Hanzhong was called Xingyuan in ancient times. It controlled the divisions of the Six Routes and controlled the millet from the two rivers.
The soil is fertile and beautiful, and the tribute comes from it, which leads to the three Shu states.
Cao Su's "expedition" was in the name of patrolling the country, but in fact he personally led 100,000 tigers and soldiers southward.
Among them, the newly formed "Wudang Fei Army" was undoubtedly the main force of the former army. It was the first to arrive in the north of Jiannan Road in early September, opening roads across mountains and building bridges over water, marching at an extremely fast speed.
The first pass in the north of Jiannan Road is called "Zitong", which is the first pass into Jiannan Road.
At present, heroes gather at the pass.
The martial arts conference on the first day of September was renamed the "Heroes Conference". After participating in the heroes conference, all the heroes drank the hero wine, and then they became heroic, claimed the heroes, and headed to Zitong Pass on their own.
In Zitong Pass, there are many warriors from Jianghu, specially coming to jointly protect Jiannan Road.
"Hero Liu is here too. He is so majestic and powerful that he is not what he used to be!"
"No, Master Lu has already reached the sixth level of cultivation at a young age. His pair of 'Bihong Palms' passed down from the Lu family's ancestors are better than his predecessors, which is admirable!"
"Nice to meet you, nice to meet you!"
When people from all walks of life gather together, it is inevitable that they will flatter each other a little more. This is a routine operation.
Jianghu warriors are accustomed to this tune. After all, after practicing for so many years, they must do it for fame even if it is not for profit.
In mid-September, news came from heroes on the North Road that they had seen traces of Cao's army. As soon as this news came out, the heroes in the pass were furious.
I was angry again, this time a little more frightened.
"I heard that Ma Chao, the vanguard general of Cao's army, led the vanguard with 20,000 troops and arrived at Zitong first three days later."
"Is this true? Is it really that Northern Liang Ma Chao?"
"Yes, this news was discovered by Elder Gong of the Eighteen Sect Tie Gao Sect with four masters. After learning the news, he rushed back without stopping. Elder Gong was injured by Cao Jun's masters, and the four masters only came back.
Two of them and two others were killed on the spot by Cao Jun’s masters.”
"hiss--"
The warriors in the martial arts world took a deep breath.
A young warrior said in confusion: "I heard that the old hero Gong has reached the peak of the fourth level of strength. He is especially good at light-body techniques. Even he was injured. Is this Cao Jun a dragon in a tiger's den?"
"Isn't it the dragon's pond and the tiger's den?"
"Take the 20,000 vanguard army as an example. Even if there are only 10% of the qi and blood warriors in the 20,000 vanguard army, there are still 2,000 qi and blood warriors. The strength realm warriors will be selected from 10% of the 2,000 qi and blood warriors. That is
Two hundred people, two hundred strength realm warriors, how many do you think there are of middle grade strength realm and high grade strength realm?"
"What if this scope is expanded to include Cao Su's entire army? I heard that Cao Su has millions of armored men."
This inference is extremely reasonable. When everyone heard that Cao Su seemed to have twenty thousand strength realm warriors, their scalps went numb.
Wouldn't it be possible for such a terrifying force to sweep the world with just 20,000 people?
Of course, the real situation is that even if Cao Su has 20,000 strength realm warriors, not all of these 20,000 strength realm warriors will obey Cao Su's orders. If there are no orders and prohibitions, the higher the martial arts level, the harder it will be to control them, and they will be released when the time comes.
, it’s just a group of passing locusts, completely opposite to what Cao Su wanted to pursue.
"So, we must wait for the arrival of Cao Su's army to deal with Beiliangzi first."
"Yes, this person must be killed first, otherwise Zitong will be in danger."
"If Zitong is in danger, Jiannan Road is also in danger."
Many warriors reached a consensus, and none of them had anything to fear. The world was a time of licking blood, but now this sense of serving a righteous cause dispelled their initial fear after hearing the news.
Not long after, the elders of various sects in Zitong Pass appeared.
The first one to appear was Tang Shenghong, who seemed to be a leader. The leader of the Divine Sword Sect had become more and more majestic in recent days. He led several of the eighteen sects to Zitong Pass. When the heroes in the pass saw Tang Shenghong, their eyes lit up.
"Everyone."
Tang Shenghong saluted elegantly: "Old hero Gong escaped from death and found out the news that Cao's army of thieves has arrived at Zitong."
"Ma Chao, the general of Cao's army, has great martial arts skills, but he is still young. Although we do not have the superiority in terms of military strength against Ma Chao, we have the courage of all the heroes and the danger of Zitong Pass. What can we do even if Cao's army has millions?
"
"Jiannan Road, we must win!"
Tang Shenghong had always been elegant, but his voice filled with inner strength rolled away and soon filled the entire Zitong Pass.
The heroes in Guan's arena were aroused and became agitated one by one.
"Sect Master Tang is right!"
"How can a mere northerner invade our Jiannan Road?"
Tang Shenghong also showed a satisfied smile when he saw that the crowd's support was available. He pressed his hands down, and after seeing that the crowd's voices were quiet, he said calmly: "I want to form a hundred masters to attack the vanguard of Cao's army at night. Who is willing to go?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a strong man jumped out from among the heroes and laughed loudly: "Shen Hu is willing to go!"
When everyone saw this man, their expressions changed.
Shen Hu, why is this guy here too?
Isn't this a bandit from Lingnan? He can actually participate in the Heroes Conference. This guy is usually cruel and evil, persecuting the people. What kind of hero can he be?
Tang Shenghong smiled slightly: "Brother Shen is right and wrong in front of justice, and you should be treated as a hero, please!"
After saying that, he raised the wine bowl, and a disciple of the Divine Sword Sect took a bowl of wine and brought it to Shen Hu.
Shen Hu was overjoyed. In his eyes, this was not wine, but a reputation visible to the naked eye!
The two faced each other from a distance. Under the envious gazes of the crowd, Tang Shenghong toasted a glass of wine. After drinking heavily with Shen Hu, he smashed the bowl and dropped it.
The wine bowl made a crisp sound when it hit the ground, which also woke up those who were still hesitant.
"I want to go too!"
"My little brother is willing to die for Jiannan Road!"
For a time, Zitong closed his doors, and his heroic spirit became even stronger.
------------------
That night, the heroes at Zitong Pass gathered together a team of a hundred people.
The hundred heroes are all force-level warriors. There are countless force-level warriors in the Jianghu, but they are not concentrated like Cao Jun. They are usually scattered among various families and factions. Now with the pressure of Cao Jun, Jiannan Daowu
Talents come together.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! After hundreds of heroes gathered, they were all dressed in black, carrying weapons, and took advantage of the moonlight to smear and rush towards Cao Jun.
After climbing over several mountains, the heroes discovered the traces of Cao's army.
In the middle of the night, Cao Jun's vanguard army set up camp. The camp was ablaze with fires, patrolling officers and soldiers were constantly coming and going, and the defense was extremely tight.
On the top of the mountain, Tang Shenghong led everyone to observe carefully.
"Cao's army is very strict in running the army. To be so vigilant so late at night, and to be able to conquer the entire north, is really not to be underestimated."
Tang Shenghong sighed in admiration. Cao Jun's strict orders and prohibitions were not something ordinary Jianghu people could achieve. Although there were many heroes in Zitong Pass, if they met head-on on the battlefield, how many of them would be able to cooperate?
"Back then, Cao Su was very good at night attacks, so he also asked his soldiers to be prepared for night attacks."
"I heard that Cao Su asked the generals to make preparation for night attacks the first priority of the army. He can allow generals to be defeated, but he will never allow generals to be defeated by sneak attacks."
Among the people, there were also people who knew about the situation in the north. Tang Shenghong and others also looked slightly sideways at this statement.
Someone asked in a low voice: "Tang Zongzong, with so many camps, how can we find the leading general Ma Chao?"
Bai Huahua's camps are as numerous as stars. If they were to search for them one by one, they would definitely alert Cao Jun. By then, they would not be able to find them, and they would all be trapped in Cao Jun's army. The gain would not be worth the loss.
Tang Shenghong pondered and said: "I see that there are many tents in Cao's army. It is autumn now and the weather is dry. Why don't you burn the tents and supplies of Cao's army first? When Cao's army is in chaos, they can naturally find the people they want to protect the most."
Or the fire attack. Normally you don't know when to find it. The fire attack is the best to cause Cao's army to be in chaos. When Cao's army is in chaos, they take advantage of the chaos to attack and kill Ma Chao, killing two birds with one stone.
Upon hearing this, everyone thought that although it was not a very good idea, it was the only way to try it now.
After discussing the details, everyone rushed into Cao Jun's camp separately, using Qinggong one by one to avoid the patrolling Cao Jun soldiers.
"It's gone!"
"You're in trouble! Protect the general!"
"Gather the soldiers and work carefully!"
The camp was suddenly filled with the shouts of Cao Jun.
Cao's army was running around, always in a panic.
Ma Chao, who was still discussing with the generals the strategy of attacking Zitong, also put on his big cloak and hurried out of the camp.
The generals looked at the sea of fire in the outer area of the camp in surprise, and immediately sensed something was wrong: "General, I'm afraid there are thieves invading!"
Ma Chao has a stern face. Although he is only in his twenties, he is already a master of the third level of strength and a close confidant of King Yan. He is the general leading the army in this southern expedition and has a calm demeanor: "I ordered all the soldiers not to mess up their positions.
, no one in each battalion can escape without our military orders."
boom--
Not long after the order was given, shouts of death came from outside the camp.
I saw black-clothed masters coming out of nowhere, using light skills one by one, as light as wild geese, fighting out of the thousands of troops and heading towards where Ma Chao was.
"How brave!"
The soldiers beside Ma Chao shouted loudly, drew their weapons, and raised their crossbows.
The one with quick hands fired the crossbow, and each crossbow formed a rain of arrows, covering the black-clothed master who was flying towards them.
The master in black at the front immediately stepped on the instep of his right foot lightly with his left foot, and immediately rose half a foot into the air, just in time to avoid the rain of arrows.
Even a master who has not reached the top level of Breakthrough Strength Realm can achieve this level of skill. It is like a person in the world of martial arts who has extraordinary abilities.
After he flew half a foot into the air, he rushed towards Ma Chao fearlessly.
"Where are you, rat?"
Ma Chao shouted loudly, pulled out the sword of the guard beside him with a "clang" sound, and casually slashed it towards the door of the fastest man in black.
The man in black was a master of the fourth level of strength. He pulled out a long sword from his waist. The sword light was fierce and blocked one or two.
"Kacha~"
With a crisp sound, the man in black was injured by Ma Chao's sword energy and flew back at a faster speed.
Ma Chao Li is in the third level and has practiced Cao Su's Nilong Sword and other top sword skills. Although he is best at riding combat skills, when facing the enemy on the ground, the power of the long sword should not be underestimated.
A mere fourth-grade man couldn't stop Ma Chao. As soon as he came face to face with him, Ma Chao spit out blood and was seriously injured.
"Is it just this much?"
Cao Su had been vaccinated a long time ago and told Ma Chao that there were many warriors in the South Sword Road, and he was afraid that some people might take risks and use their swords to deviate. Today, I saw that it was indeed the case, but did the slant of the sword go a little too far?
No, you still want him to kill someone?
Ma Chao took the knife back and reinserted it into the scabbard of the guard beside him.
He ordered in a deep voice: "Just leave one or two alive, everyone else can be killed!"
Ma Chao's warriors rushed out like wolves and tigers, trying to tear the many men in black in front of them into pieces.
At this moment, a bright divine light suddenly lit up in the hands of a group of ordinary experts in black.
This divine light is so dazzling that it is like a firefly in the dark night, making people notice it at a glance.
But within the divine light, a sword energy flashed out, and a man in black holding a thin sword came out of the divine light, and in an instant, he was in front of Ma Chao.
This sword is as fast as thunder. Ma Chao just killed one person, and he was a little slack. Who would have expected that the other person could be so skilled.
"So fast!"
His back felt cold and his scalp was numb, so he subconsciously stepped back, trying to get away a little.
But the thin sword of the man in black was like a poisonous snake, staring at Ma Chao's neck.
Ma Chao could even feel the cool air on the tip of the rapier, making his hair curl up slightly.
"First-class master!"
He looked ugly. Jiannan Dao did not respect martial ethics, but a first-level master unexpectedly came to attack him in the middle of the night.
Ma Chao asked Cao Su many times about how dangerous a first-level master is, but he never won.
Nowadays, there is a master who directly attacks his face. Even a brave general like Ma Chao feels frightened. Even though his feet have not left even half an inch, one nerve is already tense.
"die!"
Tang Shenghong, whose face was covered, had a thin sword in his hand, and his sword energy was extremely sharp.
He could see that Ma Chao was born with supernatural powers and was still very young. With time, he should be able to break through to the realm of strength.
But it is definitely not now. The current Ma Chao is only in the third level. If he is protected by a large army, he may not be able to kill the army and take Ma Chao's life. But tonight is a surprise attack. Under circumstances that no one expected, he
Tang Shenghong is only one step away from Ma Chao.
Ma Chao changed his color in shock, screamed and gathered all his strength to form a block with his arms in front of him.
"It's all in vain. How can the mere body stop me?"
Tang Shenghong was extremely confident in his sword.
The thin sword looked very thin, but in fact it sprang out like a poisonous snake, aiming at Ma Chao's weak spot. Ma Chao had no way to avoid it, and he would die if he was struck by his sword.
Tang Shenghong seemed to be able to see Ma Chao's blood splattering five steps under his sword.
The tip of the sword was getting closer and closer to Ma Chao's face, and the viper's snake almost poked Ma Chao's eyes.
As long as Ma Chao dies, Cao Jun's vanguard will be defeated, and Cao Su's overall march south will be hindered. Tang Shenghong will also be recognized by the entire Jiannan Road for killing Cao Jun's general Ma Chao, and his reputation will be even better. The next step will be to discuss his merits.
In his lifetime, he will undoubtedly become the first candidate for the leader of the martial arts alliance.
Killing Cao Su is of course the top priority for the martial arts colleagues in Jiannan Road.
But how difficult is it to kill Cao Su?
Killing one of Cao Su's cronies first, Ma Chao, who was famous in Liangzhou, Youzhou and other places, was enough for them to step on Ma Chao's body and take a step forward.
If you think about it this way, he will definitely gain new opportunities in the competition for alliance leader.