Standing at the end of the plank road, looking at the slightly protruding low slope in the canyon, Jiang Hao was astonished.
If it weren't for the accompanying guards pointing there and saying that it was the original Qianfeng Pass, Jiang Hao would never have believed that it was the place the city lord of Jinling wanted him to reclaim.
You can't tell at all, okay?
The once precipitous mountain peaks and thick city walls have long since been flattened by the skeleton army, leaving only a slightly higher slope covered with countless white skeleton monsters.
What is the significance of retaking it?
Are we supposed to dance up there?
"Are you sure? Is that really the foreground pass of Qiongfeng Pass?"
"Reporting to the Legion Commander, I am absolutely certain that it is the Front Pass. Even if I were reduced to ashes, I would still recognize it."
This time, Jiang Hao believed it.
That place is indeed almost turned to ash.
To reclaim that area, we need sufficient power to push out the entire skeleton army from the canyon, and also the ability to take the opportunity to build enough walls and fortifications for defense.
Otherwise, if the skeleton army attacks again and the defense line collapses instantly, there's no point in wasting our efforts.
As a working-class person, this was Jiang Hao's solution, which he considered perfect.
Actually, he was overthinking things this time.
The city lord of Jinling's original intention was simply to push the skeleton army out of the canyon. As for whether the skeleton army would return, and what to do if they did, the city lord of Jinling had already thought it through: there was still the Zhongfeng Pass, wasn't there?
The main point of Jinling City's defense is not the front pass, but that Jiang Hao can demonstrate enough strength to bring hope of survival to all the soldiers at the front pass.
But the city lord didn't explain it clearly at the time, so how could Jiang Hao know?
Standing once again atop the city wall at the Central Pass, Jiang Hao discovered that 100 cannons and 100 giant crossbows had been assembled. Just like on the walls of Jinling City, 20 meters to the right of each cannon, a giant crossbow was placed, and another 20 meters to the right, another cannon, thus perfectly accommodating the entire wall at the Central Pass. Jiang Hao also saw crates of cannonballs and crossbow bolts lying nearby, ready to be unloaded and deployed into battle at any moment, awaiting the artillery and crossbowmen's orders.
In addition, the three airships from Jinling City had already unloaded their cargo and turned back. The Zhenyuan Legion's airships were parked beside the city wall, and squads of soldiers were disembarking. The soldiers marched in long lines towards the east side of the city wall, crossed the horse path there, and descended to the open space behind the Zhongfeng Pass. Jiang Hao observed that although the open space was not large, the arrangement of supplies and the movement of personnel were not chaotic, demonstrating the exceptional abilities of the Nok Legion Commander.
Turning his head to look at the west side of the city wall, Jiang Hao spotted Nok's figure and walked over.
"At Beixiong Fortress, are all 800 soldiers responsible for transporting ammunition and crossbow bolts? Is that alright?"
From a great distance, one could hear Nock's questioning.
The commander from the Northern Fortress was trembling with fear. Upon hearing Nok's arrangements, his face immediately fell. But he dared not disobey the legion commander's orders. He had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
"The Dauntless Fortress has a total of 1,200 soldiers, all of whom are responsible for carrying stones onto the city walls. Is that alright?"
The commander of the Dauntless Fortress, equally cautious and timid, immediately showed a helpless expression upon hearing that they had been assigned this arduous task. However, he dared not disobey the legion commander's order and had no choice but to agree.
"Commander Zhen Nantian, the Zhenyuan Legion, a total of 50,000 soldiers, will remain under your command. My requirement is to divide these 50,000 men into three legions, each defending the city for eight hours before rotating shifts. Any questions?"
Upon hearing that the legion commander had assigned the Zhenyuan Legion a mission to go directly to the battlefield, the commanders of Beixiong Fortress and Wuwei Fortress both laughed gleefully. They nodded to each other, then quickly pretended to be nonchalant.
Jiang Hao happened to see this scene.
Unexpectedly, Commander Zhennantian stood tall and gave Nok a military salute.
"Thank you for your trust, Commander. The Zhenyuan Legion will live up to your mission."
Nock nodded in satisfaction.
"I'm temporarily placing the men of Fearless Fortress and Northern Might Fortress under your command. Although I've assigned them tasks, you can assign them other tasks at any time if needed. If they disobey your orders..."
The legion commander unfastened the sword from his waist.
"You can act first and report later."
The momentary smugness vanished without a trace, and the two commanders quickly expressed their loyalty to their new superior.
"Rest assured, Commander, we will do our utmost to assist you whenever the Commander requests it."
Having arranged for the supplies and personnel transported from Jinling City and the three fortresses, Nok could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Seeing Jiang Hao standing to the side, his eyes narrowed, but he had no choice but to walk towards him.
"Commander Jiang is back. How was the inspection?"
Nok chuckled twice, asking a question he already knew the answer to, as a greeting. Jiang Hao pointed to the skeletons outside the city and finally voiced his doubts.
"Look at them, huddled together so tightly, they can barely move. How can they possibly besiege a city? I don't see any fighting ability in them at all. Didn't the battle report say that the skeleton legion was brave and invincible?"
Nock looked up at the sky and then pointed to the sun.
“They look like this every day when the sun is at its strongest. If you look at them again an hour later, they are more agile than the fiercest wild beasts.”
"My God, are they taking a nap?"
Jiang Hao found it unbelievable. Nock grinned wryly, but he completely agreed with the statement.
"You know what, it really does seem a bit like that. They sleep for four hours every day when the sun is at its hottest. The rest of the time, they're incredibly ferocious. They feel no pain, know no fear, and don't need to replenish their energy. Even losing a hand, foot, or head doesn't significantly affect their fighting ability. It's just like... just like..."
Nock seemed to be thinking of a suitable way to put it, but his trembling voice sounded more like it was filled with fear.
"It's as if...they were born...born to kill!"
"Then why not take this opportunity to beat them up?"
Nock gave a wry smile and pointed to the massive white skeleton army outside the city walls.
“If their numbers are limited, now is indeed the best time to deal with them.”
"But what if their numbers are infinite?"
"Now is the best time to take a break."
Jiang Hao's eyes narrowed, and he instantly understood what Nok meant. He also realized why there were only a few soldiers on the city wall making meaningless attacks.
"Don't they have any weaknesses? Have you tried using fire?"
Nock's wry smile deepened.
"I've tried it, why haven't I tried it?"
"The Qianfeng Pass was lost because of this."
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