I'm letting you win over the female lead, not conquering cities and territories!

A full day of seclusion and rest rejuvenated the exhausted Chiyan Army soldiers.

As night fell once more, shrouding the entire desolate mountain in pitch-black darkness, Qin Hao gazed at the distant camp, a chilling killing intent flashing in his deep eyes.

"All mount your horses, gag them, wrap your hooves, and follow me out of the cave!"

……

Meanwhile, three miles away, the last outpost of the city's defense forces was stationed.

As night deepened, the outermost group of local city defense troops had already relaxed their vigilance.

Apart from the snoring coming from inside the tents, the only other thing in the entire camp was a few soldiers on patrol at the camp gate, who were idly patrolling.

The autumn wind was bleak, and the chill was penetrating to the bone.

Two young city defense soldiers paced back and forth at the camp gate, rubbing their hands together and yawning, their mouths full of complaints.

"This is the worst luck imaginable! To be sent to keep watch in this godforsaken, desolate mountain valley on such a freezing day!"

A young soldier with a pointed face and monkey-like features spat on the ground.

"Are the people above out of their minds? We've deployed a full 120,000 troops outside this desolate mountain, forming three layers of defense!"

"Even a fly can't get here, how could any army possibly reach our last line of defense? What's the point of patrolling? It's just a waste of time!"

"Well, who can argue with that!"

Another slightly overweight soldier chimed in, hugging his shoulders and trembling.

"That's what I think too."

If the Chiyan Army really rebels, their 70,000 main force will definitely fight their way out from the main road. Our few hundred men here are just there to fill their teeth.

If they don't rebel and just obediently surrender, what's the point of us guarding this place?

Whether we rebel or not, there's no point in us just sitting here starving!

Listening to the two young soldiers' unrestrained complaints, an older soldier with a long rifle and a gray beard frowned slightly and shook his head, warning them:

"You two brats, keep your voices down! Don't be so absolute in your statements."

The Crimson Flame Army are living devils who crawled out of piles of corpses. What if a small elite force manages to bypass the checkpoints and launch a surprise attack under cover of darkness? Better safe than sorry!

"Oh, my dear uncle, stop worrying unnecessarily!"

The soldier with the pointed mouth and monkey-like face couldn't help but sneer.

"Bypassing the checkpoint? Do you think they have wings? If there were such a god, I'd eat them upside down..."

"Thump—thump—thump—"

Before the soldier could finish his joking remark, a very subtle yet muffled tremor traveled from the ground to the soles of their feet.

The veteran's expression changed drastically in an instant, and he suddenly dropped to the ground, pressing his ears against the earth.

The next second, he sprang up as if electrocuted, his previously cloudy eyes filled with extreme terror, and he screamed at the top of his lungs:

"Enemy attack—!! Cavalry!!"

Almost at the same instant the veteran gave the warning, huge, ghostly black shadows suddenly emerged from the previously silent dark forest in the distance, rushing toward the camp with the force of thunder!

Leading the charge was a man clad in the armor of a centurion of the Crimson Flame Army.

He didn't ride a horse, but instead, like a god or demon who could shrink the distance between people, he strode forward at breakneck speed!

It was so fast that it even left a scorching afterimage in the air!

That was Qin Hao pushing the [Pure Yang Sacred Body] to its limit!

"Loose the arrows! Loose the arrows now!"

The sentries on the camp wall were terrified by this sudden turn of events and frantically pulled the triggers of their crossbows.

However, under the cover of night, and with Qin Hao's ghostly speed, the crossbow bolts didn't even graz his clothes before embedding themselves in the soil.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Hao had already rushed to the front of the camp gate.

Blocking his way were several rows of heavy barricades made of sharpened thick logs, weighing hundreds of kilograms, specifically designed to stop cavalry charges!

This thing, let alone a person, even a warhorse charging at full speed would be broken if it crashed into it.

However, faced with this insurmountable obstacle, Qin Hao not only did not slow down, but instead unleashed a roar that shook the valley.

Without even drawing his long sword from his waist, he directly faced the row of heavy barricades, extending his hands like iron pincers, and gripped the rough logs tightly!

"Open it for me!!!"

boom--!

With a roar that seemed inhuman, Qin Hao's arms bulged with muscles and veins!

The violent power within his body, which commanded the yang energy of the world, was completely unleashed!

"Crackling sounds—boom!"

Under the incredulous gazes of everyone present, the heavy wooden barricade, which required more than a dozen strong men to barely lift, stood there.

Incredibly, under Qin Hao's bare hands, it was uprooted from the ground like rotten wood and withered branches, and then violently torn in half by his bare hands!

Wood chips flew everywhere, and the building collapsed with a crash!

Qin Hao was like a raging human bulldozer, using the most ruthless methods to tear a bloody path through the army behind him!

The young soldier who had been joking around at the camp gate just moments before was now standing there dumbfounded, his crotch soaked with sweat.

He stared at the man before him, who seemed like a demon descended to earth, his mind went blank, and he could only instinctively let out a distorted scream:

"Monsters... the Crimson Flame Army is attacking!!!"

Not only were the enemy soldiers terrified, but even the more than three hundred Chiyan Army soldiers who were closely following Qin Hao and ready to fight to the death couldn't help but gasp and feel their scalps tingle when they saw this scene!

Those were heavy barricades weighing hundreds of kilograms and buried in the ground!

It was actually torn to shreds by the centurion's bare hands?!

"My God... such unparalleled bravery, could he be the reincarnation of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, or Lu Bu himself?!"

A platoon leader swallowed hard in shock, but as shocked as he was, these battle-hardened veterans did not forget to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"Brothers! Our lord has broken through the enemy lines! Follow me and kill them all!!!"

"kill!!"

When the soldiers in the city defense camp heard the commotion outside and hurriedly pulled up their trousers, grabbed their weapons, and rushed out of their tents to prepare for battle, it was already too late.

Following the opening torn open by Qin Hao, more than 300 elite Crimson Flame Army soldiers, who had rested for a day and were like tigers released from their cages, rushed into the camp like a tidal wave, their eyes red and their swords brandished!

The repeating crossbow is indeed a deadly weapon in long-range positional warfare.

However, once the enemy gets close and engages in close-quarters combat, it becomes a dangerous situation.

The crossbows in the hands of these city garrison soldiers were not even as effective as a fire poker!

On the other hand, the Crimson Flame Army consists entirely of veteran soldiers who have survived years of hand-to-hand combat with the barbarians in the northern frontier. Once they enter close-quarters combat, they are like wolves among sheep!

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Blood splattered, and screams filled the air.

All the advantages that the city defense army had originally held, such as geographical advantages, fortifications, and repeating crossbows, crumbled under Qin Hao's godlike tearing.

When faced with the close-quarters combat of this fierce and ruthless army, these local soldiers were as vulnerable as clay chickens and earthen dogs.

In just one encounter, in less than half an incense stick's time, this city defense force of more than 300 men was completely wiped out!

The surviving city defense soldiers cried out, dropped their weapons, and wished their parents had more legs, fleeing in all directions.

"Sir! The enemy army has scattered. Should we pursue them?"

A blood-soaked adjutant excitedly ran up to Qin Hao to ask for instructions.

"Chase my ass!"

Qin Hao flicked the sawdust and blood off his hands, coldly watching the fleeing enemy troops, and waved his hand dismissively:

"Our objective is to break through, not to wipe out bandits! Now that the defensive line has been breached, everyone mount up immediately! Charge out of the passage at full speed!"

"yes!"

Without any hesitation, the soldiers of the Crimson Flame Army quickly assembled and, following the direction pointed out by Qin Hao, swept through the camp that had been transformed into a battlefield like a whirlwind, completely breaking through this last line of defense!

……

Half an hour later.

A faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon.

On the edge of a plain with a wide view, Qin Hao and his more than three hundred subordinates finally stopped their frantic run.

Looking back, the endless, desolate mountains of death had been left far behind them.

Breathing in the crisp yet liberating morning air, all the soldiers wore undisguised smiles of relief and joy at surviving a disaster.

They survived!

They actually managed to break through the encirclement of 120,000 city garrison troops under the leadership of the centurion!

That was a three-layered encirclement of 120,000 people!

"Your Excellency is mighty!"

It's unclear who started it, but more than three hundred exhausted yet excited soldiers raised their swords in unison towards Qin Hao, their eyes filled with undisguised fervor and unwavering loyalty.

Looking at this group of fierce and powerful soldiers who had completely won over their hearts, Qin Hao finally smiled with relief.

But he knew that now was far from the time to celebrate.

"Brothers, we have only temporarily broken out of the encirclement."

Qin Hao gazed into the distance, his eyes gradually becoming deep and thoughtful.

"Once the commander of those 120,000 city defense troops discovers the gap here, he might immediately turn his guns around and attack us like a mad dog."

We must hurry and escape to a place that is secluded enough for us to establish ourselves and develop before we can gain true freedom!

"Set off!!"

Under Qin Hao's leadership, this sole survivor of the coup began their first step toward conquering the world.