puff--
With a swift stroke of the knife, a head rolled to the ground.
It bounced slightly after hitting the mud.
Even as the head was severed from the body, its face retained a mixture of madness and fanaticism, its bright eyes brimming with confidence in the Northern Desert and hatred and loathing for Shen Tang and the others. Shen Tang drew his hand, and the decapitating blade flew back automatically.
She used a handkerchief to wipe the blood off the knife.
He didn't even spare a glance: "Heaven's mandate is supreme, and there's some truth to the saying 'Heaven's mandate is in the north.' But Kang Kingdom is also on the northwestern continent, so how can we know that Heaven's mandate isn't meant for Kang Kingdom? I appreciate your blessing, but I'll still gladly accept your head."
Then, her gaze swept over the other prisoners who were trembling like quails, and she clapped her hands in praise: "Your courage is commendable. I have always admired those who are loyal and righteous. To be able to defend the honor of your people in the face of a life-or-death crisis is worthy of praise."
The prisoners recovered from their initial shock.
Then they fell into even greater despair.
Shen Tang's tone was sarcastic and didn't sound like he intended to let them go at all; he clearly intended to kill them! Everyone cursed the man in their hearts! If there was still a glimmer of hope at the beginning—the northwestern kingdoms had accepted prisoners of war from the Northern Desert before, it just depended on whether the price was right—after the mess caused by their incompetent allies, they probably didn't have a chance to survive.
He was fiercely loyal and righteous, earning a good reputation, but others' path to survival was cut off! Endless despair filled everyone's hearts.
Some kowtowed, some begged for mercy, some swore oaths...
However, some people see the reality clearly and know that they cannot escape their fate.
Since begging for mercy is the same as dying, and not begging for mercy is also the same, why bother wasting energy and making a fool of oneself? Despairingly, he closed his eyes, waiting for the executioner's blade to fall on his neck. This farce finally came to an end with Shen Tang's downward gesture, and heads rolled all over the ground.
Each head rolled a few times on the ground due to inertia.
Some stopped on their own, while others only stopped after colliding with their "neighbors'" heads. Streams of blood gushed from their bowl-sized necks, soaking the ground. The temperature was relatively low this season, and the warm blood spilled on the ground emitted wisps of white mist that then dissipated.
Shen Tang raised the weapon in his hand.
Raise your arms and shout—
"Destiny resides in the North, and I am destiny itself!"
The next moment, the training ground was engulfed by a deafening roar.
Some soldiers shouted themselves hoarse in their excitement, and Shen Tang continued only after their voices gradually subsided: "The camel-shaped mound of capitals, this will be the last time, because—in the future there will be no so-called 'Northern Desert'! There will only be the 'Northern State' of Kang Kingdom!"
"Northern Continent!"
"Northern Continent!"
"Northern Continent!"
The sounds rose and fell in waves.
Morale soared, and the soldiers felt no chill in the night wind. Not only were they not cold, but they began to sweat, as if a flame was burning within them, radiating boundless heat. This restlessness could only be soothed by their hoarse roars and shouts. Even after everyone had stopped, their response still echoed across the sky, a powerful force soaring into the heavens.
Shen Tang didn't even glance at the nearly one hundred corpses lying on the ground.
She raised a large bowl of wine to the soldiers and declared in a resounding voice, "May the fate of the Kang Kingdom bear witness, and may you all have great military fortune and a resounding victory in this battle. In the far north of the vast sea, let us raise the altar once more!"
It is said that the far north of the Northern Desert is covered by ice and snow all year round.
This place is often shrouded in strange celestial phenomena and is considered the end of the world in many myths. The fact that Shen Tang's army has reached this point and built an altar to inform heaven and earth speaks volumes—she not only intends to win, but to bring the Northern Desert to its complete submission!
Instead of using seductive and impassioned language to stir up emotions, he simply uttered a few words that were enough to get people's blood pumping. Even Qi Shan, a cunning schemer who had seen it all, had to admit one thing—his lord seemed to have an innate ability to "bewitch" people, getting them all fired up with just a few words.
It's even more sinister than casting a spell on someone.
"Army, move out!"
Shen Tang transformed into his armor and mounted his motorcycle.
Although the motorcycle was originally a snow-white mule, its size had undergone a dramatic transformation as Shen Tang's strength had advanced. Coupled with its full suit of silver-white horse armor, it resembled a heavy, silver-white war chariot. Shen Tang calmly steered this "chariot," its iron hooves moving with elegant grace. Heads along the path shattered instantly, scattering colorful, red, and white debris across the ground.
Before the main force set off, the elite troops supporting Gong Shuwu had already quietly left the camp outside the camel city and headed straight for Gong Shuwu's position. Gong Shuwu was the general who understood the Northern Desert best among all the military commanders—regardless of the changes in the northwestern kingdoms, the Gong family had focused on conquering the Northern Desert for generations, accumulating rich experience in the process, including but not limited to the living habits, combat methods, regional resources, and military tactics of the various tribes and peoples of the Northern Desert…
The generals from the Gong family weren't exactly top-tier in terms of talent, and one-on-one duels weren't their forte—even Gong Shuwu was only considered above average. However, thanks to the accumulated experience of several generations, the Gong family consistently performed admirably in battles against the Northern Desert, making them rare exceptions who didn't prioritize individual combat prowess when becoming commanders.
Gong Shuwu was a pivotal figure who bridged the gap between the past and the future.
If it weren't for the upheavals in Xin and Geng, he would have supported the Gong family until Gong Cheng grew up and was able to establish his own independent lineage before personally handing over the heavy responsibility of the Gong family to him.
Gong Shuwu was aware of the responsibilities he bore, so he never dared to slacken his efforts over the years. Even his early childhood education materials consisted of records of the war with the Northern Desert. The first time he picked up a gun taller than himself, he stabbed a wooden acupuncture doll with the words "Northern Desert" written on it. His upbringing was filled with the content instilled in him by his elders.
The Gong family was born to fight against the northern desert, and one day, Gong Shuwu will also rest in peace on the land where his ancestors shed their blood.
Gong Shuwu was taught to confront death at the age of six.
Death is not frightening. The men of the Gong family will only die on the northern battlefield, but here lie our ancestors. Death is merely a journey to meet them. You may fear the ghosts of strangers, but will you fear the ancestors who hold you in such high esteem? They are all here.
Gong Shuwu suddenly opened his eyes.
At the same time, he finished his practice and calmed the inexplicably agitated dantian.
He had just adjusted his state, allowing his body to circulate with the energy of heaven and earth. The turbulence in his dantian naturally affected the natural flow of energy. This slight change was enough to alert Lu Ji, who was not far away. Lu Ji returned from his inspection and asked, "General, are you alright?"
It's common to get a stitch in your side while practicing martial arts.
But this usually happens to beginners.
For seasoned veterans like Gong Shuwu, their martial energy has become ingrained. Even without deliberate guidance, it will slowly and steadily follow a predetermined path, with virtually no possibility of unexpected problems. If such a problem does occur, it indicates that the martial artist's mental state is disordered.
Lu Ji's concern reminded Gong Shuwu of the accident that had just happened.
But he wasn't going to say much: "It's nothing, it's alright... It's just that I can't concentrate on my cultivation when I'm out here, I keep thinking about random things. Looking at the sky now, the army has rested enough, let's set off, we should be able to catch the ambush..."
Gong Shuwu has become completely accustomed to his current identity and rarely thinks about the past, let alone the advice from his elders when he was young.
It suddenly appeared today—
He had a vague sense of foreboding.
Both martial artists and scholars possess a strong sense of premonition, some good and some bad. The one before Gong Shuwu seemed to be a bad omen. He calmly mounted his warhorse, raised his hand and waved it in front of his eyes, conjuring a mask that covered his expressionless face.
Once on the battlefield, one disregards life and death.
Whether the omen is good or bad, the battles that need to be fought still need to be fought.
He tightened the reins on his warhorse.
A soft shout: "Giddy up!"
According to intelligence gathered from the previous enemy force they ambushed, a shipment of supplies would soon arrive at the Northern Desert camp. The Northern Desert forces had assembled hastily, and the supplies were not yet fully in place. Destroying this shipment would undoubtedly be a major blow to the morale of the Northern Desert army.
When Gong Shuwu intercepted the intelligence, he sent out scouts to investigate.
The enemy forces were fairly standard.
Judging from this, the person in charge of transporting grain was probably not very capable—because resources in the Northern Desert were limited, and the population that could be supported was naturally not large. In order to maintain combat strength, all the tribes in the Northern Desert, regardless of age or gender, could go to the battlefield and were very good at "meticulous planning".
A strong military commander in charge of supplying provisions will correspondingly have fewer troops assigned to him, and vice versa. Judging from the quantity of supplies and provisions as well as the number of soldiers, the strength of the commander in charge is most likely no higher than that of a seventh-rank duke or grandee, or at least within two ranks.
If we use our own forces to intercept and kill them, we'll be almost certain of success.
Gong Shuwu kept going through the intelligence analysis in his mind.
He chuckled to himself, thinking, "What in this world is absolute?"
At that moment, he inadvertently looked up and vaguely saw a moon with a faint blood-red glow. Upon closer inspection, the hazy moonlight returned to its normal color. Had he imagined it? A strange unease spread through Gong Shuwu's heart, like countless venomous snakes crawling across it.
"Zhi Zong."
He called out to Lu Ji.
As one of the first female military officers capable of cultivation, and with Gong Shuwu having spent years deeply involved in military training, the two had considerable contact, forming a relationship that was half teacher and half student. To avoid affecting morale, he lowered his voice: "When engaging the enemy, be careful. If anything goes wrong, lead the troops to retreat immediately..."
"Is the intelligence false?"
Lu Ji glanced at his current location.
The scouts reported back that they were not far from the enemy.
At this point, retreating might cause a sway in morale, but the real danger lies in the enemy seizing the opportunity to pursue and attack.
Gong Shuwu shook his head slightly: "No, it's intuition."
Lu Jidao said, "Now we're in a bind."
Changing battle plans on short notice is a major taboo in military operations.
There must be a reasonable explanation.
Intuition is clearly not a sufficient or compelling excuse.
Since Gong Shuwu couldn't prove whether his intuition was true or false, Lu Ji believed he wouldn't make things up, but this avenue couldn't be opened carelessly. If a seemingly strong but actually weak general were to use intuition as an excuse to temporarily withdraw his troops, what kind of battle would that be?
She looked around, becoming more alert.
He said, "General, please rest assured."
If the intelligence is wrong and the enemy has set an ambush, she will not let them gain any advantage: "Pass down the order, all troops on high alert!"
(σ)σ:*☆
The temperature in Wenzhou has dropped drastically; even 220g thick fleece leggings couldn't keep up, so I ordered a thermal vest overnight. It's been raining for the past two days, and I still had to brave the wind and rain to go check out my work this afternoon. Sigh, unsurprisingly, I caught a chill and got a stomachache. It's been going on for two days now, and I feel completely exhausted. I have to go to the toilet after typing a few hundred words, and even montmorillonite powder isn't helping.
Who would believe that it was 21°C here just a few days ago?
P.S.: This chapter is a bit short; I need to think of a way to deliver some angst.
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