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Before dawn, Jun Mo set out with the Mo Guards.
Upon arriving at the deep chasm, the diggers were doing their final touches.
Hundreds of people had dug for an entire night, leaving a seemingly bottomless trench. They had covered it with a layer of wooden planks, then sprinkled soil over it, and finally laid a layer of leaves. It looked indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain. Jun Mo estimated that it would hold the weight of dozens of their men without issue.
A soldier quickly reminded him, "Your Highness must be careful when the time comes. Falling into this is no joke; it's full of blades and swords at the bottom."
Early in the morning, Liang Xuanting, clad in a black fitted suit, rode his horse towards the rising sun. The soft sunlight mellowed his somewhat sinister profile, adding a touch of openness and composure. With a clap to his horse, he majestically led the great army towards Blue Eucalyptus City.
Flanking him were two battle-hardened generals from the Southern Border, both pivotal figures to Liang Shao. The older one, with a grizzled beard, was the Ever-Victorious General Wang Sui. The younger one, with a perpetually smiling face, was the Fifth Imperial Prince Liang Wei, known as the "Smiling Tiger" of the Southern Border. Liang Shao sending these two with him showed his determination to conquer Tianqi.
"Little Xuanting, there's no need to rush. Blue Eucalyptus City will fall sooner or later. Our horses and weapons are unmatched by anything Tianqi possesses," Liang Wei said, casting a glance at his nephew, whose face showed no trace of a smile, and offered a word of comfort.
"Fifth Imperial Uncle, I've never suffered such a great loss in my life. Unless I take Jun Mo's life, I swear I will not rest," Liang Xuanting said coldly.
Wang Sui interjected, "Prince Jing of Tianqi is not that simple. Four years ago, during the war between Tianqi and Northern Flame, he was only eighteen, yet he led ten thousand men to force Northern Flame to sign a peace treaty, earning him fame throughout the world. It's better for us to be careful."
Liang Xuanting's face darkened. "General Wang, don't build up the enemy's morale and dampen our own. Tianqi fought a war four years ago and hasn't recovered yet. How can their hastily assembled army compare to our strong and well-equipped Southern Border forces?"
Wang Sui sighed inwardly, seeing the unpleasantness in his tone.
"Heir Apparent, First Line Gorge is just ahead!"
Liang Xuanting shouted, "Give the order! Pass through the gorge quickly, and be wary of ambushes!"
"Yes!"
Jun Mo and his men lay in ambush on the hillside. Hearing the distant sound of horses, he exchanged a glance with Wei Yuanling. "They're here!"
Leading the way were tens of thousands of heavily armored infantrymen, arrayed in neat formations, like moving mountains pressing forward. With every step, their momentum was immense.
"Ziyan, you can begin!" Wei Yuanling reminded him.
"Release!" Jun Mo roared.
Immediately, boulders rolled down the gorge, shaking the earth and mountains. Giant stones rained down from above, instantly throwing the neat formations into disarray. Screams of agony filled the gorge, and corpses lay everywhere.
"Resist! Advance quickly!"
"General Wang, send a troop to attack the enemy!"
Amidst the chaos, Liang Xuanting spotted the deep purple figure and yelled, "It's Jun Mo! Capture Prince Jing of Tianqi, and you shall be ennobled as a marquis, appointed a general, and rewarded with ten thousand gold!"
With heavy rewards, brave men were sure to emerge.
"Kill!" Shouts of battle reverberated through the valley.
Jun Mo, with the Mo Guards, showed no desire to engage in prolonged combat. They quickly mounted their horses and retreated.
"Trying to escape? Chase after them!"
Wang Sui wanted to stop him, but Liang Xuanting was blinded by bloodlust and refused to listen to a single word of advice. Wang Sui and Liang Wei quickly followed suit.
Jun Mo and the Mo Guards galloped furiously, soon reaching the second ambush point. After surging forward for a hundred meters, Jun Mo suddenly halted, turned his horse around, and looked behind him.
The Southern Border soldiers chasing them rejoiced, as if high positions and lavish rewards were beckoning them. The wooden planks over the wide chasm behind them were now supporting more and more men and horses.
From a distance, Liang Xuanting saw Jun Mo curl his lips into a smile, and a sudden sense of foreboding struck him.
At that very moment!
The wooden planks could no longer bear the weight. A chasm appeared in their midst! The Southern Border soldiers had no time to react and fell, men and horses alike, into the abyss.
The Southern Border soldiers who had already crossed the chasm looked back, greatly alarmed. Turning their heads forward, they found a large number of Tianqi soldiers suddenly surging out ahead. With no path for retreat, they could only engage in battle.
The Southern Border soldiers who had been chasing Jun Mo from behind couldn't rein in their horses in time and could only watch helplessly as their mounts carried them into the deep chasm. Because of the sheer number of Southern Border troops and Liang Xuanting's promise of heavy rewards, their pursuit had been too fast, causing wave after wave of them to plunge into the abyss.
Liang Xuanting himself was about to charge into the chasm.
"Little Xuanting! Jump!"
Liang Xuanting immediately kicked off his horse, his toes touching the horse's back, and managed to land precariously on the edge of the chasm. He looked at Jun Mo, who was smiling at him from the opposite side, his eyes bloodshot.
"Jun Mo!"
Wang Sui roared, "Stop! Retreat!"
Liang Wei grabbed Liang Xuanting and pulled him onto his horse.
"Retreat!"
Watching the Southern Border forces flee in disarray, the Tianqi generals and soldiers cheered, waving their flags.
"Ziyan, that battle was incredibly satisfying!" Wei Yuanling exclaimed excitedly.
Jun Mo's expression remained calm. "Have someone fill this pit."
He thought that these Southern Border soldiers weren't necessarily wrong; it was just a matter of differing loyalties. He detested the smell of blood, yet sometimes he had to transform into a Yama King.
Wei Yuanling stood by the edge of the deep pit, looking at the mass of men and horses within, and clicked his tongue. "What a pity for such good horses."
Lan Yan stepped forward, gazing into the deep pit. "I'll have someone fill it right away."
Wei Yuanling observed her calm expression. There were at least tens of thousands of people in that pit, yet she showed no sign of discomfort.
"Aren't you scared? Don't you feel disgusted?" The smell of blood was so strong it made him, a man, feel nauseous.
Lan Yan looked at Wei Yuanling, whose complexion was even fairer than hers, and frowned. Her face expressionless, she said, "I've been stationed at the border with my father since I was twelve. I've seen too much."
Wei Yuanling secretly admired her.
Liang Xuanting sat above, silent. After a long moment, he coldly asked, "How many men did we lose this time?"
Wang Sui said gravely, "Nearly fifty thousand!"
Liang Xuanting slammed his fist on the table. Thirty thousand last night, fifty thousand today! In just one day and one night, they had lost nearly eighty thousand men!
Wang Sui sighed, "This Prince Jing is indeed extraordinary. He is adept at anticipating human nature."
Liang Wei nodded in agreement. "We only anticipated an ambush at First Line Gorge; who knew that was merely a bait."
Liang Xuanting gritted his teeth and ordered his Deputy General, "Go summon Jun Hui!"
"Yes!"
After the Deputy General left, Liang Wei asked, "Why call him? He's also been defeated by Jun Mo."
The word "also" stung Liang Xuanting. His eyes bloodshot, he hissed, "I haven't lost! I must defeat Jun Mo and march into Tianqi's capital city to wipe away this humiliation!" He then added, "After all, Jun Hui is a Tianqi native and Jun Mo's old rival. He understands Tianqi and Jun Mo better than we do."
Just then, Jun Hui entered, noticing that everyone's expressions were grim. He asked, "You lost?"
Liang Xuanting looked up and saw the sneer on his lips. "You don't need to gloat. Haven't you also been forced by Jun Mo to hide in the shadows like a rat that can't see the light?"
Jun Hui's face fell, but he couldn't afford to fall out with Liang Xuanting now. He still relied on the Southern Border's support.
"I told you, Jun Mo isn't that easy to deal with. I warned you not to take him lightly," Jun Hui said, walking over and sitting down.
Liang Wei looked at him and asked, "Then, in your opinion, how should we fight this battle?"
Jun Hui stood up, walked to the sand table, and observed it for a long while. "Look here."
The others gathered around him. "We can do this..."
After a while, Wang Sui looked at Jun Hui and said, "The Sixth Imperial Prince is truly exceptional."
Jun Hui smiled faintly. "Not at all, not at all. As the saying goes, 'War is not averse to deceit.' When fighting Jun Mo, one cannot use conventional methods."