Chapter 1264: Before Second Slope

It was not only large numbers of cultivators who had thrown caution aside and begun fighting desperately. Wei's army, driven into a dead end, had even less choice than they did.

No matter how many cultivators fell, no matter how many soldiers went down, the survivors kept charging wildly upward.

This was a way of fighting that ignored casualties altogether.

At this point, Huyan Wuhen had no intention of considering whether Wei lived or died.

Large numbers of cultivators began risking their lives without regard for cost. They even brought out more than a dozen Heavenly Sword Talismans and began bombarding the defenses.

Cultivators on Jin's side immediately released several Heavenly Sword Talismans of their own to resist.

But a handful could not withstand the heavier barrage from the other side.

Soon, a group of cultivators broke onto First Slope.

The cultivators of both sides immediately fell into close combat.

Wherever the defense had been breached, a route free of resistance opened through the line.

The soldiers behind immediately swarmed toward it, desperately widening the gap.

"The enemy has stopped caring whether they live or die. First Slope cannot be held."

"We are outnumbered. There is no need to make a meaningless sacrifice."

"Pass the order. Withdraw and defend Second Slope!"

At Gao Pin's command, he wheeled his mount and departed.

Watching from afar, Huyan Wuhen saw the flow of troops on First Slope suddenly change.

He said calmly, "The top of the slope is narrow. The enemy cannot concentrate too many troops there. Once our men gain the crest, they instantly go from attacking uphill to charging downhill."

"First Slope should be ours."

A general beside him laughed heartily. "As expected, you have to put a knife to their throats before they'll truly exert themselves!"

Huyan Wuhen said, "If Gao Pin abandons First Slope, don't celebrate too early."

"Gao Pin has now obtained Jin Jue's 'true transmission' and adopted Jin Jue's style of fighting."

"According to the terrain reports we received earlier, the truly dangerous place should be Second Slope."

Far away, the troops that had been struggling slowly up First Slope suddenly accelerated, surging against the flow toward the crest.

To take it so smoothly meant the defenders on First Slope truly might have abandoned the position.

The generals beside Huyan Wuhen exchanged looks.

The Supreme General had been right again.

One asked, "The three steep slopes have similar terrain. What makes Second Slope dangerous?"

Huyan Wuhen said indifferently, "There is an extra patch of forest beneath Second Slope."

"If Gao Pin is using Jin Jue's methods, then the trees should be cut down."

As the front broke open, the entire army accelerated its advance.

Huyan Wuhen urged his horse forward.

Cut down the trees?

The generals beside him exchanged puzzled looks again.

Elsewhere among the troops, Xuan Wei and the others saw First Slope fall in a single assault and could not help exchanging looks with the three Sect Leaders.

They had to admit it.

In the end, men really did have to cast everything aside and fight with their lives.

The result was right there before their eyes.

Chang Linxian, Sect Leader of Lingxu Mansion, clicked his tongue.

"Only when thrown into a place of death does one fight his way back to life. Huyan Wuhen truly does have his methods."

"With momentum like this, there is real hope of taking Three Slopes!"

The three Sect Leaders could not help growing excited.

They sent orders again, commanding the disciples of their sects to risk their lives.

Xuan Wei was excited too.

For the first time, she had truly glimpsed a thread of hope.

Yet alongside the excitement came anger.

Anger at Wei's own soldiers for failing to strive earlier.

If they had fought this desperately from the beginning, how could Wei have fallen to such a state?

Why would they now have to suffer the humiliation of another man holding a knife to their throats?

Gao Pin galloped down from First Slope with his men, leading the retreat at speed.

They crossed the plain.

As they neared the forest below Second Slope, Gao Pin suddenly waved to a Qiyun Sect Elder and made a chopping gesture.

The Elder nodded and immediately flew away.

He called over a group of cultivators and led them into the forest, where they blocked the Wei cultivators who had arrived ahead of the main force.

Once the rushing Jin troops had passed through, Jin's cultivators fought as they retreated.

Sword qi hacked wildly through the woods, felling tree after tree.

Across the long stretch of forest beneath the slope, nearly one-third of the trees were brought down.

War horns sounded from Second Slope.

Jin's blocking cultivators began withdrawing in full.

Wei's cultivators pursued.

From Second Slope, arrows and steel spears screamed down through the air.

Each of those steel spears struck with force enough to split stone monuments and crack boulders.

They descended in a broad curtain from above.

A number of Wei cultivators were killed or wounded on the spot.

The rest were forced backward, hiding behind the trees that had not been felled while they waited for the main body of troops to arrive, so their archers could begin suppressing the defenders in return.

Wei's soldiers soon came rushing forward.

Their speed slowed considerably as they picked their way through the trees lying in chaotic heaps across the ground.

Huyan Wuhen rode onto First Slope and looked far toward Second Slope.

He sneered.

"Just as expected."

Seeing the ruined forest, one general said, "They really did cut down the trees."

"Grand Marshal, are they planning to attack with fire?"

Huyan Wuhen gave a quiet sound of confirmation.

"The enemy's principal fortifications are on Third Slope."

"If they cut trees here, it must be to borrow the force of fire."

Another general exclaimed, "Grand Marshal, once the fire rises, this will become a living hell."

"If you already know that, why not order a retreat?"

Huyan Wuhen said, "Because I do not want the sons of Qi to die for nothing."

His words had barely fallen when fire suddenly streaked down from Second Slope.

Flaming arrows rained through the air.

Jars of oil were hurled downhill.

The felled trees fed the flames.

In moments, the lower incline became a sea of fire.

The Wei soldiers caught inside it suffered horribly.

It truly became a living hell.

Gao Pin sat his horse atop the slope and looked toward First Slope in the distance.

It seemed almost as though he were speaking to himself.

"Huyan Wuhen, do you dare come?"

On First Slope, Xuan Wei and the others rode over.

Xuan Wei cried out, "Supreme General, why haven't you ordered them to withdraw?"

Huyan Wuhen said heavily, "I have calculated the size of that forest again and again."

"It is not extensive enough for the fire to last."

"So long as the cultivators exert themselves to open paths through the flames and the soldiers keep pressing forward, we can charge up in one stroke!"

Chang Linxian shouted, "Why not wait until the fire burns itself out before attacking?"

"Are you trying to use Jin's hands to wipe out every last soldier of Wei?"

"Ridiculous!" Huyan Wuhen said contemptuously.

He raised a hand and pointed toward both flanks.

"Look at the two sides of the slope. The mountains close in there."

"Jin has already stationed detachments to block us from climbing around the flanks."

"Right now, Jin's main strength is concentrated on the front."

"If we waste time here waiting for the fire to die, Jin will split off troops and send them up the mountains."

"With two mountains hemming in the slope, our troops are packed far too densely in this narrow ground and cannot deploy properly."

"If Jin sends forces up the mountains and strikes from both sides, have you considered what happens then?"

Chang Linxian had no answer.

Zang Feng, Sect Leader of Shouzheng Pavilion, said angrily, "Then at least pull the troops back first. What kind of tactic is it to drive men into a sea of fire?"

Huyan Wuhen immediately pointed at his nose and cursed.

"Absurd!"

"If our army retreats now, do you intend to seize First Slope a second time?"

"Why do you think Gao Pin withdrew here to establish his defense? Do you take him for a fool?"

"The true key to Three Slopes lies on the two flanks."

"He needs only a small number of troops to hold those flanks."

"First Slope itself is narrow. Heavy forces cannot form ranks atop it."

"If the frontal defense fails, he need only reinforce both flanks and attack inward while his archers shoot down from the heights."

"Our men would become living targets!"

"Then, if he combines that with another frontal assault, he can retake First Slope with ease."

"He can repeatedly withdraw and then counterattack, using the terrain to bleed our army of men again and again!"

"This is precisely the moment to press forward, before he has split troops toward the flanks."

"Only now do we have a chance to break through all Three Slopes in one surge!"

Zang Feng was silenced as well.

Huyan Wuhen abruptly shouted, "Pass the order to the army ahead!"

"Stabilize the formation and keep advancing."

"Do not allow Wei's soldiers to retreat."

"Anyone who withdraws without orders is to be killed."

"Force them forward!"

The order went out.

Qi's army advanced.

Wei soldiers who tried to fall back were stabbed down or shot dead in large numbers.

Driven by slaughter from behind, Wei's men had no choice but to charge forward in search of a path to survival.

At this point, Wei's three great sects could only place their trust in Huyan Wuhen as well.

They ordered their cultivators to risk everything opening passages through the fire.

The horrific scene ahead filled Xuan Wei's eyes with tears.

Tang Yi, standing nearby, was equally heartsick.

A portion of Shangqing Sect's disciples were among those fighting in the vanguard.

By now, everyone from Wei understood what Huyan Wuhen was doing.

He did not want to use the lives of Qi's soldiers to fill the road.

He intended to use the lives of Wei's soldiers to open it.

Wei's cultivators desperately cast arts to suppress the flames and open paths through them.

Yet whenever the fire weakened, more flaming arrows flew down from above.

More oil jars smashed onto the ground.

The blaze roared back to life.

The Wei soldiers charging into it screamed in agony.

The stench of scorched blood and flesh hung everywhere.

Thick smoke rolled into the sky.

For a time, Wei's losses were beyond counting, including those killed by Qi's army from behind.

The cultivators forcing paths through the fire gradually found a solution.

They used their arts to shatter the charred tree trunks into fragments.

The intensity of the fire truly began to weaken faster.

Under Qi's murderous pressure from behind, Wei's soldiers finally found a road to survival.

They stamped across burning-hot charcoal and charged desperately toward Second Slope.

Arrows and steel spears poured down from above once again.

Screams never ceased.

No one knew how many corpses fell and rolled down the steep incline.

The men below stepped over the bodies and continued climbing.

"Huyan Bao!" Huyan Wuhen suddenly called.

His eldest son immediately rode forward.

He cupped his hands. "This general is here!"

Huyan Wuhen pointed toward Second Slope.

"Gao Pin has limited troops here. He will not trade lives with us in a head-on battle."

"His true defensive strongpoint is Third Slope."

"Once our main force presses up, he will certainly order another withdrawal and attempt to fall back on Third Slope, where he can hold firmly and then reinforce both flanks to strike inward."

"He is luring me deeper."

"What he does not know is that this is precisely our opportunity to seize Three Slopes."

"Have the Valiant Cavalry prepare to attack."

"The moment Jin abandons Second Slope, the Valiant Cavalry will charge immediately."

"Strike before Jin's retreat is complete and force the defenders on Third Slope to come forward in support."

"Once a melee forms, our superiority in numbers will decide it."

"Third Slope will fall!"

The three Sect Leaders exchanged glances.

Once again, they saw hope.

Listening to the plan, they could only admit that when it came to fighting a war, men like Huyan Wuhen truly belonged to another world.

"This general accepts the order!" Huyan Bao cupped his hands.

Facing the carnage below, Gao Pin remained expressionless.

He had seen too many scenes like this.

A cultivator dropped from a flying mount passing overhead and landed on Second Slope.

"Grand Marshal, scouts report that behind First Slope, the Valiant Cavalry is assembling!"

"I know."

Gao Pin waved him away.

Once the man had withdrawn, Gao Pin sneered.

"Looks like Jin Jue's method really is useful."

"Endure. Keep enduring until the other side can endure no longer, and sooner or later they will take the wrong step on their own."

"To think you actually intend to use cavalry against me in mountain terrain."

"Huyan Wuhen, you truly do not place this Gao in your eyes at all!"

He raised his head and looked at the enemy flying mounts circling overhead.

Then he turned back.

"Elder Taishu, the cultivators can begin preparing now."

"Yes!" The Elder beside him nodded and was about to leave.

Gao Pin lifted a hand and stopped him again.

He pointed overhead.

"There are enemy eyes watching from above."

"Make certain they wait until our army begins withdrawing and act only while mixed among the retreating soldiers."

"Under no circumstances may the enemy notice."

"Facing the greater situation, Huyan Wuhen's withdrawal back into Qi is already inevitable."

"Whether we can maul him badly before he retreats depends on this battle."

"This must be handled properly."

"If anything goes wrong, do not blame me for refusing to give the Elder face."

"Military law recognizes no personal ties!"

The Elder gave a firm nod. "Lord Gao, rest assured. We will exhaust every effort to handle it properly."

"If anything goes wrong, I will willingly accept military punishment."

Gao Pin nodded.

"Good. I'm counting on you."

[End of Chapter 1264]