bookpower Chapter 328: The top ten list is announced
Chapter 328: The top ten list is announced
the blockade of yutang pass created two separate worlds inside and outside the pass.
the commander of langping pass, gou heyu, was unaware of what had transpired within the pass. the prime minister had kept huangfu yue's defection plan under wraps.
in gou heyu's eyes, huangfu yue, who had seized yutang pass, was the greatest threat to chongming kingdom and had to be eliminated.
yutang pass was a crucial transportation hub, essential for the supply of provisions to langping pass and dongling pass, and also served as their fallback route.
no one could rest easy with a group of rebels occupying their rear.
thus, upon receiving gao yanping's plea for help, gou heyu did not hesitate for a moment and led his troops to attack yutang pass, only to find huangfu xing and gao yanping on the city walls.
naturally, he assumed he was late and that huangfu xing had already taken yutang pass.
no one believed that two seasoned generals could be defeated by huangfu yue, who had never fought a battle.
nor did they expect the fourth princess luo shuang, who had no soldiers or generals, to persuade two great generals to surrender and occupy a critical pass.
with careful planning and deception.
seeing gou heyu's reinforcements, gao yanping personally invited him into the pass for a drink and a chat, successfully luring him into the city and making him a prisoner of the fourth princess.
not everyone was as spineless as huangfu xing; gou heyu was equally loyal to the chongming kingdom's royal family.
moreover, he was even more stubborn than huangfu xing, refusing to yield under any circumstances, preferring death over surrender.
unable to persuade him, du ge simply gave up on him, using a fake corpse dressed in his armor to create the illusion that he had died under torture, thus successfully persuading gou heyu's deputy to surrender and issuing false orders to take control of his army.
subsequently, huangfu xing infiltrated gou heyu's army with his troops, and with coordinated efforts from inside and outside, they captured langping pass. du ge's forces swelled to twenty-five thousand soldiers...
at this point.
between chongming kingdom and qingwu kingdom, only the isolated dongling pass remained, guarded by the veteran general wei tingjiang.
dongling pass was on the border and had to defend against qingwu kingdom.
therefore, dongling pass had a garrison of eighty thousand soldiers, with many fierce generals under wei tingjiang's command.
with such a formidable force, du ge naturally did not want to provoke them at this time, so he created the illusion that everything within the pass was normal for the old general.
he tried to buy as much time as possible, even avoiding disturbing the residents between the two passes. every day he delayed, his strength grew a little more.
while huangfu xing and gao yanping were plotting to capture langping pass, huangfu yue continued to advance inland with her troops, capturing two more counties in two days and stopping outside linyang city.
linyang city was a large city with a permanent population of over a hundred thousand and only a small city guard.
however, the prefect of linyang city, shi ruxing, was a capable man.
upon learning about the changes at yutang pass from the refugees fleeing the three counties du ge had captured, he immediately sent the news to the court.
then, he closed the city gates, cut off communication with the outside world, organized the city guard for a strict defense, and mobilized the wealthy households to send their private guards to help defend the city walls.
the city guard of linyang city should have been three thousand strong, but due to long periods of peace and severe corruption, the actual number was less than eight hundred. including the temporarily conscripted militia, the total was just over a thousand.
but even with a thousand defenders, huangfu yue's three thousand troops could not breach the city.
both sides were temporarily at a stalemate.
...
when the news reached the capital.
was he digging his own grave?
no, he couldn't let luo shuang expand unchecked. he had to create some difficulties for her.
"yes, it has fallen!" gu shichun threw the report at gu shiming, shouting, "what are you waiting for? to court!"
shi pingchuan's face was also grim. he stared intently at his flashing personal interface, not speaking for a long time.
just now.
when gu shiming received the report, his personal interface flashed.
he instinctively opened it and saw the announcement of the top ten rankings.
...
first: leng shi; imperial teacher of qingwu kingdom;
second: shi pingchuan; prime minister of chongming kingdom;
third: pei ma'er; advisor to the fourth prince of chongming kingdom;
fourth: ma shichun; magistrate of beihai kingdom;
fifth: qu liandong; elder of the beggar's sect in qingwu kingdom;
sixth: wu tong; princess consort of kingdom chu;
seventh: miao buqi; wanderer;
eighth: huli xian; chieftain of western tribes;
ninth: wei jiuchou; lieutenant general of qingwu kingdom;
tenth: yunyao; disciple of qinglan sword sect;
...
second?
he had caused such a commotion, eliminating over a thousand alien star warriors, making himself a target.
yet when the rankings were announced, he had dropped to second?
this was like having his home robbed at the peak of his glory...
so frustrating!
he had modeled himself after du ge.
and du ge's first-place advantage always lasted until the end.
leading from the start, maintaining the lead all the way, and finally leaving everyone far behind, securing victory with an overwhelming advantage...
but his first place had only lasted a month, and it was a month only he knew about. when it was time to shine publicly—gone!
this was definitely not a good omen!
shi pingchuan felt a deep sense of crisis.
his temples throbbed uncontrollably, his hand hidden in his sleeve clenched into a fist, and his eyes burned with fierce determination. leng shi, it's either you or me on this alien star battlefield...