Although overall, Zhao Changhe can be considered as Ye Wuming's chess piece.
But speaking solely of this matter, Ye Wuming was actually one of Zhao Changhe's chess pieces. He took advantage of her position against Jiuyou and was willing and attentive to be a chess piece.
Every time the blind man thought of this, he had an indescribable strange feeling, as if he could see a man striding towards her in the wind, frost, snow and rain, trying to pull her down from the high clouds and press her under his throne.
Xia Longyuan and the others didn't do it, but he is doing it.
However, knowing clearly what he was thinking and even that there were even dirtier parts in his thoughts, the blind man still wanted to make this move and watched his performance with great anticipation, hoping that he would not let down.
This feeling is really weird.
Zhao Changhe was also about to face the final battle. This was not a war that would last for a long time. Although the war had spread all over the world, it would end quickly regardless of the outcome.
Having said that, in fact, at this time Huangfu Qing and Zhao Changhe had already marched for many days. Due to the fast speed of the light cavalry, they had already bypassed the Modong grassland corridor and entered the Mobei plain.
Zhao Changhe did not dare to use his bird's-eye view to sense from a distance, and Temur Boye and the others did not dare to use their spiritual sense to expand their consciousness. Now no one knew the specific movements of the other party. However, this gave Zhao Changhe more advantages. The falconer sent by Sisi could already see the shadows of mountains in the distance, and a corner of the sacred mountain on the grassland had already appeared.
On the other hand, almost all of Timur's eagles were roasted.
Including the Immortal God... With his cultivation level surpassing everyone else's, he could definitely see Zhao Changhe, but Zhao Changhe couldn't see his situation. But Zhao Changhe, Zhuque, and Yue Hongling never felt like they were being spied on, which meant that even the Immortal God hadn't spied on them.
According to the information conveyed by Sanniang using the secret method of the Four Symbols Sect, the Eternal God was only using a weaker soul to restrain her. Judging from this, the only conclusion that could be drawn was that the Eternal God's injuries had not yet healed, and he was afraid of repeating the mistakes of the overseas war, so he did not dare to come to their place where there were a group of imperial guards.
That's right. The reason why everyone was so eager to launch the Northern Expedition was precisely because of this.
Theoretically, Timur is a blind man at this moment and has no control over the movements of our army.
"But this is misleading." Huangfu Qing had already made this conclusion to Zhao Changhe when they were still galloping on the grassland a few days ago: "The collision between Timur and you that day was an intentional misleading."
"This is their home ground. All tribes on the grassland have already evacuated. The water sources are all polluted. It is impossible that they have not made arrangements here. According to the attributes of the Immortal God, he should be the god of nature, which is similar to our five elements. Every water source and even every blade of grass we are looking for may be the eyes and ears of the Immortal God. In other words, they are always aware of our situation."
Huangfu Qing has increasingly demonstrated the ability and judgment of the head coach in recent days, and Zhao Changhe agrees with her.
According to Timur's Seven Injury Fist, it was also very uncomfortable for their army. After marching for so long, except for the initial attack on two southern tribes, it was desolate everywhere, not even a dog shit could be seen, which was so depressing that people were going crazy.
Xue Canghai was about to explode these days. He originally thought that going out to the frontier would be a fierce battle, but he ended up going shopping and traveling. He admired the vast sky and the vast wilderness every day. It was quite beautiful at first, but after watching it for more than ten days in a row, he was about to explode.
It would be fine if it was just shopping and traveling, but the key is that there is no food or water to drink.
There was a storage box, but ordinary soldiers didn't know about it. A few high-ranking generals knew about it, but the commander-in-chief strictly prohibited them from using it or even mentioning it.
So everyone was using the dry food and water bags they had brought with them when they set out, as well as the food they had looted from the tribes in the southern desert when they first destroyed them. By now, there was nothing left to eat. An army of tens of thousands of people living on the occasional wild elk and wolf packs they encountered on the grasslands, was this how human beings should live
Especially water. It's not that there is no water to drink. All water sources are polluted. But it's spring and it rains from time to time on the grassland. It's so tragic that everyone has to rely on rainwater to survive... I used to hate rain the most when I was marching, but now I actually look forward to it.
After more than ten days, the morale of this army is no longer comparable to when they first set out for the border. Everyone looks listless, and the commander-in-chief Huangfu Qing is indifferent and can only suppress them by military law.
Fortunately, what we passed through before were grasslands, and the horses could eat directly, otherwise we might not have been able to march here... But even so, horses cannot always eat only wild grasses, and war horses are not raised that way!
However, in such a vast grassland, it was impossible for Timur's military orders to reach every corner. Occasionally, some small tribes that did not leave could still be encountered. They were looted by the Han army and basically relied on this to improve their lives. But this was not enough for the army, and everyone pitifully took turns to share, the so-called "feeding the enemy", the gap between ideal and reality was too big.
I don't know how the Western Army solved the problem of food and grass. Maybe they transported food across the border, but it couldn't be as difficult as the Eastern Army. Is this woman who is the commander-in-chief for the first time really good at leading troops
Not only the soldiers complained, many generals were also filled with resentment. Some secretly complained to Zhao Changhe several times, but Zhao Changhe just asked a question in return before he fell silent: "What can we do? Can food be conjured up? This is a strategy of Timur that will hurt both sides. We can only compete with them to see who can endure longer."
That being said, if Timur is to have an impact, the nomadic life will be over this year, but at least we still have food to eat now. We are almost starving to death, okay
"Don't worry, at this rate, we are almost at their sacred mountain..."
"But they may not protect the sacred mountain. If the mountain is deserted, we will all starve to death there. Are we going to hunt tigers like Your Highness did in Beimang?"
"That's your Majesty's job, not me, Your Highness. Thank you."
"… "
Zhao Changhe could only comfort him: "Don't worry, the temple is very important to faith... The other party will not abandon the temple casually and let us go empty-handed."
"The faith of Changshengtian is not like that. They will not leave us such a clear attack point. The temple is really not that important to them!"
"So what do you want to do?"
The generals looked at each other in confusion. Could it be that they could just withdraw their troops
As expected, he looked north in panic. This war should not have come at all.
Uh no, didn't they say there was a storage box? Did they lie to us and it doesn't exist at all
"Marshal, Marshal!" A scout rode back from the front and reported excitedly from a distance: "Marshal, we have discovered another small tribal cluster!"
The surrounding soldiers were all excited after hearing this. Huangfu Qing didn't think twice and waved his hand: "Go!"
Xue Canghai took the lead and rushed out with his men, howling and brandishing his sword. The tribes in the distance seemed to have discovered them and fled for their lives like crazy, with the Han army chasing them.
This is a very rare opportunity to improve people's lives in recent times. It can even be said that many people come here specifically to find these small tribes, and no one thinks too much about it.
However, the herdsmen sent by the Batu tribe to serve as guides were worried: "Marshal, we have been chasing scattered tribes like this, and unknowingly have led the army away from the established route and started to drift west. It shouldn't be like this..."
Huangfu Qing nodded and said, "It's okay, I know what to do. We don't have to go straight to the temple, it doesn't necessarily make much sense. If we can find the enemy's main force to the west, it might be a good idea..."
Before he finished speaking, Sisi's falconer came hurriedly: "General, our eagle has spotted a large number of people, cattle and sheep in the distance, which may be a large tribal gathering place!"
This time, Huangfu Qing and Zhao Changhe looked at each other, and the generals around them, including many experienced and prudent ones, showed surprise.
The presence of a large number of cattle and sheep meant that it was not an army, but a real tribe, a large tribe.
When Timur was gathering the various tribes, it was absolutely impossible for him to just throw them all in one place. No place could support such a large number of people living together. He could only divide the tribes into several different areas for their settlement.
Is this a case of a blind cat catching a dead mouse, chasing other scattered tribes but finding a huge settlement
This is the first truly meaningful goal.
As long as this large tribe is broken, it can even be said that the basic strategy of this expedition to the frontier, "attacking the Hu people and preventing them from moving south," has been achieved, and the results of the battle can be described as "plowing the fields and sweeping the holes."
Huangfu Qing said in a deep voice: "Let's investigate again to see if there are any movements of the main force of the Northern Hu."
The Eagle Master said, "There are no military movements within hundreds of miles... but there are troops protecting the tribe, which is normal."
Zhuque remained unmoved: "Wait for Xue Canghai's troops to return."
Not long after, Xue Canghai, who had been chasing the small tribe, returned happily: "General, we really saw the outline of a large tribe over there. In addition, we have scouted around and found that there is no sign of any army in the surrounding area except in the direction of the tribe."
"What about the number of tribal troops?"
"We dare not get closer, we are not sure."
Zhuque asked the falconer, "What did you see?"
The eagle could not tell the difference between ordinary herdsmen and the army, so the eagle master could only shake his head. Xue Canghai said, "General, no matter how many troops the enemy has, we cannot bypass the large tribe and turn a blind eye. This battle is imperative, otherwise the morale of the army will collapse."
Suzaku remained silent.
Xue Canghai wiped his beloved Blood God Sword with a cloth, glanced at Huangfu Qing, then looked at Zhao Changhe, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
Forget it. I was beaten so badly by this woman in the capital those days for personal revenge. It’s better not to say anything.
But no matter how silent he was, everyone could see the mockery in his eyes. This was obviously a large tribe that they had encountered by chance while chasing other tribes. No matter how you looked at it, it was just luck. The main force of the Northern Hu? The main force is in the direction of the Holy Mountain. We are all off the track here. We are not on the same road at all. Why are you so suspicious and timid? How can you be the Suzaku
Huangfu Qing was silent for a moment, then asked the scout in a low voice: "What other geography is there around here?"
The scout said, "There is a barren mountain to the north. It's quite large, but there's no place to hide anyone."
Huangfu Qing nodded: "Don't go directly to the enemy tribe from this path, be careful of traps. The whole army should take a detour, go around from the direction of the northern barren mountains, and follow the mountain."
Xue Canghai's eyes lit up: "What the Marshal means is..."
Huangfu Qing took a deep breath and said, "Of course we should send out the whole army. We are going to eat here tonight!"
"Boom!" The sound of horse hooves rang out amid the ecstasy of the three armies, and even the earth seemed to tremble.
High on the barren mountain, Bo'e looked coldly at the scene of the Han army rushing towards his position as if they were having fun, with a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Huangfu Qing is cautious, but it's meaningless." Bo'e turned around and chuckled at the shamans around him: "When it comes to war, she is still too green, like a young girl who has just started out."
The shamans all laughed: "The changes of the true and false gods have been playing with it for more than ten days. Now everyone will only think that it is a chance encounter... It's not easy to see the tribes gathered together. Even if she wants to endure it, Xue Canghai and his gang can't help it."
Another shaman said, "It's not their fault. They think they have eagles controlling the sky and we can't see what they are doing. In fact, all their movements are under our control, but they don't know what we are doing. The advent of the gods has long changed the war mode of previous years. It's ridiculous that they have three Yujing in their army, but they haven't woken up yet."
"The gap between the first and second levels of the Imperial Realm is no smaller than the gap between the Secret Treasure and the Mysterious Gate. Xia Longyuan's deterrence was high back then because he was at the second level, or in the late stage. Zhao Changhe, Huangfu Qing, and Yue Hongling are far from qualified."
As they were talking, Huangfu Qing had led his men to the foot of the mountain, and they could vaguely see the tribe in the distance to the west appear at the end of the horizon.
Huangfu Qing suddenly stretched out his hand to stop the army, squinting his eyes for a while and said: "Slow down for now, let the scouts explore this mountain first."
Bo'e chuckled and said, "It's better to be cautious. Let's go."
There was nothing on the mountain... The real trap was in the "tribe" in the distance. The tribe in the distance had at least 100,000 people, but there were no herdsmen at all. They were all elite soldiers. They put a group of cattle and sheep there just to deceive the eyes of the eagles and wait for them to think they had encountered it by chance and rush in.
Once the Han army rashly charged into the so-called "big tribe", it would immediately find itself trapped in a vast ocean of elite troops on the grassland.
Also, they did not move the tribes along the way at all, and the so-called Seven Wound Fist did not exist at all.
That was the effect of the page of the Heavenly Book of the Immortal God, existence and non-existence, reality and illusion, truth and illusion. Everything seen along the way was false. In fact, countless tribes along the way watched the Han army pass through right under their noses, and they were studying the water that was not polluted at all.
Then they threw out some abandoned pieces, constantly attracting them to chase, and led them into the set trap. In fact, at this moment, the tribes along the way had already gathered into an army, always far behind the Han army, ready to give them a fatal pincer attack.
In fact, this is not the main force, only tens of thousands of people. To deal with a light cavalry, as long as they fall into a trap, there is no need for a main force. After Timur and Zhao Changhe met and misled them, he led the people westward. The real main force is still with Huangfu Yongxian.
Zhao Changhe's judgments seemed to be all wrong, not a single one was right. It seemed that the outcome of this battle was known without even having to be fought.
Of course, we can't be careless... Boye still made the greatest inducement.
"Boom!" Thunder fell from the sky and struck the entire Han army.
"Clang!" Zhao Changhe unsheathed his Dragon Bird and swept through the enemy troops.
The half-moon blade, which was countless times larger than that in early years, swept out and dissipated all the thunder.
Bo'e's "shocked and angry" voice came: "Shouldn't you go straight to the temple? Why did you deviate to this place!"
Zhao Changhe laughed and responded: "This is the protagonist's luck. It's not easy to be a great shaman. You've already become alert before we even get there. How many tribes have you been distracted from protecting?"
As he spoke, Yue Hongling drew his sword and chased after Bo'e's voice: "Why don't you show up and continue our battle in Chang'an?"
Zhao Changhe also left the battle formation with her to chase Bo'e. Zhuque did not move and continued to lead the army, seemingly heading straight for the tribe in the distance that had lost the protection of the great shaman.
"Dang!" Zhao Changhe and his wife finally caught up with the figure flying in the air. The figure drew out an axe and blocked the attack of the two people at the same time. The extremely violent power surged, and the young couple actually fell backwards in the air at the same time, stopped in shock and looked up.
The man was shirtless, tall and mighty, with a rough and resolute face, and his bronze skin seemed to have a divine luster. He had a golden belt on his forehead and his eyes were bright. The majesty and pressure in his eyes were just like the first time Zhao Changhe saw Jiuyou in the dark alleys of Chang'an.
This strange pressure, this strange feeling of divinity... This is not Bo'e at all.
This is the true form of the Eternal God, first seen.
Zhao Changhe was shocked: "It's you... Where is Bo'e?"
A hint of mockery appeared on the rough face of the Eternal God: "Of course he is leading the crowd to spread the net, waiting for the Suzaku Venerable to step in."
Zhao Changhe seemed to be about to turn around and go back, but the God of Immortality paused with his axe, and thunder formed a prison around him, trapping Zhao Yue and the other man inside. "You should stay."
Zhao Changhe took a deep breath and asked, "Are you healed?"
"I really haven't recovered yet. This is your chance to march north." The God of Immortality laughed sarcastically, "But within my range, my strength will only be stronger than when I am at my peak. Even Xia Longyuan doesn't dare to come and attack my holy mountain, so how dare you?"
Zhao Changhe's expression gradually calmed down: "In other words, your so-called sending a weaker clone to contain Sanniang is still misleading us and leading us to the place of death now."
"That's right." The God of Longevity said calmly, "Seeing you all rushing towards your death, I have mixed feelings. To be honest, I don't like to use tricks, but you guys are courting death, which is really ridiculous. Then... leave your lives behind."
"Clang!" The giant axe was swung, and Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling used their swords and knives together to block the attack.
Then, as if they couldn't withstand the opponent's second level of control power, both of them leaned backwards.
But Changsheng Tianshen's smile was a little stiff: "This power is..."
A shadow of Tai Chi appeared without warning under their feet, like a millstone, helping Zhao Yue and the others to wear down the fierce and unmatched power of the Eternal God. Not only that, it seemed to make the Eternal God unable to move, as if he was stuck in a quagmire.
At the same time, a soldier in the army shot out like a meteor, with thunder and lightning howling, and hit the back of the Eternal God.
Powerful supernatural power!
Zhao Changhe, who was forced to lean back, slowly pushed forward the axe and chuckled softly: "You have the Book of Reality and Falsehood, I cheated a long time ago and knew it... Since you know it, guess how much we have been cooperating with you along the way? For example, right now, do you think we left the army to chase you, or do we want to drag you outside?"
(End of this chapter)