The next day.

Early in the morning, Wen Zhong summoned all the major and minor officials, village chiefs, clan elders, and local leaders of Linhuan Pass, and openly revealed the impending arrival of the Great Shang army.

Everyone was shocked and angered upon hearing this.

What followed was deep fear and dread.

The total population of Linhuan Pass was only about five or six hundred thousand, and aside from a small security team barely capable of dealing with bandits and wild animals, they virtually had no military force.

Facing the menacing approach of a three hundred thousand-strong army, what could they possibly use to resist?

But if they did not resist, wouldn't they just be captured and forced back into slavery, toiling hard only to end up starving and cold, without a safe place to sleep, and always fearing being used as sacrificial offerings to the ancestors' gods.

"What should we do, City Lord?"

Everyone eagerly looked to Wen Zhong, hoping he would have a plan to save them, as he had in the past.

However, this time, Wen Zhong shook his head solemnly and said, "The answer is simple. We must pick up weapons with our own hands and defend our homes!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present became anxious.

"But we don't have an army, what will we defend with? Rely on the security team?"

"That's a three hundred thousand-strong army, our little security team isn't even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth!"

"City Lord, do you have any other ideas?"

"..."

Wen Zhong took in everyone's reactions and said gravely, "Before you give up, think about the kind of life you want to live? Consider what kind of life your children will have?

Is it a life of peace and contentment, or one of constant danger?

Is it living freely, or living like cattle?

These will all be decided by YOU!

You can choose to surrender and obediently return under the rule of Great Shang as slaves, or you can choose to take up arms and struggle for a full, warm, peaceful, and happy life for yourselves and your descendants!!!"

Hearing Wen Zhong's resounding words, everyone in the hall was silent.

Yu Yuan, quietly observing from a distance, nodded secretly to himself, thinking that the justice-driven young man with three eyes had finally grown into a true leader.

"I don't want to be a slave again!"

It was unclear who started it, but a slightly restrained yet excited shout erupted from the crowd.

Shortly thereafter, more and more voices filled the hall.

"Exactly! Until I came to Linhuan Pass, I never knew what it was like to truly live! The life of a slave can go far away!"

"They want to capture us and make us slaves again, then we will fight them with weapons!"

"Exactly, I have six children here; they don't have to work and they have food and drink, and can even acquire knowledge. If they are taken back, all six of them might die in the mines!"

"I just got married, and I want to have a bunch of healthy children in the future. I don't want my kids to be born only to be sacrificed to those divine spirits!"

"Everyone, take up arms and fight them!"

"It's just a three hundred thousand-strong army; Linhuan Pass has a full six hundred thousand people!"

"There's nothing to fear; rather than dying tired in the mines, we might as well fight them now!"

"..."

With each impassioned cry, the entire spirit of everyone in the hall seemed to solidify into a united force, sharing the same enemy and willing to fight to death!

If they had never come to Linhuan Pass, it might have been different, but they had lived here!

Through their own efforts, they had managed to enjoy a life of abundance.

But now, not long after achieving this, Great Shang wanted to capture them and turn them back into slaves, which they found impossible to accept.

After Wen Zhong pointed this out, most of the people present cast aside their concerns and expressed their willingness to defend Linhuan Pass!

Moreover, many vowed on the spot to fight for Linhuan Pass until the very end.

Wen Zhong was very satisfied with the heated response.

However, he wasn't blinded by this fervent atmosphere nor did he lose himself to pride to overlook the real difference in strength between the enemy and his own forces.

He didn't believe that mere morale could defeat a three hundred thousand-strong army.

Upon setting that grand goal, he became even colder and more cautious.

Following Yu Yuan's advice, Wen Zhong took the existing security team as the core, selected robust laborers to form a fifty thousand-strong army, and trained them rigorously in four separate divisions.

The populace of Linhuan Pass mainly consisted of slaves who had cleared and cultivated land; mostly strong and able-bodied, accustomed to hard work. If organized and trained diligently, they weren't entirely without combat ability.

Moreover, Yu Yuan had anticipated this scenario long before and had advised Wen Zhong to build high furnaces for steel-making.

Previously, these furnaces were used to produce farming tools like scythes, plows, axes, saws, and shovels. Now, they could be readily adapted to making weapons like swords, spears, and halberds.

The task now was to organize the army quickly, arm them, and train them, so they could develop a substantial combat capability in the shortest possible time.

To at least be able to defend based on the city structures.

While Wen Zhong was vigorously conducting military training, Bai Ling conveyed a message through the Bronze Treasure Mirror.

The commander of the 300,000-strong army of Great Shang was the undefeated King Wu Cheng, Huang Feihu.

Yu Yuan had heard of this name, but did not take it to heart. What really concerned him were the four deputy generals under Huang Feihu—Mo Liqing, Mo Lihai, and the other Mo Family brothers!

Each one possessed the Daoist Skill of a Taiyi Golden Immortal and also held Spiritual Treasures like the Qingfeng Treasure Sword and Jade Pipa bestowed by the Tongtian Sect Hierarch, possessing extraordinary powers. Even an ordinary Daluo Golden Immortal could be easily tricked by their methods.

Thinking of this, Yu Yuan couldn't help feeling a bit depressed.

Since the Mo Family brothers, like him, were also disciples of the Jie Sect and even the elite among them, wouldn't a fight between them become an internal strife of the Jie Sect?

Wouldn't that be ridiculed by members of Chan Sect and Western Sect?

Considering this, Yu Yuan hurriedly contacted Zhao Gongming via the Sound Transmission Treasure Pearl and asked him to reach out to the Mo Family Four Generals to discuss a truce.

However, unexpectedly, as soon as the Mo Family Four Generals heard it was Yu Yuan, they burst into cursing, accusing him of being an Outer Heaven Demon who misled the public and that his establishment of Linhuan Pass was to divide the Jie Sect.

They even declared that they were set to eradicate Linhuan Pass, urging Yu Yuan and Wen Zhong, the brothers, to obediently return to Penglai. If caught by them, they warned not to blame them for disregarding fraternal bonds.

It seemed that this internal conflict was unavoidable.

Yu Yuan sighed.

However, he knew too well, with thousands of immortals under the Jie Sect, it was impossible to have a unified voice among everyone.

Now that the Sect Hierarch Tongtian was absent, and he was branded the infamous "Outer Heaven Demon," it was the prime time for those differing voices to surge.

Faced with this situation, the only path Yu Yuan could think of was one.

That was to fight!

Anyone who disagrees, just fight until they agree!

...

The arrival of the Great Shang army occurred much quicker than Wen Zhong had anticipated, catching Yu Yuan off guard as well!

These soldiers of Great Shang were not ordinary mortals.

With their training, they could employ simple Daoist skills and even set up sophisticated Arrays, capable of traveling ten thousand miles a day without any trouble.

One evening, Long Ji, who volunteered to scout enemy movements, returned hurriedly riding the Green Bird.

From her, Yu Yuan learned that a vanguard of over a hundred thousand had already reached Zhenhuai Pass a thousand miles away, setting up camp beside the Huai River.

The Vanguard Commander was a man named Evil, known as Gu Lai.

Yu Yuan found this name somehow familiar and soon recalled that this person was the legendary "Ancient Evil" known for his bravery, who in his youth could battle rhinoceroses, bears, and tigers, thus earning the deep favor of King Di Xin of Shang.

Unexpectedly, he was appointed as the Vanguard Commander this time.

By the next day, the remaining troops of Great Shang had also arrived at Zhenhuai Pass.

Yu Yuan, Wen Zhong, and Long Ji each rode their mounts into the air to survey the situation, and indeed saw banners fluttering a thousand miles away, where camps spread out like falling clouds along the banks of the Huai River.

The soldiers of Great Shang, proud and energetic, showed no signs of fatigue from the lengthy journey.

Seeing their robust and formidable presence, Wen Zhong's heart sank.

Compared to this well-disciplined army of the Shang Dynasty, their hastily assembled troops at Linhuan Pass seemed like child's play—disorganized, feeble, totally lacking spirit.

As they observed, a beam of golden light arose from the camp, reaching them in a blink.

When the light dispersed, several figures appeared.

Leading them was a middle-aged man riding a Five-Colored Divine Bull, clad in Golden Armor, wielding a spear, with a square face and broad eyebrows, emanating an imposing aura.

"I am King Wu Cheng Huang Feihu of Great Shang, which of you is Wen Zhong?"

Wen Zhong took a deep breath, rode forward two steps on the Auspicious Beast, and said solemnly, "I am Wen Zhong. May I know what instructions King Wu Cheng has for me?"

Huang Feihu frowned slightly, glancing to his side, "Read!"

A side officer immediately took a silk scroll from his robe, opened it, and read aloud, "General Wen Zhong, for your achievements in developing barren lands, starting today, you are granted the title of Earl of Martial Might with two thousand households. Additionally, you are transferred to be the Deputy General of the Feather Forest Army in Chaoge, effective immediately, with no errors!"

Hearing this decree, Wen Zhong was momentarily stunned.

He was no fool; he could clearly discern the real intention behind the disguised demotion, aiming to pull him back to Chaoge to be a powerless deputy general, to keep an eye on him while they took over the prosperous Linhuan Pass.

If he refused to comply, the 300,000-strong army would have a perfect excuse to flatten Linhuan Pass and capture him to face trial in Chaoge!

"General Wen."

Huang Feihu looked at Wen Zhong with a meaningful smile, "This is the King's decree, why don't you quickly accept and express your gratitude?"

Wen Zhong glanced at Yu Yuan, who gave him a subtle smile, immediately boosting his courage. He stared back at Huang Feihu and said, "Trying to scare a child with these sneaky tricks?

You just covet the prosperity of my Linhuan Pass and want to claim it for yourself, don't you?

If you want a fight, just bring it on!"

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