brother would back him up.
After all, his eldest brother was a cultivation genius. Not yet fifty years old, he was already a Mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator—and he was even the Closed-door Disciple of the Taoshan Sect’s Sect Leader!
’My eldest brother will definitely be able to replace Xiao Mo in the army,’ Xiao Yishen thought.
Xiao Mo, however, couldn’t care less about any of it.
’It doesn’t matter who comes,’ Xiao Mo thought. ’My job is just to lead my troops and fight. What does any of that have to do with me?’
At dawn on the third day after conquering Yue Tong Pass, Xiao Mo’s army was assembled and ready, waiting only for the order to march.
Less than a quarter-hour before they were due to set out, Xiao Yishen was ordered to relay a command to Xiao Mo.
As soon as Xiao Yishen arrived outside Xiao Mo’s encampment, he saw the two-hundred-fifty-thousand-man army arrayed in perfect, uniform ranks. An intense, murderous aura hung over them. From the Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry to the common Northern Wilderness Infantry, every soldier stood as still as a statue.
"Li Jing, where is Xiao Mo?" Xiao Yishen asked the man who had once been his Vice General.
Li Jing merely shot Xiao Yishen an indifferent glance before looking away and ignoring him completely.
’Li Jing always looked down on me,’ Xiao Yishen fumed internally. ’And now he’s ignoring me completely!’
Xiao Yishen felt utterly humiliated.
But Li Jing was a veteran general, so there was little Xiao Yishen could say. He swallowed his anger and, ignoring Li Jing, tried to walk through the military formation toward the main camp in the rear.
But he had barely taken a step forward when two newly promoted, unknown soldiers beside Li Jing crossed their Long Spears, blocking his path.
"You dare to stop me?!" Xiao Yishen’s fists clenched, his shoulders heaving with rage.
"How can we allow an outsider to break our military formation?" one of the soldiers, a man named Wang She, said coldly.
"I am the Second Young Master Xiao, son of Prince Zhenbei! A Vice General of the Northern Wilderness Army! Am I an outsider?" Xiao Yishen bit out through clenched teeth.
But the two soldiers still didn’t move their Long Spears. Their eyes were even filled with contempt.
"What is it?"
Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff, Xiao Mo rode up to the front of the formation on his Snow-Trampling Horse.
"General, Second Young Master Xiao is here to see you," Li Jing reported, cupping his fist in a salute.
From his high vantage point on horseback, Xiao Mo looked down at Xiao Yishen. "Second Brother, what is the matter?"
Xiao Yishen’s fists tightened. "King North Desolate has sent an order. On the Frost King’s line of march, you will encounter many Sects. If a Sect is willing to surrender, they may be spared. If they are not, you are to raze them to the ground."
"Understood." Xiao Mo nodded, taking out a mask and placing it over his face.
At the same time, all fifty thousand iron-clad riders of the Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry donned their Asura masks.
Seeing this, Xiao Yishen’s spirit trembled, and he subconsciously stepped back to the side of the formation.
It was as if these fifty thousand cavalrymen were all gods of slaughter.
"Northern Wilderness Army!" Xiao Mo’s voice boomed, carried by his Spiritual Power.
"HERE!" the Northern Wilderness Army roared in a deafening, unified cry.
"March!"
With Xiao Mo’s command, the two-hundred-fifty-thousand-man army surged forward like a mighty river.
Xiao Yishen stared blankly at the clouds of dust kicked up by the massive army.
The very army that he could never properly command... was a completely different beast in Xiao Mo’s hands.
’Am I really... inferior to him?’ Xiao Yishen’s fingernails dug into his palms. ’No! I refuse to believe I’m not as good as him!’
...
「Qin Kingdom, Imperial City.」
In the study of Second Prince Qin Jingyuan’s residence.
Qin Jingyuan poured a cup of tea for the scholar seated before him and spoke slowly. "What business does the Prime Minister of the Jin Kingdom have with a Prince of my Qin Kingdom?"
A short while ago, a scholar had arrived at the Second Prince’s residence and had a guard deliver a letter inside.
When Qin Jingyuan opened it, he found a handwritten letter from the Prime Minister of the Jin Kingdom, along with a token verifying the sender’s identity.
The corners of the scholar’s mouth lifted into a smile. "Second Prince, whether in terms of temperament, talent, or cultivation aptitude, you are far superior to the Eldest Prince. And yet, our Prime Minister has heard that the Eldest Prince is gaining more and more favor with the Sovereign of Qin, to the point where he may soon be named heir apparent. Can you, Second Prince, truly be content with that?"
Qin Jingyuan’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the man before him. "Do you have any idea what you’re saying?"
"Of course I do." The scholar smiled faintly. "If you are willing, Second Prince, my Jin Kingdom is prepared to lend you its strength!"