Chapter 497: Ten Thousand Banners Slay Yama (Part 12) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

The ten generals of Shiwu lay limply on the ground, their blood pooling into a small puddle. A moment of silence seemed to fall over the entire arena, broken only by the howling north wind. Zhao Feng stretched his limbs, gathered his strength, and roared towards the direction of Shiwu.

"How dare a mere boy step into battle to fight against your father?"

A sonic wave carrying intense killing intent instantly engulfed the entire Shiwu army. The more timid soldiers at the front retreated several steps, fear seeping from their hearts, their morale plummeting. At this moment, the king in the central command tent wore a gloomy expression, but a chilling flame burned in his eyes. He was extremely ashamed; he had come to break through the pass with great fanfare, only to lose two duels in a row.

We must kill Zhao Fengcai today!

"Whoever is the first to capture the flag and slay the general will be rewarded with five thousand taels of gold! He will also be granted a mansion, a thousand acres of fertile land, and a hundred beauties!" King Shiwu knew exactly how to motivate his troops. He raised his hand and pointed to the indistinct pass, which was covered by a thick layer of fine snow.

"All of this lies beyond this formidable pass!" With that, King Shiwu slapped the armrest and rose to his feet, gathering his inner strength and shouting loudly, "You are all the most valiant warriors of Shiwu, who among you can take this boy's head for me?"

A generous reward will surely attract brave men.

Five thousand taels of gold, a mansion, thousands of acres of fertile land, and hundreds of beautiful women—this is something no one can resist!

Immediately, a military officer stepped forward.

It was an unfamiliar and unremarkable face.

Their strength is indeed outstanding.

He even made a pledge on the spot.

King Shiwu was naturally delighted and personally poured him a toast to see him off. The general drank it all in one gulp, slammed the bowl to the ground, and turned to leave. Su Shiyilu frowned at this but said nothing, though he didn't think this man could defeat Zhao Feng.

Despite the Shiwu's eagerness to attract talent by using money and power, they are inherently xenophobic, especially the Shiwu nobles, who look down on those who can be bought with money. Those who rise to high positions are often Shiwu nobles or their confidants. The recruited talents are ostensibly treated very well, but they have no access to the real core.

A bunch of short-sighted idiots!

Su Shiyi cursed inwardly.

Just then, a fool came out and whispered.

"This boy has not accomplished much in his life. Would it be too hasty to entrust him with the crucial third battle?"

Su Shiyilu sneered: "Then why doesn't the general step down and fight the enemy generals, and bring me the head of this despicable villain?"

Who among those present wasn't sharp-witted and perceptive?

Whispering is nothing but self-deception.

The fool, seeing that the speaker was Su Shiyilu, was somewhat hesitant to provoke him. However, considering that the other party was showing signs of losing power and that he had a strong contender for the throne standing behind him, he felt his back straighten up. He retorted, "Naturally, it's because I know my own limitations. After all, being fierce and ruthless is not my forte. It's the General who lost unexpectedly, and in such an undignified manner."

“You—” Su Shiyilu was speechless with anger.

King Ten Crows came out to mediate between the two.

It's one thing for people to have internal strife normally, but if these people really follow Su Shiyilu's lead, he'll feel uneasy. But if things get out of hand again in this situation, how will they fight the war later? Su Shiyilu and that fool could only suppress their anger.

Outside the central command tent, the sound of drums thundered.

However, it didn't last long before it dropped.

On the other hand, cheers were deafening at Yonggu Pass.

It turned out that the second of the Ten Crow Warriors had withstood a hundred or eighty moves from Zhao Feng, but was still knocked off his horse by the opponent's pair of bronze maces, his head split open, just like his predecessor. However, this man was clearly much more resilient than the first one, leaving Zhao Feng covered in blood.

He wiped it away carelessly.

He laughed wildly: "You're all out of luck today. Why don't you call it a day, go back home and cry to your wives, and try a different path!"

The faces of the Ten Crows were as black as could be.

They've dealt with Yonggu Pass for so many years, with both sides having their share of victories and defeats. Shiwu has also suffered losses before, but losing three duels in a row is unprecedented. Moreover, even when they lose, the generals usually manage to escape unscathed, rather than giving away two lives!

King Shiwu stared at the broken wine bowl on the ground, his expression seemingly calm, but in reality, the muscles in his cheeks twitched subtly, his jaw taut. The more trust he had placed in the fool who volunteered for battle, the more painful the slap in the face would be. What was the point of jumping out if you had no ability?

The idiot who criticized Su Shiyilu spoke up.

"What should we do?"

While Shiwu's forces do indeed have a numerical and military advantage, Yonggu Pass's troops also possess the geographical advantage of a strategically important pass. Furthermore, with the morale boost from three consecutive victories, even if the border barrier is breached, forcibly breaking through the pass will not be easy for them.

The king coldly retorted, "What do you think?"

The idiot who was asked the question choked for a moment and dared not utter a word.

At this moment, an adult prince stepped forward.

He suggested, "At this point, the only option is to launch a full-scale attack."

We can't just slink back with our troops because we've lost a series of duels and are afraid of the enemy's high morale, can we? Our morale is at a low point right now. If we do that, firstly, it will be difficult to maintain our formation, and secondly, Chu Jie might seize the opportunity to open the gate and lead his troops to pursue and kill us.

Yes, this is something Chu Jie is capable of doing.

Another prince also stepped forward, clasped his hands and said, "Yonggu Pass only has more than 20,000 remnants of defeated soldiers left. If we do not take action today, and wait until they are on guard and well-prepared, we will have to pay an even greater price to make a move."

King Ten Crows had already made up his mind.

He's here today to establish his authority.

And they made thorough preparations.

If he were to sound the retreat and withdraw his troops, the blow to morale would be immense, and it would also damage the iron-fisted reputation he had built up over the years. The loss would be considerable, and it was not what he wanted.

This battle can only be fought with advance, not retreat!

In a flash, his mind was made up.

He said, "Attack!"

The drumbeat signaling the attack began.

Su Shiyilu and the others stood up to receive their orders.

Meanwhile, seeing that the Shiwu army had no reaction, Zhao Feng spat in their direction and swaggered back into the city on his warhorse. Even on his way back, he muttered, "Ugh, ugh, they're all so weak!"

Ten crows, that's it?

No sooner had they returned than they saw the Ten Crows army stir. Their previously seemingly chaotic formation suddenly shifted into an orderly and coordinated manner. Zhao Feng, busy recovering his martial energy with the help of several scholars, also became serious upon seeing this.

The duel was just a warm-up match.

Boost your own morale and dampen the enemy's fighting spirit.

The real battle is about to begin.

"It really is this—"

A fierce hatred flashed in Kang Shi's eyes.

"Yuanliang..."

The changes in the Ten Crows' army formation below were exactly the same as the intelligence Qi Shan had previously revealed! The Ten Crows' army advanced towards Yonggu Pass in an orderly manner. Just as the army approached a certain distance, the border barrier hidden among the mountains in the distance suddenly hummed.

It spread out like ripples on water.

The ground trembled slightly, and a towering, illusory city wall rose from the ground, looking like an enlarged version of Yonggu Pass.

From the void, a faint human voice shouted—

It sounds like the voice of one person, yet it is also the chorus of a thousand troops.

"Anyone who crosses our borders shall be killed!"

()(._.`)

I guess I really shouldn't eat things like bone broth to supplement calcium. Last night I happily ate two bowls of soup, and around six o'clock this morning I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. I felt incredibly cold, both cold and in pain, but the sweat just wouldn't stop. I ran around three times before I felt a little better... then I went back to sleep, and I was still sweating.

It seems like the stomach upset I had before was also because I ate pork rib soup _(:з」∠)_

(End of this chapter)