Chapter 192: Dark clouds loom over the city, which is on the brink of collapse

With Si XiaoFei's order issued, the Da Qian court immediately became busy.

Civil officials urgently drafted edicts to issue orders, while military officers hurriedly began to mobilize troops and assign commanders.

The entire Qian Capital was shrouded in a tense yet orderly atmosphere.

At the same time, Gu Changqing in Qian Prefecture also received the emperor's edict.

He immediately summoned his subordinates to discuss strategies and strengthened the defenses and troop training of Qian Prefecture.

Gu Changqing knew that although Yan Wang's rebellion was fierce, the strength of the Da Qian dynasty should not be underestimated.

As the 300,000 troops drawn from the southern front returned to reinforce Qian Prefecture in succession.

The strength of the Da Qian dynasty was further enhanced.

This also made Si XiaoFei and the senior officials of the court more confident in suppressing the rebellion.

However, Yan Wang did not sit idly waiting for defeat.

Upon learning that the Da Qian dynasty had recalled troops from the south to reinforce Qian Prefecture,

He immediately adjusted his strategic deployment.

He strengthened the training and equipment updates of the Red Imperial Army and the Flaming Qilin Guard.

He also sent many spies to infiltrate Qian Prefecture to gather military intelligence.

Both sides were tense in preparing for the impending war.

The entire Qian Prefecture region was shrouded in an austere and tense atmosphere.

At the same time, the situation was as tense as a drawn bow in the Da Qian Central Region.

The Cangzhou Army stationed in the Qi Zhou Mountains, under Li Jing's leadership, also faced a critical moment.

It had been several months since Su Ye left this army.

In the depths of the Qi Zhou Mountains, Li Jing stood on high ground, his gaze like a torch as he overlooked the Cangzhou Army below.

Behind him, Qin Qiong and Bai Hu, among the commanders, followed closely.

This Cangzhou Army had also been fighting in these mountains for several months.

During this time, Li Jing led Qin Qiong, Bai Hu, and others.

He led the force of over 200,000 troops that had remained stationed in the Qi Zhou Mountains.

They attacked stronghold after stronghold, each battle a hard clash.

The terrain of the Qi Zhou Mountains is rugged, with many strongholds.

But the Cangzhou Army was not intimidated.

Instead, it repeatedly broke through the enemy's defenses.

Now, looking out, more than half of the strongholds in the Qi Zhou Mountains fly the banner of the Cangzhou Army.

Facing the combination of Li Jing, a Saint Rank Commander-in-Chief, and Bai Hu, a 110-day Divine General,

Even if the Qi Zhou troops had made up their minds,

just staying withdrawn like a turtle would be of no avail.

The gap between the garrison troops of those strongholds and the Saint Rank Commander-in-Chief was too obvious.

When Li Jing commanded the siege,

They simply could not keep up with Li Jing's command tempo.

Although they had made thorough preparations, whenever facing Li Jing's command, they always felt their thoughts were being led by him.

They wanted to resist, but had no way to start.

In the end, they could only watch helplessly as the advantage gradually shifted toward Li Jing's Cangzhou Army.

They had no choice but to reluctantly choose to surrender after the city fell.

Over the months, Li Jing had neither displayed any earth-shattering military achievements nor spoken any boastful words.

Yet he proved his strength through concrete actions.

He advanced steadily, step by step.

Although the speed appeared slow,

in reality he was gradually consuming the effective forces of the Qi Zhou side.

Those garrison troops originally thought they could rely on natural defenses and numerical superiority to contend with Li Jing for a while.

But faced with Li Jing's various tactics of besieging without killing and striking at points to relieve allies,

these Qi Zhou troops had absolutely no capacity to retaliate.

Li Jing was like a skilled chess player.

He could always accurately find the opponent's weakness and deliver a fatal blow.

while those garrison troops were like pieces on a chessboard, played by Li Jing in the palm of his hand.

Li Jing well knew that the advantage of the Qi Zhou troops lay in terrain and numbers.

Therefore he did not choose a head‑on clash.

but instead adopted various clever tactics to wear down the effective forces of the Qi Zhou troops.

He was adept at using tactics such as besieging without killing and striking at points to relieve allies, defeating the Qi Zhou troops one by one.

Whenever the Qi Zhou troops attempted to break out or seek aid,

Li Jing could always accurately anticipate their intentions.

and would set up ambushes and traps, causing the Qi Zhou troops to suffer heavy losses.

The use of this tactic inevitably caused the morale of the Qi Zhou troops to plummet.

Furthermore, it made them gradually lose the initiative in battle.

They began to become passively beaten, unable to effectively organize an effective counterattack.

And the Cangzhou Great Army, under Li Jing's command, grew braver with each battle.

They gradually seized the initiative on the battlefield.

After months of fierce fighting, the Qi Zhou Army's strength had been weakened to the extreme.

Their numbers plummeted, morale sank, and combat power dropped sharply.

At the same time, the Cangzhou Great Army, under Li Jing's leadership, continually grew stronger.

Through combat and training, they gradually forged a strong unit.

In both tactical application and combat power, they had far surpassed the Qi Zhou Army.

Therefore, although many passes within the Qi Zhou Mountains remained in the Qi Zhou Army's hands,

But now the Qi Zhou Army's overall strength.

Compared to when it first began.

It had only one-tenth or one-twelfth of its original strength.

Other armies.

Were all within Li Jing's various methods.

Having been completely exhausted by him.

Now the Cangzhou Great Army only needs to breach the last majestic pass within the Qi Zhou Mountains.

Afterwards, the battlefield in Qi Zhou would be wide open.

Basically, we could start a countdown to Qi Zhou's destruction.

Now the Cangzhou Great Army is unstoppable, like a bamboo splitter.

They have broken through countless passes within the Qi Zhou Mountains all the way.

Now they only need to breach the final majestic pass to fully open the gates of Qi Zhou.

Letting the scales of victory in the war tip completely toward their side.

For Qi Zhou, this majestic pass is their last line of defense.

And it is the key to their survival or demise.

Once lost, the ensuing battlefield will be wide open, with no natural barriers left to defend.

Basically, we could start a countdown to Qi Zhou's destruction.

This majestic pass is called the Soul-Cutting Pass, located at the summit of a steep mountain range, named for its treacherous terrain.

Legend says countless warriors lost their lives here.

Their heroic spirits seem to still wander among these perilous mountains.

Adding a touch of mystery and terror to this pass.

Whenever night falls, the mountain winds howl.

It seems one can still hear those warriors' wails and roars, chilling to the bone.

However, for Li Jing and the Cangzhou Great Army.

this Soul-Cutting Pass is nevertheless the final obstacle on their path to victory.

As long as they breach this pass, they can fully open the road to Qi Zhou.

Making the victory of this campaign a settled matter.

Therefore, even at any cost.

they must capture this pass.

Li Jing stood tall on the high ground, with hundreds of thousands of the Cangzhou Great Army behind him.

They surged like a tumultuous black sea, heaven-covering and earth-covering, toward the Soul-Cutting Pass.

Dark clouds press upon the city, the city about to crumble!

From afar, the Soul-Cutting Pass stands tall on the summit of the steep mountain range.

Like a solitary fortress, it silently awaits the impending storm.

And Li Jing and his army are the creators of that storm.

Making the originally tranquil valley fill with a killing aura.

The air seems to be permeated with a strong scent of iron and blood.

(End of chapter)