Devil City, Day 4.
The midday sun was scorching hot, baking the sand until it was burning hot.
Wu Shangzhi's 5,000 elite troops had been trekking through this land of death for four days. Their rations were almost gone, their water bags were empty, and everyone was at their limit.
"General, five more have fallen." Xi Sheng's voice was hoarse as a broken gong. He wiped the dust from his face, his lips cracked and bleeding. "We can't go any further."
Wu Shangzhi reined in his equally exhausted warhorse.
Although An Dehai said that warhorses would be difficult to travel, he still brought three spare horses to carry supplies.
He looked around and saw soldiers walking with difficulty, many of them using longswords and crossbows as canes, leaving deep marks on the sand with each step.
"Manager An, how much further?" Wu Shangzhi asked the guide.
Andehai wasn't in much better shape either. He licked his chapped lips and pointed northwest: "Once we cross that sand dune, we'll see the back entrance to Black Wind Valley. At most... two hours."
Two hours.
For the exhausted soldiers, it felt like two hundred miles.
"Order: Rest here for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn." Wu Shangzhi dismounted and took off his water bag from his horse—it was half of the water he had saved. "Give the water to the people suffering from heatstroke, one sip for each of them."
"General, you don't have much water left..." Lin Yuan advised.
"Execute the command!"
The water bags were passed among the soldiers, and each person really only took a small sip, but that small sip was enough to save their lives.
Looking at these tired yet resolute faces, Wu Shangzhi felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
These are all elites selected from among the best. The crossbowmen can hit the bullseye from 300 paces away, and the long-handled swordsmen can cut through wooden stakes with a single stroke.
But in this Devil City, their skills are useless; they can only rely on their willpower.
“Brothers.” Wu Shangzhi stood on a sand dune, his voice hoarse but clear, “I know you’re tired, and I’m tired too. I know you’re thirsty, and I’m thirsty too.”
"But ahead lies Black Wind Valley, where ten thousand Northern Barbarian Tartars guard our path and the gateway to the Western Regions."
The soldiers raised their heads, their eyes refocusing.
"These Tartars have been burning, killing, looting, and massacring our people in Longyou; now they want to wreak havoc on the Western Regions. Can we let them succeed?"
"No!" came the scattered responses.
"Louder! Can you?"
"No!" This time, the roar shook up the sand and dust.
Wu Shangzhi drew his saber and pointed it northwest: "Two hours from now, we will appear behind Black Wind Valley and catch them off guard!"
"General Guo Luo has agreed with us that he will launch a strong attack from the front, and we will attack from both sides to crush these Tartars! Then—we will leave Yumen Pass, recover the Western Regions, and achieve unparalleled feats!"
"Reclaim the Western Regions! Achieve unparalleled merit!" The roar shook the heavens.
After a period of rest, the team set off again.
This time, though the steps were still heavy, there was a direction.
An Dehai walked beside Wu Shangzhi and whispered, "General, you are truly a genius at leading troops. Even in such a desperate situation, you can still boost morale."
Wu Shangzhi shook his head: "It's not that I'm a genius at leading troops, it's just that these soldiers are extraordinary. Manager An, is it true that the Loulan Kingdom is willing to submit to the Great Yin?"
“It is absolutely true.” An Dehai said solemnly, “The King of Loulan is my close friend. He personally witnessed how the Northern Di slaughtered the Cheshi Kingdom—they spared no one, men, women, or children, the royal family was tortured and killed, and all the treasures were looted.”
He said that rather than being destroyed by the Northern Barbarians, it would be better to submit to the Great Yin, at least to preserve the nation's fate and protect the people.
"Do all the kingdoms of the Western Regions think this way?"
“At least half,” An Dehai analyzed. “Of the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions, large kingdoms like Kucha and Yanqi had tens of thousands of soldiers and could fight; small kingdoms like Qiemo and Jingjue had no more than a thousand soldiers and could only be slaughtered at will.”
“If the Northern Barbarians come, small countries will suffer first. If the Great Yin Dynasty displays its military might at this time, all countries will follow suit.”
Wu Shangzhi had a plan in mind.
To reclaim the Western Regions, we cannot rely solely on military force; we must also win the hearts and minds of the people.
This battle must not only be won, but won spectacularly, so that the kingdoms of the Western Regions will be convinced of its victory.
Two hours later, the team finally crossed the last sand dune.
The view suddenly opened up before me—no longer a continuous sea of sand, but brown mountains.
Between the two mountains, a narrow valley entrance can be vaguely seen, with wooden fences, tents, and patrolling Northern Di soldiers at the entrance.
We've arrived at the back entrance of Black Wind Valley.
"Take cover!" Wu Shangzhi shouted in a low voice.
Six thousand soldiers quickly lay low and took cover using the terrain.
Wu Shangzhi took out his telescope to observe and found that the guards at the valley entrance numbered about five hundred and were patrolling lazily.
Deeper inside, more tents and cooking smoke can be seen—the main force should be inside the valley.
“They didn’t expect us to come around from Devil City.” Xi Sheng licked his lips, a murderous glint in his eyes. “General, let’s do it!”
"No rush," Wu Shangzhi said calmly. "Let Guo Luo make his move first. The agreed time is sunset, so there's still an hour left."
He looked at An Dehai: "Manager An, what is the terrain like inside the valley?"
"Black Wind Valley is gourd-shaped, narrow in the front and wide in the back. The back pass is narrow, but after going in for half a mile, there is an open area where the main force of the Northern Di should be stationed."
An Dehai recalled, "Beyond the open ground was another narrow valley, and then the front pass. If General Guo were to launch a frontal assault, he would have to attack that narrow valley first."
Wu Shangzhi had a complete plan in mind: "The crossbow battalion should seize the high ground on both sides, conserve arrows, and focus on shooting officers and archers."
"Mo Dao Battalion, follow me straight into the open ground and disrupt the enemy's deployment. Remember, our mission is to create chaos, not to annihilate them—once Guo Luo breaks through the front pass, we will attack from both sides, and they will surely collapse."
The generals nodded.
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