Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 306 The Blood-Red Trap at Snow Abyss Pass

When Tuoba Lie Jincheng arrived, there was not a trace of joy on his face.

His commanders of ten thousand men only notified him to enter the city after they had completely eliminated the enemy troops defending it.

The reason for this was naturally because these people were afraid that he, as the commander, would take away their credit.

Tuoba Lie was aware of their thoughts, but he didn't directly point them out.

After all, he had only recently taken command of the troops and had not yet fully connected with these commanders.

It's normal for these people to be wary of him.

For the sake of the Northern Di's long-planned southern expedition, which had been painstakingly developed over decades, and also so that he could be remembered in the history of the Northern Di, Tuoba Lie was willing to make some compromises in this regard.

As a result, these guys disappointed him time and time again. They had said they had cleared out the remaining enemies at Xueyuan Pass, but before he even entered the city, another battle broke out.

Inside the county government office in Xueyuan Pass, Tuoba Lie looked coldly at the commanders: "Who can explain to me what just happened?"

After a long silence, someone stepped forward and said, "Commander, they are just some small, hidden troops."

"I suspect they're planning to hide inside the city and then suddenly emerge to cause trouble when we're off guard, catching us completely off guard?"

The commander of ten thousand wore a contemptuous sneer: "These southern barbarians are really naive. Do they really think we know nothing?"

"After entering the city, we immediately began a search, and soon we found their hiding place."

A centurion nearby quickly added, "These guys may not be very bright, but they're great at escaping. We've only just spotted them, and they've already dared to break out of the city before our troops can surround them."

Tuoba Lie didn't believe a word of what these people said: "So that's how it is. You generals are very farsighted and easily thwarted the enemy's plot. I am very pleased."

The city had already been captured, and Tuoba Lie couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters.

"All of you generals have made great contributions in defeating the powerful enemy. I have already written a memorial and sent it to the capital, informing the king of all your achievements."

The commanders understood Tuoba Lie's implication.

Although the credit was shared by several people, it was still a battle that officially opened the gates of the Great Zhou Kingdom.

No matter how many people share the profits, the credit is still enormous.

Most importantly, the battle to capture Xueyuan Pass proved that Tuoba Lie was not the kind of guy who would try to take all the benefits for himself.

The commanders of ten thousand men who led troops into battle could finally rest easy.

Don't worry about fighting tooth and nail only to have someone else easily steal the credit.

"It's getting late. Generals, you can arrange for the soldiers to rest first, and at the same time, organize the military equipment..." Tuoba Lie looked in the direction of the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty and flicked his sleeves with a spirited air.

"The army will set off early tomorrow morning. Let our brave soldiers seize that fertile land from those incompetent southern barbarians and conquer everything in sight."

"Let us create a bright and unprecedented future for the Northern Barbarians!"

Tuoba Lie felt as if a raging fire was burning in his heart. He had painstakingly planned and paid such a high price to finally capture Xueyuan Pass.

Now, all of this has finally paid off.

"I will obey your orders!"

The commanders were also filled with excitement.

What follows is a war of annihilation, an opportunity that any general leading troops would only come once in a lifetime.

These commanders were all radiant with health, and they walked with an air of confidence.

They had barely left when the messengers of the Dark Night Cult arrived in a hurry.

The hood he always wore was now off, revealing a pale and frail face.

Tuoba Lie noticed that the envoy's eyes were filled with fear and despair.

The moment he saw Tuoba Lie, he spoke urgently, his voice sharp and hoarse as if he had seen a ghost: "Quick! Retreat!"

Tuoba Lie's heart skipped a beat; he knew something terrible had happened.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't imagine what major event could possibly happen now.
All the garrison troops at Xueyuan Pass have been wiped out by them.

Even if there are still some hidden ones, their numbers will definitely not be too many.

Even if there are one or two thousand people, they are nothing but a drop in the ocean in front of an army of one hundred thousand.

If they were outside the city, Chu Shizhao's exceptionally powerful Ice Wolf Riders could potentially inflict some losses on them with their own strength and the high mobility of cavalry.

However, this was in the city, where the cavalry's mobility was completely ineffective.

No matter how skilled or powerful the soldiers are, if they are surrounded by the enemy, their only solution is to die on the battlefield.

Tuoba Lie couldn't understand what could have caused the Dark Night Cult's envoy to be so panicked.

"My lord, please calm down. What exactly happened?" Tuoba Lie tried his best to reassure the envoy of the Dark Night Cult.

"It's the Blood Feeding Mechanism, those damned guys..."

Before the Dark Night Cult envoy could finish speaking, Tuoba Lie heard a deafening explosion.

boom!
Immediately following was a violent tremor, and Tuoba Lie staggered and almost fell to the ground.

"Damn it, what's going on?" Tuoba Lie was also startled and hurriedly tried to rush out of the county office to see what had happened.

The envoy from the Dark Night Cult hurriedly grabbed Tuoba Lie, his eyes still filled with fear: "Don't go out!"

Tuoba Lie saw deep despair in the other person's eyes.

Even though he didn't know what was happening outside, he could almost feel an immense terror.

He swallowed unconsciously, but Tuoba Lie did not try to be brave.

He believed that someone would come to inform him soon.

Explosions, much quieter than before, continued one after another, accompanied by a series of screams.

Not long ago, the commanders of the Northern Barbarian tribes, under the arrangement of Tuoba Lie, left the county government office one after another, preparing to return to their troops to handle military affairs.

Their hearts had already flown to the Central Plains, and all they cared about was burning, killing, and looting.

So even in the city, they galloped on horseback, as if this would allow them to invade the Great Zhou sooner.

Not long after they ran out, they saw something like a fountain from hell suddenly shoot up dozens of meters high from the very center of Xueyuan Pass, drawing a ferocious arc in the dark sky.

"What the hell is that?" A Northern Di commander reined in his horse in confusion, his eyes widening under his helmet.

Before they could even figure out what was happening, a visible crimson shockwave, accompanied by the deafening sound of an explosion, swept in, shattering roof tiles wherever it passed.

"Get down!" someone yelled as they fell to the ground. The vibration and impact sent them sprawling.

The warhorse neighed in terror, its front hooves rearing up, throwing its rider off its back.

After the explosion, the hell fountain suddenly grew several times thicker, twisting and tumbling in the air like a giant python.

The sound of pouring rain followed immediately.

Almost the entire Xueyuan Pass was drenched. The rain pattered against the bluestone slabs, creating a hissing sound and sending up wisps of white steam.

Except for a few Northern Di cavalrymen who were inside the building when the explosion occurred, everyone outside was soaked in the rain...

A Northern Di cavalryman raised his hand in confusion, only to find that it was not rain at all, but clearly blood.

The blood, falling like rain, corroded his skin, leaving numerous bloody holes.

He stared in horror at his palm, which was being corroded at a visible speed, revealing the bare white bones.

"Ah!" A piercing scream tore through the sky.

The excruciating pain, like bones being rotted and the heart being gnawed out, caused all the Northern Di cavalrymen drenched in blood to scream in agony. Some frantically scratched their faces, their nails digging deep into their melting flesh.

Some people have less blood on them and only feel pain.

But some people aren't so lucky.

Their bodies, stained with a lot of blood, emitted foul-smelling white smoke. Their armor hissed and crackled under the corrosive effects of the blood rain, with pieces of iron peeling off one by one.

Immediately afterwards, someone suddenly exploded, and blood mixed with pieces of flesh was blown everywhere. The impact of the explosion shattered the wooden signs of nearby shops.

A lot of blood and flesh splattered directly onto the people around them.

A young cavalryman stared blankly at the chunks of flesh splattered on his chest. The next moment, the corrosion intensified, and the young Northern Di cavalryman also exploded, leaving only a scream.

The explosion spread blood and gore to even more people, triggering a chain reaction. The streets were instantly littered with flying carnage, resembling a scene from hell.

Explosions began to occur one after another at Xueyuan Pass. Each explosion meant the loss of another, or even several, lives.

Even several commanders of the Northern Barbarian tribes were caught in the rain of blood and died on the spot while rushing on their way.

Their magnificent armor rusted rapidly in the rain of blood, and in the end, men and horses alike turned into a pool of pus and blood.

In the chaos, some people ran around aimlessly like headless flies, their faces filled with despair.

However, most people immediately ran into nearby houses to take refuge.

They rammed open the tightly closed door with their shoulders and took refuge inside the house before it exploded and was soaked in blood.

"Get inside!" A bloodied officer, his right hand with exposed bone, shouted hoarsely in the house.

"Don't touch these terrible things!" Some people desperately called out to their comrades to avoid them.

Unfortunately, their voices couldn't carry far amidst the explosions and screams. Their cries for help were drowned out by the continuous explosions.

Yet more and more people continue to be eroded and exploded, merging into the boundless rain of blood.

Outside Xueyuan Pass.

Huo Qinghuang, who had just returned to the team with the Ice Wolf Riders, was standing on a small hill with Chu Shizhao, Li Batian, and the others, watching all of this.

"As expected!" Chu Shizhao's face wore a cruel smile.

"I knew it. Those guys from the Dark Night Cult couldn't possibly be completely loyal to the Northern Barbarians. They have their own agendas too."

"So they might not know about the Blood Feeding Hub. Even if the Dark Night Cult told them, they would definitely have kept most of the information from them."

The reason why such a terrible scene occurred in Xueyuan Pass was naturally because it was a "surprise" left by Chu Shizhao for the Northern Di people.

Chu Shizhao had begun preparing for this surprise before the Northern Di's second attack on the city.

At the time, because he did this, the soldiers of Xueyuan Pass almost thought that this prince was afraid of death and had abandoned them and run away.

Honestly, it's not a big deal.

Chu Shizhao merely caused the blood-feeding energy collected by the Dark Night Cult to overload within the Blood-Feeding Hub.

These are all strengths forged with the blood and lives of the artisans and common people of Xueyuan Pass.

The power within the Blood Feeding Mechanism is too great. If it were activated while the Snow Abyss Pass was still inside, it might affect them.

Therefore, Chu Shizhao chose to retreat, leaving the entire Xueyuan Pass to the Northern Di cavalry, thus ensuring that there would be no mishap.

Finally, only Huo Qinghuang was left to lead a small number of Ice Wolf Riders to complete the final activation.

This is why, even after the Northern Di cavalry occupied Xueyuan Pass, a battle still broke out.

Even if they are outside the city.

Even as the Blood Feeding Core exploded, Chu Shizhao still felt the earth tremble, demonstrating the sheer power of this thing.

"Is this why Your Highness ordered us to withdraw our troops?"

Li Batian was so excited that his face turned red: "So Your Highness has set up such a powerful device. Those despicable barbarians are going to be in trouble now. It would be best if we could blow them all up."

Chu Shizhao said with a dark face, "General Li, you are mistaken. I do not have such ruthless methods. This was all arranged by those unscrupulous villains of the Dark Night Sect. They originally intended to deal with us, but they ended up reaping what they sowed."

"Huh?" Li Batian blinked, completely unable to understand the meaning behind Chu Shizhao's words.

Although this thing was created by the Dark Night Cult, the fact that it exploded at this time clearly shows that it was a setup by His Highness.
"Your Highness, I'm not stupid. This Dark Night Cult..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Wenguang slapped him hard on the back, his palm striking the armor with a dull thud.

Li Batian was even more confused: "Why are you taking pictures of me? Am I wrong?"

Chu Shizhao, seemingly engrossed in watching the commotion in Xueyuan Pass, did not answer Li Batian.

Zhao Wenguang lowered his voice and explained softly, "General Li, His Highness is destined to be the emperor..."

Although Chu Shizhao's military plans were impeccable.

However, using such cruel methods to deal with the enemy might become an excuse for some people to attack Chu Shizhao in the future.

Therefore, even if everyone knows that this was Chu Shizhao's arrangement, they would never say it to the outside world.

Do not ask.

The answer is that the Dark Night Cult and the Northern Barbarians are reaping what they sowed.

Seeing that Li Batian still didn't understand, Zhao Wenguang couldn't explain it in any more detail. These things are either understood or not; how could he possibly break them down and explain them word by word?
Therefore, he could only say in a bad mood, "Anyway, General Li, remember this, this matter has nothing to do with our prince. It was just that after we led our troops to retreat, the trap that the Dark Night Sect used to deal with the Great Zhou was accidentally triggered, and they ended up reaping the consequences of their own actions."

(End of this chapter)