Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Sancha Pass, a formidable pass built on a hillside, is a strategic location connecting the north and south by land.

Firstly, Sancha Pass has two city gates, one in the north and one in the south, both made entirely of evil-grade materials. It comes equipped with numerous defensive measures, including an evil-grade anti-air formation, an evil-grade defensive formation, and evil-grade counter-siege weapons, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Secondly, Sancha Pass is situated on a high vantage point, located on the most important transportation route of Sancha Mountain. Traveling from south to north, one must pass through a fork in the road shaped like the Chinese character "人" (ren, meaning person), and the same applies to traveling from north to south. Sancha Pass is located in the middle of this fork. No matter who travels from north to south along this main transportation route, they will all be exposed to the sight of the guards, who can cut off this transportation line at any time.

Thirdly, the area around Sancha Pass is all wilderness and mountains, which have never been cultivated by humans. The forests are dense and the swamps are everywhere. Tens of thousands of demons and monsters roam there. Even an army of more than a thousand people cannot spread out to fight. Even if you want to conquer this formidable pass, you can only send hundreds of soldiers in batches to attack the city and wear it down.

Partridge Di led his troops and followers to this place temporarily, and under the pretense of changing garrisons, tricked the garrison commander into opening the city gates, thus successfully occupying this formidable pass.

Only by relying on this formidable pass could the Partridge Di temporarily gain a foothold and avoid immediate defeat and annihilation, but that was all.

Cai Guozhong will not allow the Partridge Di to occupy Sancha Pass. He will definitely raise troops to suppress the rebels and take back Sancha Pass.

Because if Sancha Pass is lost, one of the main channels for transporting troops and supplies to the front lines will be cut off.

This greatly affects the efficiency and speed of transportation.

If the front line collapses as a result, then the two hundred li of territory north of Sancha Pass will be lost.

Fortunately, the decisive battle has not yet broken out; the two sides are currently engaged in a protracted war and a war of attrition.

The front lines are filled with small-scale battles, with casualties increasing daily, and there is a severe shortage of medicine and doctors.

With three thousand-strong legions guarding strategic locations and holding their ground, they were more than capable of withstanding the pressure on the front lines.

In the short term, another major transportation line can handle the pressure on the Sanchaguan transportation line and operate at full capacity. At most, its efficiency and speed will be reduced by one or two times, and the impact will not be significant.

On the city tower, Partridge Di, clad in armor, gazed at the distant mountains and peaks, with his trusted lieutenants and the four leaders of the Vision Sect standing behind him.

Wei Xiangzhu clasped his hands and said, "In two or three days at the shortest, or seven or eight days at the longest, Cai Guozhong will definitely gather a large army to attack."

"At that time, the army will surround Sancha Pass, and we will have no way to escape. We will be surrounded and killed sooner or later."

"It is not advisable to stay here for long. Let us take a break, preserve the vital forces of our Vision Church, return to Four Seas City, and then slowly plan for the future."

Upon hearing this, the two deputy generals also spoke up, saying, "General Zhe, our forces are now doomed. We urge you to make a decision as soon as possible to avoid total annihilation."

"General Partridge, we must not delay! Please make a decision quickly! Once our soldiers learn the truth, chaos will surely ensue!"

The left and right lieutenants were Zhegu Di's trusted subordinates, and they knew the current situation best, but the lower-ranking soldiers were not.

In the eyes of the soldiers at the grassroots level, they were still a regular army, and that their capture of Sancha Pass was an order to kill the rebels.

These soldiers were indeed the elite troops of the Partridge Di, having fought alongside them in battles across the north and south for over a decade. Many mid-level officers were loyal to the Partridge Di.

However, once the soldiers in the army knew that Partridge Di had betrayed them, they all instantly became rebels who colluded with the cult.

So how many people would risk their lives to follow him, and how many would betray him in the face of battle?

Partridge Di stood with his hands behind his back, listening quietly to his subordinates' advice. His delicate and beautiful face showed no sign of panic. After his subordinates had finished speaking, he slowly said, "What's the panic? The outcome is still uncertain."

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Now that they had fallen to such a state, they wondered what way Partridge Di could possibly salvage the situation. However, seeing Partridge Di's calm and composed demeanor, their anxiety and panic subsided somewhat.

Partridge Di placed his hand on the city wall and said, "Master Wei, I trouble you to take several hundred followers and immediately spread the doctrine and recruit soldiers to become our followers."

Master Wei said, "What if someone doesn't want to join my Vision Church?"

Partridge Di smiled slightly: "If someone is unwilling to become a member of my Vision Church, there is no need to force them. My Lord is the Holy Eye Lord who holds the light and the future. How can he kill the innocent indiscriminately? Just remove his weapons and armor, give him some travel expenses, and let him leave."

Upon hearing this, Master Wei bowed deeply and said, “Master Zhe’s move is wise. By preaching the doctrines and recruiting believers, we can select those who share our ideals and eliminate potential threats among us, thus preventing any future rebellion. Furthermore, by taking action, we can promote the doctrines of our religion of benevolence, love, and saving the world. I believe that under the call of our Lord, they will surely see the error of their ways and turn to our Lord.”

Partridge Di stroked the rough surface of the city wall with his palm and gazed into the distance: "As for whether Cai Guozhong will lead a large army to besiege us, ha, he doesn't have the energy or time for that."

“Our Vision Church has tens of thousands of followers in Ravenburg. It’s not that easy or quick for him to completely wipe them out. Even if tens of thousands of pigs lined up for him to catch, it would take half a month, let alone people.”

"Moreover, the mid- to high-ranking officers who are on good terms with me will be affected to varying degrees. How can these people sit idly by and wait for their doom? They will definitely try to resist Cai Guozhong's purge. The Hell Legion is currently in turmoil and instability. Cai Guozhong must stay in Ravenburg to suppress the internal dissent. Otherwise, a mutiny may occur if he is not careful, and the power may change hands. Cai Guozhong dares not leave Ravenburg for even a day now."

"In addition, I had already left a group of people in Crowburg. They would keep creating large-scale disturbances, tying up most of Cai Guozhong's energy and time."

Upon hearing this, one of the two lieutenants stepped forward and replied, "But Cai Guozhong doesn't need to lead the army himself. He has four elite legions under his command. With just one military order, the four legions can surround us at Sancha Pass. Perhaps while we are talking, the four legions are already searching for us everywhere. They will probably catch up with us at Sancha Pass by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

Partridge Di smiled faintly: "Therefore, I need someone here to contain Cai Guozhong's main force. That's why I chose Sancha Pass, a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Relying on Sancha Pass for defense, we can at least hold out for a year and a half."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked puzzled. What was the point of dragging it out for a year or two? They would still perish anyway.

Seeing this, Partridge Di curled his lips slightly and said confidently, "Simply stalling won't work, but I have a chip in my hand that can decide the outcome."

After a pause, Partridge Di glanced at his subordinates' expectant yet puzzled eyes before revealing his secret plan: "This bargaining chip is Cai Nianxiong. I have already secretly sent people to capture this boy. With him in hand, it is enough for me to turn defeat into victory."

"I only need you to stay here with your men, hold the pass, and contain Cai Guozhong's main force."

"I will then take the opportunity to set up an ambush with my elite troops, using Cai Nianxiong as bait to lure Cai Guozhong into the trap, and then force him to submit. In that case, the situation will immediately turn around!"