The next morning.
The war drums thundered as Yelü Yan led his troops to challenge the Jingji Pass. The Northern Rong army's insults were foul and carried by the wind to the pass, but the defenders there paid no heed, determined to hold their ground and not engage in battle. However, because of the Northern Rong army's aggressive taunts at the pass, Jiang Zuning concentrated all his forces there, neglecting other areas.
At that time, the numerous Northern Rong troops lined up in front of the pass were actually only 20,000 Northern Rong soldiers on horseback in front, 50,000 surrendered soldiers from the Dasheng Kingdom behind, and the other 10,000 or so Northern Rong soldiers abandoned their warhorses and, led by a Northern Rong general and guided by several local guides, entered Jishan, preparing to cross Jishan and go around to the back of Jingji Pass.
The curses of the Northern Rong army were deafening, seemingly shaking the waters of the Jing River, which rippled and made a "splashing" sound. At that time, the Jing River stretched as far as the eye could see, with more than a dozen warships moored on the distant riverbank, but none of them were on board. It seemed that Jiang Zuning had assumed that the Northern Rong army was unfamiliar with naval warfare and had not defended the Jing River at all.
The shouting and cursing continued from dawn until dusk before finally ceasing. Yelü Yan then ordered the entire army to return to camp and bestowed a great reward upon them.
On the morning of the third day.
The Northern Rong army, fully prepared, once again came to the pass to hurl insults. The surrendered soldiers who had escaped from the pass cursed the entire family of Jiang Zuning, the commander of the pass, spanning three generations. Jiang Zuning was so angry that his face turned red and he trembled all over.
Just like yesterday, the entire Northern Rong army returned to camp as dusk fell.
On the morning of the fourth day, the Northern Rong soldiers arrived at the pass in high spirits, shouting insults that were unpleasant and unbearable to hear.
In the afternoon, looking down from the pass, one could see that the Northern Rong army had not returned to their camp at all. Instead, they had distributed dry rations in the open space in front of the pass, and were sitting on the ground in small groups, laughing and joking as they ate their lunch.
After the meal, many of the Northern Rong soldiers lay lazily on the ground, dozing off, while others gathered together to chat. The warhorses also grazed leisurely, showing no fighting spirit whatsoever, as if they were convinced that the guards at the pass would never come out to fight.
Jiang Zuning clenched and unclenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and said angrily, "Leave three thousand men to guard the pass, the rest of you come with me. We're going to catch them off guard! Humph! These Northern Rong barbarians are going too far!"
"Yes!" The soldiers had all seen the appearance of the Northern Rong army below the pass. Their idle and lazy manner was a blatant contempt for them, the guards of the Thorn Pass.
Jiang Zuning led over seven thousand soldiers guarding the Thorn Pass in a furious charge. Upon seeing the gates wide open and thousands of soldiers rushing in, Yelü Yan was overjoyed. With a command, the Northern Rong cavalry shouted and summoned their horses, quickly forming ranks to meet Jiang Zuning and his men. Seeing the Northern Rong army charging with high morale, Jiang Zuning's expression changed drastically. He knew he had fallen into a trap, but it was too late. Ordering a retreat would only disrupt his own formation and allow the Northern Rong to gain an advantage. Left with no other choice, Jiang Zuning could only grit his teeth and urge his soldiers forward.
The two armies lined up and soon clashed, engaging in a chaotic battle. Under Yelü Yan's command, more than 50,000 surrendered soldiers from the Dasheng Kingdom cheered them on from behind, while only 20,000 Northern Rong cavalry actually participated in the battle.
The Northern Rong Iron Knights were in high spirits and had astonishing fighting power, while the guards of Thorn Pass were cowardly before the battle even began, and their numbers were far fewer than those of the Northern Rong army. As soon as the two sides clashed, the guards of Thorn Pass showed signs of defeat.
The two sides fought fiercely for about fifteen minutes. Thorn Pass had already suffered heavy casualties. Just as Jiang Zuning was about to order a retreat, a sudden drumbeat resounded from behind Thorn Pass, and a unified voice shouted, "Long live King Yelü! Long live the Northern Rong!"
Jiang Zuning turned his head in shock and saw that the banners of the Northern Rong army were neatly arranged above the pass. There was no sign of the original guards. The crowd of people everywhere was clearly from the Northern Rong army.
Jiang Zuning's face turned ashen, and the soldiers he had brought with him were in an uproar. Their morale plummeted, and they had lost all fighting spirit.
Taking advantage of the situation, Yelü Yan led his troops in a surprise attack, and the garrison at Jingji Pass suffered a crushing defeat. More than a thousand soldiers were killed, and more than five thousand surrendered. Only a few hundred men, led by Jiang Zuning, fought desperately and fled in panic.
With the fall of Jingji Pass, the Northern Rong army captured countless suits of armor and provisions, and the entire army was overjoyed. Yelü Yan ordered a grand reward for the soldiers and officers, and a lavish banquet was held inside the pass. That night, bonfires were lit throughout the pass, and the city was brightly lit. The soldiers drank and ate meat, and the revelry continued until late into the night before gradually subsiding.
--
After that, Li Molin and Liuli returned to the Northern Rong army camp. Liuli spent her days either wandering aimlessly around the camp or watching the Northern Rong army charge into battle, conquering cities and seizing territory. However, she didn't like the bloody scenes and even found them too cruel, so after watching a few times, she stopped going to the front lines, and her days became increasingly boring.
As Yingyang City drew ever closer, Li Molin found the days becoming increasingly boring. Fortunately, Liuli would occasionally come close to him, her mischievous eyes darting around, trying every possible way to find out where he had put the Binding God Rope. Whenever this happened, he would tease her tirelessly, making up stories without telling her anything. Seeing her seemingly clever little face always brought him a secret chuckle, which was his only source of amusement these days.
It was dinnertime, and Li Molin, Liuli, and the other two demons were eating around a low table. Since it was wartime, the food on the table, while plentiful, was hardly delicious. So, apart from Ji Jue, the other two and three demons didn't touch their food at all. All five pairs of eyes were fixed on Ji Jue, who was eating and drinking heartily. Apart from the sound of Ji Jue chewing, there was no other sound in the tent; the silence was eerily quiet.
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