Honghuang: Eat a Hunyuan Daluo

The next day, Emperor Xin personally wrote an edict, bestowing upon King Wucheng the title of Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, Zhang Guifang the Vanguard General, and Zhang Kui and Wu Wenhua the Central Army Generals, leading a million elite troops to attack Xiqi.

Upon receiving the order, Huang Feihu immediately began to reorganize his troops.

The Shang army was disciplined and its orders were strictly followed. In just five days, a million-strong army was ready and then marched to Xiqi under the leadership of Huang Feihu.

Counting them up, there are five major passes in a straight line from Qishan in Xiqi to Chaoge.

They are Sishui Pass, Jiepai Pass, Chuanyun Pass, Tong Pass, and Lintong Pass.

Beyond Lintong Pass lies Mianchi, and beyond Mianchi lies Chaoge.

This time, Huang Feihu led his army to Xiqi, and the five passes along the way naturally did their best to cooperate.

Meanwhile, in Xiqi, Ji Fa was also deploying a large army.

Ji Fa was not entirely at ease with the coalition of two hundred vassal lords. On Jiang Ziya's advice, the coalition of two hundred vassal lords was broken up and incorporated into the Xiqi army trained by Jiang Ziya.

In the end, the Xiqi side managed to assemble an army of 1.5 million!

Of course, whether it's the million-strong army of the Shang Dynasty or the 1.5 million-strong army of Xiqi, these refer to the sheer number of combat soldiers; the number of accompanying personnel is much larger.

The Xiqi side also had many capable generals, such as Nangong Shi, Wei Ben, and Ji Shuang.

In particular, Ji Shuang, the fifth son of Ji Chang, was tall and strong, possessed superhuman strength, and was often praised by Ji Chang for having the demeanor of the Ji family's ancestors.

This time, Ji Fa appointed Nangong Shi as Grand Marshal and Ji Shuang as Military Supervisor, and the army marched towards Sishui Pass.

The 1.5 million-strong army, although mixed with the armies of many feudal lords, was well-disciplined under Nangong Shi's command and arrived at the Sishui Pass in just half a month.

The garrison commander of Sishui Pass is Han Rong, who is 50 years old this year and is definitely a veteran with rich experience in the Shang army.

Seeing that the Xiqi army was numerous and powerful, Han Rong immediately realized that he would not come out on top if he confronted them head-on. Therefore, Han Rong chose to hold the city gate and not come out, remaining steadfast and unmoved.

Nangong Shi repeatedly sent people to provoke Han Rong, but Han Rong remained unmoved. Helpless, Nangong Shi had no choice but to come to Sishui Pass in person and shout, "Han Rong, you old scoundrel, do you have the guts to come out of the city and fight me?"

Upon hearing this, Han Rong, standing atop the city wall, personally hung up a truce sign in front of Nangong Shi, and even mocked Nangong Shi, saying, "Nangong boy, don't be impatient. Once my Great Shang army arrives, I will immediately open the city gates and turn you all to ashes."

Nangong Shi was so angry that his teeth itched. He snorted and mocked, "Han Rong, you were given the title of Ever-Victorious General by the late King Di Yi. Now it seems that you are nothing but a name without substance!"

Han Rong's expression remained calm, his smile undiminished: "Don't waste your breath, Nangong Shi, if you have the guts, try attacking the city."

"You think I wouldn't dare? Where's the battering ram?"

Upon hearing that Nangong Shi intended to use battering rams to attack the city, Han Rong remained completely calm.

Because the walls of Sishui Pass were already engraved with the formation passed down by Grand Tutor Wen. It is said that this formation was developed by Duobao Daoren, a disciple of Tongtian Shengren of the Jie Sect. Its defensive power is amazing. Not to mention battering rams, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would need a whole day and night to break through it with his supernatural powers.

At Nangong Shi's command, several siege hammers were launched, and dozens of burly soldiers pushed the hammers, ramming them violently against the gate.

Muffled groans rang out, but the gate, inscribed with arrays, remained unmoved. In contrast, the soldiers who had stormed the city were all dazed and disoriented by the shockwave.

After about fifteen minutes of ramming, Han Rong keenly sensed that the time had come. He waved his hand, and the archers on the city wall fired in unison, instantly launching a barrage of fire arrows that pierced through the Xiqi soldiers ramming the city gates below.

Nangong Shiqi's face turned red, but he also knew that Sishui Pass was well-fortified and would require a clever strategy to take it. He immediately ordered his soldiers to retreat.

Time flew by, and more than half a month passed. During this time, Nangong Shi attacked the city several more times, but still returned empty-handed.

Han Rong finally saw Huang Feihu lead his army to Sishui Pass.

Huang Feihu asked Han Rong, "General Han, how many people are there in the Xiqi rebels?"

"There were approximately 1.5 million people, with varying equipment, and they seemed to be an army composed of several vassal states."

Huang Feihu understood what was going on and nodded slightly, saying, "General Han has worked hard these past few days. Now, leave the rest to me."

Huang Feihu's military strategies are all top-notch. Although he only led a million troops on this mission, which may not be advantageous against an army of 1.5 million, the Shang army consists of elite troops that have been tempered and refined. How could the miscellaneous troops of Xiqi compare?
So Huang Feihu turned to Han Rong and said, "General Han, please remove the truce sign. Tomorrow, I will meet with Xiqi."

After Huang Feihu issued the battle order, Han Rong immediately removed the truce sign.

The next day, at daybreak, the impregnable gates of Sishui Pass creaked open! King Wucheng, Huang Feihu, stood atop the city wall, leading a million-strong army to meet the enemy.

Of this million-strong army, there were 800,000 infantrymen, fully armed and disciplined, and obeyed orders without question. The remaining 200,000 consisted of 50,000 armored shieldmen, 50,000 cavalrymen, 50,000 archers, and 50,000 rocket soldiers.

Archers and rocket soldiers may both be shooting arrows, but they are actually quite different. Rocket soldiers are all cultivators with a cultivation level of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation or higher. They can attach the Heavenly Fire Curse, created by the Fire Spirit Holy Mother, a disciple of Daoist Duobao, to their arrows. Once the Heavenly Fire Curse is activated, even arrows shot by cultivators at the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation stage can injure Earth Immortals, let alone the army of Xiqi.

Huang Feihu glanced down at the Xiqi army formation from his high vantage point and sneered, "A bunch of rabble. Pass on my order: archers, prepare."

At Huang Feihu's command, 50,000 archers immediately drew their bows and nocked their arrows.

"shoot!"

Instantly, countless sharp arrows streaked across the sky, fiercely striking the Xiqi army's formation below.

In an instant, countless screams rang out, and countless soldiers of Xiqi fell like wheat being harvested.

The ordinary archers fired a volley and then quickly retreated. Huang Feihu gave the order again: "Rocket soldiers, prepare!"

Fifty thousand rocket soldiers stepped forward, drew their bows and nocked arrows.

"Initiate the incantation!"

With Huang Feihu's roar, flames ignited on the arrows of 50,000 rocket soldiers.

"shoot!"

"Whoosh!" The rockets landed on the Xiqi army.

Many of the Xiqi soldiers who were hit by arrows this time didn't even have time to scream before they turned to ashes.

The rocket soldiers and archers then swapped positions again.

These volleys of arrows directly reduced the Xiqi army by more than 10 men.

After the rocket troops finished firing, Huang Feihu ordered the city gates to be opened, and the army charged out. "Don't panic! Reorganize your formation. They're out of arrows. Now it's our turn to counterattack! We still have over 1.3 million men. 1.3 million against 1 million, the advantage is on our side. This wave, Xiqi is sure to win!" Nangong Shi shouted.

Encouraged by Nangong Shi, the Xiqi army reorganized its formation. Nangong Shi took the lead and came to the front of the formation, his face showing excitement. He shouted to his soldiers, "Brothers, today we will show the Shang Dynasty the power of Xiqi!"

In front of Sishui Pass lies an endless plain, perfect for large-scale troop operations.

With a single command from both sides, the million-strong army launched into battle! In an instant, the sounds of war drums, the clash of swords, and shouts filled the air.

Above the nine heavens, a vast aura of calamity rose, spread, and blotted out the sun, climbing even higher once more.

Nangong Shi wielded a large sword and fought valiantly on the battlefield; no one could withstand even a single blow from him.

Zhang Guifang looked at Nangong Shi with excitement in his eyes. He cupped his hands to Huang Feihu and said, "Marshal, I have heard that Nangong Shi is the number one warrior in Xiqi. I would like to experience his skills firsthand. Please grant me permission."

Zhang Guifang was skilled with a long spear. In his youth, he met a reclusive immortal and learned supernatural powers, including the technique of calling out an opponent's name to make them lose their senses and fall off their horse.

With this extraordinary ability, Zhang Guifang stood out from the crowd in the Shang Dynasty, and was definitely a formidable general.

Since Zhang Guifang had volunteered for the battle, Huang Feihu naturally wouldn't refuse: "Then General Zhang, please go!"

Zhang Guifang bowed and agreed, then spurred his horse forward, spear in hand, and charged toward Nangong Shi.

Seeing this, Nangong Shi showed no fear whatsoever, but instead shouted, "Well done!"

Then Nangong Shi, wielding a large sword, engaged Zhang Guifang in battle.

Although neither of them possessed particularly high levels of cultivation, their martial arts skills were unparalleled. After exchanging blows for over a hundred rounds, Zhang Guifang gained the upper hand, but for the time being, she was unable to defeat Nangong Shi.

Although Nangong Shi was drenched in sweat and his face was purplish, he laughed loudly and said, "Zhang Guifang, whose name is famous throughout the Shang Dynasty, seems to be nothing special after today's battle."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guifang snorted coldly. He silently recited an incantation, and an extremely strange and unpredictable primordial spirit power immediately invaded Nangong Shi's mind.

Nangong Shi felt as if he had been pricked by needles, and suddenly felt dizzy, and involuntarily fell off his horse.

With a flick of her spear, Zhang Guifang captured Nangong Shi and tied him up tightly with a rope.

Seeing that Nangong Shi had been captured, the morale of the Xiqi army plummeted, and the soldiers became increasingly flustered.

Seeing that the Xiqi army was in disarray and on the verge of collapse, Huang Feihu immediately ordered 50,000 cavalry and armored soldiers to charge forward. Two torrents of steel surged forth and directly scattered the Xiqi army.

Now the Xiqi army had lost all will to fight and scattered and fled. Huang Feihu witnessed this scene, hesitated for a moment and did not pursue them.

Before coming, both the King and Grand Tutor Wen had specifically instructed Huang Feihu that Xiqi had a master to help him, and that he should not be complacent after the victory.

At this point, Xiqi was defeated, and both sides withdrew their troops.

After Huang Feihu led his army back to the city in victory, the first thing he did was to start counting the number of casualties.

In this battle, the Shang army suffered fewer than 50,000 casualties, but annihilated a terrifying 400,000 enemy soldiers.

With such a high casualty ratio, there is no doubt that the Shang Dynasty won this battle, and won a great victory at that!

Seeing that he had achieved such a great victory in the first battle, Huang Feihu laughed heartily and immediately ordered his men to serve wine and cook lamb, and to hold a grand banquet to reward the soldiers of the three armies.

After the banquet began, all the generals raised their glasses to toast Zhang Guifang.

Han Rong went on to praise him, saying, "General Zhang is truly impressive today, showing the same style as Grand Tutor Wen back in the day. I toast you, General."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guifang quickly picked up her glass, drank it all in one gulp, and then said with a humble expression, "General Han, you flatter me. The Grand Tutor is the pillar of our Great Shang Dynasty. What virtue or ability do I have to be compared to the Grand Tutor?"

Huang Feihu smiled when he heard Zhang Guifang's modest words and said, "General Zhang is too modest. Today on the battlefield, General Zhang shone brightly, capturing the Xiqi general alive and boosting the morale of our Great Shang army. The first victory is of great significance. General Zhang has made a great contribution. I will definitely report this to the King and ask the King to reward General Zhang well."

While the Shang dynasty was filled with revelry and merriment, the Xiqi region was shrouded in gloom and despair.

"Supervisor, the Marshal has been captured by Zhang Guifang. What should we do?" a general from Xiqi asked Ji Shuang.

Upon hearing this, Ji Shuang couldn't help but recall today's battle. The Shang side truly had excellent tactics; their rockets were incredibly powerful. Zhang Guifang was even more unpredictable, managing to bring Nangong Shi down from his horse. If this continued, Xiqi would surely lose this battle.

Thinking of this, Ji Shuang slammed his hand on the table and said, "You all hang up the truce sign first, and I will go back and consult with the King and the strategist."

That very night, Ji Shuang rode his horse to Xiqi.

The first battle between the Shang Dynasty and Xiqi was actually watched in secret by many powerful figures.

This great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods is related to a wisp of primordial purple energy. Those powerful beings who want to compete for the primordial purple energy naturally need to see clearly which side is stronger, so that they can decide whether to join the camp of the Great Shang or the camp of the Great Zhou.

Judging from the result of the first match, the Shang Dynasty was far superior to the Zhou Dynasty, and the powerful figures who were secretly observing were already leaning towards the Shang Dynasty.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang in the ears of the powerful beings. The voice only said four words: "The Mandate of Heaven is with Zhou."

Anyone who had heard Hongjun preach at Zixiao Palace was shocked to hear these four words, because they were all too familiar with this voice; it was the voice of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

The Daoist Ancestor said that the Mandate of Heaven was with the Zhou Dynasty, so why hesitate?
Especially at this time, with the Shang dynasty gaining the upper hand in the initial battle, isn't this a great opportunity to provide timely assistance to them?
As a result, some veteran quasi-saints flew to Xiqi.

As for those cultivators who had never heard the Dao Ancestor preach, some followed the trend and flew to Xiqi, while others were still hesitant, feeling that it was too early to choose sides at this time.

"Fellow Daoist Bai Jing, what did Heavenly Dao Hongjun just say?" Nuwa asked with interest, looking at the many Quasi-Saints flying towards Xiqi below.

"It seems that Heavenly Dao Hongjun is getting a little anxious!"

"It is a bit hasty. If I were Him, I certainly wouldn't give these cultivators instructions so early. I would at least wait until after the Chan Sect has fallen."

Bai Jing smiled upon hearing this. He felt that the timing of Tiandao Hongjun's guidance was just right, because the Jie Sect was already gearing up for action.

The sight of the Shang Dynasty's overwhelming defeat of the Xiqi army left Tongtian with no more worries. He immediately announced on Jin'ao Island that all disciples of the Jie Sect could freely descend the mountain to assist the Shang Dynasty in the Investiture of the Gods and compete for the Primordial Purple Qi.

It would be strange if Hongjun, the Heavenly Dao, could remain calm after Tongtian issued such an order!

Bai Jing has already sent a message to his disciples, informing them that they can begin their plan.

(End of this chapter)