The mountain road winds its way through bare rocks as the group rides down the hillside. In the distance, atop an unpaved stone watchtower, guards scan the landscape.

Turning his gaze away, Lin Mo's thoughts stirred slightly as he looked at the system screen.

Over the past ten days or so, he has slept about ten hours a day and has earned a total of 8,400 points.

With the most basic weaponry and armor configuration, three thousand soldiers can be exchanged.

Including the previous troops, there are currently 3,500 soldiers!

According to the Great Xia's plan, the total strength of the border defense forces in Shu was 15,000.

Among them, the main force of 8,000 men was stationed in Linzi, a key border town, 3,000 men were stationed in Jianping Pass, and the remaining 4,000 men were stationed in Xichuan City.

Approaching Jianping Pass, Lin Mo ordered his men to stop outside firing range and rode forward alone. "Who's in charge here?"

The general guarding the area soon appeared. Lin Mo presented the Shu King's token, and the general immediately knelt down and bowed. Then, he sent people to escort them to Xichuan City.

They rode swiftly across the scorched fields and burned-out villages, entering the territory of Xichuan City.

Although Lin Mo did not see any corpses, the air was filled with the smell of crows that feed on carrion; clearly, a battle had taken place here recently.

"The land of Shu is not peaceful!" This was Lin Mo's first reaction.

Lin Mo had been to Xichuan City before. At that time, he followed his father, Lin Wenzhong, to attack the local chieftain in Shu.

After entering Xichuan City, the mansion and stables where he had stayed were not far from his memory, except that the other houses in the city were now just ruins and charred foundations.

A gallows was erected in the courtyard of the mansion, and the corpse hanging on it swayed back and forth, its body covered with crows.

As Lin Mo approached, the crows cawed strangely and took flight.

He dismounted and looked up at the remains of the corpse. The man's lips, eyes, and most of his cheeks had been gnawed clean, exposing his scarlet teeth and revealing a ferocious grin.

Two Great Xia soldiers stood guard at the main gate of the mansion, one on the left and one on the right.

Lin Mo stepped forward and asked, "Where is Lord Yang?"

"In the main hall, Your Highness!"

“My men need food and drink,” Lin Mo told him, “you can take care of that.”

He then entered the mansion and immediately saw Yang Fei, the commander of the Shu army.

This man was in his fifties, but he was as robust as a twenty-year-old. Even when sitting, he still appeared tall, with long legs, broad shoulders, a flat stomach, and slender yet muscular arms.

When Lin Mo approached, he did not stand up, but simply said, "Your Highness, please forgive me for being too busy with official duties to come out of the city to greet you!"

"Well done, giving me a taste of my own medicine right off the bat?" Lin Mo thought to himself. "If I don't teach you a lesson, how am I supposed to survive in Sichuan!"

Thinking of this, Lin Mo's eyes turned cold.