Chapter 11: The Decisive Battle in the State of Wei Section 11: The Battle of Bianyuan City (Part 1)

Chapter Eleven: The Battle of Bianyuan City (Part I)

Until someone arrived to report on military affairs, Ling Luo stood up to take his leave, saying, "The day after tomorrow, our army will join forces with the Soul Divine Army to attack the Wei army. If all goes well, we will certainly breach Bianyuan City. By then, we will still need to rely on the Wuzun's strength."

"Rest assured, Marquis Xin."

"Thank you for your trouble. Farewell."

As Ling Luo walked out of the large tent, he happened to hear July's indifferent voice from within: "Send a message to Elder Qiuye—at dawn the day after tomorrow, Immortals Descend to the Mortal Dust."

There were not many garrison troops inside Bianyuan City. To guard against the Zheng army and the Soul Divine Army, the main forces were concentrated in the fortified passes to the west and north of Bianyuan City.

On this day, as night fell pitch-black, the Wei army ate their fill and rested as usual.

Just past midnight, most of the Wei soldiers were already fast asleep.

Thick black clouds hung heavily over the continuous tens of miles of military tents, obscuring the stars and moon.

The night watchmen looked up, failing to notice the manned kites gliding through midair.

Some grooms within the camp secretly carried weapons and sneaked toward their target tents one by one.

Beneath the pitch-black night, countless lights suddenly blazed across the sky. Only then did the Wei sentries notice those lights illuminating figures clad in dark robes. In an instant, a sky full of torches flew and spun down from above. Large areas of tents were ignited, and within the camp, warhorses neighed in terror, their manes ablaze, as they bolted wildly. Dozens of grain storage sites burst into raging fires.

"There are spies!"

"Enemy attack!"

More than three hundred masters of the Immortals Sect who had arrived via kites flipped and tumbled down from a height of seven zhang, fully unleashing the palm technique *Immortals Descend to the Mortal Dust*. Brilliant flashes of genuine qi lit up a vast area, and upon landing, the shockwaves caused dozens of Wei soldiers to die in miserable agony!

Several masters of the Divine Decision Sect dressed entirely in white utilized the technique *Riding the Wind on Nothingness* to fly across the pass city wall, plunging straight into the encampment. All of the Wei army's bows and crossbows were blasted away by their protective divine arts. Simultaneously, they unleashed the *Wind Rising Style*, and within a radius of three miles, violent winds suddenly surged, stretching the flames of the burning tents to several times their length. Before the Wei soldiers could even attempt to fight the fire, those flames ignited the surrounding tents, and in no time at all, the fire spread with unstoppable momentum.

It was only then that a large batch of Wei martial cultivators rushed to the scene. Shouting, "Do not be arrogant, Divine Decision Sect and Immortals Sect of Zheng!", they each selected a target and rushed forward to surround and attack the Zheng masters who were slaughtering wantonly through the camp.

The chaotic Wei army had not forgotten to defend against a massive invasion by the Zheng forces. Just as a large number of troops were rushing toward the pass city to reinforce it, a red figure suddenly plummeted from the hillside beside the pass.

The defending general hurriedly ordered his men to loose their arrows. Seeing that figure descending from the heights at breakneck speed, about to land atop the city wall, the figure suddenly spun at high speed mid-air, whipping up a wind from nowhere with a whistling sound that battered the eardrums.

"Quickly loose the arrows! That is Qiuye, the Wuzun of Zheng! We cannot let her *Immortals Descend to the Mortal Dust* strike the city wall!"

The rain of arrows flying up from the flat ground was entirely swept away by the fierce wind generated by the spinning red figure. The Jianyue Sect masters stationed on the city wall successively drew their swords, and seeing that the figure was less than five zhang away from landing, they leaped into the air together and thrust their swords forward with lightning speed.

Unexpectedly, as they leaped up and thrust their swords, they were either batted away or struck back down onto the city wall by the palm force unleashed by the spinning red figure. They watched helplessly as the red figure descended onto the city wall, her delicate hands suddenly pushing forth two waves of palm force that pressed directly against the ramparts.

The Wei soldiers on the city wall felt a violent tremor beneath their feet, followed immediately by the sight of the city tower's bricks and stones exploding into the air. All the blue bricks of the city gate shattered completely, and the entire gate tilted backward, crushing a group of Wei soldiers who failed to dodge in time.

Outside the pass, the sounds of battle shook the heavens, and the Zheng cavalry surged forward like a pack of wolves.

On the city wall, Qiuye killed the defending general with a single palm strike, leisurely stretching her waist as she smiled faintly at the few Jianyue Sect masters who had gathered around her.

"After the nation of Wei perishes, where will the Jianyue Sect go?"

With that, she suddenly launched an assault, using both palms to knock away two Jianyue Sect masters, then stamping down with one foot to shatter a section of the city wall, kicking up a massive shower of debris that crushed a group of archers drawing their bows atop the ramparts.

The Wei army was simultaneously assisting the Jianyue Sect and various Wei martial cultivators in besieging the masters of the Immortals Sect and the Divine Decision Sect, fighting the fires, and reinforcing the pass to resist the Zheng invasion.

For a time, the dark night was illuminated by continuous blazing fires and filled with the cries of battle.

When the fires first broke out, Chen Shui and his men from the Indestructible Soul within Bianyuan City launched an assault on the garrison, while many officers among the defending forces turned on their own men to coordinate the attack. In less than half an hour, the sprawling Bianyuan City fell under Chen Shui's control. Of the ten thousand garrison troops, fewer than a thousand were dead or wounded, and the rest surrendered entirely. The Wei flag atop the city walls was replaced by the black banner of the Soul Divine Army.

Chen Shui ordered his men to don Wei uniforms and race to the Northern Pass for reinforcements.

When the garrison commander of the Northern Pass heard that Bianyuan City was being attacked by a Soul Divine Army that had appeared from nowhere, he found it utterly unbelievable.

Unless the Soul Divine Army could descend from the skies, it was impossible for them to bypass the pass city and reach Bianyuan City directly.

"Impossible! Quickly order your men to capture the reporting soldiers and interrogate them in detail. This general suspects they are enemy spies in disguise, intent on luring the tiger away from the mountain."

The roomful of officers agreed that this sounded reasonable. Unexpectedly, the deputy city governor suddenly drew his saber and lopped off the commander's head in a single stroke.

"The situation in Bianyuan City is critical, yet this man refused to send aid, meaning he must be in collusion with the Soul Divine Army. The situation is urgent, and this general has exercised discretionary authority to execute this traitor on behalf of His Majesty. You must immediately lead your troops to reinforce Bianyuan City. Anyone who disobeys this order will be beheaded!"

The group of officers was momentarily shocked and angered. Some drew their swords, pointing angrily at the deputy city governor as they shouted, "I believe the one colluding with the Soul Divine Army is you!"

The door suddenly burst open as a figure strode in.

The officers in the room turned their heads to look, seeing a young, cold-looking scholar in Confucian robes with long, unbelted hair fluttering freely in the wind.

"Those who do not surrender shall be executed without exception."

Some of the officers realized the immediate crisis and fell silent for a moment, while others still shouted angrily, "Rebel! Come—"

Before the shout could be completed, the green-light sword qi erupting from Wang Da's sword instantly slew that person on the spot.

The deputy city governor proudly seated himself in the governor's chair, staring down the roomful of officers as he demanded sharply, "Eighty thousand soldiers of the Soul Divine Army are outside the pass at this very moment. The Western Pass has already been breached by the Zheng army, and Wei will inevitably fall before long. It is only out of consideration for our past colleagueship that this general is giving you this opportunity. Those who turn back to the righteous side early can still achieve merit; those who hesitate and miss the opportunity will face ruin and even death!"

The seven or eight officers in the room hesitated for only a moment before successively cupping their fists in salute, speaking in unison, "We are willing to turn away from the dark and embrace the light, and swear to follow and serve to the death!"

"Good! I order you to lead your respective troops to reinforce Bianyuan City. Upon arrival, you are not to attack, but rather withdraw again. By then, the Soul Divine Army will have already entered the pass, and you must persuade your men to recognize the situation and surrender!"

"We obey your command!"

Watching those officers depart, Wang Da remained filled with worry.

"Will these people truly be obedient?"

The deputy city governor laughed and said, "Rest assured. The only ones lacking in judgment are those two dead men; the others are not foolish enough to perish alongside the nation of Wei."

Half an hour later, Bu Jingxian led the entire mobilized Soul Divine Army into the pass, meeting with the garrison commander and Wang Da.

Hearing that the Soul Divine Army had indeed brought eighty thousand men, both of them turned pale with shock.

"With the Northern Lord mobilizing his entire force, how will places like Licheng be defended?"

"You two need not worry. Important strategic points like Licheng will retain a small garrison, while other places require no defense at all. This pass will keep only a thousand troops, and the rest will split into two routes. One route will be led by the two of you along the marked map to successively conquer thirty-eight cities; the other route will be led by me to launch a pincer attack against the Wei army engaging the Zheng forces. Remember, garrison forces left along the route must not exceed three hundred, and troops left in captured cities must not exceed one thousand. All provisions and grain must be carried along with the army. Those who neither surrender nor can be safely released are all to be killed—take no prisoners. All supplies from towns and villages along the way must be taken with the army, forcing the civilians to join and follow the troops, with the elderly and children responsible for guarding and transporting military supplies. Fleeing Wei troops must not be pursued with divided forces; simply press forward and conquer every city and fortress."

"This..." Both Wang Da and the garrison commander found it hard to accept. If they did this, the fleeing Wei troops would inevitably regroup and manage to recapture and occupy the pass cities. By then, although they would have conquered a vast expanse of territory, that territory would be occupied by remnants of the Wei army holding various large and small passes. It was even possible that the base at Licheng could be seized by these remnant forces. This approach completely defied conventional military logic.

"Licheng is merely an empty city, and all provisions and supplies have already been brought along with the army. Even if remnant Wei forces boldly occupy it, it matters not. At present, the interior of Wei is hollow; if we do not seize the opportunity to capture cities and territory, it will be much harder to attack once the defeated troops here flee back and regroup. As long as these marked cities are conquered by you all the way through, the Zheng army will subsequently advance to these areas and these cities. At that time, Wei will fall into the comprehensive encirclement of the Zheng army, leaving them zero opportunity to directly engage our forces. No matter how many Wei troops launch counterattacks against our pass cities, they will find themselves trapped in a jar—having neither reinforcements nor supplies, many will voluntarily surrender without us needing to painfully encircle and annihilate them one by one. As for the rest, wiping them out will be easy. As long as our troops and provisions remain in our hands, the recapture of these pass cities by scattered troops is merely illusory. Do you understand?"

Wang Da was profoundly astonished, feeling an even deeper reverence and admiration for Bu Jingxian in his heart. He realized that Bu Jingxian was far more formidable and resourceful than he had anticipated.

The city governor was originally well-versed in military strategy, and after hearing Bu Jingxian's explanation, he could not help but slap the table in high praise.

"The Northern Lord is truly brilliant! To conquer cities and territory with the speed of thunder, reducing the garrison forces across this vast expanse of northwestern Wei into isolated fragments, leveraging the momentum of the Zheng army to avoid direct clashes with the main Wei forces, and then dealing with the scattered Wei remnants like catching turtles in a jar—so this was the Northern Lord's consideration in relinquishing fertile land to the Zheng army! This subordinate is filled with admiration and will now lead the troops out!"

After that man departed, Bu Jingxian pulled Wang Da aside and spoke in a low voice: "There is an additional layer of risk in this matter. Letting this man lead troops to conquer cities is truly a last resort. We cannot afford to waste a single ounce of combat strength in the battle to pincer the main Wei force, and currently, aside from Zhao姬, there is no other suitable candidate within the Soul Divine Army capable of commanding a massive force. This man will certainly encounter no resistance along his path of conquest, but he is not one of our people. In the event that he harbors ulterior motives and attempts to monopolize those territories, we can only rely on you to handle him! The two hundred thousand Soul Divine Army soldiers going with him have already received advance orders and will all take orders from you. The provisions and supplies along the way must be firmly kept in your grasp; should any unforeseen contingency arise where you cannot hold onto the supplies, burn them all. As long as he lacks provisions and troops, he can never amount to anything."

Wang Da was rather surprised.

"The Northern Lord and I have only just met for the first time, yet the Northern Lord dares to entrust me with such a heavy responsibility?"

Bu Jingxian could not help laughing aloud. "Since we are fellow seekers of the soul's will, why speak such words? What those of our path seek is neither wealth nor towering political power; our devotion to battle is solely to fulfill the will of the soul. How could I not trust you?"

"Rest assured, Northern Lord! If he dares to harbor any unfaithful intentions, my sword will certainly not spare him!"

With that, Wang Da drew his sword and strode out through the door.