Canglong City.

This city is located in the northern part of Binzhou, on the north bank of the Canglong River, facing the Binzhou Prefecture City across the river.

Currently, all the County Soldiers of Binzhou, as well as over half of the County Soldiers from Qingzhou and Youzhou, have been summoned by the Xu Mu Army to gather around Canglong City, in a standoff with Black Mountain Pass in the north.

Black Mountain Pass, located in the center of the Yin Mountain Range, serves as an important dividing line separating Wu Country from Great Yu.

Every time a war breaks out between Great Yu and Wu Country, it is through Black Mountain Pass that Wu Country invades the heartland of Great Yu, causing significant damage to Great Yu.

Black Mountain Pass is also the foremost stronghold of Wu Country, having been controlled by Wu Country for several centuries.

A few years ago, Xu Mu Army once managed to seize Black Mountain Pass with a sneak attack, shocking Wu Country, which then mobilized eleven armies to besiege the Xu Mu Army.

Unfortunately, due to unrest within Great Yu, Xu Mu Army had to return to suppress the rioters.

The remaining Dragon-soaring Army, finding itself isolated and unsupported, held out for two months before reluctantly withdrawing.

Wu Country reoccupied Black Mountain Pass.

Using this as a pretext, they mobilized their army, invaded Great Yu, and seized countless people, cattle, horses, gold, and silver.

For a time, blades clashed once more, with victories and defeats on both sides, lasting for three years.

During this period, Grand General Xu Mu Army, with his Innate Realm prowess, rampaged the battlefield at will, causing Wu Country to suffer heavy losses.

Later, the Emperor of Wu Country dispatched the only Innate Realm Martial Artist in the country, the Yin Mountain Ancestor, to hold back Xu Mu Army’s offensive.

Subsequently, by mobilizing other cultivators and using their ancestral Clan Protection Magical Artifact, they launched a sneak attack, seriously injuring Xu Mu Army, and the war between the two countries began to stabilize gradually.

For nearly a year, the two countries have had no major battles, only small-scale skirmishes.

Under Xu Mu Army’s command in Canglong City, the elite Dragon-soaring Army numbers around fifty thousand, with one hundred fifty thousand County Soldiers, and including supply soldiers and auxiliary forces, their strength once reached three hundred thousand.

Meanwhile, Wu Country mobilized even more troops, totaling over five hundred thousand.

The daily consumption of food for troops and horses amounted to astronomical figures!

Yet, for some reason, Wu Country refuses to withdraw its troops, still eyeing an opportunity to capitalize on Great Yu’s internal unrest to make a significant gain.

Every day, large cavalry units continue to invade surrounding counties, exhausting Great Yu’s troops.

However, Xu Mu Army remains unresponsive, with his gaze fixed on Black Mountain Pass, leaving others to wonder what he has planned.

Today, a troop approached Canglong City.

“Halt…! Who goes there?”

The city guards, accompanied by a group of people, surrounded this peculiar carriage.

This group clearly appeared to be soldiers, but they wore leather armor, and on the military flags fluttering in the wind were written the words ‘Chen,’ ‘Zhao,’ and ‘Divine Strategy Camp.’

Divine Strategy Camp?

When did the Great Yu Dynasty introduce a new troop type?

Supply soldiers?

There are far too many carts and wagons in the back.

New reinforcements?

Zhao Tieshan stepped forward, chuckled, and presented the Border Road Permit, token, and Military Department Transfer Document, saying, “We are the Divine Strategy Camp, ordered by Your Majesty to support Grand General Xu!”

“Divine Strategy Camp?”

“Wait here, I will inform the Grand General!”

With that, he quickly departed, while Chen Hongxiu and Zhao Tieshan gathered together.

“With a well-disciplined and strictly regulated military presence, it is indeed worthy of Grand General Xu!”

Zhao Tieshan added, “I, Old Zhao, initially thought of joining the Dragon-soaring Army, yet now I have the opportunity to cooperate and fight alongside Grand General Xu, which is truly fantastic!”

“I wonder what kind of presence Grand General Xu has?”

“I heard that Grand General Xu had reached the Innate Realm a few years ago, and it’s quite remarkable that Black Mountain Pass could hold against him!”

“We have been entrusted with royal favor, and after half a year of effort, transported the cannons to Black Mountain Pass. We are determined to tilt the balance of power with one decisive battle!”

“Enough, stop talking, someone’s coming…”

A Captain quickly emerged, bowing and saying, “Humble officer Wu Jun of the Dragon-soaring Army, greets both… generals?”

The Captain named Wu Jun spoke with some hesitation, for he too realized that one of the commanders of this Divine Strategy Camp was a woman!

With a cold demeanor, Chen Hongxiu said, “We are here under an imperial mandate to support Grand General Xu, and have urgent matters to discuss. Where can we find Grand General Xu?”

Wu Jun quickly responded, “Generals, please follow me!”

Under Wu Jun’s guidance, they soon arrived at the central command tent.

Opening the door, they discovered over twenty people lined up on either side, loudly arguing about something.

Among them, one person Chen Hongxiu and Zhao Tieshan recognized—Cui Xiawu, the Martial Champion Scholar from the same examination batch.

At this moment, he nodded slightly to them.

“Quiet!”

A steady voice rang out, causing everyone present to instinctively stop, their eyes flickering.

Chen Hongxiu glanced over and saw that in the main seat of the military tent sat a middle-aged man with a commanding presence.

His build was not particularly majestic, appearing like an ordinary elder farmer.

His appearance was also ordinary, with black and shiny hair and beard, looking like a man in his thirties.

Xu Mu Army, the Great Yu War God, the lord of the Dragon-soaring Army, a trusted minister of the late Emperor, Grand General…

Any one of these titles would earn countless people’s admiration.

“Subordinates Chen Hongxiu and Zhao Tieshan, pay respect to Grand General Xu!”

“Traveling such a distance, both generals must be weary.”

Xu Mu Army waved his hand, saying, “Have a seat!”

Soon, soldiers came forth, arranging seats for the two, and they were placed in the upper seats.

Chen Hongxiu took the lead, asking, “May I ask Grand General Xu, what issue are the generals discussing?”

“Hmm!”

Before Xu Mu Army could speak, someone below interrupted, “It’s quite astonishing that Your Majesty appoints a woman as General!”

“Silence!”

Xu Mu Army coldly remarked, “General Chen Hongxiu hails from a loyal and virtuous lineage, and now her martial arts cultivation is at the First-grade Realm, handpicked by His Majesty as the Runner-up Scholar!”

“Sunx Datou, apologize to General Chen!”

From the left lineup, a soldier with a noticeably large head reluctantly stood up, raised both hands towards Chen Hongxiu.

“General Chen, I was disrespectful, please forgive me.”

“But I, Sunx Datou, am a straightforward man, and I speak my mind. General Chen, this is a battlefield, not a place for women to embroider. Blades and swords have no mercy; if something were to happen to you, we couldn’t bear the consequence!”

Chen Hongxiu smiled, “No need for General Sunx to bear this, for I have entered the battlefield with a resolve to shroud my body in a horse’s hide and die for the country.”

“Now, this General only wishes to convey the Emperor’s orders.”

Xu Mujun said, “Oh? What orders does Your Majesty have?”

“Grand General Xu should know.”

“Your Majesty’s previous orders…”

Xu Mujun shook his head and said, “Your Majesty wants us to destroy Black Mountain Pass, but this pass… is truly difficult to destroy.”

“Our army’s strength is no match for Black Mountain Pass, and it also has an Innate Martial Artist. With him restraining us, we…”

“That was before!”

Chen Hongxiu confidently said, “Now that we are here, it is to assist Grand General Xu in destroying Black Mountain Pass.”

“Hahaha… What big talk!”

“Who are you people to utter such nonsense? That’s Black Mountain Pass you’re talking about!”

“We’ve left the corpses of a hundred thousand brothers below Black Mountain Pass and still couldn’t breach it, just you all?”

As soon as the words fell, all the soldiers in the tent burst into laughter.

Even Cui Xiawu’s expression was somewhat peculiar at this time.

Before coming to the battlefield, he thought warfare was simple.

With just a sword and blade in his hand, he believed he could earn glory and protection for his family.

Unexpectedly, battlefield combat was not that simple.

He had been in Binzhou for over a year, having killed over thirty enemies.

Yet the entire Black Mountain Pass stood like a Celestial Chasm before them, impossible to breach.

If Black Mountain Pass couldn’t be breached, Wu Country’s advances couldn’t be effectively halted.

They, Great Yu, would always be on the receiving end!

Xu Mujun’s eyes lit up as he softly said, “But those Red Coat Cannons and Thunderbolts that Your Majesty mentioned, are they truly so powerful?”

Chen Hongxiu whispered, “Rest assured, Grand General Xu, the Pseudo-Yan’s twenty thousand cavalry were easily destroyed by the Red Coat Cannons!”

“As long as you give us the opportunity to fight, we can break through Black Mountain Pass!”

Xu Mujun was silent.

Located in Northern Country, Canglong City was indeed too far off.

He had only heard merchants mentioning the Pseudo-Yan incident.

But he wasn’t aware of the specific battle details.

“Generals, could I see a demonstration of the Red Coat Cannon and Thunderbolt?”

Chen Hongxiu looked around at the people in the military tent, expressing concern, “Grand General Xu, there are many Wu Country spies in Canglong City right now. A demonstration in public might lead to intelligence leakage to Wu Country.”

“Speed is of the essence in warfare; we plan to launch a surprise attack by tonight at the latest…”

“No!”

Chen Hongxiu’s proposal was rejected by Xu Mujun with a single glance, who said sternly, “I must personally witness the effects of the Red Coat Cannon and Thunderbolt. Otherwise, I won’t risk my soldiers’ lives as a game!”

“Moreover, if there’s a surprise attack on Black Mountain Pass, the army must be prepared in advance to avoid mutiny.”

“This…”

Chen Hongxiu and Zhao Tieshan exchanged glances, whispered a few words, and then said, “Grand General Xu, we can only show you the effects of the Thunderbolt.”

“The Red Coat Cannon is too large, not easy to move.”

“And only you can observe it.”

“Alright!”

Xu Mujun immediately said, “Everyone, dismiss, return to your camps.”

“You two, come with me!”

Quickly, the three of them rode away from the military camp to a deserted area.

“This place is a full five miles from the camp, and I have personally checked, ensuring no spies followed us.”

Xu Mujun said, “Can you show me the power of the Thunderbolt?”

Chen Hongxiu nodded, and Zhao Tieshan immediately took a hand grenade shaped like a melon from a bag behind him.

This was the Thunderbolt!

“Watch closely, Grand General Xu.”

Zhao Tieshan shouted, pulled the fuse of the Thunderbolt, took a deep breath, and hurled it with all his might into the distance.

With the strength of a First-grade Martial Artist, he threw it nearly a kilometer away.

As soon as it landed, the Thunderbolt exploded with a roar.

“Boom~!!!”

It seemed like a thunderbolt suddenly erupted from the flat ground, the Thunderbolt exploding with a roar.

Violent waves of air and flames scattered, sweeping up all the smoke, dust, and stones from the ground.

Standing a bit too close, Xu Mujun’s hair and beard were blown wildly by the impact, and his figure quickly moved to the explosion’s center right after.

Chen Hongxiu and Zhao Tieshan quickly followed.

“Hiss…”

Before they arrived, they heard Xu Mujun’s shocked voice: “This thing… can actually explode out of thin air, what exactly is it?”

“This is the Thunderbolt, Grand General Xu, how’s its power?”

Xu Mujun’s voice remained amazed, recalling the confident look in His Majesty’s eyes that day.

Now he understood why the two generals from the Divine Strategy Camp were so confident?

“Immortal Treasure?”

Chen Hongxiu shook his head and said, “We don’t know either, but it must be related to Immortals. Otherwise, how can mortals control thunder and explosions?”

Xu Mujun discreetly nodded, then asked, “How many of these do you have?”

“With one or two thousand, you could indeed blow a section of Black Mountain Pass’s walls down…”

“A hundred thousand.”

“How many?”

“A hundred thousand.”

“A hundred, a hundred thousand, hiss…”

Xu Mujun also gasped and said, “Then how will you throw these Thunderbolts into Black Mountain Pass’s walls? Black Mountain Pass is built against the mountain, with walls a hundred zhang tall, and flanked by peaks.”

“We have our methods.”

Chen Hongxiu said, “Grand General Xu only needs to use the spies in Black Mountain City, have them set fires across Black Mountain City at night to determine locations for us.”

This time, Xu Mujun only thought for a moment before nodding in agreement: “Alright!”

“This operation will be led by your Divine Strategy Camp!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep