"General Geng, this place is called Dong Gong, the city built by the Immortal Lord when he resided in Dong Yao!"
"That's too far!"
Geng Yan looked at the map. The marching route was indeed too long. However, from Dongyun City to Dong Gong, they had to cross the entire territory of the Azure Dragon Hall. It wouldn't be easy to lure the forces of the White Tiger Pavilion and the Fallen Immortal Dynasty, who were entrenched in the Black Tortoise Hall's territory, to come out.
"Should we abandon the enemies within the Black Tortoise Hall and focus on pacifying the Azure Dragon Hall first?"
Geng Yan felt a pang of regret, realizing they had missed a great opportunity to enter the Black Tortoise Hall. However, he soon regained his confidence, believing that if they could swiftly quell the Azure Dragon Hall, entering the Black Tortoise Hall afterward wouldn't be too late.
"That's acceptable. General Geng, please look. This is an important northern city of the Azure Dragon Palace. It is only one Daozhou away from the location where the three million strong army of the Azure Dragon Palace is stationed. If we capture this important northern city, the distance to the northern gate of the Azure Dragon Palace will be less than three Daozhou!"
Deng Qiang pointed at the map.
"A million troops stationed!"
"An important northern city!"
"Northern Gate!"
"The ancestral land of the Azure Dragon Palace!"
Geng Yan studied the distribution carefully. After about half an hour, he spoke, "The Azure Dragon Palace is unlike a dynastic empire; its troops gather very slowly. In this case, we can launch a swift and fierce assault on the area where these three million troops are stationed!"
"Generals, please look!"
Geng Yan pointed at the map. "General Deng Qiang will lead an army to attack from the left, General Zhang Hao will command an army to launch a fierce assault from the right, and I will lead the central army to strike directly from the front, leaving only a retreat route to the rear!"
"With our three armies attacking in concert, once these three million troops are defeated, they can only retreat to the rear. Think about it, where can these defeated troops go after they break away?"
"They can only go to this important northern city!"
Zhang Hao exclaimed, as if he had an inkling of what was to come.
"Exactly! They can only flee to this important northern city. Along the way, the entire Daozhou will be affected by the fleeing defeated army. Not only will the living beings be terrified, but the disciples of the Azure Dragon Palace in numerous cities along the route will also be extremely frightened, causing them to flee south in droves!"
"As we advance, this news will only intensify, and by the time we reach this important northern city, they will likely portray our army as terrifying as divine soldiers and generals, unstoppable!"
"With unstable morale and terrified populace, we can then advance south, swiftly occupy this important city, and shake the northern gate of the Azure Dragon Palace!"
Geng Yan said with a smile, his eyes fixed on the northern gate of the Azure Dragon Palace.
"What is your next move, General?"
Deng Qiang picked up a cup of spiritual tea and listened carefully to Geng Yan's strategy. With just a few words from Geng Yan, the situation of the Azure Dragon Palace became clear, and it seemed they could be annihilated quickly.
"What's next?"
Geng Yan raised his head, glanced at Deng Qiang and Zhang Hao, and smiled faintly. "After this, the Azure Dragon Palace Lord will surely be alarmed. On one hand, he will undoubtedly transfer the over a million soldiers stationed in the ancestral land of the Azure Dragon Palace to garrison the northern gate! On the other hand, he will continue to gather troops!"
"We only need to spread the word that we are about to lead a five-million-strong army to attack the northern gate. What do you think they will do?"
"What will they do?"
Zhang Hao raised an eyebrow. "They will definitely send reinforcements!"
"Precisely!"
Geng Yan continued, "The Azure Dragon Palace will definitely send reinforcements. And when the three million troops are defeated and flee south, General Deng Qiang and General Zhang Hao, you will lead a million soldiers, disguise yourselves as refugees, and merge with this southward fleeing torrent. Enter the northern gate, and to the south of the northern gate, at the crucial passage from the ancestral land of the Azure Dragon Palace to the northern gate, ambush the reinforcements!"
"If the commander of the reinforcement army is killed, and their head is displayed at the northern gate, do you think this northern gate will still need to be attacked? Once the commander's head appears, the garrison at the northern gate will surely be in disarray and fall without a fight!"
"At that time, our two armies will join forces, one striking south, directly towards the ancestral land of the Azure Dragon Palace, and the other, with the defeated and demoralized Azure Dragon Palace, whose morale is lost and unstable, how can they withstand my king's army!"
"At that point, the Azure Dragon Palace can be destroyed in one battle!"
"Once the hundred or so Daozhou territories of the Azure Dragon Palace enter our Han Dynasty's domain, we can then set our sights on the Black Tortoise Hall!"
"I fear that by then, other formidable heroes will have emerged, and the credit for entering the Black Tortoise Hall and defeating the allied forces of the White Tiger Pavilion and the Fallen Immortal Dynasty will not fall to the three of us!"
"Hahaha!"
...
"Supreme Elder!"
On the border of the Azure Dragon Palace, at the station of the three-million-strong army.
An old man entered the command tent and respectfully bowed to the white-browed elder seated in the center.
"Hmm?"
The white-browed elder raised his eyes and said in a deep voice, "It's Jian Cheng. Why have you come north?"
"Replying to the Supreme Elder, the White Tiger Pavilion and the Fallen Immortal Dynasty have joined forces and fought a major battle in the Black Tortoise Hall, achieving great success and occupying many Daozhou territories. The Palace Lord is furious, saying that we must also accelerate our northward advance and not fall behind the White Tiger Pavilion and the Fallen Immortal Dynasty. Thus, he has ordered me to come and assist the Supreme Elder!"
Jian Cheng said with a slight smile.
"Hehehe, it's not that simple. I heard that the Human Realm and the Great Yin Immortal Dynasty joined forces and repelled the White Tiger Pavilion and the Fallen Immortal Dynasty. The Palace Lord is making things difficult for this old man!"
The white-browed elder's expression turned grim.
"Supreme Elder, you exaggerate. This northward advance is a great merit. If the Yun family's Immortal Dynasty is defeated first, won't the four great families of the Jiang Zuo clan reward you? If you can then enter the Central Continent and cultivate for millions of years, perhaps you, Supreme Elder, can receive guidance from the Creation Profound Venerable and step into the realm of Supreme Profound Venerable, which is not impossible!"
Jian Cheng said with a smiling face.
"Hmph, among everyone in the palace, you have the sweetest tongue!"
"Fine! Fine!"
"Since you have come, this old man has been idle in this tent these past few days. After several days of troop mobilization, there must be an explanation!"
"Train the army, and attack Dongyun City in three days!"
The white-browed elder glanced at Jian Cheng and then gave the order.
"Got it!"
"Supreme Elder, please rest assured. In three days, I will definitely create a different army that will sweep away the Yun family and their ilk. Isn't that simple!"
Jian Cheng was overjoyed.
"Having a goal is good, but one must not underestimate the enemy. The reason this old man has reached today and sits in the position of Supreme Elder of the Azure Dragon Palace is not due to arrogance and complacency!"
Several divine lights flashed from the white-browed elder's eyes.
"Understood, understood! Jian Cheng abides by your teachings!"
"This is a cultivation technique that can lead to Creation Profound Venerable, which I brought from the palace. I heard that a disciple of the sect obtained it from the battlefield of Undying City!"