To reach Hangu Pass, one must pass through a vast mountain range, with only a single, arrow-straight imperial highway connecting to the outside.
During this time, numerous army corps marched along the imperial highway: local garrisons, regular armies, and the army corps of the eight Princes...
"A hundred thousand years ago, before the Qin Dynasty was established, this place was a paradise for magical beasts. To protect the people from harassment by the beasts, our Great Ancestor dispatched a strong army. They fought for a millennium, slaughtering billions of beasts to ensure peace within our borders!"
"For tens of thousands of years thereafter, successive Qin Emperors continuously transformed this region—moving mountains, creating paths, constructing this Qin Straight Road, and establishing Hangu Pass at its end to defend against all armies under heaven!"
A small contingent marched along the imperial highway, led by Qin Wudao. Gazing at this ancient road, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
Time had proven their ancestors' decision correct.
This Qin Straight Road is like a sharp sword hanging over the heads of the Six Kingdoms. Countless battle-hardened Qin troops can march out from it at any moment to attack the Six Kingdoms.
And Hangu Pass at its end is like a shield, protecting the Qin Dynasty, keeping the troops of the Six Kingdoms at bay. For tens of thousands of years, the smoke of war has never permeated the Qin Empire's interior.
"Your Highness," Jia Xu, riding a black horse beside Qin Wudao, said, a hint of worry on his face as he read the fresh intelligence from the Hidden Guard, "the Hidden Guard reports that the situation at Hangu Pass is dire. If not for Great General Wang Jian holding the line, it likely would have fallen long ago. We must reach the battlefield as soonably as possible!"
This battle will reshape the East Ancient Domain.
If the Six Kingdoms win, the Qin Country will fall.
If the Qin Country wins, it can seize the momentum to conquer the Six Kingdoms, unify the East Ancient Domain, and intimidate the other domains.
Qin Wudao nodded. His spiritual sense swept out, scanning the surroundings. After confirming there were no outsiders, he mentally commanded the system, "Summon the Qin Iron Cavalry!"
Immediately, a gust of wind swept across the wide Qin Straight Road, kicking up clouds of yellow sand that obscured vision.
RUMBLE!
A deafening thunder of hooves came from the distance, the sound growing louder and more resonant. Merely hearing it was enough to send shivers down one's spine and make the heart pound.
After a few minutes, the yellow sand dissipated.
What appeared before Qin Wudao's eyes was an army stretching for several miles. Cold-faced warriors sat astride warhorses, holding various weapons and emanating a bone-chilling killing intent. Clad in blood-red armor, they resembled a crimson tide about to engulf the world.
The power they exuded showed they had all reached the Innate Realm, making them comparable to the most elite corps of the Qin Empire.
"Qin Iron Cavalry, we greet Your Highness!"
"With our bodies, we shall forge a boundless nation! With our arms, we shall conquer in all directions! With our lives, we shall defend Your Highness!"
Fifty thousand Qin Iron Cavalry roared, right hands placed on their chests in an ancient oath. Their eyes, fixed on Qin Wudao, burned with fanaticism, loyalty, and faith.
They all firmly believed that Qin Wudao would lead them to gallop across the world, expand their territory, and etch the name of the Qin Iron Cavalry into the annals of history, immortalizing them forever.
"Qin Iron Cavalry, march!" Qin Wudao's powerful voice resounded in the soldiers' ears.
BOOM!
A terrifying aura erupted from the Qin Iron Cavalry. Their battle intent pierced the sky, forming columns of blood-red smoke above them. It created the illusion that they were about to slaughter all living beings and drench the world in blood.
Jia Xu beamed. What a formidable iron army! With such a powerful army assisting His Highness, how could their great undertaking not succeed?
Standing at the rear, Yan Yun's Eighteen Cavalrymen silently watched the Qin Iron Cavalry. A closer look would reveal the competitive glint in their eyes, a desire to vie for supremacy.
The great army set out, filled with the conviction of certain victory, galloping along the Qin Straight Road.
...
「Hangu Pass!」
The primary pass of the Qin Dynasty!
The city walls, hundreds of feet high, stretched for tens of miles, blocking the end of the Qin Straight Road. The ramparts, tens of feet thick, were scarred everywhere with weapon marks. Before it lay an endless plain; behind it, towering mountains.
A few miles away, the allied forces of the Six Kingdoms were arrayed in neat formations, comprising over a dozen massive squares. Battle flags stood dense as a forest, and a grim, murderous aura surged to the heavens, scattering the white clouds overhead.
This was their fourth charge.
At the forefront of the army stood a simple, raised platform, upon which the command flags of the Six Kingdoms fluttered in the wind.
Six battle-hardened Generals stared fixedly at Hangu Pass.
Atop the Pass, Great General Wang Jian stood firm as Mount Tai, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword, composed and unperturbed.
Behind him stood eight Princes, their faces eager for action.
Further back stood the Generals of the various army corps, their expressions somewhat grave. They all knew this was a war that would decide the fate of nations.
"Relay my order! Attack the city!" Chu Wuji, commander of the Six Kingdoms' allied forces, raised his right hand and ordered in a resonant voice. Instantly, the banners of the Six Kingdoms were thrust skyward, their tips aimed straight at Hangu Pass.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The soldiers of the Six Kingdoms surged forward, like long-slumbering beasts hunting their prey.
Heavily armored foot soldiers, shields in their left hands and swords in their right, charged under the cover of archers. Accompanying them were various large siege engines.
"Fire arrows!" Wang Jian ordered coldly.
Countless arrows rained down from the city walls, obscuring the sky, striking the soldiers of the Six Kingdoms with irresistible force, their impacts producing harsh, clanging sounds.
Most arrows were blocked by shields, but a small portion found their mark, effortlessly piercing flesh and claiming vibrant lives one after another.
On the battlefield, the dead received no pity. The soldiers behind them simply stepped over the bodies of their comrades, continuing their brutal charge.
Soon, the allied forces of the Six Kingdoms reached Hangu Pass. Various large siege engines battered the city gates. Ladders were propped against the walls one after another, and many Martial Artists from the Six Kingdoms' forces nimbly ascended them, preparing to storm the ramparts.
"Boulders, ready! Release!" a General on the city wall roared, continuously issuing orders to repel wave after wave of the allied assault.
"Eight Princes, lead out your troops!" On the city tower, Wang Jian watched the chaotic battlefield and gave the order firmly.
"As you command!" The eight Princes saluted, gripped their weapons, and descended from the tower.
Behind Hangu Pass, Qin army corps stood in disciplined formations, ready to deploy at a moment's notice. The Six Kingdoms had launched an all-out assault; the defensive advantage of the Pass alone would not be enough to repel their offensive.
Therefore, Wang Jian had formulated a strategy of appropriate defense coupled with proactive counterattacks.
A DEEP GROAN...
The eight city gates slowly swung open, much to the delight of the Six Kingdoms' soldiers battering them. But before they could charge in, a large Qin army surged out, inflicting heavy casualties.
"Kill!"
"For the Qin Dynasty!"
The eight Princes led the charge themselves, greatly boosting the Qin army's morale. They plunged into the Six Kingdoms' forces like sharp swords, paving their path with blood wherever they went.
"Defend! Encircle and annihilate the enemy!" the Generals of the Six Kingdoms ordered. Their soldiers braved the rain of arrows, constantly adjusting their formations, creating eight massive encirclements on the battlefield.
It had to be said, the army corps led by the eight Princes were indeed formidable. Composed entirely of Martial Artists, they showed no signs of faltering despite being surrounded and outnumbered severalfold, and instead managed to slay many enemies.
Atop the city walls, many Qin Generals nodded in approval, thoroughly satisfied with the Princes' performance.
Only Wang Jian showed not even the slightest hint of a smile.
The Princes' performance was indeed commendable, but the crisis facing the Qin Dynasty had only just begun. The offensive by the Six Kingdoms' allied forces was merely an appetizer.