Chapter 328: National Treasure
The residence is located inside the Zhenbeiguan city, outside the military camp.
Because Qin Zhaoqiong brought with him a thousand elite imperial guards, the Xuanwu Army did not send any additional troops to garrison.
The night was dark, and a vague "force" lingered around Liu Yan, completely enveloping Qin Zhaoqiong's figure as if she were wearing an invisible cloak.
The two blended into the night, moving silently through the rooftops and alleys of the town.
There are guard posts and secret sentries everywhere in Zhenbei Pass, and the lights are swaying in the cold wind.
The "momentum" of Liu Yan perfectly concealed his figure, and he stepped on the ground without leaving any trace and silently, carefully avoiding the patrolling soldiers and all detection.
Fortunately, the war has not yet broken out in full swing. The Shufeng Dynasty and Dagan have only had a few exploratory battles, and there are still several small cities outside Zhenbei Pass serving as a buffer.
Otherwise, if a large army were to approach, the city would be as secure as an iron barrel, with extremely tight security.
Even if Liu Yan had already reached the Divine Martial Realm at that time, it would be wishful thinking for him to carry someone around like the wind.
Only after successfully leaving Zhenbei Pass about a mile away did Liu Yan finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Without holding back, he took Qin Zhaoqiong and increased his speed to the extreme.
The wind whistled in my ears, and the scenery on both sides turned into blurred afterimages and flew backwards at lightning speed!
If Qin Zhaoqiong had not advanced to the fourth level and had a solid foundation, his body might not have been able to withstand such a speed.
After galloping for about half an hour, the two arrived at the entrance of a hidden valley.
Liuyan stopped outside the cordon at the edge of the dense forest and revealed his figure.
The moon is dim tonight, with only the stars in the sky casting a faint glow, and the light is dim.
Before my eyes was a dense and impenetrable primeval jungle, with towering ancient trees and tangled branches.
Qin Zhaoqiong took out a token from his bosom that was neither gold nor jade and had an ancient shape, and held it high in his hand.
As soon as I stepped into the edge of the dense forest, the light was instantly swallowed up by the layers of branches and leaves, and the scene before me suddenly fell into deeper darkness.
At this moment of alternation between light and darkness, a figure suddenly appeared in front.
He was wearing a heavy black armor with thick and heavy armor plates, which glowed with a cold and restrained luster under the faint starlight, as if absorbing all the light around him.
The joints of the armor are ingeniously designed, taking into account both protection and flexibility. The breastplate on the chest is polished to a mirror-like finish, reflecting distorted shadows.
He was like a mountain that had existed since ancient times, holding a huge, unsheathed sword in both hands, with the tip of the sword deeply embedded in the humus beneath his feet.
The sword was plain and simple, with a broad blade and pitch black body, but it exuded a heart-pounding heaviness and sharpness.
The most terrifying thing is that before stepping into this jungle, even with Liuyan's perception, he had never noticed the existence of such a person here!
He seemed to have condensed out from this boundless darkness and silence, merging into one with this ancient dense forest.
"Stop if you come."
A deep and rich voice came from under the heavy armor.
Qin Zhaoqiong took a step forward and held the token in his hand horizontally in front of the other party.
The heavily armored figure's gaze lingered on the token for a moment, and he nodded imperceptibly.
He said nothing, but slowly moved aside to make way.
The heavy armor made a low clanging sound during the movement, which was particularly clear in the silent forest.
Qin Zhaoqiong put away the token and walked silently into the depths of the jungle with Liuyan.
The usual relaxed or playful look on Liuyan's face had long since disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity and seriousness.
His eyes were as sharp as a hawk, scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
After walking through the dense forest for about an incense stick of time, the view suddenly opened up and a lake surrounded by mountains appeared.
However, the scene before them made Qin Zhaoqiong and Liu Yan's breath stop.
The flat ground beside the lake was covered in black. There were thousands of cavalrymen wearing heavy black armor!
They were like a forest made of steel, with both men and horses covered in cold, heavy armor.
The warhorse was tall and majestic, wearing a ferocious metal horse mask that only revealed its cold eye sockets, and a sturdy bit in its mouth to prevent it from neighing.
There was not a trace of fire in the entire team, and all the people and horses were like frozen statues, dead silent.
The suffocating silence is more oppressive than any noise.
Only the mountain breeze occasionally passed through the armor leaves, making an extremely subtle, whimpering "clang" sound.
Ordinary people would have their minds destroyed instantly just by facing this steel forest.
Qin Zhaoqiong slowly exhaled, trying to calm the surging blood and qi in his chest.
The two men stopped, and the heavily armored knight in the lead dismounted. His heavy armor clanged as he moved, and his steps were as steady as a mountain as he walked straight towards Qin Zhaoqiong.
As he approached, he saluted with his fists, and the heavy armor arm guards collided with each other, making a dull sound.
Qin Zhaoqiong took out the imperial edict from his sleeve, and at the same time took out half a bronze tiger talisman carved with a ferocious tiger head.
The leading heavy-armored cavalryman took it and scanned the imperial edict with his senses.
He confirmed that the tiger talisman was correct and put it away together with the imperial edict.
"General Li Yuanxiao, listen to my orders!"
Qin Zhaoqiong discovered illegally mined iron ore while on his way to provide disaster relief. The initial estimate was that 36,000 kilograms of pig iron would be mined annually, and the illegal mining had lasted for seven or eight years.
It was later confirmed by Zhao Hengjiang that the actual number would be much higher.
Converted into armaments, there is enough equipment to equip at least 30,000 to 40,000 infantrymen.
If converted into heavy cavalry armor, there are more than 3,000 sets.
So far, the whereabouts of the huge amount of pig iron has not been found.
Those who can do this are rare.
The most terrifying possibility is that the pig iron is sent to the enemy country.
The Shuofeng Dynasty was short of salt and iron, and was good at cavalry but rarely had heavy weapons and armor. It was famous for its light cavalry that moved as fast as the wind.
The main reason why the Dagan Dynasty was able to compete with it was its advantage in armaments.
Shuofeng does not have the resources for heavy cavalry. If they had a full-scale heavy cavalry unit... the consequences would be unimaginable!
Therefore, Qin Zhaoqiong has an extremely important mission on this trip.
All the generals on the northern front are probably thinking about forming an army of women, and while they have no time to spare, they headed straight here on the first night.
What's in the forest is Da Gan's external killing weapon - the black-armored heavy cavalry!
The person in front of him was none other than Li Yuanxiao, the commander of the Shen Ce Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry.
It has five battalions under its command, each with a thousand cavalrymen, collectively known as the Five Blades of Black Armor.
A fourth-rank military general is not considered high among all the Dagan military generals, but his status is transcendent and he only receives orders from the empress Qin Minghuang.
The tiger talisman that Qin Zhaoqiong brought was the only proof of use, and it was limited to the purposes stated in the imperial edict.
The Shen Ce Xuan Jia Army is elusive and its location has always been top secret.
It can be kept secret and has a higher deterrent effect. It is a national weapon that can be used in unconventional ways.
This time, they were lurking so close to Zhenbei Pass just to guard against the missing pig iron.
If the war situation changes, launch a thunder strike to change the situation.
Qin Zhaoqiong looked solemn, and Liu Yan also stood straight, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Qin Zhaoqiong used the sound transmission technique to say to Li Yuanxiao:
"General Li, the person next to me is Liu Yan, the captain of the Xuanji Guard.
Remember, there are only two signals for dispatching the Black Armored Heavy Cavalry.
First, it is me or Liuyan who comes in person;
The second is a three-color whistle arrow in a specific order."
"Yes." Li Yuanxiao responded in a deep voice, and then added,
"I need to remind Your Highness that according to the law, our Shen Ce Army has the right to make decisions on the battlefield.
Whether to intervene in the battle, when to intervene, and when to withdraw will be decided by me based on the battlefield situation."
"Of course." Qin Zhaoqiong agreed without thinking, his tone firm.
"This time, I will form a troop of 3,000 female light cavalrymen, along with a thousand imperial guards, to form the 'Phoenix Feather Camp'.
All the soldiers under this camp, including this king, will serve as scouts and rearguards of the Shen Ce Army on the battlefield.
But as long as I have the command, please do not worry about anything else."
Qin Zhaoqiong's eyes were as bright as torches, filled with a rock-like firmness.
"General Li, what I said is true."
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanxiao raised his eyes hidden under the heavy armor mask and looked at the opposite side for the first time.
Qin Zhaoqiong looked back calmly without any sign of retreat.
Li Yuanxiao clasped his fists and nodded slightly, and the heavy armor once again rang out, "Shen Ce Xuan Jia Army, listen to my orders!"
"Okay." Qin Zhaoqiong nodded.
The purpose of this meeting has been achieved.
Qin Zhaoqiong did not stay for a moment, and turned around quickly with Liu Yan, blending into the darkness of the dense forest again.
The longer you stay here, the greater the risk of being exposed.
When the two figures completely disappeared in the woods, the dense forest in the valley returned to its heart-wrenching silence, with only the mountain wind whimpering through the gaps in the woods.
Downwind, on a steep cliff, a pair of eyes slowly opened...
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