fifth form

Chapter 3310 Shanggu County City Falls
"Has the war progressed this far?"

Departing from Chang'an, after flying over the Taihang Mountains in the middle of the night, Zhang Xuezhou saw sparks below.

The embers from the burning building were visible everywhere, and scattered torchlight continued to spread into the mountains.

The killings and fleeing are shown below, and this scene is not confined to a single area.

"How did you defend?"

The imperial court has eliminated the option of peace talks with the Xiong Kingdom, but the defensive faction still dominates.

The city defense philosophy of Han Anguo and others was not without reason, and the defensive benefits of the Han Dynasty over the past century were indeed quite high.

However, Han Anguo and his men probably did not anticipate that the fortified city walls would be breached, leading to a complete rout from the rear.

When the outermost shell is broken, it's almost like invading uninhabited territory.

A small city like Chengdu may have walls nearly ten meters thick, but a cavalry regiment of only five hundred men could break through them in a few charges. If led by a general skilled in martial arts, such a breakthrough would be unstoppable.

"I'm afraid Lord Han will have to personally take to the front lines to defend!"

As the pillar of the defensive faction, Imperial Censor Han Anguo is very likely to be placed in a high-risk area for defense.

Ultimately, the new emperor's court is not a place where one can occupy a high position simply by speaking a few words and becoming an opinion leader; rather, it requires truly fulfilling the responsibility of speaking.

The attacking faction will lead the troops into battle, while the defensive faction will deploy troops for defense; neither side can expect a peaceful and worry-free life.

"The revenge of the wicked nation... let you be arrogant for a while longer!"

Zhang Xuezhou turned his gaze westward.

He doesn't like to place his hopes on others, but he recognizes the importance of timing.

The alliance between Donghua and Xifang against Zhujiuyin presents a window of opportunity. Seizing this window and launching a relentless attack could severely damage the Xiong Kingdom.

"It's a pity that Senior Brother Wu Chao failed to control the Fierce Kingdom. Otherwise, if my senior brother and I joined forces, how could we not overthrow these three holy lands!"

Zhang Xuezhou's Sky Shuttle did not land.

Individuals can't do much in the chaos of war; they can save one person but not another.

He had already pushed the relocation of Zhangjiazhuang villagers to their limits, and it even required the cooperation of Rong Tianding and others to complete the relocation of just over a hundred people. How many more disaster victims below were affected by the war?

The real solution to the problem is to end the war. If it cannot be ended through peace talks, then the war will only end when one side is driven to the brink of financial ruin.

"Demon race... Tch!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about the three holy lands and pondered the various faces within them.

Whether the demon race needs to demonstrate its value to wage war, seeks a place to live, or has other noble reasons, this world is not a civilization dominated by the demon race, which means that the demon race is destined to decline.

The demon race needs to learn how to integrate into human society like Kong Ning. Even an outcast like Zhang Xuezhou seeks integration rather than building his own power to fight and kill.

Having experienced the erosion of modern society by fire-meteor creatures, Zhang Xuezhou does not have an excessive sympathy for racial issues. No matter how difficult it is for either side, whichever group of beings is the main force in the development of civilization in this world, then that group must be the main focus.

The Imperial Shuttle streaked across the night sky with a purple light and finally arrived at Mount Tai at dawn.

Outside the Taishan Fujun Taoist temple, there were piles of building materials, indicating that the imperial court personnel had also arrived at Taishan and were likely carrying out simple construction in this secret place.

"Everyone, go back and get some rest. We'll come back tomorrow night to measure and plan the construction!"

Rong Tianding's voice came, and several pale-faced construction workers stepped out of the Yellow Springs on stilts.

The construction of the Taishan Fujun Taoist temple required working at night. The secret place was filled with yin energy, which made people feel cold all over. This task was extremely torturous.

Of course, the construction of the Taishan Fujun Taoist temple by the crowd had no practical significance.

This secret place is unsuitable for ordinary people to cultivate in; building a few houses there would be pointless. Furthermore, the difficulty of involving three secret places with the Mount Tai Lord's Daoist temple is extremely high; even if Zhang Xuezhou knew the true nature of the secret place, he would find it difficult to act. "Lord Dongfang!"

"Lord Dongfang, this secret place is filled with a dark and gloomy aura; it is the training ground of an ancient practitioner of corpse magic!"

"This secret place has been the site of numerous conflicts and struggles, and its entire ecosystem has been destroyed!"

"If one doesn't cultivate the art of refining and nurturing corpses, this secret place is practically worthless!"

……

When Zhang Xuezhou called out to Rong Tianding, many officials who noticed Zhang Xuezhou spoke up, clearly hoping that Zhang Xuezhou would show mercy and not carry out large-scale construction that would be a waste of effort.

"Shanggu County has been breached!"

After everyone had finished complaining, Zhang Xuezhou gave a brief response, which immediately dispelled all the resentment in everyone's hearts.

Although it is unknown whether the imperial court has a need for corpse refining or corpse making, it is normal for cultivators skilled in construction to be sent to other areas if they are not working in Mount Tai.

Conditions in Mount Tai are harsh, but compared to war zones like Shanggu County, it is far better, at least avoiding the death that comes with conscription.

"Our Han Dynasty's city walls were built to a sufficient height, and there were garrison troops stationed there. How could they have been breached by the Xiong Kingdom people?"

A group of people were somewhat uneasy and stopped complaining about the conditions at Mount Tai, but some were genuinely concerned about the situation on the frontier.

"Perhaps the Xiong Kingdom's army is too strong, or perhaps it's a man-made disaster, who knows?"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.

He witnessed the flames of war, he heard Han Anguo's theories, and he clearly understood that the walls of the Han Dynasty meant a formidable pass to the Xiongnu.

Shanggu County was a top-tier strategic pass. Li Guang once stationed his troops there, and the Xiong people only dared to stay at a distance.

Li Guang's presence in Shanggu County served as a deterrent, but Shanggu County was not as formidable as one might imagine once Li Guang was gone.

With the Flying Feather Army led by Li Guang removed, the quality of the other legions in the northern border was questionable, and the practice of cutting corners from top to bottom made it difficult to motivate soldiers to risk their lives for a little money.

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't say whether the Xiong Kingdom was too strong or the problem lay in the Han Dynasty's own lack of control, but he was certain that the new emperor would seize this opportunity to reorganize and adjust.

Without unparalleled cultivator strength, cultivators are merely individuals with greater killing power in such turmoil, unable to change the situation. Only emperors who lead dynasties can change fate.

Like the lead sheep of a flock, the choices and methods of the new emperor will have a profound impact, and may even determine the fate of the Han Dynasty.

"His Majesty should know this in his heart!"

Seeing the somewhat stunned crowd, Zhang Xuezhou added a sentence.

His eyes swept over the crowd, and a thought suddenly struck him.

Shanggu County was a top-tier frontier city of the Han Dynasty. The fall of such a city would have an extremely high impact on people, no less than the fall of Xijing or Blanpeda.

Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation level was already extremely high. He could clearly discern the direction in the face of war and patiently wait for an opportunity, but others were different.

Caught in the torrent of war, even those in the highly safe Taishan area, these people still have family, friends, and colleagues, and ultimately cannot escape the effects of war.

It's disheartening to know something is wrong but be unable to change it; no amount of anger can alter the facts.

Zhang Xuezhou's own sense of powerlessness in the war was limited, not as intense as those of these people.

Zhang Xuezhou could sense a strong sense of powerlessness in these people.

This sense of powerlessness is not physical strength, but a lack of guidance. It is a feeling of not knowing how to contribute one's talents, and even more so a lack of direction for the Han Dynasty, with no idea how the court will respond.

Many readers have asked about update schedules, so I'll explain again: I can only resume three updates a day once I've fully recovered from my illness. I'm currently struggling with two updates a day. The symptoms of H1N1 and COVID-19 are almost identical. In the early stages of this illness, I feel completely drained, confined to bed, with body aches and recurring fevers. It takes two to three days of oseltamivir to relieve the symptoms. After that, it's a process of regaining strength, accompanied by a sharp, piercing throat; the cough is excruciating. These symptoms last about ten to fifteen days, and no medication can truly alleviate them. I've already finished five bottles of dextromethorphan, one bottle of Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa, three boxes of cough syrup, one box of cough medicine, and two bottles of Kang En Bei cough syrup (enough for three people in my family). Currently, I've been updating at two levels a day for about half a month, and this might continue for another ten days or so (the exact time is uncertain, as I'm still coughing; my immune system needs to recover before I have enough energy). Updates will resume once I'm feeling better.