Demon Lord Tang Dynasty

"The Great Wall is indeed magnificent and awe-inspiring."

Looking at the Great Wall before him, which stretched out like a giant dragon, Gao Yi couldn't help but sigh.

"Brother Gao, Uncle has already sent people to arrange everything, and we can enter the pass at any time," Lu Lingfeng's voice came.

"Alright, let's go through customs then."

Gao Yi nodded, feeling a surge of emotion once again.

The pass before him was called the Great Pass.

Along with Shanhaiguan, Juyongguan, and Jiayuguan, it is listed as one of the four great passes of the Great Wall.

This alone is enough to understand how treacherous this pass is.

If he were to rely solely on his troops to charge into battle, at least half of the soldiers behind him would likely be lost.

After all, cavalry has always been at a disadvantage when attacking cities.

It's worth mentioning that Gao Yi didn't send out his entire force this time.

Only four thousand truly elite soldiers are capable of fighting.

Gao Yi gave a casual command.

The men and horses filed into the pass.

However, the Great Gate, one of the iron gates of the northern border, was wide open, and the soldiers guarding the city were as if they were deaf and mute.

This is the power of a powerful family; they can paralyze a thousand-year-old fortress in an instant.

In the future, when Yang Guang inspected the border regions, he also encountered such a scene.

With the border gates wide open, tens of thousands of Turkic wolf cavalrymen covered a thousand miles in a day, as if entering an empty land, and surrounded Yang Guang and his officials at Yanmen Pass.

Although the time and place are different, the process is exactly the same.

However, in the Yanmen Pass incident, the mastermind behind it was the Guanlong Group, mainly composed of the Li clan.

This initiative was spearheaded by the Lu family of Fanyang, and the Hebei or Shandong gentry group they represent.

This Shandong does not refer to the Shandong of later generations.

Instead, it refers to the area east of the Xiaoshan or Taihang Mountains. One is a division from the pre-Qin period, while the other is a generally accepted division from the Han Dynasty onwards.

"Brother Gao, why move them in batches and in parts? In my opinion, it would be better to bring them all at once to save trouble."

"There are too many people. Bringing them all at once could easily cause chaos. It's better to wait until the first batch settles down before planning for the next batch, which will also reduce casualties," Gao Yi said, shaking his head.

"Brother Gao is indeed a man of great benevolence and righteousness." Lu Lingfeng nodded emphatically.

Gao Yi smiled but didn't say anything.

Although he had already decided on a strategy to enter the Central Plains, it didn't mean he would put all his eggs in one basket.

The Central Plains is the core of the world, which goes without saying.

But grasslands also have their own value.

Gao Yi planned and waged wars several times before he finally acquired a tribe of that size.

To try to uproot everything at once and destroy one's own foundation is simply too foolish.

It should be noted that after Gao Yi's sweeping campaign, there were no longer any significant enemies left in the entire eastern half of the southern desert.

In other words, this area was his own grazing pasture.

Of course, there will definitely be challengers in the future, but Gao Yi is confident enough to hold onto everything.

Such a vast region also contains enormous resources.

Putting aside other things, warhorses are one of them.

This vast grassland is much larger than the Pegasus Ranch in the Central Plains.

Although Pegasus Ranch is world-renowned, it is located inland. While it produces fine horses, neither the quantity nor the quality can compare with those in the North, especially the grasslands.

"Let's keep going."

Upon entering the Great Gate, Gao Yi showed no sign of stopping and waved to the troops behind him.

Once you enter the Great Wall at Dajingmen, you'll reach Guizhou, which is already part of the Sui Dynasty's territory.

But this was clearly not their destination.

Guizhou is located inside the Great Wall. Although it is a large area, it has not received support or development from the imperial court.

Similar to Datong, located south of Yinshan Mountain, Guizhou also existed primarily as a military town.

To station troops, to defend, and to resist the threat from the north.

Therefore, apart from the garrison, the entire Gui Prefecture did not have a large population and appeared extremely desolate.

This area has been a strategically important military location since ancient times.

In ancient times, the Battle of Zhuolu between Xuanyuan and Bingzhu took place in this region.

The Battle of Tumu Fortress, commanded by a famous Oirat student who later served under the Ming Dynasty, also took place in this area, which is precisely the route Gao Yi is currently taking.

Heading south from Dajingmen, then east, passing Xuanhua and entering Juyongguan, you arrive at the famous Zhuojun.

This was also an important route for the enemy from the north to advance south.

……

"Brother Gao, Juyong Pass is just ahead. Once we pass through this pass, we will have truly entered Youzhou."

Lu Lingfeng greeted him with delight.

Gao Yi smiled upon hearing this.

Traveling for days on end is never a comfortable experience.

Moreover, we cannot let our guard down along the way.

The Lu family did indeed make him a promise.

But Gao Yi never completely trusts anyone.

Moreover, the Lu family is a partner who clearly has ulterior motives.

"Let's go."

Gao Yi let out a soft breath and smiled.

Ahead stood a majestic pass, resembling a colossal beast.

However, at this moment, the gate of the pass had already slowly opened.

"Let's go!" Lu Lingfeng laughed and waved his whip.

Gao Yi spurred his horse and followed, and the troops behind him, like a long dragon, began to gradually increase their speed.

"Who are you, daring to open the city gate? You have some nerve!"

Just as the group approached the gate of the pass, a loud shout suddenly rang out.

Gao Yi narrowed his eyes, glanced leisurely at Lu Lingfeng, and waved his hand lightly behind him, causing the troops behind him to stop instantly.

Meanwhile, the angry shouts from the pass had not ceased.

"Close the gate now! Do you all intend to collude with the enemy? Are you courting death?"

Lu Lingfeng snorted coldly and immediately leaped forward on his horse.

"Who is this piece of trash spouting nonsense? Come out and answer me."

His words carried an air of superiority.

At this moment, Lu Lingfeng truly displayed the pride ingrained in the bones of a direct descendant of a prestigious family.

At this moment, the people in the city seemed to realize that something was wrong.

Despite his repeated angry curses, the city gate remained unmoved and wide open.

"Who goes there?"

The voice came again, but this time, it carried a hint of surprise and doubt.

"Fan Yang, Lu Lingfeng!"

"Fanyang Lu?"

The sound gradually faded, and then a clear sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

Soon, a man in heavy armor and of imposing stature appeared before them.

The moment the newcomer appeared, a glint of light flashed in Gao Yi's eyes.

"So you're from the Lu family. May I ask why you're knocking on our gates? And who are you with?"

"It's none of your business to question the Lu family. Get out of here!" Lu Lingfeng said coldly.

"I'm sorry, but Young Master Lu will probably not be able to enter Juyong Pass today." The newcomer responded just as coldly, showing no respect whatsoever to the Lu family.

"How dare you! What's your position? State your name!" Lu Lingfeng's eyes flashed with anger.

"Hehe, I can't compare to the famous Lu family of Fanyang. I am Luo Yi, the General Manager of Youzhou."

Luo Yi's eyes flashed coldly, and she replied in a firm tone.

Gao Yi's eyes narrowed instantly, and he thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

From the moment Luo Yi appeared, a squad of black-armored cavalry had been closely following behind him.

From left to right, exactly eighteen people, no more, no less.