The soldiers of the Northern Territory were all invigorated. The army departed that day, with tens of thousands of civilians escorting them along the way.
For a long time, the citizens of the Qian Dynasty had been exposed to newspaper propaganda, all knowing that the Tianri clan was the root of all chaos, and that everyone should kill them.
Due to the White Night Flying Shadow, Liang Xiao did not travel to the Western Territory by steam train, but only sent a few adjutants.
He and Xiao Qing only wished to ensure the safety of several generations.
Unfortunately, the enemy advanced too fiercely, and the flintlock rifles had not yet been mass-produced. He only had one on hand, kept in the palace, and entrusted to the commander of the Shadow Guards for use.
Even so, Liang Xiao's resolve to manufacture guns grew stronger.
The enemy's ability to assemble a supply line of hundreds of thousands of men across thousands of miles had already earned his admiration.
The Tianri clan's fleets occupied various pirate strongholds, seemingly ushering in an era of colonization, perhaps even initiating the slave trade. This could, in turn, catalyze an industrial revolution, leveraging lands and resources far vaster and richer than those of the Great Qian Dynasty...
The Tianri clan must be annihilated at the earliest opportunity!
Outside Jade Gate Pass, the Western Allied Forces were continuously seizing high ground to prevent any more scouts from disappearing.
The defenders of the Western Territory only dispatched cavalry units to harass the northern and southern flanks, preventing the enemy from establishing camps on either side, their intentions unclear.
The Western Allied Forces advanced steadily, finally occupying several high points in the north and south.
Mars, who had come to inspect the front lines, said with a look of frustration, "The enemy indeed possesses the advantage of vision! But high ground is certainly not the sole crucial factor!"
"There are legends of 'thousand-mile eyes' in the Great Qian. Perhaps their army has mass-produced something that can grant soldiers such abilities, or perhaps they have found individuals with such powers. However, I lean towards the former," Attila said with a grave expression.
Mars's complexion turned extremely unpleasant.
This was already a disparity in military equipment, and his failure to identify it promptly, even though he had foreseen such a possibility, proved his intelligence inferior to Attila's.
No wonder the King of Tianri had repeatedly cautioned him, through Caesar, never to fall out with Attila.
Attila ignored the astonished onlookers and ascended to a vantage point, gazing towards Jade Gate Pass several dozen li away, clenching his fist.
Of course, he could not clearly discern the thickness of Jade Gate Pass's walls, but based on his experience, the imposing aura of this pass was unlike anything he had ever seen, truly a formidable stronghold!
Years ago, before the barbarians broke their treaty and marched south, he, as a barbarian envoy, had traveled to the Great Qian, using the opportunity to tour the western and northern regions, memorizing the layout of each checkpoint.
Back then, Jade Gate Pass was merely an ordinary border fortress, as the Great Qian Dynasty did not believe the Guishuang Dynasty could march a thousand li and penetrate their heartland.
But times had changed!
"Liang Xiao, are you truly this cautious!" Attila grumbled in a voice only he could hear, his heart surging.
Even while in the West, he had not forgotten to study that man's achievements and deeds, seeking to know both himself and his enemy to ensure victory.
From the moment he learned that Liang Xiao's carriage was even covered with a layer of steel plating, he had understood.
Clever stratagems were meaningless.
The destruction of the Spring Revival Sect was a bloody lesson. Nowadays, the people of the Tianri clan did not even dare to secretly propagate their doctrine in that land.
Because, in the past two years, numerous civilians had directly reported to the authorities the moment they sensed something amiss.
Upon hearing of any remnants of the Spring Revival Sect, the government treated it as a grave enemy and dealt with it sternly.
That land no longer possessed fertile soil for proselytization...
But there was still a secret that only he alone knew.
Years ago, Liang Anguo had held the rear at Mount Helan. Despite being pierced by dozens of arrows, he had fought back desperately, killing his uncle, who had underestimated him.
That was the person who had truly loved him, surpassing his own father.
Liang Anguo had deprived him of his greatest supporter in the struggle for the throne, relegating him to a peripheral role among his brothers.
Liang Xiao's foray into the desert had completely shattered his hopes of rising to power there, and further broke the spirit of the barbarians.
Even the intelligent Brida dared not oppose the Great Qian any longer, even falling out with him over it!
"No one can truly understand my hatred for you. The current Brida is the Attila of the past, filled with passion and aspirations," Attila murmured to himself before regaining his former might and issuing orders.
"Jade Gate Pass is as solid as gold, but it has one weakness: its limited scale! Have the slave soldiers of the Guishuang Dynasty launch a frontal assault to draw out the enemy's attention, then let the Tianri clan and the British infantry, equipped with siege engines, conduct a night raid to probe the defenses!"
Mars frowned, "And what about the infantry of your Xiongnu Empire?"
"Wait for the opportune moment!" Attila replied without hesitation.
Mars's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Attila, let me be blunt. Even if the Tianri clan's forces are annihilated here, and your Xiongnu Empire suffers no losses, you will not be able to conquer the Tianri clan upon your return. You will only become eternal enemies, ultimately defeated by Liang Xiao one by one!"
Attila glanced at Mars and replied coldly.
"The Xiongnu Empire has risked enslavement and annexation by your Tianri clan to come to the Western Territory and fight Liang Xiao to the death. Where is your sincerity?"
Mars was rendered speechless and could only stew in his anger, reluctantly accepting Attila's proposal.
Out of the four hundred thousand troops, three hundred thousand were deployed at once. The Tianri clan did not forget to use cavalry carrying fire arrows to harass the defenders within the city from outside.
Tens of thousands of slave soldiers, clad in armor and shouting the slogans of the Tianri gods, charged fearlessly towards Jade Gate Pass.
Mars had already promised them that if they breached Jade Gate Pass or killed even one enemy, they would be freed from their slave status and officially become members of the Tianri clan!
The defenders of the Western Territory were well-prepared. Tens of thousands of crossbow bolts rained down, and trebuchets and Shenwu Cannons were mounted on the city walls, playing a symphony of explosions on the battlefield.
The greatest flaw of Jade Gate Pass was indeed its insufficient scale to accommodate hundreds of thousands of defenders simultaneously. The defenders of the Western Territory did not dare to risk sending troops to build additional fortifications outside the city, and could only continuously reinforce Jade Gate Pass itself. Moreover, over half of the defending forces were stationed in various military camps east of Jade Gate Pass, ready to provide reinforcements at any time.
However, the small scale of the fortress also meant that the enemy's attack range was smaller, which was advantageous for defense.
As the Shenwu Cannons on Jade Gate Pass thundered, countless slave soldiers at the forefront were smashed into bloody masses by solid iron balls.
At Attila's suggestion, the Western Allied Forces launched a fierce assault as soon as they occupied the high ground, seizing the initiative.
The defenders of Jade Gate Pass acted in an orderly fashion, shooting down the enemy's siege troops while using heavy shields in conjunction with the battlements.
"We also have trebuchets, continue the siege!"
Mars also realized that this was the best time to attack Jade Gate Pass and angrily ordered.
A large number of imitation Hanhui trebuchets, under the cover of slave soldiers, were pushed to a hundred and thirty zhang outside Jade Gate Pass and began launching stone projectiles.
"Boom!"
The defenders of Jade Gate Pass were prepared. The Shenwu Cannons were specifically aimed at the range between one hundred and two hundred zhang.
This was the optimal firing range for the enemy's Hanhui trebuchets, and even without them, a large number of enemy troops were densely packed!