The Book of Troubled Times

Although on the whole, Zhao Changhe is probably her pawn in Ye Wuming.

But in this matter alone, she, Ye Wuming, was actually one of Zhao Changhe's chess pieces. Taking advantage of her opposition to Jiuyou, she played the chess piece willingly and with great care.

Every time the blind man thought about this, he felt an indescribable strange feeling. It seemed that 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 pin her down on his throne. Down.

Xia Longyuan and the others didn't do it, but he was doing it.

However, even though he clearly knew that there were even more filthy parts in his thoughts, the blind man still wanted to make this move, and looked at his performance with great expectation, hoping that he would not slip up.

This feeling is really weird.

On Zhao Changhe's side, the decisive battle was actually about to begin. This is indeed not a war that drags on for a long time. Although the scale is burning all over the world, no matter the victory or defeat, no matter which side the war is on, it will end quickly.

There are many things to say. In fact, Huangfu Qing and Zhao Changhe had been marching for many days at this time. Due to the fast speed of the Qingqi Long Drive, they had already bypassed the Modong Grassland Corridor and entered the Mobei Plain.

Zhao Changhe didn't dare to use his overlooking eye to sense things remotely, and Timur Bo'e and others over there also didn't dare to expand their consciousness randomly. Now everyone is not sure about the other party's specific movements. But it gave Zhao Changhe more advantages. The eagle master sent by Sisi could already see the shadows of mountains in the distance, and a corner of the holy mountain on the grassland had been revealed.

On the other hand, the eagles on Timur's side... were almost all roasted.

Including the Immortal God... With his level of cultivation that surpasses everyone else, he can completely see Zhao Changhe's side, but Zhao Changhe cannot see his situation. But Zhao Changhe, Zhuque Yue Hongling, never felt the feeling of being spied on, which meant that even the Immortal God had no spiritual sense to spy on them.

According to the information conveyed by Sanniang through the secret method of the Four Symbols Sect, the Immortal God is just using a weaker soul to contain her - judging from this, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the injury of the Immortal God has not recovered yet. , worried about repeating the mistakes of the overseas war, and did not dare to randomly come to their position where there was a group of imperial realms on their way.

That's right, everyone has to rush to the Northern Expedition because of this.

Theoretically, Timur is blind at this moment and cannot grasp the movements of our army at all.

"However, this is misleading." Huangfuqing had already made this conclusion to Zhao Changhe when they were galloping on the grassland a few days ago: "The collision between Timur and you that day was an intentional misleading."

"This is their home field. Even all the grassland ministries have been evacuated, and the water sources are all polluted. It is impossible for them to have no arrangements here. According to the attributes of the Immortal God, he should be the God of Nature, and is similar to our Five Elements. Every element we are looking for Every water source and even every blade of grass may be the eyes and ears of the Immortal God, which means they are always aware of our situation."

Huangfu's love these days has more and more demonstrated the coach's ability and judgment, and Zhao Changhe agreed with her statement.

According to Timur's seven-injury fist method, it would be very uncomfortable for their army. After marching for so long, except for the two Monan tribes that we defeated at the beginning, everything was so vast that we couldn't even see shit. It was so depressing that people were going crazy.

Xue Canghai was almost exhausted these days. He originally thought that going out to the fortress would be a fierce battle, but it turned out that he was just here for shopping. I admire the vast sky and vast fields every day. It’s quite beautiful at first, but after more than ten days of continuous viewing, I feel like I’m going to explode.

It was just a shopping trip, but the key was that there was no food or water to drink.

There is obviously a storage box, but ordinary soldiers don't know it. A few high-ranking generals knew about it, but the commander-in-chief strictly ordered not to use it or even mention 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 first few Monan tribes that had been wiped out. Today, there is nothing to eat. An army of tens of thousands lives off the wild red deer and wolves they occasionally encounter on the grasslands. Is this a human life?

Especially the water, it is not that there is no need to drink, all water sources are polluted, but this is spring, and there is rain on the grassland from time to time. It’s such a tragedy that everyone has to rely on rainwater to survive... In the past, marching hated rain, but now they actually look forward to it.

After more than ten days, the morale of this army was incomparable to when it first came out of the fortress. Everyone looked wilted. The coach Huangfu was indifferent and would only use military methods to suppress them.

Fortunately, the places we passed by before were all grasslands, so the horses could eat directly, otherwise they might not have been able to march here... But even so, horses can't just eat weeds all the time, and there's no such thing as raising a war horse!

However, in such a vast grassland, Timur's military orders could not be conveyed to every corner. Occasionally, they could still encounter some small tribes that had not left and were looted by the Han army. Basically, they relied on this to improve their lives. But this is not enough for the army. Everyone takes turns to share pitifully. The so-called "feeding on the enemy" shows that the gap between ideal and reality is too big.

I don’t know how the West Route Army solved the problem of food and grass. Maybe they were transporting food out of the fortress there. In short, it couldn’t be as uncomfortable as the East Route Army. This woman here who is a head coach for the first time can really lead troops?

Not only the soldiers complained, but also many generals were filled with resentment. Someone quietly complained to Zhao Changhe several times. Zhao Changhe only asked one question and then became silent: "What can we do? Can food be transformed? This is Timur. It’s a lose-lose strategy, and we can only compete with them to see who can survive better.”

That being said, Timur's side is going to have an impact this year after nomadic herding, but at least we still have food to eat. We are all starving to death now, okay?

"Don't worry, according to this march progress, we are almost at their sacred mountain..."

"But they may not protect any sacred mountains. If people go to the mountains, we will all starve to death there. Are we going to hunt tigers like His Highness did in Beimang?"

"That is your Majesty's job, not your Majesty's. Thank you."

"..."

Zhao Changhe could only reassure: "Don't worry, the temple is very important to the faith... The other party will not abandon the temple casually and let us lose everything."

"The belief in Changshengtian is not like that. They will not leave us such a clear point of attack. The temple is really not that important to them!"

"Then what do you want to do?"

The generals looked at each other and said, "Isn't it possible to withdraw the troops?"

As expected, he was looking north in a hurry, and this battle probably shouldn't have come at all.

Er, no, didn’t it say there was a storage box? Could it be that he lied to us and doesn’t exist at all?

"Commander, Commander!" A scout rode back from the front and reported ecstatically from afar: "Commander, we have discovered a small tribe cluster again!"

The surrounding soldiers were all refreshed after hearing this. Huangfu Qing waved his hand without thinking, "Come on!"

Xue Canghai took the lead and rushed out with his troops, shouting and brandishing his sword. The tribesmen in the distance seemed to have noticed and ran for their lives like crazy. The Han army followed them and chased after him.

This kind of improvement in life has been extremely rare for everyone recently. It can even be said that many people come here just to find these small tribes, and no one thinks too much about it.

However, the herdsmen sent by the Batu tribe as guides were worried: "Commander, we are constantly chasing scattered tribes, and unknowingly we have led the army to deviate from the established route and start to veer westward. It shouldn't be like this... "

Huangfu nodded Qing and said: "It's okay, I know it well. We don't have to go straight into the temple, it doesn't necessarily mean much. If we can detect most of the opponent's clusters to the west, maybe it will be good..."

Before she finished speaking, Sisi's eagle master came in a hurry: "Commander, our eagle discovered a large population of cattle and sheep in the distance, which is suspected to be a gathering place for a large tribe!"

This time Huangfu Qing and Zhao Changhe looked at each other, and the generals around them and even many mature and prudent people showed expressions of surprise.

There were a lot of cattle and sheep, which meant that it was not an army, it was really a tribe, a big tribe.

It is absolutely impossible for Timur to shrink all his tribes and throw them all into one place. There is no place that can support such a large number of people to live together. It can only be divided into several different areas for the placement of very large tribes.

Is this a blind cat encountering a dead mouse, chasing other scattered tribes, but found 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 "attacking the barbarians and being unable to go south" has been achieved, and the results can be called "digging the court and sweeping the holes".

Huangfu Qing said in a deep voice: "Let's check again to see if there is any movement from the main force of Beihu."

The Eagle Controller said: "There are no military movements for hundreds of miles around...but there are troops protecting the tribe. That is normal."

Suzaku was unmoved: "Wait for Xue Canghai's return."

Not long after, Xue Canghai, who had been chasing the small tribe just now, returned happily: "Commander, I really saw the outline of a big tribe over there. The other little guys went around to detect any movement. Except for the direction of the tribe, there was nothing else around. Signs of military presence.”

"Where is the number of tribal troops?"

"We don't dare to get close. We don't know very well."

Suzaku asked the eagle master: "What did you see?"

The eagle cannot tell the difference between ordinary herdsmen and the army, so the eagle master can only shake his head.

Xue Canghai said: "Commander, no matter how many troops the opponent has, we cannot bypass the big tribe and turn a blind eye. This battle is imperative, otherwise the morale of the army will collapse."

Suzaku was still silent.

Xue Canghai wiped his beloved Blood Magic Sword with a cloth, looked sideways at Huangfu Qing, and then at Zhao Changhe, but hesitated to speak.

Forget it, I was beaten so badly by this woman in the capital over the past few days to avenge her, so it was better not to say anything.

But no matter how silent he was, everyone could see the ridicule in his eyes. He was obviously chasing other tribes and met the big tribe by chance. It was just luck. The main force of Beihu? The main force is in the direction of the Holy Mountain. We are all in a different direction here. It is not the same road at all. This is still suspicious and timid. How can you be Suzaku?

Huangfu Qing was silent for a moment and asked the scout in a low voice: "What other geography is there in the surrounding area?"

The scout said: "There is a fairly large barren mountain to the north, but there is no place to hide people."

Huangfu Qing nodded: "Don't go directly to the other tribe through this path, be careful of traps. The whole army will take a detour from the direction of the barren mountains in the north and follow the mountains."

Xue Canghai's eyes lit up: "The commander-in-chief means..."

Huangfuqing took a deep breath: "Of course the whole army will attack, we will eat here tonight!"

"Rumble!" The sound of horse hooves resounded in the ecstasy of the three armies, and even the earth trembled.

High on the barren mountain, Bo'e looked coldly at the scene of the Han army rushing towards his position like a joyful man, with a smile on his lips.

"Huangfu Qing is cautious, but it's meaningless." Bo'e turned to the shamans around him and chuckled: "When it comes to war, she is still too young, like a fledgling girl."

The shamans all laughed: "I have been playing around with the true illusion of Zun Shen for more than ten days, and now no one can only think of it as chasing a chance encounter... She finally saw the tribe gathering together, and she just wanted to endure it. Xue Canghai's gang of things I can’t help it either.”

Another shaman said: "We can't blame them. They think that eagles control the sky, but we can't see what they are doing. In fact, all their movements are under our control, and they don't know what we are doing. The gods come to the world. , It’s no longer the war mode of previous years, it’s ridiculous that they clearly have three imperial realms in the army, but they haven’t woken up yet.”

"The gap between the first level and the second level of the Royal Realm is not smaller than the difference between the secret treasure and the entrance. Xia Longyuan was more intimidating back then because he was at the second level or later. Zhao Changhe Huangfu Qingyue Hongling was far from enough This qualification.”

As he spoke, Huangfu Qing led the crowd to the foot of the mountain, and could vaguely see the tribes in the distance to the west appearing at the end of the horizon.

Huangfu Qing suddenly stretched out his hand to stop the army, and squinted his eyes for a long time: "Stop for now, the scouts will explore this mountain first."

Bo'er chuckled and said, "It's better to be cautious. Let's go."

There is nothing on the mountain...the real trap is in the "tribe" in the distance. The vast tribe in the distance numbered at least 100,000 people. In fact, there were no herdsmen at all. They were all elites. Herding a herd of cattle and sheep there was just to deceive the eyes of the falcons, waiting for them to rush in thinking they had met by chance.

Once the Han army rashly charges into the so-called "big tribe", they will immediately find themselves plunged into a vast sea of ​​grassland elites.

Moreover, they did not move the tribes along the way at all, and there was no such thing as the Seven Injury Fist.

That is the effect of the heavenly book of the Immortal God, existence and non-being, virtuality and reality, truth and illusion. Everything I saw along the way was false. In fact, countless tribes along the way watched the Han army pass under their noses and studied the water that was not polluted at all.

Then throw out some abandoned ones, constantly attracting them to chase, and lead them into the established trap along the way. And in fact, the tribes along the way had already gathered into an army at this moment, always standing far behind the Han army, preparing to give them a fatal pincer attack.

In fact, this is not considered 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. Temur met Zhao Changhe and after misleading him, he led his troops to the west. The real main force was still with Huangfu Yongxian.

It seems that all of Zhao Changhe's judgments were wrong and none of them were right. It seems that the outcome of this battle is already known without having to fight.

Of course, you can't be careless...Bo'e still gave the biggest inducement.

"Boom!" Thunder fell from the sky and struck the entire Han army.

"Choke!" Zhao Changhe's dragon bird unsheathed and swept across thousands of troops.

The half-moon slashing sword light, which was countless times larger than before, swept out and dissolved all the thunder.

Bo'er's "shocked and angry" voice came: "Aren't you supposed to go straight to the temple? Why did you deviate to this place!"

Zhao Changhe laughed and responded: "This is the fate of the protagonist. It is not easy for a great shaman. You are alert before we arrive. How many tribes are you distracted from protecting?"

Following the words, Yue Hongling also unsheathed her sword and chased where Bo'e's voice came from: "Why don't you show up, great shaman, to continue the battle between you and me in Chang'an?"

Zhao Changhe also left the formation with her to pursue Bo'e. Suzaku did not move and continued to lead the army, seemingly going straight to the tribe in the distance that had lost the protection of the great shaman.

"Cang!" Zhao Changhe and his wife finally caught up with the figure who was flying in mid-air. The figure pulled out an ax and blocked the two men's attacks at the same time. The violent force surged in, and the young couple turned upside down in the air at the same time. They stopped in shock and looked up.

The visitor was bare-chested, tall and mighty, with a rough and resolute face, and his bronzed skin seemed to have a divine luster. The forehead was tied with a gold belt, and his eyes were bright. The majesty and pressure in his eyes were just like when Zhao Changhe saw Jiuyou for the first time in the dark alley of Chang'an.

This strange pressure, this strange feeling of divinity... this is not Bo Er at all.

This is the true form of the Immortal God, seen for the first time.

Zhao Changhe was shocked: "It's you...where is Bo'e?"

A sarcastic smile appeared on the rough face of the Immortal God: "Of course he is leading the crowd to open a dragnet, waiting for Lord Suzaku to step in."

Zhao Changhe seemed to be about to turn around and return. The Immortal God struck out with his axe, and the surrounding thunder formed a heavenly prison, trapping Zhao and Yue in it: "It's better to stay."

Zhao Changhe took a deep breath: "Are you healed?"

"It is true that I have not recovered. This is your opportunity for the Northern Expedition." The Immortal God smiled sarcastically: "But within my range, my strength will only be stronger than when I was outside. Not even Xia Longyuan dared to come and fight me. Do you dare to go to the Holy Mountain?"

Zhao Changhe's expression gradually calmed down: "In other words, in fact, by saying that you have a weaker clone to restrain Sanniang, you are still misleading us and leading us to the death place we are in today."

"That's right." The God of Immortality said calmly: "Watching you all running towards death, I have quite complicated feelings. To be honest, I don't like to use tricks, but you are so desperate for your own death, it is really ridiculous. Then... Come with your life."

"Bang!" The giant ax was swung out, and Zhao Changhe, Yue Hongling and his swords all parried the blow.

Then it seemed that they couldn't withstand the power of the opponent's second level of imperial realm, and both of their bodies were leaning back.

But the smile of the Immortal God was a little stiff: "This power is..."

A Tai Chi phantom appeared at their feet without any warning, helping Zhao and Yue to consume the fierce and unparalleled power of the Immortal God like a millstone. Not only that, it seemed that the Immortal God was somewhat unable to move, as if he was stuck in some quagmire.

At the same time, what looked like a small soldier in the army was shot like a meteor, and the wind and thunder howled, hitting the Immortal God's back directly.

Li Shen Tong!

Zhao Changhe, who was pushed back, slowly pushed the ax head forward and chuckled in a low voice: "Your Excellency has a false and true heavenly book. I have known about cheating for a long time... Since you know, please guess, we are going all the way, How much are we cooperating with you? For example, right now, do you think we are chasing you and leaving the army, or are we trying to drag you outside?"