[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-dao-lord-of-shennong":3,"chapter-dao-lord-of-shennong-shennong-dao-lord-chapter-356":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shennong Dao Lord",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2219598,3971,"Chapter 356: The Battle of the Practitioners in the Severed Heaven and Earth (Part I)","shennong-dao-lord-chapter-356",356,"\u003Cp>\"Swish.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Chuanzong released the bowstring, and the sharp arrow accurately struck the neck of a barbarian commander who was riding ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pfft~\" The barbarian commander clutched his throat, fresh blood gushing from between his fingers, and he tumbled headlong from his green-maned horse to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hum~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Chuanzong felt his body suddenly grow hot, his Qi and blood surging, and the fatigue he had felt moments ago was swept away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've reached the late stage of Yuan Gathering.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Chuanzong felt a surge of joy in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scanned his surroundings, and seeing no further traces of the enemy, he blew the eagle-head whistle around his neck to begin gathering his subordinates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shrill whistle echoed through the sky, and soon more cavalrymen gathered from all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Centurion.\" The adjutant, Liu Er, appeared by Zhao Chuanzong's side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the situation?\" Zhao Chuanzong asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The scouts sent north from Xichang City have all been killed; none escaped,\" Liu Er laughed. \"I reckon this fourth wave of eighty men must be the last of Xichang City's spies. They shouldn't send anyone else out after this; they'll likely hunker down to defend the city.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm.\" Zhao Chuanzong nodded. \"Judging by this, Xichang City doesn't have many troops—probably only about a thousand or so, just as the previous intelligence suggested.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One can usually estimate the size of an army by the number of scouts it deploys. Zhao Chuanzong had previously captured prisoners to extract information and had led his light cavalry to intercept barbarian troops outside Xichang City; he could now generally confirm the situation inside the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Notify the Mechanist Zhang Wu to transmit this intelligence back to the main army.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the 19th day of the first month of the 16th year of Yuanding, Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, Long Xiao, and Chen Shijie issued the \"River Crossing Operation Plan\" to all armies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After capturing Xichang City, the Ten Suns Legion divided into three columns to cross the Tianshui River, heading southeast. They would pass through the Lanwan, Hudukou, and Jiangsheng line, then cross the Canglan River to rendezvous with Li Hao's Wuyao Legion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All baggage, excluding essential food supplies and small carts, horses, and boats, was to be discarded. The thirty-thousand-strong force around Fengwu City had to set off that very day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon receiving the order, the commanders of each army immediately reorganized and retreated on the 19th, departing successively from Fengwu City, Yangbei, and Tujiao, advancing toward Xichang City and the Tianshui River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the 23rd, the Azure Dragon Army arrived outside Xichang City first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the 24th, at the hour of Mao (5:00-7:00 AM), the 5,000-strong Azure Dragon Army led by Long Xiao crushed the resistance of the Xichang City garrison commander and successfully occupied the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the seventh quarter of the hour of Wu (12:45 PM).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Clop, clop, clop~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xing rode into the city with Xia Jing, while Long Xiao was busy searching for supplies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as they entered the city, they saw Long Xiao cursing and kicking a sack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xing and the others dismounted and walked over to Long Xiao: \"What did you find? I heard the battle damage was low, so why are you still angry?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it, there isn't a single piece of useful equipment, just food. It's so poor it's laughable.\" Long Xiao pointed at the pile of sacks on the ground. \"After I took the city, I wanted to replenish some arrows, but after searching for a long time, I couldn't find an armory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the end, I only found a hundred or so spare ox-horn bows and curved blades in the granary, and they were all crude goods.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Jing laughed: \"The garrison commander of Xichang City was just a leader of a small tribe under the Golden Feather Royal Court, with no more than 1,500 troops and only fifteen practitioners.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In such a small city, how much military equipment do you expect them to have? Having food is already good enough. You still haven't grasped Brother Zhao's operational spirit—isn't having food even better?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Xiao looked at Zhao Xing, who was reviewing the post-battle summary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not bad.\" Zhao Xing closed the list. \"Xichang City is essentially just a granary; strictly speaking, it doesn't even count as a city. Even counting all the indigenous residents, there are only about 5,000 people. Being able to get some food is quite good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Xiao nodded; since Zhao Xing said it was good, then it must be good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you doing, what are you doing, get away!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to see the General.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, there was a commotion among a group of armored soldiers on the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xing looked over and saw a barbarian whose facial skin was wrinkled like fish gills being driven away by the Azure Dragon Army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's going on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Xiao took a look: \"A native who says he wants to join us. He even knows a bit of Great Zhou language. But I didn't agree. He's looked for me twice this morning; he really is persistent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why didn't you agree?\" Zhao Xing asked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those not of our race must have different hearts,\" Long Xiao said as a matter of course. \"Although we don't kill barbarian civilians, my Azure Dragon Army doesn't want barbarians either. Even if he is sincere in serving, he's not easy to use. Communication is inconvenient, and he can't compare to our soldiers who have been trained for years. Taking him would only hold us back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Azure Dragon Army is elite and can afford to be picky, but he can be assigned to other armies,\" Zhao Xing said. \"You don't need to worry about them harboring ulterior motives; these barbarian tribes hate the people of the Royal Court even more than they hate the people of Great Zhou.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of logic is that?\" It was Long Xiao's turn to be surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The natives of Xichang City belong to the 'Kashi Tribe,' but the garrison you just drove away was the 'Kui Ox Tribe' of the Golden Feather Royal Court,\" Zhao Xing said. \"The saying 'those not of our race must have different hearts' is actually more fitting between them. I checked the records: five years ago, Xichang City still had over 30,000 residents, and now there are only 5,000 left. What do you think happened?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Xiao was thoughtful, but Zhao Xing waved his hand and had the armored soldiers bring the barbarian over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General, General, this little one is called 'Wang Gang,' and I am willing to serve the Great Zhou Divine Dynasty.\" The barbarian spoke in broken Great Zhou language. Zhao Xing could tell at a glance that the name was chosen on the spot—a generic, common Great Zhou name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although this person's skin was wrinkled, he was actually in the prime of his life; it was just that his species' physical appearance was like that, and those were actually organs similar to fish gills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wang Gang, why do you want to join us?\" Long Xiao asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General,\" Wang Gang bowed. \"Just seeing that the General did not kill those without armor or weapons upon entering the city, the General is worth following.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Xiao couldn't understand; could it be that the Southern Barbarian Royal Court's army was even more terrifying to their own people?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had only refrained from killing civilians, and that actually became the reason for being supported; it was truly strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The ones you fought before were the Royal Court's regular army; those regulars still have some military discipline,\" Zhao Xing said. \"The ones ruling Xichang were a motley crew of barbarian troops. They don't have much of a concept of a nation, only a concept of tribes. They obey the Royal Court's orders to fight, and as long as they complete the mission, they don't care about the lives of the civilians of other tribes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, that's exactly it,\" Wang Gang said indignantly. \"Our Kashi Tribe was conscripted eight times in five years. Once the brave soldiers were all conscripted away, we had no strength to protect ourselves. When the Kui Ox Tribe came here last year, they didn't treat us as their own people at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Five years ago, our Kashi Tribe had tens of thousands of people, but now there aren't even 5,000 left. In between, we only fought two wars and lost over 3,000 people; all the other tribesmen died at the hands of so-called 'our own people'.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They made us contribute to the Royal Court in the name of the Witch Moon God, but what have the Witch Moon God and the Royal Court brought us?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General, I am willing to join Great Zhou and lead the way for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xing nodded: \"Good. Wang Gang, since you speak the language of Great Zhou and have taken a Great Zhou name, then you are a person of Great Zhou.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However, I will not give you a rank, but you can apply for food and weapons in this city at any time. If you can find five people, you will be a Squad Leader; if you find ten people to listen to you, you will be a Platoon Leader; if you can find a hundred people to listen to you, you will be a Centurion!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, General,\" Wang Gang said happily. \"General, if I can recruit a thousand people, can I be a Lieutenant General?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You think too highly of yourself,\" Zhao Xing laughed. \"Where would you find so many people?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General, as the saying goes, it is hard to leave one's homeland. After Xichang City was breached, a small portion of the garrison and barbarian civilians fled, but most are still hiding in the underground valley caves. Among them, there are still 800 able-bodied men who can fight. Originally, we were holding onto the idea of coming out after the enemy left,\" Wang Gang bowed. \"However, seeing the General's benevolence, I risked my life to come out and contact the General.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wang Gang, I said just now, if you can find that many people, you will have that rank. However, if you want to win a future for your tribesmen, it depends on your performance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, General, I will go bring them over now.\" Wang Gang understood Zhao Xing's meaning: to get the same treatment, it still depended on meritorious service. However, this was still better than continuing to be ruled by other barbarian generals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Kashi Tribe had spent five years seeing the true face of the Royal Court clearly, and they had reached a state of mind where anyone could come, as long as it wasn't the Royal Court ruling them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xing waved his hand and sent a team of soldiers pushing several carts of grain to follow Wang Gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Wang Gang left, Long Xiao reprimanded the two commanders searching the city: \"What are you two doing? How could you not know there were 800 barbarian soldiers hiding?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commanders searching the city felt very aggrieved; the people weren't even in the city, but hiding in caves outside the city—how could they have found them so quickly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need to be harsh on them,\" Zhao Xing said. \"If such a small group of people is determined to burrow into mountain caves, they are familiar with the terrain, and it is very difficult to find them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Xia, have the scouts sent to explore Tianshui City returned?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not yet.\" Xia Jing shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Order the Shenwei Army and the Xuanjia Army to enter the city to rest, set up pots to cook, and quickly restore their strength,\" Zhao Xing said. \"In two days at most, we will go to attack Tianshui City.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the early morning of the 25th, the Shenwei Army and Xuanjia Army led by the command headquarters received bad news in Xichang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hujiao Army and Lieyang Army led by Liao Rulong and Wang Ji were ambushed by the Nine Nether Army commander 'Zang He' in the Huangling and Zhangshan area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhenhai Army led by Chen Shijie, Zhao Zheng, Wang Ji, and Han Bing was intercepted by the Nine Nether Army commander 'Hou Sen' at Sandaowan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for the force led by Zhao Xing and Xia Jing, which was relatively smooth, the other two units encountered trouble at the very beginning of the river-crossing plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, they were scheduled to rendezvous in the Xichang City and Tianshui River area on the early morning of the 25th, but the other two units had still not arrived by the evening of the 25th.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zang He and Hou Sen were commanders from the Nine Nether Legion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nine Nether Army Grand Commander 'You Yun,' responsible for encircling and suppressing Xia Jing's unit, discovered the Great Zhou army fleeing from Fengwu City on the 20th and dispatched Zang He and Hou Sen, each leading over 800 vanguard troops, to intercept the Ten Suns Legion crossing the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both the units led by Old Chen and Liao Rulong had just over 10,000 men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 800 men led by Zang He and Hou Sen were all practitioners, but 90% were in the Yuan Gathering realm, and most were martial artists; there were few mages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was unrealistic to try to wipe out 20,000 men with 800, so the goal was merely to delay the marching speed of the Great Zhou fugitives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that the units led by Chen Shijie and Liao Rulong marched in neat formations and moved in an orderly fashion, clearly elite soldiers, Zang He and Hou Sen did not dare to descend for ground combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could only drop firecrackers and cast spells from their flying boats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the firecrackers were exhausted and their Yuan Qi was nearly depleted, they had to return. Because the flying boats needed supplies, and the people needed supplies too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zang He and Hou Sen themselves had traveled quickly to Fengwu City by flying boat, so they couldn't carry many large-scale lethal weapons. Thus, this pursuit only slowed down the marching speed of Chen Shijie and Liao Rulong's units and did not gain any advantage; both sides didn't even lose many men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't until the afternoon of the 26th that Zhao Xing in Xichang City received word that both units had temporarily repelled the pursuers, and Zang He and Hou Sen had retreated to Fengwu City to resupply, rest, maintain their flying boats, treat the wounded, and wait for the follow-up army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After shaking off the pursuers, the two units reached their designated stationing positions by evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the 27th, the Shenwei Army, Xuanjia Army, Lieyang Army, and Hujiao Army, totaling over 18,000 men, launched an attack on the 8th-grade Witch City, Tianshui City, from three sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhenhai Army led by Chen Shijie, along with some reserve troops, remained at the shallows and Xichang City to guard against the vanguard troops of Zang He and Hou Sen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shenwei Army attacked from the east side of Tianshui City, and the first to be deployed were the chariot troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original chariots were pulled by exotic beasts or driven by magic arrays and core energy crystals, capable of flying in the sky and walking on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now it was different; the Mechanists who had recovered their strength could only restore the power of some magic-based mechanisms, so the chariots could only walk on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the flying boats couldn't fly in the sky for long, because this world was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chariots within the restricted zone also looked different from the past, somewhat like a combination of a shield cart and a battering ram.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The siege chariots used by the Shenwei Army were all built by Wang Ji. It looked like a carriage cabin, but instead of horses in front, there was a spiral battering ram about three meters long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The top of the cabin was a \"sail.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A total of 120 siege chariots rammed toward the east wall of Tianshui City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The external structure of the cabin had three layers of defense: first, a layer of leather soaked in beast oil; second, metal iron plating; and third, a combination of hardwood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three layers of protection shielded the fragile magic array core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within this restricted zone of Severed Heaven and Earth, the mechanisms of the Mechanists were very fragile and easily malfunctioned because the available materials were too weak. Moreover, they would fail if they were too far from the Mechanist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no other way; they had to use this method to protect the magic array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whoosh~~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gale appeared on the battlefield, blowing against the sails of the chariots and pushing them forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wheels of the chariots were tracked, so they could cross trenches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because there were few practitioners, on the Shenwei Army side, one person needed to use wind magic to blow the sails of more than three chariots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xing, possessing the strength of the 8th-grade Spirit Bridge realm, was also casting spells to blow the wind; he controlled thirty chariots to ram toward the enemy wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sails billowed, and the chariots slowly moved toward the foot of the city wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Blow! Blow them back for me, quickly!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't let these ghostly things get close!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the east wall of Tianshui City, a red-skinned barbarian general brandished his long sword and roared frantically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Witch Mages on the wall also began to blow wind fiercely, blowing toward the outside of the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no choice; if they didn't block the boundary-breaking chariots, these things could destroy the structure of the magic-array wall as long as they touched it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whoo-ooo-ooo~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two completely different winds began to blow frantically in front of the east city wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sails of the chariots billowed sometimes to the east and sometimes to the west, pulling back and forth, and soon fell into a stalemate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 120 chariots were still over a hundred meters away from the city wall, basically slowing down to a crawl like turtles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, twenty chariots broke the stalemate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xing controlled the gale, blowing the twenty boundary-breaking chariots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Witch Mages competing with him suddenly changed color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Commander, there is an expert on the other side; I can't hold them off.\" Three Witch Mages reported immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bastards! How high can they be? Hold them off for me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, yes...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, facts were not shifted by personal will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Zhao Xing was in the 8th-grade Spirit Bridge realm, the wind he used was much stronger than others of the same grade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition, because of the Cloud-Touching Vine, Zhao Xing could open the Pure Yuan Soil that could only be opened at the 5th grade, and continuously absorb spiritual energy from it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he basically didn't need to consider consumption and was basically always in a full state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other Witch Mages or Wind-Walking Sorcerers had to stop to restore Yuan Qi after three to five minutes of high-intensity confrontation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For low-grade practitioners, casting spells with full force consumed a lot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhao Xing could blow wind here until the end of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Click, click, click~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty chariots soon approached the city wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they encountered the second difficulty—the moat. \"Splash~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water in the moat surged out in large quantities, forming waves, blocking the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Zhao Xing had no choice but to \"cheat\" again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cloud Walking!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cloud-Swallowing Technique was cast, and white clouds drifted above the moat, beginning to quickly absorb the water in the moat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the water level of the moat drop rapidly, the barbarian general on the east wall almost popped his eyes out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could it be that there is a 5th-grade Army Agronomist on the other side? Why are his clouds so strong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No wonder the Nine Nether Army Grand Commander wants to encircle and suppress this army. Can we, can we really hold off Tianshui River?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The defending barbarian general began to panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please... collect... ()\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes began to glance at the twenty flying boats parked in the inner city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the range of Severed Heaven and Earth, due to materials and various reasons, there were at most medium-sized flying boats. There were no warships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A barbarian general of his level could at most use a small flying boat, which could only carry five to twenty people, and the height was limited, not exceeding a thousand meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also had to take the Mechanist who built it with him, otherwise, it wouldn't fly far at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The enemy army is determined to take this city to cross the river, attacking from three sides. I don't know how many tens of thousands of people there are, but we only have 6,000 people in the city. Can we hold it?\" This barbarian Assistant Regional Commander began to have other thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But out of fear and belief in the Nine Nether God, he suppressed the fear in his heart and issued orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire archers, prepare!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking advantage of their own Witch Mages beginning to cast spells, the barbarian general rode the wind and fired arrows, mainly shooting at the sails of the boundary-breaking chariots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was of no use, because the material of the \"sails\" built by Wang Ji had a high ignition point, and ordinary fire couldn't burn it at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spell fire could, but the problem was that Zhao Xing was also casting wind magic, so the fire couldn't drift over at all and would only turn back and hurt their own people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Tianshui City was being attacked from three sides, and the practitioners assigned to each side were simply not enough. Except for those who had already obtained [Heaven and Earth Protection], the spells of others only took effect within the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thud!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sound of ramming the wall startled the barbarian general. He looked at the city wall and saw that the battering ram of a chariot had already pressed against the city wall and began to flash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he didn't know was that Zhao Xing on the other side was actually already beginning to ponder whether to give up the attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the situation from the other two sides was not very good. If the casualties were too heavy or it dragged on for too long, and they were caught up by the 30,000 Nine Nether troops pursuing from behind, that would be a big problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, they would have to fight with their backs to the water, which violated his original intention of fighting a guerrilla war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Messenger, ask Xia Jing on the west side, how long will it take to take the city?\" Zhao Xing asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes!\" The messenger was a Mechanist of the Wuliang Juzi school. He closed his eyes and quickly replied to Zhao Xing. \"My lord, General Xia said that it will take at least four hours for the west side to have hope of breaking through.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about General Liao's north side?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Two hours.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xing estimated and found that he was the luckiest; the east side he commanded was the one with the weakest enemy defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now twenty boundary-breaking chariots had begun to destroy the city wall magic array, and the enemy's reinforcement speed was significantly slower than the speed of breaking the defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In about three quarters of an hour, the east wall would be defenseless. Once the city wall magic array failed, the difficulty of the attack would be greatly reduced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the Shenwei Army, there was a Mechanist Artillery Battalion. In the restricted zone of Severed Heaven and Earth, it could be called a great lethal weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a long time ago, when Zhao Xing suggested to Ji Che that when the six ministries held meetings, they should suppress their cultivation base, some lethal weapons in the Severed Heaven and Earth were also put on the agenda for research.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, Wang Ji of the Shenwei Army created a mechanism called the [Shenwei Cannon]. Its materials were all very ordinary, and it had nothing to do with magic, but its power was astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a reason why the Nine Nether God dispatched three practitioner armies, You Yun, Zang He, and Hou Sen, totaling over 30,000 people (excluding a small portion of local troops) to encircle and suppress the Ten Suns Legion. This army was far more efficient at killing the Southern Barbarian army in the Severed Heaven and Earth than armies from other places.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Zhao Xing used the Ten Suns Legion as a pilot project at that time, and this was also the earliest army to practice with Severed Heaven and Earth as the hypothetical enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell Xia Jing and Liao Rulong, if they can't take Tianshui City within two hours, retreat immediately, and we will change direction to cross the river.\" Zhao Xing shouted at the messenger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed, and nine boundary-breaking chariots were destroyed one after another, but the light on the city wall also became weaker and weaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, after three quarters of an hour, the city wall became dim and lusterless, and every brick turned earthy gray, losing its luster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city wall barrier disappeared!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Finally broken!\" Zhao Xing let out a long sigh of relief. If it were elsewhere, such a 7th-grade Witch City's magic array would only be at an intermediate level and could be broken easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But here, it was very slow to break it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mechanist Artillery Battalion, fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large-scale explosions began on the city wall and inside the city, firelight emerged, and the huge sound immediately boosted morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire Archer Battalion 1 and 2, fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about the Sky-Breaking Flying Boats? Zhao Chuanzong, move the God-Breaking Crossbows onto the Sky-Breaking Flying Boats, ascend for me, and focus on killing the 7th-grade ones!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"First-Landing Battalion, prepare, follow me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was issuing orders, Zhao Chuanzong suddenly pulled Zhao Xing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Chuanzong was a light cavalry centurion; he couldn't play a role in the siege, so he acted as a deputy to his big brother, Zhao Xing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why are you pulling me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Chuanzong hesitated: \"Big brother, the Flowing Cloud Flying Boat is prepared for you, not for fighting. General Xia said it can only be used for you to break out...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the Severed Heaven and Earth, the energy core of the flying boat became a Yuan Crystal, but it also became a fragile item. If it went to charge the city, it was very likely to be smashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ten Suns Legion didn't have many small flying boats; the whole army added up to only fifty, and there were only four medium-sized ones, which were the Sky-Breaking Flying Boats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, the small flying boats only had the ability to fly at low altitude for short distances, but the medium-sized Sky-Breaking Flying Boats had the effect of long-distance flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bastard! Call me Grand Agronomist!\" Zhao Xing kicked Zhao Chuanzong away. \"Is the Grand Agronomist bigger, or is Xia Jing the general bigger? Listen to my orders, ascend for me. I never thought about escaping alone!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xing's voice was loud, and everyone saw and heard it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Master Zhao knew that this thing was just a psychological comfort. The Nine Nether God was conducting a big sweep, and it was difficult to escape even with this thing. Otherwise, he would have escaped back to Great Zhou long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would never think of running until he reached the full level (5th grade) in the Severed Heaven and Earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he reached the 5th grade, he wouldn't be afraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he reached the 5th grade, Master Zhao would have many means. Little did he know that Liu Tianning was known as invincible among his peers when he was at the 5th grade, and challenging across levels was like eating and drinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once at the 5th grade, Master Zhao could summon very strong grass-man clones. Of course, the premise was to survive this big sweep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianshui City was broken, and he couldn't let these \"upgrade experiences\" run away. Just killing some ordinary barbarian soldiers and generals was useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes!\" Zhao Chuanzong gritted his teeth: \"The General has ordered, move the God-Breaking Crossbows onto the flying boats, including the Sky-Breaking Flying Boats!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Charge!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hour after the war started, the east side of Tianshui City was broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The west and south sides were also broken one after another two hours later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After experts like Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, and Long Xiao climbed the wall, they immediately opened up the situation, stood firm on the wall, and immediately blew open the city gate after restoring their strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the city was broken, it was street fighting. After entering the city, the battle completely turned into a war of low-grade practitioners. Tianshui City was a 7th-grade Witch City. As long as they entered, the people of the Ten Suns Legion would restore their cultivation base to at most the 7th grade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most difficult point was breaking the city, and many people would die in this process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the evening of the 28th, Tianshui City was completely broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How many people have restored their strength?\" Zhao Xing asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There were originally 350 people, and after taking Tianshui City, it reached 880,\" Xia Jing said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The number of practitioners in Tianshui City is a bit more than ours, but fortunately, they are not experts. They are much worse than Fengwu City and weaker than the pursuers behind us now,\" Chen Shijie said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Casualties?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over a thousand people died,\" Xia Jing said. \"It's fortunate that we took the city, otherwise this number would have tripled.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Witch City was very important, because as long as the soldiers didn't die immediately, they could get the greatest degree of recuperation after entering the city, and their own resistance would increase as their cultivation base recovered, turning serious injuries into light injuries, and light injuries into minor injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rest quickly, treat the wounded soldiers, move the boats across the river, we can only stay here for two days at most.\" Zhao Xing said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took them about three days to rush from Fengwu City to Xichang City. The advance of an army of tens of thousands was relatively slow, but this was already considered fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now there were tens of thousands of pursuers behind them, and there was not much time left for them to rest and cross the Tianshui River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the 1st of the second month, the army crossed the turbulent Tianshui River one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the evening of the 2nd, Zhao Xing divided the Ten Suns Legion again, this time not into three routes, but into six. Xia Jing, Liao Rulong, Zhao Zheng, Long Xiao, and Chen Shijie each led one route, and at the same time, they hid the boats crossing the river in Sanwan Bay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding this, Xia Jing and the others were very puzzled: \"We won't need these boats to cross the Canglan River when we go north later, why not destroy them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xing looked at the soldiers hiding the boats and pondered: \"Keep them for now, just in case.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the 5th of the second month, the 10,000 men led by Grand Commander You Yun of the Nine Nether Army arrived at Tianshui City with the 20,000 men of Zang He and Hou Sen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Commander, the Yingwu King Xia Jing and the others have crossed the river,\" Zang He said. \"The marching speed is very fast, as if they knew we were encircling and suppressing them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So what if they know?\" Hou Sen said coldly. \"After crossing the river and heading south, there are ambush troops in every direction. How long can they hold on running so lightly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As the encirclement gets smaller and smaller, our support speed will get faster and faster. We were one step slow this time, but it will be difficult for them to attack the city for replenishment next time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hou Sen is right.\" Grand Commander You Yun looked at the map. \"As long as we keep chasing them, sooner or later we will chase them into a dead end, and then they will have nowhere to escape.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the wild, practitioners cannot get supplies. The higher the cultivation base they restore, the more they need to eat. As long as the army is destroyed, it is difficult for a single person to enter the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screening over and over again, they will either be caught and killed, or starve to death in the wild. Flying in the air? Then it will be even easier to catch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Report to Grand Commander! Big discovery!\" Suddenly, a personal guard rushed in excitedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Speak.\" You Yun's face was covered with purple patterns on half of his face, appearing somewhat enchanting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We just received news that among the Great Zhou troops crossing the river, the highest Great Zhou official is not only the Yingwu King Xia Jing, but also the Grand Agronomist Zhao Xing who has been missing for a long time!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\" Grand Commander You Yun stood up with a swoosh and stared at the personal guard: \"Are you sure the news is true?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Absolutely true. Our people devoured a Great Zhou wandering soul and saw with their own eyes Zhao Xing and Xia Jing enter Xichang City, and also saw him at Tianhe City.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahahaha!\" Grand Commander You Yun laughed immediately. \"I didn't expect such a great merit to be encountered by me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding Zhao Xing, the conditions offered by Ji Che to his subordinates were: those with definite news would be promoted two ranks and granted a Marquis title. Those who brought back the Grand Agronomist would be promoted five ranks and granted a Commandery Duke title!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Southern Barbarian side, they valued it just as much. As long as Grand Commander You Yun had definite news, it would be enough to be promoted in cultivation afterward. Capturing or killing Zhao Xing would even give him a chance to be personally taught by the Witch Moon God!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to kill Zhao Xing!\" This was Grand Commander You Yun's first reaction. But he quickly canceled this thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because although he had recovered to the 6th grade, Zhao Xing was probably also recovered to the 7th grade. In the vast wilderness, how could he find someone alone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There might even be a risk of overturning, after all, Zhao Xing's past battle record of challenging across levels was famous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the 5th-grade Nine Nether God couldn't find anyone when acting alone, so he still had to rely on the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Report to the Nine Nether God immediately! These 30,000 people are too few. We need to create a large encirclement, the more people the better.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Yun immediately realized that this result could not be swallowed alone, so it was better to get the visible benefits first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, through the transmission of layers of news, the news that Zhao Xing was still alive was also secretly transmitted back to the Royal City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty, we have received news of the Grand Agronomist!\" Ji Si reported.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you sure?\" Ji Che, sitting on the throne, looked excited. \"Don't let it be a fake again, making me happy for nothing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This time it is absolutely true. It was written by the Grand Agronomist and matched the secret message of the Military Realm,\" Ji Si said. \"However, the front line also brought bad news, which is that the Nine Nether God has concentrated over 400,000 troops and is conducting a big sweep of the Cangyue Prefecture and Lanhai Prefecture in the central part of the Southern Barbarians.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Grand Agronomist is in the northeast of Lanhai Prefecture, and he is in the encirclement of the Nine Nether God.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Che was silent. This news was too bad. He had just received news of his big brother, but found that his big brother was in a dangerous place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Immediately order the Luohou King to spare no cost to meet Zhao Xing and bring him back. I repeat, spare no cost! Even if it takes decades to fight later, even if all ten major guard armies are lost, it doesn't matter!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" Ji Si nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Che looked at the distant sky and muttered to himself: \"Big brother, you must hold on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the 7th of the second month, three days after leaving the south of the Tianshui River, Zhao Xing's Ten Suns Legion began to attack Min City, Heshui City, and Yuyou City in Lanhai Prefecture according to the original plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once these three cities were opened, as long as they passed two more defensive lines, they would have a chance to rendezvous with Dong Ze's Shensu Army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, two defensive lines were still relatively sparse. After all, the Nine Nether God mobilized so many people, so many places became understaffed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after fighting for three days, Min City, Heshui City, and Yuyou City were not taken, but the enemy's reinforcements were coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Zhao, the situation is not very good. If we can't take one within three days, we will be surrounded,\" Xia Jing said worriedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They now had 1,000 practitioners, including a dozen 7th-grade ones, but this strength wouldn't last long in the encirclement of the vast enemy army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the encirclement gets smaller and smaller, their window for attacking the city will become shorter and shorter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop fighting.\" Zhao Xing looked at the map for a while and shook his head. \"Fighting any longer is a dead end. Tell Old Chen and Old Liao's armies to start retreating.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where to retreat?\" Xia Jing asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cross the Tianshui River again and return to Fengwu City,\" Zhao Xing said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\" Xia Jing was a little dazed: \"How do we go back? Now there are enemy troops encircling from seven sides, and we still have to return to the north of Lanhai Prefecture?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The most dangerous place is the safest place. We just crossed the river, and the enemy certainly won't expect us to jump out of an encirclement and drill back in ourselves,\" Zhao Xing said. \"So we have to take advantage of the enemy's lack of encirclement to hit their weak river defense points and return to the north of Lanhai Prefecture again, and we must be fast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",6387,"2026-06-17T16:13:11.118Z","2026-06-18T03:34:23.509Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","e940a05579b0574984462276d740e4ccf4a3ebb1d1fa10dbf2148ff522153bd2","shennong-dao-lord-chapter-357","shennong-dao-lord-chapter-355",666,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshennong-dao-lord-cover.jpg"]