vncnus Chapter 248 The Last King's Choice
Chapter 248 The Last King's Choice
Chapter 248 The Last King's Choice
On the ruins of the Ghost Gate Pass, murky floodwaters formed patches of mud in the low-lying areas.
The pungent smell of blood and the sulfurous odor of gunpowder mingled with the damp, earthy scent of the air.
The banner of the Heavenly Soul Eastern Army was finally planted at the highest point of this daunting and treacherous road, fluttering in the wind.
After capturing this place, the Tianhun Eastern Army, Tianhe Wuchen, and the Holy Dragon Brigade chose to stay here and dredge the river.
This tributary of the Raging River has completely changed course. If it is not dredged, it will not only flood more areas and hinder the army's advance, but it may also cause backflow during the upcoming rainy season, which could damage our own camps and supply lines.
Moreover, the Tianhun Eastern Army also needs time to wait for ammunition resupply.
Therefore, Huo Yuhao and Li Kongming were not in a hurry to attack Xuanlu Pass.
The Suspended Head Pass is not built at the bottom of the valley or the top of the mountain, but rather on the upper part of the cliff.
A narrow, zigzag-shaped plank road, barely wide enough for a few people to walk side by side, spirals up the steep cliff like a twisted python, and is the only path to the pass.
Below the plank road is a bottomless valley, and above are jagged rocks and cold cliffs.
Any army attempting to climb the plank road would be exposed to devastating crossfire from above and both sides.
They could flood Dragon's Throat Gorge and break through the Gate of Hell, but neither of these methods worked when facing the Hanging Skull Pass.
The location of Xuanlu Pass is too high; floodwaters simply cannot reach that height.
To break through the wall of the Ghost Gate like it did, the natural mountain it relies on is far more solid than any man-made wall.
A forced impact would not only be ineffective, but could also trigger a massive landslide, burying both personnel and the landslide victims.
After discussing it, Huo Yuhao and Li Kongming decided to blast the mountain from the base.
Unlike Dai Hao, who blasted open the eastern mountain of Wolongpo to create a passage, the Heavenly Soul Empire intended to completely flatten this place.
After conquering the Douling Empire in the future, the Eastern Territory of Heavenly Soul will no longer need such a dangerous place.
Leaving the Suspended Skull Pass intact will only hinder trade within the Heavenly Soul Realm in the future.
Once the strategy of blasting the mountain was decided, the engineering corps began to get busy.
They set up a temporary camp, cleared the battlefield, treated the wounded, and, most importantly, waited for supplies.
After conquering Dragon's Throat Gorge and Ghost Gate Pass in succession, the Soul Guidance Legion suffered huge ammunition depletion.
In particular, high-explosive shells and fixed-position guided missile shells are almost completely sold out.
Meanwhile, Tianhe Wuchen and the Holy Dragon Brigade began dredging the river and stabilizing the mountain.
They are all preparing for the final blasting of the Suspended Skull Pass.
Huo Yuhao opened the undead demiplane and sent the fighting spirit guards, who had been transformed into undead creatures, inside.
"Zhao Gongfeng".
Huo Yuhao said to Zhao Xuan, who is now the Soul Transport Administrator of the Undead Demiplane, "Temporarily send a message to the Soul Research Institute."
"We now need at least one hundred level-eight fixed-position soul-guided shells and five hundred level-seventy fixed-position soul-guided shells to completely blast the mountain range where the three passes of Suspended Skull Pass, Blood Heart Valley, and Fighting Mountain are located."
"I also have two level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells here, which I will put into use together later."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Peng's maternal grandfather, Zhao Xuan, immediately bared his teeth in disgust.
The Heavenly Soul now has ample logistical reserves, but we never imagined fighting like this.
Huo Yuhao's demand meant he took away all of Tianhun's reserves accumulated over the past six months.
"Azure Dragon King," Zhao Xuan hesitated, "this project is no small undertaking."
"The mountain is so large and solid that to blast it completely and leave no future problems, the amount of explosives required would be astronomical."
"The pressure on the Soul Military Industry Department is immense."
The Yuanling Mountains, where the three majestic passes of Xuanlu Pass are located, have dense and tough rock strata in the core of the mountain, which are also mixed with many exceptionally hard metal veins, making them a natural fortress.
Relying solely on external explosions would likely significantly reduce their effectiveness.
"The effects of conventional targeted blasting are limited," Huo Yuhao replied, "but the Yuanling Mountains are not a single, unified whole."
"I've used my mental detection to check. Deep within the mountain, about 500 meters directly below the Hanging Skull Pass and Blood Heart Valley, there is a huge, penetrating natural cave, as well as several crisscrossing deep fault zones."
"The Earth-Drilling Soul Guidance Device, which the Body Sect excels at, will also come in handy this time."
Upon hearing this, a knowing glint flashed in Zhao Xuan's eyes.
"Understood," Zhao Xuan immediately headed to the teleportation portal near Qinglong City. "I'll go and urge them right away."
"Azure Dragon King, you must return to the Demiplane of the Dead in seven days!"
Huo Yuhao hurriedly said, "We also need soul tools for dredging river channels and stabilizing mountains; please transport some over first!"
"I'll come pick it up tomorrow!"
"Understood!" Zhao Xuan's voice faded away on the other side of the portal.
Over the next few days, Dragon Throat Gorge and Ghost Gate Pass were transformed into a massive construction site.
The turbid floodwaters were guided by water-attribute soul masters using large-scale flow-guiding soul tools, their flow direction was replanned, new river channels were dug, and temporary dikes were built.
Meanwhile, the earth-attribute soul masters, in coordination with the Heavenly Soul Engineers, used soul tools to clear the massive mountain of ruins, preventing secondary collapses that would block the passage, and simultaneously clearing a sufficiently wide road for subsequent trade routes.
The sight of leisurely cleaning and dredging waterways and leveling roads was unimaginable in the eyes of the Heavenly Soul in the past.
Being constantly on the move is the norm in war.
But now, the reserves of two continents and some deep-sea resources have given them this luxury.
This allows them to lay the foundation for future rule and prosperity while the war is still ongoing.
Huo Yuhao himself did not participate much in these engineering details.
In the past few days, the garrison at Xuanlu Pass has attempted to launch a counterattack against Tianhun.
After several days of calm, the unease in the heart of the fighting spirit guardian grew stronger.
The Heavenly Soul Army was dredging waterways and leveling roads in a grand manner on the ruins, which did not look like a war at all.
It's more like building a major commercial town.
This unusual calm is more suffocating than any attack.
They launched several counterattacks, but without exception, they were all driven back by the Heavenly Soul Eastern Army.
"We can't wait any longer!"
The commander guarding the Hanging Skull Pass leaped ashore, a fierce glint in his eyes: "The Heavenly Soul People must be plotting something!"
"Pass down the order: prepare for the plan to burn the city with heavenly fire!"
The lieutenant's expression changed drastically: "General! Once the 'Heavenly Fire Burns the City' plan is activated, the entire plank road will be burned down!"
"At that time, we ourselves will also—"
"Shut up!"
General Xu Yan interrupted him: "If Xuanlu Pass is lost, the four passes behind it will be completely exposed!"
"Instead of waiting for the Celestial Souls to finish preparing, let's strike first and burn down the plank road!"
"This way, at least we can hold them off for a while longer!"
The lieutenant gritted his teeth, accepted the order, and left.
After the deputy general left, Xu Yan secretly released a Swift Shadow Falcon.
The Swift Shadow Falcon's target is the Heavenly Soul Eastern Army.
"Go ahead and deliver it to the right person."
"I hope the Heavenly Soul Man's blade is fast enough."
Meanwhile, in Lingdou City, at the Imperial Palace.
The heavy atmosphere felt like a weight of lead, making it hard for every minister in the hall to breathe.
The magnificent hall had lost all its luster, now only a deathly grayness remained.
An urgent military report, still smelling burnt, was presented to the emperor's throne by the chief eunuch with trembling hands.
The new emperor of Douling had a sickly bluish-gray complexion.
Two strategic passes were lost overnight, yet the Douling military hadn't even figured out the composition of the Tianhun's members.
"Xu Yan plans to burn down the plank road?"
The reason why Xuanlu Pass is such a natural barrier is because of the zigzag plank road that winds around the mountain.
Burning it would temporarily protect the garrison, but it would also completely eliminate any possibility of launching an attack or harassing the enemy.
This is tantamount to announcing to the world that the Douling Empire has lost even the ability to launch a symbolic counterattack and can only cower and wait for death!
"Is Xu Yan an idiot?!"
The new emperor's voice suddenly rose: "Would the Heavenly Soul Eastern Army go and climb that deadly plank road to their deaths for no reason?!"
"His Majesty!"
A minister stepped forward tremblingly: "General Xu's action, though a desperate measure, will indeed stop the enemy at the pass by burning the plank roads, buying our army precious time to consolidate our eight-line defense!"
"No matter how cunning Li Kongming and Huo Yuhao are, they will need time to find another way to deal with the cliffs that have been burned to the ground."
"Precious time?!"
The new emperor slammed the military report to the ground: "The one thing Heavenly Soul has no shortage of is time!"
"Look what they're doing in Dragon Throat Gorge and Ghost Gate Pass now!"
"They are building bridges and paving roads for their empire on my land!"
"The Heavenly Soul can afford to wait! But what about me?"
"How long will it take for my four strategic passes and eight defensive lines to become impregnable?"
"Tell me, how many Soul Masters, Soul Instructors, and resources do I need to fill this gap!"
"Don't forget, Xingluo is also attacking the Southern Territory of Douling right now!"
"Xu Yan's perspective is still stuck in the era of cold weapons from hundreds of years ago! He has no idea about the Heavenly Soul, nor what kind of power Huo Yuhao possesses!"
"Two passes were flooded overnight. Would an opponent like that be foolish enough to climb the plank roads and die?"
"Use your blockhead to think!"
The new emperor was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently. A wave of dizziness washed over him, but he forcibly suppressed it.
He was the emperor's cousin before Xu Sanshi, and his name was Xue Rui.
In terms of skill, Xue Rui is indeed much better than Xu Sanshi and the former emperor.
"I know that you and Xu Yan are actually members of the Tianhun faction who surrendered."
"But don't you even consider whether Heavenly Soul and Star Luo need officials like you?"
"What are you, Tianhe Wuchen, doing? Aren't you just future officials in reserve for Tianhun?"
The minister's face turned deathly pale, and he was drenched in cold sweat. He knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with tears, as he tried to explain himself.
"Drag it away!"
Xue Rui's voice was devoid of any emotion: "Take them down and behead them, along with Xu Yan's cronies in the military!"
He knew that the Douling Empire was at a critical juncture of life and death, and that internal corruption and instability were more deadly than external enemies.
"By imperial decree, the Hall of Worship, Xu Yan, the garrison commander of Xuanlu Pass, is found to be cowardly and timid, intending to destroy the Great Wall himself. He is hereby dismissed and investigated immediately!"
"Soul Douluo Xu Lie, Xu Yang, and Zhang Jingshan, bearing my imperial decree, proceed immediately to the Hanging Skull Pass to assume military command!"
"If Xu Yan or his henchmen defy orders, kill them without mercy!"
"I will personally assume the position of Commander-in-Chief of the eight vertical and horizontal defense lines! From this day forward, all commanders in the defense zones will be solely responsible to me!"
"The national treasury will be opened immediately, and all necessary personnel and supplies will be prioritized for the Eight Vertical and Horizontal Armies and the Southern Border Heavenly Gate City!"
"A nationwide conscription is hereby issued! All males aged 15 to 60, except those essential for maintaining local operations, are to enlist!"
"All registered members of Soul Master academies and sects across the land shall be incorporated into the reserve team and await immediate deployment!"
"Any grain merchant who dares to hoard grain for profit shall be killed! Any official who dares to embezzle funds shall have their entire family exterminated!"
"In short, anyone who dares to delay, withhold funds, or disobey orders will have their entire family executed, including nine generations, by the Imperial Household Department!"
Xue Rui intends to use an iron fist to forcibly seize the last war machine of the entire empire into her own hands.
He abandoned Lingdou City and concentrated all his strength in the Eight Horizontal and Heavenly Gate Cities to fight the final battle against Tianhun and Xingluo!
After issuing all the decrees, Xue Rui looked at the empty hall and, as if all her strength had been drained, slumped onto the dragon throne.
His gaze fell upon the Azure Dragon coiled on the dragon throne: "Starry Sky—unreliable."
Xue Rui knew very well whether the Douling Empire could survive the siege of Tianhun and Xingluo.
The Eight Horizontal and Eight Vertical Lines and the Heavenly Gate City may become the final monument of the Douling Empire.
But the most likely outcome is that they will become the great family that buries the last vestiges of the empire's fortunes.
"His Majesty."
Tianyang Douluo approached and said, "It's time to rest."
"Uncle Tianyang," Xue Rui sighed, "I have done everything in my power to give the empire a final moment of dignity."
"As for whether this dignity can be implemented, that is beyond the control of the Douling royal family."
"9
Tianyang Douluo didn't speak, but simply lifted his robe and knelt down as if pushing down a mountain of gold and a jade pillar.
"Your subject, Tianyang, has failed His Majesty the Emperor of Douling!"
Xue Rui looked at Tianyang Douluo kneeling on the ground and did not choose to help him up.
Only Xue Rui has the courage to sit on the throne of this deposed monarch.
Therefore, Xue Rui was able to accept Tianyang Douluo's kneeling bow.
"Uncle Tianyang, get up."
Xue Rui's voice was filled with deep weariness: "It is the successive emperors of the Xue family who have failed the millions of people of the empire."
Tianyang Douluo did not rise, his head still bowed: "Your Majesty's words are too much for this old minister."
"Protecting the Empire and the Royal Family is the very foundation of the Hall of Worship. As the head of the Hall of Worship, I failed to stop the advance of the Heavenly Soul Star Army, resulting in the destruction of our land. This is a dereliction of duty, a crime for which death is unforgivable."
"This old minister regrets that he cannot personally go to the front lines with his frail body."
"But even if this old minister fights to the death, he will likely be unable to harm the Heavenly Soul at all, and will only suffer a pointless loss, leaving Your Majesty with no one to rely on."
Xue Rui listened in silence, her face expressionless.
"I know."
After a long silence, Xue Rui finally spoke, her voice eerily calm: "I never expected the Hall of Offerings to reverse the tide. Uncle Tianyang, you and the Hall of Offerings are the last bulwark of the empire, and my—last shred of dignity."
"I need you to ensure I die on the battlefield, before my soldiers!"
"I need you even more to personally burn down the Lingdou City Imperial Palace at the last moment, so that the spirits of the empire's past emperors may not be dishonored by the enemy!"
Tianyang Douluo kowtowed heavily, his forehead striking the cold floor tiles with a dull thud: "This old minister obeys the decree!"
Xue Rui nodded: "Go ahead."
"A major purge should be launched in Lingdou City."
Tianyang Douluo silently rose and stood below the imperial steps, also looking out of the hall.
Guarding is no longer about surviving, but about fulfilling one's final mission in the most heroic way.