Flames of war raged in the north, blood staining the yellow sands.
The winds of the North, carrying sand and chill, fluttered the "Heng" royal banner.
After a forced march, Zongzheng Hengyu led the Great Entropy elite troops to the war-torn northern front.
The scene before my eyes was far more shocking than the descriptions in the military reports. The once relatively peaceful border town was now in ruins, with mottled walls, charred patches everywhere, and the air thick with lingering smoke and a faint smell of blood.
The displaced people, pale and emaciated with numb eyes, huddled in makeshift shelters, silently telling the story of the trauma brought by war.
Zongzheng Hengyu stopped his horse on a high slope, his black armor gleaming coldly in the gloomy sky.
His deep gaze swept across the ravaged land, his face calm and composed, only his tightly pursed lips and the fleeting chill in the depths of his eyes betraying his inner rage and murderous intent.
“Your Highness,” Deputy General Zhou Chuang, a valiant general who had served him for many years, reported in a deep voice, “According to our scouts, this rebellion is not a simple tribal disturbance. The rebels are well-equipped, employ cunning tactics, and it seems that the regular army of the Northern Abyss Kingdom is secretly supporting and directing them.”
"They avoided our main garrison towns and targeted weakly defended villages and small passes. After burning, killing, and looting, they quickly dispersed and disappeared into the vast Gobi Desert or the continuous Yanyun Mountains in the north. Their whereabouts were mysterious and extremely difficult to capture."
"This humble general suspects... that the 'Night Hawk Pavilion' is indeed involved in the coordination and support, otherwise these scattered soldiers would never have such an organization and such courage."
“Beiyuan… Night Hawk Pavilion…” Zongzheng Hengyu repeated in a low voice, his tone icy, “It really was them. They stirred up trouble in the Northern Border, restrained me, so that certain people in the capital could take advantage of the situation. What a clever scheme.”
He immediately ordered the entire army to set up camp at the site of the recaptured Juechen Pass, constructing a new defensive line based on the remaining walls. At the same time, he did not simply defend the pass, but adopted an extremely proactive, even risky, strategy.
The first step is to establish a strong defense and control the vitals.
He dispatched several elite cavalry squads, carrying his royal decree, to speed across the northern garrisons and large cities that had not yet been affected.
The order was simple: tighten the defenses, reinforce the city's defenses, and stockpile food and fodder. There were no other personal orders, and no troops were allowed to leave the city to pursue small groups of rebels without authorization.
At the same time, the government mobilized border residents to migrate inland, turning the border areas into no-man's-land as much as possible and cutting off the rebels' ability to resupply locally. This move effectively strangled the rebels' ability to roam freely and sustain their war effort.
The second step is to lay out the bait and lure the prey into the trap.
Zongzheng Hengyu knew that the ultimate target of the rebels and the Beiyuan forces behind them was his main force, as well as the recapture of those strategically valuable strongholds.
He deliberately stockpiled provisions and supplies at the relatively prominent and seemingly weakly defended "Black Stone Fortress," and spread rumors about it. At the same time, he personally led an elite force of 5,000 men, marching day and night, to secretly infiltrate a treacherous place called "Soul-Severing Valley" on the outskirts of Black Stone Fortress, where they ambushed the enemy using the complex terrain.
The third step is a swift and decisive strike, prioritizing psychological warfare.
He strictly ordered the army stationed at Juechen Pass to continue raising cooking fires and patrolling the camp as usual, creating the illusion that the commander-in-chief was still inside the pass.
The course of the battle unfolded almost exactly as Zongzheng Hengyu had predicted.
Three days later, a main force of about 10,000 rebels, including "advisors" who were clearly dressed in the Northern Abyss standard leather armor and were known for their fierce fighting, rushed straight towards Blackstone Fortress like hungry wolves that had smelled blood.
They had clearly received the false intelligence that "the main force of King Heng was tied down at Yumen Pass," and intended to seize this stronghold, which was stockpiled with a large amount of grain, in one fell swoop.
The rebel leader, a burly tribal chief with a full beard, looked at the sparsely defended Blackstone Fortress with a glint of greed and contempt in his eyes.
He brandished his scimitar, howling like a wild beast, and commanded his men to launch a fierce attack on the fortress walls like a tidal wave.
Following Zongzheng Hengyu's prior arrangements, the defending troops put up a tenacious but retreating resistance, relying on the fortifications, and refused to give in, firmly drawing the main force of the rebel army to the foot of the fortress walls.
Just when the rebels thought victory was in their grasp and their offensive reached its most frenzied moment!
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
The deep and awe-inspiring sound of war drums, like thunder from the depths of hell, suddenly resounded from the direction of Broken Soul Valley!
Immediately following was the sound of horses' hooves and shouts of battle, like a torrent of water!
Zongzheng Hengyu charged ahead, his black armor like a death knell, a sharp sword in his hand. He led five thousand well-rested cavalry, fiercely cutting into the enemy ranks from the rebels' flank and rear!
"King Heng of the Great Shang is here! Traitors, enemies of the Northern Abyss, die!" His voice was like thunder, instantly drowning out the clamor of the battlefield.
This sudden attack came from an completely unexpected direction, and it was launched by the elite troops personally led by King Heng! The rebel army's formation was thrown into chaos instantly, with the troops attacking the city on the front and those being attacked from the rear all crammed together, and the command system was almost paralyzed.
Zongzheng Hengyu's eyes flashed like lightning, instantly locking onto the rebel leader who was frantically shouting and trying to regain his footing.
He spurred his horse, and Wulong Taxue, like a black lightning bolt, charged straight towards its target. The rebel soldiers who tried to stop him were easily torn apart and pierced like paper by his unpredictable sword; some were killed, others wounded!
"Protect the leader!" Several soldiers dressed in Northern Abyss attire saw through Zongzheng Hengyu's intentions and shouted at the top of their lungs, forming a thin human wall.
Zongzheng Hengyu's lips curled into a cold smile. The sword's direction changed, and like a dragon emerging from the sea, it pierced straight through the air with a shrill sound!
The sword flashed, so fast it was dazzling. Then, with a series of muffled "thuds" as sharp blades pierced flesh, the Northern Abyss soldiers, along with their personal guards, fell like harvested wheat!
In the blink of an eye, he broke through the obstacles and charged to the rebel leader.
Seeing the demon descend, the man was terrified and raised his scimitar to try and block it.
Zongzheng Hengyu didn't even give him time to react, precisely piercing through the gap in the blade's light and stabbing him through the throat!
"Uh..." The chieftain's eyes widened in disbelief, the scimitar in his hand fell to the ground with a "clang," and his massive body collapsed with a thud.
"The leader is dead!"
"Run!"
With their commander killed in action, the rebel army completely collapsed and could no longer organize any effective resistance. They scattered and fled in despair.
"Kill! Leave no one alive!" Zongzheng Hengyu's voice was cold and ruthless, echoing across the bloody battlefield. He never showed mercy to traitors and invaders.
The iron cavalry charged and killed, arrows rained down, and this ambush turned into a one-sided massacre.
The Gobi Desert sands were stained dark red with blood, and severed limbs were scattered everywhere. The heavy stench of blood in the air was nauseating.
However, just as the battle of Blackstone Fortress was nearing its end, a light cavalry force of about three thousand men from the Northern Abyss, disguised as a small tribe, bypassed the main battlefield like ghosts and headed straight for the seemingly "empty" Juechen Pass camp!
This is another part of Bei Yuan and Ye Ying Ge's plan: to take advantage of Heng Wang being lured out and destroy his lair!
Zhou Chuang, who remained behind, was already on high alert, following Zongzheng Hengyu's secret orders. When the Beiyuan light cavalry entered the pre-set archery range, the gate suddenly burst open, but instead of the defenders attacking, they launched dozens of ballistae and fire arrows that had been prepared beforehand!
"put!"
At Zhou Chuang's command, crossbow bolts as thick as a child's arm whistled like the spears of death, hurtling towards the dense formation of the Northern Abyss cavalry. Simultaneously, ignited fire arrows rained down like meteors, obscuring the cavalry's path.
Men and horses fell, flames soared into the sky! The Northern Abyss cavalry's charge was halted, and they fell into chaos.
Immediately afterwards, the drums sounded again from within Juechen Pass. The soldiers remaining there, marching in perfect unison, surged out of the pass like a moving steel forest, their spears like a forest, their shields like a mountain, steadily advancing. They were highly trained and their coordination was impeccable, far surpassing that of ordinary border troops.
Only then did the Northern Abyss cavalry realize with horror that they were not facing the empty camp they had expected, but an impenetrable wall! They tried to retreat, but it was too late. They were firmly held back by the advancing infantry formations and the continuous ranged attacks from the walls.
As the sun sets, it illuminates the blood-stained battlefield.
Outside Blackstone Fortress, corpses littered the ground; the main force of the rebel army had been annihilated, and countless weapons and provisions had been seized.
At Juechen Pass, the light cavalry that had launched the sneak attack from Beiyuan also suffered heavy losses, leaving behind nearly a thousand corpses and countless wounded soldiers, and fled back to the depths of the Gobi Desert in a sorry state.
First victory!
Inside the central command tent, the lights were blazing. Zongzheng Hengyu had removed his blood-stained armor and changed into a set of dark-colored casual clothes, standing before a huge map of the northern border.
The candlelight illuminated his sharply defined profile, where a few drops of blood, still unwashed, added to his menacing aura.
Zhou Chuang and his generals stood on either side, their faces showing excitement after the victory and awe for their commander.
"Your Highness's strategy is brilliant! This battle not only dealt a heavy blow to the rebels, but also dealt a severe blow to the arrogance of Beiyuan!" Zhou Chuang said excitedly.
Zongzheng Hengyu's gaze remained fixed on the map, his finger pointing towards the depths of the Yanyun Mountains: "The enemy at Black Stone Fortress is nothing but bait and expendable pawns. The main force of the Northern Abyss, as well as the true stronghold of the Night Hawk Pavilion, is probably hidden in these mountains."
"Pass down the order: rest for one night, and starting tomorrow, clear out the remaining enemies in the surrounding area. At the same time, send 'Shadow Guards' deep into Yanyun Mountain to find their rat holes for me!"
"Yes!" the generals responded in unison.
Zongzheng Hengyu waved for them to leave, leaving him alone in the tent. He walked to the edge of the tent, gazing at the vast northern night sky, where the stars were sparse and the air was thick with cold.
He took out the other half of the dragon-patterned jade pendant from his pocket, his fingertips caressing the warm, smooth jade. Involuntarily, the image of that slender figure standing on the hillside, bathed in the glow of the sunset, before he left the capital, and that kiss filled with reluctance and determination, appeared in his mind.
"Wait for me..." he muttered to himself, a faint hint of tenderness flashing in his cold eyes.
The double victory at Blackstone Fortress and Juechen Pass was like two resounding slaps to the face of the Northern Abyss Kingdom and its behind-the-scenes manipulator, Night Hawk Pavilion.
…………
Inside the golden tent of the Northern Abyss Royal Palace.
King Muleyan of Beiyuan, a monarch in his fifties with a rugged face and sinister eyes, was furiously slamming a battle report onto his throne covered with wolf skins.
"Useless! All of them are useless! Ten thousand elite troops, plus my Beiyuan lads secretly commanding them, were slaughtered by that Zongzheng Hengyu! We even lost our agents whom we painstakingly supported in several tribes!"
The generals under his command were silent as cicadas in winter, and none of them dared to respond.
"Father, please calm your anger." A clear yet somewhat heroic voice rang out. A tall and agile young "man" dressed in the hunting attire of a Northern Abyss noble stepped out of the ranks.
Unlike the rugged appearance of the typical Beiyuan people, she was quite beautiful, with a healthy wheat-colored skin, deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and beautiful lips. If it weren't for the vigorous spirit between her brows that rivaled that of men and the sword at her waist, one would almost mistake her for a beautiful woman.
This person is Princess Muna Sha, the most beloved daughter of the King of Beiyuan. From a young age, she disliked makeup and preferred military attire. She was skilled in archery and horsemanship, well-versed in military strategy, and highly respected among the younger generation of Beiyuan. She often appeared in men's clothing and participated in military affairs.
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