Chapter 125: How is it possible? !

To the north of Niushan Pass, Beichen Yuqing, Yan Zhengqing, and over ten thousand new and old soldiers, along with Liu Leigang leading a motorcade, advanced vigorously, encountering no obstacles along the way!

Some thought that Anyang would send troops to attack Lüliang County and Zhongshan County, but almost everyone believed that Zhongshan County would be the primary target! After all, Zhongshan County borders Kaiping County, which is under Li Liang’s control, providing a natural advantage.

However, Anyang now chose to abandon this advantageous condition and directly advance on Lüliang County.

Lüliang County, with almost no defenses, was easily breached. The army marched south, gathering over ten thousand retreating soldiers, all of whom were captured!

Beichen Yuqing looked at the pockmarked ground that had been bombarded by naval guns, a glimmer of fear flashing in his eyes. Thankfully, this terrifying weapon was in his hands. However, thinking about Li Xian’s expectations for the future—anticipating that with Anyang’s rise, gunpowder and other weapons would undoubtedly flourish—still cast a slight shadow in Beichen Yuqing’s heart.

Shaking his head to dismiss this troubling thought, Beichen Yuqing finally ordered, “Speed is of the essence! Move forward at full speed. The next target is Qingniu Town, where Lüliang County’s Left General Guo Guibang is located!”

Yan Zhengqing personally took action, leading a strike team composed of over a hundred foundational-level experts who swiftly advanced. They extravagantly used flying talismans to accelerate, moving like swift birds skimming just above the ground, quickly surpassing the motorcade and vanishing without a trace.

Following closely was the motorcade, also moving at full speed. The choice to advance here, at Niushan Pass, was crucial, as the area was close to the seaside and had flat terrain, greatly benefiting the motor vehicles; of course, being near the coast also facilitated naval bombardment and maritime supply!

More troops followed behind, all moving at full speed as well.

Along the way, they encountered ordinary villagers but did no harm, loudly announcing: “In the name of the Eastern Governor of the Great Xia Kingdom, Anyang Governor Li Xian, we come to capture the traitor Zhao Guoshan and proceed to the capital to see the Emperor. All non-combatants, retreat!”

The army advanced grandly, and for most ordinary villagers, this was a lively event—after all, the people from Anyang appeared quite friendly, causing no harm; it was their own soldiers who often came to plunder.

Meanwhile, the fleeing commander of Niushan Pass, Zheng Yuezhong, constantly stirred his foundational true essence and repeatedly used talismans that only a commander was qualified to store. Thus, he was moving at an incredible speed.

In just a short while, Zheng Yuezhong reached Qingniu Town, fifty miles away. At this moment, he was disheveled, dressed in rags, exhausted, covered in blood, and his complexion was pale.

Not only was he injured by the explosions, but running fifty miles without regard for his life had pushed Zheng Yuezhong’s body to an extreme state of exhaustion.

Before arriving at Qingniu Town, Zheng Yuezhong shouted, “I am Zheng Yuezhong, the commander of Niushan Pass! Anyang has launched a surprise attack!!”

“What?!” A young officer outside the gates of Qingniu Town was startled and quickly helped Zheng Yuezhong to find Left General Guo Guibang.

Guo Guibang was examining the sand table, strategizing Anyang’s potential military actions. Just as he was getting into the groove, a bodyguard burst in, exclaiming, “General, there’s a serious situation! Anyang has broken through Niushan Pass! The commander of Niushan Pass, Zheng Yuezhong, is outside!”

“Let him in… I’ll go out!” Hearing the urgency, Guo Guibang wasted no time and swiftly exited the inner chamber. The first thing he saw was the disheveled and exhausted Zheng Yuezhong.

“Speak! What’s going on? How many troops have come? Who is leading them? Where are the enemies now?” As the Left General, even in a crisis, Guo Guibang’s questions hit the core of the situation.

Zheng Yuezhong knelt down with a thud, breathless, “General, quickly, raise the city’s defensive formation to its maximum capacity!

I didn’t see the main enemy forces, but I spotted three large ships suddenly appearing on the sea! The ships had cannons and fired shells at Niushan Pass from two miles away. Each shell was the size of a person and could blow the city wall apart!

They fired three times, and our soldiers were already in disarray.

I led my troops to retreat towards the rear camp, but those enormous shells fell again, completely destroying the camp.

One shell can kill hundreds of people! It’s terrifying!”

Guo Guibang furrowed his brow tightly, “Do you know who is leading them? How many people? How big were the ships? What about the situation on the ground?”

“I… I… didn’t see!” 

Hearing this, Guo Guibang became furious, “You didn’t see the enemy and ran away?!”

“General, the explosions were too violent! We couldn’t withstand it! After several blasts, there were hardly any defenders left. They all died… they all died…”

Guo Guibang’s expression grew grim; it seemed Zheng Yuezhong was completely rattled, unable to provide any more specific information. However, one thing was certain: Anyang had launched an attack, and it had originated from the sea! The situation was extremely perilous!

Everything was turning out to be completely different from what Guo Guibang had anticipated.

Taking a deep breath, Guo Guibang forced himself to remain calm and began issuing a series of commands.

“First, strengthen the city wall defenses… do what we can! This is the interior; the walls here cannot compare to the frontier Great Wall. Still, any defense is better than none.

Second, immediately send troops north to the seaside to scout the situation.

Third, urgently send word south to Lüliang County’s administrative headquarters and Nanliang Prefecture to report the situation.”

“Fourth, organize the soldiers and prepare for battle!”

The soldiers sent out to scout had barely traveled ten miles when they encountered Anyang’s assault team: a full hundred Foundation Stage experts. The scouting soldiers of Lüliang County stood no chance against the elite assault team; in a single clash, over half were killed, and the rest scattered in panic.

The assault team did not pursue but continued their furious advance southward, heading straight for Qingniu Town.

After a brief tea break, the assault team, utilizing talismans at a frantic pace, finally spotted Qingniu Town. At that moment, the town was hastily closing its gates, with soldiers on the walls scrambling to prepare for battle—war was imminent! The soldiers of Lüliang County, who had never experienced actual combat, were in complete disarray!

If there had been any pre-war mobilization, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so chaotic. But who could have anticipated that war would break out so suddenly, without even a warning?

Yan Zhengqing, seeing the situation, was overjoyed, “Charge! Take the city gate!”

On the walls of Qingniu Town, Left General Guo Guibang was urgently rallying his soldiers, trying to calm these inexperienced troops. Suddenly, he noticed flashes of magical light and clouds of dust rising from the north.

“So fast! They’re using talismans to speed up!” Guo Guibang’s pupils constricted, and when he recognized the leading figure of Anyang’s assault team, he gasped, “Oh no! It’s Yan Zhengqing, the former commander of the Cai Kingdom!”

The situation was now critical; Guo Guibang could no longer afford to hesitate. Seeing that his soldiers were still unprepared, he immediately ordered his thousand personal guards to charge out to meet the enemy. “We must not let them breach the gates! Gatekeeper, close the gates!”

However, in the next moment, Guo Guibang was left in shock!

He watched as Yan Zhengqing and his assault team suddenly summoned flying swords, and a brilliant light flashed. Over a hundred of his personal guards fell, and their weapons were sliced cleanly in half!

“Top-tier artifacts! They’re all using top-tier artifacts! How does a small place like Anyang possess so many top-tier artifacts?” Guo Guibang’s expression changed drastically, fear gripping his heart as the reality of the situation set in.

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