Patrol Captain

"Report!"

In the pitch-black night, outside a room dimly lit by candlelight, a long shout rang out.

Immediately following was the sound of hurried footsteps and the clanging of armor clashing as they moved quickly.

Then, the door to the room was kicked open.

A warrior clad in black armor and wearing an eight-panel helmet with a red tassel on it strode in, then knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture upwards.

"Reporting to Your Highness, Generals Lu and Sun have sent a message from afar. According to Your Highness's orders, the northern army has marched to Guiku Mountain, a thousand miles outside Tianxiong Pass, and is encamped there. At three quarters past dusk, just as darkness fell, Qi Tian, ​​the Shu general guarding Tianxiong Pass, led his holy weapons and a small force in a night raid on the northern camp. The two generals, wielding royal weapons, fought fiercely with them and forced them to retreat. Fearing they might have a backup plan, they did not pursue them further. During this battle, the military retainer also made a move, but did not show his face!"

"The total loss in this battle was over a thousand armored soldiers."

As this person hurriedly reported the battle report from the north, two bronze tree candlesticks sat at the front of the room, their tallow wicks crackling and flickering, casting long and short shadows on the map at the far end of the room.

On both sides of the room, figures in armor gleamed coldly, standing like small mountains. The dark patterns on the armor plates flickered in the swaying candlelight, creating a somber atmosphere.

At the very front, there was a table with a man dressed in a black robe with five claws and a python pattern. To his left were several command arrows, and to his right was a golden seal. The golden seal emitted a golden glow, which was quite extraordinary. His entire face was in the shadows.

The sound of the armor hitting the ground as the soldier knelt on one knee made the candlelight flicker.

The flickering candlelight illuminated the face of the person behind the desk.

His brow bones were prominent, his thick eyebrows arched upwards, and his eyes were like those of a fierce tiger, radiating a cold light like a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood. In his eyes, a few blood vessels stood out starkly against the cold white sclera.

It was none other than Xiao Zhongtian, the rebel king who fled to Liangzhou after his defeat!

Upon hearing his subordinates' battle report, Xiao Zhongtian's piercing eyes narrowed slightly, becoming exceptionally intimidating, and an inescapable air of anger emanated from them.

Thinking about what happened two days ago, even though he had been suppressing his anger for many years, he couldn't sleep all night. He hadn't closed his eyes for two days, and the anger in his heart hadn't subsided for a moment.

He desperately needed a blood-stained victory to vent his anger.

After the messenger finished his report, he looked down at him, his voice low and menacing, like frost in the dead of winter.
"That guy surnamed Chen didn't show up?"

"Your Highness, no," the soldier who delivered the message said cautiously in a low voice.

"What kind of sacred weapon did Qi Tian bring?" Xiao Zhongtian continued to confirm.

"A bronze spear!"

"It's not that guy's weapon!" Xiao Zhongtian's voice visibly softened.
"Qi Tian led his holy weapons to attack the camp. You said Lu and Sun forced them to retreat, but then you said that the elder made a move?"

The two people they mentioned, Lu and Sun, were the two remaining of the four incense-offering deities from the Battle of Liangzhou.

"Your Highness, that's exactly what the letter said." In the suffocating atmosphere, the armored soldier's forehead was sweating, and he spoke cautiously, with utmost care.

"It seems this general who suppresses demons in Shu is quite powerful. Although he failed to break through to Martial Saint, he should be close to it soon. Your Highness, keeping this person around will only cause trouble sooner or later. We should let that Martial Saint take the opportunity to eliminate him." At this moment, a general sitting in the first row to Xiao Zhongtian's left in the tent suddenly spoke. His body was like a wall, with the courage of ten thousand men guarding the pass. This man was a dragon and tiger, but he had the appearance of a barbarian, with wavy red hair and blue eyes. He had always been guarding the western region on behalf of the prince. His tone was full of killing intent and carried a cold snort.

He was not at the palace two days ago, but was stationed at the border. Upon hearing the "bad news," he immediately mobilized his troops.

“This method is reckless. Our strategy is to form a battle formation, hold our position without engaging in battle, draw fire from this side, and buy time,” said the man on the right. He was wearing chainmail and, judging from his appearance, was Yan Sun, the Right Chief Secretary of the Prince’s Palace who had escaped with him. He immediately retorted.

"Hmph, I understand Your Highness's intentions, but if we just refuse to fight, Qi Tian and the others are not fools. They would dare to attack from the start. Once is fine, but what about twice or three times? Those people will notice something is amiss and keep testing us, getting more and more arrogant. Are we, the soldiers of Beiliang and Your Highness, just going to swallow our anger like this?"

"Yan Sun, it seems your courage has been scared away!" The barbarian general glared at him, his voice unfriendly.

"We have already released several layers of fog to attract their attention. General Huo Zhen has also escaped and is drawing the attention of that General Chen and Helian Shan in Shu. Today, seeing a Martial Saint-level expert make a move, they naturally assume that it is the Prince who is in charge, and they will not dare to attack easily again!"

"If we were to provoke trouble now, as the general said, and actually kill that Great General Qi Tian, ​​the Shu region would certainly defend Tianxiong Pass at all costs and send out powerful warriors. If that Martial Saint surnamed Chen were to break through the camp and discover that our 100,000 troops were just a decoy and that the Prince was not here, that man would surely go mad and slaughter everyone, ruining the Prince's plans. What would we do then? Would the general take responsibility? The general cannot bear that responsibility!"

Yan Sun was so provoked by this that he lost his usual composure. He stood up angrily, glared at the man, and then, in a fit of rage, flicked his sleeves and uttered a sarcastic remark.

"How dare you speak to me like that?" The red-haired general stood up, like a ferocious beast emerging from its lair, exuding a fierce aura, his face showing hostility, and his energy surging.

"Tell the truth!" Yan Sun locked eyes with her, neither willing to back down, and it looked like they were about to start a fight.

"Shut up, both of you!" A deep shout extinguished the anger between the two men.

"Prince"

"Prince"

The red-haired general and Yan Sun, one concealing his fierce demeanor and the other adopting a serious expression, turned to the side and offered their hands to Xiao Zhongtian behind the desk.

Behind the table, Xiao Zhongtian swept his gaze over the two men, the bloodshot veins in his eyes turning even redder. "The big event hasn't even begun, and you've already started fighting amongst yourselves. You're both angry, but I'm not? The entire army is burning with a simmering fire, a fire fueled by deep-seated hatred!"

"Once we enter the Central Plains, we'll have plenty of time to settle accounts with that Chen fellow. But for now, we need to keep him occupied and prevent the Shu region from discovering our true purpose." As he spoke, his volatile emotions calmed down, his expression became thoughtful, his gaze shifted downwards to the armored soldier who had brought the message, and his voice became calm as he gave the order.

"Draft a letter for me and send it to Generals Lu and Sun!"

"Since the enemy launched a night attack, we must retaliate. However, in principle, we should maintain the original strategy and not engage in a real battle, but rather create an effective deterrent against Tianxiong and make the scene look intimidating. In addition, we should create a fog of war and send people to spread false information, coordinating with Huo Zhen from the inside and outside. We should also send some troops to the nearby passes in Shu to launch a feint attack!"

"The ultimate goal is to draw the attention of the entire Sichuan region and keep them occupied!"

The armored soldier who delivered the message straightened up and bowed respectfully, saying, "I will draft the letter and send it to the two divine generals immediately!"

As he spoke, he quickly got up, took a few steps back, and then turned and left the room!
Soon after, a white sword light burst out of the deep night and shot into the distance towards the south.

Below, illuminated by the light, lay a deep mountain forest. Within this forest, several long, armored steel dragons were winding their way into the heart of the mountains. In the pitch-black darkness, these soldiers marched by the light of a few scattered lamps, their chilling aura rendering the entire forest deathly silent. Insects and birds dared not utter a sound, and the spirits and demons of the mountains, upon seeing these armored dragons, were terrified and fled far away.

The gaze followed the sword light upwards, and looking down, on the horizon, a mountain range resembling a giant dragon lay sprawled on the spine of this northwestern land. The dark ridge was its undulating back, winding and stretching from west to east, sometimes raising its head to reveal peaks as varied as scales, and sometimes bowing down to become ravines hidden in the darkness. The ridge outlined its powerful veins like scales and claws. Those usually treacherous passes had now become the dragon's closed eyelids; those deep canyons had become its drooping beard, quietly lurking in the night.

This is the Wanli Longling!
It separates Beiliang, Shu, the Western Regions from Guanzhong and the Central Plains, and also keeps out the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, the eight demon kingdoms, the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and other border barbarians and demon kingdoms. It is a natural barrier that protects the Central Plains!
The mountain wind swept through the forest, creating a series of rustling sounds, like the even breathing of a sleeping dragon. It flowed over the dark green trees and exposed rocks, weaving a low murmur in the valley.

At this time, on the Qinling Mountains outside the Qinzhou territory to the east of Beiliang, King Xiao Zhongtian of Liang attempted to deceive the heavens and the sea, leading the elite troops of Beiliang to launch a major eastward advance!
However, the Longling Mountains are a vast and treacherous place, with countless mountains and perils, making it impossible for a large number of military horses to cross.

Why did Xiao Zhongtian do this?
The view shifts back to the present moment, where hundreds of bronze warships, each a hundred feet long, are sailing through the mountain ravine, like roc birds soaring through the Dragon Ridge. In the middle, on the largest ship, in the highest room, Xiao Zhongtian's deep eyes return from the darkness outside the door.

"Are you satisfied now?" He coldly glanced at the two trusted subordinates who had just been fighting.

"Your subject acknowledges his mistake!"

"This humble servant knows his mistake!"

Yan Sun and the Red-Haired General apologized.

"Sit down!"

The two obeyed and returned to their seats. After the red-haired general sat down, he spoke again, his voice muffled:

"Your Highness is wise and valiant, and has a well-thought-out plan. However, time is of the essence. The troops dispatched by the imperial court are on their way. Our men are ready at the gateway to Guanzhong, awaiting Your Highness's command. Our most urgent task is to secure the dragon's lair as soon as possible; time waits for no one. If we wait for the imperial court to react and prepare, they will block our eastward advance."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Zhongtian raised his hand and looked at him.

"I know without you reminding me!"

"Yunlong, you've been too hasty these past few days. My army dared to march into Dragon Ridge because I knew what I was doing. I was prepared for this long ago. The dragon vein hunters I've been training have been traversing Dragon Ridge for years, searching for dragon veins and tracking their movements. This dragon vein is born from the combined fortune of the Great Qian Dynasty and the essence of heaven and earth. It's a hidden dragon, constantly changing its location. My dragon-hunting masters are working hard to locate it; it should be here soon!"

"When the time is right, I will capture the dragon and open the Dragon Ridge barrier, then use the teleportation to lead my troops to Guanzhong!"

As Xiao Zhongtian spoke, his eyes gleamed with a sharp light, revealing an astonishing aura!
The dragon vein he spoke of was the earth energy of Dragon Ridge, a dragon vein born from the fortune of the Great Qian Dynasty. The ten thousand miles of Dragon Ridge isolated the demon kingdom and the barbarian tribes from beyond the borders, protecting the Central Plains dynasty. Since ancient times, it has inherited the fortune of the imperial dynasty and been bestowed with imperial titles by the Dragon Court. Countless emperors throughout history have come to Dragon Ridge to perform the Fengshan ceremony and offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth.

The Dragon Ridge is hailed as a natural barrier, and it is not simply a matter of stretching for thousands of miles and having many towering mountains. The word "barrier" is not just a joke; it has a specific function: the Dragon Ridge isolates the area from the Central Plains. It's not that birds cannot fly over it, but that spatial teleportation is simply impossible.

To put it simply, it's like building a teleportation array from Shu or Beiliang to directly teleport to Guanzhong. No, there isn't one. Otherwise, there wouldn't be sayings like "The road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven" and "Beiliang is bitterly cold and remote, like a barbarian land."

The spatial formations have all been sealed off by the Wanli Longling Mountains. This has been the rule since ancient times, and the Central Plains dynasties have tacitly accepted this decree and adhered to the established rules in order to prevent demons and barbarians from the border regions from using this route to teleport directly in and invade the Central Plains, which would quickly lead to chaos.

Of course, this is not absolute. It is also possible to break through this spatial barrier by taking advantage of the Dragon Ridge. One way is to receive an imperial edict from the court and use the emperor's decree to open the teleportation channel. The second way is the option that Xiao Zhongtian mentioned: fix the hidden dragon vein within, fix the other party, and open the teleportation array to teleport. Of course, this process is extremely difficult. The dragon vein in the Dragon Ridge is not a physical object, but an ethereal and elusive entity. It is extremely difficult to find its location, let alone fix it.

However, the Northern Liang Royal Palace had been preparing for this for many years. He recruited extraordinary people from all over the world, including many who were skilled in finding auspicious burial sites. He sent these people to the Dragon Ridge in the Northern Liang territory to find auspicious burial sites, and they had already gained a lot of experience and roughly figured out the patterns.

He dared to lead a large number of his elite troops into Longling precisely because he was confident in his abilities!

His dispatch of 100,000 troops to approach Tianxiong Pass was intended to draw the attention of Shu and the imperial court. He planned to attack Jiannan Road, punish the traitor Chen Yuan, and avenge the loss of Liangzhou, before turning around and entering Guanzhong via the Shu Road.

In this way, no one would realize that Xiao Zhongtian actually wanted to head east directly from the very beginning!
This was a route he had been preparing for many years!
After he finished speaking, the anxious hearts of the soldiers present finally felt a little more at ease.

As night deepened, from the first watch of the night to nearly the third watch, the army in Longling continued its march without stopping. On the warships, the generals followed suit, working tirelessly and awaiting news.

Finally, footsteps approached quickly from outside.

The footsteps sounded hurried.

Soon, a low voice was heard outside, and someone bowed and reported.

"Your Highness, we have fulfilled our mission. The true dragon lay dormant in the abyss, but we have still managed to find it!"

"As you command, we will not disturb you. Now it is your turn to act!"

(End of this chapter)