Chapter 246: Battle of Xiangji Mountain
When the news from Xiong Kuohai came, Chu Zhou did not delay any longer and had prepared everything that needed to be prepared.

Xuanzhen Palace has its own rules and regulations, so he doesn’t need to worry too much.

So he folded a few paper cranes, cast a spell, and after watching the paper cranes flap their wings and fly away, he used the invisibility spell and left Xuanzhen Palace.

Outside Xuanzhen Palace, above the sea of ​​clouds, a walnut boat turned into its normal size.

Chu Zhou fell into it, took out the compass, fiddled with it for a while, and after determining the direction, he turned into a stream of light and disappeared into the sky.

Below, in Xuanzhen Palace, whether it was Xu Cheng who was refining the elixir, Yi Huai who was learning to forge iron, Fan Tiehu who was fiddling with the formation, or even Wei Fangjie who was grinding and drawing talismans, they all stopped what they were doing when they saw the paper crane flapping its wings and flying towards them.

They all looked up at the sky in unison, a hint of worry flashed across their eyes, but it disappeared in just a moment.

But they did not continue with the work in their hands, but gathered in the Ancestral Hall. The four of them discussed for a few words and then divided the work among themselves.

Fan Tiehu took the main array plate of the mountain protection array and began to patrol the Xuanzhen Palace. Whenever he came to a vital area, he would stop and inspect carefully.

Xu Chengze began to inspect each hall one by one, finding those who were in charge, whispering to them and explaining trivial matters.

Yi Huai took the Five Elements Flag, the early warning magic weapon, and completely disappeared from everyone’s sight. No one knew where he went.

As for Wei Fangjie, he took two empty storage bags, reunited with Fan Zhong, left Xuanzhen Palace, and quietly transported several times more daily necessities in Baisha City.

Xuanzhen Palace still looked safe and sound, and everything was as usual, but those who should be alert were already alert.

They did not put all their safety on the mountain protection formation.

Of course, if you think that everything they do is in vain, you are wrong.

Among the sea of ​​clouds, long after Chu Zhou left, a white cloud suddenly rolled and kept shrinking, rolling back, and appearing.

Finally, a cloak with a black base and mysterious patterns was folded and held in the hands, revealing a middle-aged man.

He looked very ordinary, so ugly that no one would even give him a second glance in a crowd; standing there, he did not show any aura at all, and the whole person seemed illusory, as if he did not exist.

Of course, this must be the effect of the cloak. Everything that is covered is as if it has been completely wiped out from this world.

The middle-aged man first looked at the direction where Chu Zhou left, then looked at the Xuanzhen Palace on the ground, and couldn’t help but sneered.

But he did not stay here for long. Instead, he spread out his cloak, covered himself again, and turned into a white cloud.

However, I don’t know when a strong wind started to blow, and the white clouds floated away slowly, changing their shapes in the sky, and then went away into the distance.

Not long after he left, Yi Huai appeared on the ground in a flash.

The Five Elements Flag in his hand trembled, and a red dot generated by evil thoughts appeared in an instant and then disappeared.

He searched for a long time but found nothing. He could only shake his head and disappear again.

In the distance, at least a hundred miles away, the middle-aged man showed his whereabouts again and then took out an ancient talisman.

He shook it casually, and flames ignited spontaneously, and he muttered to the void: “Little Bird reports, please see for yourself, the fish has been hooked!!!”

……

Due to the prosperity of martial arts and its incredible destructive power, the large armies of this world have always fought in a very methodical manner.

The grandmaster has his own battlefield, the martial arts master has his own fights, and mortal armies mostly line up on the ground and fight to the death.

Basically, as long as the outcome of a certain battlefield is determined, it can affect the course of the entire war.

Among the three battlefields, the Grandmaster battlefield is the most important, followed by the ground battlefield, and finally the Grandmaster battlefield.

The reason is simple. The Grandmaster is the real high-end one. Deciding the winner is like beheading a general and seizing a flag, which can directly crush morale.

On the ground battlefield, if one side is completely defeated, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people will flee, and it will be impossible to stop them.

On the contrary, the Grandmaster level is considered the backbone, but because he cannot attack mortals at will and cannot influence the course of the battlefield, he has become the least important link.

Of course, when gathering and mobilizing such a large army, the most important things are always logistical support, baggage transportation, and food reserves.

Xiangji Mountain, which belongs to the ancient temple sect, is located in the northwest corner of Danshan Prefecture.

Originally it was just an inconspicuous place. There was a small town called Sanbao City. Outside the city there was a mountain called Xiangji Mountain. On the mountain there was a temple called Xiangji Temple.

This Xiangji Temple is actually a martial arts sect. The master of the temple is a high monk who was sent out from the ancient temple sect. He has practiced marrow training and his martial arts skills are quite good.

He accepted several disciples, who would recite scriptures and pray for blessings when they were busy, and practice boxing to strengthen their bodies when they were free.

If you ask me how big this sect is, it’s actually not that big. And because it’s too low-key, it’s not very famous even in Sanbao City.

Those gangs didn’t know him, but some martial arts schools with inherited traditions knew that the monk was very powerful.

Originally, even during the Three Kingdoms War, such a small town would not attract much attention.

But who can blame its geographical location for being so advantageous?

To the west of Sanbao City is Youyan Prefecture under the jurisdiction of Wu Temple; to the north of Sanbao City is Yunchen Prefecture under the jurisdiction of Sanqing Gate.

As for the roads, they were not very good. There were only two official roads inherited from the Sui Dynasty. They were in disrepair and full of potholes, and were not suitable for carriages and horses.

Under normal circumstances, if you want to go to Youyan Prefecture, you can go through Songdu City; and if you want to go to Danshan Prefecture, the best way is Guiyun City. In fact, no matter which way you go, you don’t need Sanbao City.

But the situation is different now.

During the Three Kingdoms War, enemies attacked from the west and the north. If one wanted to take care of both ends, Sanbao City became an excellent choice.

A general from the Dayun Dynasty came here to investigate and eventually chose this city, but the terrain of Sanbao City was too low-lying and was not suitable for garrisoning troops.

Therefore, Xiangji Mountain became the best choice. Because there was Xiangji Temple there, a large space would be vacated by simply dismissing the monks.

In this way, huge amounts of food, supplies, horses, and troops gathered here, making this place the rear base of the entire battlefield and the most important distribution center for all kinds of materials.

Since the war began, the Dayun Dynasty has been in a state of continuous defeat. The Wu Temple has lost most of Youyan Prefecture, and its influence has been compressed to the border between Youyan Prefecture and Danshan Prefecture.

The Sanqing Sect also lost the entire Yunchen Prefecture, and most of the troops had to retreat further east.

In this way, the original rear base, Xiangji Mountain, was revealed and became a place that the Golden Horde and the Great Yan Dynasty had to take.

The two sides joined forces to form a pincer attack. As long as they took down Xiangji Mountain, they would have destroyed the most important food and supplies.

Even if the Dayun Dynasty still has hundreds of thousands of troops on the border, without food supplies, collapse is only a matter of time.

In addition, the terrain of Danshan Prefecture is also quite unique. It can be divided into two parts. The north side is mostly plains, stretching as far as the eye can see, almost unobstructed and with little resistance.

On the south side, there are many mountains of varying heights and steep terrain, and the ancient temple gate is located here.

But the problem is that to the east of Danshan Prefecture, just across the vast plain, is Zhongzhou Prefecture.

This place is the only provincial capital directly governed by the Ji royal family. The power core of the entire Dayun Dynasty, Kyoto, is also located here.

If Mount Xiangji was really lost, it would mean that the cavalry of the Golden Horde could march straight into the city of Kyoto.

By then, it will truly be a war of annihilation!
Of course, looking at it from the other side, Xiangji Mountain is indeed a place that was carefully prepared by the four major sects and even the Ji royal family, and almost everything was blocked.

If we really lose this place, the consequences will be disastrous!

After Chu Zhou figured out all this, he trusted Ba Wang Xiong Kuo even more.

Because, it was obvious that even if they wanted to trick Chu Zhou, they would not choose this place.

If we are not careful, there is a high possibility that our country will be destroyed and our family will be ruined.

……

Right now,

Outside Xiangji Mountain, as far as the eye can see, there are crowds of people, with no end in sight.

Those in the north were all dressed like Hu people, wearing felt hats and animal skins, with scimitars on their waists, and their bow legs were obvious when they walked.

That is the result of years of riding, and is also a symbol of a truly elite rider.

In addition, there were tens of thousands of Dayun people, men, women, old and young, who were driven to erect tents, build stoves, slaughter cattle and sheep, boil them in big pots, and roast them over flames. Anyone who was slow would be whipped, with skin and flesh torn and screaming.

It was obvious that they were very familiar with this method of driving captives.

Of course, prisoners are prisoners, and it is impossible to expect them to be orderly. As a result, the army of the Golden Horde seemed a bit more chaotic and noisy.

On the other hand, the army of the Great Yan Dynasty appeared to be well organized.

Gates, chevaux de frise, fences, horse traps, war drums, horns, braziers…

All these things are arranged neatly.

In the huge military camp, everyone was wearing almost uniform armor, and there were dense patrol teams moving around. Spears were like a forest, and armors clanged, making it look extremely orderly.

Of course, if you look closely, it is not difficult to find that there are still many grudges between the two sides.

At least, the Golden Horde did not show any vigilance towards the troops on Mount Xiangji, and seemed not to be afraid of their surprise attack at all.

Instead, at the border with the Great Yan Dynasty, they deployed chevaux de frise, horse traps, and soldiers ready for battle at any time.

As for Xiangji Mountain, warriors had long been mobilized to build a city wall that almost surrounded the mountain, reaching as high as the mountainside. Countless cannons, bows and crossbows, boiling gold juice, and even various stones, long poles, and javelins were placed on the city wall.

beep!
Dudu!

First, the Golden Horde blew a horn. The desolate whimpering sounded like the wailing of all things, echoing endlessly between heaven and earth.

Boom!
Boom boom boom!
Then the Dayan army began to beat the war drums. The strongest warriors went into battle shirtless, holding two huge drumsticks, and struck the drums again and again. Their fearless spirit spread throughout the battlefield.

As a result, the armies of the Golden Horde and the Great Yan Dynasty began to leave the camps, line up in battle array, and prepare to attack the city.

Of course, the first things to start moving were still the various engineering machines. The Golden Horde assembled more than ten large catapults.

Huge stones wrapped in black gunpowder were thrown into the air, drew a graceful arc, and hit the city wall.

Dayan directly launched dozens of cannons towards this side. After adjusting the angle, they stuffed iron balls into them and lit the fuses.

Boom boom boom!
Huge explosions resounded throughout the world, and the earth trembled every time. As the sky filled with smoke, the soldiers in the rear had already begun to charge.

The Golden Horde was still using their captives to attack the city, using inferior weapons. Many of the prisoners didn’t even have cloud chariots, and could only charge forward.

Those who rushed too slowly were shot to death. The Hu people behind them were all carrying longbows and iron arrows, with bone sticks on their waists, long swords and other weapons.

They bent their bows and shot arrows again and again, either killing those who were stagnant or throwing them onto the top of the city walls.

In the world of martial arts, every master can use a real iron-rimmed bow, which has enormous lethality. Even on the city wall, some people will be pierced through the throat by an arrow.

The elite troops of Dayan were heading this way, with sword and shield soldiers leading the way, followed by a ladder, a battering ram being pushed forward, and even a mobile arrow tower.

On the arrow tower, all of Dayan’s archers drew their bows and arrows, looking around with sharp eyes.

As a result of years of fierce fighting with the Golden Horde, they trained a top-notch team of archers.

In terms of numbers, they are naturally far inferior to the Golden Horde, but in terms of elite troops, everyone who can appear here is comparable to the Archer of the Condor Heroes.

Obviously, unlike the Golden Horde’s exploratory siege, the Great Yan Dynasty was prepared to take the city in one fell swoop.

Of course, the Dayun Dynasty immediately fought back!

They were in a dominant position, so whether it was the crossbow or the artillery, they could shoot farther, not to mention that they were using shrapnel shells this time.

After the gunpowder exploded, all that was shot out were caltrops, which could kill a large number of people wherever they passed.

The two sides fired at each other for a period of two incense sticks. The high frequency of firing was so severe that both the artillery and the catapults became overwhelmed.

All that was left was a pile of broken corpses, blood dripping, flesh scattered, and terrifying howls.

Of course, it was drowned out by the shouts and screams that followed!

The siege officially began. A ladder was placed on the top of the city wall and everyone climbed up desperately.

On the top of the city wall, stones were thrown down, and scalding gold juice and boiling water were poured down, leaving people with skin and flesh torn apart.

Of course, anyone who showed up became a target to be shot, and the warriors of the Golden Horde were the best at doing this.

However, all in all, the siege in the north only looks tragic, but it is actually nothing. The real danger is in the west!
When the Yan Dynasty’s army approached, the first to take action were powerful warriors.

They rushed out from under the cover of the sword and shield soldiers, or used light skills and true Qi to transform into flying birds and leap up.

Or use a hook to pull yourself out.

Some people even climbed the wall directly, using their hands and feet as if they were walking on flat ground, and deleted the top of the city wall.

Their attacks were very sudden and their killings were clean and efficient. Even though Dayun also had experts deployed, the numbers were insufficient and they were all killed in a hurry.

As ladders were set up on the top of the city walls, soldiers with swords and shields climbed up, quickly occupied the top of the city walls, and continued to expand the area.

Just because of one negligence, the defenders lost a large area of ​​the position.

However, Dayun Dynasty also has capable people and sufficient reserve troops.

Thus, as soon as a military order was issued, powerful warriors came out one after another. They charged in brazenly, and each move they made was a life-threatening one.

They pressed down from all directions, and even the warriors of Dayan fought desperately, not sparing their lives, but it was still difficult to stop them.

As for those sword and shield soldiers, they looked very pitiful in the fight between masters, like duckweed in the wind, with life and death not in their own hands.

But this is just the beginning!
The Dayan Dynasty also quickly sent experts to support, who came in one after another and killed decisively.

The Dayun Dynasty was equally unyielding and sent in troops again and again. Martial arts masters from various schools were added in as if they were free.

The Golden Horde originally thought that this war was just a test, but seeing that the situation was opening up, they were unwilling to give up the opportunity.

A team of a thousand cavalrymen quickly assembled and charged!

Not to mention these knights, all of whom are of strong and powerful temperament and fierce aura, just the horses they ride can only be described as “weird”.

Most of these horses are pure white or pure black. Each one is tall and strong with full muscles. If you look closely, you will see that their skin is covered with fine scales and they have one or several horns on their heads.

There is no doubt that these horses all have the blood of spiritual beasts. They are a hybrid of the grassland Ferghana horse and a black smoke beast. After countless years of reproduction, their bloodlines have gradually stabilized.

It is called: Dragon Horse.

Even the Golden Horde has not produced many people over the years, and the Thousand Cavalry here account for at least more than half of them.

However, even a spiritual beast mount would be useless in the face of this dozens of feet high wall. But in fact, when they got close, the knights started shouting.

The dragon horse immediately opened its hooves, and sharp claws popped out from the gaps.

Then, the dragon horses began to run vertically on the city wall, using their four claws alternately, causing gravel to fly everywhere, as if they were walking on flat ground.

Their joining completely ignited the entire battlefield, and the defenders had to deploy more troops and more experts.

I don’t know since when, but there have been more and more martial arts masters appearing in the sky.

They displayed their unique Dharma bodies, and fought each other either individually or in teams. They moved back and forth in the sea of ​​clouds, shaking the heavens and the earth, and the fight was hard to resolve!

On earth, the siege warfare became more and more brutal.

The ordinary soldiers here are as fragile as grass, and the real main fighting force has become those warriors.

All I saw were sword energy and knife flashes, punches like the wind, kicks like rain, and the blood flowed like a river.

And in the higher sky, there is a Buddha sitting upright, a Taoist wearing a feathered robe and a tall crown and holding a long sword, and a huge tripod that keeps spinning and seems to be able to suppress the heaven and earth.

The three martial arts grandmasters did not take action, but the presence of their movements already represented their attitude.

And this is just the first battle at Xiangji Mountain!
It was only the first battle, there was no testing, not much back and forth, but all the moves had already been made, as if the final decisive battle had arrived!

　On the last day of this month, a chapter of 5,000 words is delivered to you. After laying the groundwork for so long, I have to write this climax well!

　
(End of this chapter)