You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

"They are all my personal guards."

Not only the Ranger captain, but all his personal guards were also killed, and they were all people he had carefully trained. They included adopted sons, distant relatives, and childhood friends... they were a force that would not easily collapse.

You lead others into battle, but you run away at the slightest obstacle; you're ineffective.

You lead them into battle, fighting to the very last moment.

They did it; they fought to the death, their bodies lying not far from the cavalry captain. In total, a force equivalent to nearly half of Etu Khan's army was wiped out, and a number of his reliable and capable subordinates were lost.

It is conceivable that he has lost a source of support in the power struggle among the tribes in the northern desert, but it is not over yet. He can make up for it, for example, by requesting the Great Khan to send troops again.

In the end, the beacon tower warning line has been breached. As long as the pass is cleared, fame will still be made.

Then the tribe will receive more spoils.

“Leave a team to take over the defense line.”

"The rest of you will come with me back to report to the Great Khan, so that the lord can make a further decision."

Xia He has broken free from the control of the hero's role.

My slender fingers took a break from the keyboard to do some finger exercises. It had been a long time since I'd played action games at such a high intensity, and I finally got to stretch and move around a bit. It was exhilarating; the constant flicking of the sword was incredibly satisfying, and I was completely addicted to the sound of metal clanging against metal.

If that enemy had had the stamina to keep attacking, she might have even maintained her fighting rhythm and fiercely parried with her sword for a while.

Unfortunately, the opponent gradually ran out of energy, became slow to react, and their actions became distorted.

Then you can only go and die.

I didn't expect the [Combat Immersion] module to be so effective; I should try it in the future.

Xia He also discovered that in actual gameplay, the character has an invisible scaling that is not displayed in the status bar. In addition to a higher action limit, some basic stats are significantly higher than the opponent's.

Moreover, the player and NPC systems are always different.

Just now, the "Blessed Hero" in the eyes of the barbarian warriors was probably jumping around like the floor was burning hot, and occasionally brandishing his weapon, his stamina was unfathomable.

Despite being injured and having several arrows in his body, his movements were not affected at all.

Data body, kid.

As long as there is only one drop of blood left in his body, "Shen Xingyao" will be at full health. After being taken over, his body will return to the state it was at before, with only a breath left.

A hero's physical abilities are such that a few arrows wouldn't kill him, but they are indeed affecting his movements.

He gritted his teeth in pain and bowed to the sky:

"Thank you so much for your kindness."

A distant gaze swept over him briefly before disappearing. There was no point in arguing; only a high priest with exceptional talent was worthy of hearing the sacred commandments.

Shen Xingyao thought he was doomed, but unexpectedly he was blessed and won the battle.

My consciousness was hazy, like I was in a dream, thinking I was going to go with the heavens and rest with the martyrs. It seems that person meant for him to continue shining brightly. Well, the border is a suitable stage.

To be honest, that experience was terrifying, like losing yourself and becoming an empty shell, your entire existence becoming insignificant...

Before long, the fast horse arrived at Dongku Pass. The moment he saw it, he lost all strength to ride and fell to the ground with a thud.

Although I feel that the blessing will make me stronger, I am still injured and feel exhausted.

"The officer is still alive!"

Everyone rushed forward to help Shen Xingyao through the checkpoint, but out of caution, they still asked him some questions:

"How did you survive in that heavily surrounded environment?"

He pulled out the Minhan Nayan token from his pocket, and the people around him were immediately astonished. Could it be that the ranger captain had been killed? That would be incredible, it was genuine, how could that be?

"It is the protection of Heaven that has blessed me."

"I see. That makes sense. You should rest well. A historian will come and record the details."

No one doubted him anymore.

The people of Daqian say that Heaven is responsive; it doesn't pay attention to every voice, but it doesn't condone deception either. Therefore, this is an extremely rare case of divine intervention, which led Shen Xingyao to kill the frontline commander of this attack.

It is clear that Heaven has also made its will clear: it will not allow the northern barbarians to run rampant.

Upon hearing the news, the entire border region was filled with renewed confidence and high morale. They finally regained some organization and now all that remained was to strengthen their defenses and wait for reinforcements.

........

Xia He was now in a completely overhead view.

The two gates of Kurong Mountain were tightly closed, forming a tight defense. Although the city was small, it was strategically located.

Moreover, the brick and stone structure with iron gates already represented the pinnacle of architecture of its time.

Because Feng Tianyin inherited her creator's love of creating wonders, and carried out public works projects in various places, she promoted the development of engineering in the Great Qian Dynasty. Moreover, she had already laid a solid foundation, having received basic education in mathematics, mechanics, and chemistry at the academy.

They applied the new technology to the border region.

Of course, most importantly, the mountains are steep, with deep forests and dangerous cliffs.

Even a large cavalry force would find it difficult to charge directly through narrow mountain passes; in her assessment, this was a "natural barrier condition limited by the limits of ancient productivity," making it extremely difficult.

Either tackle it head-on or take a detour.

If the opponent you're matched with is of sound mind, it's hard to cheat; you have to pay with lives.

This isn't the age of explosives; there are far too few methods available.

As for the fictional plots involving intrigue and trickery, let's leave that aside. Although the Daqian garrison is not as elite as the attacking force, they are not fools.

Historically successful siege strategies are remembered simply because they succeeded. In reality, most fortified passes remained unconquered for decades or even centuries, standing firm through the ages.

It is true that the first wave of attacks by the northern barbarians successfully captured the beacon tower defense line.

However, Feng Tianyin never intended to fight along the mountain ridge when she first designed it; she knew it was unrealistic and unreasonable. So, they are merely "eyes extending from the border." Now that they are nearsighted, it doesn't mean they can't fight.

No serious injuries.

We'll still wage a war of attrition against you behind closed doors. Let's see how it goes.

Conversely, the entire front of the northern tribes was pressing forward, ready to launch a fierce attack at any moment, depending on when reinforcements would arrive.

Both sides are vying for the time advantage.

Xia He retrieved intelligence and discovered that the north was already in the state of an "eight-tribal confederation." She pointed out that the overall unity of the chiefdoms had a certain beneficial effect, and that natural disasters and wars had finally brought them closer together.

A full eight of the Khan's elite soldiers pressed forward.

If they are determined that "at worst, we'll just have to sacrifice lives to feed a few less hungry people," the border may fall.

It's cruel.

But a merciful ruler cannot command an army; the barbarians of the grasslands are more flexible in their application of morality.

From the Khan down to the soldiers, everyone knew that this winter of the Great White Famine would be difficult to endure. If they couldn't scavenge for food, they would surely die, or at least not burden their families.

They fight not to live, but to die.

Both sides suffered negligible losses in the first round of combat, mainly due to changes in the map.

Unfortunately, the field of vision along the border was somewhat reduced, so Xia He could only see a limited number of troop deployments, and these were constantly changing. The enemy had actually fortified and expanded the original beacon tower line, intending to use it as an outpost for their attack.

the other side.

She could see Feng Tianyin leading her army rapidly northward.

Not only those personally in command, but also other garrisons in various locations are selecting elite troops to replenish their ranks at any time.

Upon receiving the news that night, the high priest did not set off immediately, but instead slowed down and gathered more troops to head to the front lines.

Therefore, the time is relatively later and more stable.

In terms of cold, hard military calculations, she was absolutely right. She probably abandoned the beacon towers long ago and calculated based on the standard of fall, focusing her support on the defense of the two border passes.

Deng Kaixuan led 2000 men to reinforce Xirong Pass and block the mountain pass.

The 2000 elite troops handed over to Feng Tianyin at Dongku Pass.

Although the numbers appear to be the same, the equipment, training levels, and morale are different; the actual arrangement is one to defend and one to attack.

That's correct.

Even if she didn't do that, Xia He would remind and urge her, because the strategic goal of the Great Qian Dynasty was not just to defend well, but also to interrupt the enemy's religious progress.

We cannot allow the Eternal Heaven to take shape first.

This concerns the unlocking of an entire faith-based gameplay mechanic, and we cannot simply hand it over to someone else.

Feng Tianyin's side prepared for the attack, and at the same time, the entire Great Qian Dynasty sprang into action. A series of buffs were displayed, with previously planned actions such as [Horse Racing Track] and [Army Production] all taking effect.

All the buffs Xia He allocated back then were activated at high intensity, resulting in additional compensation, because of one point:

[Current Leader's Agenda: Recruitment Order]

The Great Qian Dynasty will select the most elite soldiers from its large reserve force accumulated over many years of militarization, and the entire nation will rush to its aid in the north.

[Related efficiency +5%, Army experience accumulation +5%]

As the leader, Feng Tianyin fully responded to all the decrees issued by the players, activating the entire war machine before setting off. Even in ancient times, it would unleash terrifying power.

The ancient system was an evaluation mechanism.

This doesn't mean that the Great Qian Dynasty truly has this level of productivity, after all, there are a lot of buffs applied, and the status bar is too long to see them all.

Even Xia He was unclear about the specifics of the performance.

It doesn't matter, the northern barbarians will learn their lesson anyway, and they'll be qualified as opponents.

It's time for another simple race; we'd better get to the border as quickly as possible.

Chapter 69 Victory in the Siege (5K)

Mount Kurong rises majestically, east of the pass.

After traveling day and night, Feng Tianyin and her elite entourage finally arrived.

The defenders on the city wall were astonished to see a long line of dust and smoke coming from the south, with banners proclaiming the arrival of the High Priest.

As always, the commander-in-chief wore a red battle robe and silver armor, with long black and white hair flowing freely. He was tall and imposing, even among the soldiers, which was understandable given the limited diet of people in ancient times.

She is always the pillar of support, giving people a sense of security.