"What? You mean you're going to set up an array on the city wall of Yancheng?"

Chong Houhu looked at Shen Gongbao with disbelief in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Shen Gongbao, do you even know what you're saying?"

"Now all seventy-two lords near Xuelong Pass in the North have rebelled. With our current strength, it is uncertain whether we can defend Chongcheng. As for Yancheng, there are absolutely no spare troops to support it."

"Moreover, Yancheng is close to Xuelong Pass, and the people stationed in Yancheng are mostly traitors of our Yin Shang Dynasty. It is impossible for Yancheng to be defended."

"Going to Yancheng now is simply suicide!"

Upon learning of the rebellion of the seventy-two lords in the northern border from Changmei Zhenren, Chonghou Hu immediately dispatched a large number of troops to confirm the news.

The results of the investigation were exactly the same as what Master Changmei had said.

Even with the collusion between the demon race of Beiju Luzhou and the seventy-two lords of the northern border, Xuelong Pass, the northern gateway of Yin Shang, has already fallen into their hands.

Under such circumstances, the opponent's next target will undoubtedly be Yancheng.

Although, after confirming the fact that the seventy-two lords of the northern border had jointly rebelled, Chong Houhu immediately sent the news to Chaoge.

However, Chong Houhu never held out hope of holding Yancheng. It would be a stroke of luck for him to ensure that Chongcheng would not fall before the arrival of the Yin Shang reinforcements.

Now, Shen Gongbao actually says he wants to go to Yancheng, which shows he has no idea how chaotic the northern border is right now!

After calming down a bit, Chong Houhu wanted to persuade him further, but Shen Gongbao spoke first:

“I am aware of the dangers in Yancheng, but it is precisely because I know the dangers in Yancheng that I have no choice but to go.”

"Although Chongcheng was the capital of the entire northern border of the Yin Shang Dynasty, it has always been merely the political, economic, and cultural center of the northern border of the Yin Shang Dynasty, and has never been the military center of the northern border of the Yin Shang Dynasty."

"Yancheng is the true military center of the entire northern border. It is because of Yancheng that Xuelong Pass has been able to stand firm for so many years."

"Now, although Xuelong Pass has fallen, as long as we firmly hold Chongcheng, it is as if we have the seventy-two rebellious lords by the throat. No matter how arrogant they are, they will never dare to make any rash moves."

"But it would be different if they took control of Yancheng. With a large number of weapons and armor in Yancheng as a supplement, the entire northern border of Yinshang would be at their mercy. Even if we held Chongcheng, we would not be able to restrict them in the slightest."

Chong Houhu knew nothing of what Shen Gongbao said.

"But with my current troop strength in Chongcheng, it's simply impossible for me to defend both Chongcheng and Yancheng at the same time!"

Chong Houhu never expected that he would not only fail to defend Yancheng, but also lose his own Chongcheng.

Faced with Chong Houhu's helpless sigh, Shen Gongbao simply smiled:

"I didn't ask the Marquis of the North to bring a large army with me. I just need him to bring a few trustworthy people to help me carry the array materials."

Chong Houhu was even more bewildered:

"Fellow Daoist Shen, you said you only asked me for people to assist you, and not to accompany you in guarding Yancheng?"

Shen Gongbao nodded:

"How to resist the rebels is my business. Your men only need to accompany me to Yancheng and then follow my orders."

Upon hearing this, Chong Houhu hesitated for a moment and said:

"Fellow Daoist Shen, although your cultivation has reached the Golden Immortal realm, on the battlefield..."

Before Chong Houhu could finish speaking, Ao Bing, having heard the commotion, strode into Shen Gongbao's courtyard, glaring at him with resentment.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, if you need manpower, just ask me. Don't you consider my Four Seas Treasure Pavilion as one of your own?"

…………

Three days later

Yancheng

The cold wind from Beihai, carrying an endless stench of blood, blew towards the mottled city walls of Yancheng.

Outside the city, the allied forces of the seventy-two lords surged like a black tide, their banners fluttering and war drums thundering.

On the city wall, Ao Bing's face was pale, and several cracks had appeared on the warhammer in his hand.

"Report! The East Gate formation has been broken, and the demon race is driving their wolf riders to charge!"

Ao Bing slammed his fist into the wall, sending pebbles raining down. He glanced at the composed figure beside him:

"Fellow Daoist Shen, if you don't take action soon, Yan City will truly fall!"

Shen Gongbao, sleeves tucked in, glanced at the densely packed enemy camps outside the city and smiled slightly:

"No rush, they haven't all attacked yet. If I act too early, they'll escape."

Ao Bing looked helplessly at the black bird flag on the central command tent outside the city.

The opponent dared to counterfeit even the Shang Dynasty totem, so they were clearly not entirely without intelligence. Getting them to mobilize their entire force would not be so easy.

Just then, Ao Bing coughed twice, and a dark red stain appeared on his sleeve.

Shen Gongbao's pupils immediately contracted:

"Are you injured?"

Ao Bing wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, completely unconcerned, and said:

"It's nothing, I just fought a few more battles with the demons on the other side and suffered some internal injuries."

Seeing Ao Bing pretending to be fine, Shen Gongbao felt helpless:

"You told me not to come, but you insisted on being stubborn. Now you know that your cultivation level is of no help here, right?"

As he spoke, Shen Gongbao took out a green pill the size of a longan from his robes and tossed it to Ao Bing, saying:

"This is your Dragon Palace's Azure Water Nourishing Pill. You can't help with other things, so you can try the effects of this Azure Water Nourishing Pill for me first!"

Ao Bing's smile froze instantly.

As the third prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace, he risked his life to accompany Shen Gongbao to Yancheng. He thought that even if Shen Gongbao didn't kowtow, he should at least be grateful. But in the end, he was actually disliked by Shen Gongbao.

Giving Shen Gongbao a fierce glare, Ao Bing angrily threw the Azure Water Nourishing Pill into his mouth.

After his injuries had healed somewhat, Ao Bing ignored Shen Gongbao beside him and charged into the crowd once more.

Two hours later:

"Report! The east gate has been breached, and the enemy has entered the city!"

Another half hour:

"Report! The garrison commander of the North Gate has been killed, and the North Gate has fallen!"

Half an hour later, Ao Bing, covered in blood and protected by several shrimp soldiers and crab generals, returned to Shen Gongbao's side, his eyes wide open:

"Shen Gongbao, the entire Yancheng is now inhabited by rebels, and the garrison commander of the South City has already surrendered. If you don't make a move now, you'll truly never have another chance!"

Shen Gongbao sensed the battle cries that were almost upon him and slowly took out a golden pill the size of a longan from his robes. The pill had nine swirling patterns of cinnabar and faintly flickered with lightning.

Shen Gongbao rose into the air, his robes billowing like flags in the north wind. He spoke calmly:

"Now that you have all fallen into the trap, let us all taste the flavor of this 'Nine-Turn Golden Body Pill' today!"