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The capital of the Qi Kingdom.

Prince Qi's Mansion.

Prince Qi looked at the map on his desk, pondering how to defend against the northern invasion.

Just then, a guard entered the study and said, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

The guard's voice was too loud, directly interrupting Prince Qi's thoughts. Seeing the guard's flustered appearance, Prince Qi said somewhat displeasedly, "What's the panic!"

The guard hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty, Ziyang City has fallen!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Qi was stunned.

"What! Ziyang City has fallen?"

"It's only been a few days?"

"How could it be so fast!"

The guard immediately presented the intelligence gathered by the spies to Prince Qi. "Your Majesty, this is the intelligence gathered by our spies at the front. Please take a look."

Prince Qi snatched the letter, opened it, and began to read it carefully.

Upon seeing the information recorded in the letter, Prince Qi's expression grew increasingly grim.

The next moment, he tore the letter to shreds, shouting as he did so, "Useless! This Du Yongyuan is nothing but a piece of trash!"

"Two hundred thousand troops, just like that, gone!"

"He knew he was too ashamed to face His Majesty, so he committed suicide!"

Prince Qi had originally planned to cooperate with Du Yongyuan to defend some key cities, but in just a few days, Ziyang City fell, and Du Yongyuan committed suicide.

How could the imperial court send such a useless person to the Qi Kingdom!

After venting his anger, Prince Qi quickly calmed down and immediately said to his guards, "Summon all officials at once!"

Now that the imperial court's 200,000-strong army is gone, it is impossible for the court to send another large army to support Qi State in the short term, so they can only rely on themselves from now on.

Under no circumstances should we allow the northern soldiers to march south.

When the officials of Qi heard that the imperial army of 200,000 had been defeated and that Du Yongyuan had committed suicide, they were all in a panic.

Two hundred thousand troops were defeated in less than half a month. And that was the imperial army. If it were their own Qi Kingdom army, could they have withstood the attack of the Northern Kingdom army?

Despite their immense fear, few officials in the Qi Kingdom have yet considered surrendering.

The reason is simple: these officials are backed by various powerful families and large landowners. They would absolutely not allow the Northern King to come to power. Once the Northern King came to power, their land would be taken back by him.

For their own benefit, they are willing to fight to the death.

After the discussions concluded, King Qi dispatched an army of 100,000 to intercept the Northern King's 200,000-strong army in the Dichang Valley.

Of course, King Qi did not intend to annihilate the Northern King's 200,000-strong army; he only planned to stop the Northern army from continuing south.

To the south of Dichang Valley lies Wanchang City. If Wanchang City is held, the Northern army will have to take a detour if they want to march south. The roads in other places are not easy to travel, since there are many mountains in Qi Kingdom. This will greatly delay the Northern King's army's southward march.

This army of 100,000 was equipped with cloud-piercing bows and arrows, and Prince Qi believed they would be able to stop the northern army from advancing south.

To ensure everything went smoothly, Prince Qi also dispatched 100,000 troops to garrison a key city near the sea. If the Northern army failed to capture Wanchang City, they would likely detour from the east and eventually reach the sea.

However, it is clear that Prince Qi was overthinking things.

Even if all the soldiers within the Qi Kingdom were gathered together, let alone an army of 100,000, they would not be able to stop the Northern Kingdom's army from marching south.

at the same time.

Inside Anping City, Lu Chen was holding a military conference with a group of generals.

Today they are discussing how to conquer the Qi Kingdom.

At this moment, Xuan Yuanchen suggested, "Your Majesty, why don't we split our forces into two groups? One group can head south along the Dichang Valley to attack Wanchang City and draw the attention of the Qi Kingdom. The other group can take a detour, pass through the mountains, and head straight for the capital of the Qi Kingdom."

"As long as we capture the capital of Qi and take the King of Qi into custody, we can force most of the army within Qi's borders to surrender."

Upon hearing Xuan Yuanchen's suggestion, Lu Chen thought for a moment and then said, "If we go through the mountains, it will be difficult to transport heavy artillery, and we don't know how much time it will waste."

After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen continued, "The best way is to concentrate our forces in one place, quickly capture Wanchang City, and then advance towards the capital."

Xuan Yuan Chen said, "Your Majesty, if we do this, we will give Prince Qi enough time to escape. Before our army even reaches the capital of Qi, Prince Qi will probably have already fled to the south."

Lu Chen said calmly, "All I want is this land of Qi. Let him try to escape if he wants."

Xuan Yuanchen's idea was that Prince Qi was, after all, a vassal king with a certain amount of influence in Qi. If Prince Qi was not captured and escaped, then after the Northern army occupied Qi, Prince Qi would definitely secretly contact his former subordinates and have them cause trouble within Qi's territory.

Xuan Yuan Chen's idea was not wrong. He and Lu Chen thought from different perspectives. Lu Chen's plan was to conquer Qi Kingdom and then not rush south. He wanted to govern Qi Kingdom first and stabilize its people.

As long as the people of Qi can be kept at peace, even if King Qi escapes, it won't be easy for him to make a comeback, since people's hearts have changed.

Lu Chen then said, "I know what General Xuanyuan is worried about, but after I occupy Qi, I will not leave Qi immediately. I will stay in Qi for a while and deal with the unstable factors in Qi before I continue south."

Xuanyuan Chen said, "Your Majesty, I understand what you mean."

Lu Chen glanced at the military officers in the room and then said, "Alright, do as I say. Immediately march south and capture Wanchang City."

All the generals stood up in unison and said, "We will obey Your Majesty's command and will certainly not fail Your Majesty's expectations!"

……

A few days later, Anping City dispatched 150,000 soldiers from the Northern Kingdom, heading straight for Wanchang City.

Meanwhile, the garrison commander of Wanchang City didn't take it seriously at all when he heard that the Northern Kingdom had only mobilized 150,000 soldiers.

Inside Wanchang City.

Prefectural Governor's Office.

The generals were discussing countermeasures.

At this moment, Cao Xun, the Grandmaster-level general in charge, said, "The Northern Kingdom really looks down on me, sending only 150,000 troops."

At this moment, another grandmaster-level general said, "General Cao, don't say that. The Northern Kingdom's soldiers captured Ziyang City in less than half a month. That was a force of 200,000 from the imperial court. If we underestimate them, we'll be in big trouble."

Cao Xun scoffed, "The people the imperial court sent are all of questionable character. How can they compare to the soldiers of our Qi Kingdom?"

"General Xiong, don't boost the morale of others and dampen our own."

"Moreover, we are equipped with the Cloud Piercing Bow and Cloud Piercing Arrows given to us by the royal family. If we encounter a Grandmaster-level general from the Northern Kingdom, we only need one arrow to kill them. What can they use to fight us?"

At this point, Cao Xun stretched out his hand and drew a circle on the map on the wall where the Dichang Valley was located. "This general has decided to take the initiative to lead troops out of the city to ambush the Northern army. I want to see if the Northern soldiers all have three heads and six arms."

Upon hearing this, Xiong Yuan's face darkened instantly. He immediately said, "General Cao, are you insane! We only have 100,000 men, while the other dynasty's 200,000 soldiers were defeated by the Northern Kingdom. You dare to ambush the Northern Kingdom's army with only 100,000 soldiers!"

"If the Northern army reacts quickly enough, we might not even have time to retreat to Wanchang City!"

Cao Xun glanced at Xiong Yuan, then said calmly, "General Xiong, this time I am the commander-in-chief; you are merely sent by the King to assist me."

"You just need to follow orders. Do you intend to overstep your bounds?"

Xiong Yuan frowned, his face instantly turning grim. "General Cao, don't blame me for not warning you, but if anything happens, you won't be able to bear the responsibility."

Cao Xun said nonchalantly, "What could possibly happen?"

"The terrain of Dichang Valley is so suitable for ambushes, are we really going to wait for others to attack the city?"

"The best defense is to take the initiative and attack!"

"General Xiong doesn't even understand this principle, no wonder you can't be the commander-in-chief."

"If General Xiong is afraid, I will give him several thousand soldiers. You can stay in Wanchang City and wait for our return."

Just as Xiong Yuan was about to say something, Cao Xun interrupted him, "Alright, it's decided then. Prepare immediately according to my orders. I'm going to give the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom a big surprise."

Seeing that Cao Xun had already said this, Xiong Yuan said no more. He vaguely sensed that something big was about to happen, so he immediately sent someone to send a letter to Prince Qi, reporting Cao Xun's radical behavior to him.

a few days later.

Xuanyuan Chen led an army of 150,000 to the Dichang Valley, but he did not enter the valley immediately.

If we were to enter this terrain directly, we would easily be ambushed by the enemy. They had ambushed the Sirius King's army in this way before.

Xuan Yuan Chen then sent a vanguard team to scout out the situation ahead.

Not long after, several soldiers from the vanguard squad returned.

Xuan Yuan Chen asked, "What's the situation ahead?"

The scout captain immediately replied, "General, there are enemies lying in ambush on both sides of the Dichang Valley."

They were using high-powered telescopes. If they were using the naked eye, they might not have been able to spot the enemies hiding on both sides of the Dichang Valley. But with the telescopes, they were able to detect even the smallest details.

The vanguard soldiers discovered that the trees on both sides of the Dichang Valley were obviously problematic, and they also found some people lying in ambush on both sides of the Dichang Valley.

Xuan Yuan Chen thought for a moment, then ordered, "Artillery battalion, prepare! After entering the Di Chang Valley, clear both sides of the valley for me."

The next moment, the drums sounded, and the messenger next to Xuan Yuanchen waved the flag. A short while later, the artillery entered the Di Chang Valley.

Cao Xun, who was lying in ambush on the mountain, was stunned when he heard the drumbeat.

Why is the Northern army beating drums before even entering the Dichang Valley?

Could it be that their ambush has been discovered by the northern soldiers?

Thinking of this, Cao Xun remained unconvinced. What could they do if they discovered it? They were situated on opposite sides of the Dichang Valley.

The advantage lies with the Qi Kingdom, who have the superior strength to attack the inferior!

He simply couldn't believe that the northern army outside wouldn't enter the Dichang Valley.

Just as Cao Xun was thinking this, a soldier excitedly approached him, "General! The northern soldiers have begun entering the Di Chang Valley!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Xun's lips curled up slightly. So he still came in!

Now it's up to them. Cao Xun then said, "Archers, prepare!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Xun picked up a Cloud Piercing Bow, intending to shoot and kill the general of the Northern Kingdom's army.

But just then, the sound of horns came from afar, and the "whoo-whoo-whoo~" sound of the horns instantly resounded throughout the entire Dichang Valley.

Although he heard the bugle call, Cao Xun discovered that the northern army had not continued its advance.

Cao Xun was somewhat confused. Wasn't that the sound of the horn signaling an attack? Why did they suddenly stop?

The range of the bows and arrows was not far, and if the northern army did not get closer, they would not be able to hit the northern soldiers.

Cao Xun wondered to himself, "Are the soldiers from the North afraid?"

Just as Cao Xun was thinking this, a loud "boom" suddenly came from afar. The next moment, countless stones rose up from the opposite Dichang Valley, and the bodies of Qi soldiers were blown into the air.

This sudden turn of events stunned the Qi soldiers who were lying in ambush. They didn't react for a long time. By the time they did, the sound of cannon fire echoed through the Dichang Valley.

Countless Qi soldiers were blasted out of the forest.

Cao Xun was stunned for a moment.

What kind of weapon is that...?

How could there be such a terrifying weapon...?

Although he had long heard that the Northern Kingdom possessed mysterious weapons with immense power, he believed that the so-called mysterious weapons of the Northern Kingdom were probably no different from the Cloud Piercing Bow and Cloud Piercing Arrow.

Seeing him today, he realized he was wrong, completely wrong.

Cao Xun immediately shouted, "Retreat! Retreat now!"

Immediately afterwards, the bugle call of the Qi army's retreat echoed through the Dichang Valley.

However, because they were lying in ambush in the forest, their retreat was very slow. Before they could even leave the battlefield, shells from the north rained down on them. For a time, cries of agony filled the Dichang Valley.

Even Cao Xun, while fleeing, was blown to pieces by the heavy artillery of the North, and a renowned general of the Qi Kingdom perished.

After seeing the scene in the distance through his telescope, Xuan Yuan Chen felt that it was about time, so he immediately led his army to launch an attack.

Before long, the Qi soldiers who were lying in ambush on both sides of the Dichang Valley were either killed or captured.

The war lasted less than two hours from start to finish.

Meanwhile, Xiong Yuan was anxiously waiting on the city tower of Wanchang City for news of the situation in Dichang Valley.

He could faintly hear rumbling sounds coming from within the Dichang Valley, which made him feel very uneasy.

Just then, some remnants of the army escaped from the Dichang Valley. When Xiong Yuan saw the clothes they were wearing, sweat immediately poured down his face.

The surviving remnants were soldiers from the Qi Kingdom; something truly had happened in Dichang Valley!

Xiong Yuan hurriedly said to the soldiers guarding the city, "Quickly! Open the city gates!"

Soon, the first group of remnants fled into Wanchang City. Xiong Yuan immediately approached a soldier and asked, "Tell me quickly! What happened in Dichang Valley! Why did you come back?"

The soldier, his face pale with panic, cried out, "Heavenly...heavenly thunder...it's heavenly thunder! The soldiers of the Northern Kingdom can summon heavenly thunder!"

"Our soldiers were almost all killed by the lightning, even General Cao's body was blown to pieces!"

Upon hearing the soldier's reply, Xiong Yuan felt a sudden weakness wash over him and collapsed to the ground.

"It's over...it's all over..."

Cao Xun only left a few thousand soldiers in Wanchang City. How could such a small force withstand the attack of the northern army? The city's fall was only a matter of time. (End of Chapter)