The march toward Jinshan was uneventful and uninterrupted. Everyone understood that the Jinshan cowards would never abandon the safety of their mountain fortress.
During the march, scouts from various kingdoms were already spotted trailing the Yunhe army from a distance. This was an opportunity for the world to witness the strength of Jinshan's defenses and search for even the slightest weakness.
... Nirvana Radiance Year 25, 11th Month Day 3 ...
Approximately one month later, Zhèn Huá's twenty-five thousand strong force arrived at the western gates of Jinshan, Kong'gong Pass.
Si sat beneath the shade of a tree, his gaze fixed upon the endless stretch of mountains rising on both sides like an unbroken wall of stone. Ahead of them lay the ascent to Kong'gong Pass, a narrow mountain corridor carved between towering cliffs of dark rock, forming one of the few western entrances into Jinshan.
The path itself was uneven and constricted, barely wide enough for a few ranks of soldiers to advance side by side, forcing any army into a compressed formation as it moved forward.
On either side, sheer rock walls rose sharply, creating natural high ground that overlooked the entire passage. These heights were lined with fortified positions, watchtowers, and hidden ledges from which defenders could rain arrows, unleash boulders, or launch sudden ambushes without exposing themselves.
The terrain sloped gradually upward toward Jinshan's interior, ensuring that any invading force would be forced to fight while climbing, draining their stamina and breaking their momentum. If Si's memories remained accurate, the ground would soon be littered with loose gravel and fractured stone, turning every step into a risk, especially under the pressure of battle.
At its narrowest point stood the gate itself, a reinforced stone stronghold built directly into the mountainside. Thick walls, iron-bound doors, and layered barricades transformed the pass into a choke point where even a small defending force could halt an army many times its size.
In truth, Kong'gong Pass was not a road. It was a killing ground, a place where numbers lost all meaning and every step forward demanded blood.
And the worst part?
The Death Banner Battalion would be the first to charge up that slope. Most of them would die without ever realizing that this war would not be decided in a single day. It would stretch on for more than a month, dragging itself into the final days of the year, beneath the merciless grip of winter storms.
Si's attention shifted to his surroundings. Soldiers moved with purpose, raising tents, hauling supplies, and reinforcing positions. Even the patrol units had begun sweeping the nearby terrain, their figures slipping in and out of the fading light. Though he could not see Zhèn Huá or his commanders, he knew exactly where they were and what they were doing, gathered somewhere behind the lines, drafting a strategy that would collapse the moment it touched reality.
"Life sure is boring when you already know how it ends," Si muttered under his breath, the weight of certainty dulling his expression.
He possessed neither the strength nor the authority to alter what was coming, nor could he save those who would soon be swallowed by the slaughter. There was no point in dwelling on it. Thought, in this moment, was a useless burden.
The sun dipped lower, its dying light spilling across the jagged mountains. Shadows stretched long across the camp as the air grew colder. The siege would begin at dawn, and whatever strength could be gathered now would be all that stood between life and death.
"It is good Bao does not have to step onto this battlefield yet. I need to grow stronger… fast enough to protect him when his time comes," Si murmured quietly to himself.
At that moment, a large figure passed before him, briefly blotting out what remained of the sunlight before shifting aside. Jun and Zixuan dropped down beside him, lying flat on their backs with their hands tucked beneath their heads and their legs loosely crossed, as though this were any ordinary day.
"Okay… no one told me that wall was going to be that big…" Jun said, his voice stripped of the confidence it once carried.
There was no mistaking it now. Fear had found its way into his tone.
Si allowed a faint smile to tug at the edge of his lips upon hearing Jun's complaint. It seemed he had underestimated this youth.
He had assumed Jun would be no different from the many overconfident fools who marched boldly into war only to die upon the frontlines. Yet beneath all that bravado, there was a trace of awareness. It meant he was not entirely beyond saving.
"They already sent out scouts to look for weak points we can exploit..." Jun spoke again when Si gave no immediate response.
He was eager, almost desperate, to hear Si's thoughts on the coming war. He wanted to witness the mind of the man who had defeated Qiang and guided them through drills with the ease of a seasoned veteran.
Thankfully, his curiosity was rewarded.
"They will find nothing. The weakest point is Kong'gong Pass itself. We will be forced to besiege it directly, driving our twenty-five thousand troops into that narrow corridor, where five thousand Jinshan experts lie in wait. We will lose."
Si's voice was calm, but his words carried absolute certainty, leaving no room for doubt, no space for hope.
Jun froze.
It made no sense.
Even if they failed to find an alternate route, they still possessed artillery capable of breaking through the pass. In his mind, there was no scenario in which Yunhe would lose this opening battle.
Even if they could not reach Jinshan's capital, breaking through Kong'gong Pass should have been well within their grasp.
"I do not think that is the case. Even if we cannot find a way around the gates, we have Whirlwind Catapults. We can destroy the pass easily!"
Jun's disagreement was firm, his voice filled with conviction.
He had expected more from Si. Someone of his caliber should have seen what he saw.
Yet Si offered no reply. Not because he didn't have any, but because he did not need to.