Learning that Wei Yuan intended to build a city, the Bloodline faction could finally sit still no longer. In the end, they mobilized an army of five hundred thousand, intending to raze Wei Yuan's new city to the ground in a single stroke.
Yet in the minds of the Mountain Folk, the new city at this moment was likely nothing more than a field of tents, with at most a few markers staked out here and there. How could any city be built in anything less than years or decades?
The Mountain Folk moved quite swiftly: barely twenty-odd days had passed from receiving the intelligence to dispatching their army. Yet it never crossed their minds that by the time they heard the news, it was already too late. A nascent city had already taken shape, and its mine shafts and smelting workshops were starting to produce output in succession, drastically reducing logistical strain.
With the completion of the barracks district, troops transferred from Qingming could enter the city to rest and refit instead of suffering continuous attrition from the Mountain Domain's harsh environment, naturally restoring their combat effectiveness to peak condition.
And so, the Mountain Folk army—convinced they had marched with godlike speed—slammed head-on into the fully rested and refitted Qingming forces.
Over the next few months, the Mountain Folk army went through the entire ordeal: fruitlessly launching furious assaults, sinking into a grinding war of attrition, and ultimately being forced into retreat. By now, squad leaders and vice-captains in the Qingming forces were standard templates, and just a few squads could hold their own against Mountain Folk giants. Among the hundred thousand Qingming troops, the number of Dao Foundation cultivators was ten times greater than in the five hundred thousand Mountain Folk host.
Having halted the Mountain Folk offensive with a detached detachment, Wei Yuan personally led the main army, wheeling southeast toward the predetermined second strategic node. Linking the previous position to what lay ahead and connecting Qing and Yi Provinces, this node occupied the most vital position. Securing it would already enclose the majority of several hundred million Mountain Folk. Once the final city was built, across the vast Domain of the Mountain Folk bordering Ji and Zhao, those hundreds of millions would find escape impossible even if they grew wings.
This time, Wei Yuan's avatar had a sallow complexion and a pair of golden pupils. Moving across the Mountain Folk lands, it was like a fish in water, feeling not the slightest pressure from heaven and earth.
This form was forged from the power of the Central Earth Grotto-Heaven, making it the most suitable vehicle for traversing the mountain domain. Wei Yuan was only lacking a true spirit—one capable of suppressing billions of mirage demons.
***
Inside a magnificent, golden hall, Hule Gao'en awoke from a drunken stupor. The first thing his eyes caught was the latest battle report delivered by a subordinate. With just a glance, his intoxication vanished instantly, and he sat bolt upright.
An aged Mountain Folk elder walked in and asked, "Have you seen the battle report?"
"I have."
The elder's gaze was piercing as he stared at Hule Gao'en. "The humans were going to build a city—why didn't you mention this?"
Hule Gao'en appeared immensely agitated. "They never told me in the first place!"
"Have you already lost the humans' trust?"
A sudden wave of rage surged through Hule Gao'en. "Can you blame that on me? It was you people who kept thinking of tricking the humans in so they would fight our holy war for us! I told you that we had to do something to gain their trust, but you refused to do a single thing! Now you turn around and accuse me—wasn't it you who cost me their trust?"
The Mountain Folk elder said in a sinister tone, "Do not forget that most of the people cut off from the mountain domain by that city belong to the Prophet faction! You are also of the Prophet faction—to your very bones!"
With a loud crash, Hule Gao'en hurled his teacup directly onto the floor. "If you want me to get things done, stop meddling and telling me what to do! Without me, you would still be a petty tribe hiding in the mountains, afraid to show your heads! If you want to keep fighting this holy war, then starting tomorrow, every last old geezer in the council of elders can get the hell out, or you can go fight on the front lines yourselves!"
A vicious expression flashed across the elder's face. He said coldly, "You have already betrayed the humans. If you betray our people as well, you will die without a burial place."
Hule Gao'en sneered. "Is that so? If you lot are determined to make a move, then let me tell you this: every single descendant of the elders has already been placed into one legion by me. Your private estates and secret mistresses are watched by my men as well. A single order from me is all it takes to send them to their deaths!
"When that time comes, you old fogies can go reunite with your families in the underworld!
"And don't harbor any fond illusions—I have already investigated every last one of your kin. Take you, for example: you have fourteen legitimate children and nine bastards."
The elder's face turned ashen. He gave a heavy huff, turned, and left. Hule Gao'en picked up the battle report, unfolded a map, and located the position of the new city. Frowning at the map, his finger shifted bit by bit until it finally settled on a spot. His expression became exceedingly grim.
That location was precisely where Wei Yuan planned to build the second commandery city.
Hule Gao'en closed his eyes, collected himself, and moved his finger further, tracing an arc that ultimately connected to the State of Ji, hemming in vast numbers of Mountain Folk within. After studying the final stretch of the arc for a moment, he tapped a spot. That was precisely where Wei Yuan intended to establish the third commandery city.
Feeling as though the strength had been entirely drained from his body, Hule Gao'en went into a secret chamber, retrieved a small divine statue, and began to pray.
***
Across the lands of Southern Jin, countless routed soldiers fled frantically for their lives, cursing that their mothers had not given them two extra legs.
Behind them, dust billowed as ranks of warriors clad in dark cyan-black armor advanced in formation, steadily crushing the enemy's rearguard units. On the flanks, a small number of chariots led the way, followed by numerous transport wagons carrying elite warriors. Clad in cyan armor and red helmets, these fighters were elite troops organized and trained exclusively by the Zhenshan Army, and every single one was a template cultivator.
Pursuing steadily from the rear while surging ahead on both flanks, their intention was glaringly obvious: to cut off the routed Southern Jin army up ahead and encircle them for complete annihilation.
Among the routed Southern Jin troops, a small group of officers fled mingled with the defeated soldiers, yet the powerful divine senses emanating from them gave away their identities. One general urged, "Minister Sun, please return to the capital first! Leave us to cover the rear. While the green hills last, there will always be firewood to burn!"
The veteran general at the center was Sun Weike, the current Minister of War of Southern Jin and one of the court's few remaining seasoned commanders. He let out a long sigh and said, "Retreat? In this battle, the entire army has been wiped out. Even if we fall back to the capital, what good will it do?"
Another general gritted his teeth. "Had those pedantic scholars not ruined things, we might not have lost!"
Sun Weike shook his head and said, "It has something to do with those pedants, but not that much. The army's battle formation held until casualties neared thirty percent before collapsing; the soldiers have already done their utmost. Even if the Grand Ancestor walked the earth again or the Martial Ancestor were reborn, it would be no different. This battle could not be won."
"The Zhenshan Army's casualties reached thirty percent as well, yet they refused to break no matter what. It defies all reason!"
"What is so strange about that? Li Zhi was standing right there in the vanguard! If our King had also been at the front lines, I wouldn't have retreated a single step even if it meant fighting to the death!"
"That Li Zhi joins the fray in person every single battle; nobody knows how many times he's been wounded. Who fights for hegemony like that?"
"Heh, that's precisely what makes him formidable! Didn't he crush the Imperial Choice in the end?"
"Hush! Mind your tongue!"
"At a time like this, what the hell is there to fear? Those pedants can barely save their own skins—do you think they have time to worry about us?"
As the generals murmured among themselves, Sun Weike looked back at the mountain-like military qi bearing down from behind. He let out a long sigh, looking as if he had aged several hundred years in an instant.
In this battle, Southern Jin had assembled half the nation's elite, fielding an army of 1.5 million to wage a decisive battle against Li Zhi outside the gates of the capital. Li Zhi had mobilized 950,000 troops of the Zhenshan Army, engaging the Jin army in several days of bloody combat.
Unable to break through despite furious assaults and suffering 450,000 casualties, the Jin army's morale had ultimately shattered. Meanwhile, despite taking 300,000 casualties, the Zhenshan Army remained as unshakeable as a mountain.
The supervising Great Ru of the Jin army had executed several generals who advocated retreat in rapid succession, ultimately inciting a mutiny. The army disintegrated into a rout as everyone fled for their lives. Unable to suppress the chaos, both Sun Weike and the army supervisor Wang Zidao could only flee alongside the defeated troops.
In the center of the Zhenshan Army, Li Zhi sat bare-chested atop a chariot, directing the pursuit while army doctors tended to his wounds. His upper torso was densely covered with scars, large and small.
Li Zhi suddenly asked, "Up ahead lies the royal capital of Southern Jin, does it not?"
Beside him, an attendant reported, "Reporting to Your Majesty: after this battle, Southern Jin has no natural barriers left to defend. In three days at most, the army will arrive beneath the walls of the capital!"
Stirred with emotion, Li Zhi said slowly, "Over these past few years, I have fought in two hundred and thirty-three battles, great and small, taking to the front lines in every single one. The wounds I've suffered are too numerous to count. Now, at long last, I have carved out a ray of hope from desperate straits. Once we take Southern Jin, we can all rest a while."
The generals chimed in unison, "An enlightened ruler like Your Majesty has never been seen in all antiquity! We shall follow you to the death!"
Li Zhi smiled wryly to himself, overwhelmed with emotion. Fighting battle after battle like this, he had actually fought his way to the foot of the supreme throne. When that man had told him to do this back then, could it be... he had already foreseen today?
Chapter 1477