Lord of the Desert

Chapter 437 Prison
That night, it was a quarter to 11:05 p.m. (8:45 p.m.).

The night was as cool as water, and the sound of the horn was as turbid as mercury, washing the atmosphere.

The camp gradually woke up; Hong Fan came out of his trance and heard the officers' shouts one after another.

The short rest did not quench the soldiers' thirst, but instead caused the soldiers' deep-seated fatigue to surface, making it even more difficult to bear.

A quarter of an hour later, the team will set off along the official road, heading silently eastward under the distant and clear moonlight.

The next day, at 2 a.m., the long snake-like team was already sixty miles away from Feiyan Pass, and then completely collapsed during the originally planned short rest - this was an army that had been fighting for many days and was undoubtedly the elite among the elite, but the combination of mental frustration and physical burden made them exhausted beyond all measure.

An insect plague is like a flood.

It will gather strength at strategic passes to break down obstacles, and when it encounters broad and fertile land it will spread out like a river entering a mudflat, so as to maximize the efficiency of resource collection and self-reproduction.

Sixty miles is a safe distance for now.

So Xiao Chu ordered the entire army to set up camp.

Hong Fan had never seen such exhausted soldiers - they set up their tents and camps like zombies, hastily released their horses, and fell into a coma as soon as they lay down. Many of the injured had high fevers and kept mumbling incoherently.

The second half of the night was very dark, and the wind whistled across the barren wilderness, like the earth's confused snoring.

The moonlight is bone white.

Hong Fangjia sat down on the stone, listening to every short howl that broke the nightmare in the silent camp, and his thoughts surged like the tide.

He thought about the interdependence between power and obligation in previous lives, and the social foundation needed to build them. But in today's world, perhaps power is always responsible only to more powerful power.

If this is the case, being ruled or shouldering responsibilities may even be a blessing for the weak.

The ancestor dragon descending from the sky, the giant spirit god whose body is as big as a mountain, the tree god of Western Xinjiang whose single tree forms a forest...

The destruction of sociality caused by the overdevelopment of individuals.

The one who can control the masses by himself is the real tyrant.

Hong Fan opened his eyes, his thoughts were scattered and he couldn't concentrate for a long time.

The sneer on his lips and the fear in his eyes were seen by Gu Yixin, who was lying on his side, unable to sleep.

Both of them rested for only a short time that night.

March 7th, noon.

The soldiers were still not getting enough sleep after half a night and were unable to continue their journey.

Before noon, a group of vultures that came from nowhere circled over the camp, stretching their necks as if they had been scalded by boiling water, waiting to rule their kingdom.

The hastily built camp had no wooden fences or trenches. Hong Fan clearly saw Xiao Chu patrolling and checking each tent - still wearing the same heavy armor and looking haggard - and passed by somewhere else when the sun was past its zenith.

The two men simply looked at each other and nodded without any greeting, but both realized that the other was full of worries.

Hong Fan could feel that Xiao Chu’s concern was not about the current war situation, and being busy was a way of avoiding it.

Wei time (2pm).

The army had just finished lunch when Lin Luchuan, the purple-ribbon innate master with the honorific title of "Deer Through the Forest", came back in a hurry, reporting that an army of more than 2,000 real insects had caught up to them within 25 miles.

This news shocked everyone in Shengyu Army.

The two thousand real insects are powerful, but they are nothing more than lambs to be slaughtered when facing the three elemental magnets in this formation.

But because of this, the three top fighters in the insect swarm must follow the formation.

"This is so abnormal."

Xiao Chu gritted his teeth and narrowed his golden eyes.

"Insects are not as stamina as ours, so they must rest for a few days after a battle. Moreover, the land east of Feiyan Pass is flat and fertile, with trees and wild beasts everywhere. Breaking the whole into small pieces and expanding in a network is their usual and best strategy at the moment..."

There was no point in saying more. The army immediately broke camp, not even caring about the few wounded soldiers, and by the time of Youshi (6pm) they had travelled twenty miles.

As it was getting dark, the team moved slower and slower and had to stop to rest.

A bonfire lit up on the wild slope, devouring the darkness.

Hong Fan came at the call and sat facing north. He saw lightning in the distant reef clouds, outlined with a silver pen.

"Two thousand true insects were only thirty miles behind, and they pursued them regardless of the cost. During the journey, some giant insects were often exhausted and were dismembered and eaten by their companions on the spot."

Wei Yuanbai, who had personally left the camp, reported in a deep voice.

"Two of the Tree God's personal guards are in the formation together."

As he spoke, thunder was rolling, and the bushes beside the campfire trembled slightly, as if an invisible giant beast was walking on the tiny veins of the leaves.

Hong Fan looked at Xiao Chu through the golden flames.

Her lips were dry, her hair was messy, and the sweat on her forehead wet her eyebrows, flashing with fragmented light.

"It's still three hundred and forty miles to Erbai City."

"The speed of the real bugs' march is slightly slower than our forced march, but now our entire army is exhausted. Even if we abandon everything and hurry on, we will be caught up within three days."

The flames were blazing, illuminating a golden umbrella that Xiao Chu was leaning against.

The umbrella was only half a person's height, with blood spots on the handle, but the whole thing was new and moist, like lips full of oil.

"Your Highness, how about asking Erbai City to send troops to support us?"

Hu Zhuang straightened his huge body like a brown bear and suggested.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chu instinctively reached for something beside him. When his slender fingers touched the golden umbrella, they trembled violently and his face turned paler.

The fire crackled.

The northern wilderness is drowning in heavy rain.

Hong Fan looked at the eldest daughter of the Dahua Emperor and realized for the first time that "she will die soon" actually possessed a unique beauty.

Xiao Chu finally grasped the umbrella, and held it so tightly that the bandage on his palm made a sharp sound.

"No."

She grabbed the chaos and shook her head again.

"Calling for reinforcements is equivalent to choosing a field battle. Without the advantage of city gates and terrain, we can only use human lives to stop the giant insects' charge. If we are delayed, it may even develop into a decisive battle."

After saying this, Xiao Chu seemed to have made up his mind and was obviously calm.

"For now, we can only use a small force to harass the rear and delay the insect tide. We now have the Ancient Spear Master, and we are three to three at the Yuanci level, so we are not at a disadvantage."

After these words were spoken, no one responded for a while.

The small group of troops she mentioned was obviously composed of warriors, and most of the people present were warriors.

"What does Zhou Gong mean?"

Xiao Chu looked at Zhou Wenyang.

"Your Highness, when I left Beijing, I received an oral instruction from His Majesty that no matter how bad the situation was, I had to bring you back safely."

The old man gently stroked the folds of his robe with a determined look on his face.

"Please forgive me for not being able to leave your Highness even a step away."

Xiao Chu was not angry when he heard this.

"Duke Zhou is sincere in protecting you, so I won't make things difficult for you. The rear guard team will be led by me personally."

Her statement left Zhou Wenyang speechless, but the others were not too surprised.

Most of them could guess what Xiao Chu was thinking - she had been in the army for many years before she led the Shengyu Army, and the 5,000 remaining troops here were their elite.

As long as they could keep these 5,000 men and return to the rear to recruit new soldiers, their combat effectiveness would soon recover to 80%; on the contrary, if they lost their officers and veterans, it would take years to train a team of similar quality.

"Hu Zhuang, what do you say?"

Xiao Chu raised his eyebrows and asked again.

"I am willing to lead the way for Your Highness." The giant replied briefly.

"Dai Qing, what about you?"

She looked at Dai Wangchen again.

Officers represent power and resources in the army, so they are usually warriors in the general army of Dahua. However, the Shengyu Army is different from the traditional army. It has a strong personal color of Xiao Chu, and everything is based on efficiency.

In the Shengyu Army, the commander is often a mortal, while warriors above the Guantong realm are directly responsible to the commander-in-chief, specializing in fighting and not cooperating with mortal troops.

This system was called "Qingshi", and Dai Wangchen himself ranked first among the Qingshi of Shengyu Army.

"Following His Highness has always been Wangchen's long-cherished wish!"

The armless star god clasped his fists heavily.

"If I die in battle, Your Highness, please be sure to protect yourself."

He hunched his back and lowered his head. Although his voice was urgent, he did not dare to raise his eyes. At the end, his voice was trembling.

"If it is impossible, even if I don't want to leave, Duke Zhou will not let me stay."

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

Xiao Chu agreed immediately without any hesitation.

Among the above three people, Zhou Wenyang is the leader of the entire army's combat power, Hu Zhuang is the commander of the personal guards, and Dai Wangchen is the chief of the Shengyu Army's officers; if these three people have no objection, the plan can be carried out.

Just as Xiao Chu was about to mobilize further, Hong Fan raised his hand to interrupt.

Dai Wangchen was pressing his prosthesis, originally immersed in the emotions just now. Seeing this, he mistakenly thought that the latter was against it and glared angrily.

"Your Highness, I heard that the Commander Insect can command a swarm of insects to fight from dozens of miles away. Is there an exact number for this distance?"

Hong Fan asked, ignoring his gaze.

"The distance varies from person to person, but based on past experience, it is no more than sixty miles."

Xiao Chu frowned slightly, but still answered patiently.

"So according to the current position of the Zerg Vanguard, the remote-controlled Zerg commander is about to pass Feiyan Pass."

Hong Fan pointed to the west.

Some people seemed to be thinking about it.

"The speed of the Zerg's advance depends on whether the battle on the front line goes smoothly, and whether the Zerg leaders in the rear can keep up. We can attack both of them."

Hong Fan expressed all his thoughts.

"Handsome insects have protective colors, can dig holes, and lie in the sand, making them extremely difficult to find during positional warfare; but now they have to collectively cross the narrow pass, which means they have to be exposed."

"If we attack them, we will be able to disrupt the rhythm of the insect tide and break the siege here."

Distant thunder roared across the fields.

Zhou Wenyang shook his head slightly.

"What you just mentioned is not hard to think of, but why didn't Your Highness mention it?"

He looked down upon Hong Fan.

"The Zerg have three ways to win in battle. The first is to fight to support the enemy, the second is to be fearless and brave, and the third is to unite the whole army. There are countless flying insects to the east of Feiyan Pass. Once our army has a large-scale maneuver, it will be impossible to escape their eyes and ears. The leaders of the Zerg are all connected. If we compete with them in making temporary moves, we will only bring shame upon ourselves."

"If we attack from a single point, and only one or two of the two brothers Wei and Gu go to Feiyan Pass, the final result will just be a fight in a different place, which will disperse our strong points in vain."

“As for those below the Yuanci, it’s not that I’m too picky. Even for a top-ranked genius, it’s extremely difficult to survive in a swarm of insects, let alone seize the lead among thousands of insects. Don’t even think about it.”

Zhou Wenyang said decisively.

The long wind and the bonfire collided at this time, and the red stars rolled.

"Duke Zhou, why don't you let me try?"

Hong Beom insisted.

Dai Wangchen couldn't hold back any longer after hearing this and clenched his fist.

"Duke Zhou has seen countless innate warriors in his life. As for the master of the destiny star, there are also me and Brother Hu in Shengyu's army."

"Born in a noble family and with outstanding looks, Master Hong insists on thinking that he is different from the others?"

He rolled his eyes and laughed intermittently.

Everyone found this statement irritating, and many of them glanced at Wei Yuanbai and Zhou Wenyang - the former came from a noble family, while the latter was obsessed with his appearance.

As for Xiao Chu, he meets both requirements perfectly.

"Brother Dai, I don't want to belittle myself, but I'm afraid there are some differences."

Hong Fan's voice was light and powerful, without any anger.

"When I penetrated the six meridians, I created the Sand Blade, which can cut black iron at will; when I penetrated the peak, I created the Desert Sand Armor, which can face arrow arrays directly; when I reached the Pure Realm, I created the Sand Wings, which can fly freely like the primordial magnet."

"Now that I have merged the two innate parts, I have made some new creations."

He did not show off to the others, but just looked at Xiao Chu earnestly.

War is a dangerous and life-threatening matter.

At this time, Hong Fan did not want to do anything ostentatious, exaggerated - if it were not for the relationship between Gu Yixin, he might not have come to Shengzhou, but since he was here, he could not sit idly by and do nothing perfunctory.

Zhou Wenyang no longer refuted.

Hong Fan's attainments in killing techniques were well-known throughout the Nine Provinces, and he had just witnessed the magic of the Sand Wings with his own eyes yesterday.

Dai Wangchen also shut up.

He realized that his previous words had offended Xiao Chu, and now he wished he could stop talking, tormented in hell of regret.

"Young Master Hong is a top talent on the list. He is a rare fighting force for us and should not be thrown away lightly."

Xiao Chu advised.

"How can you break through the dense swarm of insects?"

Even though she had heard of the name of Akasha, it was still not as good as seeing him in person.

“It’s not necessary to break through.”

Hong Fan answered the question irrelevantly. He stood up from his seat and pointed to a pine tree that was watching the wind on the hillside 800 meters to the west.

"Duke Zhou, is there anyone under the Yuan Magnetism who can break that pine tree from midair here?"

"Absolutely impossible."

Zhou Wenyang didn't think twice.

Hong Fan then looked around at everyone - Hu Zhuang, Dai Wangchen, and his fellow innates - and everyone shook their heads.

"Please keep your spirits up."

He then nodded, letting the sand flow, and within a few breaths the bullet formed on his shoulder and fired with a bang.

A moment later, a fire suddenly appeared on the hillside; the pine treetops fell down and dark red flames burned on the trunks.

There was thunder out of nowhere, and many soldiers in the camp suddenly cried out in surprise.

Beside the campfire, more than 20 key figures from various parties stood up suddenly, and only then did they understand what it meant that a great reputation is truly a real one.

"how?"

Lightning flashed across the northern night, instantly illuminating Hong Fan's face.

"The future life is to be feared."

Zhou Wenyang had a sullen face, but his words were full of respect.

"From now on, I will no longer have any say in Young Master Hong's affairs."

(End of this chapter)