Chapter 42 Enemy Vanguard Declares: Tonight, Slaughter All Xuan Kingdom People at Xitun Pass!

In the first half of the night, the upgraded soldiers' equipment was successfully transferred.

All the soldiers mobilized and carried it back to the camp.

In the latter half of the night, there were mountains of steel bars and cement, as well as enough basic farm tools such as hoes, shovels, and wheelbarrows to distribute to more than 20,000 households.

Ning Jinli continuously transmitted the messages for almost the entire night before finishing.

The soldiers and civilians in Linxian Village also worked all night to finish moving the goods...

During this time, Xiao Qidi learned from Duan Wu that the Yu Kingdom was about to launch another attack with an army of 300,000.

He also learned of Duan Wu's original plan.

After much deliberation, Duan Wu still advised him to lead 60,000 people and take the supplies bestowed by the fairy away.

With the ruler's call, the people will naturally follow.

Furthermore, the fairy gave the people so many excellent farming tools that they could rebuild their homes no matter where they went in the future.

But Xiao Qidi refused at all.

He only said one sentence, "Since 300,000 enemy troops are coming, why don't you quickly prepare to meet them?"

...

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Two hundred thousand elite troops from the Yu Kingdom, led by the Crown Prince, arrived at the border region at dawn and set up camp a hundred miles away from the Xitun Pass of the Xuan Kingdom.

Inside the main tent, the prince yawned, preparing to get a good night's sleep.

After several days and nights of forced marching, even though he was riding in the best carriage, he was exhausted.

Anyway, setting up camp takes time, and the barbarian soldiers from the Yue Kingdom won't arrive for another day or two.

"Your Highness, why don't you send out scouts to investigate?" a general asked as he entered the tent.

"What's there to investigate?" The prince slightly raised his eyelids. "Isn't it just another village... what village, added after Xitun Pass?"

"Linxian Village," the general replied. "Because Ba Yong led his troops to attack earlier, most of the people around Xitun Pass of Xuan Kingdom fled to this village for refuge."

The crown prince gave an "oh," his face showing impatience. "I remember now. It's about ten thousand Xuan Kingdom soldiers and sixty thousand Xuan Kingdom commoners. Is there any need to investigate? Once I've rested, I'll just crush them flat."

“Your Highness is right,” the general said tentatively when he saw his expression. “Why don’t you take a group of men as the vanguard and set off immediately to scout out the situation? There’s really no need for you to personally take action at Xitun Pass.”

In fact, the generals who accompanied him all knew perfectly well that this crown prince was completely incompetent at fighting.

His previous impassioned speech, about avenging the humiliation of the annihilation of 50,000 troops, was nothing more than a show for the civil officials in the court.

The king of Yu Kingdom was cooperating with him, sending 200,000 elite troops and having the Sha Yue Kingdom send 100,000 barbarian soldiers, clearly to ensure the safety of this future successor.

Even a fool could tell that an army of 300,000 men could flatten Xitun Pass with a single spit from each of them.

When this battle, which was a foregone conclusion, is over, the Crown Prince will return to the capital in triumph. Even if he does not bring back the Azure Jade, it will be enough for him to establish prestige among the officials and the people of Yu Kingdom.

"Hmm?" The crown prince narrowed his eyes and said, "Are you so eager to steal my credit? What's your name?"

"This humble general's surname is Luo, and this humble general would never dare to steal credit from the Crown Prince," the general said with a smile. "This humble general only wants to share your burdens... If this humble general leads troops to investigate and accidentally takes Xitun Pass and wipes out those tens of thousands of Xuan people, everyone will only know that it was all personally won by the Crown Prince."

The Crown Prince revealed a hint of appreciation. "You are quite sensible. I will remember you, General Luo."

General Luo was overjoyed and stepped closer to continue, "Think about it, when the 100,000 barbarian soldiers of the Sha Yue Kingdom arrive, they will definitely be eager to avenge Ba Yong. What chance will we have then? I'm afraid that in the future, the officials in the court will only feel that all the credit belongs to them."

"Father is really something, insisting on telling the news to the Sha Yue Kingdom and even asking them to send troops as well," the Crown Prince muttered with some dissatisfaction.

General Luo smiled and said, "This is His Majesty's way of ensuring your safety. In any case, the more troops you have, the safer you will be. His Majesty is simply doing this out of love for his son..."

The prince was very pleased with these words.

He picked up a pot of wine from the table in front of him and said, “This wine is for you. Do whatever you want. As many soldiers as you want, choose from the 200,000 elite troops. When I become the king, I will definitely promote you.”

"Thank you, Your Highness!" General Luo knelt down to accept the wine.

The crown prince was in a great mood and had his attendants bring in two beautiful women.

He had one arm around each of them and said with a smile, "These are respectable women I've taken a liking to during the march. They may not be stunning beauties, but they have a unique charm. When you return, I'll give them to you to play with."

General Luo's eyes gleamed, and he kowtowed heavily, "Yes, Your Highness!"

After leaving the Crown Prince's tent, he immediately went to the soldiers' camp, selected 30,000 men, packed them with rations, put on their equipment, and prepared to set off.

His deputy asked in bewilderment, "General Luo, isn't 30,000 men a bit too many for reconnaissance? But if we're going to engage in direct combat, doesn't that seem a bit too few?"

General Luo, his face full of arrogance, declared, "I am heading straight for Xitun Pass! If we set off now, we will arrive before nightfall. Tonight, I will slaughter every Xuan Kingdom person in Xitun Pass!"

The lieutenant frowned. "But... previously, Bayong's 50,000-strong army was completely wiped out..."

"Ha!" General Luo sneered, "Ba Yong is just a brute, like those barbarians from the Sha Yue Kingdom, all bravado and no brains. It's no surprise that his entire army was wiped out! And of his 50,000 troops, only 20,000 are elite soldiers. I, the general, will take 30,000 elite soldiers, which will be enough!"

"This pot of fine wine was bestowed upon me by the Crown Prince. Take it to my tent and keep it safe. I will drink it when I return victorious, and I will share a cup with you then."

"Yes, General Luo!"

Before long, 30,000 elite troops from the Yu Kingdom, facing the rising sun, set off in a mighty procession across the rugged land covered with dry soil and yellow sand towards Xitun Pass.

Xitun Pass side—

Ten thousand Xuanjia soldiers are training on the drill ground inside the city gate.

In just four or five days, the original 10,000 soldiers from Xitun Pass, along with the soldiers from Linxian Village, had all been formed into the Xuanjia Army.

Everyone was dressed in camouflage tactical uniforms, with a bulletproof suit over them, and helmets and tactical boots were also worn. It was no longer the previous combination of work clothes, work shoes and bulletproof vests.

The long swords and spears that Ning Jinli sent in the first batch have now been replaced with the new Mo Dao and Ma Shuo that she sent five days ago.

This is equivalent to a super-enhanced version of a longsword and spear.

Cavalrymen are armed with lances, and infantrymen with long-handled swords; just standing there, they exude a murderous aura!

The archer soldiers were incredibly envious.

Although their clothes and shoes were upgraded, their bows and arrows remained the same style, unlike the cavalry and infantry whose weapons were also significantly enhanced.

However, Fairy Jinli told them that she would equip them with something even more powerful than a recurve bow in a while.

In addition to cavalry, infantry, and archers, the Xuanjia Army also established a scout battalion of about two hundred men, which used a hundred drones provided by Fairy Jinli to gather intelligence on the battle.

Under the brilliant morning sun, Xiao Qidi stood on the city wall, gently stroking the cement-covered surface of the wall with his large hands.

In the past few days, with the steel bars and cement provided by Ning Jinli, he mobilized soldiers and civilians to reinforce the outer layer of the defensive fortifications at Xitun Pass.

Although it was done hastily and roughly, it not only repaired the original broken gaps, but also made the earthen and stone city wall as solid as a rock, even a hundred times stronger than the city walls of other border areas of Xuan Kingdom that were valued by the imperial court.

"Xuanjia Army, listen up! Morning training is over for today," Duan Wu ordered from the side of the training ground, holding a walkie-talkie.

As soon as the voice fell, all the Xuanjia soldiers lined up in neat rows and left the field.

Duan Wu looked at the walkie-talkie in his hand and grinned, revealing his big white teeth.

The Fairy Jinli sent over a lot of walkie-talkies last time, and he assigned one to each centurion.

Even after practicing using it for several days, he still thought it was absolutely amazing.

Press a button, open your mouth, and military orders can be transmitted instantly. Moving troops or changing formations is as easy and convenient as using your own arm.

On the ever-changing battlefield, it will greatly enhance the Xuanjia Army's adaptability, making them even more formidable!

Just then, Duan Wu saw Li Yao running quickly in the distance, seemingly in a hurry, and disappearing in the blink of an eye. So he turned on the walkie-talkie and teased, "Li Yao, are you about to poop your pants?"

Li Yao did not respond.

Duan Wu waited a while, then said with a grin, "Why aren't you saying anything? Did you fall into the latrine?"

"Shut up already," Li Yao finally replied.

Duan Wu laughed loudly, "It's alright if you fall in. The latrines at Xitun Pass are old and dilapidated. Didn't His Majesty fall in a couple of days ago? I was quick enough to pull him out, otherwise he would have fallen in completely. You didn't see His Majesty's face at the time. It was truly—stinkier than the rocks in the latrine! Hahahaha!"

Li Yao: "You brat...aren't you afraid the Emperor will hear this?"

Duan Wu: "I switched to a frequency that only the six of us generals can hear... frequency... wait? Fairy Jinli mentioned it, what was it called again?"

"Channel." Xiao Qidi's deep voice came through the walkie-talkie.