Deep within the city gate passage, a throng of people knelt in a dark, pressing heap.

The fallen standard was retrieved by a portly general and, with a casual flourish, thrust into the ground, exhibiting a surprising hint of panache.

The battle had concluded with remarkable swiftness.

This force, genuinely a reinforcement army from Shaokang Prefecture, had entered the city with full fighting spirit, ready to assist in its defense, anticipating a clash of dragons and tigers. Instead, they found themselves ensnared like a turtle in a jar – and they were the turtle.

Their captors were a contingent similarly clad in the uniform of the Shaokang Prefecture army.

In a single confrontation, Jiang Wang had beheaded their general. Chong Xuan Sheng had then led his troops in a few swift maneuvers, disrupting the enemy formation. Crossbow carts remained perched on the high walls… all that remained was the simple act of harvesting vegetables and cutting melons, a patient wait for surrender.

As the situation in Linwu Prefecture deteriorated, Ximing City, situated on its southernmost border, became increasingly vital.

Aid armies from the direction of Huiming and Fengli, dispatched by the Xia Kingdom, were almost all compelled to pass through this location.

Some required a brief respite here, a chance to replenish supplies. Others simply traversed the official road outside the city.

Naturally, the Ximing City of today was exceptionally warm and welcoming, absolutely unwilling to allow any aid army to depart intact.

Those who entered the city for provisions found themselves permanently settled. Those with no intention of resupplying were met at the gates by the defending general of Ximing City for a cordial exchange… and were likewise persuaded to remain.

Chong Xuan Sheng had indeed acted as he proclaimed, fighting with his mind.

Despite possessing an overwhelming advantage in combat strength against these smaller-scale Xia Kingdom prefecture armies, he consistently employed various ambushes and surprise attacks… like a powerful man perpetually circling to deliver a muffled blow from behind to a three-year-old child.

Because Chong Xuan Sheng’s arrangements were meticulously executed, the process of the battles lacked any particularly noteworthy aspects.

Truly, when calculated, the most challenging and arduous period for the Desheng Camp since entering Linwu Prefecture had unexpectedly been the few days spent rushing on the road.

This led to the current predicament…

“There is nowhere left to imprison captives!”

The shadow guard, named Qing Zhuan, reported.

It was said that before becoming Chong Xuan Sheng’s shadow guards, they were all former soldiers who had retired from military service. Indeed, in this series of battles, they had displayed commendable military qualities, helping Chong Xuan Sheng to bear a significant portion of the burden – a far greater task than that of a certain lord who, after slaying foes, simply retired to the city walls to meditate.

A dozen shadow guards, each performing multiple roles, striving to be as effective as a hundred individuals.

Yet, it was still insufficient…

A mere three thousand strong, the Desheng Camp had captured twenty thousand captives!

Assisting in the defense were over four thousand loyal Ximing City garrison troops.

The inherent dangers of employing a Xia army to guard a Xia army were evident to anyone with a modicum of sense.

Presently, they relied solely on the superior military might of the Desheng Camp for suppression, but a restless atmosphere was palpably spreading throughout Ximing City.

Chong Xuan Sheng, utterly unperturbed, remained engrossed in writing and drawing, meticulously recording his achievements—

*“With minimal bloodshed, seized three pivotal heavy cities. Beheaded several thousand, including multiple general-rank officers. Captured over twenty thousand Xia army personnel. Altered the war situation in Linwu Prefecture, and so forth…”*

He penned two copies and affixed his personal seal. Tearing off one page, he handed it to Liu Yi Tao, his appointed defending general of Ximing City, who stood respectfully by his side.

Then, he called out, “Brother Wang, it’s time to move!”

Jiang Wang’s eyes concealed a glimmer of red-gold light, and he temporarily ceased his cultivation.

The Yaoguang, also known as the Army-Breaking Star, was indeed the star of a general who shatters formations.

With the Yaoguang Star Tower established through martial arts, the battlefield provided exceptionally rich nourishment. Especially in a major conflict like that between Qi and Xia, capable of influencing the status of an overlord, the attributes of the Yaoguang Star within it reaped manifold benefits.

“Where are we going?” Jiang Wang inquired.

Although the fourth floor established the star of a general, it sought martial virtue. But Jiang Wang clearly followed the path of personal martial arts, not the martial arts of the world. Catching up with Chong Xuan Sheng’s military strategy thinking was quite challenging…

Of course, by this stout fellow’s side, Jiang Wang was also disinclined to exert his mind. Since no amount of thought could rival his comprehensiveness, why bother? Seizing the opportunity to cultivate understanding was the proper course.

“We’ve sequentially devoured so many troops; the Xia Kingdom’s military prefectures have undoubtedly detected the anomaly. Especially at this stage of the war, Ximing’s importance has become prominent. At least a marquis will come here to inspect the gaps and fill the breaches. Lingering longer will be extremely perilous.”

Chong Xuan Sheng did not avoid the present Liu Yi Tao, casually articulating his analysis.

In his heart, Liu Yi Tao had long since cursed the entirety of this stout fellow’s family.

Now, he was acutely aware that Linwu Prefecture had not fallen in its entirety. The Qi army was still damnably entangled in the northern cities! The force that had attacked Ximing City was truly only this three thousand strong!

But the protective city array had been destroyed, irrevocably so. To demonstrate his loyalty, he had even beheaded several former colleagues and had been publicly lauded multiple times by this stout fellow, personally appointed as the defending general of Ximing City—damn it, no matter which marquis arrived, wouldn’t he be the first to be flayed alive?

*I accompanied you in ambushing friendly forces. I helped you guard captives.*

*I disregarded everything, wholeheartedly following your lead.*

*Now you want to simply pat your backside and depart?*

*You claimed this place was already Qi territory, and we are all Qi people, eh?!*

“Yi Tao, ah!” Chong Xuan Sheng, completely oblivious to his mood, said in an intimate tone, “I am giving you this paper; keep it well. Your contributions are all recorded within. When the war concludes and merits are rewarded, you will not lack for riches and honor!”

Liu Yi Tao struggled to force a corner of his mouth upward: “General… are we… are we leaving?”

“No, not ‘we’.” Chong Xuan Sheng said, “It’s just this portion of my soldiers conducting a strategic transfer. You and your subordinates still have to assist my Great Qi in defending this Ximing City!”

Liu Yi Tao almost wept aloud: “This… I… how am I to defend it?”

Chong Xuan Sheng instructed Qing Zhuan to raise the banner and assemble the troops.

Then, he turned to Liu Yi Tao and said, “What is there to panic about? What reason do we Qi people have to fear the Xia Kingdom people? Stand tall!”

His gaze swept over Liu Yi Tao’s panicked posture, then he glanced at the weather.

“Calculating the time, our aid army should also be arriving…” he said as he waved his hand: “Come closer.”

Liu Yi Tao, with a tearful yet tearless expression, leaned closer and listened to Chong Xuan Sheng’s instructions.

He couldn’t help but be half-believing, half-doubting: “Really?”

“If you don’t believe me, do you still not believe Jiang Qing Yang!” Chong Xuan Sheng again pushed Jiang Wang forward.

Liu Yi Tao, in truth, did not believe.

On the battlefield, anyone who believed words was a fool.

No matter how loyal and unparalleled, that word ‘loyal’ was for friends, not for enemies.

He naturally had prepared for both possibilities.

In his heart, he was already pondering how to prove his “innocence” before the Xia Kingdom’s marquis, how to portray himself as “enduring humiliation,” how to convince people that his “rectifying chaos” process was sincere, that the lives of so many Xia army officers and soldiers were preserved only because of him! This was sacrificing land to save people, this was strategic vision!

But no matter how he thought, Chong Xuan Sheng had already raised the banner and simply led his people out of the city.

He displayed not a shred of reluctance towards this city, which he had defended for several days and where he had devoured a full seven branches of Xia army aid soldiers.

His final words to Liu Yi Tao were—

“Right, that fellow named Liu Da Yong, take care of him a bit. Don’t let anyone take their anger out on him. Before, you were all Xia people; afterwards, you are all Qi people… of course, whether you want to take care of him is also up to you.”

*Take care of your mother’s leg!*

*Go to hell, Liu Da Yong!*

*When I turn back, I’ll chop him up! It was precisely this grandson who took advantage of our General Jiang’s carelessness, allowing you Qi dogs to exploit the gap. Otherwise, how could I be so caught between a rock and a hard place?*

Liu Yi Tao thought indignantly.

“The aid army you just mentioned to Liu Yi Tao, what aid army is it?” On the road outside the city, Jiang Wang asked: “You sent so many letters, who did you contact to come?”

Chong Xuan Sheng said casually: “Half of the people I contacted have already been captured by us and are now still tied up in Ximing City. The other half is still on their way.”

“So you were deceiving him?”

“Of course not.” Chong Xuan Sheng smiled: “We have already disappeared from the eastern front battlefield for so long. Calculating the time, Chong Xuan Zun should also be getting anxious…”

After entering the Linwu Prefecture battlefield, they had infiltrated the enemy’s rear, rushing for four days. After occupying Ximing City, they waited like a tree for rabbits, waiting for another four days.

In Chong Xuan Zun’s view, the Desheng Camp had already been missing for eight days.

Jiang Wang examined himself. If he were Chong Xuan Zun, at a critical time when striving for merit on the battlefield, to allow Chong Xuan Sheng, this exceptionally intelligent person, to disappear from sight for so long… it would indeed be very difficult to maintain composure.

But…

“How is it certain that Chong Xuan Zun will come to Ximing City?” Jiang Wang couldn’t help but ask.

Chong Xuan Sheng said: “You just fought with him. In your opinion, how is the strength of Chong Xuan Zun in the Divine Manifestation realm?”

Jiang Wang said truthfully: “Although he has just entered Divine Manifestation, he is still a strong one among those in the Divine Manifestation realm.”

“So-called without regret, so-called without lack, so-called without leak… truly a wonderful realm.” Chong Xuan Sheng sighed and asked: “Are you also waiting, then?”

“Almost,” Jiang Wang said.

“No need to hurry. Even if you don’t reach Divine Manifestation this time, I can certainly still win.” Chong Xuan Sheng’s tone was calm and firm: “The opportunity has already been presented to me; there is absolutely no reason to lose.”

Chong Xuan Sheng said unhurriedly: “On the entire eastern front battlefield, who can contend with him, Chong Xuan Zun, at present? Bao Zhongqing has enough schemes, but insufficient decisiveness. Xie Xiaobao has not yet matured… only Chong Xuan Zun can come, and he will certainly come.”

After casually disparaging an old friend, Chong Xuan Sheng continued: “He doesn’t know where we are, doesn’t know what we are doing, but he can perceive that the aid armies sent by the Xia Kingdom to the front lines have somewhat slowed down. With his wisdom, he can naturally guess that we have certainly circled to the rear of the Xia border and are doing something… so he will certainly come!”

“And Ximing City is a pivotal city of three prefectures. If he wants to suppress me in terms of military merit, this is his first choice; he cannot bypass it.”

Jiang Wang naturally believed Chong Xuan Sheng’s judgment. But this left him with another doubt—Bao Bozhao was clearly also on the eastern front battlefield. Chong Xuan Sheng only mentioned Bao Zhongqing, not Bao Bozhao. Could it be that in this stout fellow’s heart, Bao Zhongqing was the more excellent one?

But this doubt was not very important.

He didn’t care about Bao Zhongqing, nor did he care about Bao Bozhao.

He only asked: “So where are we going now?”

Chong Xuan Sheng smiled, his eyes narrowed: “We are going to the place Chong Xuan Zun will go later.”

Shisi followed quickly and silently, though wearing heavy armor and carrying a heavy sword, within the ranks of the army, his footsteps inexplicably lightened.

He truly liked this confident appearance of Fatty Sheng!

Meanwhile, throughout Linwu Prefecture, from north to south, the situation deteriorated step by step.

The Xia Kingdom’s garrison army displayed an extremely tenacious will to resist, but the Qi army’s military front was even more resolute.

The three hundred thousand allied troops from various Eastern Domain countries, under the command of Court Discussing Doctor Xie Huai An, attacked different locations simultaneously, igniting beacons of war across Linwu Prefecture, leaving the various cities unable to tend to themselves.

In this chaotic situation, like a thick paste, Chong Xuan Zun, leading the vanguard camp, undoubtedly stood out.

In a single white robe, he crossed the battlefield. The Sun God Palace illuminated the battleground. Within the entire eastern front war situation, he was the first to ascend an enemy city, becoming the first general to break a major city in northern Lin’an Prefecture.

The second to break an enemy city was General Yan Po from Yi Country’s Divine Manifestation realm, a full three hours later.

Bao Bozhao broke an enemy city five hours after that.

The others, and so on, need not be mentioned.

After first breaking the enemy city, Chong Xuan Zun did not rush to expand his gains, nor did he speak of celebrating merits. Instead, he led his soldiers directly away from the battlefield, infiltrating the rear of Linwu Prefecture with extreme speed.

Because he had already perceived that some kind of change was occurring in the rear of Linwu Prefecture. The most direct impact was that the connection with the Xia Kingdom’s aid armies in some locations had become noticeably disrupted, losing that feeling of continuous flow from a high mountain. Broadly speaking, it was indirectly interfering with the enemy’s eastern front commander’s deployment!

Indeed, the reason he was able to break the enemy city so quickly was also due to this change. He had, ahead of the enemy general, embraced this change and grasped the rhythm of the war.

And his intelligent and exceptional younger brother, Chong Xuan Sheng, had already been missing from the battlefield for a very long time…

No one actually knew where Chong Xuan Sheng and Jiang Wang had gone!

He knew how strong Jiang Wang’s military might was.

He knew how clever Chong Xuan Sheng’s mind was.

Exactly what kind of results these two could achieve by joining forces was difficult for him to imagine.

But he made the worst possible assumption!

And he presumed that these two, like his uncle Chong Xuan Chu Liang that year, had led their army to infiltrate the enemy’s rear, in the vital parts of the enemy army, wantonly plundering military merits!

If he still remained entangled in northern Linwu Prefecture, it would be very difficult to maintain his advantage in military merit.

He marched rapidly all the way, leaving the wrapping up of the eight cities in northern Linwu Prefecture and the strictly guarded five cities in central Linwu Prefecture all behind.

Within the entire Linwu Prefecture war situation, the most crucial were undoubtedly the eight northern cities.

These eight major cities were also considered by the Xia side’s eastern front commander as key corner forces, connecting them into a single breath, providing continuous support.

Xie Huai An’s simultaneous attack on eight cities directly dragged the situation into chaotic warfare, relying entirely on the Qi army’s strength advantage to break this connected breath.

The quality of the Xia Kingdom’s various prefecture armies was mixed.

While the allied armies from various Eastern Domain countries were the most elite soldiers conscripted by the Qi Son of Heaven from each country. Some small countries wished to send more people to participate, but the Qi Kingdom did not even accept them. Purely based on the quality of the soldiers themselves, it was only a matter of time before Linwu Prefecture was broken.

Xie Huai An could be said to have fought a lackluster war.

But the so-called situation shifts with time.

With breakthroughs found in the eight northern cities, the key breath-holding point of the entire Linwu Prefecture then changed.

Connecting with the major cities of other prefectures became the new key location.

If one considered the twenty cities of Linwu as the opponent’s twenty breathing points.

Then occupying Ximing City was undoubtedly the most crucial step.

This single move could both block the rear road of the Xia army fiercely fighting in Linwu Prefecture and intercept the Xia army aid soldiers coming from other prefectures.

Chong Xuan Zun believed that on the war stage of Linwu Prefecture, no matter how many aid soldiers Chong Xuan Sheng and Jiang Wang blocked or which city they seized, their military merits could not surpass his feat of storming Ximing City.

As soon as the city was broken, he immediately led his soldiers deep within, blocking flying beasts and seizing transportation all the way, without resting, burning talismans for rapid travel. He believed that the speed of intelligence transmission could not match his marching speed.

He decided to employ thunderous means, to directly launch a strong attack and break the city while the enemy defending general had not yet received news of the rotten situation in the north. He would imitate the story of Wang Yiwu’s night attack on Jianfeng Mountain, catching the opponent off guard.

Close!

Before him, the city gate was tightly shut, and the city walls were bristling with swords and spears.

Indeed, it was a heavy city, with so many garrison soldiers.

But perhaps it was precisely because of the heavy garrison that the opponent dared not immediately open the protective city array, but instead engaged in a direct military confrontation.

Chong Xuan Zun was skilled and courageous. He immediately stirred up military evil, gathering three thousand sharp vanguard troops, manifesting his Heavenly Mansion body, summoning the manifested Sun God Palace. He was like a god king, his troops like heavenly soldiers, grand and magnificent, charging directly into the city!

“Kneel and surrender the city! Your lives will be spared!”

His voice, like a flood, resounded throughout heaven and earth, already revealing the might of life and death!

In the entire eastern front war zone, the only contemporary True Person on the Xia side was Fenguo Duke Zhou Ying, who was exactly restraining the allied army commander Xie Huai An.

In front of this isolated Ximing City, regardless of whether there was a trap or something else arranged here, since the protective city array was not opened, then it would not be opened!

Then, he saw.

The densely packed garrison army on the city tower scattered in a swish, each running faster than the last.

Truly, they gathered like an ant colony and scattered like an evening tide.

There was fundamentally no one to contend with.

Chong Xuan Zun held the Moon Wheel saber in his hand, leaping onto the city wall. He was utterly bewildered! Even with his divine ability to cut through falsehoods and reach the truth, he was for a moment unsure who he should cut.

With great difficulty, he glimpsed a military officer rushing out. He was just about to raise his saber.

That person had already knelt on the ground with a bang—

“General! Own people!”

Thank you to book friend “Six Babies” for becoming the alliance master of this book! This is for the 286th alliance!

The new alliance master is a hunter player!