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“What? The Great Wei army is attacking?”
“That must be a false rumor!”
The Great Wei is so far away; how could their army reach Zhangye?
The Hu Jie soldiers guarding the city were in a panic.
“Open the gates at once! I must report to the king that the Wei army is here!” Zhuo Yang shouted with all his might.
Seeing that the approaching troops were indeed their own Hu Jie soldiers, the guards dared not delay and opened the gates.
Zhuo Yang led a few hundred battered soldiers into Shangdang City.
“Wait here for me. I’ll go report to the palace first!” Zhuo Yang left his troops and ran towards the royal palace.
He ran in a state of panic all the way to the palace.
Shangdang City, the capital of the Hu Kingdom, looked dilapidated. The streets were lined with low, shabby houses and were far from prosperous.
There were few people on the streets, and those who were there hurried along with expressions of fear and numbness.
The entire land of Zhangye had been ravaged beyond recognition by the Hu Jie.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!” Zhuo Yang shouted as he burst into the palace.
Amo Zhi, who was drinking and making merry, felt his mood sour instantly upon hearing the commotion and became furious.
“Who dares to shout in the palace? Are you seeking death?”
“Your Majesty, the Wei army is attacking!” Zhuo Yang continued to shout.
Amo Zhi slapped him in anger, and the True Qi-formed palm print instantly struck Zhuo Yang’s face, sending him flying.
The other generals and ministers paused with their wine cups in hand upon hearing that the Great Wei was attacking.
“Ouch!”
Zhuo Yang crawled up from the ground, his face swollen on one side, and knelt down.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!”
“What did you just say?” Amo Zhi stared at Zhuo Yang with a deadly gaze.
Cold sweat streamed down Zhuo Yang’s face. This king was known for his bloodthirsty and ruthless nature, and any slight mistake could lead to death.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, the Great Wei army is attacking. King Yan is dead, and out of our hundred thousand Hu Jie soldiers, only a few hundred of us managed to escape to bring the news.” Zhuo Yang hurriedly explained.
“How dare they! The Great Wei, whom I haven’t even provoked, dares to invade the River West grasslands and attack our Hu Kingdom.” Amo Zhi’s eyes widened in fury.
“How many troops does the Great Wei have?” Amo Zhi demanded angrily.
“Your Majesty, I don’t know.” Zhuo Yang’s cold sweat continued to flow.
“Who is leading the Great Wei army?” Amo Zhi pressed on.
“I… I don’t know.” Zhuo Yang’s head was almost buried in the ground.
He could feel Amo Zhi’s imminent explosion of anger.
“Useless! You don’t know this, you don’t know that. What’s the point of you coming back alive?” Amo Zhi slapped Zhuo Yang to death in his rage.
In his dying moment, Zhuo Yang regretted coming back. He should have fled to the highlands.
But there was no “if” and no turning back!
After killing Zhuo Yang with a slap, Amo Zhi’s eyes were filled with murderous intent. The women in the hall, who had been forcibly taken, trembled in fear, not daring to breathe loudly.
“Your Majesty, let’s mobilize our troops and kill the Wei army. Let’s invade the River West grasslands!” a general stood up and shouted.
“Yes, Your Majesty, let’s mobilize and annihilate the Wei army. Let them see that our Hu Jie army is not to be trifled with.” The Hu Jie generals clamored loudly for war against the Wei army.
“It’s just the Wei people. Our Hu Jie warriors won’t fear them.”
“All soldiers, listen to my command. Lead the army and follow me to meet the Wei army.” Amo Zhi declared boldly.
“Yes, Your Majesty!!”
……
In Acai Town, Calvin Yang left a battalion of two thousand men to guard the place and then led the main army back to Qi Yang City.
Upon returning, Qin Lin reported to Oliver Sheng.
“General, I am incompetent. I failed to annihilate the enemy completely, allowing their general to escape with a few hundred cavalry and leak the news of our attack on Zhangye. Please punish me.”
Oliver waved his hand and smiled, “No matter. Let it leak. I never intended to keep it a secret.”
Now, with River West in their hands, the army would advance openly and crush everything in their path.
Seeing that Oliver had no intention of blaming him, Qin Lin breathed a sigh of relief.
The army rested for two days before continuing their westward march.
Meanwhile, the news of the Great Wei Heavenly Army’s campaign against the Hu Jie spread throughout Zhangye.
Upon hearing this, the people of Zhangye were initially overjoyed but soon became worried.
What if the Great Wei army, like the Hu Jie, oppressed them?
The wolf is dead, but the tiger has come. That’s truly terrifying.
Soon, a message spread throughout Zhangye.
It was said that the Great Wei was campaigning against Zhangye to save its people, and that the people of Zhangye would enjoy the same treatment as the common people of Great Wei, free from oppression.
At first, no one believed it, but as more people spread the word, some began to believe.
They had suffered under the Hu Jie for so long that they desperately hoped for a savior to rescue them.
As the message spread, some began to shout, “Destroy the Hu Jie, welcome the royal army!”
“Destroy the Hu Jie, welcome the royal army!!”
Clearly, this was orchestrated by Oliver Sheng, who had sent Zane Wang to stir up hatred and gain the people’s support.
This would make it easier for Great Wei to govern Zhangye once it was conquered.
As Zane Wang and his men continued to spread the word across Zhangye, proclaiming that the Wei army was there to liberate the people from the Hu Jie, the people began to lose their fear of the Great Wei army.
Seeing this change, Oliver Sheng knew that his plan had succeeded.
As long as the army occupied Zhangye without oppressing or slaughtering its people, it would be easy to incorporate the region into Great Wei’s territory.
“Oliver, your plan is brilliant. Once we conquer Zhangye, it will be much easier to govern.” Calvin Yang couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
In towns not occupied by the Hu Jie army, the people of Zhangye began to welcome the Wei army.
“Indeed. The Hu Jie have ravaged Zhangye so badly that the people can no longer survive. Now that we give them hope, they will gradually accept us.” Oliver Sheng smiled.
“With this expansion, your reputation will soar once the news reaches home.” Calvin Yang remarked.
“Reputation is but a fleeting thing, not worth mentioning.” Oliver Sheng didn’t care much.
What he cared about was his Kill Points.
“Perhaps after this battle, Uncle, you too will become famous.”
“Me? I’m just riding on your coattails.” Calvin Yang laughed and shook his head.
Even with his Grandmaster-level cultivation, he couldn’t have taken Zhangye with twenty thousand troops.
In this world, Daoist Yang Spirits stood high above, overlooking the changes of the world, while martial artists wielded weapons and fought for supremacy. Martial arts were paramount.
Without absolute strength, having a large army was meaningless.
The army marched with grandeur and might, a powerful force traversing the land.
Oliver Sheng wasn’t in a hurry. Defeating the Hu Jie army wasn’t urgent. Killing a Great Grandmaster martial artist was as easy as crushing him with a finger.
He wanted the people of Zhangye to witness the might of the Great Wei Heavenly Army.
To engrave this awe deeply into their hearts.
“Welcome the royal army, defeat the Hu Jie!!”
As the army marched, a disheveled man in black clothing suddenly stepped out and shouted.
If one listened closely, the accent was somewhat off.
But the atmosphere quickly caught on.
Many people of Zhangye began to shout as well.
“Welcome the royal army, defeat the Hu Jie!!”
“Welcome the royal army, defeat the Hu Jie!!”
……
Seeing this, Wesley Hu, Harrison Zhou, Felix Wu, and Xiao Chuyi felt a surge of something called a sense of mission.
To defeat the Hu Jie and save Zhangye!!
This war suddenly became righteous and noble.
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