Chapter 53 The Great Army Opens Up Black Mountain's Weakness

  "It will be so, Your Highness. When you go to the battlefield, just give the word and I will follow you." Wang Guang bowed his head in respect, then again drank and made merry with the prince before turning back to return to his own quarters to rest.

  As expected, within a little over ten days, an imperial envoy arrived to deliver the order, which was for Wang Guang to follow the army and head out to battle against the Great Qi Dynasty in the north.

  For over ten days, Wang Guang had been swallowing and spitting out his magical powers, transporting the gates of magic. Although he still hadn't accumulated enough magical power to break through to the next level, his body's magical power was surging, and it was even more robust than before. Tens of thousands of kilograms of copper ingots were melted into the red copper sand by him, and he also obtained over a dozen dust sands from the Crown Prince, fusing them together. For a time, the magic treasure's power was even greater, already reaching the top grade of non-rank, only lacking the time to grind and refine it, and this red copper sand could become a low-grade magic treasure.

  He changed into a replacement Taoist robe, picked up a silver silk duster and then rolled up the treasure light to arrive at the school field.

  The entire drill ground was packed with soldiers for three to five miles around. At a glance, the drill ground was divided into five routes of troops and horses.

  The whole army is clad in crimson: red helmets, red armor, and red war horses; phoenixes and dragons, vermilion birds and flames. Thousands of banners are raised high, embroidered with fierce bears, flying leopards, and running tigers of all kinds. Which one is not ferocious? Which one is not powerful? The horses make no sound, the men speak no words. Although it's early summer, there isn't a single drop of sweat visible.

  A mighty army on the march: white helmets, white armor, and white war horses; fierce dragons and lions, and a multitude of other beasts. Thousands of banners wave in the air, embroidered with eagles, foxes, and other mythical creatures. Swords, spears, halberds, and axes at the ready. Row upon row, column after column, all perfectly aligned, not a single mistake.

  The dark army marched along the river: black helmets, black armor, and black war horses; mysterious turtles, whales, and alligators grasped in their hands. Thousands of banners fluttered in the wind, embroidered with evil spirits, dragons, and snakes of all kinds. Swords and sabers flashed, cold air surged into the sky, and from a distance, dark clouds swirled above. The dark clouds churned and twisted, transforming into ferocious sea beasts one by one.

  The golden armor and helmets shone brightly, with golden dragons and eagles soaring in the sky; thousands of banners and flags fluttered in the wind, embroidered with flying elephants, lions, and other mythical creatures. The sound of clashing steel and the scent of blood filled the air, as if the very spirits of war were swirling around them. The soldiers' cries of battle seemed to come from all directions, their bloody forms blurring together in a maddening dance, the oppressive energy forcing people back again and again.

  A whole army in green uniforms: green robes, green shirts, and green ox-drawn carriages; fierce dogs and greedy beasts; dozens of banners with embroidered names of generals who suppress the enemy lines, but no images of flying birds or running animals. The soldiers have slung their strong bows and powerful crossbows, and carried sharp arrows on their backs. One by one they fall silent, just like those stones and rotten wood without any sound.

  The five troops of soldiers are majestic and powerful, the five-colored clouds of smoke swirl around their heads, colliding with each other but parting ways without entanglement.

  Slaughtered the oxen, sheep and lambs, pigeons, and set up offerings of milk, fragrant wine, and spices. The Crown Prince wore a golden helmet and armor, holding the great seal under the commander's flag. After reciting a prayer, he worshiped heaven and earth, then bowed to the four directions. With one order, the army marched out.

  With just one cannon shot, the vanguard rose from the ground and a red tide surged northward. Another cannon shot sounded, and the right army set off, with dark clouds swirling around them, never leaving the vanguard's side.

  Two more cannon shots sounded, the white-clad Left Army pressed forward in pursuit. The Central Army also set out, with the Crown Prince and Wang Guang's Qi-practicing warriors following close behind. The final cannon shot was the signal for the Rear Army to move out, a trail of smoke and dust heading straight north.

  All along the way, hundreds of thousands of troops met mountains and opened roads, saw rivers and built bridges. The grain and grass were safe, but the march was getting faster and faster.

  But to say that after dozens of days on the road, they saw refugees fleeing along the way. The soldiers gave them food and supplies, which was also a fulfillment of their duties. On this day, the army arrived at the border town, surrounded by cities and camps, setting up deer horns to prevent horses from entering, and digging trenches to bury jars, all to prevent enemy troops from launching surprise attacks from above and below ground.

  Although Wang Guang didn't know the skills of setting up camp, it wouldn't hurt for him to learn from others. He listened as one general explained how to choose a campsite and another described how to set up trenches and ditches. After several days, he had gained some knowledge.

  Just as they were setting up camp, the eldest prince and the third prince who had come with the army went to the border city under the protection of some practitioners. After inquiring about the situation for a few days, the two princes and all the practitioners returned with dark faces.

  Wang Guang inquired again and learned that the situation on this side of the pass was quite unfavorable.

  Originally, there were dozens of magnificent and solid border passes at the border, but they were all to resist the invasion of the Great Qi Empire. But I don't know what means the Great Qi used, one by one, the border passes were either broken through or surrendered, and when King Guang's army arrived, only this one in front of them was left among the dozens of magnificent border passes.

  Countless Qidan cavalry rushed into the imperial border, starting to burn, kill, loot, rob, rape and plunder. This is why there were many refugees encountered on the road of the great army.

  "Boundless Heaven Venerable! Those dozens of border strongholds were breached in such a short period of time, far exceeding the number of Qi-refining warriors mobilized by the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty. Otherwise, the Qi-refining warriors guarding the border strongholds should have been able to hold out for a while and not fall so quickly." King Guang said with a flick of his sleeve.

  "It's true, there are escaped Qi practitioners from this border town. According to them, the Great Qi Empire has sent hundreds of Qi practitioners this time. A small border town like ours usually only has three to five Qi practitioners stationed here, how can they possibly withstand them?" The Third Prince looked at Wang Guang with a hint of admiration, knowing that this Qi practitioner was not ordinary.

  "What are we waiting for? Let me go and smash them, see how they dare to be arrogant!" A black-clad man from the Black Mountain Sect on the side let out a fierce roar, not waiting for the prince's response, nor his companions' attempts to stop him. A streak of black light shot out of the camp and charged towards the enemy camp five miles away.

  Wang Guangren and others came out of the camp to watch, relying on the eyesight of the practitioners, they saw the scene five miles away clearly.

  Only to see the black light transformed by Hei Shan Dao Ren floating in the air above the Da Qi Imperial Camp, before he could even say a word, countless arrows and short spears whizzed towards him. Moreover, catapults and assault crossbows were unleashed, and for a time, stones and fireballs rained down on Hei Shan Dao Ren like raindrops.

  A large mountain floated above the black mountain path, hovering over people's heads. The mountain rotated to block out a group of attackers, but Wang Guang discovered that the black mountain was shaking violently, apparently unable to withstand so many collisions, and the control became more exhausting in terms of spiritual power.

  "Heishan Dao friend is going to suffer a loss." Wang Guang burst out laughing: "We'd better go and help, or else this guy will be shot dead by those ordinary people."

  "It's not necessary, giving him a lesson is good too. Although the ordinary people's weapons are weak, if they unite, even Dan Shi will have to deal with them. Since you refined the magic treasure for him, he has become arrogant. I'm sure this time he'll be taught a lesson and will be more restrained." Iron Umbrella Daoist said with a face full of nonchalance.

  As they spoke, dozens of thick arm-thick siege crossbows slammed into the mountain rocks, only shaking the peak above Hei Shan Dao's head a few times. Some thunder and fire mixed with boulders were smashed up, and after a fierce explosion, Hei Shan Dao returned to his camp again.

  After Hei Shan Dao Ren fell to the ground, Wang Guang and others burst out laughing. As for the ridicule from the Da Qi Imperial Camp, they didn't take it to heart.

  "I really didn't expect that a group of ordinary people would use such tactics, and their power is incredibly strong. It seems that when fighting with people on the battlefield, we need to be careful to guard against attacks like siege crossbows." Hei Shan Dao Ren's face was somewhat embarrassed, and he absolutely refused to mention the matter of using mountains to crush enemy camps.

  The two princes comforted Heishan Daoist for a while before returning to the camp to gather the generals and discuss countermeasures, while Wang Guang and other practitioners returned to their camps to rest and did not participate in the discussion. After all, they were still unclear about the battle between the two armies.

  No words for the whole night, only talk about the second day. All the soldiers got up at three o'clock, cooked at four o'clock, and lined up in formation outside the camp gate at five o'clock. A few cannon shots were fired to call on the Great Qi Empire to start the war.

  In no time, a team of horses rushed over from afar. The opponent's helmet and armor were all in sight, each one majestic and powerful. Long guns stood upright, piercing the sky, steel knives gleaming at their waists. Row upon row of shields were inserted into the ground to prevent charging, and hard crossbows were set up, ready to shoot and kill. Cold light flashed, cold winds blew, banners fluttered, war drums thundered, yet it was mixed with the momentum of breaking through dozens of cities, step by step advancing towards the Tianyu Dynasty.

  The two armies were separated by a distance of one li as the battlefield, with soldiers from both sides gripping their weapons tightly in preparation for battle. The commander-in-chief was located under the command flag, with high-ranking generals lined up on either side, their helmets and armor gleaming in the sunlight. Behind them stood countless other generals and deputy commanders, guarding their backs. The soldiers shouted loudly, the warhorses neighed, and for a time the atmosphere at the front of the two armies was tense and foreboding, with an eerie wind blowing across the battlefield.

  "Halt! My Tianyu Empire has never once trespassed on the borders of your Daqi Empire, so why does your Daqi Empire repeatedly trespass on my borders, and even burn, kill, and plunder the property of my people?" After both armies shot a round of arrow showers to press down the array, the third prince with a clear and majestic face rode his horse to the front of the two armies and loudly inquired about the other party's arrival.

  Only to see the other side of the flag under a sway, an old general came out of the array and had a conversation with the third prince. "Your Tianyu Imperial Court has been declining since thousands of years ago, and the emperors of all generations have not thought about doing things for the people, drinking and having fun every day, recklessly exploiting and heavily taxing. The result is that tens of millions of people are struggling to survive, unable to make a living. Today, our Daqi Imperial Court has come to punish your corrupt imperial court in order to save those suffering people, leading the righteous army, which can also be considered as doing good things for the people, and setting up countless good deeds."

  "Our imperial dynasty of Tianyu has always protected the people, with each generation of emperors implementing policies of light labor and low taxes. They have also built bridges and roads, reclaimed wasteland to ensure the people's food and drink are not a worry, and allocated funds to build schools so they can understand books and reason, distinguish right from wrong, and tell truth from falsehood. How can your imperial dynasty be considered enlightened when you treat the people like livestock with four legs, repeatedly invading our borders, burning, killing, looting, plundering, raping, and committing all manner of evil? Can such actions be considered those of a righteous teacher?" The Third Prince shouted loudly, waving his treasured sword.

  Will the old general on the other side allow you to talk nonsense? Suddenly, he opened his mouth to refute. For a moment, both sides were arguing with each other, saying that I was bad and speaking evil of each other. Muttering and grumbling, they just looked for excuses, depicting their own situation as beautifully as paintings and poems, but somehow couldn't cover up the fierce killing intent in front of the two armies.