Debate at Yinshan
The wind at Yinshan Pass had never been so thick. It carried the lingering smoke of gunpowder, the stench of blood, the muddy smell of melted snow soaking into the scorched earth, and... the deathly dust kicked up by the collapse of millions of pounds of mountain rocks. This mixture of smells pressed heavily on the lungs of every survivor.
A massive, fresh scar stretches across the southwest of Longshou Plain, viciously swallowing the ruins of the irrigation canal, the canyon below, and tens of thousands of elite Northern Rong soldiers. At the edge of the pit, mud mixed with dark red blood gurgles, forming several winding streams that flow into the still-unfrozen Wei River below. The pit walls expose fresh, jagged fractures in the rock strata, emitting thin, geothermal steam, as if a chunk of flesh had just been ripped from the earth, still radiating heat. The black silhouettes of vultures circle beneath low-hanging leaden clouds, emitting hoarse cries.
The Cleansing Wall was now a ruin. Beneath the last remaining section of the wall, the surviving soldiers and civilians of Anji Camp lay like ghosts crawling out of a sea of blood from hell. Supporting each other, they trudged through the cold mud and piles of corpses, gathering the remains of their comrades and searching for any glimmer of hope. Silent weeping echoed in the cold wind; despair, like a heavy weight of lead, pressed down on everyone's hearts. The devastating blow of Heaven, though burying tens of thousands of enemies, had also utterly destroyed the fortress they had relied on and their last shred of hope. Exhaustion, pain, and the bewilderment of losing their home and their shield left this remnant army like a candle flickering in the wind.
Xiao Yuxuan stood atop a relatively high section of ruins, his tattered armor almost completely covered in blood and mud, its original color unrecognizable. He gazed at the massive wound that had swallowed tens of thousands of lives, his face devoid of any triumphant joy, only a profound weariness and solemnity. The deafening roar of the collapsing mountain still seemed to echo in his ears, making his temples throb. The price was too high. Ji Zhai's fate was unknown; the Mohist elite were nearly wiped out; Xuan Weizi vanished without a trace after freezing Eagle's Sorrow Gorge; Daoist disciples were sacrificed to the ice wall; the academy was reduced to scorched earth, countless women and children perished in the flames; the aqueduct was completely cut off, and the Purification Wall fireway was rendered impossible… The very backbone of Anji Camp had been almost shattered in this catastrophe, a result of both divine might and human effort.
“Commander…” Chen Zhong, leaning on a hastily made, rough wooden cane, limped to his side, his leg—broken by a roof beam and hastily secured with rags and sticks—the old soldier’s face deeply lined, stained with black ash and congealed blood. His single eye held unconcealed grief. “A headcount…a headcount…those still breathing…less than three thousand…young and strong…less than eight hundred…arrows…out of stock…swords…split…and grain…only a few moldy beans left in the cellar…”
Every word was like a cold knife, piercing Xiao Yuxuan's heart. Less than three thousand remaining soldiers, starving, cold, wounded, and exhausted, were trapped on this scorched earth repeatedly ravaged by natural disasters and man-made calamities. Outside Yinshan Pass, the massive blue wolf banner still fluttered in the cold wind, like a proclamation that death had not yet departed. Although the main force of the Northern Rong had suffered heavy losses, its foundation remained intact. Scarface and his blood wolf banner were like venomous snakes in the shadows, ready to bare their fangs at any moment. Yan Yang's shackles were silently tightening in the direction of Jincheng, severing all hope of external aid.
The real crisis has only just begun.
Just then, from the direction of Yinshan, beneath the tallest and most conspicuous banner adorned with a blue wolf, a troop of men slowly broke away from the massive army formation and headed towards the ruins of the Cleansing Wall. The number was small, about a hundred riders. But the banner carried by the leader, taller than ordinary banners and decorated with nine snow-white wolf tails, along with the enormous, jet-black horse beneath it, exceptionally swift and clad in dark gold armor, revealed the identity of the newcomers—the supreme ruler of the Northern Rong, Luandi Chanyu!
The Chanyu's troops halted about two hundred paces from the ruins. This distance allowed for clear conversation while remaining beyond the range of powerful bows and crossbows, demonstrating his caution and control. Chanyu Luandi did not dismount; he sat atop his divine steed, "Black Cloud Covering Snow," his tall and imposing figure radiating a mountain-like pressure even from a distance. He wore a seemingly simple yet intricately woven black leather robe, and a golden wolf-head crown inlaid with a massive emerald. His face, sculpted by time and frost, resembled exposed rock from the Yin Mountains; his long, narrow, eagle-like eyes, deep as a frozen pool, gleamed with a sharp light as they swept across the ruins and the remnants of his soldiers struggling like ants.
Behind the Chanyu, a figure stood out starkly—Scarface! He rode a ferocious giant wolf, noticeably larger than the other wolves and covered in dark red metallic scales. The centipede-like scar on his face appeared even more menacing in the gloomy light. He lowered his head slightly, but his wolf-like eyes, through his disheveled hair, were fixed intently on Xiao Yuxuan, filled with resentment and a hint of barely perceptible… fear.
Luandi Chanyu's gaze finally settled on Xiao Yuxuan atop the ruins. He slowly raised a hand and made a simple gesture. Immediately, a burly strongman stepped forward and slammed a heavy object, reeking of blood, heavily onto the frozen ground between them!
Thump!
The dull sound struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.
It was a blood wolf mechanical beast frozen in ice! Its body remained in a pouncing posture, alloy claws extended forward, its ferocious jaws wide open, revealing sharp metal fangs, seemingly ready to devour its prey at any moment! However, at this moment, it and the wolf rider on its back were completely frozen by a layer of several inches thick, as hard as iron, dark blue ice! The ice was crystal clear, clearly reflecting the twisted and broken gears inside the mechanical beast and the frozen expression of terror on the wolf rider's face before death. On the surface of the ice, a few fragments of a Taoist robe, not yet blown away by the cold wind, and a few drops of blood, already frozen into ruby-like beads, remained.
This is a "sacrifice" from Eagle's Sorrow Gorge! It is proof that Xuanweizi and the Taoist disciples sacrificed their lives and lifespans to freeze the elite Blood Wolf Banner!
The Chanyu's deep, resonant voice rang out, like muffled thunder rolling across the Yin Mountains, carrying a cold majesty and undeniable power, clearly piercing the cold wind and reaching the ears of every survivor in the Anji Camp:
"Xiao Yuxuan".
"The iron hooves of this Khan have trampled the spine of the Helan Mountains and watered the horses on the banks of the Ruoshui River."
"Benhan's scimitar, bathed in the blood of thirty-six tribal leaders, made the lone wolf of the desert bow down in submission."
“Today, this scorched earth of Longshou Plain, this deep pit that buried tens of thousands of my sons,” he pointed to the huge wound in the southwest, his voice flat as if stating a fact unrelated to himself, “and this… frozen beast,” his gaze swept over the ice-sculpted mechanical beast on the ground, “is telling me one thing.”
He leaned forward slightly, his hawk-like gaze piercing Xiao Yuxuan like a solid ice spike:
"You are not an insect that can be crushed at will."
“You are qualified to stand here and speak to me.”
“Name your price. Use your meager chips to buy the last few days of breathing space for these ants behind you.”
The air froze. The Northern Rong cavalry stood silent as mountains, radiating an invisible pressure. The remnants of Anji Camp held their breath, all eyes fixed on the blood-soaked figure amidst the ruins. To buy their lives? This was a blatant humiliation, a cold, hard reality. What other bargaining chips did they have left?
Xiao Yuxuan slowly straightened up. He didn't look at the frozen mechanical beast on the ground, nor at the scarred man with venomous eyes beside the Chanyu. His gaze calmly met the unfathomable eagle eyes of the Chanyu. Then, he made a move that surprised everyone.
He slowly raised his right hand, the silver seal with the dragon-shaped knob, symbolizing the civil administration power of the Governor of Hexi, reflecting a cold luster in the dim light. He did not raise it high, but held it steadily in his palm, as if bearing a weight of a thousand pounds.
"Chanyu".
Xiao Yuxuan's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear and steady, carrying a calm power that came from weathering many storms, echoing across the desolate battlefield:
"What you see are the ruins of Anji Camp, and thousands of wounded and exhausted soldiers."
"What you see is this seal of the Governor of Hexi, which was regarded as worthless by the court and used as a shackle by cruel officials."
"But what you can't see is the embers of fire beneath this scorched earth, soaked in blood yet never extinguished!"
"What you can't see is the unbroken backbone of the Mo family, buried under rubble amidst the ruins of the irrigation canal!"
What you cannot see is the Taoist mantra of 'the people's livelihood never ceases,' written with the blood and sweat of a passionate heart on the icy walls of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge!
With each word he spoke, the hand holding the silver seal became a little steadier, and his back a little straighter.
"Buy lives?" Xiao Yuxuan's lips curled upwards very slowly, forming a cold and mocking arc. "My head, Xiao Yuxuan's head, and the flesh and blood of thousands of soldiers and civilians of Anji Camp, are right here! If the Chanyu has the guts, he may come and take them! Use the lives of your two hundred thousand Northern Rong warriors to fill this scorched earth of Longshou Plain! Let's see if you can flatten this ruin first, or if the flames of my Hexi will first ignite your northern royal court!"
The chilling killing intent, like an invisible blade, instantly pierced through the oppressive aura that the Chanyu had deliberately created! The pupils of the Chanyu of Luandi contracted slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Xiao Yuxuan's tone suddenly changed, his voice like an ice river cracking, exuding a chilling aura:
"As for the price?"
He suddenly pointed the hand holding the silver seal at the scarred man beside the Chanyu!
"This person—is my 'price'!"
"Does the Chanyu know what poison is used to coat the fangs of the 'Blood Wolf Banner,' which you regard as a sharp weapon?"
"Do you know where the core of the evil magic that drives these steel beasts and devours the flesh and soul of your Northern Rong sons originates?"
"Do you know that the Suspended Blade Beast Head Sect's ambition has never been limited to the Hexi region, but rather to carve out its own territory and enslave the common people with its mechanical and evil arts!"
Under the scarred man's suddenly changed expression and murderous intent surged, Xiao Yuxuan abruptly pulled something from his pocket—it was the very same mechanical box that Xiao Mingxin and Xiao Dingbian had worked together to crack in the secret room that day, the box covered with Northern Rong wolf-patterned incantations! He held it high, the box emitting a low hum in the wind!
"This object! It is irrefutable evidence that Scarface, the leader of the Suspended Blade Beast Head Sect, colluded with the Crafts Bureau of the Northern Rong Royal Court to forcibly graft Northern Rong shamanic witchcraft and incantations onto the core of the Mo family's mechanisms! It is also the Devouring Master Weapon that he secretly collected the essence and souls of fallen soldiers to nourish the evil puppet and plot to turn against its master!"
Xiao Yuxuan's voice boomed like thunder across Yinshan Pass:
"He aids you with evil magic, but only by borrowing the blood of your Northern Rong cavalry to nourish his own evil poison! Today he can devour my Hexi, but tomorrow this evil poison will turn on him, and the first to be chewed to pieces will be your Luandi royal court! Chanyu! Your proud Azure Wolf cavalry is nothing more than a blood-feeding pasture to feed the Asura's evil weapon in the eyes of this venomous snake beside you!"
"You—bullshit!!" Scarface, like a venomous snake whose tail had been stepped on, suddenly spurred his giant wolf, his eyes bloodshot, and a curved blade wreathed in black energy instantly drew from its sheath, pointing directly at Xiao Yuxuan! A violent killing intent surged forth like a tangible wave! The Blood Wolf Banner elites behind him also instantly became agitated, their mechanical wolf beasts emitting low roars!
"Insolence!" Luandi Chanyu roared, his voice like muffled thunder! He didn't turn around, but merely pressed his right hand down very slightly. An invisible, overwhelming pressure instantly enveloped Scarface and his men! The restless Blood Wolf Banner seemed to be held down by an invisible giant hand, falling silent instantly! The giant wolf beneath Scarface pawed restlessly, emitting low growls, but dared not take another step forward. Scarface himself was as if bound by invisible chains, veins bulging on his face, his hand gripping the sword trembling violently with extreme anger and a hint of fear, yet he ultimately dared not move an inch!
The Khan's hawk-like eyes, now completely frozen in ice, slowly turned to the scarred man beside him, who lay like a trapped beast. His gaze was no longer that of a ferocious hunting dog, but rather that of someone scrutinizing a… dangerous, out-of-control weapon that needed reassessment. Once the seed of doubt was planted, it grew wildly like a poisonous vine.
Just then!
A rapid clatter of hooves approached from afar! A rider on horseback, like an arrow released from a bow, broke through the outer perimeter of the Northern Rong army's defenses, galloping recklessly towards the direction of the Chanyu's banner! The rider was covered in blood, his armor tattered, clearly a member of the Northern Rong royal court's Golden Wolf Guard! He held aloft a bloodstained wolf skull talisman, shouting hoarsely in the Rong language:
"Shanyu! Urgent report from the royal court! The Right Guli King (Shanyu's brother) has joined forces with the seven tribes of Baishan and Heishui to rebel! They have breached three major camps on the south bank of the Jinlang River! They have burned our pastures! They have plundered our people! The vanguard... the vanguard is less than three hundred li from the royal court's headquarters! The Left Xian King (Shanyu's eldest son) is seriously wounded! The royal court... is in grave danger!!!"
Like a bolt from the blue!
For the first time, a violent fluctuation appeared on Luandi Chanyu's face, which was as hard as rock! Shock, rage, and a hint of deep-seated...panic! His hawk-like eyes instantly became bloodshot! A rebellion had broken out in the royal court! Fire had broken out in his own backyard! And this happened when he was personally leading the expedition to Hexi, leaving his rear vulnerable! The seven tribes of Baishan and Heishui were all powerful and influential clans! The Right Guli King was his own blood brother! This rebellion was no accident; it must have been premeditated, taking advantage of his army's distant expedition and the royal court's weakness to deliver a fatal blow!
Beset by internal and external troubles! The real predicament has instantly shifted to this powerful ruler of the grasslands!
Luan Di Chanyu abruptly raised his head, his hawk-like gaze once again piercing the figure still standing tall like a spear amidst the ruins! Xiao Yuxuan! Gu Yan! And that damned, intricate network of strategists' intelligence! He absolutely refused to believe that there was no shadow of Hexi behind this sudden rebellion, no shadow of the man before him!
What a brilliant move to undermine their strength! What a brilliant two-pronged attack!
Time seemed to stand still. The wind, carrying blood and dust, swept past the Chanyu's hand, his knuckles white as he gripped the reins, past the scarred face contorted with shock and panic, past the thousands of eyes on the ruins, some filled with despair, some with astonishment, and some with a sudden glimmer of light.
Luan Di Chanyu's chest heaved violently a few times. This ruthless and decisive ruler of the grasslands, who had never bowed his head throughout his life, swept his gaze over the frozen mechanical beast on the ground, over the huge wound in the southwest that had devoured tens of thousands of elite troops, over the scorched ruins before him that were as prickly as a hedgehog, and finally settled on the silver seal with a dragon-shaped knob held in Xiao Yuxuan's palm, which reflected a cold luster in the dim light of the day.
Decisions are made in an instant.
"Good!" The Chanyu's voice, like the clang of metal, shattered the silence, carrying a suppressed, violent rage and icy rationality. "Xiao Yuxuan! Today, I, the Khan, will remember this 'generous gift' from you!"
He suddenly drew a golden-handled scimitar from his waist, a symbol of supreme authority! The blade was inlaid with seven large gems, which still shimmered in the gloomy light of the day! He did not point it at Xiao Yuxuan, but raised it high, and then, to everyone's astonishment, he slashed it fiercely at the flagpole beside his saddle—the flag of the Nine-Tailed Azure Wolf, a symbol of royalty and war!
Snap! Snap!
The sturdy flagpole snapped in two! The Nine-Tailed Wolf Banner, symbolizing the highest power of the Northern Rong Royal Court, along with its broken flagpole, crashed to the ground!
"I swear by this banner!" The voice of the Chanyu of Luandi seemed to emanate from the deepest hell, icy and chilling, echoing throughout the Yin Mountains. "After I have swept away all enemies, crushed the rebels, and restored order to my northern lands—"
He abruptly turned his horse around, and the Black Cloud Snowman stood upright, letting out a neigh that pierced the clouds and split rocks! The golden sword in the Chanyu's hand, with a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, was pointed at the cold silver seal on the ruins, at Xiao Yuxuan, and at the scorched earth behind him that had been ravaged!
Goodbye, Hexi!!!
"Withdraw the troops!!!"
Ughh ...
The mournful sound of the ox horn echoed once more through Yinshan, but this time it was no longer a horn of attack, but a lament of retreat! The massive Northern Rong army, like the receding black sea, slowly turned around under the watchful eyes of countless people filled with astonishment, resentment, and a sense of relief at surviving a catastrophe. They kicked up clouds of snow and dust and retreated with a thunderous roar in the direction they had come from!
Under the cold gaze of the Khan, Scarface looked like a stray dog. He glared at Xiao Yuxuan with venomous hatred, then squeezed his wolf belly hard and, with the remnants of the Blood Wolf Banner, scrambled into the retreating torrent, disappearing into the dust and smoke.
The black tide finally receded.
The setting sun, like blood, painted its last rays upon the scorched earth of Longshou Plain, a land soaked with blood and tears, despair and struggle. Vast wounds steamed with white vapor, frozen mechanical beasts reflected a ghostly blue light in the twilight, the collapsed Cleansing Wall resembled the remains of a colossal beast, and the broken Azure Wolf King's banner lay half-buried in the mud.
The ruins were deathly silent. Only the cold wind howled through the broken walls and rubble.
I don't know how much time passed.
Thump.
An old soldier with a missing arm dropped his chipped machete to the ground. He stared blankly at the receding dust, then looked down at his empty sleeve. His cracked lips trembled violently, and finally he let out a suppressed whimper, like that of a wounded beast.
The sob was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
More and more people collapsed to the ground. Some wept loudly for their dead relatives and comrades; some laughed wildly, looking like madmen; many more just sat or lay there blankly, staring at the gray sky, their eyes filled with the emptiness of surviving the disaster and an unfathomable weariness.
Xiao Yuxuan remained standing on the ruins. The silver seal with the dragon-shaped knob in his hand was now gripped tightly, its cold, sharp edges digging painfully into his palm. He looked at the retreating enemy troops, at the survivors on the ruins who seemed to have their souls ripped out, at this utterly destroyed homeland. A torrent of overwhelming weariness, profound sorrow, and a sense of unreality instantly overwhelmed his taut nerves.
He swayed.
"Governor!" Chen Zhong exclaimed, trying to step forward to help him up.
Xiao Yuxuan waved his hand, indicating that he was alright. He took a deep breath, the air mixed with the stench of blood, scorched earth, and cold dust piercing his lungs, bringing a near-numb clarity. Slowly and with great difficulty, he began to remove the heavy armor he was wearing, which was already tattered and soaked in blood and mud.
The nail plates collided, producing a dull, sticky sound. Each time he untied a strap, it felt like a thousand-pound weight was lifted. When he personally removed the last tattered breastplate and threw it heavily into the mud at his feet, he felt a wave of dizziness, as if he were about to collapse, yet also an unprecedented sense of relief.
Beneath the tattered cloth lay numerous old and new wounds.
He raised his head, his gaze passing over the ruins and looking towards the direction of the school. It was now a pile of charred rubble, with only a few stubborn, unburnt beams emitting wisps of smoke in the twilight.
Just then.
Glug glug...
A faint yet remarkably clear sound of flowing water came from deep within the ravaged land beneath my feet. The sound was soft, like a tiny stream flowing between the rocks.
Xiao Yuxuan suddenly lowered his head!
At the edge of the ruins, in a narrow, dark ditch leading to the school cellar, half-buried by corpses and rubble, murky water was slowly... beginning to flow again! Although weak and extremely murky, the direction of the flow was clearly towards the new turbulent flow of the Wei River formed after the collapse of the irrigation canal!
Water! It's water! The Eagle Sorrow Stream, protected by Xuanweizi and the Daoist disciples with their lives, stabilized by that tragic blood sacrifice! It hasn't run out! Beneath this scorched earth of death, it stubbornly searches for a new way out! It seeps through the cracks in the ruins, nourishing this land soaked in blood and evil poison!
Xiao Yuxuan stared blankly at the turbid yet stubbornly flowing stream, then slowly raised his head and looked at the figures on the ruins who, in the twilight, gradually stopped crying and stood up, supporting each other, as tenacious as wild grass.
A child, his face still streaked with tears, was squatting beside a pile of rubble, carefully and intently using a sharp stone to dull the sharp tip of a barbed Northern Rong arrowhead he had picked up, little by little.
The setting sun sank completely behind the Yinshan Mountains, leaving only a blood-red ember on the horizon.
The night wind swept through the ruins, carrying a biting chill, and also a trace of... faint yet incredibly clear moisture rising from the depths of the earth.
From the ashes of destruction, the first cry of life echoed across Dragon Head Plain.
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