Lord of the Desert

Chapter 384 Turning point
The seventh day of the sixth lunar month, at noon.

Duanli City Guard House.

Hong Fan untied Mingshen and leaned against the side of the chair, drinking the first sip of tea in two days.

A quarter of an hour ago, he had just returned from flying a hundred miles away and reported the number of Tianfeng troops wiped out in this trip to the Military Intelligence Department.

"The battle line has moved further south in the past few days, and is now compressed to 50 miles north of Yunlan City."

Hong Fan put down the teacup and said.

"Compared to late May, the Tianfeng Army has lost its will to fight. I have seen no one who dares to resist."

Xu Yuntao nodded when he heard this: "Their morale is low and they are no longer strong enough to fight us in the field. The teams sent to the north are becoming fewer and fewer. Most of the human sacrifices captured rely on the three cities south of Yunlan. But even if the Feng family sent out three innates to suppress them, the area is still unstable."

"People don't fear death, so why should they be frightened by it?" Hong Fan sneered, "But it is said that Yunlan is still as silent as a cicada?"

"The Gong family has been destroyed. Which family would dare to bomb the thorns?"

The person who answered was Qiu Yuankui, who was reviewing documents nearby.

"Is this true?"

Hong Fan was a little skeptical.

"It's confirmed. The huge Gong Mansion was emptied overnight. I estimate that the royal court will issue a notice of 'Gong's rebellion' in the next two days."

Qiu Yuankui replied.

"Isn't that destroying the Great Wall?"

Hong Fan was puzzled.

"The Gong family has assisted the Feng family for generations, and they have made contributions and have worked hard. They are also a prominent family in Huaiyang... The Feng family has even cut off their left and right hands. Aren't they afraid that people will become more uneasy?"

"There is a beginning and an end to this matter, you don't know."

Qiu Yuankui put down his red brush and stretched his shoulders and neck.

"There is news that the Gong family is determined to relocate their clan and escape from Yunlan despite the opposition of the Feng family."

Hong Fan was stunned when he heard this and felt it was absurd.

Seeing his reaction, Qiu Yuankui also sighed: "It was such a stupid move. Just imagine that even the Gong family was scared and left, why should others stay? Since the last big family in Huaiyang has cut ties with the royal court, Yunlan will no longer have any support."

"But how can the Gong family, who lost Gong Zhengping, dare to disobey the two Yuanci warriors?"

Hong Fan still found it outrageous.

"I heard that the Gong family originated in Zhao County and has a history of more than 300 years. How could it be so unbearable..."

"The roots lie in this three hundred years of inheritance."

Qiu Yuankui sneered.

"Being conceited of one's noble race, one regards everything as a gift from heaven, forgetting that the world changes in cycles."

"I heard that all the sons of the powerful people in your border areas who practice martial arts have to join the army to defend against foreign races and protect merchant caravans, and roll in blood and fire. But the young masters in Yunlan City are different. They usually drink and have fun, and practicing twice a day is not considered lazy."

"Now that Yuanci has fallen, the fools below have no weapons but names, so they are naturally at a loss as to how to deal with it..."

Having said this, several people sighed, but saw Duan Tiannan striding in from outside the hall with a sullen face - he had just broken through to the fifth level of Yuanci last month and developed an iron arm and golden body, and he was in high spirits these days.

"Brother Duan, what's the matter?"

Hong Fan felt nervous and was the first to ask.

"Something happened."

Duan Tiannan replied in a deep voice.

"And it's a big deal!"

······
On the same day, at 9pm.

In the main hall of the Duanlicheng Guard House, candles were burning in rows, keeping the darkness outside the threshold.

All the top leaders of the Baisheng Army are present.

"The wind mass atop the wind and cloud has expanded, nearly doubling its size in three days."

Duan Tiannan stood with his back to the door, his words uttered like a burning flint.

"I approached Yunlan City and observed that the Tiangang Divine Wind was clearly strong. There was not a single flying bird within a radius of dozens of miles."

Chang Yimin's face turned pale when he heard this and he looked at Qiu Yuankui.

The latter nodded silently to confirm.

“Will this only be a temporary change?”

Xiahou Ling was hoping for a lucky break.

"There is always no certainty in an impermanent state, but this time is different."

Duan Tiannan shook his head.

"Since the death of the Martial Saint, his remains are like water without roots, decaying day by day. Even if we feed them with human lives, it can only slow down their decay, but it is impossible to strengthen them."

"And I saw Feng Mubai set up a 'Wind-Listening Formation' in the city center, constantly monitoring the entire area..."

Everyone in the room could guess what he meant, but no one was willing to reveal it for the time being.

"Brother, it doesn't matter."

Gu Yixin frowned and started a conversation. Duan Tiannan glanced at him and whispered, "Feng Jianke is going to be successful."

The sound of swallowing in the throat was particularly loud in the silence, and I didn't know who it was.

"How long will he take?"

Military commander Xiahou Ling asked instinctively, his voice breaking with a few daily words.

"Maybe ten days, maybe one month, I don't know."

Duan Tiannan raised his voice unconsciously.

Everyone was in a state of confusion.

In the Nine Provinces, the Martial Saint is the cause of all things, the result of all actions, the method of judging crimes, and the power to punish crimes.

Once Feng Jianke opens the gate to heaven, the past, present and future will all be rewritten.

“So we have to take action.”

Duan Tiannan added, his voice was light but as cold as iron.

"There is no other way but to attack Yunlan by force."

He paced to the sand table and pointed his finger at the city in the southeast corner.

The atmosphere became a little more lively.

"A strong attack is not feasible!"

Military Secretary Chen Yan pinched his thigh and refuted in a harsh voice.

"Yunlan City's defenses are more beautiful, and its military strength is many times greater than ours. Even if we ignore the city walls and only consider combat power, we are not as good as the Tianfeng Army."

He looked at Duan Tiannan without giving in.

"Lord Duan, the morale of the royal court is collapsing, but it's not time yet!"

"But we don't have time to wait."

Duan Tiannan softened his tone.

"I know that the Royal City is difficult to attack, but we don't need to capture the city this time."

With that he walked out of the courtyard, flew into the night, and returned with a short spear in his hand.

The spear is four feet long, with a matte blade and golden frosted inlays on the blade surface. The handle is carved from a whole piece of chalcedony, and it is obvious at first glance that it is expensive.

"This weapon was specially made for Fengyunding. The material can withstand the wear and tear of the Tiangang Divine Wind. Infusing it with true essence can sense the vitality of the gods."

Duan Tiannan introduced.

Hong Fan now knew why Mr. Tian, ​​who was in charge of the martial arts academy last winter, came here.

"I have been preparing for this moment."

The bearded man leaned his short spear on the sand table and clenched his teeth.

"Feng Jianke is sitting with his back to the cliff and cannot dodge. As long as you all help me to clear a path in front, as long as I have a chance to throw this spear and interrupt his breakthrough..."

"It's all over!"

No one said anything for a long time.

It sounds easy to say that I can exchange my life for an opportunity by breaking into the royal city.

But as soon as everyone in the room thought about the risks and consequences, they began to sweat.

Duan Tiannan said no more, as if he had been suffocated by a bolt of lightning in the clouds.

"If this is the only way, then we have no choice but to give it a try."

The first to respond was still Gu Yi Xin.

He stared at the golden frosting on the spear tip lit by the candlelight, and his breathing was steady.

"Don't worry, this account still needs to be carefully calculated."

Hong Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead and held Guyixin's arm.

"In addition to the two Yuanci, the Feng family still has four Xiantians. Three of them are stationed outside to search for human sacrifices, and only Feng Sifei remains in the middle. After Gong Shihua's death, Yunlan City still has four Xiantians from other families."

"Considering that General Chen Zhenghong and Marshal Xu of the Tianfeng Army will both be in command, the ratio of the enemy's Yuan magnetic combat power to ours is two to one, and the innate power is four to three."

He was including himself holding the Mingshen.

"As Hong Fan said, this cannot be accomplished by the Hundred Victory Army alone."

Qiu Yuankui also resumed thinking.

"In addition to us, there are six innates in the Three County Volunteer Army. We need their help to have a chance of victory."

After careful consideration, Xu Yuntao also said: "If we want to take action, we must first attack the city with a large army, and the action must be swift and fierce."

After a few words, the plan began to take shape, but Duan Tiannan was already in high spirits, and looked lively again.

"Okay, when the battle starts, I will lead the way!"

"When you see me use the Hun Tian Jue, you can break through the defenses. As long as you can catch up with three or four people to entangle Xiao Sefeng, Shan Feng Mubai alone can't stop me!"

He made the statement in a heroic manner, clenching his five fingers into a fist as if he was holding the whole world in his hands.

(End of this chapter)