At this moment, Wang Erhu had no time to worry about Lin Feng and hurriedly gathered his subordinates to rush to the drill ground. Soon, except for the sentries and those on duty, all remaining soldiers were assembled. The scale of this mobilization made many veterans in the military camp show concern on their faces. They had sensed the seriousness of the matter, and their expressions turned extremely grave. Everyone looked toward the high platform at the center of the drill ground.
Several figures stood on the platform—two Centurions, one Deputy General, and one Decurion. But the most eye-catching presence was the highest-ranking officer at Yan Pass—Garrison General Pan Feng, whose combat power was equivalent to a 6th grade martial artist.
Pan Feng was dressed in light armor, shining with golden light. His bold and steady steps exuded dominance and prestige. He first swept his gaze across the crowd, then stepped forward with a powerful stride and said loudly, “Our scouts have reported that the elite Blood Wolf Army of the Northern Barbarians will arrive at Yan Pass in two days!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire drill ground burst into commotion like an explosion. Many Grade A soldiers and several Decurions looked especially grim.
“The elite Blood Wolf Army of the Northern Barbarians? How are we supposed to fight them?”
“Are those Northern Barbarians insane? Why would they attack a small place like Yan Pass instead of major frontier cities in the north? We only have a little over 2,000 soldiers here!”
“That Blood Wolf Army is an A-rank elite unit of the Northern Barbarians. Since the beginning of their war with the Great Zhou Empire, they’ve never been defeated. Their numbers exceed 5,000. Even after our expansion, Yan Pass has only 3,000 troops—this is a suicide mission!”
“The worst part is that even the weakest among the Blood Wolf Army are 2nd grade martial artists. How are we supposed to fight that?”
“Exactly! I also heard their commander has the combat power of a 7th grade martial artist. We’re doomed!”
Clearly, even if the Blood Wolf Army wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger, they still held absolute superiority over the defending forces of Yan Pass.
However, Lin Feng’s face revealed a faint, hidden trace of anticipation.
In the memories of his predecessor, the elite units across the Great Zhou Empire, the Northern Barbarians, and other neighboring nations were generally classified into three tiers from lowest to highest—A-rank, King-rank, and Emperor-rank.
The Blood Wolf Army dispatched by the Northern Barbarians this time was an A-rank elite unit, with even the most basic soldier possessing the strength of a 2nd grade martial artist.
To Lin Feng, each member of the Blood Wolf Army was worth at least 200 Slaughter Points.
If he could eliminate all 5,000 of them—excluding the Centurions, Deputy General, and Decurions he couldn’t handle—he would still reap a massive gain.
With every person worth at least 200 Slaughter Points, 5,000 soldiers would mean a minimum of 100,000 Slaughter Points.
That would allow him to instantly pay off the “high-interest debt” he owed the system, and still have a large surplus left.
Thinking of such a rewarding scenario, Lin Feng couldn’t help but grin, licking his dry lips.
As the chatter spread and escalated, the entire crowd fell into panic and despair. Some even began considering desertion. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
On the platform, Pan Feng narrowed his long eyes slightly as he saw the growing chaos.
“BOOM!” A sudden eruption of pressure burst forth—the aura of a 6th grade martial artist.
He stomped heavily, shattering the bluestone pavement beneath his foot with a loud crack.
“Everyone, quiet!” he roared. “Anyone who dares to disrupt military morale before battle… will be executed without mercy!”
“Should I kill a few of you first to set an example?!”
His killing intent surged. His blade-like gaze swept fiercely across the Decurions.
Under their calming efforts, the Grade A soldiers below finally settled down.
As for the Grade B and Grade C soldiers, they were already trembling in fear.
For instance, the cowardly Jiang Yi even wet his pants.
But no one laughed at him.
Pan Feng frowned deeply, knowing that his intimidation wouldn’t last long. If a proper strategy wasn’t put in place, the next outbreak of panic could easily lead to mutiny.
And when that happened, he wouldn’t be able to keep his head either.
To stabilize morale, Pan Feng shouted again, “Do you really think this general is sending you to die for nothing?”
“Let me tell you all—this battle is not just between the 3,000 defenders of Yan Pass and the elite Blood Wolf Army of the Northern Barbarians.”
“Reinforcements are already on the way!”
“This battle… we may not lose!”
“A real man should earn honor through war. Don’t say this general didn’t give you a chance.”
“We’ve expanded our forces by 1,000 men, which means there are ten Decurion and one Centurion positions open. Once on the battlefield, if you kill enough barbarians and gain enough military merit, those ranks will be yours!”
“This general swears on it—no one, not even the Emperor himself, will stop you from rising in rank and fortune!”
“So what if they’re elite? I’m here to crush the elite!”
The Decurions and the Grade A soldiers clenched their fists, eyes burning with the desire to make their mark.
Especially Wang Erhu, who already seemed to see himself as the next Centurion.
Soon after, the entire army began moving swiftly, ascending the city walls.
Wang Erhu, as a Decurion, shouted at the top of his lungs, “Everyone, give it your all! Anyone who dares slack off at a time like this—I’ll make sure you regret it, even if the Emperor himself shows up!”
It wasn’t just Wang Erhu. The other Decurions were yelling the same.
And so, Lin Feng and the rest of the regular soldiers spent the morning building defenses and the afternoon reinforcing the city walls.
Time seemed to accelerate as the battle approached. In the blink of an eye, the day of the war arrived.
As dawn broke, Lin Feng gathered with his squad and followed Wang Erhu to the top of the wall.
“Woooooo~ woooooo~ woooooo~”
A long, echoing horn resounded and lingered around the city.
As the horn stopped, dust clouds surged outside Yan Pass, and the ground began to tremble.
Even standing atop the several-meter-high wall, Lin Feng could feel the magnitude of the disturbance.
He squinted his eyes. With the keen vision of a martial artist, he could vaguely make out thousands of figures through the swirling dust.
“When men number ten thousand, they stretch endlessly. When they reach a hundred thousand, they touch the sky.”
At present, the Blood Wolf Army numbered only about 5,000, but every soldier wore armor, their formation flawless.
As an A-rank elite force, the moment they appeared, a thick murderous aura surged forth, merging into a blood-red sea that darkened the sky.
From a distance, one could vaguely see a colossal phantom of a blood wolf, charging toward the tiny Yan Pass with an earth-shaking roar.
“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”
In an instant, the entire Yan Pass seemed to tremble with the arrival of the Blood Wolf Army…