Primordial Era: A God-Level Choice, Possessing Zhao Gongming at the Start.

Chapter 373 The city falls and Ji Fa is captured!

Ten thousand heavy cavalrymen galloped across the vast land, clad in armor and armed with weapons; even their warhorses were clad in armor. Their combat effectiveness was beyond doubt.

In just one collision, thousands of soldiers from Xiqi died.

These 10,000 heavy cavalry did not charge aimlessly, but rather advanced in an orderly and purposeful manner toward the east gate.

Its purpose, of course, was to open the city gates and welcome the main force of the Shang Dynasty into the city.

Otherwise, it would be a pipe dream for them, with only 10,000 men, to contend with the millions of troops in Xiqi City.

Even if you let millions of pigs stand still and let them be slaughtered, it still wouldn't be possible to kill them all in a short time.

In the council hall of Lintong Pass, Ji Fa heard the northwest city gate open wide.

When Wen Zhong led his men in and echoed Xu Fang and Han Rong from afar, his face suddenly turned pale, his blood rushed to his head, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat, but Ji Fa swallowed it down.

At the same time, he ordered that all city gates be strictly guarded and that every effort be made to annihilate the army led by Han Rong.

However, Ji Fa underestimated the power of the heavily cavalry, who had undergone rigorous training and were familiar with various battle formations.

With sweeping, powerful attacks, they left a trail of corpses in their wake, and with no equal, they quickly reached the east gate.

When Huang Feihu's army opened the east gate, the Xiqi army realized they had been tricked.

Outside Lintong Pass, Wen Zhong, who was leading his troops and was already on high alert, had a slight smile on his lips.

"A feint to the east while attacking in the west—a brilliant strategy! Today, watch me capture the thief and reclaim Lintong Pass in one battle!"

At the Grand Tutor's command, a million-strong army poured into the city through the east gate, and in an instant, a chaotic battle broke out in the city.

In the council hall, a servant stumbled in, his face deathly pale.

"Young master, that old scoundrel Grand Tutor Wen Zhong has already led the Shang army into the city."

Ji Fa remained unmoved, simply plopping down on the couch, but then suddenly stood up. He wanted to break through the encirclement; once he reached Xiqi, there would be hope for everything.

After quickly tidying up, Ji Chang, escorted by his personal guards, rushed out of the council hall and saw Wen Zhong, riding a black Qilin and wielding a pair of golden whips, walking towards him with imposing presence.

"They arrived so quickly!"

Despair flashed in Ji Fa's eyes. For the first time, he realized how powerful the Shang Dynasty was.

Wen Zhong looked at Ji Fa, whose hair was disheveled and whose former image was no longer present, and said in a flat tone, "Second Young Master, the last time we met was in front of the Longde Hall. I never expected that the next time we meet, it would be like this."

"Your Ji family has committed heinous crimes. Surrender immediately and come back to Chaoge with me."

The reason for bringing Ji Fa back to Chaoge was certainly not to discuss his crimes. Given the crimes Ji Fa had committed, even the execution of his entire family would be considered lenient.

The reason for bringing Ji Fa back to Chaoge was to burn him as a sacrifice to Heaven, in order to proclaim the legitimacy of the Shang Dynasty.

"Grand Tutor Wen, do you think I'll go back with you?"

Ji Fa gave a bitter, desolate smile. It was a matter of life or death.

A cold light suddenly appeared in his palm and slid towards his neck at an extremely fast speed.

Grand Tutor Wen watched from the side, unmoved. Just as the cold light of the dagger was about to touch Ji Fa's skin, he suddenly swung his hand, and a golden flying nail knocked the dagger out of Ji Fa's hand.

The dagger made a graceful arc in mid-air before falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Take it down!"

Wen Zhong's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice.

Immediately, guards came out from both sides, took out ropes, and tied Ji Fa up tightly. They also stuffed a wad of cloth into his mouth to prevent him from committing suicide.

"To capture the enemy, first serve the king." After capturing Ji Fa, the remaining things were not very attractive to Wen Zhong. He simply issued orders to do his best to annihilate the enemy army!

This battle, a fierce fight, and the time spent chasing each other, lasted for several days before it finally ended.

As expected, the Shang army successfully captured Lintong Pass, killing more than 200,000 rebel soldiers and capturing Ji Fa, achieving an unprecedented victory.

At Lintong Pass, in the council hall, Wen Zhong was in high spirits. "The fighting strength of Xiqi is actually quite weak. Within half a year, we will definitely be able to conquer Xiqi and bring good news to Chaoge."

"Yes."

The generals cheered with joy.

Since the rebellion in Xiqi, they have been holding back for too long and have not had enough fun. Now it is finally their time to show their skills.

When Boyi Kao of Xiqi heard that Lintong Pass had been captured, the army had suffered heavy casualties, and even Ji Fa had been captured, he was stunned and almost fainted.

First it was the father, then Ji Fa; the sky over Xiqi is truly about to collapse!

Several days later, Wen Zhong, Huang Feihu, Han Rong, Xu Fang and others led an elite army to set off, ready to retake Chuanyun Pass!

At Chuanyun Pass, the morale of the Xiqi soldiers was low, and they were no match for the fierce army of the Shang Dynasty. After only a few days, Chuanyun Pass fell.

Next, the Shang army was invincible, capturing Jiepai Pass and Sishui Pass in succession.

We have recovered all the cities that were lost since the start of the Great War of Xiqi!

After the recapture of Lintong Pass, Chuanyun Pass, Jiepai Pass, and Sishui Pass.

In an instant, the fortune of Xiqi weakened to its limit. The ten-thousand-foot fortune dragon was reduced to only two thousand feet, hovering above Xiqi and emitting a huge mournful cry. It was no longer the ferocious and awe-inspiring dragon it had been before.

In contrast, the five-clawed golden dragon in the center of Chaoge shone with golden light, as if it had taken a powerful tonic.

Its enormous dragon eyes stared intently at Xiqi, and it licked its lips in a human-like manner!

After recuperating from the five passes, Wen Zhong and Huang Feihu rested for a month before officially launching their campaign against Xiqi!

Previously, Xiqi had exhausted its accumulated reserves due to long-term, high-intensity transport of grain and fodder.

Adding to the time spent with the remnants of the defeated army, they were only able to muster 300,000 troops!

Three hundred thousand versus one million—that's an enormous difference.

Beneath the walls of Xiqi, Wen Zhong did not launch a full-scale attack immediately. Instead, he brought Ji Fa out and said towards the Xiqi city gate, "Xiqi's fate is sealed. The old traitor Ji Chang has died of illness in Lintong Pass. Ji Fa is now in my grasp. Taking the city will be as easy as turning my hand."

"But the king is kind-hearted and considers all the people of the world as his subjects. He does not wish to commit further killings. If you open the city gates and surrender, you can be spared from death."

After Wen Zhong finished speaking, he immediately ordered the army to set up camp on the spot and start cooking.

Attacking a city by force is naturally simple and almost foolproof.

But the warriors of the Great Shang are elites trained at great expense. Why make unnecessary sacrifices? Winning hearts and minds is the key to victory and the only way to take down Xiqi without bloodshed.

In Xiqi City, Boyi Kao slowly awoke from his sickbed. Although he was in great pain, he still got up and summoned the civil and military officials of Xiqi for a meeting.

In the main hall, all the civil and military officials stepped forward, unanimously urging the other to surrender.

"Young Master, the Xiqi army is already at the city gates. Surrender!"

"My lord, both of your sons have met with misfortune. The elite forces of the Great Shang are unstoppable. How can we possibly stand against them?"

"The one leading the troops this time is none other than Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, who has never suffered a defeat in his life. He is the leader of Xiqi."

In the main hall, the civil and military officials chattered amongst themselves, shaking their heads and sighing, all expressing pessimism about the future of Xiqi.

(End of this chapter)