Chapter 358 Frost North [Two in One]

The northwest wind is as hard as a knife, breaking iron armor and melting bones.

Liang Yue and many of them were coming to the northernmost part of the Yin Dynasty for the first time, and immediately had a profound understanding of the bitter cold of the border. In comparison, the winter in Longyuan City could be considered spring.

"This place has been barren land since ancient times. It has only become the border of our Yin Dynasty in recent decades. It is normal for it to be bitter and cold." Taoist Feng pointed to the city wall in front of him. "It will be better after we enter the city."

The airspace near Frost North City was strictly controlled, and if a monster accidentally flew over, it would be shot down by the strong soldiers in the army. In places like this close to the martingale, the garrison was always very nervous, and it was better to be on guard than to relax.

So they stopped their mounts far from the city and walked for a distance, feeling the knee-deep snow and the wind that was piercing their faces. From time to time, some icicles were blown by the strong wind, leaving a bloody mark when they were touched.

"No wonder the Yang people always want to go south." Wu Handing muttered, "How can ordinary people live in this land?"

He was from the south, and the farthest he had ever been to the north was Jilei Temple. He had never seen such cold weather.

"On the Yang land, the cold is the least dangerous thing to mention." Master Yun said calmly, "Poisonous insects and strange beasts, miasma and evil trees, thunder and fire...any of them can take a person's life. Once upon a time, this place was a desolate place. It was the ancestors of the Yang people who opened up the territory and turned this place into a habitat, where they have thrived for thousands of years."

"There's no need to make them sound so great." Taoist Feng took over the conversation. "They are just a group of criminals, sent here to open up new territories. It's like exile. We don't feel bad if they die. Because they are all descendants of criminals and bandits, the Yang people are still not good at business, but only at plundering."

Whenever he mentioned the Yang people, Feng Daoren's thoughts were very simple - pure discrimination.

Stupid, arrogant, bestial, smelly, disrespectful of education, good at stealing and robbing... Anyway, he is always derogatory when mentioned. He is an out-and-out racial knight.

After passing Tianxia Pass, it is the land of Yangtu, all the way to Shuangbei City. There is a large piece of land in the middle. In the past twenty years, only a military town has been built in such a large area, and there is no normal city for the people to live in.

Except for the families who moved here with the army or the prisoners who were forced to exile here, no matter how good the conditions were, it was difficult to attract people to live here, which shows how hard life was here. Even the profit-seeking vendors were not willing to come to this place to make a lot of money.

The Yin Dynasty fought for Shuangbei City only to prevent Jiuyang's army from easily advancing from the land. The purpose was to defend their own territory, not to occupy these lands.

When we arrived at the city gate, we saw a team rushing out, led by a general on horseback. He had a rough and hard face, his skin was full of cracks, his eyes were as hard as iron, and he was wearing cold armor. He came up to us enthusiastically with a team of soldiers and many men, women, old and young.

"You are the Nine Provinces' geniuses who are here to fight in the battle to seize the city, right?" The general got off his horse when he came closer. "Lord Xu, Taoist Feng, Zen Master Yun, I am the general guarding Jianglin in Shuangbei City. Please forgive me for not being able to greet you in my full armor."

This Jiang Lin should be a member of the royal family, and he looks like a rare capable person in the royal family.

The most important force guarding Frost North City is naturally the Northwest Military Town in the rear, but apart from the great generals in the Northwest Military Town, he, the defender of Frost North City, should be considered the second most important person here.

Although his official position was not high, once the Yang people attacked, this place would be the first to bear the brunt, and he had to withstand the first wave of attacks from Jiu Yang.

Being assigned here means that Jiang Lin is deeply trusted by the emperor and has a promising future. Soldiers stationed in Shuangbei City for a few years can be promoted by two levels when they return, let alone a city garrison commander?
"No need to be so polite, Commander Jiang." Xu Zhan'ao stepped forward and held Jiang Lin's arms, then looked at the team ahead.

These men, women, old and young should be the few civilians in Frost North City. They should have come with the army and have family members in the army.

Xu Zhan'ao turned around and smiled at everyone, "We are all here to welcome you!"

Liang Yue's gaze had already swept across the faces of these people one by one. He saw that the people of Frost North City all had dark and cracked skin, but their eyes were bright and firm, and there was hope in their eyes as they looked at them.

Including the child who looked only a few years old.

The people of the Yin Dynasty in Jiuzhou all hoped that they could win the battle to capture the city and defend Shuangbei City in order to maintain their peaceful lives. Only these people in front of them really hoped that they could defend their hometown.

Surrounded by this welcoming team, everyone slowly walked into the city.

The houses in Frost North City are all made of solid earth and stone, one for keeping out the cold, and the other for the convenience of defending the city. They are not beautiful, but they are very practical.

They were naturally assigned the best location in the city, a mansion near the garrison, one of the few large mansions in the city. Less than halfway along the long street, they heard the sound of horse hooves behind them.

When Liang Yue looked back, he saw a familiar figure, wearing armor and riding a high-spirited monster, coming towards him with great momentum.

"Ayue!" The big man on the beast's back laughed, "I heard you guys had arrived, so I rushed over right away!"

……

"Dachun?" Liang Yue called out in surprise.

It has been several months since we last met on the ring. When we meet again now, I feel that he has been transformed.

He rode a majestic monster with black scales all over its body, two thorn-like horns on its head, a head like a wild bull, fangs as long as spears, more than two meters tall, and strong limbs. Lightning flashed in its pair of large lantern-like eyes from time to time.

The armor on his body was a shiny black stack of heavy armor. It looked very heavy and an ordinary person would probably fall to the ground if he put it on.

Dachun's iron tower-like figure, set against the backdrop of the monster and heavy armor, looks even more majestic like a god or demon. His face is no longer as immature and wise as before, but has become strong and wise after being tempered by blood and fire.

That’s right, the only thing that hasn’t changed is that wise look.

With a loud bang, Dachun jumped off his mount. It was obvious that he had made great progress in cultivation during this period. His figure leaped like the wind, and despite his huge body he actually felt light.

Being able to make light things heavy and heavy things light are both signs of a martial artist's cultivation.

Liang Yue felt a little sad when he saw this. This man who was a call girl from Ping'an Alley had also transformed into a heroic man.

"Aren't you in the Northland Military Town?" When Dachun came closer, he asked, "Why are you here at the front line of the Northwest Military Town?"

"We also just received the order two days ago." Pang Chun laughed and said, "After the great victory in Xuanming Sea, we fought all the way to Jiuyang territory and confronted the Yang people for several days along the way. After that, we received a military order not to retreat, but to go directly to Shuangbei City."

After the Xuanming Sea was breached, they successively killed a number of great demon kings who refused to obey the Yin Dynasty, and the pressure on the northern border dropped suddenly, so it was okay to temporarily withdraw some troops. It just so happened that after the battle to capture the city began, the northwest border had to prevent the Yang people from causing trouble, so it was normal to station more troops.

I think the strategy and route must have been formulated before the expedition to Xuanming Sea.

On the way to the residence, Pang Chun told Liang Yue about his marching experience during this period. "I used to be a counselor in the camp, and I made many valuable suggestions on the menu for the march. My master said that I was born to do this." He said proudly.

Are you born to be a strategist or a cook?
Liang Yue was confused for a moment.

"There was a period of time later when morale was low and everyone was complaining about the poor food. I went to the Huotou Camp to look for clues. I found that the First Attack Camp had the best food. They ate delicious food. There was a shortage of everything in the Far North. We couldn't even see meat, but they had braised lion's head in their dishes!"

"At that time, I asked why. Master said that the First Attack Battalion was the first to charge and had a high chance of dying in battle. They were the most glorious group of brothers in the army. They were given the best food because they might not see the sun tomorrow at any time!" Dachun said with a serious expression, "I said I want to go to the First Attack Battalion too!"

"Are you moved?" Liang Yue asked.

"No." Dachun said, "I really wanted to eat braised lion's head that day."

As expected, I was moved by the lion head. I knew it... Liang Yue said silently in his heart.

"After arriving at the First Attack Camp, I charged forward with others, and suddenly I discovered the most suitable way of cultivation for me." Dachun continued, "When I practiced the skills by myself, I spent a lot of time but made no progress. But when I was fighting with others, my cultivation progressed very quickly, and I could use the martial arts skills at will, as if I could use the skills in my mind at will. That feeling was very similar to the time when I practiced in my dreams before, very strange, I don't know why... but it is true that my cultivation has improved a lot during this period."

"Do you know what fighting and dreaming have in common?" Liang Yue said.

"What?" Dachun looked at him.

"In both cases, you don't use your brain. You let your body react instinctively, and then you can show the advantages of your natural dominance." Liang Yue patted Dachun on the shoulder. "Everyone's talent can be roughly divided into wisdom and aptitude. Some people are better at wisdom, and some are better at aptitude..."

"And Dachun, your wisdom is a bit too much of a burden to your talent."

"Ah?" Pang Chun blinked, "Then what should I do?"

"As the saying goes, play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses." Liang Yue said, "We should just put aside our brains and practice based on our instincts. In short, don't think."

"But won't I become stupid if I don't use my brain?" Pang Chun hesitated.

"You won't become stupid at all, so don't worry about it." Liang Yue said firmly, "Using your brain is something that people with weak hands need to do. Dachun, you are different from others, you just need to use your hands."

……

After chatting all the way and sending them to their residence, Pang Chun was about to return to the camp.

After all, he has military duties now and cannot move around freely, so he doesn't have much free time every day. Liang Yue and the others will also have a small meeting after they arrive, so the two of them said goodbye for the time being.

Anyway, he is stationed in a military town not far away, so we can meet often during this period.

Of the three little guards of the Imperial Capital back then, only Chen Ju is left, who is far away in the south, and is unknown what kind of miserable life he is leading in a life of extravagance and decadence.

After dividing the rooms in the mansion, Xu Zhan'ao gathered everyone together and said, "We have discussed with the Yang people for many days and finally determined the rules of this battle to capture the city."

Everyone immediately sat down and listened to him.

"There will be seven arenas outside Frost North City that day. Each arena will have two flags, one is the flag of our Yin country, and the other is the flag of Yang country."

"Each of you seven will step onto a stage. Do the same on the opposite side. The winner will be able to raise his own flag."

"It's not enough to just win the arena. After winning this one, if you still have energy left, you can go to the arena where your teammates lost and challenge them again, and win back the flags from other places. Each party has an opportunity to challenge in every arena."

"Eventually, every arena is challenged, or one side has no more strength left to fight... The battle to capture the city ends, and the one with the most flags raised wins."

After he finished speaking, everyone was silent for a while, thinking about the purpose of this rule.

The rules are not complicated, because the more complicated the rules are, the more tricks there are. Both sides are worried that the other side will play tricks, so the rules are formulated to be very close to ring matches.

Yin Chao has more powerful people on the Youlin List, and it seems that the overall strength is stronger, so naturally he hopes to divide the battlefield into multiple battlefields.

Jiuyang has Feng Nanjue, the leading figure who ranks first on the Young Lion List, so of course they hope to make the advantage of this one point radiate to the whole area.

The finalization of this rule should be the result of compromise between both parties. There are multiple battlefields and opportunities for the absolutely strong to perform.

After a moment, Liang Yue asked, "If I win this fight and go to challenge someone else, and someone happens to challenge me in this arena, what should I do?"

"Then you need to wait until the battle on the other side is over before rushing back." Xu Zhan'ao replied: "If you consume too much energy on the other side, this one may be lost. You need to weigh the importance of this yourself."

"Moreover, the seven arenas are located in different directions, so the deployment of troops on them also needs to be carefully considered."

"But in the final analysis, it still depends on your strength."

Taoist Feng was also hearing this rule for the first time, so he said, "It's not much different from ours. Maybe we were all afraid that the other side would make targeted arrangements, so we made some changes. But after all, isn't it still a competition? You were all selected through the competition, so are you afraid of those stupid people?"

"Feng Nanjue has always been at the top of the Young Unicorn Rankings. He is very powerful and must be guarded against." Master Yun analyzed seriously, "We should find someone who is good at defense and delay him. Even if he wins, he won't have much energy to help other places. If he is allowed to let go, it will be very dangerous to challenge him in each arena."

"It would be great if we had more intelligence." Liang Yue said, "Knowing his cultivation and skills, we can formulate a corresponding strategy to deal with him."

"We have sent out many spies. The rest of them have intelligence and can analyze it for you later. The only one is Feng Nanjue. He has been practicing with Jiuyang Martial God since he was young, and we can't find any information at all." Xu Zhan'ao said.

Liang Yue hesitated for a moment and said, "There is someone who may know..."

　Good morning.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)