The next day.

The commotion at Jianmen Pass gradually subsided until dawn.

However, Chen Yuan still witnessed orders being issued from within the gate and news arriving from beyond the pass. A heavy atmosphere was steadily building.

Inside the main hall.

The King of Northern Liang, Wei Jinfeng, sat regally at the head of the hall in his golden armor, while his son, Wei Wuque, stood guard at his side. Chen Yuan was seated below on the left.

Logically, Chen Yuan's strength shouldn't have qualified him to sit on the left.

Because since ancient times, the left has been the seat of honor.

And currently, in the main hall, there were four Great Generals of the Northern Liang army with Transformation Yang cultivation, but they were all seated below Chen Yuan.

This was the King of Northern Liang's order, and naturally, no one dared disobey it.

Chen Yuan himself was somewhat confused, simply listening to the King of Northern Liang's military orders with a calm gaze, but with a hint of vigilance in his heart, as things that defied expectations often concealed ulterior motives.

There were only a few of them seated in the main hall, which appeared somewhat spacious.

As far as Chen Yuan knew, the entire Northern Liang army was divided into four major camps.

Namely, Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire.

Within these four camps, further divisions were made....

The few seated in the hall were the main generals of the Earth, Water, and Wind camps. The Fire camp was not present, and the other person was the main general of the Shadow Guard camp.

It could be said that everyone sitting here was a key figure in the Northern Liang army. As an official from the Celestial Patrol Office, he seemed somewhat out of place.

"What is the situation?"

Wei Jinfeng asked with a somber expression.

From the first time Chen Yuan had seen Wei Jinfeng, he had always maintained this composure, as unmoving as a mountain.

"Your Highness, latest intelligence: the Northern Barbarian army has already entered Liang Province. Overnight, they have swept through six border fortresses, resulting in the retreat of ten thousand troops, with casualties..."

The Shadow Guard General reported.

"Continue."

"Well... the barbarians have divided their forces."

"How many divisions?"

"Approximately two hundred thousand. As they approached the border of Liang Province, they changed direction. This subordinate believes they are heading towards You Province."

"Hmm."

"Your Highness," the Mountain Camp General said, cupping his fist in salute. "Is it not a bit risky to have the Fire Camp guard Yishui Pass?"

"This matter is for the King to decide. You only need to know that the Fire Camp will not enter Jianmen Pass. Whether you can hold it depends entirely on the three of you."

Wei Jinfeng raised his hand, stopping him from continuing his questions.

"Yes, this subordinate understands."

"Those scattered fortresses outside cannot withstand the barbarian attacks. Issue this King's latest military order: after resisting for one hour, they may retreat into Jianmen Pass on their own."

"But if that is the case, then... would that not mean abandoning too much territory?" Wei Wuque hesitated to speak.

In the past, defending against the Northern Barbarian incursions relied on the numerous fortresses scattered along the border. Although the number of troops was not large, they could rely on formations to inflict losses on the barbarians.

With step-by-step resistance, Liang Province had not suffered significant damage in at least the last few decades.

"They are too scattered and cannot withstand the Northern Barbarian offensive. This time, it is not just tens of thousands of barbarians, but hundreds of thousands. Even if they divide their forces, the numbers are still too vast. It is enough to defend only a few key towns to resist step by step."

"Does Father intend to defend at Jianmen Pass?"

"This King has his own plans."

Wei Jinfeng said sternly.

"Yes."

Wei Jinfeng looked around at those below him and continued, "The Wind Camp will dispatch three units of ten thousand iron cavalry each. They will not defend the fortresses but will randomly harass the border. If they encounter small groups of barbarian vanguards, they may engage them directly. If they encounter large armies, they will retreat immediately."

"Yes, this subordinate obeys!"

The Wind Camp General quickly replied.

Each major camp of the Northern Liang army had its own characteristics. The Wind Camp, for example, emphasized speed like the wind. The warhorses in the army were all swift and extraordinary breeds.

They had repeatedly ventured deep into the edge of the grasslands to harass the enemy.

The Fire Camp emphasized fierceness like fire. Its combat strength surpassed the other three camps, making it the most powerful camp. Only this camp could defend a key town.

The Mountain Camp emphasized stability like a mountain. Its equipment was the best among the four camps, and its combat strength was second only to the Fire Camp. It was best at defending cities.

The Water Camp emphasized flexibility like water. It was the most troublesome and resilient, but its combat strength was the weakest of the four camps.

Each camp had more than fifty thousand iron cavalry, with varying numbers.

"Your Highness, when will the imperial court's reinforcements arrive?" the Water Camp General asked.

As soon as he spoke, the other generals in the hall all turned their gazes towards the King of Northern Liang.

Their camps at Jianmen Pass were not at full strength.

The three of their camps had dispatched troops outside. Currently, the entire Jianmen Pass only had about one hundred and fifty thousand elite troops, plus a few tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers.

No matter how one calculated it, there were less than two hundred thousand troops.

And what about the barbarians?

Even after deducting the two hundred thousand divided troops, there were still five hundred thousand elite iron cavalry, plus those martial arts experts. The strength was simply not equal.

Most importantly, the entire Jianmen Pass only had one Yang God True Monarch, the King of Northern Liang.

The Northern Barbarians had at least three.

Therefore, they had to rely on reinforcements from the imperial court.

There was no point in relying on You Province. They would not divide their troops. It was estimated that the King would not strictly order them to provide support, as he was looking at the overall situation.

If the barbarians broke through You Province, then the situation here would basically be irrecoverable.

Wei Jinfeng composed himself and said,

"His Majesty has already issued an edict, ordering three hundred thousand elite troops to be mobilized from the capital and Bing Province, led by Grand Marshal True Monarch Shenwu, to rush to the border for aid."

Hearing this, the generals breathed a sigh of relief.

It was good to have reinforcements. They were most afraid of fighting alone.

It was not worth it! It really was not worth it!

"In addition to this edict, the capital also issued a new edict overnight." As Wei Jinfeng spoke, he slowly turned his gaze towards Chen Yuan.

The meaningful look in his eyes immediately made Chen Yuan pause.

Could it be related to him?

"What edict?"

The generals exchanged glances. The Mountain Camp General asked.

"His Majesty wants to transfer Chen Yuan back to the capital for an important mission."

Hearing this, the faces of the generals immediately turned ugly. They glanced at Chen Yuan with complicated expressions—some with disdain, some with contempt, and some with indifference.

The Northern Barbarians were invading, yet an edict was issued overnight to transfer Chen Yuan away.

Anyone could easily guess the meaning behind this. And once it was spread, it would definitely damage morale, especially among those in the Celestial Patrol Office.

Chen Yuan had previously made such grand statements about sharing the national crisis and resisting the Northern Barbarians together. But now, he was being transferred away. How could anyone not have doubts?

Even Wei Wuque frowned, but he didn't say much.

Wei Jinfeng took in the expressions of the generals and then turned to Chen Yuan, seemingly wanting to discern something from his face. But unfortunately, Chen Yuan remained calm.

He slowly said, "Envoy Chen, what are your thoughts? Are you willing to be transferred back to the capital for a position?"

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, calculating many things in his mind. Especially seeing Wei Jinfeng's calm gaze, he immediately had some thoughts. He said in a deep voice, "With the Northern Barbarians posing a major threat, if Chen were to return to the capital, it would have too great an impact. Please, Your Highness, decline the order on my behalf."

"Oh?"

Wei Jinfeng looked at him with interest.

The other gazes in the hall also focused on him, seemingly trying to probe something.

Chen Yuan stood up and said in a righteous and resounding voice, "Although Yuan only has a seven-foot frame, I am willing to use this insignificant strength to resist the Northern Barbarians. The centuries-old feud is deeply imprinted in the hearts of the people of the Central Plains.

How can we retreat at this crucial moment?"

"Regardless of what others do, Chen will never leave Liang Province. 'To live, be a hero among men; to die, a ghost of valor.' What is there to fear from mere barbarians?"

"'To live, be a hero among men; to die, a ghost of valor'..."

Chen Yuan's spontaneous five-character verses immediately changed the atmosphere in the hall. The generals of the Northern Liang army withdrew their previous contemptuous expressions.

Some even felt ashamed.

They had judged a gentleman with the heart of a petty person.

When they looked up again, their eyes already held some sense of recognition.

It even seemed as if Chen Yuan was radiating light as he stood there.

"Good, this King knows your intentions. Not bad, the title of the Central Plains' number one genius has not been earned in vain," Wei Jinfeng nodded appreciatively, then his expression hardened. He instructed, "Issue this King's military order: the entire territory of Liang Province..."

After everyone had left, only Wei Jinfeng and his son, Wei Wuque, remained in the main hall. After a moment of silence, Wei Wuque broke the quiet, "If Chen Yuan had chosen to leave, what would Father have done?"

Wei Jinfeng replied solemnly, "In Liang Province, this King is the heavens. Jingtai's imperial edict is useful if I listen to it, useless if it is just a piece of waste paper. Chen Yuan is still useful to this King, so naturally, I cannot let him leave.

Moreover, he himself does not seem to want to leave."

"Indeed, he is a man of courage."

Wei Jinfeng had another sentence in his heart that he didn't say.

He was saying that Chen Yuan was worthy of being a descendant of the Xiang family!

The Great Chu Dynasty had been established for eight hundred years. There had been foolish monarchs, weak monarchs, and monarchs who died young, but there had never been a monarch who surrendered. Even in the final years of the dynasty, the Emperor Chu Ling, who was known as a foolish ruler, never surrendered the empire.

He led the power of the dynasty and fought to the last soldier.

Wei Jinfeng still admired this point very much.

Wei Wuque finally understood. He had thought that there must be a deeper meaning behind the words that his father had spoken in the hall today, and that he could not really want Chen Yuan to leave.

And the words that Chen Yuan had spoken today were indeed courageous.

After all, no matter what, the other party had not retreated but had chosen to fight against the barbarians.

"Today, you must spread the words that Chen Yuan spoke throughout Jianmen Pass and even the entire Liang Province. Anyone who pleads for leave will be executed without mercy. Those who came to Liang Province to earn military merits and then run away when there is danger, Liang Province... is not that cheap."

"This son understands."

"Father, this son has something else to report." Wei Wuque changed the subject and continued.

"Speak."

"The imperial court is not necessarily trustworthy. Father must be cautious," Wei Wuque said very seriously.

"This King naturally knows this. The nature of the Sima family has been understood well enough over the years. Reinforcements... hehe... I am afraid they will only come forward to clean up the mess when the Northern Liang army has been mostly wiped out."

"Then you..."

"To stabilize the morale of the army. The difference in strength between Liang Province and the Northern Barbarians is too great. If the morale of the army is unstable, it will be difficult to win."

"This son understands."

"This father has his own plans. No matter what, I will never let the Northern Barbarians capture Liang Province. Any price can be paid." A hint of coldness flashed in Wei Jinfeng's eyes.

"This son will immediately return to camp."

Wei Wuque immediately stated his position.

"Go. Without tempering, you cannot be of great use. The Northern Liang army will ultimately be handed over to you, but first, you must make everyone submit to you."

"Yes."

"Also, maintain a good relationship with Chen Yuan. This young man is not simple. Perhaps Northern Liang will need to borrow his strength in the future."

"This son understands."

After Wei Wuque left, Wei Jinfeng's gaze gradually softened, then he let out a long breath of turbid air and took out an ancient and mysterious talisman from his sleeve, staring at it for a long time.

......

......

After leaving the royal palace of Jianmen Pass, Chen Yuan received Wei Jinfeng's military order and began to prepare for the upcoming battle. He couldn't help but feel excited.

Riding on the battlefield, fighting fiercely with iron and blood—this was the dream of every man.

Chen Yuan was no exception.

He loved the scene of raising an arm and having ten thousand people bow down.

And he had been working hard in this direction.

In the days that followed, the clash between Northern Liang and the Northern Barbarians officially began. It was not as simple as Chen Yuan had initially imagined, with a direct confrontation between the two armies. Ever since the beacon fires were lit that night,

The Northern Barbarians had been sending out small groups of cavalry to attack cities, destroy villages, and burn farmland.

All living beings they encountered were killed.

And the Northern Liang army was also making every effort to resist, constantly annihilating the small groups of cavalry sent out by the Gujin Royal Court. In just a few days, they had clashed more than a hundred times.

The frequency was undeniably high.

However, these efforts seemed to be in vain. The Northern Barbarian iron cavalry were still advancing steadily and firmly towards Jianmen Pass.

Every day, various remnants of defeated troops retreated into Jianmen Pass.

The signs of defeat for the Northern Liang army were already apparent.

And the more this was the case, the more panicked the people of Jianmen Pass became. Most of the Northern Liang army was still relatively stable, but the remaining conscripted soldiers and the local troops from the prefectures and cities below were somewhat lacking.

Apart from the initial high morale, the morale seemed to decline every day.

And as more and more common people were massacred, this atmosphere was further intensified.

But Wei Jinfeng seemed to ignore it completely, as if he couldn't see it. Every day, he still calmly issued various military orders. Even Chen Yuan was sent out to carry out a mission once.

That time, Chen Yuan led fifteen hundred Celestial Patrol Guards to face three thousand barbarian vanguards.

Of course, Chen Yuan didn't even move. These people were not enough for him to kill himself. He directly let his subordinates face the barbarians' methods.

At the cost of one hundred and twenty dead and three hundred and seventy wounded, fifteen hundred elite Celestial Patrol Guards completely slaughtered three thousand barbarian vanguards and, according to Chen Yuan's instructions, built a Jingguan!

This was the first recorded military merit, and when he returned, he found that many people looked at him differently.

Their eyes were filled with admiration.

After understanding, Chen Yuan realized.

It turned out that the words that Chen Yuan had spoken so passionately in the hall that day had been spread out. The ten words "To live, be a hero among men; to die, a ghost of valor" began to circulate wildly in Jianmen Pass.

Everyone knew that Chen Yuan had originally had the opportunity to leave. The Emperor had personally issued an edict summoning him back to the capital, but he had refused without hesitation.

He had even taken on the crime of disobeying the imperial edict in order to resist the Northern Barbarians.

What kind of spirit was that?

What kind of loyalty and righteousness was that?

Who wouldn't admire this deed?

But Chen Yuan just smiled. He wasn't stupid. Wei Jinfeng had said earlier that he would have an important task for him, so how could he let him leave?

Moreover, once he left, the fame he had accumulated earlier would be gone.

Anyway, Senior Mo Luo was by his side, so he wouldn't be in any life-threatening danger. Why not take this opportunity to earn military merits and pave the way for the future?

Also, he was still thinking, wouldn't he encounter the Son of Destiny of the barbarians in such a big event?

How could he leave such a good thing?

So he wisely chose to face it directly that day.

And later, to his surprise, the impact became greater and greater. He didn't even have to promote it himself, and it spread throughout Liang Province and towards the Central Plains.

The fame of Chen Qing, the envoy, reached a new level!

But the underlying reasons hidden within had to make him think deeply.

Was it really just a simple act of spreading the word?

He didn't think so.

To be able to spread throughout Liang Province in just a few days, someone must have been promoting it.

And the identity of this person was obvious.

The King of Northern Liang, Wei Jinfeng!

Apart from him, no one else in Northern Liang had such ability.

His purpose was unknown, but Chen Yuan could guess a little. A part of it should be to tie him down and use his fame to tie him down.

But...

In such a huge war, what use was it to tie down a Dan Realm Grandmaster?

Did he know his big account as Asura Demon Lord?

This had to make Chen Yuan think deeply.

But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out why he was able to see through it?

What he didn't know was that the reason why Wei Jinfeng did this was to use him as a typical figure to boost the morale of the army. After all, he was young, talented, and had unlimited potential.

At the same time, he was also famous.

Such a person had given up returning to the safe capital and had chosen to fight the Northern Barbarians. What reason did those who were well-connected have to want to leave?

In terms of talent, age, and fame, which one of you can compare to the famous Demon Blade Chen Yuan, the number one genius in the Central Plains?

As for the background.

Whose background is bigger than the King of Northern Liang?

Apart from this aspect, another aspect was that Wei Jinfeng wanted to use Chen Yuan to lure out Xiang Qianqiu and borrow a bit of his strength.

After all, Chen Yuan was his only son, and this son was still a child with extraordinary talent. If it were anyone else, they would not be able to give up such a bloodline of descendants.

Also, he had always felt that Xiang Qianqiu wanted to do something big, and Chen Yuan was the most important chess piece in that plan.

Putting aside the bloodline, even if it was only a matter of chess pieces, could Xiang Qianqiu easily give up this chess piece that was gradually growing up well?

These were Wei Jinfeng's thoughts.

As for Chen Yuan's thoughts about the matter of the Asura Demon Lord's vest, he had no idea at all. He didn't have any earth-shattering ability to see through the layout of a Sixth Realm Immortal.

Even though this Immortal was already seriously injured, he was still an Immortal.

An Immortal who had attained the Dao!

Chen Yuan's reputation grew, and the Northern Barbarians' attacks became more and more frantic. The few key towns left by Wei Jinfeng were being fiercely attacked every day.

If it weren't for relying on the great formations, and if the real experts of the Northern Barbarians hadn't yet shown up, these key towns would have been broken through.

And just as the Northern Barbarians were gradually advancing, another piece of news spread, which made the people of Liang Province even more panicked and even desperate.

The two hundred thousand Northern Barbarian troops who had split off were not ordinary auxiliary soldiers, but real elite iron cavalry. Led by the God General Wanyan Shu, they were fiercely attacking the border of You Province.

So far, the border pass of You Province had been breached.

Nearly one-fifth of the territory had been occupied.

The borders of Liang and You Provinces were in full emergency!