#1060 - Catch the leader first

Changling Pass, this is a fortress city in the northern part of Da Gan.

Compared to the border city, its natural defenses are somewhat lacking, and the geographical defense environment can only be considered勉强 (miǎnqiǎng -勉强 in this context means barely adequate, passable), but the city is very large and is one of the main routes for Da Gan's troop deployment.

This city has always been guarded by the Emperor's army. There are millions of troops in and around the city, making it a heavily guarded area.

The Emperor has put a lot of effort into this, because he deeply understands the importance of the major passes and cities, and has amassed heavy troops, so that Prince Ning has been unable to incorporate these key passes into his possession.

Jun Wuxie arrived outside Changling Pass and looked at this great city from afar. It was even larger than Qingyun City, and very lively and prosperous.

Outside the city, military camps were built all around the area, with heavy troops stationed, forming a solid defense.

There are also a large number of符甲军 (Fú jiǎ jūn - rune-armored troops) in the city.

This city pass is like steel and iron walls, no wonder the reinforcements Prince Ning dispatched in this direction cannot get through.

Before long, he saw endless military tents in an area more than a hundred miles away from Changling Pass.

That was a temporary military camp, occupying a large area of the plain.

Jun Wuxie put away Lan Lan and came to the front of the military camp with Xu Yan'ning.

"Who goes there? This is an important military area, leave immediately!"

They were still hundreds of meters away from the military camp when the sentry soldiers saw them and issued a warning from afar.

At the same time, dozens of riders rushed out of the military camp and stopped them in an instant, "This is an important military area, leave immediately, otherwise you will be treated as spies, don't blame us!"

These rune-armored cavalrymen issued a warning. The pair of men and women in front of them had an extraordinary temperament and should have some background. They didn't know what they were doing here.

However, since they dared to approach so blatantly, they probably weren't spies from the Crown Prince's side.

"I want to see your commander-in-chief."

Jun Wuxie took out Prince Ning's tiger tally. When the rune-armored cavalrymen saw it, their pupils shrank violently, and a look of horror appeared in their eyes.

They hurriedly dismounted, knelt on the ground, lowered their heads, and said铿锵 (kēngqiāng -铿锵 means resounding, sonorous)ly, "I didn't know that the lord had arrived, please forgive us!"

"Get up."

Jun Wuxie waved his hand, and a gentle force lifted all the rune-armored cavalrymen up.

He stepped towards the military camp, with Xu Yan'ning following closely behind.

The rune-armored cavalrymen reacted and quickly followed.

When they arrived inside the military camp, the rune-armored cavalrymen immediately informed a general. The general's face changed drastically, and he ordered someone to immediately report the news to the commander-in-chief, while he himself hurried towards the lord who was carrying Prince Ning's tiger tally.

Prince Ning's tiger tally, that was something he never left his body, it represented the highest military power controlled by Prince Ning.

Prince Ning actually gave such a thing to a young man.

From this, it could be imagined how much Prince Ning valued and trusted this lord. There must be no negligence, otherwise the consequences would be serious.

In the central military tent, a burly man in armor strode out, followed by a group of senior generals.

"Welcome, lord! Forgive us for not coming out to greet you!"

The commander-in-chief stepped forward, bowed and clasped his fists, but couldn't help but secretly size up the young man in front of him.

So young, yet he could hold Prince Ning's tiger tally!

"No need to be polite." Jun Wuxie looked at these generals and said, "I have only one purpose in coming here this time, and that is to open up Changling Pass for you and支援 (zhīyuán - 支援 means to assist, reinforce) the border city. The situation in the border city is not optimistic now. Although the border army is brave, they have suffered heavy losses in the face of an Wu'an army several times their size. Whether the border city can be defended in the end depends on whether your reinforcements can go to aid.

"Lord, we understand what you said. We have been trapped here for half a year, and we have tried all kinds of methods, but we cannot pass through this Changling Pass. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has issued a death order to block us here. He is determined to exhaust the three million border soldiers, regardless of the safety of the mountains, rivers, and cities!"

"The Crown Prince's actions are losing the bottom line! No matter how you fight, you should not sacrifice Da Gan's territory. How is this different from supporting foreign enemies?"

"We are also holding back a lot of anger now. Every time we hear the news from the border city, every time we hear the casualty numbers of the border army brothers, we feel very uncomfortable, but we can only watch helplessly and have no way to do anything. Our two million troops cannot pass through at all. There is no hope for a strong attack, we will only be耗死 (hàosǐ -耗死 means to be exhausted to death) in Changling Pass for nothing!"

"I wonder if the lord has come up with any way to do this?"

"Don't worry, now you start to gather the army and prepare to set off as soon as possible. When I return here again, it will be time to pass through Changling Pass!"

Jun Wuxie didn't say what he was going to do. He left Xu Yan'ning in the military camp, and he quickly left.

The commander-in-chief gave the order, and then led the senior generals around him to stand at the entrance of the military camp, looking towards Changling Pass in the distance.

The gate of the pass there, like a black behemoth, stood tall, blocking their way and trapping them here for a full half a year.

Fortunately, when we came out, we brought enough logistics materials for several years, otherwise we really couldn't stand it going on like this.

"Miss, we still don't know how to address you, and what is that lord's name?"

The commander-in-chief looked embarrassed. The lord came and talked about business, and turned around and left after giving instructions, so they didn't have the opportunity to ask his name.

"My surname is Xu, as for him, his name is Yue Wuxie."

"Yue Wuxie, Yue..."

The commander-in-chief and the other generals念着 (niànzhe -念着 means reciting, murmuring) this name, and suddenly a look of shock appeared on their faces: "So it's him!"

The name Yue Wuxie is not unfamiliar. Throughout Da Gan, his reputation is炽盛 (chìshèng -炽盛 means flourishing, blazing), and he can be called a legendary figure known to every household.

The one who broke the shackles of ancient trials in Guān Xīng City, ascended to the top floor of the Trial Tower, and was recognized by the Trial Tower as its master!

Later, he went to the Imperial City,闹得 (nàodé -闹得 means to cause a disturbance) the Royal Academy鸡飞狗跳 (jīfēigǒutiào -鸡飞狗跳 means to be in a state of chaos and turmoil),强势 (qiángshì -强势 means forcefully) beat his way from the inner courtyard to the elite courtyard, and finally made the dean and others跪着求着 (guìzheqiúzhe -跪着求着 means kneeling and begging) to send him out of the academy!

They didn't expect it to be a legendary figure!

......

In the mountains outside Changling City, Jun Wuxie used the Little Void Technique to hide his figure, and then quietly went towards Changling City.

This city is magnificent and majestic, and the city walls are tall and thick, giving people a heavy sense of oppression.

The buildings in the city are lined up one after another, the wide streets extend in all directions, the streets are crowded with people, it is very lively, and you can hear the hawkers' shouts everywhere, with a very strong atmosphere of worldly life.

After Jun Wuxie entered the city, he went all the way to the City Lord's Mansion.

The main general of the garrison in the city is the City Lord of Changling Pass, who is not only the City Lord, but also a general in the army.

擒贼先擒王 (qínzéixiānqínwáng -擒贼先擒王 means to catch the ringleader first in order to defeat the enemy), this is Jun Wuxie's strategy this time.

Time is tight, and there is no way to achieve it by other means.

If you want the army to pass through Changling Pass smoothly in a short time, this is the only way to do it.

The City Lord's Mansion is built very impressively, and the security is very strict.

Obviously, in the current situation, the commander-in-chief of Changling also knows that Prince Ning's army cannot get through, and may have the intention of assassination.

In fact, they did try this, but they all ended in failure.

Jun Wuxie cautiously感知 (gǎnzhī -感知 means to perceive) with his spiritual thoughts, and感知 (gǎnzhī -感知 means to perceive) three very powerful auras in the City Lord's Mansion.

According to the strong people he has come into contact with, that should be three strong people in the Half-Step Overlord Saint realm.

These three people are all in the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion at this time.

Jun Wuxie watched from afar, cautiously approaching.

They seem to be talking about something.

Three Half-Step Overlord Saints, the middle-aged man above is wearing armor and has a majestic appearance. At this time, he is looking at the talisman in his hand. The other two are sitting at the lower positions of the table, and they are not wearing military armor.

Judging from the clothes on their bodies, Jun Wuxie推测 (tuīcè -推测 means to infer, speculate) their identities. They should be strong people from the Royal Academy, because that is the style of clothing of the high-level officials of the Royal Academy.

Obviously, these two are mostly sent by the Crown Prince to protect the commander-in-chief, to prevent him from being assassinated by Prince Ning's people.

"City Lord, what is the news?"

The strong man from the Royal Academy asked.

"Two young men and women went to the military camp of Prince Ning's援军 (yuánjūn -援军 means reinforcement), but I don't know where they came from."

The City Lord gave them the talisman.

The two took a look, revealing a strange color, and then laughed dumbly, "Just two young people, no matter why they came, it will not have any meaning, their援军 (yuánjūn -援军 means reinforcement) cannot get through. Well, Prince Ning's border army has now suffered more than half of its casualties. In a few months, the Crown Prince's goal will be achieved."

The City Lord nodded, and then revealed a思忖 (sīcǔn -思忖 means to ponder, contemplate) look, and said: "You two, do you know the Crown Prince's subsequent plans? What should happen after Prince Ning's border army is destroyed? What about the border city? Should we go to the border city to resist the Wu'an army at that time?"

"The Crown Prince has already planned for the follow-up matters. If the border city falls, and the Wu'an army enters Da Gan's territory, the first person to be threatened is Prince Ning, because the cities connected to the border city are mostly under his rule. At that time, we will release the passes and let Prince Ning调兵 (diàobīng -调兵 means to deploy troops) to fight against the Wu'an army. In this way, we can greatly消耗 (xiāohào -消耗 means to consume, deplete) Prince Ning's strength, and also severely damage the Wu'an army. A stone kills two birds, two birds with one stone, the Crown Prince only needs to reap the benefits of the渔翁 (yúwēng -渔翁 means fisherman)."

"This strategy sounds very perfect..."

Changling Pass City Lord's eyes凝 (níng -凝 means to congeal, concentrate)ed, the following words were not said.

The plan sounds very perfect, but the前提 (qiántí -前提 means prerequisite, premise) is that the Wu'an army must be guaranteed to be controllable.

According to the current situation, the Wu'an army is no longer the Wu'an army it used to be. They are obviously much stronger than before.

Da Gan's army, Prince Ning and the Emperor combined are the complete Da Gan force.

The Crown Prince's plan is to分割 (fēngē -分割 means to split, divide) the whole and use half to fight against the entire Wu'an.

At that time, I am afraid that Wu'an will not be severely damaged, Prince Ning will be completely defeated, and large tracts of land will fall.

At that time, Wu'an will take the occupied cities as strongholds and吞噬 (tūnshì -吞噬 means to swallow, engulf) Da Gan's territory step by step.

If that is the case, Da Gan will face the disaster of national亡国 (wángguó -亡国 means subjugation)!

Although he was very worried, he knew he couldn't say it.

He knew very well how eager and crazy the Crown Prince was to deal with Prince Ning.

Therefore, the crown prince absolutely cannot tolerate anyone questioning him on this matter. Expressing one's own views could lead to utter destruction.

At this moment, Jun Wuxie had already infiltrated very close to the City Lord's Mansion's main hall.

Having arrived here, he slowed his speed to the slowest possible pace.

Inside were three Half-step Overlords, whose senses were very sharp.

However, the three of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts at this time, and their minds were not focused, so their senses were more or less affected.

Jun Wuxie took the opportunity to step over the threshold of the main hall and entered the hall, immediately ceasing all movement.

"Lanlan, prepare for the Descent of Darkness!"

Jun Wuxie secretly instructed Lanlan, while also issuing an order to the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King.

Having made these preparations, he, who was hidden in the air, slammed the doors of the main hall shut with a loud bang.

The three powerhouses abruptly stared towards the entrance, reaching out to grab at it directly.

At the same time, Lanlan appeared. Fully charged and ready, its eyes flashed with exploding runes, and a vast expanse of white light surged forth.

The City Lord of Changling Pass and the two powerhouses from the Royal Academy hadn't even seen what was happening when they felt a darkness before their eyes. All senses disappeared without a trace, and they could no longer move. Their hands, which had been reaching out to attack, fell limply.

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King rushed forward, instantly sealing the true energy within the bodies of the three great powerhouses, rendering them unable to use it.

After completing these actions, Jun Wuxie retrieved Lanlan and the Beast King back into his body.

The three powerhouses also regained their senses at this time. Looking at the youth before them, the City Lord of Changling Pass didn't recognize him, but the powerhouses from the Royal Academy were different.

"It's you! It's actually you!"

They were incredibly furious, trembling with rage, their eyes bursting with killing intent, and they instantly charged over.

Having charged out not far, they all froze in place.

Why was it different from what they had expected?

At such a close distance, they should have instantly rushed in front of him and suppressed the detestable brat, but they discovered that the true energy within their bodies was actually unable to circulate and had been sealed.

"How could this be?"

They couldn't accept it. Could it be that they were sealed when they lost their senses just now?

But this brat, his realm is so low, how could he possibly seal them, Half-step Overlords like them?

They only remembered seeing a blue light at the time. Could it be because of that blue light?

"That's right, it's me."

Jun Wuxie stepped forward and lifted up the two powerhouses as if they were chicks, and no matter how much they struggled, it was to no avail.

Without true energy, relying solely on the power of their physical bodies, although Half-step Overlords have very strong physical bodies, they were not enough to withstand Jun Wuxie, and were easily manipulated.

"Little bastard, you are extremely detestable! Release us, quickly undo our seal, otherwise you won't be able to bear the wrath of the Royal Academy!"

They threatened fiercely, feeling extremely humiliated in their hearts.

Back then, this brat was extremely arrogant in the Royal Academy, relying on the Emperor's decree to actually make the Dean and others kneel down in public to see him off.

Now, this brat has run here again and is even attacking them. Is he trying to rebel!

"You are really tired of living, daring to clamor like fish on a chopping board."

Jun Wuxie didn't humor them and directly gave them two big slaps, fiercely striking the faces of the two old men, causing their faces to swell high, revealing clear palm prints, blood overflowing from the corners of their mouths, and even knocking out their back molars.

"You!!"

The eyes of the two powerhouses were filled with bloodshot veins, and the feeling of humiliation was like ten thousand ants gnawing at their hearts.

But they didn't dare to retort anymore, because they were afraid of suffering even stronger means of humiliation, which would only make them even more painful.

The City Lord of Changling Pass stared blankly at the scene before him. Until this moment, he still hadn't figured out the identity of this youth. Who exactly was he?

A youth in the Saint King Realm actually subdued the three of them, Half-step Overlords. Saying this out loud would be like a fantasy, and no one would dare to believe it.

Half-step Overlord, Saint King, the gap between the two cannot be measured by reason, separated by endless distances, and not on the same level at all.

To capsize the boat like this is simply a great shame and humiliation.

"Who exactly are you, sir? Why are you doing this? Do you know that this is Changling Pass, and there are millions of Symbol-Armored Troops in the city? Have you thought about the consequences of doing this? Can you even leave this city?"

The City Lord of Changling Pass was relatively calm and composed. After all, he was someone who led millions of soldiers and guarded one side, and he had seen many storms.

"Who I am is not important. You should be clear about the purpose of my coming here. Now, the border city is in imminent danger, but you are helping the evildoers, following the crown prince to help the Wu'an army occupy the rivers and mountains of your own motherland! Are people like you worthy of being generals in the army? Are you worthy of the battle armor on your body? Are you worthy of the oath you took when you joined the army? You bastard!"

The facial muscles of the City Lord of Changling Pass twisted, his mouth twitched, and his eyes were filled with anger and shame.

Yes, he knew that doing this was wrong, but as the Emperor's army, what choice did he have?

"You want to stop the army from rescuing the border city, wishful thinking. That kind of foolish and mediocre talent, the crown prince, is not worthy of becoming the ruler of a country. Sooner or later, I will chop off his head, but for now, let it grow on his head for a while."

After Jun Wuxie finished speaking, his Sleeve Universe unfolded, instantly sucking the three powerhouses into it.

Then, he disappeared into the void, quietly leaving the City Lord's Mansion, leaving the city of Changling Pass, and sneaking into the military camps surrounding the city.