The government was sending out wives, and I ended up with a princess from the previous dynasty!

Cliff City is built on the Iron Reed Mountain Range in the southwest of the Great Jing Dynasty!

The entire city is made of stone, incredibly dangerous, and enormous in scale!

On one side of the city is a cliff more than 100 meters high, making it virtually impregnable!

The entire city is perched atop a mountain, with sheer cliffs to the west and north. Only the east and south gates connect to the mountain ridge!

This city is a strategic location that military strategists must fight over!

It was precisely because of this fortress that the Great Jing Dynasty was able to resist the Kushan Empire to the north!

……

When Jia Daoshi arrived, it was already evening.

Knowing that Jia Daoshi was coming, Shen Li led her personal guards out of the city to greet him.

Upon seeing Jia Daoshi, Shen Li was excited, her large eyes shining brightly.

There was no way around it; the pressure from the Kushan Empire's more than 500,000 iron cavalry was simply too great!

Because the city of Juebi only has a mere 20,000 soldiers!

If it weren't for her status, Shen Li would have wanted to throw herself into Jia Daoshi's arms!

Both the east and south gates of the cliff city have barbicans.

Once inside the city, you can still see a very bright place in the distance, as if it were filled with candlelight.

"That's the Incense Burner Temple in the city. People go there to pray for blessings these days."

After Shen Li finished explaining, she walked to Jia Daoshi's side and nudged him with her shoulder: "I heard that you went through all that trouble to go to sea this time, but you didn't get anything?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Daoshi laughed and said, "Who am I, your husband? Now that I've gone out, how could I possibly return empty-handed? This time I did bring back a treasure box, but I haven't yet figured out what it's for."

"I knew it!" Shen Li exclaimed in realization. "And who is this young lady?"

Jia Daoshi: "She was originally the Holy Maiden of the Green Turban Army, but later..."

Jia Daoshi offered a brief explanation.

Behind him, Xiao Rongyu led the horse and carried a sword, silently following behind.

"I see. Since the young lady is willing, we can't let her suffer. Let her come with us today." Shen Li patted Jia Daoshi.

Speaking of which, Shen Li has missed Jia Daoshi quite a bit since she last saw him.

This left Jia Daoshi completely bewildered.

They just arrived and they're already together?

A prince and a fairy-like beauty, together tonight...

I must have been the man who defeated Thanos in my past life!

"What are you thinking about? I meant having dinner with us!"

Upon seeing Jia Daoshi's expression, Shen Li blushed and couldn't help but spit.

"Oh……"

Dinner was naturally very harmonious.

Shen Li is a soldier, and Xiao Rongyu is a woman of the martial arts world. Both of them are passionate people, and after learning about each other's identities, they quickly became sisters!

Seeing the two women getting along well, Jia Daoshi felt a weight lifted from his heart.

Because the eldest prince, Wu Ce, was in the military camp, the two did not meet on the first night.

……

After dinner, Jia Daoshi went to the study in the city lord's mansion and began studying the map.

Especially the situation in the southwest of Dajing.

This map was hand-drawn by the previous garrison commander of Cliff City. Although it is somewhat rough, it is still quite detailed.

As Jia Daoshi watched, he wondered if he could rush to make some cannons. There were blacksmith shops in the city, but no gunpowder.

However, making gunpowder isn't a big problem. He had discussed this issue with Weng Changting when they were at the manor. Weng Changting has been collecting gunpowder materials lately, and he wonders how it's going.

However, to maximize the power of gunpowder in such a flat area, the Kushan Empire's 500,000 iron cavalry would have to be led to a relatively small area.

For example, a trap formation or similar design would leave the Kushan cavalry with no choice but to wait to be bombed!

That being said, this idea is just wishful thinking on his part.

Firstly, it was still unknown whether the gunpowder had been successfully produced.

Secondly, the people of the Kushan Empire are not fools. A general who can lead 500,000 troops into battle must be an exceptional individual!

Just then, footsteps sounded at the door of the study.

I could tell from the voice that it was Shen Li.

really.

"Branches!"

With a thud, the study door was pushed open.

At this moment, Shen Li had changed out of her cold armor and into a black dress. She had lost the iron-blooded and ruthless aura of the daytime and gained a touch of charming and innocent femininity.

As soon as Shen Li entered the room, she saw Jia Daoshi looking at a map.

"My lord, have you come up with any good strategy to defeat the enemy?"

Shen Li walked up to Jia Daoshi and asked curiously.

Upon receiving news of unusual activity within the Kushan Empire, Shen Li rushed to the city of Juebi without delay, dispatched spies, and personally gathered intelligence.

Finally, it's clear that the Kushan Empire is serious this time!

However, at this time, the rebellion of the Green Turban Army had not yet been quelled, and the Longwu Dynasty also had to be on guard.

Mingheying will also have to face the Southern Barbarian tribes to the south.

Therefore, the situation in Cliff City is truly unsolvable!

“This battle between large armies is not like a duel between martial arts masters. I haven’t thought of a good solution yet.”

Jia Daoshi shook his head.

Back then, Guo Jing and Huang Rong, along with many martial arts masters, defended Xiangyang to the death, but in the end, Xiangyang was lost, and Guo Jing and his wife died under the city walls.

Although his situation is different from Guo Jing's, it can still serve as a reference.

When he first arrived, he observed the surroundings from the cliff wall and found that the northwest direction was indeed flat!

Ideal for cavalry warfare!

Cavalry is precisely the weakness of the Great Jing Dynasty!

Upon hearing Jia Daoshi's words, Shen Li fell silent.

“Ah Li, my current plan is for the First Prince and I to lead the imperial army of 70,000 to fight these barbarian cavalry to the death!” Jia Daoshi said. “At that time, Juebi City may be in danger of falling. You and Rong Yu will protect the people in the city and head south.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Li was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No way, you want to put yourself in danger? I won't allow it!"

"That's a full 500,000 barbarian cavalry!"

"Our Great Jing only has 70,000 troops at most, which is simply not enough to fight them head-on on the plains!"

Shen Li looked at Jia Daoshi with a look of disgust.

She thought Jia Daoshi would come up with some good ideas, but she never expected him to come up with such a terrible one!

Isn't this going to die?

The Kushan Empire's 500,000 iron cavalry were truly formidable!

Moreover, they have been herding and hunting since childhood, and their physical fitness is much better than that of the soldiers of the Great Jing!

Generally speaking, a dynasty like the Great Jing would claim to have hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops when the two dynasties were at war!

But this number is mostly fake; it's just used to fool people!

Moreover, the majority of the teams inside are responsible for logistical support!

But the barbarians of the Kushan Empire were a different story!

As a traditional nomadic hunting people in the north, their fighting prowess is truly formidable!

The promised 500,000 troops are elite soldiers who can all go to the battlefield!

Shen Li couldn't believe that Jia Daoshi could use less than 70,000 men, mostly infantry, to confront the enemy on the plains!