Destiny is ashes

Chapter 444 New Era Weapons (5000)

The vanguards galloping across the snowfield crossed the Lu River one after another. The frozen river water covered the entire river bank before it was completely solidified, causing the rice fields and ferry crossings on both sides to be submerged in ice and frost and become the objects of horse hooves. Only one or two chimneys protruded from the ice, like desperate hands reaching out.

"No hostility."

After crossing the ice, the first scout cavalryman, wearing fur soft armor and holding a telescope, looked towards the Broken Blade Mountain defense line, then picked up the small animal cage hanging on his side and checked the condition of the small animals.

After confirming that the little beast was not excited, he nodded immediately, picked up the jade talisman on his chest and said, "This is the twelfth report today. The gold-eating rat has no reaction. There are no soldiers and gold demons along the Lu River to the Broken Blade Mountain. Eagle Eyes confirmed that there are no airship ambushes in the clouds. The weather conditions are good. Please give instructions to the big tent."

Finally, he added: "The vanguard battalion is in good condition and has sufficient supplies to continue the operation."

[Continue to investigate] Soon after, a hoarse male voice sounded from the jade talisman: [Hide your body, sneak into Broken Blade Mountain from northeast to southwest, report once when you enter, and report every quarter of an hour thereafter]

"Order."

The jade slip flashed, and the scout captain knew that the news had spread to all scouts in all directions and the vanguard camp in the rear, so he continued to move forward according to the route given by the big tent.

"I really don't know what happened to Dachen."

As the horse galloped, the thoughts of this old scout with more than 120 years of battle experience could not help but flow along with it. His inner strength was at its peak, so his hair and beard were still pure black, but the long years made him unable to help but recall the past: "How could Dachen back then be so weak like he is now?"

He still remembered, still remembered the last batch of conquest troops passing through the former horse farms of the Tieli tribes.

It was the dawn one hundred and forty years ago. Warriors and cavalrymen in armor appeared on the plain at the end of the sky, and then more warriors and cavalrymen appeared behind them.

Their numbers outnumber the trees in the woods, their presence overshadows the tallest peaks in the mountains, and the light of their armor is like stars and moons, reflecting the light of the sun, and as bright as the vast milky way in the night sky across the prairie.

At that time, wherever the Four-Colored Wuwei Army Soul Array passed, the Four Symbols and Five Elements of heaven and earth changed. The ancient ancestral spirits and demon leaders either dissipated with wails, or surrendered respectfully. Even the most ancient Iron Li earth spirits were defeated and sealed, struggling in the netherworld, unable to escape.

The mountains moved to make way for the city of Dachen; the rivers changed their courses to provide milk for the farmlands of Dachen.

He still remembers.

Above the sky, shuttles flew like clouds. Black flags were inserted into the earth, fluttering in the wind. The majestic military drums shook like thunder, announcing that the land had changed hands and became the kingdom of Dachen since ancient times.

Wherever Dachen's Xuanwu flag passed, even the bravest Tieli warrior and the strongest giant spirit warrior had to retreat. He, held in his father's arms, left the grasslands of his hometown and the abode of his ancestors with his family with great reluctance and even despair, without hoping to return again.

But he's back now.

The old scout galloped across the snowy plain, but there was no joy or nostalgia in his heart.

The once indestructible checkpoints collapsed from within; the once towering cities crumbled like sand; the once mighty and majestic Dachen heavenly soldiers, although not cowardly, but compared with the fearless eyes of their ancestors, their wills had become decadent and confused, and they didn't know what they were fighting for.

——Guarding hometown?
But wasn't it they themselves who abandoned their homeland?
Although they were enemies, the old scout did not despise the Dachen army like his younger colleagues who had become arrogant after conquering several Dachen cities.

On the contrary, he understood these people very well, because many times, it was not that they could not win, but that they were weakened and bled again and again by the forces behind them, so they had to lose to them.

Just like those big cities that don’t even have divine weapons - taking down such a city would certainly make the tribe prosperous, but does it really mean that they have defeated Dachen?
It's like an insect sucking blood from a giant's wound. Can we praise the insect's powerful strength instead of questioning the giant's madness of self-mutilation?
"This kind of Dachen is not the real Dachen."

"Just like the current Tieli, he is not the real Tieli."

The old scout was not stupid. All the people on Huaixu Land were descendants of the 180,000 people brought by the great immortal Huaixu in the past. Therefore, in any sect, country, tribe, or clan between heaven and earth, there were ignorant and short-sighted people, as well as sober and wise people.

He could see that all the anomalies in the northern border of Dachen were caused by internal decay, and the reason why the Tieli tribes suddenly turned from weak to strong was also because of the temptations of the five sects behind them.

They are all chess pieces in the hands of those high and mighty true gods, or even the emperors of heaven, or even the dust on the chess pieces.

Realizing that all this was meaningless, the old scout suppressed the churning thoughts in his mind and carried out his mission conscientiously.

If one looks down at the Broken Blade Mountains from the sky with the eyes of an eagle, it looks like the back of a giant fish on land. The many peaks are like thorns on its back, standing upright between heaven and earth. The most central Broken Blade Peak is the sharpest, almost like the tip of a broken blade.

Entering the woods, the path for horses became narrow, but the scouts who had already cast spells were gliding lightly over the roots and branches of plants. Their nimble horses were galloping as if they were walking on the air. Their bodies were protected by the wind and fog, and no monsters could see their whereabouts. What's more, the monsters here had already moved away, so there would be no interference in their process of searching for the earth vein nodes.

Soon, they found a hill. The hill was surrounded by lush ancient trees. Each one required five or six people to hug. Some were more than twenty or even thirty feet high. However, there was nothing on the hill. The strong aura of war made the gold-eating rat in the cage let out sharp howls.

This is the Jinyuan ground vein of Duanren Mountain, which cuts off all wood energy and is the easiest to find.

There is Dachen's sentry tower here, which was transformed from a giant tree and overlooks everything around it. However, it has been abandoned for decades. Branches have grown again inside the hollowed-out bark, wrapping everything around.

"If we control this earth vein node, we can control the movement of all living things in the northeast direction - we can summon the vanguard battalion over."

Scouts from the surrounding areas gathered together. There was a small team. Everyone started laughing after reporting the situation to the big tent. The mission was going smoothly. They were not nervous. They could even be said to be very relaxed. "Sure enough, there is nothing special about Broken Blade Mountain. I heard that there is a divine destiny in Linjiang City, but after all, they are not professional and have no defense at all."

"Shenming is also a human being. Without iron, he can't make a good weapon. It's useless for him to defend himself. How many people are there in Linjiang City? How many weapons do they have? Can he conjure them up?"

"The order from above is to severely damage Linjiang City at all costs and dampen the spirit of this divine being. We can't let him build up his power like this."

"A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind, and the first bird to stick its head out will be shot down. Who asked this divine destiny to be so high-profile? He is obviously from Chenli, but he insists on being the city lord of Dachen?" "No, you are wrong. He is from Dachen. His hometown was burned down by the Western Army. He just worshipped the master of the Mingjing Sect next door." "Oh, I remembered it wrong."

"It's useless anyway. Once our team arrives, how many days will it take to capture the area around Broken Blade Mountain?"

Hearing these noisy discussions, the old scout felt a little annoyed; he always felt that something was not right.

"Although the sentry tower is abandoned, there seem to be signs of wild beasts walking around the surrounding land. Although there is nothing abnormal with the ground vein node, the gold-eating rat seems to be a little scared? Although the soldier evil spirit and the gold evil spirit are indeed slightly different, this should not be the case."

A hundred years of experience in battlefield reconnaissance allowed the old scout to quickly discover many errors, but these were minor details. His real concern was that his fate of [Before the Battle] was warning him that he had already entered combat mode.

But where? Where is the enemy? Could it be a monster in the woods? Or some lurking scout?
——Strange, is there someone hiding and watching us? But that's impossible. If there was a hidden magic weapon, the other scouts' illusion-breaking Eagle Eye telescopes would have worked long ago.

His silence is very familiar to his colleagues and teammates. Kuo Yunlu is always too cautious. This is the reason why he has survived a hundred years of battles, and it is also his fate and character.

Similar situations have occurred many times. They are nothing more than ferocious beasts hiding in the forest. There is nothing to worry about.

"Maybe I was just too nervous."

He used magic to confirm that there were indeed some small living creatures around. After driving them away, Kuo Yunlu's fate warning gradually faded and he let down his guard.

Although he remained cautious, Kuo Yunlu would not take it too seriously. The mission had been completed, and the scouts could take a break, then continue to explore the situation in Broken Blade Mountain, and then investigate the current situation of the three Broken Blade cities.

And in the forest, there were indeed pairs of lifeless eyes that were turning and focusing. Even the branches and leaves of the sea of ​​trees were swaying slowly in the windless silence, quietly watching the group of scouts that had dispersed again, identifying and locking them one by one. On the other side of the camera, An Jing was still waiting patiently.

The old scout who was leading the team was indeed quite capable. An Jing could be sure that the other party had discovered that something was wrong with this place, and that this was a man-made trace that could not be completely covered up even with the help of Rong Yucui - if they dug the ground to check, they would definitely find many mines, but the golden evil spirits at the nodes of the earth veins blocked too many clues.

In fact, the old soldier had instinctively discovered the danger, and An Jing had to let Long Yucui retreat and only use a drone to monitor remotely.

These scouts are of low value and there is no point in eliminating them. If the information provided by Gu Yunzhi is correct, after the scouts confirm that this place is safe, the enemy's vanguard battalion will be the first to scout and arrive here.

Soon, in the evening, a vanguard battalion of 300 people arrived here.

Rows of cavalrymen hid their bodies and entered the jungle, gathering like ghosts around the camp that had been explored. They were clad in pale fur armor and could disappear in the snow even without magic. They slowly parted the trees and did not chop the grass to alarm the surroundings and leave any traces. They were undoubtedly a true elite force.

They are the vanguard of the Tieli troops. Next, they will use the underground nodes as their base to collect intelligence and deploy basic troops for about half a month. The seemingly swift three-day city capture actually involved several months of detection, infiltration and espionage operations, which are invisible to ordinary people, but are the most important in war to defeat the enemy before engaging the enemy.

But what awaits them is a creation from another world that is beyond all their experience and lessons.

"Is that all?"

An Jing watched the scenes of the enemy camping in the drone. Although he knew that this was probably the best time, he still felt a little regretful: "Let them continue to check. Maybe they can find the mines, but now that they have exploded, it will be difficult to continue to sneak attack the army."

[Are you planning to use this mine to wipe out an entire cavalry unit? ]

Chen Yinzi laughed: [Destroying an entire elite vanguard battalion is a huge loss, and it would be like losing a pair of eyes. On the contrary, the main army you want to attack has a martial arts master in charge, who can mobilize the martial arts defense at any time. At that time, at most a few unlucky guys will die, and you will just waste an opportunity to mobilize magical powers.]

During the past half month, Chen Yinzi saw An Jing calmly mobilize various troops and drones to plant mines at each node. Although the key point was indeed the secret weapon that An Jing took out from somewhere, An Jing's arrangement and control over his military and civilians were also truly worthy of praise.

[If the Iron Kites had weapons, and you could control them in large numbers, you could become an army by yourself.]

Chen Yinzi was full of praise for this design: [This even inspired me - if I forge many auxiliary mirrors to give them spirits, and surround my main mirror like stars around the sun and the moon, and then use the method of transmitting light in the mirror, supplemented by the power of creation, the main mirror will be like the sun transmitting light to the stars and the moon, forming a set of Dutian Yuanling Creation Array, wouldn't it be possible to use the mirror as the three lights of yin and yang, the sun, the moon, and the stars, and then evolve the heaven and earth? ]

[As expected of God’s will, it has allowed me to find a new path to pursue in the last days]

"I think this is because you have a profound foundation, Grandmaster."

An Jing did not think that this was his own credit, because someone in the Huaixu Realm must have built something similar like a drone formation. Chen Yinzi just didn't think of replicating it using the Mingjing Sect's method and was inspired by his own drones.

Moreover, what the master said was right. Instead of betting that the martial arts masters of the Iron Cavalry headquarters would not be able to react in time, it would be better to directly destroy the enemy's eyes and slow down the opponent's attack speed. You know, the reinforcements from Dachen were dragging their feet and there was no definite news yet, but the vanguard of the Iron Cavalry had already arrived!
"never mind."

Thinking of this, An Jing pressed the start button.

At this moment, in Broken Blade Mountain, the old scout Kuo Yunlu suddenly opened his eyes with a look of horror: "There is a surprise attack?!"

His fate saved his life.

At this moment, many mines that were originally dormant in the ground were activated at the same time. They popped out from deep underground, suspended in the air, and then exploded.

In an instant, fire dragons ignited and flew in the forest. When all the blood-fire thunders responded to the command and started up, automatically locking onto the target and exploding, even the drones on the other side of the mountain could see a fire cloud that went straight into the sky like a backward waterfall, illuminating most of the mountain and half of the sky in blood red.

Arcs of electricity flashed in the blood-red cloud of fire and thunder, and it once again turned into a bloody rain that fell down. Countless screams were heard in the camp - most people died at the moment of the mine explosion, but there were still a small number of survivors, and what these survivors were about to face was the bloody evil that was like a thorn in the flesh. These bloody flames burned the treetops and branches, and penetrated into every corner of the camp, turning the originally peaceful depths of Broken Blade Mountain into a living hell in an instant.

This elite vanguard that had experienced many years of battlefields, won countless victories, and overcome many traps disappeared in the flames in an instant. Only a few night watch scouts and alert veterans who were patrolling outside escaped.

“What, what happened?!”

Kuo Yunlu stared in disbelief at the camp that had turned into a sea of ​​blood and fire. He didn't dare to get close, nor would he get close - according to experience and lessons, he should leave Broken Blade Mountain immediately, escape the enemy's ambush range, and report the failure to the commander.

However, he was also very clear that others might be able to escape, but he could not.

I have been targeted.

In the darkness, several drones locked onto this elite old scout - fortunately or unfortunately, his future would not be decided by himself.

Just as Chen Li is trying to obtain intelligence from Broken Blade Mountain, An Jing will also try to obtain intelligence from the Iron Cavalry.

Soon, with An Jing leading the team personally and Xu Tai as his deputy, a team of fully armed warriors arrived at the scene. Most of the scouts present were captured and taken prisoners, among whom Kuo Yunlu was the most important.

"You...are the divine destiny?"

With his meridians sealed, Kuo Yunlu knelt on the ground, looking up in disbelief at An Jing's face, which was illuminated by the firelight and turned red. It was too young, and too indifferent.

——How could he be so young? And...how could he be so used to and familiar with battle formations?
At this moment, Kuo Yunlu felt that the person in front of him was not a young god, but a cold-blooded veteran who had lived in war for a long time and enjoyed war, killing and death.

Or in other words...

【Soldier Leader】

"I am."

Not knowing what the man in front of him was thinking, An Jing calmly replied: "Don't worry, when two armies fight, casualties are inevitable, but I won't kill prisoners, and I'm not that interested in your cavalry affairs. You don't need to betray your army. I'll get the intelligence myself."

"On the contrary, I want to see the information about the sects behind the Tieli tribes from the perspective of the Tieli people."

"In that case." The old scout lowered his head with a wry smile: "Then I will tell you."

The other side of the snowfield.

early morning.

"what?"

The cavalry commander in the big tent received news beyond his imagination. He, who was originally dull and didn't like to talk much, stood up in doubt and asked subconsciously: "Are you saying that the vanguard was completely wiped out?"

"Total destruction?!"

(End of this chapter)