Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 297 - 285: Coming with the Commander’s Seal
Upon hearing Zhao Tianyin’s words, Qin Qing felt there was a certain truth to them.
While he would not forgo the spring hunting, if he could achieve another military feat, that would indeed add leverage to the pardon of his father.
"I am now giving you a Commander’s Seal. Take it and head immediately to the Demon Dragon Pass. Zhao Danchen is already there. After you meet up with him, you can launch an attack on Mohe right away," Zhao Tianyin said.
"Understood!" Qin Qing nodded and took the Commander’s Seal handed over by Zhao Tianyin.
The Commander’s Seal was red-gold in color, but not made of pure gold. Instead, it was forged from a material more precious and harder than pure gold. The seal was shaped like a tiger’s head, with the character "Yin" engraved in the center.
"Qin Qing, I await your triumphant return. When you’re back, we’ll resume our morning exercises, drink heartily, and strategize on the battlefield together!" Zhao Tianyin declared to Qin Qing.
"Agreed!" Qin Qing laughed heartily and then turned to take his leave.
Thereafter, Qin Qing and the Zhuiri Ancestor once again rode the divine sculpture, heading straight for Demon Dragon Pass.
The divine sculpture’s speed reached its limit, and in less than two hours, they arrived at Demon Dragon Pass.
From high in the sky, one could clearly see that Demon Dragon Pass was already stationed with a great number of Great Qian soldiers.
The divine sculpture landed directly among the soldiers of Great Qian.
Instantly, alarm bells of gilded brass rang out in the military camp of Great Qian.
Shortly, a large number of elite soldiers assembled and converged towards where Qin Qing was.
"Who are you, and why have you burst into the military camp?"
A centurion pointed at Qin Qing and the Zhuiri Ancestor and questioned loudly.
At this moment, the soldiers surrounding Qin Qing and the Zhuiri Ancestor could see that these two, who had suddenly appeared, were not ordinary martial artists. Both Qin Qing and the Zhuiri Ancestor radiated an immeasurable and profound aura.
Moreover, the two had arrived riding a divine sculpture.
In the Northern Borderlands, divine sculptures were notoriously ferocious birds.
To ride a divine sculpture as a mount indicated that the status of these two individuals was certainly extraordinary.
"I come from the Zhennan Camp. Here is the Commander’s Seal! The Great General instructed me to come here to find General Zhao Danchen!"
Qin Qing took out the Commander’s Seal from his Spirit Ring.
Seeing the Commander’s Seal in Qin Qing’s hand, the surrounding soldiers all knelt down on one knee, respectfully saluting him.
"You are wearing Armor, no need for such formalities! Take me to see General Zhao!" Qin Qing commanded.
"Yes!" The centurion dared not ask any more questions and led Qin Qing to a tent.
Following the centurion, Qin Qing entered the tent. Inside, more than ten people were gathered around a strategy sand table, deeply engaged in conversation.
"General Zhao, this gentleman has come from the main camp," the centurion said to a man in his thirties standing in front of the sand table.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, tall and burly, with striking features and dressed in the standard Armor of the Jinyin Army. He exuded an air of command even without showing anger.
This individual was undoubtedly Zhao Danchen.
Upon hearing the centurion’s words, Zhao Danchen’s piercing gaze swept over to Qin Qing like a drawn sword.
Seeing how young Qin Qing was, he frowned and said with slight impatience, "Where is the Commander’s Seal?"
Qin Qing handed over the Commander’s Seal.
Zhao Danchen took the seal, examined it thoroughly, and after confirming it was genuine, he returned it to Qin Qing.
"What’s your name? What brings you here?"
"My name is Qin Qing. I have come to Demon Dragon Pass because the Prince of Zhennan has sent me to join forces with you, General Zhao, in launching an assault on Mohe Pass!" Qin Qing stated.
As soon as Qin Qing spoke, Zhao Danchen’s brow furrowed, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
The other officers standing around the sand table also looked at Qin Qing with a hint of mockery.
They simply did not believe that Qin Qing truly had the ability to command troops in battle.
After all...no matter how one looked at it, Qin Qing was far too young.
So young, he probably hadn’t been on a battlefield yet, right?
Hence... as soon as Qin Qing spoke, including Zhao Danchen, everyone thought that Qin Qing had come to the Northern Borderlands merely for a symbolic experience.
"Not even twenty years old, right? Divine Might Realm... You do have some Martial Arts talent," Zhao Danchen said to Qin Qing with a smirk.
Another officer commented, "Surname Qin? You must be a descendant of the Royal Family, right? However, this isn’t the back garden of the imperial city; this is the battlefield where people die..."
Qin Qing did not become angry because of the soldiers’ scorn or their mocking words.
Because he knew that he indeed appeared far too young.
On the battlefield, it was rare to see such a young commanding officer.
Moreover, Qin Qing had come to Demon Dragon Pass this time with Zhao Tianyin’s Commander’s Seal, which was no small matter.
So young, and bearing the seal of the Prince of Zhennan, it was inevitable for others to suspect other implications.
"I am here to assist General Zhao Danchen in breaking through Mohe Pass," Qin Qing declared once more.
Zhao Danchen neither affirmed nor denied, but the look in his eyes already made it clear he did not believe Qin Qing was capable.
"Since you have come with the Commander’s Seal, then stay by my side. Did the Great General order for an immediate assault on Mohe Pass?" Zhao Danchen inquired.
"Yes!" Qin Qing nodded. "Upon seeing the Commander’s Seal, we must launch the main force to attack Mohe Pass immediately. The vanguard troops have already arrived."
Hearing Qin Qing’s words, the disdain on Zhao Danchen’s face receded, and his expression turned serious, "All men, heed my command! Advance to Mohe Pass according to the established plan."
He then glanced at Qin Qing again, "On the battlefield, stay close to me. Do not go anywhere else, no matter what you hear or what happens; do not leave my side. Do you understand what I’m saying?"
Upon hearing the words, Qin Qing’s brow furrowed slightly, yet he said nothing more, nodding slightly in agreement.
Soon, the army stationed at the Demon Dragon Pass set forth toward Mohe!
Along the way, their advance was as unstoppable as a bamboo split open, for with the intelligence previously relayed by Zhao Zhifeng, Zhao Danchen was well aware of Northern Yuan’s military deployments.
The combat prowess of this Zhennan army was extraordinary, a testament to their rigorous war training during peacetime.
Within three days, the army reached Mohe Pass.
By then, Liao Chong and Wei Huo, who led the vanguard troops on the left and right flanks, had already begun clashing with the Northern Yuan forces stationed there, engaging in close combat.
"Indeed! Now is the best time!"
Zhao Danchen glanced at Qin Qing, realizing that his arrival at the Demon Dragon Pass was indeed perfectly timed.
On further thought, Qin Qing’s timely presence there must have been orchestrated by the Great General.
"Remember what I’ve told you, don’t leave my side, not even for a step!" Zhao Danchen warned Qin Qing once again.
Then, he gave the military order with a wave, "All soldiers, charge for me!"
"Charge!"
"Kill kill kill!"
The Northern Pass’s original army had 800,000 men, with 300,000 left at the Demon Dragon Pass in case of unforeseen threats.
Now, the soldiers who had reached Mohe Pass also numbered a massive 500,000!
When the 500,000-strong army charged forth, the plains of the Northern Borderlands seemed to be swept by a vast torrent...
The Northern Pass’s army and the vanguard troops on the left and right flanks met at this moment, forming a pincer movement that enveloped the Northern Yuan army.
The great battle erupted instantly.
"Kill!"
The roar of the battle echoed to the skies.
Countless torrents of spiritual power burst forth wildly.
Although most of the fighting soldiers were martial artists with not very powerful cultivation, they were nearly all martial artists.
One needed at least some cultivation to enter the army.
At the very least, they were Martial Dao practitioners in the Tempering Body Realm.
And most of them were in the late stages of the Tempering Body Realm, with quite a few martial masters at the Soul Refinement Realm, such as the centurions.
As for the leaders of a thousand soldiers, they were mostly Great Martial Masters of the Divine Might Realm.
Among the higher echelons were the martial dao masters of the Golden Core Realm...
As for the martial dao elders of the Nascent Soul Realm, they would rarely appear on the battlefield.
At that level of power, they preferred not to be involved in the mundane wars, as their pursuit was even higher in the martial path.
They sought the peak of martial dao, transcending the ordinary to share their existence with mountains and rivers, to shine alongside the sun and moon.
The brutality of the war still exceeded Qin Qing’s imagination.
The clash of a million-strong army was so vast and tragic!
Every moment, countless lives were lost, the earth stained red with blood; the screams and roars blended into a tempest, a howling wind sweeping over the vast plains.
The immense expanse of the Northern Pass seemed to be filled with the thick stench of blood at every corner.
The battle was exceedingly fierce.
But... the Great Qian army had an absolute advantage.
Especially, the Jinyin Army led personally by Zhao Danchen, charging at the forefront of the troop. They cut through the enemy’s defense like a sharp spearhead, and then tens of thousands of Northern Pass soldiers poured into the enemy camp like a flood...
By the third day,
Qin Qing, following Zhao Danchen, had already charged deep into enemy territory.
"Today, we shall seize the head of Tu Alar, the great general of Northern Yuan!" declared Zhao Danchen in the tent to a dozen other soldiers. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
At this time, the army paused its advance momentarily.
Liao Chong, Wei Huo, Zhao Danchen, and other leaders were all gathered in the tent, discussing the final assault.
"Today we eradicate the Northern Yuan troops and secure the final victory!"
"Take the victory and return triumphantly to the Northern Pass’s grand camp!"
All the generals were spirited and confident.
But just then, an out-of-place voice sounded, "I believe that now is not the suitable time to launch the final assault."
At this voice, everyone’s expression changed slightly, and they looked toward the speaker.
The speaker was Qin Qing.
"This isn’t quite your place to speak, is it?" Liao Chong frowned and said to Qin Qing.
"Exactly... Just because you’ve joined our Northern Pass army, you think you’ve got real ability? When we march and wage war, is it your place, you greenhorn, to point fingers and give orders?" Wei Huo sneered contemptuously as well.
