Chapter 51 Move them all
He Jin lifted his long sleeve. He didn't activate the insidious "blood loss" formation again; he was almost fainting from blood loss. Fortunately, He Jin was a Xuan Realm cultivator with abundant Yuan Qi. He fully activated the remaining Yuan Liquid in his dantian, spreading it throughout his body. He raised his aura and physical strength to their peak. As for the hidden injuries caused by forcibly circulating Yuan Qi, he couldn't care less about them now.
Qin Mo still didn't reveal her true strength, relying solely on her incredibly powerful physical strength to instantly reach He Jin. He Jin gathered all his strength and slashed at Qin Mo with his blade.
Throughout the entire duel, Qin Mo had never directly confronted him, driving him to the brink of madness with frustration. Now, the two were face to face, and Qin Mo showed no intention of dodging. He Jin felt that his strike was executed with unparalleled ease and fluency.
Qin Mo crossed his short blades and held them horizontally, blocking He Jin's long sword. No matter how much He Jin channeled his energy, he couldn't suppress the sword even slightly. He had gathered all his energy in his arms, but it was still useless. Then... Qin Mo's lips twitched, revealing a wicked smile.
Qin Mo slowly removed the short blade from his long sword, using only his left blade to parry He Jin's longsword. Suddenly, a ray of light flashed from the short blade in his right hand, dazzlingly bright. He Jin's head flew off his body, spraying out a torrent of blood that enveloped an area of several feet in a bloody rain.
After beheading He Jin, Qin Mo leaped away, leaving only He Jin's headless corpse standing there, motionless. The surrounding nobles and soldiers could only hiss and gasp, unsure of what to say.
"Mozi...you're too ruthless! Look...look at this one...he died with his eyes wide open..." Qin Yumu was the first to react, pointing at a head lying on the ground and shouting, successfully attracting the attention of most of the spoiled second-generation rich kids. He Jin's eyes on his head were wide open, but they had no life in them.
"He really died with his eyes wide open...blah blah blah."
"Look at this cut...it even cuts through the chainmail...how is it so smooth...blah blah blah."
"He Jin should be at the Profound Realm cultivation level, right? How come he's so weak?...blah blah blah"
Li Zinian's face was as black as the clouds before a storm, almost dripping with moisture. He Jin was a member of his family who had pledged allegiance to him, and Li Zinian had used many connections and paid a heavy price to elevate him to the position of commander of the Pingwei Army. As a general commanding tens of thousands of troops, he was one of the few truly powerful generals under Li Zinian's command, yet now he had died so swiftly and cleanly. How could Li Zinian not be furious?
"Silence... The duel is over. Everyone, please follow me to the council hall to discuss military matters." Li Zinian stood up and left with a flick of his sleeve. Chen Xuanji glanced at Qin Mo, his expression unreadable. He then left as well. A group of spoiled second-generation rich kids swarmed towards the council hall, discussing how amusing He Jin's death was as they walked.
Even after returning to the council hall, the second generation members were still engrossed in their discussion, prompting Li Zinian to smash a teacup on the ground with a "smash," finally silencing the onlookers.
“The Crown Prince of Heng has already set an example for everyone by leading troops to Maimai City. Who else is willing to serve the country and share the Emperor’s burdens?” Li Zinian once again used Qin Mo as an example, trying to drag another group of nobles into the mess and make them serve the country in Maimai City.
Qin Mo glanced at him and then closed his eyes to rest. He could see that none of these second-generation rich kids were idiots. They all made grand promises and made loud pronouncements, but they never actually did anything about it.
"In that case, the Wu Ning Army, the Da Yuan Army, and Wu Shenghuan of Huzhou... shall depart within three days without fail." Li Zinian successively named several noble families and the Wu Ning Army, gathering a total of 50,000 men, and demanded that they depart within three days.
“Commander Li, it’s snowing heavily outside. Our army received orders to go to Maimai City without any provisions for the journey. It’s 700 li from Maimai City. With this heavy snow, we don’t know how long it will take. How will we get supplies for the road? Maimai City is an important stronghold of the orcs. Now that it’s fallen, the orcs will surely counterattack. How will we replenish the city’s defensive weapons and arrows?”
Qin Mo spoke in a sarcastic tone, full of roguish charm. But his words were surprisingly reasonable and well-founded, which made the nobles who had gone to the trading city with him nod in agreement.
"Hehehe... Your Highness is overthinking it. Since this is a war fought for the country, all expenses will naturally be borne by the imperial court. Tomorrow, the Japanese commander-in-chief will open the treasury to all warriors for their use. Weapons and provisions will be plentiful." Li Zinian waved his hand generously, which made the eyes of several noble families light up, feeling that their chance to make a fortune had arrived.
Qin Mo looked at Li Zinian with disdain, inwardly cursing this hypocritical old fox. General Zhao Qirui's attack on Maimai City was undoubtedly a lightly armed surprise attack, with limited supplies. If the orc army didn't burn the grain and supplies after the city fell, things would be fine; but if the flames of war reached the granaries, Maimai City would inevitably face a food shortage. No matter how much grain they brought, half of it would have to be distributed upon reaching Maimai City.
While Li Zinian seemingly generously opened the warehouse to allow the northern armies to take whatever they wanted, in reality, due to air and transportation limitations, the northern armies could not bring much food, supplies, or equipment.
In winter, the snow in Ulan City is knee-deep, making it difficult even for horses to walk, let alone wooden-wheeled carts and people with short legs. A journey of seven hundred li (approximately 350 kilometers) would typically require an army to use all its horses, lightly loaded carts with a small amount of goods, and barely make it to the trading city. Any surplus provisions and weapons would likely not even be able to be taken out of the trading city. A few days ago, there was a snowfall, and now it's snowing heavily again. Even a light snowfall, just a couple of days, will make it impossible for heavily loaded carts to move.
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