As the emotions of hatred gradually subsided, Xu Qi’an reassessed this campaign and suddenly felt a chill down his spine, a cold dread rising in his heart.
With his logical reasoning ability, after hearing Zhang Kaitai’s description, he had already replayed the entire campaign in his mind.
The core of this campaign was the Witch God.
It was a game and war centered around the Witch God.
Aiding the barbarians was just a superficial reason. What Wei Yuan truly wanted to do was deal with the Witch God (for unknown reasons), while the former emperor and the Witch Cult wanted to protect the Witch God.
Based on this, the Witch Cult’s strategy was:
The former emperor would hinder from behind. Once the army entered enemy territory, they would cut off supplies, exhausting Wei Yuan’s forces and pushing the Great Feng soldiers into an abyss of no return.
Then, two third-grade Spirit Wisdom Masters, one first-grade Grand Witch, and one second-grade Tribulation Crosser would deliver the final blow. As long as Wei Yuan’s forces were weakened to a certain extent, they would certainly make their move.
Wei Yuan’s response was to massacre cities along the way, supporting the war effort through plunder. Without supplies and military reinforcements, he pushed to the heartland of Yan, approaching the capital.
Then, he made a feint to the east while attacking from the west, taking the water route to outflank the enemy.
From this perspective, it seems Wei Yuan had anticipated that the court would hinder him. So from the beginning, he prepared for a quick war, leaving no way back, needing no supplies, plundering locally to support the war effort, and pushing directly to the Witch Cult’s stronghold.
In the final decisive battle, Wei Yuan faced four super-powerful experts. If he had merely been a second-grade martial artist, he wouldn’t have been able to defeat the four, let alone fight to the death with the Witch God.
Wei Yuan had considered this point as well; he had a trump card, which was the Confucian Sage.
“Everyone thought this campaign was to aid the barbarians and maintain balance. Who could have imagined there was an even deeper purpose behind it… The Witch Cult used the stratagem of ‘luring the tiger from the mountain,’ and Wei Yuan countered with his strategy, summoning the Confucian Sage to raze the Witch Cult’s main altar. The level of scheming and calculation involved is truly chilling…”
Xu Qi’an muttered to himself.
He still had a few unresolved doubts. For instance, since Wei Yuan was a martial artist who had achieved unity with the Dao, a terrifying expert beyond human levels, why had he kept a low profile for so many years, publicly declaring himself without cultivation, just an ordinary person?
And why did the former emperor want to join forces with the Witch Cult to kill Wei Yuan? Although a second-grade minister was indeed intimidating, could colluding with tigers lead to a good outcome?
Given Wei Yuan and the Empress’s relationship, the former emperor could have used this as leverage for negotiation. Moreover, with the Supervisor overseeing everything from above, maintaining overall stability wouldn’t have been difficult.
On the contrary, actively sending one’s own country’s soldiers and generals into the enemy’s maw would lead to greater troubles in the future.
Xu Qi’an thought of a familiar phrase: “Your Majesty, why are you rebelling?”
This was his current confusion.
Lastly, why did Wei Yuan, even at the cost of being prepared to die in battle, insist on capturing the Witch Cult’s main altar?
It turns out I can’t even collect his remains… Xu Qi’an felt a pang in his heart.
Amidst his tumultuous thoughts, he took a deep breath: “So Lord Wei had been biding his time all along?”
Zhang Kaitai gave an “mm” of assent, his gaze unfocused as he looked towards the tent entrance, slowly saying:
“After the Shanhai Pass campaign, Lord Wei had a private conversation with His Majesty, after which he abandoned his cultivation. At the time, we couldn’t understand, and even now we can’t comprehend it. We never expected that Lord Wei had secretly resumed his martial arts training. Although he died in battle, I’m still comforted.
“A clay pot is bound to break near the well, a general is destined to die on the battlefield. To die in battle as a world-class expert – I have no regrets for Lord Wei.”
Xu Qi’an asked again: “Besides Yang Yan and Jiang Luzhong, you’re the only Golden Bell constable who survived. What are your plans for the future?”
“Once a night watchman, always a night watchman,” Zhang Kaitai turned his head slightly to look at him. “What about you?”
He was met with silence in response.
At this moment, a deputy commander rushed in, his face anxious, shouting: “Commander, scouts report that Yan and Kang have gathered an army of 80,000, marching towards Yuyang Pass. They’ll be at the city walls in half an hour at most.”
Zhang Kaitai’s expression changed. “Who’s leading the army?”
The deputy commander said gravely: “The Yan ruler, Nurhaci.”
Zhang Kaitai was stunned and fell into silence. He then ordered:
“Summon all commanders of a thousand men and above for a meeting. Have all soldiers man the city walls. Send the militia to the warehouses immediately to move siege equipment and military supplies…”
He issued a series of orders skillfully and calmly, but his grave expression revealed the heavy burden in this Golden Bell constable’s heart.
Soon after, more than a dozen armored commanders with swords at their waists entered the tent, bowing to Xu Qi’an and Zhang Kaitai before taking their seats.
Probably aware of the news that the armies of Yan and Kang were about to arrive, the commanders all wore serious expressions and didn’t exchange many pleasantries with Xu Qi’an.
Zhang Kaitai looked around at everyone and said gravely: “The counterattack from Yan and Kang has come. It seems the Witch Cult is determined to fight us to the death.”
All present were experienced commanders with a keen sense of war. After retreating to Yuyang Pass, they analyzed the situation.
The Witch Cult had suffered heavy losses in this war, with seven cities falling. They had many things to deal with in the aftermath. In such a situation, the correct approach would be to deploy troops and repair the breached cities while sending scouts to closely watch the border.
They shouldn’t be able to start another war in the short term. The fact that they were doing so meant the Witch Cult was determined to fight Great Feng to the bitter end.
“We don’t have enough troops…”
“We don’t have enough supplies either. After Chen Ying killed those dogs from the Ministry of Revenue, we found out the supplies were never sent. Those bastards deliberately concealed it from us.”
“Traitors who collude with the enemy should have their entire families executed. Our brothers are fighting for their lives at the front, while these dogs stab us in the back. Sons of bitches.”
Zhang Kaitai rapped on the table, bringing the topic back on track, saying:
“What we need to do now is hold Yuyang Pass, then send an urgent report to the court, asking them to dispatch reinforcements quickly. But food is a problem. The grain in our warehouses won’t last until reinforcements arrive.”
A commander pondered: “Yuzhou has always been a grain-producing region. The local people won’t lack food. We can requisition grain from them. We can’t trust those corrupt officials now, so we’ll send our men to collect grain.”
Zhang Kaitai frowned: “This isn’t proper procedure. The common people may not be willing. We might end up with a bad reputation for excessive taxation, giving those civil officials an excuse to impeach us.”
“They will be willing,” the local commander said emphatically. “The debt from forty years ago – the court may have forgotten, but the people of our three provinces haven’t.”
With the food issue settled for now, the commanders turned to discuss the troop strength problem.
They all looked worried.
“Given how slow the court is in dispatching troops, can our 16,000 men hold out?”
The Witch Cult was unlike the barbarians. The barbarians relied on piling up bodies to attack cities, but the Witch Cult had siege equipment. Some they made themselves, and some were Great Feng equipment they had secretly transported.
After the Shanhai Pass campaign, the Witch Cult had learned from their defeat, concluding that Great Feng’s dominance over the Nine Provinces relied heavily on their heavy assault weapons.
So they secretly colluded with Great Feng officials, embezzling military equipment, then disassembling and studying it… Over the years, they had learned to manufacture many siege weapons.
Including gunpowder.
However, the Witch Cult didn’t have artificers. The siege equipment, cannons, and ballistas they made were ordinary objects, while Great Feng’s were magical artifacts. The destructive power was incomparable.
“Even if we can’t hold, we must hold. The Witch Cult is just a paper tiger. If we repel them this time, we win. Even if we can’t repel them, we must hurt them badly, cripple them. Just like the Shanhai Pass battle, make them unable to recover for twenty years.”
“Worst case, we die.”
As they spoke, Zhang Kaitai’s deputy glanced at his direct superior and said gravely:
“That dog Chen Ying left camp without permission. Now we have very few fourth-grade experts left. It’ll be hard to stop them. I remember Nurhaci is a fourth-grade, dual cultivator in both martial arts and witchcraft systems.”
These words made the seated commanders frown deeply, the atmosphere becoming heavy.
“Knock knock…”
Xu Qi’an tapped on the table, drawing everyone’s attention, and asked: “Dual cultivation in martial arts and witchcraft? Who is this Nurhaci?”
To be honest, although he was now quite knowledgeable, he had rarely encountered such dual-system figures.
He was quite surprised.
Cultivation was already so difficult. Struggling in one system was hard enough, who would have extra energy to cultivate another system?
Zhang Kaitai answered his question: “The royal succession in the Witch Cult’s vassal states is different from our Central Plains. In the systems of Yan, Jing, and Kang, state affairs are handled by ministers, while the monarch holds military power. So historically, the monarchs have all been matchless martial artists and veteran generals of the battlefield.
“Above both of these, there’s a third-grade expert from the Witch Cult serving as the national preceptor. The preceptor doesn’t interfere with military or political affairs but is the most powerful person in the country. Except for deposing or enthroning the monarch, the preceptor has the right to decide and veto all matters. The monarch is more like a commander-in-chief controlling the country’s military forces.”
No wonder Xiao Yu Shu, the ruler of Jing, was praised as a military talent second only to Lord Wei. I was puzzled why one after another, being an emperor seemed to be their side job. It was a side job…
Xu Qi’an nodded in realization, roughly understanding this theocratic class system.
Zhang Kaitai continued:
“Nurhaci is the current Yan ruler. His overall command ability may not match Xiao Yu Shu’s, but in terms of personal combat power, two Xiao Yu Shus wouldn’t be his match. Nurhaci is not only at the peak of fourth grade, but he’s at the peak of fourth grade in both systems.
“Before the expedition, we were even prepared to sacrifice two or three fourth-grade experts to take him down. Who would have thought…”
Who would have thought we couldn’t even take the Yan capital?
Xu Qi’an calmly scanned the seated commanders, seeing their grave expressions. They seemed to have become somewhat negative and dejected due to Zhang Kaitai’s description. He immediately nodded and asked no more.
Listening to comrades describe the enemy’s strength was very demoralizing.
Xu Qi’an had no experience in warfare, so he no longer participated, half-closing his eyes in thought.
His silence, however, greatly disappointed several generals who knew Xu Silver Bell was a master of military strategy.
A dual-system peak fourth-grade expert, that’s a bit tricky… Xu Qi’an weighed the options in his mind repeatedly, realizing he couldn’t defeat such an opponent.
First, the combination of techniques from different systems could produce qualitative changes in effect. Just like how Xu Qi’an had once relied on Confucian magic books to temporarily become an “all-rounder,” using one person’s strength to subdue Li Miaochen and Chu Yuanzhen.
And at that time, he had been two grades lower than them.
Secondly, there were strong and weak fourth-grade experts. Rising stars like Li Miaochen, who had only reached fourth grade half a year ago, would be crushed when facing those peak fourth-grade powerhouses.
What did a dual-system peak fourth-grade expert mean?
Below third grade, not many could beat him.
“My Heaven and Earth Slash combined with the Taiping Blade can threaten fourth-grade experts, but only weaker ones like Li Miaochen. Moreover, I might not be able to land the hit. The stunning effect of the Buddhist Lion’s Roar doesn’t work on witches who are proficient in the soul realm. If I can’t land that slash, I’m done for…
“Master Shenshu hasn’t woken up either. You can never wake up someone who’s AFK, even if you say ‘your mother’…”
“The Confucian magic books are powerful aids, but without the protection of righteous qi, using them too intensely would kill me first. Not using them intensely enough wouldn’t be able to kill a dual-system peak fourth-grade expert…”
After carefully reviewing his capabilities, Xu Qi’an felt somewhat discouraged.
Without cheating, trying to kill a dual-system peak fourth-grade expert as a fifth-grade was too much of a stretch, almost impossible to achieve.
Even if he teamed up with Li Miaochen and Zhang Kaitai, combining the strength of all three, they could certainly handle one Nurhaci. But the armies of Yan and Kang didn’t lack experts, and there were 80,000 troops.
…
Outside Yuyang Pass.
Under the azure sky, on the desolate plain, dense troops slowly advanced in clear layers – artillery, infantry, and cavalry.
In front of the artillery were six massive siege towers, each pulled by 28 strong horses. These siege towers were manufactured by Yan based on leaked blueprints from the Ministry of War.
They could be raised and lowered, reaching a maximum height of 70 feet, enough to deal with most city walls. As for those built in treacherous passes, even if the height was sufficient, the siege towers couldn’t get close.
This was why Wei Yuan hadn’t brought siege towers when attacking cities. Yan’s strategic passes relied heavily on terrain advantage, leaving no place for siege towers.
Among the cavalry formations, Nurhaci rode atop a massive beast. It resembled a horse but was covered in pitch-black scales with a sharp single horn protruding from its forehead.
A unicorn-scaled beast from Jing.
Nurhaci’s mount wasn’t an ordinary unicorn-scaled beast. It was the sibling of Xiao Yu Shu’s beloved steed, both offspring of that spiritually aware demon beast in Jing’s royal stables.
“Brother Red Bear, Yuyang Pass has less than 20,000 defenders. How long do you estimate it will take to capture?” The graying-templed Nurhaci turned his head to look at the rider beside him.
It was a burly man wearing dark armor, with a vertical scar on his left face running from eyebrow to chin. This scar not only marred his appearance but also destroyed one eye.
So he was one-eyed.
This one-eyed man’s status was equally noble – he was the younger brother of Kang’s ruler, Su Gudu Red Bear.
Red Bear, a man true to his name.
This man was extraordinarily gifted with shocking strength. Even at the Refining Essence realm, he had once broken the bones and tendons of a Qi Condensation realm martial artist with a single punch.
From the court to the jianghu of Kang, this man’s cultivation ranked in the top twenty.
Su Gudu Red Bear squinted, gazing at the majestic walls of Yuyang Pass, and grinned: “Two weeks at most.”
Nurhaci shook his head: “I say five days. Of course, if things go as I expect, perhaps three days will be enough.”
Su Gudu Red Bear frowned at him.
Nurhaci smiled and said: “Wei Yuan is dead, the Great Feng soldiers’ morale is low. Seeing our 80,000 troops at their gates will be another blow. Moreover, most of Great Feng’s high-grade martial artists likely perished in Jingshan City. How many experts could a small Yuyang Pass have? Even if there are some, will they be enough for us to kill?”
Su Gudu Red Bear nodded slowly.
The imposing middle-aged man continued:
“Furthermore, our soldiers are in high spirits. Wei Yuan died at our main altar. The Great Feng war god died at our Witch Cult’s main altar. From another perspective, isn’t that inspiring?”
Their attack on Yuyang Pass this time was on orders from the Witch Cult’s main altar. The orders conveyed by National Preceptor Yierbu were concise: Kill!
Kill people!
Kill as many as possible, as many as they could manage.
Reenact the thousand-mile slaughter from forty years ago.
Nurhaci gazed at the Great Feng flag fluttering on the city walls, narrowing his eyes and sneering:
“Wei Yuan massacred my Yan people, shaking our Witch Cult’s destiny. Now, it’s our turn to shake Great Feng’s destiny.”
Shaking destiny was simple – through war, through killing.
A country is made up of individuals. The larger the population, the stronger the national destiny. Between a small country of ten thousand and a great nation of tens of millions, it was obvious which had the stronger destiny.
The combined army of Yan and Kang came to a halt. The sounds of footsteps, wheels, and clashing armor all ceased, leaving silence.
…
Xu Qi’an ascended the city walls with Zhang Kaitai and the other commanders, looking down at the 80,000 troops arrayed neatly like cut blocks of tofu.
These 80,000 troops seemed as small as ants from afar, yet their dense, dark mass was suffocating, with a crushing pressure like a tidal wave.
The defenders on the walls looked solemn as if facing a great enemy.
Zhang Kaitai gripped his sword hilt, his expression grave as he surveyed the army below, saying in a deep voice:
“The Witch Cult is different from the barbarians. The barbarians have nothing but cavalry. In open battlefield charges against the barbarians, we lose more often than we win. But the barbarians are also sensible, rarely attacking cities.
“But the Witch Cult has cannons, ballistas, siege equipment, and infantry skilled in scaling walls.”
Xu Qi’an suggested: “Didn’t you say Wei Yuan had penetrated deep into Yan territory? Yan has already suffered heavy losses, and now they’re gathering troops again. Heh, how many troops can they muster?
“Perhaps their interior is very empty now. Can’t we outflank them and launch a surprise attack on the Yan capital?”
Zhang Kaitai shook his head: “It’s not that simple. Nurhaci isn’t stupid. He must have left the minimum necessary forces to defend the city and implemented scorched earth tactics. We have limited artillery, we can’t afford a prolonged siege.
“If we run out of artillery without taking the city, wouldn’t that be losing the battle and the troops? Even Wei Yuan couldn’t take the Yan capital in a short time, let alone us.
“If we attack other cities, our supply lines would be too long. The enemy could easily cut off our supplies, and the brothers we send out would sacrifice themselves in vain.”
Xu Qi’an nodded slowly.
At this moment, he saw a rider emerge from the ranks. With his eyesight, he could vaguely make out a burly man with graying temples and eyes as sharp as knives, his aura fierce.
Beneath him was a black-scaled beast, majestic and ferocious.
Nurhaci? He guessed to himself.
Then, including Xu Qi’an, the defenders on the walls saw this Yan ruler raise his sword high, turn his mount to face his troops, and roar:
“Sons of Yan! Half a month ago, the Great Feng army invaded our lands, massacring seven cities. Your parents and brothers were slaughtered, and your homes and villages burned to ashes. Have you forgotten this deep hatred?”
The Yan army let out a thunderous roar: “We haven’t forgotten!”
Nurhaci continued to bellow:
“This is our vengeance, but it is not our shame. Half a month ago, Wei Yuan died in battle at Jingshan City, killed by our Witch Cult. He paid for his actions with his life. The mighty war god of Great Feng was nothing more than that.
“The war god Great Feng was so proud of was easily slain by our Witch Cult, becoming a stepping stone for our fame across the Nine Provinces. Now, it’s time to let the weak Great Feng taste our fury.
“We will let Great Feng know that the lands of the Witch Cult are not to be violated. Those who kill our people will pay blood for blood.”
With each sentence he spoke, the spirit of the Yan soldiers grew, as did their confidence.
By the end, their morale was sky-high.
The Kang army was similarly affected, their fighting spirit soaring.
This speech was very successful because it had a solid foundation, a firm basis: Wei Yuan had been killed by our Witch Cult!
In the half month since the Battle of Jingshan City ended, the three countries of Yan, Kang, and Jing had widely publicized the news of Wei Yuan’s death at the main altar, greatly inspiring the people, soldiers, and even jianghu figures of the three countries.
Regardless of whether the Witch Cult’s propaganda was selective, the fact was the fact.
Especially for the people of Yan, hearing this news was a cause for national celebration.
That Great Feng war god who had been so renowned in the Shanhai Pass campaign, whose name made old soldiers who had participated in that battle change color at the mention – wasn’t he killed by our Witch Cult after all?
The previously disgruntled common people turned from anger to joy, and the demoralized army regained its fighting spirit.
On the city walls, Xu Qi’an’s face darkened.
Nurhaci pointed his sword at Yuyang Pass and shouted: “Attack the city!”
With this order, the war began.
Two formations of 10,000 infantry from Yan and Kang charged first. They pushed three siege towers, carried ladders dozens of meters long, and shouldered battering rams weighing hundreds of catties.
Behind them, archers, cannons, and ballistas opened fire in unison, providing cover for the infantry’s assault.
On the city walls, drums thundered like rolling thunder, and horns blew long notes.
Boom, boom, boom!
The cannons mounted on the battlements fired in succession, each shell landing among the enemy troops, blasting flesh and blood, severed limbs flying.
Twang, twang, twang!
The clear sound of ballistas firing rang out, arrows condensed with white light shooting towards the distance. The arrows’ killing power was inferior to cannons, but their range and penetration were superior.
So the arrows targeted the more distant artillery, ballistas, and enemy experts.
Below the Sixth Grade Bronze Skin Iron Bones, no martial artist could withstand a hit from a magical artifact arrow.
Even for a sixth-grade expert, taking an arrow head-on would result in serious injury.
Besides cannons and ballistas, thousands of soldiers bent their bows and fired arrows downwards.
In the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, over a thousand soldiers died in the charge.
Battle cries, screams of agony, the roar of cannons, the twang of arrows… all intertwined into a bloody, chaotic scene.
Only the siege towers could slowly advance.
The siege towers were massive, with frames made of steel and wood. Even if hit by several cannon shots, they wouldn’t suffer much damage. There were also high-grade martial artists guarding them, preventing cannons and arrows from causing damage.
In the steel cabin of each siege tower were nearly a hundred elite, fierce soldiers.
Once these men reached the top of the walls, they could quickly tear open a gap in the defensive fire, relieving pressure on the scaling troops below.
Xu Qi’an, who had been watching the attacking soldiers below, shifted his gaze and noticed that one siege tower had already approached the wall.
The artillerymen hurriedly raised their cannon muzzles, aiming at that siege tower.
Several shells only made it shake violently and develop cracks, unable to destroy it.
“Taiping!” Xu Qi’an lightly patted his lower back.
The Taiping Blade rang as it left its sheath, whistling through the air. The dark golden blade light, swift as a thread, lightly slashed at several load-bearing pillars. The next moment, with a series of “cracks”, the siege tower split apart.
The heavy steel cabin crashed down, crushing dozens of infantry.
The peerless divine weapon was unstoppable.
On the city walls, the surrounding Great Feng soldiers erupted in loud cheers, shouting “Xu Silver Bell”, their morale soaring.
In the distance, in the cavalry formation, Nurhaci frowned slightly, looking around and asking: “Who is that man?”