Chapter 411: Chapter 346: Xiao Mo Must Die Today
Lian Li walked out of the dungeon.
The red glow of dawn reflected in her eyes.
Having not seen sunlight for who knows how long, she found even the morning glow to be a bit blinding.
"General Lian, these are your things. General Xiao asked me to return them to their rightful owner."
Xiao Gui, who had been waiting at the dungeon’s exit, handed a Storage Pouch to Lian Li.
Lian Li took her Storage Pouch. Inside were her armor, her Long Spear, and a Token. The Token was inscribed with the character "Mo."
"Where is your general?" Lian Li asked, looking up.
"The general is defending the city, of course."
Xiao Gui cupped his fist in a salute.
"If there’s nothing else, I will take my leave.
The general asked me to pass on a message to you, General Lian—if you hang the Token at your waist, no one will give you any trouble. You can leave Yanmen Pass now, or you can wait for the Wei Army to breach the city. But no matter what you choose, he hopes you will take care of yourself."
With that, Xiao Gui turned and left.
Lian Li looked up toward the North City Gate. The dawn, as crimson as blood, had already stained the horizon red.
After a moment of thought, Lian Li started walking toward the North City Gate.
Lian Li walked through the city streets. Every household had its doors shut tight, and not a single person was strolling about. She didn’t see a single Cultivator from the Northern Wilderness Army either.
When Lian Li reached the North City Gate, she could hear the cries of battle from atop the walls even from just standing at their base.
Lian Li made her way up to the city wall.
Some soldiers of the Northern Wilderness saw this unfamiliar face and were about to question her, but they stopped when they saw the Token hanging from her waist.
Meanwhile, Lian Li observed the soldiers defending the city.
Although they looked exhausted and their faces were somewhat gaunt, their eyes held the resolute determination of men who would never retreat.
Upon reaching the top of the wall, Lian Li saw the Wei Army surging relentlessly toward the battlements.
A constant stream of arrows and massive rocks flew from the Wei Army’s ranks, crashing against Yanmen Pass.
But all of it was blocked by the City Defense Array.
Below the city, Wei Army soldiers continuously scaled sections of the wall, but they were quickly intercepted by the Northern Wilderness Army and driven back.
BOOM!
A tremendous crash echoed from within the city, accompanied by a violent tremor. Ripples of Spiritual Power spread out, one after another, in the sky above Yanmen Pass.
Lian Li’s heart lurched.
She knew: the City Defense Array of Yanmen Pass had been broken!
But at that very moment, the gates of Yanmen Pass opened, and a man in White Armor rode out on a Snow-Trampling Horse.
Behind him was the entire Northern Wilderness Army of Yanmen Pass!
Lian Li bit her lip, her gaze fixed on the man, following his every move without wavering.
The man in the lead took an Asura Mask from within his armor and put it on.
At the same time, the five thousand Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry behind him also donned masks identical to his!
"Kill!"
"KILL!"
Led by the man, the five thousand two hundred twenty-three Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry and twenty-five thousand four hundred twenty Northern Wilderness Infantry charged like a torrent of blades, crashing into the endless sea of the Wei Army.
Xiao Mo charged relentlessly forward, his Long Spear piercing one enemy soldier after another.
A few enemy commanders from the Wei Army tried to stop Xiao Mo, but none of them lasted more than ten rounds against him.
The five thousand Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry split into five groups, charging from five different directions. Then, they masterfully converged to plunge into the enemy formation. By constantly splitting and regrouping, they greatly relieved the pressure on the infantry behind them.
When a Snow-Trampling Horse was killed, its rider would simply leap off and continue to fight on the battlefield.
Not a single member of the Northern Wilderness Infantry retreated. They tore into the enemy like wolves, every one of them fighting with bloodshot eyes.
Even if they were stabbed multiple times, even if their chests were run through, they would swing their long sabers and halberds one last time.
Standing on the battlements, Lian Li couldn’t help but grip the wall tightly.
In her eight years in the army, Lian Li had never seen such a force.
Every man was like a Fierce Beast.
Every man was like a demon.
It was as if not a single one of them expected to make it back alive.
The combat prowess the Northern Wilderness Army unleashed in their desperation struck terror into the hearts of the Wei Army’s vanguard, which even showed signs of collapsing.
Fortunately, Guo Xin and his commanders managed to stabilize their morale in time, even leading charges themselves.
However, with Xiao Mo on the offensive, the Wei Army naturally couldn’t continue its assault on the city.
But they no longer needed to.
As long as they completely annihilated Xiao Mo’s forces, Yanmen Pass would naturally fall back into the hands of the Wei Kingdom.
"Kill Xiao Mo!"
"He who takes Xiao Mo’s head will be made a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!" Guo Xin roared from the central army, his voice amplified by Spiritual Power.
But killing Xiao Mo was easier said than done.
Furthermore, the armor Xiao Mo wore was similar to that of the Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry, and now even their masks were identical.
Whenever Xiao Mo’s position was about to be pinpointed, he would merge back into the ranks of the Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry. Then he and the other cavalrymen would charge out separately, making him impossible to distinguish for a time.
Guo Xin tried to encircle and annihilate Xiao Mo’s army.
But every time, Xiao Mo saw through Guo Xin’s intentions and led the Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry to carve an escape route for the twenty-five thousand infantrymen with unerring precision.
Two hours later, Guo Xin discovered that not only had the Wei Army’s front line failed to advance, it had even been pushed back more than a li by Xiao Mo!
"What in the world is going on?"
Furious, Guo Xin grabbed his Vice General, Yu You, by the collar.
"Xiao Mo only has thirty thousand men, and we have an army of five hundred thousand! That’s a disparity of nearly seventeen to one, yet we’re still being pushed back by him!
And that’s not to mention that the Northern Wilderness Army hasn’t eaten in two or three days! They’ve exhausted themselves defending the city, while my Wei Army is well-fed, well-rested, and has been attacking in shifts. Our Blood Qi and stamina are on completely different levels.
How in the hell do you normally train the troops?!"
"..."
The generals were speechless for a moment.
They, too, felt that this was a disgrace.
They even suspected that if Xiao Mo had twice as many soldiers, he might actually be able to break right through their Wei Army.
"General, calm your anger."
A Wei Kingdom general named Wei Han quickly tried to placate him. Although he also looked down on Guo Xin, who had received his command through connections, stabilizing the army’s morale was the priority right now.
"The Northern Wilderness Army is just a cornered beast fighting for its life. They certainly look fierce, but their strength will eventually run out.
While our own casualties are not light, every man Xiao Mo loses is a massive blow to his forces.
Four more hours at most!
In four hours, I will personally take Xiao Mo’s head and present it to you, General.
Besides, once we enter Yanmen Pass, we can reinforce the Eleven Southern Cities, retake Mati City, and break the siege on the Southern Realm.
By then, the Northern Wilderness forces besieging the south, having failed to take the cities for so long and learning that the siege of Yanmen Pass has been broken, will suffer a devastating blow to their morale!
At that point, we can even counterattack into the Northern Wilderness, march straight for the Imperial City of the Qin Kingdom, and achieve an unparalleled victory!"
"Hmph!"
Listening to Wei Han’s counsel, Guo Xin snorted coldly and released Yu You’s collar.
Mounted on his horse, Wei Han continued to stare intently at Xiao Mo.
’Xiao Mo must die today,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, if we let him grow stronger, we will be the ones who die!’
