Northern Frontier Border!
The northernmost commandery of Great Qin Beidi Commandery!
Since the division of the Nine Provinces into Thirty-Six Commanderies, Qingzhou's Beidi Commandery had become the base of operations for the Northern Frontier Camp.
Two hundred thousand elite soldiers of the Northern Frontier Camp were stationed along the Northern Great Wall. Ever since the unification of Shenzhou, they had silently guarded the northern borders of Great Qin, preventing foreign tribes from encroaching.
Tonight!
The forces of the Northern Frontier Camp were mobilized rapidly, converging at the border of Beidi Commandery.
The Zhenbei Camp also arrived.
Inside the military camp, the generals were gathered.
Meng Wu sat at the head of the table, while Li Mu and Wang Ben were seated beside him.
Inside the command tent, the three commanders of the Northern Frontier were present.
"General Meng," Wang Ben spoke directly, wasting no time.
"According to our scouts, the Xiongnu and Donghu tribes have joined forces, and their target is our Beidi Commandery."
"What are your thoughts on this battle, General Meng, General Li?"
Meng Wu answered without hesitation.
"His Majesty and the Crown Prince have only one order"
"Crush the two tribes in a single battle, annihilate their main forces!"
"A single decisive battle to end it all!"
"If that is the case," he continued, "then we will rely on our Northern Frontier and Zhenbei troops to inflict devastating losses upon them. Meanwhile, the Lantian Camp will take a more arduous route using their cavalry to flank and cut off the enemy's retreat."
Meng Wu was well aware of the enemy's intentions.
The Xiongnu and Donghu did not split their forces; instead, they concentrated all their strength in one place. Their strategy was clear overwhelm Great Qin's defenses with sheer numbers, break through the border, and invade the heart of Shenzhou.
They aimed to achieve victory through absolute strength, not by dividing their troops.
A force of seven hundred thousand was a terrifying number.
They believed such power was unstoppable.
But what they did not know was that, over the past three years, Great Qin's army had undergone a fundamental transformation.
The first recipients of martial arts teachings in Great Qin had been its soldiers.
In these three years, the empire had devoted immense resources to training its elite troops.
Now, even the lowest-ranking soldiers possessed at least the Fifth Stage of the Postnatal Realm.
After all, the Postnatal Realm focused on refining the body, and Dragon Elephant Art was the most suitable martial art for the army.
Many had already stepped into the Innate Realm as well.
Compared to Great Qin's military strength before the unification of Shenzhou, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.
Every elite soldier, clad in battle armor and wielding lethal weapons, could slay dozens with a single strike.
Moreover, the army had the Battle Formation of the Military Soul, allowing them to condense their blood energy, unleash attacks with the power of Grandmasters, and amplify their combat effectiveness.
Against the foreign tribes, the disparity was akin to that between mere mortals and martial warriors.
But the invaders were completely unaware of this fact.
"I agree," Li Mu nodded.
"Our forty thousand troops from Zhenbei and the Northern Frontier are enough to decimate them."
His confidence was unwavering.
"Good," Wang Ben said in agreement.
With the strategy decided, Wang Ben activated his Heavenly Mirror.
"Generals," he issued the command, "the enemy intends to assault Beidi Commandery. My Lantian Camp will advance from Jiuyuan Commandery to flank and sever their retreat. Move out immediately!"
"Understood!"
The voices of the three Lantian commanders resonated through the Heavenly Mirror.
Then, Meng Wu turned to address the gathered generals.
"Warriors of Qin!"
"The Crown Prince will personally oversee this battle!"
"As soldiers of Great Qin, we have received immense grace from His Majesty and the Crown Prince. Before martial arts were disseminated to the people, we were the first to be taught!"
"This is our first battle after cultivating martial arts!"
"The power of Great Qin's martial way must be demonstrated on the battlefield!"
"We must not disappoint His Majesty and the Crown Prince!"
"For Great Qin!"
All the generals rose to their feet and roared in unison.
Their eyes burned with battle fervor.
For three years, they had trained.
As generals, all of them had reached at least the Grandmaster Realm.
As for deputy generals, none were below the Fifth Stage of the Innate Realm.
This was the power of the Heavenly Martial Training Space, alongside Great Qin's endless supply of elixirs.
Time passed swiftly!
The Northern Frontier!
The enemy invasion had begun.
The combined seventy-thousand-strong army of the Donghu and Xiongnu tribes surged forward, bringing with them the force of an unstoppable tide, bearing down upon Great Qin's borders.
"Report!"
"Your Majesty!"
"The Qin army has arrayed itself outside the Great Wall!"
"They are from the Northern Frontier Camp!"
"Awaiting your command!"
"Report!"
"The Qin army is prepared for a confrontation. They are not relying on the Great Wall for defense!"
At the heart of the massive army, beneath the royal banners of the invading tribes, scouts galloped back at full speed, delivering their reports to Tuo Ba Hu.
Despite the alliance, both he and Modu still commanded their respective forces independently.
Donghu and Xiongnu cavalry formed the vanguard, followed by their infantry.
Their advance was coordinated.
"Qin?"
"They are not using the Great Wall for defense?"
Tuo Ba Hu laughed aloud.
"I suppose all the siege weapons we prepared will be wasted, then!"
As a ruler of the northern steppes, his greatest fear was that Qin would hole up behind their walls. But what he wanted was a direct battle in open plains!
"Send my command!"
"Advance at full speed!"
"Today, we will crush the Northern Frontier of Qin and march into Shenzhou!"
Tuoba Hu let out a mighty roar.
The frontline army advanced rapidly.
The thunderous sound of galloping hooves made the entire northern border tremble.
At the foot of the Great Wall
Beijiang, Zhenbei!
Four hundred thousand elite Qin warriors had already formed ranks, awaiting battle.
As the two main camps guarding the northern frontier, their cavalry numbers were the highest among all Qin military camps.
Two hundred thousand cavalry stood at the front.
Two hundred thousand infantry followed behind.
Upon closer inspection
It became evident that the weapons wielded by Beijiang's elite forces had undergone a drastic transformation.
The cavalry now wielded Mo Dao (great sabers), with repeating crossbows strapped to their waists.
Among them, a particular unit of cavalry stood out within the formation each soldier was clad in heavy black armor, their heads covered with iron helmets, and even their warhorses were wrapped in thick armor.
They looked like moving fortresses.
This was the newly formed heavy-armored cavalry of Great Qin.
Even with full-scale production, each military division currently had only ten thousand sets of this heavy armor yet here, twenty thousand heavily armored cavalry stood ready.
Only the strongest warriors from Beijiang and Zhenbei, those who had reached at least the seventh stage of the Hou Tian realm, were selected to wear this armor ensuring they could fully utilize its power.
The archers
Gone were the old Qin bows, now replaced with composite strong bows, designed to be more efficient while incorporating refinements from master blacksmiths and artifact refiners, capable of withstanding even greater force.
Beyond the spread of martial arts, the entire Qin military had also undergone a complete overhaul in weaponry.
"They're coming."
Meng Wu sat atop his warhorse, feeling the ground tremble beneath him. His gaze was fixed on the approaching forces from the north, a cold smile forming on his lips.
"The barbarian tribes."
Li Mu's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
At that moment
In the sky above
A black dragon soared through the clouds, its massive figure twisting and turning in the air.
Standing atop its head was a lone figure.
Zhao Feng.
"Donghu, Xiongnu."
Zhao Feng looked toward the north, his expression cold and resolute.
He had come not only to collect battle attributes but also to let his Black Dragon absorb battlefield miasma to further its evolution.
"It's time to make my presence known."
Zhao Feng gave a silent command to the dragon beneath him.
"ROAR!!!"
A thunderous dragon's roar resounded across the battlefield.
The elite warriors below lifted their heads toward the sky.
A mighty black dragon descended upon them, and when they saw the figure standing atop its head, their faces lit up with excitement.
"The Crown Prince is here!"
"His Highness has personally come to the battlefield!"
"General Meng Wu was right! The Crown Prince is overseeing the battle himself!"
"Hahaha! Today, I must slay these barbarian scum and show the Crown Prince the might of Beijiang's warriors!"
"Exactly! His Highness has truly come!"
Countless elite warriors were filled with uncontainable excitement.
Throughout Great Qin, after the military lectures, over ninety-nine percent of the populace had come to recognize Zhao Feng.
His image, engraved in their minds through the Heavenly Profound Mirror, was unforgettable.
BOOM!
The Black Dragon landed fiercely in the heart of the army.
"Your subjects pay respects to the Crown Prince!"
Li Mu and Meng Wu, their faces full of fervor, immediately saluted.
"Your subjects pay respects to His Highness!"
Four hundred thousand Qin warriors roared in unison.
"Great Qin warriors"
"At ease!"
Zhao Feng smiled as he gave his command in a firm, resounding voice.
"We thank Your Highness!"
The warriors responded in unison, their eyes filled with reverence, devotion, and unwavering loyalty as they gazed upon Zhao Feng.
"The enemy invades our lands."
"I, today, have personally come to Beijiang"
"To witness the valor of our Qin warriors in battle and to see with my own eyes the power of our martial arts-trained army!"
"Warriors! Do you have the confidence to slaughter these barbarian scum?"
Zhao Feng raised his hand, pointing toward the distant yet approaching enemy forces, his voice thundering across the battlefield.
"FENG! FENG! FENG!"
"DA FENG!"
The Qin warriors responded with their traditional battle chant a deafening roar that shook the heavens.
"Today, I shall stand here and watch as my warriors carve their names in history!"
"I will witness the complete annihilation of these barbarians!"
"Great Qin eternal prosperity!"
Zhao Feng's final declaration rang out like a war drum.
And his soldiers
They roared in response, their spirits soaring to the heavens, their battle reaching its peak.
For Zhao Feng
Within Great Qin, he was nothing short of a godlike figure.
His mere presence alone was enough to ignite a boundless fighting spirit within his warriors turning their battle intent into an unstoppable force.
Moreover
Ever since Zhao Feng had been formally crowned Crown Prince, his Fate-Imbued Seal had transformed.
[Crown Prince's Seal]: When leading troops personally, increases soldiers' morale by four times, boosts their combat strength by four times, and grants the host 50% of all attributes gained from soldiers' kills. When not leading personally, grants 40% of the attributes from empire-wide military kills.
This was the newly evolved Imperial Seal.
As long as Zhao Feng personally commanded the army, he could provide his soldiers with a quadruple boost in strength and morale while simultaneously absorbing half of all attributes gained from enemy kills.
THUD.
THUD THUD THUD.
The ground trembled.
Looking to the north
The horizon was engulfed by the enemy forces.
An endless horde of barbarian cavalry, like a flood, surged toward them from beyond the Great Wall.
They blotted out the sky, a wave of death rolling forth.
A murderous storm swept toward the land.
"They're here."
Meng Wu and Li Mu's eyes were filled with a burning desire to kill the enemy.
Especially Meng Wu.
After training in martial arts, he had yet to truly unleash his martial prowess in battle. His strength at the Grandmaster level had not been fully displayed.
Li Mu, on the other hand, was much calmer. Having followed Zhao Feng for a long time, he had spent years training at the Yanting stronghold. Like many of Zhao Feng's old subordinates, he had already stepped into the Great Grandmaster realm.
With his strength, even if he exhausted all his true energy, he could still slaughter thousands of soldiers. He was no longer an ordinary mortal.
When the enemy army was less than a hundred zhang from the Qin battle formation
"Great Qin warriors…"
Meng Wu and Li Mu simultaneously drew the swords at their waists.
"Kill!"
The two generals roared in unison.
"Feng, feng, feng!"
"Great wind!"
An overwhelming killing intent erupted.
Two hundred thousand cavalry charged forward simultaneously, gripping their Mo Dao sabers tightly. Each soldier silently channeled their inner power, allowing their bodies to surge with strength.
To the north
The tens of thousands of Eastern Hu and Xiongnu cavalry also charged madly toward the Qin army like a flood.
"Kill… kill…"
"Slaughter the damned Qin people!"
"Avenge our fallen!"
"Exterminate the Qin… kill…"
"Kill!"
Countless enemy soldiers roared, their confidence soaring due to their overwhelming numbers.
At this moment
They brandished their long sabers, riding their warhorses. However, unlike the Qin army, most of them wore no armor.
Compared to the Qin soldiers
This was perhaps the stark contrast between civilization and barbarism.
"Great Qin warriors."
"Draw bows."
"Kill!"
Li Mu and Meng Wu shouted once more.
They spurred their horses forward.
At this moment
With martial arts integrated into the Qin military, both generals had fully grasped Zhao Feng's battle tactics.
The generals would charge first to inspire the army.
With martial power, they feared no enemy forces.
"Feng, feng, feng!"
The battle cries shook the heavens.
Countless Qin soldiers took out their repeating crossbows and aimed skyward.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A dense storm of arrows shot into the sky, raining down upon the enemy forces.
Arrows rained down.
A wave of enemy soldiers fell, staining the desert red with blood.
"Activate the battle formation!"
At this moment
Li Mu and Meng Wu split apart as they charged forward.
Then
A thunderous shout.
Both generals made a strange hand gesture.
At the same time, a strange surge of blood-colored energy erupted from their bodies.
"The Army Soul Battle Formation."
"Though it was passed down after martial arts were introduced…"
"I've yet to witness its true power."
Zhao Feng watched with great interest.
"Formation, converge!"
The warriors of the Northern Frontier and Zhenbei camps responded as if summoned.
Each soldier silently activated the battle formation technique.
From their bodies, waves of blood energy surged forth, guided by an invisible force toward their two generals.
From Li Mu and Meng Wu's bodies, a surging tide of blood energy erupted into the sky.
The entire battlefield was dyed red by this overwhelming energy.
The next moment
Both generals raised their swords, channeling the boiling blood energy.
"Slash!"
At the same time
Both slashed their swords down.
"Roar!"
Two thunderous tiger roars shook the heavens.
As their swords fell
Two blood-red sword beams, each spanning four to five hundred zhang, materialized into towering greatswords, crashing down upon the enemy forces.
"What is this?"
"Are the Qin people using sorcery?"
"This… what is this?"
The enemy generals and soldiers charging at the front saw the massive blood-red greatswords slashing toward them from the sky, their faces filled with fear.
But
For them, it was already too late.
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