The deep night found Liang Xiao appearing in person at the military camp to rally his troops.
"Our army is bound to win this battle! No matter how many enemies they bring, they will not breach the Great Qian's Great Wall!"
The entire army was invigorated, kneeling in unison. "We are willing to follow the Marshal to achieve world-shattering feats once more!"
Liang Xiao was not content with this. He declared loudly, "The entire army will rest. First, feed the horses thoroughly! Tonight or tomorrow, when the Heavenly General manifests, we shall follow the Heavenly General to break their formation!"
"The Heavenly General manifests?!"
The soldiers' spirits soared.
Legends of the Heavenly General appearing to protect the populace circulated throughout the land. The common people believed this implicitly, and if they themselves did not receive the Heavenly General's protection, they attributed it to their own lack of sincerity or the Heavenly General's ubiquity, being too busy.
On this day, facing a promise made by the Marshal, a decree as significant as the Emperor's own word, even those who had followed Liang Xiao to conquer the Xiongnu at Mount Wolf Residence could not help but be moved.
In the eyes of the Great Qian soldiers, both Liang Xiao and the deified Heavenly General were immortal spirits of the Great Qian military!
That night, the soldiers, who had been somewhat weary from constructing earthworks, burned with fierce fighting spirit.
"Didn't the Heavenly General once say he would lead us to drink from the seas, yet he never went to Wolf Residence Mountain or the seas? This time, we must accompany him!"
The entire army was of one mind.
Nie Yuan arrived from afar to report, "Marquis, the items have been buried. This is a grand undertaking!"
Simultaneously, cavalry from the south and north began to converge here.
A mysterious contingent of white-robed soldiers, arriving quietly from the south, met with Liang Xiao's main force.
"It's done!! Marshal! It really worked!"
...
"His Majesty has decreed! It has been confirmed that the enemy's golden army is ten li to the west. Should the Great Qian's gold be captured, it shall be for the soldiers to take freely!"
Ten li to the east, a hundred thousand Xianbei cavalrymen, with overwhelming momentum, surged forward, fiercely charging towards the Great Qian forces.
Take the gold freely!
The lure of such a reward was enough to drive them to madness and death.
Even if each man could only carry ten jin or twenty jin of gold, that would equate to thousands of taels of silver. It was an absolute chance for overnight riches...
The King of Xianbei, stationed in the central army, rubbed his hands excitedly.
Valentin urged, "There's no time to delay. A night raid will ensure success! By daybreak, the enemy will understand the situation, and reinforcements may arrive. We will have no choice but to retreat! You must understand, a force capable of mobilizing hundreds of thousands, even millions, of laborers would be transporting an immense amount of gold. Tens of millions of taels!!"
The King of Xianbei's heart trembled. He took the general's seal and said urgently, "Duoshe! I officially appoint you Grand General of Xianbei, to lead the troops with me in breaking through their formation!"
Duoshe was both surprised and delighted. He accepted the general's seal and vowed, "Your subject shall surely slay Nie Yuan, the ever-victorious general of Great Qian!"
The Xianbei monarch and his officials emerged from the tent. The King of Xianbei, under the banner of leading the campaign personally and allowing the soldiers to take the gold, rallied his entire army.
In the blink of an eye, the Xianbei cavalry approached within five li of the Great Qian's defenses.
The King of Xianbei laughed heartily on his horse, "The Great Qian must never have imagined our army's intelligence gathering capabilities and patience! If they are to blame anyone, it is their Marquis of Anguo. I am merely following his example!"
"By my command, the entire army charges..."
Before the King of Xianbei could finish speaking, scouts from afar galloped back with urgent news.
"Your Majesty! A vast expanse of wall has suddenly appeared five li ahead!!"
"A wall? Impossible!" The King of Xianbei was shocked and furious. He immediately whipped the scout who had dismounted, "Confess your lies, why do you report false information?"
Valentin exclaimed, "South of Yin Mountain is all wasteland and grassland. How could a wall appear overnight!"
The scout wailed, "It is absolutely true, Your Majesty! Please send someone to see for yourself!"
Just then, more than a dozen more flying horses arrived with reports.
"Your Majesty! A vast stretch of wall has appeared ahead, resembling the Great Wall!!"
The King of Xianbei was both shocked and furious. He immediately ascended a high point, gazing into the distance by moonlight. His heart sank with terror.
Under the moonlight, on the desolate land, a wall had indeed sprung up, stretching for over ten li. Its lowest point exceeded ten feet, and at critical locations, it approached twenty feet. Great Qian military banners and signal fires for illumination were already erected atop it!
"What divine spectacle is this..." the King of Xianbei stammered.
"How is this possible!!" Valentin repeatedly rubbed his eyes, fearing it was a hallucination.
"Could it be the legendary mirage?" Duoshe asked, his face filled with anxiety.
"How could a mirage appear in the dead of night!" Valentin sighed.
The surrounding generals were filled with dread, scurrying about like ants on a hot pan.
They had marched urgently precisely to launch a surprise attack here, to disrupt the Great Qian's deployment in one fell swoop, and perhaps even to decide the outcome of the war!
But this suddenly appearing "Great Wall" would powerfully impede their cavalry charge!
The dream of taking the gold freely was impossible for now, at least not tonight.
"Then, by whose power was such a miracle bestowed..." the King of Xianbei muttered to himself.
Just then, thunderous cheers from the Great Qian soldiers suddenly erupted from afar.
"An Guo Hou's divine might! An Guo Hou's divine might!"
Soldiers lined up on the distant city wall, raising their arms and shouting Liang Xiao's title.
"An... An... Marquis of Anguo..."
The King of Xianbei's face turned ashen. His voice was hoarse, and in his shock, he tumbled from his horse. Duoshe helped him up, his head spinning.
"Report! The enemy has erected the banners of Great Qian's Marquis of Anguo, Grand General of Cavalry, and Grand Marshal on the city wall!!"
Instantly, the Xianbei army fell into complete silence, every face etched with fear.
"Liang Xiao truly came to the desert? He hasn't appeared until now!!" the King of Xianbei's voice trembled.
For the sake of gold, he had finally overcome his fear of Liang Xiao, even steeling himself to face him.
Even if Liang Xiao had arrived in the desert, he believed Liang Xiao would still be occupied protecting hundreds of thousands of laborers, spread too thin. Even if the Xianbei suffered a setback, they could still retreat safely, as Liang Xiao would not risk the safety of the gold convoy to pursue them.
But at this moment, facing this wall-like miracle, the King of Xianbei finally broke.
Even he felt an inexplicable fear, let alone the tens of thousands of soldiers below. Facing this wall, they might truly believe Liang Xiao was a god, not a man!
Fortunately, he had not yet given the order to attack!
In the biting cold, the King of Xianbei exhaled a long plume of white mist, murmuring, "Why, despite my caution, have I been deceived..."
He seemed to realize that Liang Xiao might have arrived in the desert long ago, only choosing not to appear, to lull the Xianbei into a false sense of security.
After all, the threat from the Guishuang Dynasty was too great, and Liang Xiao had no experience winning battles against superior numbers in the desert.
"What shall we do? Your Majesty, shall we still attack?" Duoshe asked, looking dejected.
This wall was destined to nullify the Xianbei cavalry's charge advantage. Forcing a breakthrough would inevitably result in heavy casualties, perhaps even a complete rout.
But if they returned empty-handed, they might still be pursued by the enemy!
Valentin urged, "We cannot retreat rashly! The gold is of paramount importance, and this opportunity is rare!"
The King of Xianbei merely listened to the unified shouts of the Great Qian soldiers from afar, trembling.
"Rest in place for now, and let's see what this wall is all about! Our army cannot simply retreat. A retreat must at least be orderly..." the King of Xianbei said, his voice shaking.
Deep within the Great Qian camp, Liang Xiao arrived at the encampment guarded by Shadow Guards.
With Liang Xiao's arrival, the White Night Flying Shadow whinnied to the sky, its cry like thunder.
"This humble monk, Hong Xiu, bids farewell to the Marquis of Anguo!"
Liang Xiao donned his ghost-faced battle helmet, grasped the Tianlong Breaking City Halberd, mounted his divine steed, and transformed into a white streak, galloping out of the camp.
Lü Changhe and seven thousand white-robed soldiers had been waiting outside for a long time, their hearts ablaze with excitement.
"All generals, heed my command! Follow me to break through the enemy lines!"