The flames and pillars of light that shrouded the location of King Ba's city lasted for several days before slowly dissipating.
And on the day after disappearing, figures appeared one after another in this place.
The first person to arrive was an old man, wearing a wide robe and a jade belt, with a calm demeanor, a square face, and a long beard that was half black and half white.
The old man's neck was held high, giving the impression that he didn't take people seriously and was very conceited.
He was followed by many attendants, but they were all left a little further away. He only took a young girl with him and came to the vicinity of the original Baren King's City.
The girl is petite, wearing a brown dress, and looks like a middle-aged girl.
But like the old man, she also had extremely stern eyes.
After the old man and the young man appeared, two more strong men appeared from different directions.
One is in his forties and the other is in his early fifties, with different appearances.
He was in his forties, holding a big ax in his hand, with bulging muscles and a rugged temperament.
The man in his fifties holds a wooden stick in his hand, has broad eyebrows and long eyes, and a sinister expression. His face is smeared with plant juice similar to that of the Ba people.
Finally, there was a middle-aged woman with rough dark skin but a very good figure. She was wearing a cobalt blue dress and came with swaying steps.
Several people looked at each other and then turned their attention to the location of the Ba people's original royal city not far away.
At this time, not only was the royal city built in the middle of the mountain destroyed, but the entire mountain was shrunk by the burning of the mysterious fire, leaving only a scorched black area.
The old man who came first and didn't look at anyone seriously glanced at the mountains, the surprise in his eyes fleeting.
He began to look at the dark mountains with a straight eye.
On the other side, the middle-aged woman who came last squatted on the ground and reached out to touch the ground: "All the essence of the earth veins has been extracted, and no grass will grow in a hundred years!"
The woman was shocked, raised her head and asked the graceful old man opposite:
"Kingdom Yelang, what is the level of power that can release power to reverse the world and change the world with just a single edict, leaving the capital where the Ba people live without even a single blade of grass growing?"
It turns out that the old man is the leader of the Yelang Kingdom, one of the strongest forces among hundreds of tribes in the southwest.
Judging from his demeanor of not taking people seriously, the legends about the Yelang people are probably true.
"Such great power is very rare throughout the past and present, and there is no reference at all. How can it be defined?"
Lord Yelang clearly didn't know, but he said very conceitedly: "I can only confirm that King Qin's power is comparable to that of immortals and demons."
A sturdy middle-aged man in his forties, holding a big ax:
"It is said that the leader of the Qin Kingdom has the highest talent among all nine states, and he became the strongest person in the world within a few years. It seems that the rumors are true."
The Yin Prey man in his fifties said: "What is the master of the Pu tribe planning to do when he sees such power of immortals and demons? I heard that the Qin people have come to visit your Pu tribe twice?"
These people are all the leaders of various tribes among the hundreds of tribes in the southwest.
The old man is the Lord of Yelang Kingdom, and the girl next to him is his granddaughter.
The person holding the big ax is the leader of the Pu clan.
The middle-aged woman is one of the leaders of the Yi tribe.
"Then the leader of the Qin Dynasty took the opportunity to destroy the Ba Kingdom and unleashed these methods, which obviously also had the intention of frightening all our tribes.
What do you think?"
Lord Yelang squinted his eyes and glanced at several people: "We must unite on this matter to have room for advancement and retreat.
I would like to join forces with you all to go to Xianyang to have a look, what do you think?"
Several other people looked at each other: "Going to Xianyang? I plan to see how this confrontation between Qin and Chu will end.
If Qin wins, I will go with him."
"I also have this intention."
"..."
Several other people expressed their opinions one after another.
Lord Yelang snorted softly: "You are ignorant. In my opinion, Qin and Chu may not fight.
Both sides have increased their troops, but up to this point there has not been a formal confrontation, which shows that there is still room for action.
Have you forgotten that not long ago, when the demon clan attacked, both sides fought fiercely with the demon clan one after another?"
The middle-aged woman pondered: "What the Lord means is that because the Chu people have also been attacked by monsters, they are well aware of the Qin people's combat power, and they are worried about the monsters coming from behind. They don't want to fight with the Qin people at this time?"
So both sides are increasing their troops to increase deterrence, but they don’t want to actually take action?”
Lord Yelang said calmly:
"Chu did not want to fight Qin at this time, nor did it want the southwest to fall into Qin's hands, so it increased its troops to intimidate the Qin people.
If our tribes are willing to unite with Chu, the Chu people may start a war with the Qin people.
But the day before yesterday, envoys from the Chu people came to visit Yelang and wanted to unite with Yelang, but I refused.
Without the help of Yelang, the people of Chu will definitely not dare to fight against Qin easily."
Several other people pouted at the same time.
According to the old man's advice, whether Chu will fight Qin or not depends on whether the Yelang people join him.
However, Yelang people are accustomed to bragging. They have seen this countless times, but they all ignored it and just passed by.
The various ethnic groups in the southwest usually have disputes with each other, but when they encounter external forces, such as the attack of powerful countries such as Qin and Chu, they will unite to defend against powerful enemies.
The man in his fifties was the leader of the ancient Qiang nomadic tribe in the southwest:
"What if Qin insists on fighting? I'm afraid it's because of the Chu people's plan."
Lord Yelang hurriedly took over the conversation and said confidently:
"What the King of Qin is thinking about, I can't see clearly yet. I can't tell clearly. But if you can make us and other hundreds of tribes surrender without using swords or fighting, it will be what the King of Qin wants.
Therefore, the owner of the country believes that now is the best time to go to Xianyang.
If we wait for Chu to retreat and Qin to concentrate all its strength to face us, what's the point of entering Xianyang?
When I entered Xianyang at that time, I was afraid that I would lose all bargaining chips.
If we enter Qin at this moment, we can take advantage of the Chu people's military force to benefit ourselves and negotiate terms with Qin. There is a lot of room for maneuver.
If you don't go, don't regret it. I'll go back and pack up, and plan to go to Xianyang for a visit."
After Lord Yelang finished speaking, he took a deep look at the location of the Ba Ren King's City.
What he said was eloquent and clear, but in fact it was mostly nonsense, and he was not sure whether his judgment was accurate.
Only he knew clearly that the main reason why he decided to go to Xianyang was that he was shocked by the power of King Qin's methods and wanted to see what kind of atmosphere King Qin was like, who was like a demon in the world.
The King of Qin should be a divine figure similar to his own king... Lord Yelang thought to himself. After saying this, he stretched out his hand and strode away.
After taking a step of more than ten feet, he soon disappeared.
The girl next to him listened to her grandfather's "convincing" and other people, and then raised her head and neck and followed the old man away.
The rest of the people also left separately.
After that, many people from various ethnic groups in the southwest came one after another to check out the methods left behind by Zhao Huaizhong to reveal the sanctuary, and they were all shocked.
————
Xianyang Palace, study room.
"Your Majesty, the Chu people are constantly increasing their troops to the Western Front. They have reached 100,000 troops. Do we, the Qin Dynasty, also want to increase our troops accordingly?" Lu Buwei asked.
"Of course, the momentum cannot be weakened, otherwise the Chu people may really pounce." Zhao Huaizhong said.
Lu Buwei smiled: "This time we are facing off against the Chu people on the western front, but the decisive victory lies on the northern front. The battle with the Xiongnu is the key.
If our army fights against the Xiongnu or the Wei people, and the situation is unfavorable, Chu will definitely follow suit and attack our Qin army from the southwest.
Otherwise, Chu will not easily start a war."
Zhao Huaizhong: "Prime Minister Lu saw it very accurately. Li Yuan and the King of Chu have been in charge of the Chu people for a short time. They hope to overpower the Qin people, but they don't want to have a real confrontation.
The clans and nobles of the Chu State have intertwined forces and are internally complicated. If we go to war with Great Qin, it will be fine if we win. However, if we lose, it will have a very big impact on Li Yuan and the King of Chu.
Chu would not take the lead in launching troops unless he had no choice but to do so.
Their best plan is to drive hundreds of tribes in the southwest to serve as vanguards to counter our Qin army.
If the tribes in the southwest cannot be used by them, the Chu people will increase their troops just to maintain pressure and then negotiate to resolve the southwest issue."
Lu Buwei said: "The Xiongnu and Wei are both attacking. How should I respond?"
"The disputes between the countries in China and Turkey continue, and it is not yet time for an expedition to completely wipe out the Xiongnu. However, we must beat the Xiongnu to pain before we can slow down our attack, so that we can attack Wei with all our strength next year."
Zhao Huaizhong said calmly: "As for the Wei people, I have made arrangements to set up an ambush to lure the enemy... It is also to prepare for the coming year."
"How to lure the enemy?"
Lu Buwei asked further, but Zhao Huaizhong shook his head slightly and ignored him.
————
In the next few days, the Qin and Chu armies faced each other on the Western Front, and the atmosphere was solemn, but there was no real confrontation.
The focus of both Qin and Chu was actually on the east and north fronts.
On Qin's eastern front, a Qin army commanded by Meng Ao had already launched an attack to engage the invading Wei troops.
After a year of training, the Wei people's military strength has indeed increased significantly.
The two sides fought for several days. Meng Ao, who had always been able to suppress the Wei people in the past, did not gain much advantage this time.
The war between Qin and Wei was tense.
When the news was sent back to the palace of King Wei, Wei Wu got up and walked around the palace, saying excitedly:
"My hard work has indeed been in vain. The Qin army is no longer an invincible opponent. Our Wei army and Qin are no longer on par.
If we can have another period of time, I will be able to defeat Qin."
"This time, according to the king's instructions, we, the Wei people, have not dispatched the strongest imperial army. Otherwise, we should have been able to suppress Meng Ao's troops at this moment." Some Wei Chen agreed.
Wei Wu smiled: "I sent Lord Long Yang to the front line to watch the Qin army's front. Has Lord Long Yang ever come back?"
"Not yet, but I will be back soon."
"What happened when the Huns attacked Qin?" Wei Wu asked again.
"This minister doesn't know that since Zhao Kingdom fell into the hands of the Qin people, it has become much more difficult for me, the Wei Dynasty, to obtain news about the northern front.
However, a few days ago, news came that the Huns were approaching the Qin border.
Several days passed, but for some unknown reason, the Huns cavalry never really appeared.
However, there was news yesterday that Qin general Meng Wu commanded a Qin army, numbering tens of thousands, and entered the depths of the grassland with unknown traces, probably to fight the Xiongnu."
————
Qin Jing is five hundred miles north of Dai City and deep into the grassland.
A few days ago, the Huns cavalry sent by Luo Tuanman went south and approached the Qin territory.
But then they stopped moving forward and failed to get any closer.
The reason... You must know that the Huns were not without any opponents on the grassland.
As the Xiongnu went west, there was the Yuezhi clan, which was also very powerful for a while.
To the east of the Xiongnu was the Donghu territory to the north of the Yan people.
These two families were rivals of the Xiongnu. Although the Xiongnu was becoming increasingly powerful and had apparently surpassed the Yuezhi and Donghu, it was not yet the time for the Xiongnu to unify the grasslands as known to later generations.
The Xiongnu military force was at its peak. Compared with the other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Yueshi and Donghu were the first to feel the pressure.
Qin took advantage of the trend this time, and with a little movement, he could use his strength to gain strength.
At the same time that the Xiongnu attacked Qin, a group of Donghu troops came straight through from west to east. The Yuezhi came from east to west, with the goal of taking the opportunity to attack Bailang City.
Qin also subsequently sent troops to meet the Xiongnu who invaded the south.
When the countries of China and Turkey competed with each other, there was also a melee on the grassland.
The Xiongnu's elite troops marching south encountered front and back attacks from Donghu and Qin.
Early October.
afternoon.
On the grassland, the shouts of killing shook the sky, and tens of thousands of corpses spread over hundreds of miles.
The Xiongnu attacked Qin, but Donghu, who had received the news in advance, ambushed them halfway and stopped them. The Qin army also rushed into the battlefield with a stab in the back.
A three-way melee.
Qin and Dong Hu did not cooperate. Qin only sent news to Dong Hu in advance and borrowed his strength.
Donghu wanted to weaken the Xiongnu with all his strength, and the fundamental purpose was to protect himself.
Therefore, although it was a three-party melee, two of them seized the Huns and attacked wildly.
The battle lasted until the end of the day, when the Xiongnu were surrounded by two sides and defeated.
Until October 7, for about a week, the Xiongnu soldiers continued to retreat deeper into the grassland, resisting the pursuit of Qin and Donghu along the way.
During the process, there were also frictions between Qin and Donghu, and small-scale confrontations continued, but the main goal was always to pursue the Xiongnu.
By October 8, another team of Huns arrived to meet them.
At this time, the Xiongnu went south to prepare for the invasion of the 80,000 elite troops, but only a little over 30,000 were left, suffering heavy losses.
Especially the horses suffered more losses than the people, and their muscles and bones were damaged.
After that, the remnants of the Xiongnu troops retreated, and when Meng Wu led his army back, they fought several times with Donghu.
However, neither side had a great victory, so they each retreated.
It's a pity that it's already October.
The cold wind howled on the grassland, and the Yuezhi troops attacking the Xiongnu capital were blocked on the outside and quickly chose to retreat, posing little threat to the Xiongnu.
Otherwise, the Xiongnu losses would be even heavier.
Looking back, at the coast of the South China Sea, Mu Qingkong and others rushed over, met with Yu Gui, Baiyao and others, and launched a series of arrangements.
By October, when everything is ready, we are ready to launch an offensive against Zhuxian Cave!