Twilight's Threshold Chapter 828: The Decisive Battle at Tiger Pass - Novel Cool

Chapter 828: The Decisive Battle at Tiger Pass

Chapter 828: The Decisive Battle at Tiger Pass

"Close the gates, close the gates, no one is allowed to leave!"

In front of Jujube Ridge, rows upon rows of massive wooden barricades were shut, and clusters of iron thorns and boulder and spike barricades were pushed to the various strategic passes, while the defending troops withdrew into the ridge, making it seem as if they had encountered evil spirits.

This scene stunned the Grain Guard Army and the others who had come to seize the pass.

On their journey, they had encountered many counties and passes, and the leaders and generals under the Divine Bestowed King were mostly cruel and insane.

When they saw the large army approaching, they each used sinister and harmful tactics, showing no fear, and some even took the initiative to harass the army. Fortunately, their small numbers and the ever-changing tactics of the Vanguard Commander Dong Qiaoyun allowed them to advance smoothly, arriving at Jujube Ridge.

However, everyone knew that the Divine Bestowed King's notorious reputation was not a joke, and their smooth journey was merely a coincidence.

Sooner or later, they would encounter the Divine Bestowed King's main force and engage in a fierce battle. Jujube Ridge was such a place for a fierce battle.

Unexpectedly, after preparing for a tough fight, the other party instead closed the gates and didn't dare to fight?

"Open the gates, open the gates for me!"

Dong Qiaoyun, or rather Lu Tai Tai, or Sweet Potato Burn, immediately became furious upon seeing the other party retreat. She rode a horse and shouted outside, "If you have the guts, open the gates and come out to compete with me, Granny Qiaoyun. Don't hide and keep quiet!"

"When I arrived in your territory, you cheated me, harmed me, chased and killed me, and ruined my reputation."

"Now, the mountains haven't turned, but the water has, and Granny Qiaoyun is back!"

"I joined the army to find a place to vent my anger. You owe me, and I'll make you pay it all back. If you don't come out, I'll keep cursing you until nightfall!"

"..."

"..."

In fact, Sweet Potato Burn didn't curse until nightfall; she cursed until dawn.

The defending troops at Jujube Ridge were surprisingly patient. They closed the gates without showing their faces, letting Sweet Potato Burn curse outside without responding.

Sweet Potato Burn cursed until nightfall and became tired, but her anger remained. She summoned a group of little ghosts to continue cursing on her behalf, and throughout the night, both sides' troops only heard the rolling yin energy and continuous scolding from the hillside.

She cursed until the roosters crowed, not repeating a single word.

Even the one who loved this adopted younger sister the most, Central General Shen Hongzhi, felt a bit sorry for Sweet Potato Burn. During the night, she personally cooked pear soup and brought it to her, stroking her smooth hair and sighing, 'Back then, when my sister was in front of the Divine Bestowed King, how much did she suffer?'

'Now that she's so angry, as her older sister, I must vent her anger this time!'

'...'

At dawn, the troops were immediately assembled.

Having made up her mind, regardless of whether the troops at Jujube Ridge responded or not, even if it meant a hard fight, they had to take the ridge.

However, just as the troops were gathered and pressed towards the front of Jujube Ridge again, before they could speak, they heard someone inside the ridge cursing, "What a Bright Province King and Grain Guard Army! You spread rumors everywhere, making your reputation sound so good."

"What benevolence and love for the people, what strict military discipline, what not harming a single blade of grass!"

"Yet, in the army, there's such an evil, cruel, and vicious demon as a general."

"When this demoness saw someone refining ghosts in Quzhou, she insisted on refining an even more powerful one. If we didn't let her refine ghosts, she accused us of cheating her. When she broke the law, and we wanted to arrest her, she dared to cause trouble at the Divine Bestowed King's palace..."

"The deeds of various sects in Quzhou combined are not as severe as what she did in a single month. It's said that she single-handedly ruined Quzhou's reputation..."

"Speaking of our Divine Bestowed King, he admired your Bright Province King's reputation and was willing to look upon you favorably, forming a brotherhood alliance to defend and advance together."

"But you, the Bright Province King, not only didn't appreciate this, but also provoked us without reason, easily trespassing and insulting our king. Now that things have come to this point, the battle between Quzhou and Bright Province is unavoidable. If you have the courage and ability, come to Tiger Pass and fight to the death!"

"..."

"Nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Central General Shen Hongzhi became furious, "My adopted younger sister is loyal and righteous, beautiful and kind-hearted, yet you slander her as evil?"

"Furthermore, it was the Divine Bestowed King who first insulted our Bright King, acting arrogantly, which led to this battle."

"Come, lead the troops to attack the city. I want to see what kind of jujubes grow on this ridge that makes them so stubborn."

"..."

She was about to order an assault on the ridge.

Sweet Potato Burn was the first to step forward, "General Sister, forcing our way up the ridge will result in casualties."

"I'll go first, and you follow behind me!"

Seeing Sweet Potato Burn's passionate gaze, she dismounted and took the lead, as it was indeed extremely dangerous to attack from below, and they couldn't ride horses.

The troops under Central General Shen Hongzhi were moved by the courage of this Lu family young lady. Countless fierce warriors followed her, determined to die, climbing the rocks and vines alongside her, and breaking through the pass.

However, to everyone's surprise, as soon as they entered, they were stunned. They saw that the ridge was empty, and even the one who had been cursing loudly at the foot of the ridge in the morning had long disappeared.

The strategically important Jujube Ridge, which had once housed tens of thousands of troops, was now empty overnight, taken without any effort.

The crowd was both surprised and amazed.

The ordinary soldiers rejoiced, all praising General Qiaoyun for her overnight cursing and scolding, which drove away the Jujube Ridge army.

"They are indeed afraid!"

Shen Hongzhi was both angry and happy. She was angry that she couldn't vent her anger for her adopted younger sister, but she was delighted that they achieved this without losing a single soldier. She said, "Since they are afraid, let's send a message to the Bright King and advance to Tiger Pass to see the true skills of the Divine Bestowed King!"

"..."

"..."

"The Divine Bestowed King has directly retreated to Tiger Pass?"

Upon hearing the news of consecutive victories across various regions and the Grain Protection Army's entry into Quzhou, with all forces converging towards Tiger Pass, Hu Ma and the others, who had originally planned to head directly to Quzhou to observe the movements of various forces, were taken aback.

"Isn't it said that the Divine Bestowed King is extremely ruthless and cruel in his actions? When did his temper change so drastically that he willingly retreats when faced with the Grain Protection Army's relentless advance?"

"The Divine Bestowed King's retreat to Tiger Pass isn't considered a defeat; it's merely a strategic withdrawal."

In response to Hu Ma's confusion, the disciple of the Cai Zi Sect, who was also a non-beef eater, promptly delivered the latest news: "Quzhou is a land of abundance with both grain and iron, but this abundance is limited by Tiger Pass."

"The situation inside and outside the pass is completely different."

"The Divine Bestowed King's stronghold is within Tiger Pass. These surrounding counties are merely vassals. Losing them is not a big deal, and it's easy to retake them."

"Of course, the Divine Bestowed King's temper isn't naturally this good. He's reacting this way because the situation is unfavorable for him."

"The Divine Bestowed King has long had friction with the Northern Eternal King, and there has been animosity between them. Now, the Grain Protection Army from Mingzhou has a disagreement with him, and a large army has arrived to attack. The White Armor Army from Gun Prefecture and the Iron Gate Army from Guazhou are advancing simultaneously, with three large armies pressing in."

"Additionally, the Butcher Army from Guanzhou and various ambitious bandits and private army warlords from the surrounding areas have gathered their forces and are all acting strangely, ready to fight!"

"The Divine Bestowed King's forces on this side are retreating to Tiger Pass, not engaging in a large-scale battle with the enemy forces, in order to preserve their strength."

"In just a few days, he personally led his troops and cleared out over a dozen enemy forces. He also dispatched reliable men to keep an eye on the Northern Eternal King, freeing himself to lead his Stupa Army to Tiger Pass for a decisive battle with the others!"

"..."

"He personally led the troops and eliminated over a dozen enemy forces in just a few days?"

Hu Ma fell silent for a moment, realizing that this person must have been working tirelessly, killing countless enemies.

Then, he found it strange: "Is this person's reputation really that bad, attracting over a dozen enemy forces to attack him simultaneously?"

"It's not that simple. Most likely, some capable individuals have taken action."

The Cai Zi Sect disciple smiled and said, "We also wanted to investigate, but the person who made the move is extremely skilled, leaving us with no clues. However, just by observing the situation, we can make some guesses."

"This Divine Bestowed King indeed has a bad reputation, and he has many demon soldiers and evil practices under his command. But he's not a fool; why would he deliberately make so many enemies at this time?"

"On the contrary, it's because he has established a foundation and sees the right opportunity that he wants to make connections with various grassroots kings and bandits in the region. He gives fame to those who value it and gains to those who seek it, all to strengthen his influence and take advantage of the unstable situation in the Central Plains to become the leader of this land."

"This time, he also used the occasion of his wife's birthday to invite various heroes to form an alliance."

"But no one expected the final outcome to be different from what he had planned."

"The letters he sent were polite and friendly, but when they reached others, they were perceived as arrogant and insulting. The letters originally included many conditions that were hard to refuse, but they were twisted into forceful demands, leaving no room for negotiation."

"The Divine Bestowed King is powerful, but others also want to survive. So, they had no choice but to rebel against him!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Hu Ma suddenly realized, "Illusionary Dao Sect?"

Who else but the Illusionary Dao Sect could do such strange and sinister deeds? However, a suspicion arose in his mind: "Don't these bandits want to verify the truth?"

"Even if the Divine Bestowed King realized something was wrong, shouldn't he try to explain and clarify?"

"..."

The Cai Zi Sect disciple sighed and was about to speak when Wu He, the girl beside him, laughed and volunteered an explanation: "It's impossible to explain."

"Brother Hu, when the Divine Bestowed King's letters arrived, they were perfectly sealed with gold lacquer and properly packaged. After opening the letters, the handwriting and divine seal were flawless, but the content was completely different, so how could anyone possibly tell the difference?"

"Some wanted to ask for clarification, but the messengers sent were secretly replaced, so how could they ask?"

"Some were originally the Divine Bestowed King's men. They welcomed the messengers from the army, took the tiger token, and ordered them to dispatch troops to attack others. Afterward, the Divine Bestowed King claimed it was a fake and that he never gave such an order. How could anyone believe him?"

"The Divine Bestowed King recalled his troops and retreated to Tiger Pass for the same reason."

"He discovered that once his troops were dispatched, they suddenly became someone else's troops."

"..."

"It must be the Illusionary Dao Sect..."

As Hu Ma listened to these events, he not only realized the truth but also felt a sense of admiration: "The Divine Hand Zhao Family's actions are truly mysterious and unpredictable."

"They take advantage of every situation, yet they still want to manipulate interpersonal relationships, making it hard for others to dislike them!"

"Looking at the current situation, it's clear that they are the ones who created difficulties for us and used underhanded methods to prevent us from finding peace. Ironically, because of those two balance stones, I still have a favorable impression of them."

"However, those six surnames will eventually fight us. What are they doing with all this trouble?"

"..."

His mind was filled with thoughts of how the Illusionary Dao Sect's methods could be used against the Grain Protection Army.

The newly established Baolian Army, still in its infancy, might face an even more challenging situation than the Divine Bestowed King. They could very well be strangled to death.

Wu He had seen a lot and could talk about various things, but when asked about the true intentions of Illusionary Dao Sect, he found it difficult to answer.

It was the Senior Abacus beside him who hesitated and said, "Perhaps, compared to the Baolian Army, the Reincarnate has some special qualities that make this Divine Bestowed King even more formidable, causing the Illusionary Dao Sect to take notice and act, lest they face greater difficulties in the future."

Such baseless speculation would not yield any answers, so everyone decided to head straight to Tiger Pass to see for themselves.

At this moment, within the borders of Quzhou, where mountains and rivers met, a natural, majestic, and perilous pass was already shrouded in smoke. Inside the pass, heavy troops were on guard, creating a solemn and thick atmosphere.

Outside the pass, on the main road, large banners fluttered in the wind, and numerous troops had already gathered from all directions. In this chaotic world of bandits, it was necessary to rely on bloodshed and slaughter to temper one's character.

In Bright State, the Baolian Army had only one elite division of ten thousand soldiers to show for itself.

But now, after attacking Lake State and moving towards Quzhou, the various banners already displayed a semblance of order.

Under the grand military tent of the central command, stood King Yang Gong of Bright State, clad in iron armor, exuding a killing aura. Around him, weapons were as dense as a forest, and the cold gleam of armor reflected the light.

To his left and right were the two great generals, Zhou Liang and Red Fat Shen. Looking around, there were more elite troops, each occupying their positions. In the center, wearing dark red armor, was the Baolian Army, the most fundamental force of King Yang Gong, with red lanterns hanging above them.

Beside them were troops dressed in white hemp, the Hemp Armor Army trained by Clever Cloud Dong.

Further to the side, carrying iron frames and wearing leather, was the Fire Crow Army led by Zhou Liang.

A little further, maintaining a distance from the others, were soldiers with earthen jars on their backs, their demeanor arrogant. They were the Clay Pot Army led by Zhao Zhu.

Looking north, the sound of gongs and drums reverberated as the Gown State White Armor Army from Gun Prefecture arrived.

At the forefront, on the left, was Elder Sun, his white beard flowing and his body robust and strong. On the right was the Snake Soup Master, his face fair and clean-shaven. In the middle, holding a folding fan, was the military advisor, White Fan.

The White Armor Army, however, had a unique characteristic—they had no leader. All matters were usually decided by these three individuals, and they had not yet been bestowed kingship.

The reason was simple. Their leader was the Immortal Nun Miaoshan of the Penny Sect, but she rarely involved herself in affairs.

Elder Sun and the others had raised their banners and sought glory, but they had no aspirations for the throne.

They were the type to rally troops and wait for the right price, selling themselves for a good sum.

Just as the two armies were about to come together and discuss their plans, the sound of gongs and drums filled the air from the other side, accompanied by the thunderous gallop of iron cavalry. Everyone's spirits were lifted, and even King Yang Gong of Bright State stretched his neck to look over.

They knew that the approaching army was the Melon State Iron Gate Army from Gua Prefecture, with whom they had an alliance to attack the Divine Bestowed King in Quzhou. They were a well-known force.

Due to the secret planning of Non-Beef, both sides had formed an alliance and were considered allies, but the Iron Gate King was extremely mysterious and had not yet revealed himself.

From a distance, they gradually caught sight of the Iron Gate Army. Each soldier rode a horse, carrying a large shield in front of them. Their armor and weapons were impeccable, surpassing both the Baolian Army and the White Armor Army.

In the midst of the fluttering banners, a man sat on a horse in the center, his body sturdy and his demeanor cold. On both sides were his personal guards, exuding an air of authority as they arrived at the front lines.

At this sight, King Yang Gong was visibly stunned. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, still bewildered.

Even Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and the others were momentarily dazed. They exchanged glances, looked back at him, and remained in a daze.

Hu Ma was also stunned, his voice slightly altered, "That is..."

"Zhou Datong?"

Shouldn't this kid be in the Blood Food Mine, following Second Lord and collecting blood food? What's he doing here?

"Cough..."

Seeing that even Hu Ma was dazed, the disciple of the Cai Zi Sect beside him quickly explained, "Master, please don't be angry. It was all the doing of the senior disciple."

"When you conquered Gua Prefecture and eliminated the Yan Family, the Iron Gate Army was supposed to fall into our hands. But Non-Beef's strategist didn't want to become a king or a general, so we had to support a reliable person."

"However, when we searched for a suitable candidate in a hurry, none were found. So, the military advisor Iron Mouth from the Baolian Army recommended him, and the senior disciple personally examined and approved him. That's how your junior disciple, General Zhou, was placed on the throne of the Iron Gate King..."

As he spoke, he observed Hu Ma's expression, his attitude becoming more solemn, "Of course, there's a reason why this matter wasn't reported to you beforehand."

"The senior disciple said that this was also part of the content of the Heavenly Book passed down by the master. Whenever there's a good opportunity, one should think more about the leader. If the leader doesn't need it, then think about the leader's relatives."

"You can't neglect to inform the leader, to prevent them from making mistakes. But in the future, when the leader finds out, although they may complain a little, they will definitely be happy in their heart."

This left Hu Ma unable to complain. After careful consideration, he could only sigh helplessly, "This seems to be the truth summarized by that guy in his previous life..."

Seeing that Hu Ma had relaxed, the disciple of the Cai Zi Sect smiled and said, "Don't say anything else. He's sitting pretty well, as if he was destined for this position. The only problem is that sometimes he's too enthusiastic towards the relatives of certain enemies..."

Listening to their conversation, even Senior Abacus couldn't help but laugh, "It seems everyone has their own fate..."

"When I calculated his fortune, I felt he had great wealth and honor in his destiny..."

(End of Chapter)

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