A hundred li south of Wuron Prefecture, the Da Liang army was stationed, poised to attack at any moment.
The defending general, Liu Nanfeng, patrolled the city defenses day and night, his focus solely on the eastern, western, and southern fronts.
Within the Da Liang camp, Su Wencheng and his soldiers were both surprised and delighted.
"The enemy has indeed neglected the northern defenses!"
Han Zhongyun explained, "It was the Patriarch's instruction that we dared to cut corners on the northern wall. This was to ensure that when Prince Nan's divine army descended, after pacifying Jiangnan, we could swiftly divide our forces and take Wuron Prefecture, starting from this northern wall!!"
"After more than ten days of investigation, we can confirm Mr. Han's words are accurate. Most importantly, members of the Dugu family from Luzhou have also confirmed Mr. Han's identity." Su Wencheng nodded with a smile.
The soldiers rejoiced, "Why not take Wuron Prefecture at once? It is the opportune moment to break through Jiangnan's first fortress!"
Su Wencheng no longer doubted and immediately appointed Han Zhongyun as his strategist and guide, preparing for a surprise attack.
The eight hundred thousand strong army of Da Liang feigned strength on the eastern, western, and southern fronts of Wuron Prefecture, tying down the Wuron Prefecture forces, while another hundred thousand strong army served as the main force, ready to attack the north gate at any time.
At this moment, Liu Nanfeng, the defending general of Wuron Prefecture, stood on the city walls, gazing south with a furrowed brow.
"The enemy's forces are mighty. The General of Chariots and Cavalry says this person is reliable, but I wonder if he can..."
With that, Liu Nanfeng sighed.
Wuron Prefecture, as the front line resisting Da Liang, had held for half a year. However, the city had only sixty thousand defenders. Without the continuous supplies and reinforcements from Jiangnan, and the forces on the western front tying down the Da Liang army, Wuron Prefecture would have found it difficult to sustain the consumption of sixty thousand troops.
Da Liang still had one hundred and eighty thousand troops, three times their own number, which made the people of Wuron Prefecture dare not lower their guard.
Fortunately, the city walls, reinforced over the years, were thick enough. Coupled with three hundred triple-bow scorpion trebuchets and one hundred trebuchets, they deterred the enemy. The walls were equipped with a large number of divine arm crossbows and archers, ensuring Wuron Prefecture's safety.
However, the enemy had besieged the city from three sides. The initiative was with the enemy as to where they would attack...
"Reporting, General! The enemy shows signs of approaching the north gate to observe!"
The scout's report finally invigorated Liu Nanfeng.
"Be on high alert!"
South of Zhong Prefecture, Liang Xiao observed the map. After confirming the safety of the marching route, he immediately issued a military order.
"The Marshal commands! The infantry will march, and the cavalry will detach and accompany the Marshal to the north of the river to reinforce Luzhou!"
Fifteen thousand cavalry, led by Liang Xiao, utilized the supply stations established by the Da Qian kingdom along the route, marching a hundred li daily, heading straight for the north of the river.
In Yizhou, south of Bannan, the former Xichuan soldiers, now under the command of Nan Jiyun, were marching towards the depths of the Southern Barbarian territory.
The soldiers were all in high spirits, except for Nan Jiyun, whose expression was not good.
In the past six months, the Southern Barbarians had assembled sixty thousand troops, harassing the border and tying down the Yizhou forces.
However, facing the fierce Xichuan soldiers, eager to prove themselves and achieve military glory, the Southern Barbarians had been defeated repeatedly. Including the major battle yesterday, the enemy had suffered losses of over thirty thousand.
They still refused to surrender?
They had no choice but to march into the Southern Barbarian territory to eliminate future troubles.
But this was a hot and miasmic land, filled with all sorts of poisonous insects and fierce beasts, posing a great threat to the Xichuan soldiers, especially the scouts.
At this time, the new queen of the Southern Barbarians was pacing restlessly in her palace, filled with regret.
"The enemy is clearly only Xichuan soldiers, why do they possess such combat prowess!!"
Gongyang Qiu, who stood by her side, had an uncertain expression.
The Southern Barbarians had gathered intelligence from Yizhou, learning that most of the Yizhou army was still the original Xichuan soldiers, with only slight improvements in their weaponry.
The Southern Barbarians, familiar with the terrain south of Bannan, had invaded Bannan and inevitably clashed with these Xichuan soldiers.
As a result, despite having a numerical advantage, they were repeatedly broken through by the overwhelming offensive of the Xichuan soldiers and routed, as if the Xichuan soldiers were the attackers!
Jiaozhou, Da Liang, the Peacock Dynasty, and the Kushan Dynasty had all launched attacks on Da Qian. Originally, the Southern Barbarians also wanted to take a piece of the pie, forcing Yizhou to negotiate with them and gain some benefits.
But the Southern Barbarian queen's plans fell through. Not only did Yizhou refuse to negotiate, but they also marched out of Bannan and swept through the southern regions...
"Your Majesty! Our army is simply no match for the Xichuan soldiers. That Nan Jiyun leads from the front. It is said his silver spear can pierce three layers of heavy armor, and he is invincible!"
The ministers, with troubled faces, finally couldn't help but offer their counsel.
The Southern Barbarian queen angrily said, "We still have the natural barrier of miasma, which is enough to resist the Xichuan soldiers. Why should we submit to Da Qian and pay tribute?"
"Your Majesty, Da Qian and our Southern Barbarians have no enmity. Why should we be mere pawns for Jiaozhou..." The ministers cast resentful glances at Gongyang Qiu to the right of the Southern Barbarian queen.
Gongyang Qiu said coldly, "What benefit is there for the Southern Barbarians in submitting and paying tribute? Will Da Qian protect the Southern Barbarians? The Southern Barbarians are inherently a 'land not to be attacked'; anyone who tries to invade will only return in defeat."
"But now Da Qian has already marched into our 'land not to be attacked,' what are we going to do?" The ministers were finally enraged.
"The victor becomes king, the vanquished becomes a bandit. I have nothing to say. I beg Your Majesty to take my head and offer it to Da Qian! But I hope Your Majesty will not forget that you, I, and the former queen all have grudges against the Da Qian people!" Gongyang Qiu sneered.
The Southern Barbarian queen hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "You were appointed as the strategist by my mother. How can I treat you poorly? I previously promised that if the Southern Barbarians succeeded in one fell swoop, I would gladly marry you. Now that the Southern Barbarians have suffered heavy losses, this matter is dropped."
Gongyang Qiu gazed at the beautiful and voluptuous Southern Barbarian queen, merely offering a wry smile and nodding, his eyes burning with rage. "Nan Jiyun!!"
It was this former general of Da Qian who had ruined his plans and turned his dream of revenge into nothingness!
Originally, with the allied forces of various countries attacking Da Qian, the Southern Barbarians could have taken a share.
As long as he married the Southern Barbarian queen, he could eventually control the Southern Barbarians.
But the Xichuan soldiers were ten times more valiant than they were under Helian Heng back then. Coupled with their long bows and divine arm crossbows, their volley of arrows shattered the Southern Barbarian invasion, and even pierced the Southern Barbarians' rattan armor with a single shot. Their combat power was simply impeccable!
The Southern Barbarians were divided, but the miasma still interfered with the Xichuan soldiers' advance.
For the safety of his soldiers, Nan Jiyun's troops advanced less than twenty li a day.
"This godforsaken place where not even a chicken dares to shit and no bird lays eggs, how do the Southern Barbarians live here?" The generals looked depressed.
Nan Jiyun smiled, "I came here with my master in my early years, but we only went fifty li south of Bannan. Even those Southern Barbarian captives only knew the location of the Southern Barbarian camps, and knew almost nothing about the climate along the way."
Saying this, Nan Jiyun sighed.
"Gun God Tong Zhen, his name rings like thunder!" The generals of Xichuan praised him sincerely.
With the stealthy crossing of Yinping immortalizing his name in history, Nan Jiyun's master, the once renowned Xichuan Gun God Tong Zhen, was naturally instrumental.
Unfortunately, he had passed away many years ago.
As the generals were chatting and amusing themselves during the night, a messenger officer came to report, "Former General, a Southern Barbarian native entrusted me to deliver a broken arrow to our army!"
"What's the point of delivering a broken arrow?" The generals were displeased.
Nan Jiyun frowned, strode out of the tent, and his gaze fell upon the broken arrow in the messenger officer's hand.
The arrowhead was rusty, but the golden paint on the half-arrow shaft had not faded.
Seeing this broken arrow, Nan Jiyun was struck by lightning, "Who gifted this??"
"It was an old man with white hair and a mole on his left cheekbone. He said he wanted the former general to see him..." the messenger officer stammered.
"General?" The generals looked confused.
Nan Jiyun explained, "This broken arrow was one I used back then. I broke it as a vow to my master, pledging allegiance to Da Qian. Only my master and I knew about this matter."