Double penetration: This Three Kingdoms has dragon energy

Chapter 154 Ice Crystal Arrow Rain, Fire Clouds, Heaven and Earth Transformation!
Four days later.

The Xuzhou army, which had been maintaining a state of high alert and could only march thirty li a day, finally arrived in front of Yuan's army camp.

Then, gazing at the well-defended and imposing military camp before them, the entire army fell silent.

"How is this going?

How could a military camp with such comprehensive defenses suddenly appear here?

It wasn't there just over ten days ago!

"It would take at least two or three months to build such a military camp from scratch!" Zang Ba said with an incredulous expression.

Zhao Yu smiled wryly and said, "General Zang, don't forget that Ji Qiu has the ability to transport troops regardless of distance."

Since we can transport troops regardless of distance, transporting other resources is naturally even less of a problem.

If he had built the military camp locally beforehand and then moved it here when needed, it shouldn't have taken more than a few days.

"Even if military camps were built elsewhere in advance, it would still take at least ten days to relocate a military camp with such complete defenses."

"If we had marched faster, we might have been able to get here before this camp was completed..." Wang Lang said with a gloomy face.

Several days ago, he proposed to speed up the march so as to catch Ji Qiu off guard.

However, both Zhao Yu and Zang Ba opposed it, so with two against one, he had no choice but to give up his idea.

But the current situation proves how prescient his idea was.

If Zang Ba and Zhao Yu had listened to his advice a few days ago, they wouldn't be facing such a well-defended military camp today!
Zang Ba and Zhao Yu both understood Wang Lang's implied meaning and were speechless.

However, they were not convinced.

Perhaps their decision to keep the army in a state of constant readiness for the past few days has indeed slowed their march and delayed their opportunity to strike.

But at the same time, it also prevented Ji Qiu from launching a sneak attack.

If we don't use this method of marching, who knows if Ji Qiu will just ambush us halfway?

After all, Ji Qiu had already used this method to defeat many enemies.

If they were to be hit by the same wave, they might not even have the chance to see this military camp!

"In the end, it's Ji Qiu's ability to transport troops regardless of distance that's truly incredible."

To guard against his ambush, they had to slow their march.

Slowing down the marching speed would give him ample time to prepare.

Nothing seems to work.

"I don't know what kind of incredible luck this guy had to be able to decide on such a heaven-defying innate secret technique!" Zang Ba cursed angrily in his heart.

However, since things have come to this point, no matter how much envy, jealousy, or hatred one feels, it is meaningless.

Zang Ba could only feign indifference and smile faintly before saying, "You two don't need to worry about it; it's just a military camp!"
Even if our defenses are perfect, what good are they? Can they possibly stop our 100,000-strong army?

Don't forget, you two, we're going to invade the Beihai Kingdom and sweep through its eighteen cities!
These eighteen cities of Beihai are all fortified cities with complete defensive measures.

If we don't care about these fortified cities that have been built for many years, why should we care about a temporary military camp?

"As long as our army intervenes, this military camp can be captured in a matter of days!"

To be honest, Zang Ba's words were not just a simple attempt to boost morale.

He certainly had the confidence to say that.

Because his 100,000-strong army was composed of soldiers from Danyang and Xuzhou.

Both the Danyang soldiers and the Xuzhou soldiers were quite skilled in engineering.

The Danyang Army was one of the four most powerful mountain armies in the inner prefectures of the Han Dynasty, on par with the Taishan Army.

However, unlike the Taishan soldiers who were good at high-speed marches in mountainous terrain, the Danyang soldiers were best at climbing mountain peaks.

And those who are good at climbing mountains are naturally good at climbing city walls.

The soldiers of Xuzhou were one of the four most powerful plains troops in the inner prefectures of the Han Dynasty, on par with the soldiers of Qingzhou.

However, unlike the Qingzhou soldiers who were good at defending cities, the Xuzhou soldiers were best at attacking cities.

With two powerful siege forces at his disposal, Zang Ba was naturally full of confidence in taking over the small military camp in front of him!

Upon hearing Zang Ba's words, both Wang Lang and Zhao Yu's expressions softened slightly.

Since they were all aware of the capabilities of the Danyang and Xuzhou soldiers, they naturally did not doubt Zang Ba's words.

So Wang Lang cupped his hands in greeting to Zang Ba and said, "General Zang is absolutely right. Now, I will observe your performance!"

"Rest assured, Mr. Jingxing, I will not let you down!"

Zang Ba chuckled lightly, then ordered, "Central army, advance! Ice crystal arrow rain, prepare!"

The 40,000 soldiers of Xuzhou advanced in orderly fashion and stopped a kilometer away from the camp of the second generation of Yuan Shikai's army.

They pressed down on the black iron crossbows in their hands, and the crisp sound they made was like the prelude to a metallic symphony.

Then, the Twenty-Eight Constellations Chart burst forth with a ghostly blue light in the twilight, and forty thousand crossbow bolts suddenly rose three inches off the ground, with lightning exploding within the ice crystals formed on the arrowheads.

The clouds above the entire crossbow array were stretched into a funnel shape by the magnetic force, and the torrential rain was even reversed in mid-air to form an ice crystal vortex.

"Release!" Zang Ba shouted in a deep voice.

In an instant, forty thousand crossbow bolts, each carrying ice crystals and lightning, rained down like an inverted galaxy.

Arrows rained down on the entire camp, and even before they fell, a chilling aura bound the camp together like invisible chains.

Fine ice flowers formed on the crenellations of the city wall, and the defenders' hands, gripping their shields, instantly became stuck to the cold iron.

In the distance, the warhorses in the stables reared up in alarm, their breath freezing into icicles in mid-air, which then crashed to the ground with a crackling sound.

In the boiling iron pot on the stove, the scalding soup suddenly frosted over, and spiderweb-like ice patterns condensed on the surface, even the rising steam was frozen into suspended ice crystals.

A corporal tried to warm his hands with his breath, but the white mist condensed into ice crystals at his lips.

To his horror, he discovered that every breath he exhaled turned into tiny ice beads, which fell softly onto his armor.

Further away in the training ground, the puddles were rapidly freezing, and the surface of the water reflecting the sea of ​​ice and lightning in the sky was gradually covered by spiderweb-like ice patterns.

A muffled sound suddenly came from the granary deep inside the military camp. The mountain of grain and straw was soaked by the cold air, and a thin layer of ice formed on the surface.

The soldiers on duty were chattering, and although the torches in their hands were flickering with flames, they could not dispel the bone-chilling cold.

The ice crystal crossbow bolts suspended in the sky continued to absorb the cold air between heaven and earth, becoming increasingly crystal clear, as if they would nail the entire military camp into an eternal winter at any moment.

However, just as the ice crystal crossbow bolts were about to fall, a crimson pillar of light suddenly exploded in the center of the military camp, like a fiery halberd piercing the cold sky.

The boiling heatwave spread outwards in visible ripples, and the flagpole, frozen into icicles, groaned under the strain, instantly disintegrating into a shower of sparks. Immediately afterward, a fiery cloud a hundred feet in diameter rose from the ground, and within the crimson cloud, the phantom of the Vermilion Bird spread its wings, each feather flowing with molten lava-like flames.

The ice crystal crossbow bolts suspended in mid-air suddenly trembled violently, and the frost on their surface steamed up as white mist under the scorching heat.

Amidst the churning flames, a wave of fire carrying the scent of sulfur shot into the sky, colliding head-on with the ice arrow.

In an instant, a raging torrent of ice and fire tore through the twilight—exploding ice crystals burst into countless flashes of cold light, while crimson fire rain fell like a shower of flowers, scorching the frost on the ground into wisps of blue smoke.

The soldiers, who had been cowering in the corner, now stared in disbelief as the fiery cloud engulfed the rain of arrows.

A deafening cry came from the fiery clouds, and the phantom of the Vermilion Bird suddenly flapped its wings, unleashing countless lines of fire in a fan shape that melted the remaining ice arrows into molten iron.

The embers that fell into the military camp transformed into burning lotuses the moment they touched the ground, completely incinerating the remaining chill.

"The soldiers of Xuzhou truly deserve to be called the strongest army among the four major plains armies of the Han Dynasty, the most skilled in siege warfare. Their secret technique, Ice Crystal Arrow Rain, can freeze a city in an instant!"

In particular, the Xuzhou soldiers under Zang Ba's command were private soldiers trained for a long time by the powerful families of Xuzhou, and their average rank had reached the early stage of the eighth grade.

The rain of ice crystal arrows unleashed by such a powerful army of 40,000 is probably no less powerful than the lord's artillery battalion.

Even as one of the eighteen cities of Beihai County before it was demolished, it would probably not have been able to withstand an attack of this magnitude.

Tao Qian believed that it was reasonable to think that with these 100,000 strong troops, they could seize Beihai County from their lord.

Unfortunately, they ran into the second-generation Yuan clan's army camp, which had been strengthened by their lord.

Such attacks would be far from sufficient to deal with the second-generation Yuan family army camp, let alone the first-generation Yuan family army camp!
The Yuan family's military camp was a powerful weapon built by the Yuan family and other powerful clans, using countless resources, to intimidate the emperor in Luoyang.

This military camp possesses targeted countermeasures against almost all the powerful military formations and techniques of the Han Dynasty!
The technique my subordinate just used was a defensive secret technique specifically designed to counter the Ice Crystal Arrow Rain: Fire Cloud Sky!

Inside the Yuan Clan's military camp, Xi Zhong stood in the main general's tent, controlling the Yuan Clan's army while introducing it to Ji Qiu.

Ji Qiu was filled with admiration, praising repeatedly, "Amazing, amazing, truly amazing! I never knew the Yuan family's army was so powerful, and I had left such a divine weapon idle for so long. It was truly my mistake. I wonder what we should do next?"

"It is impolite not to reciprocate. Since the Xuzhou army has launched an attack, we should retaliate with an attack in return!"
"My lord, behold, I shall now demonstrate the Yuan army's secret attack technique: the Heaven and Earth Transformation!"

Xi Zhong chuckled lightly, then typed out a series of commands on the control panel.

With his command, the air suddenly became thick and sticky.

First, fine spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground, followed by a deep rumble from the depths of the earth, like the roar of an ancient beast awakening.

"Holy crap, what is this?"

In the Xuzhou army camp, Zang Ba was completely dumbfounded as he watched the fiery clouds rising from Yuan's camp.

The moment the ice crystal arrows were unleashed, he thought the war was over.

After all, it has always been like this.

Let alone ordinary military camps, even ordinary county towns could not withstand his rain of ice crystal arrows.

But what kind of secret technique is this fiery cloud?
How could it be so powerful?

Moreover, it seems to be specifically designed to counter the Ice Crystal Arrow Rain.

Such a secret technique actually exists in this world?
That's absolutely unbelievable!

Zhao Yu was equally puzzled and said incredulously, "I never expected that such a seemingly unremarkable military camp would possess such a powerful secret technique. It's truly unexpected."

Such a secret technique is so powerful that it's unlikely that even in a typical county town, only a mid-level aristocratic family's stronghold outside the city would possess such a defensive technique!
However, such a powerful secret technique must consume an astonishing amount of dragon energy.

This military camp can probably only be used once at most; they are powerless to do so any more than that.

Our army has 70,000 soldiers from Xuzhou, and we only used 40,000 of them to unleash the Ice Crystal Arrow Rain.

"General, why not have all 70,000 Xuzhou soldiers unleash a rain of ice crystal arrows? We're sure to defeat them in one fell swoop!"

“Yuan Da is right! I will give the order now to have all the Xuzhou soldiers unleash a rain of ice crystal arrows!” Zang Ba nodded in deep agreement.

But just as he was about to give the order, a terrifying voice came to his ear.

"Fire Cloud Heaven, this is Fire Cloud Heaven?! Oh no, this is not an ordinary military camp at all, this is Yuan's military camp!"
Only the Yuan family's military camp, used to suppress the family's foundation, possesses the Fire Cloud Heaven Secret Technique, a targeted defense against the Ice Crystal Arrow Rain Secret Technique!
Moreover, even ordinary Yuan family military camps do not possess Fire Cloud Heaven Secret Techniques at this level.

Only the Yuan family's military camp in Tianmen Mountain possessed this!

Could this military camp in front of us be the Yuan family's military camp that disappeared in Tianmen?
Yes, yes, that must be it, it's entirely possible!

The military camp suddenly disappeared, and no one could find any trace of it. No one knew how it vanished.

"But if Ji Qiu had already possessed the ability to move resources regardless of distance, he could have moved this entire Yuan family military camp!" Wang Lang exclaimed in terror.

His insight surpassed that of Zang Ba and Zhao Yu, after all, he was a renowned scholar who had served as an official in Luoyang.

Therefore, he knew some secrets that neither Zang Ba nor Zhao Yu knew.

For example, he knew that Fire Cloud Sky was a unique secret technique of the Yuan family's army.

He also knew that before Ji Qiu left Luoyang, the Yuan family's military camp, which had been built in Tianmen Mountain and had suppressed the emperor of Luoyang for many years, suddenly disappeared.

At the time, no one knew that Ji Qiu had moved the Yuan family's military camp.

Now he knows.

However, this is by no means a good thing for him.

Because Huo Yuntian was in Yuan's army camp, but he was not the only one!

Under the current circumstances, the most suitable secret technique for Yuan's army to employ is...

"Not good, everyone retreat!"

Wang Lang shouted, and without saying another word, he hurriedly ran to the back.

Zang Ba and Zhao Yu were somewhat stunned by him, unsure of what to say.

But then he felt the soil beneath his feet begin to tremble violently, and the land began to undulate like boiling water.

Then, the earth exploded with a deafening roar.

Countless sharp stone spikes burst forth from the earth, rising into the sky along with dark green miasma.

The stone spikes were covered with strange runes, which glowed eerily in the twilight, like demonic claws reaching out from the deepest hell.

A soldier from Xuzhou was unable to dodge in time and was pierced through the abdomen by a stone spike. His body was thrown high into the air, and his blood flowed along the runes, only to be absorbed cleanly in an instant.

The cracks in the ground continued to widen, forming bottomless ravines.

The Xuzhou soldiers' formation was completely disrupted, and the soldiers screamed as they fell into the crevices or were pierced by suddenly emerging stone spikes.

Even more terrifying, the corpses pierced by the stone spikes slowly rose to their feet under the influence of the runes, their eyes flashing with an eerie red light, and they swung their claws at their companions.

The once orderly military formation now resembled a living hell. Amidst the earth-shaking tremors, wails and roars mingled, and blood mixed with mud splattered, turning the twilight even more crimson.

(End of this chapter)