Chapter 189: Xuan Guo's Grand Army Besieges Yu Guo's Border Pass

Just as the two were getting intimate, a sound rose from outside the door.

"His Majesty, Fairy, the vegetables and fruits of Lin Xian Cheng have ripened this autumn; the common folk early this morning selected the best of the first harvest and sent them over."

Hearing that, Xiao Qidi immediately let go of Ning Jinli, rose excitedly, and shouted, "Bring them in quickly!"

Ning Jinli was still immersed in the passionate kiss a second ago, and the next second nearly fell out of his arms.

Soon, a dozen or so soldiers, laughing merrily, carried large baskets into the room.

Each basket was packed with all kinds of fruits and vegetables, big and plump, still glistening with morning dew, and the room instantly filled with a fresh fruity aroma.

Xiao Qidi lifted a plump white radish in his left hand and a bright yellow pumpkin in his right, his eyes scanning the other produce in the baskets, smiling so broadly his mouth nearly reached his ears.

The soldiers then told him that the whole city enjoyed a bumper harvest, with grain yields also very high, and that harvesting would begin in a few days.

Based on the estimated yield, the people of Lin Xian Cheng could now achieve self‑sufficiency in staple food and would no longer have to go hungry as before!

"Great! Wonderful!" Xiao Qidi's face flushed with joy he could not contain.

People regard food as heaven; ensuring the populace has enough to eat is a matter of the utmost good!

"Jinli, try it quickly!" Xiao Qidi wiped the white radish clean with his sleeve, split it in half, handed one piece to Ning Jinli, and looked at her with eager eyes.

The dozen or so soldiers present were also full of anticipation.

This radish was the first vegetable to sprout from the land of Lin Xian Cheng after months of drought, and it only grew with the help of Jinli Fairy.

Therefore, the first bite must be offered to the Fairy for tasting.

It looked like just a radish, yet its significance was extraordinary.

Ning Jinli cupped the radish and sniffed it; a rich, fragrant scent pierced her nostrils, carrying a faint sweet aroma.

She opened her mouth and bit down hard, taking a big mouthful.

Crunch! Juicy.

The incredibly fresh radish flavor exploded in her mouth.

Ning Jinli's eyes widened involuntarily.

"How is it, tasty?" Xiao Qidi swallowed.

The soldiers also swallowed.

Ning Jinli's eyes glittered, "The radish flavor is so rich! Sweet! With just the right hint of spiciness—absolutely delicious! I've never tasted raw radish this good! It far surpasses the ones grown back home!"

Xiao Qidi quickly took a bite himself, his eyes lighting up, and asked, "The radishes we grow here use the same seeds as yours—why do they taste even better than the ones you sent over?"

Ning Jinli replied brightly, "All the fertilizer I use is organic, and the soil here has never suffered industrial pollution; even with the same seeds, the quality of the produce is naturally different."

"Come, you all try too!"

Ning Jinli said to the dozen or so soldiers present.

The leading commander wiped drool from his mouth and cheerfully said, "These were given by the common folk to the Fairy and His Majesty; we'll eat later. The people are still harvesting in the fields, and we should go help them."

The soldiers promptly took their leave.

Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi each finished half a radish, yet still wanted more.

"How about this," Ning Jinli said, eyes twinkling as she looked at the large baskets of vegetables, "we'll use these vegetables for a hot‑pot lunch."

Xiao Qidi licked his lips, his Adam's apple bobbing, "The chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep raised in Lin Xian Cheng have grown; we can try those too."

Ning Jinli nodded vigorously, "Those raised here will definitely taste better. By the way, I'll go to Zhuiyingjian to catch a few fish, and also—do you remember the wild berries we added when we cooked wild boar? Let's pick some for seasoning... My god, just thinking of it makes me drool!"

Hearing that, Xiao Qidi's mouth watered almost to the point of spilling.

The two quickly reached an agreement, planning to start arranging the noon hot‑pot after finishing breakfast.

Meanwhile—

Inside Huangsha Pass.

The commander, titled Grand General Zheng Xuan by the Yu Guo King, was discussing battle plans with his Deputy Generals.

Yu Guo's three‑hundred‑thousand‑strong army had completed its assembly a few days earlier, and had already dispatched several vanguard units and scouts to Xi Tun Guan.

However, up to now no scout has returned to report the situation.

Therefore, Grand General Zheng Xuan dared not rashly launch an attack on Xi Tun Guan.

After all, months ago, whether it was the barbarian army of Sha Yue Guo or Yu Guo's elite, together amounting to hundreds of thousands, all were defeated at Xi Tun Guan.

Grand General Zheng Xuan and the deputy generals all thought that the king and Crown Prince had been overly complacent, leading to repeated disastrous defeats.

This time, the soldiers bore the heavy task of annihilating Xuan Guo, mobilizing the entire Da Yu nation's strength, and could not repeat past mistakes.

"Grand General, intelligence has arrived," a soldier reported.

Grand General Zheng Xuan hurriedly asked, "Did the forward scouts return?"

"No, it's from the court," the soldier said, pulling out a bundle of bamboo slips and handing them to the Grand General.

The Grand General flipped through them quickly, his face breaking into a smile, "Good news! Good news indeed!"

The deputy generals cast puzzled glances.

The Grand General laughed, "The court's envoys report that Xuan Guo has only dispatched one hundred thousand troops to Xi Tun Guan. That confirms my hypothesis!"

A deputy general immediately said, "Xuan Guo must also have spies scouting Da Yu, right? Don't they know we mobilized three hundred thousand troops? Why did they send only that few?"

The Grand General stroked his beard and, with absolute confidence, analyzed:

"Xuan Guo now has roughly five hundred thousand troops in total, but its north‑west border must guard against nomadic tribes, and its north, northeast, and east‑south borders all neighbor other vassal states; all those regions require garrisons. If they pull too many troops to confront our campaign, they'd be vulnerable on multiple fronts. Deploying one hundred thousand to Xi Tun Guan is likely Xuan Guo's limit!"

"Da Yu only borders Xuan Guo; aside from Sha Yue Guo, there are no other threats on our borders."

"And Sha Yue Guo's entire force was exhausted months ago, no longer a factor. Those traitors who back‑stabbed Da Yu's elite deserve annihilation! Once I flatten Xuan Guo, I'll wipe out their royal clan completely as a warning!"

Grand General Zheng Xuan, reaching a peak of excitement, slammed his fist onto the table.

A deputy general asked, "Grand General, our vanguard and scouts have not yet reported back; should we keep waiting indefinitely?"

The Grand General waved his hand, "Of course we won't wait forever; the intelligence just received already eases my mind. If by noon today no scout returns, we will launch an attack on Xi Tun Guan."

His words hung in the air.

Outside the camp, a rapid Horn sounded suddenly.

General Zheng Xuan and the Deputy Generals' faces changed abruptly, and they sprang to their feet.

"What's happening?!" the General roared, "Without any reason, why has the alarm for an enemy attack sounded?!"

"General! It's bad, General!" a soldier scrambled in, falling to the ground, "A large force of Xuan Guo troops… is marching toward us! They've already reached outside our city walls… less than five li away!"

The commanders were greatly shocked.

How could this be possible?

Earlier, several vanguard units had been dispatched, each with at least four to five thousand men, and the largest approaching ten thousand troops!

In addition, a few hundred Scouts were coordinating with them.

Even if they ran into trouble, there should still be at least someone who returned early to report, right?

Did the Xuan Guo army wipe them all out? Not a single one escaped?

Even so, scouts and hidden sentries had been stationed outside Huangsha Pass.

Even if Xuan Guo sent troops marching straight here, it would be impossible to silently eliminate all those Scouts and hidden sentries!

Why would they wait until Xuan Guo troops were at the city gates before we discovered it?!

Therefore, this is absolutely impossible!

Not even an Immortal could make this happen!

General Zheng Xuan seized the reporting soldier, grabbed his collar, and shouted angrily, "Who is falsifying the military report! Aren't you afraid I'll have you beheaded?!"

The soldier trembled wildly, shaking all over, "G‑General… no one falsified the report… it's true… Xuan Guo's troops really came! If you don't believe, please go see for yourself!"

The General's anger was uncontainable, but seeing that the soldier didn't seem to be fabricating, although he thought such an absurd situation impossible even to the point of death, there was no other recourse but to go and see.

"Let's go!" he put on his helmet, leading the Deputy Generals out of the camp.

On the way to the city wall, he kept encountering soldiers continuously reporting the situation.

It wasn't until a soldier brought the bodies of the Scouts and hidden sentries from outside Huangsha Pass before him that he realized the gravity of the problem.

Several corpses lay peacefully, each killed by a lethal arrow piercing the throat.

Clearly they were slain without any awareness.

Even those near Huangsha Pass died so swiftly; thus the previously dispatched vanguard troops and Scouts must have been annihilated long ago.

This is precisely why the presence of Xuan Guo's army at the city gates was only discovered inside Huangsha Pass.

"General… how… did the Xuan Guo enemy achieve this?" a Deputy General asked, looking at the corpses at his feet, his spine chilling.

One must know that the hidden sentries placed outside Huangsha Pass are extremely concealed.

Including the Scouts who roamed flexibly near Huangsha Pass, constantly watching the wind and grass, all are masters adept at hiding themselves according to the environment.

How did Xuan Guo's troops manage to locate them in such a short time and eliminate them without their noticing?

General Zheng Xuan racked his brain but could not figure out any reason.

Even with his decades of battlefield experience, he could not provide a reasonable explanation.

Seeing the General's grim expression, he fell silent.

Another Deputy General crouched, carefully inspecting the sentry's wounds while analyzing, "In my humble opinion, unless a group of masters comparable to Immortals exists within the Xuan Guo army, soaring on clouds and mist to the heights, only then could they overlook the ground and locate the hidden sentries…"

"Masters comparable to Immortals?" General Zheng Xuan snorted coldly, "That's even more impossible! In this world there are no cultivators skilled enough to fly continuously in the sky! Let alone a group… Your view is indeed foolish!"

The rebuked Deputy General dared not speak further.

He even thought the speculation was pure nonsense.

"Huh? This lethal arrow… so unique!" a soldier pulled the weapon from the corpse's throat, "General, look at its shape, its material… never seen before!"

General Zheng Xuan took the arrow, his brows instantly tightening.

The arrow was only a few inches long, exceedingly compact, heavy in the hand, its weight substantial, and its material far surpassed any exquisite ironware Da Yu could forge.

Its tip was razor‑sharp, emitting a silvery cold glint.

The arrow's fletching wasn't made of feathers; its material was indiscernible, feeling tougher than feather.

The Deputy Generals debated, "How can such a short arrow be launched from a bow?"

"Could it be that there truly are masters comparable to Immortals, soaring on clouds and mist to find our hidden sentries, then simply throwing the arrow by hand…"

"Sss… makes sense! Such a short arrow, regardless of material or craftsmanship, even our best Da Yu artisans couldn't produce it; perhaps it isn't a master comparable to an Immortal, but an actual Immortal! Hence the appearance of such a Divine Weapon!"

The Deputy Generals grew increasingly exaggerated, stirring an unfamiliar dread within the General.

"Silence! Stop saying that!" the General hurled the arrow onto the ground, glared, and roared, "If you dare to spread alarmist rumors and disturb morale again, I'll chop off your heads!"

"General! The enemy has reached the city gate, but they haven't attacked; they say they want to talk with you!" a soldier sprinted in to report.

General Zheng Xuan said nothing, heading straight for the wall tower.

Then, peeking out from the watchtower, he looked down and saw, a few hundred meters away, roughly several thousand Xuan Guo soldiers clad in black armor, mounted on warhorses.

Behind those Xuan Guo troops, a kilometer away, stretched an endless column of army.

"General Yu, stop hiding, I see you!" a shout rang from outside the wall.

General Zheng Xuan was stunned, looking left and right in surprise.

He was clearly on the high platform, only briefly peeking through the watchtower's opening; why was he spotted by the other side?

"Stop looking around aimlessly," the voice called again, "I really want to have a proper talk with you!"

General Zheng Xuan straightened his back and stepped onto the wall.

The guard squad, shields in hand, stood nearby, vigilantly watching the scene below.

"Do you know me?" General Zheng Xuan stared straight at the Xuan Guo soldier who had just shouted, "Who are you?"

"General Yu is the Yu Guo King's most relied‑upon General; how could I not know? I am Duan Wu, the General commanding troops at Daxuan Xi Tun Pass."

"Duan Wu? I've never heard of him."

General Yu, seeing that this so‑called Xi Tun Pass General was only about twenty years old, displayed a contemptuous look.

"Are you Xuan Guo lacking any reliable veteran generals? You actually sent a youngster like you to command troops, trying to block my Da Yu campaign—how laughable!"

Duan Wu wasn't angry at all, his face smiling as he responded aloud:

"General Yu, you're mistaken. I'm not here to block your so‑called campaign; I want to give you a chance. You and your soldiers need not waste lives on a war you cannot possibly win, so you might as well simply surrender and submit to Daxuan. Then I can quickly report back to my His Majesty. That would save everyone trouble. What do you think?"