Days Later — Western pass
The Northern Khaganate troops were ready to launch their attack on the western secondary pass leading into the Sheng Empire's Northern March Province.
The leader of this fifteen-thousand-strong force was a young-looking general who exuded pride and nobility.
He sat atop his horse, staring down at the five thousand soldiers of Beiguan Fort.
He scoffed at their formation—and their fearlessness.
The western secondary pass was not a single mountain corridor. It consisted of multiple branching pathways.
As a result, defending it required Beiguan's soldiers to meet their enemies outside the narrow entry points.
"Daring to meet my calvary on open field when outnumbered three to one. Bold and audacious."
Just after saying that, a rider approached the general.
"General, the troops are ready."
He nodded.
His force consisted of nine thousand light horse archers, three thousand medium cavalry, and three thousand light infantry.
More than enough to deal with the 5,000 defending the pass.
He raised his hand and gave the signal to attack.
Immediately, the nine thousand horse archers split into three cavalry wings of three thousand each and advanced toward the Beiguan army.
However, before they could enter firing range, a hail of arrows shot forth from the Beiguan ranks, pelting the advancing horse archers.
"What? How are their arrows reaching that far?" the general shouted as another devastating volley was unleashed before his men could retaliate.
Only after suffering heavy losses were his horse archers finally able to return fire. Hundreds had already fallen.
Fury simmered within him.
They pressed forward aggressively, rotating their firing lines in an attempt to exhaust Beiguan's stamina and chip away at the iron-clad shield wall.
They rode close, even feigning retreat to lure the defenders into breaking formation.
But Beiguan's infantry remained unmoved.
Front ranks bristled with outward-pointing spears, shields interlocked seamlessly. From within their ranks, javelins occasionally flew with deadly precision, striking down horses and riders alike. Behind the wall of shields, archers continued their long-range bombardment without pause.
This harassment continued for nearly two hours.
By now, they should be nearing exhaustion, the general thought.
He raised his hand again, signaling the three thousand medium cavalry to charge at what appeared to be the weakest sector of the enemy formation.
He watched as the unit thundered forward and collided with the shield wall—
Except the collision never came.
At the final moment, the Beiguan formation shifted. A wide U-shaped gap opened at the intended impact point.
His cavalry surged into the opening, eager to shatter the enemy's lines.
But just before reaching the inner formation, disaster struck.
First came a rapid volley of javelins and arrows from the inner shield wall.
Then, from both flanks and the front, three rows of spears thrust inward simultaneously—trapping the cavalry within the gap and striking from all sides.
The formation began to close.
His cavalry dwindled.
"What madness is this?!" the young general shouted. "Signal retreat! Immediately!"
Horns blared.
His soldiers disengaged in haste, abandoning the assault and pulling back.
He turned his horse to retreat as well—but before fully withdrawing, he saw Beiguan's two thousand cavalry finally make their move.
They smashed into the flank of his retreating forces in relentless waves—hammering, scattering, and cutting down stragglers without mercy.
He gritted his teeth and spurred his horse faster.
"I will avenge this humiliation."
However, unbeknownst to him, he would never get the chance to make a comeback.
---
Beiguan Fort — Qin Feng's Private Study
Qin Feng sat in his private study, poring over strategies he could use to completely crush the Northern Khaganate's spirit within the week.
He reviewed countless ruthless tactics he had read about in his previous life.
He had been tempted—deeply tempted—to simply annihilate the enemy army outright. Plagues and potent poisons were readily available in the system shop, and they were not even particularly expensive.
Neither were their antidotes.
But that crossed a line he refused to touch.
He did not want that reputation—nor did he wish to bear the weight of such atrocities.
Yes, he had crushed skulls with his fists. Yes, he had slain countless enemies.
But he did not want to be the man who unleashed a plague upon hundreds of thousands, condemning them to slow, agonizing deaths.
So instead, he searched for a harsher—but not inhuman—strategy.
He set down his brush and rubbed his temples.
'It's been four days… I cannot drag this out any longer. They will begin their night harassment tonight.'
'Let's go with plan D. We'd play their game with them for a bit… then General Feng and I will lead a night raid with the cavalry and strike their camp directly.'
To accomplish this, he had his eyes on three items in the system shop:
[Marrow Cleansing Pill (10 SP)]
[Thick Hide Elixir (10 SP): An alchemical concoction that enhances the durability of equine creatures. Their hide and muscle density increase, improving both resilience and strength.]
[Alchemic Hand Grenade (2 SP)]
These three items would dramatically increase the impact of the night raid—and could very well end the war.
The plan was simple: administer Marrow Cleansing Pills to a selected portion of the cavalry and feed their horses Thick Hide Elixirs. Then equip each of them with at least 2 hand grenades.
As he contemplated this, Shadow appeared behind him.
"My Lord, the Northern Khaganate forces have been repelled at both secondary passes. At the western pass, they lost approximately nine thousand men; we lost about one thousand. At the eastern pass, they lost roughly seven thousand, while our casualties were fewer than seven hundred."
A grim expression crossed Qin Feng's face. He offered a silent prayer for the fallen.
Then his gaze shifted to the system panel.
[SP: 143,460]
(AN: Approximately 20,000 of this came from the Shadow guards eliminating scouts sent to locate the cavalry camp over the past few days.)
That's… substantial.
With this, he could provide enough pills for the entire cavalry and equip them with hand grenades.
Though it was insufficient to supply Thick Hide Elixirs for every horse, it was more than enough to cleanse the marrows of the entire eight-thousand-strong cavalry and provide each soldier with two Alchemic Hand Grenades—a total cost of 102,000 SP.
"Now," Qin Feng said quietly, "it's time to be more ruthless."
He purchased 200 Shadow Stalkers.
[SP: 123,460]
"Shadow, lead this group and eliminate the surviving enemy forces at the secondary passes. Strike the western survivors first, then the eastern. Coordinate with your other subordinates."
His gaze turned cold.
"I want no survivors. Anyone who sees you… dies."
Shadow bowed. "It shall be done, my Lord."
He vanished from the room along with the two hundred newly summoned Shadow Stalkers.
Outside, the distant chants, drums, and horns of the Northern Khaganate echoed through the night.
"This war… has lasted long enough."
---
AN:
What did you think of this chapter? Was the battle at the western pass portrayed well?
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