In deep autumn, the climate of Xiaoliang Mountain is pleasant, with the colors of earthy yellow and verdant green mixed together on the mountains and valleys, showing little sign of decline. A crowd had surged in from all directions.

The mighty army of 100,000 men overwhelmed everything in sight. In the valleys, on the mountainsides, and at the foothills, parallel military columns stretched for more than ten miles. Scouts responsible for communication and route planning, along with warriors dispatched by the Mangshan Ni tribe, traversed the rugged roads, coordinating with numerous nearby columns and adjusting the speed of successive waves of troops.

Due to the rugged terrain of Liang Mountain, it was impossible for the 100,000-strong army to maintain a unified formation after entering the mountainous area. To ensure stability, Lu Qiaoshan carefully planned and divided the Wu Xiang Army into six divisions, slowing down their pace to coordinate their advance. Every day, with the assistance of scouts from the Mangshan tribe, he meticulously planned the next day's itinerary and objectives. While infantry and cavalry led the way, archers, crossbowmen, and artillery closely followed, preventing any detachment of the military formation at any time, striving to advance to the northeast of Jishan County in the most stable manner possible and commence operations.

Although the speed was slow and the posture conservative, when the 100,000-strong army advanced, the forest of flags swept across Liang Mountain, giving the warriors of the Mangshan tribe who came to meet them immense confidence with the magnificent and imposing manner like a land-clearing operation. The prestige of the Wu Dynasty was well-deserved. After the death of Shi Meng, the barbarian king of the Hengqing tribe, the situation in Liang Mountain finally ushered in another turning point.

Lang Ge and Lian Niang of the Mangshan tribe, together with Lu Qiaoshan, immediately dispatched envoys to persuade the remaining Ni tribe. These matters were initiated in the first few days. Because right after that, the Huaxia Army, which had been recuperating in Liang Mountain for several years and had maintained a state of contraction even as the Mangshan tribe rampaged for a long time, completed its assembly on the second day after Ning Yi returned to Heden and subsequently pounced towards the Wu Xiang Army.

In the past few years, the nearly 200,000 soldiers and civilians of the three counties of Heden included nearly 60,000 troops. Apart from the elite sent to Xuzhou and the troops guarding the three counties, this time, a total of 24,300 troops were dispatched, with veterans of the Northwest War accounting for about a quarter.

Around Si time on July 26th, the continuous black flags appeared in the sight of the Wu Xiang Army. An hour later, hot air balloons took flight, and the battle commenced.

The Black Banner attacked, and the Wu Xiang Army defended.

************

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The orderly sound of drums resonated on the mountainside, with figures spreading out in front and behind. In the mountains of Liang Mountain, wave after wave, group after group, lined up in formation, extending almost to the other end of the horizon in sight.

There was a small Huaxia Army哨所 (shào suǒ) on the mountain. Established in recent years to maintain the commercial road, it was permanently stationed by a platoon of soldiers. Now, with this Huaxia Army 哨所 (shào suǒ) as the center, attacking troops arrived one after another, gathering and lining up along the mountainside, slopes, and streams. Some of the iron cannons had already been set up on the mountain tops.

Mao Yishan was speaking to his comrades in an inconspicuous wasteland with low shrubs on the mountainside. This Wu Rui Camp warrior, who grew up in Xia Village, was now in his thirties. He had a steady gaze and a body like an iron tower, with rough skin on his hands and calluses covering his tiger's mouth. These were traces left by training outside the battlefield and the slashing and killing on the battlefield.

Having risen through the ranks as a swordsman and shield bearer, he still carried a heavy shield and held a steel sword. In a major battle at Xuanjia Ao in the Northwest seven or eight years ago, he, Luo Ye, Hou Wu, Qu Qing, Zhuo Yongqing, and others faced the invincible Jin army god Wanyan Loushi head-on and killed him, making great contributions. The five survivors of the battle had experienced years of bloody battles in Xiaocang River. Now, they each had positions and duties in the Huaxia Army. Mao Yishan, because of his solid and brave nature, was suitable for the front line but lacked outstanding leadership skills, and his promotion in the army was not fast. Now, he led an enhanced battalion of the First Regiment of the Fifth Division of the Huaxia Army, with a total of 400 people, half of whom were veterans, and the rest were new recruits, most of whom were remnants of the Western Army trained in the harsh environment of the Northwest.

For the time being, no one could discover the special nature of this battalion. Or perhaps, in the eyes of the Wu Xiang Army soldiers all over the mountains, the black flag in front of them had the same mystery and terror.

"...I'll say it again. After the first cannon fires and the fighting begins, our target is the Xiufeng North Ridge on the opposite side. Don't rush to act. We are one step behind. Hide from the explosions along the side ditch. Once you cross that ditch, use all your strength to rush forward. The North Ridge is behind. Don't care about the shells on the road. It's bad luck if you encounter them. The first and second companies will attack, the third company will carry shells and dig ditches, and the fourth company will guard the surrounding area. Finally, the entire Fifth Division will gather at Xiufeng, so don't be afraid--"

Stretching out his iron-like palm, Mao Yishan slowly repeated the steps of the battle. It was more like he himself was reviewing the battle plan than assigning tasks. After he finished speaking, the second company commander had already spoken: "Boss, who's afraid?" He turned back and laughed: "Anyone who's afraid, speak up first."

The drumbeats on the mountain were heavy and slow. Someone in the back knocked an iron shield with a steel sword: "What are you talking about? There aren't many people over there."

"It seems like there are 100,000."

"Hahahaha, so many."

A group of people discussed the matter and laughed tacitly. Mao Yishan also grinned and raised his hand: "Okay, stop joking. Remember all the tasks! It's been four years. We killed the Jurchens in the north. These guys hiding in the south think we are easy targets. Xiaocang River is gone, the Northwest has been slaughtered into a white land, my brothers, your relatives, were left there...It's time...to let them understand what a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood is--"

The last sentence was roared from the deepest part of his throat. After speaking, Mao Yishan's eyes were already slightly red. He turned his head and looked at the Wu Xiang Army's formation on the opposite side.

The three years of war in Xiaocang River had passed. Now, when talking about it, it could seem heroic and generous, but only those who participated could understand the difficulty of the initial offensive of the Jurchen elite and the successive bloody battles of a million-strong army.

The conflicts and guerrilla warfare in the mountains, the defense of Xiaocang River and the subsequent breaching of the dikes, and the successive battles in the Northwest. What Mao Yishan could remember were the figures of his comrades falling one by one, the blood on the battlefield, and the hysterical roars. He led the team to charge and kill countless times. The steel sword in his hand was chopped until it was curled, his tiger's mouth burst, his body was covered in blood, and the fatigue of collapsing in the pile of corpses at any time was countless times. He even struggled to crawl out of the rotting pile of corpses and finally managed to find the main force of the Huaxia Army.

Closing his eyes and opening them again, what flowed before his eyes was the hellish atmosphere of blood and gunpowder. Behind him, after a burst of neat roars, there was already a forest of killing intent.

A hot air balloon rose into the sky. Mao Yishan waved his palm on his side and pulled out his steel sword.

"Let's go," he said.

It was noon.

The black flags spread out, rushing down the mountainside, rushing through the valley. Soon, arrows and cannon fire mixed and crossed over. The black flags launched an offensive against the Wu Xiang Army, simultaneously launching attacks on the front lines of Changqing Gorge, Dawang Mountain, and Xiufeng Pass.

At this time, the scale of the Huaxia Army exposed on the offensive front line was initially less than 10,000. But for the Wu Xiang Army, which was experiencing the Huaxia Army's offensive for the first time, even an offensive of 10,000 men caused them great pressure. The first hot air balloon rose from the southwest, drifting towards Lu Qiaoshan's main formation with the wind, dropping explosive packs along the way. A division of the Huaxia Army even launched a formal attack in the direction of Lu Qiaoshan. The mutual cannon fire shattered the dense formation that had always been required of the infantry, and the terrain of Liang Mountain also caused the Wu Xiang Army's infantry to lose the composure of forming ranks on the plains. At this time, the soldiers of the Wu Xiang Army were surprised to discover that the veterans of the Huaxia Army were not afraid of the whistling artillery. Cannonballs flew and exploded in the rugged mountains, but the soldiers of the Huaxia Army dispersed and charged, constantly hiding by using the terrain. On the relatively broad terrain, the power of the artillery seemed terrifying, but it was actually limited to relatively dispersed soldiers.

The Huaxia Army soldiers who rushed closer gathered at one point with tacit understanding. At the same time, their own military formation had been scattered by a few shells flying from the opposite side. Infantry was not allowed to retreat. Under the orders of military law, they could only advance. The soldiers of both sides collided together, and then a chaotic opening was forcibly torn open by the other side.

In the first round of engagement, a small artillery position was rushed into by the Huaxia Army. Someone lit the gunpowder, causing a startling explosion.

The initial disadvantage that appeared on the front line in the first moment of engagement was only a small problem that could be compensated for the Wu Xiang Army. What was really frightened was probably Lang Ge, the leader of the Mangshan tribe, who had been urging for battle from Lu Qiaoshan's side. The Mangshan Ni tribe had never witnessed the true power of the black flag. Even though he had been making trouble in the mountains for a long time, the Huaxia Army had always maintained a restrained attitude, wanting to unite many Ni tribes to deal with him together. Therefore, when the mighty and majestic army of 100,000 Wu Xiang Army heard that the black flag was coming and suddenly began to maintain a defensive posture, Lang Ge still had some doubts in his heart.

Especially when the Black Flag Army, with a total number of no more than 20,000 people, launched a brazen attack on the Wu Xiang Army, he once thought they were all crazy.

"This is not their intention...Prepare the Houyi crossbow and shoot down the balloons in the sky for me--" Lu Qiaoshan, sitting in the central army, maintained his rationality. On the one hand, he ordered the central army to press forward, using a slow but steady approach to resist the Black Flag Army's offensive. On the other hand, he arranged for the modification of the bed crossbow to defend the sky, specifically to deal with hot air balloons--In recent years, with the support of the太子 (Tàizǐ, Crown Prince), the study of material sciences had risen in the Jiangning area. After all, it was not entirely useless. In order to prevent hot air balloons from flying over the city walls and creating another regicide tragedy, the modification of powerful bed crossbows for air defense was not without results.

At Yi time, the intention of the Huaxia Army was initially displayed before Lu Qiaoshan.

Less than a quarter of an hour after the "full-scale" strong attack by less than 10,000 Huaxia Army troops began, the true offensive power of the black flag launched a突击 (tūjī, assault) on Xiufeng Pass, the battle line extended crazily, like a steel knife, heavily slashing into it.

After looking at the map twice in a row, Lu Qiaoshan finally reacted slightly. What appeared before his eyes was a tactic that was so conceited that it seemed almost crazy in the eyes of others, and perhaps it was also a tactic that only the Black Flag Army could truly master.

At this time, the 100,000 Wu Xiang Army was inevitably divided into several groups within the Liang Mountain area. But in order to avoid the Black Flag Army's segmented attacks, Lu Qiaoshan and others also deliberately strengthened the coordination between the various departments. The 100,000-strong army was now extending in the northwest-southeast direction. Although the dispersed divisions each had a certain coordination time, in theory, it was still a relatively complete whole.

Xiufeng Pass was a relatively flat passage connected by two small mountain ranges. It could be regarded as a dividing line in the army, but in the realm of "common sense," the significance of this line was not great. It divided the entire army into two parts, with a 30-70 split. But even so, Lu Qiaoshan's side had about 70,000 people, and the other end of Xiufeng Pass also had 30,000 people. Dividing out 30,000 people from 100,000 was also a fully organized army.

However...Lu Qiaoshan remembered Ning Yi's attitude a few days ago.

"I beg you, give them a way out..."

"...We're fighting."

That simple attitude transformed into today's simple offensive.

"At all costs...recapture Xiufeng Pass! Immediately send people over and have Chen Yuguang and the others hold on for me! I don't ask for merit! Just hold on!"

Lu Qiaoshan issued the order. At this time, the last section of North Ridge was still struggling to support itself in Xiufeng Pass. At the same time, in the mountains at the other end of Xiufeng Pass, where even the naked eye could see far away, the battle began.

15,000 Huaxia Army troops were divided into three groups, rushing towards the 30,000-plus troops led by generals Chen Yuguang and others. The sound of cannons was continuous, and explosions rose up, shaking the mountains. Chen Yuguang and other generals immediately adopted a defensive posture. At the same time, Lu Qiaoshan led his troops to launch a competition for Xiufeng Pass, concentrating all the cannons towards Xiufeng Pass. And on the highlands, the Huaxia Army warriors who rushed to Xiufeng were also constantly digging trenches and setting up iron cannons on the mountains, depending on the terrain.

The tragic offensive and defensive battle began from this moment and lasted for an entire afternoon. The pervasive smoke and bloody smell stretched for more than ten miles, floating in the mountains of Liang Mountain...