Chapter 1 The Flames of Shimen Pass

As this man hurried towards the front lines, the flames of Shimen Pass finally died out.

Feeling the heat waves emanating from ahead, no one dared to relax in the slightest. No one could guarantee what sort of demons and monsters might come rushing out of Shimen Pass in the next second.

Perhaps due to the insistence of the surrounding generals, Jiang Chen did not appear at the very front this time, as he had done before. Instead, he stood with them at the rear, gazing out at the battlefield ahead.

"Your Majesty, why don't this humble general find someone to escort you away from here as quickly as possible? Beyond here, most of the land is plains. If we don't leave now, it will be too late once the Xiongnu break through our defenses."

"Even if we all sacrifice ourselves here, the Xiongnu may not be severely weakened. They will definitely not be able to invade south again for at least two years. That will be the time for us to gather our strength. If the man-eating troops from Jiangnan could arrive in time, this humble general wouldn't dare to make such a request, but…"

Hearing the murmured words beside him, Jiang Chen shook his head.

"I said long ago that I would live or die with Shimen Pass. Now, Shimen Pass is gone. I retreated. Now I'm outside the city. Can I retreat any further? If I retreat now, and the Xiongnu attack the gates of the imperial city next time, wouldn't I have to flee again?"

As Jiang Chen spoke, his hand was already on the hilt of his sword.

Now, even if all the Imperial Guards he had led here were wiped out, Jiang Chen would never retreat another step.

Just as the people beside him were about to try and persuade Jiang Chen further, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble rhythmically.

Everyone knew in their hearts that only the Xiongnu's war drums and cavalry could cause such a tremor.

Just as everyone lowered their bodies, holding shields and spears, ready to meet the impact, a fierce cavalry force rushed out of Shimen Pass. Seeing their faces painted in grotesque patterns, the soldiers guarding the front line felt a chill in their hearts. These were the most elite warriors among the Xiongnu.

As soon as they entered within a hundred paces, a dense rain of arrows quickly covered them, and the Xiongnu cavalry rushing in the lead instantly fell, men and horses collapsing.

Unfortunately, after the first rank fell, a steady stream of Xiongnu cavalry quickly filled the gap.

Although the archers behind them were doing their best to provide support, the cavalry ultimately reached them.

In the next second, the high-speed warhorses collided with the prepared soldiers. Although the shields absorbed most of the force, many people were still knocked off their feet.

The Xiongnu riders, barely having fallen from their horses, were immediately swarmed by soldiers who hacked them to death in a frenzy.

Although the initial crisis had been resolved, the initial formation had been completely destroyed by the Xiongnu's assault.

As many people scrambled to re-establish their defensive formation, more Xiongnu cavalry began to charge quickly behind the initial wave, giving them no time to restore their original formation.

Just as everyone was panicking, Jiang Chen personally beat the war drums for everyone.

The messenger standing beside Jiang Chen also raised the command flag high.

Recalling the various formations that Jiang Chen had taught them, they quickly moved into action under the direction of the flag.

The previously rigid defensive formation instantly transformed into a Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation.

Seeing the sudden change, many Xiongnu riders tried to stop, but even if their horses reacted, those behind them did not see what was happening ahead.

Before long, they collided with each other, men and horses tumbling.

Seeing this, with a wave of the command flag, a lightly armored squad quickly rushed out of the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation and began to swiftly reap the lives of those who had fallen.

By the time the Xiongnu finally realized what was happening, these lightly armored figures had quickly retreated back into the formation.

This brief victory did not bring any joy to anyone's face, because in addition to the Xiongnu cavalry that had just charged into the formation, more and more Xiongnu were emerging from the Shimen Pass.

Looking at the chaotic scene in front, several great chieftains sneered.

Those charging in the lead were the leaders of small tribes who had been driven mad by the fighting and the remaining elites under their command. For them, the men they had left were not enough to guarantee the tribe's survival. Instead of waiting to divide up the meager spoils of war that might come their way, they might as well seize this opportunity to make a name for themselves and gain the Khan's recognition.

However, they did not know that they had become cannon fodder for the larger tribes behind them.

"What is the origin of those people on the other side? Why do they know such strange formations?"

Looking at the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation, which seemed to allow entry but no exit, several great commanders behind them couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Thinking of Mei Pengfei, who had left earlier, they couldn't help but curse him inwardly. If Mei Pengfei were here, these things would not be a threat at all.

But looking at the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation in front of them, they were now in a dilemma. No one knew how to break through such a strange thing.

"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu's attack has temporarily stopped."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen slowly stopped his movements. As the sound of the drums ceased, the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation, which had been operating at high speed, came to a halt.

Although it seemed that this formation could exert unimaginable power, it was only effective as long as the Xiongnu did not directly press their entire army forward. If the Xiongnu were to disregard everything and send all their forces rushing up, even the mighty Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation would not be able to withstand it.

"Send out enough scouts. I need to ensure that the main force of the Xiongnu is concentrated in front of us."

Seeing the Xiongnu cavalry rapidly departing in all directions, Jiang Chen had no choice but to react quickly.

Although they had dug enough trenches around the area to block the Xiongnu cavalry's advance, it was only a temporary measure and could not permanently hold them back.

Once the Xiongnu prepared to detour from another direction, he would have no choice but to grit his teeth and launch a charge against the Xiongnu's lines.

Fortunately, after the disastrous defeat on the first day, the Xiongnu seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding and did not launch another attack.

This brief period of calm allowed many people to quickly do the things they wanted to do but had never dared to do.