Chapter 2667

talisman Gully.

talisman Gully is no ordinary mountain gully; on its outer side a single stone forms a mountain, a massive boulder nearly seventy zhang high, slick and smooth, while the other side is a vertical, even overhanging cliff. Between them runs this narrow gully, the stream merely knee-deep, at its widest about two and a half zhang, at its narrowest not even a fat man could squeeze through — that is talisman Gully.

Even more marvelous, once past the great stone mountain, the north rear opens up abruptly into a huge meander bay, a natural flowing-water plaza of over ten mu, and even the stony shoals along the water's edge are broad — an ideal spot for a garrison camp.

Such terrain cannot match the strategic peril of Longhou Pass, but south of the Wasteland it counts as an easily defensible, hard-to-attack location, so both sides are bound to fight for it.

The battle between Xu Zhiyu's and Hu Yechan's two vanguard armies had already erupted over ten shichen ago.

Before He Lingchuan arrived, from far away he could see colorful radiances flashing in the sky ahead.

That was the two sides clashing with divine abilities.

He lay prone on a hilltop half a li behind the Panlong army, and as he gazed down at the battlefield his brows knitted.

The Beijia army's combat power stood out; especially the troops Hu Yechan brought, which should be elites — formidable individual strength and thorough coordination. Though distant, He Lingchuan was no ordinary man; in just under a quarter-shichen of watching he could confirm the rear commander had rich battlefield experience — several times when the Panlong army pressed forward, the Beijia side remained unflustered amid chaos and quickly organized counterattacks.

Yet He Lingchuan was full of confidence: even on flat ground rather than such advantageous terrain, the Hubi Army he had raised with his own hands would surely defeat this elite force, and within two shichen at that.

There was a gap in the two sides' individual soldier strength.

Panlong soldiers were generally not as tall as their opponents, but their agility was exceptionally prominent; their grasp of combat rhythm and their self-protection ability far surpassed the enemy's. Long accustomed to all manner of harsh environments, they had long since honed themselves into all-rounders, especially adept at finding offensive opportunities while preserving themselves on the battlefield.

Such outstandingly balanced individual capability cannot be forged in one or two wars, or one or two years of tempering.

Even the Longshen Army elites He Lingchuan had led in reality fell short of the Hubi Army. It was not that they lacked effort, but only in specific environments can special warriors be tempered.

Not to mention, the Panlong army's Yuanli was also stronger than the opponent's.

Neither side fought within its own borders, so neither enjoyed territorial bonuses; thus they competed on raw substance. On that premise, the Panlong army's Yuanli hue was still richer than the Beijia army's — even though the Beijia troops were already very strong.

Color is the most intuitive gauge.

This left Beijia baffled, and is a deep secret of Yuanli few know.

Yet the battle was not one-sided.

In fact, before Hu Min led the Hubi Army Corps to arrive, Xu Zhiyu with three thousand men blocking Hu Yechan here had actually faced peril at every turn.

Even after Hu Min arrived, he only managed to even the situation bit by bit; victory or defeat remained undecided in the short term.

The reason was none other than this: among Hu Yechan's troops there were surprisingly over a hundred gray-furred Tongbi Giant Apes!

These giant apes stood about one zhang tall, their fur a gray so deep it seemed green, but on their necks was a ring of white fur forming an inverted "V" pattern on the chest. Their bodies were knotted with muscle, strength immense — a thirty-jin stone at minimum they could hurl a hundred zhang. If that were all, Panlong warriors would not fear them; the army had plenty of methods for dealing with monsters.

But they possessed one specialty that could be exerted to the fullest here, making Panlong warriors hate them to the gnashing of teeth: climbing on stone.

Suction pads covered the palms and soles of their hands and feet; even a stone crevice they could grip fast, letting them stand at a forty-five-degree incline. On such slick rock surfaces they leapt and traversed as if on flat ground, seemingly unaffected by gravity. Humans using suction pads to climb stone would not advance much faster than a tortoise; the gap between them and these giant apes was heaven and earth.

Before these giant apes' innate gift, talisman Gully's natural moat might as well not exist; they could easily scale the massive boulders and cliffs on both sides, attack the Panlong army from above, and with the Beijia army's coordination the Panlong army was instantly caught in a dilemma.

One must understand that in such a narrow place as talisman Gully, even turning around is difficult for Panlong warriors. Hu Min arranged archers to attack the giant apes at range, but they were too fast; the warriors could only resort to expensive tracking arrows.

The giant apes' innate gift was incomparably suited to such jungle; seven parts of strength could produce twelve parts of effect.

"That is the Shiluo Kingdom's Giant Ape Corps." He Lingchuan could recognize their appearance. "For Fu Shanlie to have incorporated them into Hu Yechan's force — truly a brilliant move."

He turned back and asked Sha Wei: "Found Hu Yechan's position?"

"The avian yaoguai in the sky spotted him, one li away, on the rear streambank." Sha Wei pointed south, toward a spot screened by bushes. "Roughly that position. But the guards around him number at least three hundred-plus, not counting those hidden. This fellow is truly afraid of death."

Some commanding generals lead from the front, like He Lingchuan; while some commanders only direct from afar and never personally enter the battlefield to kill enemies, like Hu Yechan.

The most outstanding and most troublesome element in this great battle is the Giant Ape Corps; they have successfully given the Panlong army a headache. But by usual strategic thinking, for the Panlong army to win at talisman Gully it must either repel the Giant Ape Corps or capture the ringleader first.

Clearly Hu Min thought the same, because —

"Hu Min previously attempted a straight thrust at the enemy's heart, going after Hu Yechan, but failed to succeed and instead made this scoundrel heighten his vigilance, getting men to surround him tightly."

He Lingchuan carefully observed the watercourse below, then glanced a few times into the distance, and fell into thought.

In truth both combatants were stuck here, both constrained by terrain.

Panlong City lay to the north, while the Beijia army was to the south.

Observation complete, He Lingchuan led the men to quietly approach their own camp and sent someone to report.

Before long, Xu Zhiyu hurried over.

"General!" At the sight of He Lingchuan he beamed with joy, nearly dropping to his knees in obeisance. "You — you're back!"

Here he had been intercepting the enemy while anxiously awaiting Panlong's new orders and reinforcements.

He and the opposing Hu Yechan both led vanguard armies; the main forces inevitably followed behind. Now it was a race: would the Panlong main army arrive first, or the Beijia main army?

Earlier the Hubi Army Corps had arrived to reinforce, yet had not revealed that the Hubi General had awakened. Xu Zhiyu had only just received the news and still could hardly believe his ears.

He had once trained under He Lingchuan for three and a half years, then was transferred out to command on his own; he both admired and revered his old superior.

"Enough, enough — tell me the battle's difficulties." He Lingchuan seized his arm, preventing him from kneeling, and patted his back. "I've already surveyed the surrounding terrain just now."

During battle one does not stand on ceremony; one must cut straight to the point.