Great Wilderness Demon Lord

On the evening of the fourth day, as Xiao Yunlan led his team over the last low, snow-covered hill, the view suddenly opened up before them.

In the distance, like a giant beast crouching on the horizon, lies the majestic northern pass—Zhenhuang Pass.

The walls stand tall, their imposing silhouettes visible even in the twilight and snow.

Banners fluttered on the walls, and figures could be vaguely seen moving about. The smoke from the beacon towers rose straight and rapidly, blending into the leaden sky.

North of the wall, what should have been a desolate winter wilderness was now covered by a vast and chaotic camp.

That was the Wolf Rong's camp, with tents and huts stretching like gray-black moss, and campfires twinkling, extending all the way to the horizon.

Closer up, beneath the walls, the scene is even more shocking.

The battle was clearly underway, or rather, had just ended.

Outside the gate, on the snow-covered plains, there were charred marks, scattered broken equipment, and corpses that had not yet been fully collected.

There were both wolf-like and jackal-like peoples, as well as human garrison troops.

Several ladders leaned against the wall, already broken and half-burned.

A section of the moat had been mostly filled in, revealing the frozen ground and debris mixed in with it.

The air was thick with a pungent smell, a mixture of gunpowder, blood, and burnt odors, which was still pungent even from miles away, carried by the cold wind.

The Wolf Rong's attacking ranks were slowly retreating, like the receding black tide.

They did not appear flustered and maintained their formation, but Xiao Yunlan keenly noticed that the "momentum"—the same kind of imposing and fierce collective aura that the elite Wolf Rong troops had exuded when they besieged Wangbei Fort—had weakened considerably.

The retreating troops seemed somewhat sluggish, with the soldiers hanging their heads and walking heavily. The giant wolf beneath them also drooped its head, no longer displaying its former ferocity.

The bugle call coming from the direction of the camp also carried a hint of imperceptible fatigue and anxiety.

"The news of the supply lines being cut off and Wugu's detachment being wiped out has apparently reached us," Xiao Yunlan whispered to Chen Wuzhang beside him, lying behind a boulder. His sharp eyes scanned the details of the battlefield. "Look at those retreating jackal servants; their formation is scattered, and many have even lost their shields."

The Wolf Rong headquarters' supervisory team cracked their whips more swiftly than usual, but the effect seemed minimal.

Corporal Chen squinted, observing carefully, and nodded: "The captain is right. And those big machines attacking the city below..."

He pointed to several abandoned or damaged battering rams and siege towers, "Some of them look like they were hastily destroyed, not entirely due to the defenders' counterattack. The Wolf Rong themselves may also be worried that these things will be used against them, or... their logistics are so strained that they can't repair and replenish them in time."

Xiao Yunlan understood.

Hechi lived up to his reputation as a renowned general of the Wolf Rong. Even after learning of the bad news from the rear and facing supply pressure, his offensive remained fierce. The attack just now had obviously put considerable pressure on the defending troops.

However, such a strong offensive depletes the soldiers' physical strength and morale, especially when logistical support begins to falter, this depletion will be amplified exponentially.

The sharpness of the Wolf Rong army has been tarnished.

"They probably won't launch another large-scale attack today," Xiao Yunlan judged. "It's getting late, the soldiers are tired, and their morale is low. Hechi needs time to regroup, process the bad news, and adjust their strategy."

This was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for.

"Find a concealed campsite. It needs to be able to see the battlefield and the movements around the Wolf Rong camp, but it also needs to be well hidden so that it is not easily detected by patrols from either side," Xiao Yunlan ordered.

The group moved again stealthily, like foxes in the snow, taking advantage of the terrain and the deepening twilight, and crept towards a hilly and rocky area on the flank of the battlefield, far from the main passage.

The terrain there is complex, with ravines and gullies, and even some tenacious withered grass and shrubs in the sheltered areas, making it an ideal spot for ambush and observation.

They eventually chose a depression with a steep rock face behind them and a pile of rocks in front of them.

There are protruding rocks above the cliff that can shield people from wind and snow. The space inside the depression is not large, but it can accommodate more than fifty people if you squeeze in. There is also a small spring that is half covered by snow and can provide drinking water.

After the men and horses were properly settled, they immediately began to construct a simple hiding place.

The tents and luggage were camouflaged with white tarpaulins and snow, overly obvious footprints were cleared away, and several simple warning devices were set up along the way.

Daring not to light a fire, everyone continued to eat cold, hard, dry rations, swallowing them with snow water.

Night fell completely.

The torches on the wall and the campfire in the Wolf Rong camp became the only sources of light in this dark wasteland, outlining the distant landscape and reflecting the faint light on the nearby snow.

Xiao Yunlan arranged the sentries, both visible and hidden, and ordered everyone except those on duty to rest as much as possible to recover their strength from days of travel.

He himself, along with Corporal Chen and two veterans who were best at night vision and infiltration, climbed up a nearby pile of rocks on slightly higher ground, lay down in the snow, and began to observe more carefully.

From this angle, a relatively clear view can be seen of part of the northern side of the Wolf Rong camp.

The camp layout was quite orderly. The outer area was the shack area for the jackal servants who served as soldiers, which was chaotic and disorganized. Further in was the tent area for the wolf-rong tribe, which was arranged relatively neatly. The central area had the brightest lights and the largest tents, which should be where Hechi's central army was located.

Further out, patrol riders continued to patrol, but the intervals seemed to be more sparse than expected, especially on the flank where Xiao Yunlan and his group were located.

"It seems that Hechi has focused its main vigilance on the front and the east and west flanks, neglecting our 'rear' direction," Corporal Chen said in a low voice.

"It's not negligence, it's a matter of insufficient strength." Xiao Yunlan shook his head. "Although he has a large number of troops, he has to maintain continuous pressure on Zhenhuang Pass, control the vast flanks to prevent the defenders from attacking, and also divide his troops to protect the increasingly fragile supply lines. Naturally, the forces he can use for rear guard duty are limited."

Moreover, he probably never imagined that the "spy" in Shuofeng Plain would not only not be removed, but would instead dare to deliberately crawl right under his nose.

His gaze fell on an area near the northeast corner of the Wolf Rong camp, where there seemed to be a lot of miscellaneous items piled up, and there were traces of vehicles coming and going: "That looks like a supply depot or equipment repair yard. The guards don't seem particularly tight."

"Captain, you mean..." Corporal Chen's eyes lit up.

"No rush." ​​Xiao Yunlan waved his hand. "Let's observe carefully first. The Wolf Rong have just suffered a defeat and have heard bad news from the rear. They will definitely strengthen their defenses in the camp tonight, especially in vital areas. Now is not the time to make a move."

He needed to observe more patiently, figure out the patterns of the wolf-like patrols, find the weak points in their defense system, and... the target that could have the greatest impact and was relatively easy to attack.

"Leave two men here to continue observing, recording the patrol shift changes and routes, paying particular attention to the northeast corner area and the south gate of the camp facing the wall. Shift change at midnight," Xiao Yunlan instructed. "We're going back. Tomorrow during the day, continue observing, paying special attention to whether they send out small teams, and whether there are any unusual movements of the garrison inside the pass."