85: Chapter 85 The Hundred Barbarian Alliance

Facing this desperate situation, a sneer of disdain appeared on Gao Feng's face.

"Mere firefly light, daring to shine?!"

He took a deep breath, and the Qi and blood within his body erupted like a volcano!

His Peak fourth-rank Protective Aura was unleashed without reservation!

"Hum—!"

A visible, transparent Aura shield, rippling like water waves, instantly enveloped his entire body!

Those corrosive venoms and toxic powders landed on the Protective Aura, making "hissing" sounds, but they were completely evaporated without even causing a ripple!

And those two Red Refining King Snakes that lunged at him collided as if they had hit an invisible wall!

The immense impact shattered their skulls and caused them to bleed from their seven orifices!

Before they could struggle, a cold light flashed in Gao Feng's eyes!

"Die... for me!"

He did not use his blade. Instead, he clenched his left fist, concentrated the thunderous intent of the "Wind Thunder Guide" onto his fist, and punched through the air!

"Boom!"

The air seemed to burst apart from this punch!

A visible punch force, mixed with pale purple lightning, struck the heads of the two giant pythons with the precision of a cannonball!

"Bang! Bang!"

The two massive snake heads exploded like watermelons!

Red blood and white brains splattered all over Poison Fang's face.

Poison Fang was completely terrified.

Projecting punch force! Forming the Protective Aura!

This... this is simply not a technique that a fourth-rank Martial Artist could possess!

This is clearly... a Domain that only a fifth-rank Grandmaster can step into!

"Run!"

At this moment, only this single thought remained in his mind!

He could no longer care about the dignity of a Young Lord; he turned around and wanted to flee into the dense forest behind him like a stray dog.

But it was too late.

A ghostly figure had already appeared behind him silently.

"Where do you want to go?"

The cold voice rang in Poison Fang's ears like the verdict of the Grim Reaper.

Poison Fang stiffened, turned his head abruptly, and with all his strength, stabbed the poison-dipped bone blade in his hand toward Gao Feng's heart!

This was his final and most vicious strike!

However, his bone blade could not advance a single inch further when it was three inches away from Gao Feng's chest.

A palm wrapped in pale golden Qi and blood, like an iron pincer, gripped his wrist tightly.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound of bone breaking rang out.

Poison Fang let out a shrill, inhuman scream; the bones of his entire right arm had been crushed to powder by Gao Feng!

"Tell me the location of Barbarian King Longduota, and I can give you a quick death." Gao Feng's voice carried no emotion.

"You... think again!" Poison Fang said with a ferocious expression, using his last bit of strength to roar, "The great Barbarian King will eventually... avenge me..."

"Swish!"

A cold blade light flashed.

Poison Fang's voice came to an abrupt end.

A massive head, still wearing an expression of terror and unwillingness, rolled onto the ground.

The commander, Poison Fang, was beheaded on the spot!

The collapse of their spiritual totem caused all the Red Python Tribe warriors who were still putting up a desperate resistance to instantly lose all their fighting spirit.

Like stray dogs with their spines removed, they let out desperate howls, turned around, and fled in all directions.

However, the Wind Cavalry Battalion, which had been waiting for a long time, had completely blocked all their escape routes.

A hearty pursuit and annihilation battle began.

When the first light of dawn pierced through the thick smoke over the jungle, this tragic jungle battle finally came to an end.

The Red Python Tribe's five thousand elites were completely wiped out!

Panshi Stockade achieved a complete victory in this critical counterattack, with casualties of less than three hundred!

Looking at the mess on the ground and the jungle burned into a barren land, there was not a trace of joy on Gao Feng's face.

He knew that this was just the beginning.

While cleaning up the battlefield, the rich spoils made all the Panshi Army soldiers beam with joy.

From the Red Python Tribe's camp, they scavenged a large amount of poisonous creatures and rare medicinal Materials unique to the Southern Wilderness.

Among them were several stalks of "Dragon Blood Vine," with more age and stronger medicinal properties than the one Gao Feng had previously obtained!

This undoubtedly provided the most perfect Materials for him to refine the true "Blood Burning Marrow Changing Pill"!

At the same time, they also captured several "Witch Doctors" of the Red Python Tribe who held high status.

From the mouths of these people, Gao Feng finally obtained accurate intelligence about that "King of the Southern Wilderness" — Longduota, who had only existed in legends.

Ten Thousand Snake Valley, the Holy Land of the Southern Wild Hundred Barbarians.

Longduota, a fifth-rank "Marrow Refining Realm" Major Achievement, possesses the totem power of the ancient giant beast "Ba Serpent," and is the undisputed strongest in the entire Southern Wilderness!

And just as Gao Feng was digesting this intelligence and preparing to use the captured medicinal Materials to break through the fourth rank in one go.

An even more shocking piece of news came from the deepest part of the Southern Wilderness.

The successive annihilation of the Blood Vine Tribe and the Red Python Tribe, the two core tribes, was like two loud slaps, fiercely striking the faces of all the barbarian tribes.

This completely enraged that high and mighty King of the Southern Wilderness.

In the Holy Land of the Southern Wilderness — Ten Thousand Snake Valley, inside a royal tent built from the bones of countless giant beasts, filled with the Aura of blood and wilderness.

The "King of the Southern Wilderness" Longduota let out the most furious roar since his ascension!

He personally issued the "Barbarian King Order," which symbolizes the highest authority of the entire Southern Wilderness!

He commanded all the notable tribes in the Southern Wilderness, whether they were on good terms with the Blood Vine Tribe and Red Python Tribe, or had grudges against them, to immediately put aside all grievances, assemble the most elite warriors of their respective tribes, and gather at Ten Thousand Snake Valley!

He wanted to personally lead an unprecedented, true "Southern Wild Hundred Barbarians Allied Army" composed of all the tribes to trample that damned Linhuang County and crush the Panshi Stockade that dared to provoke the majesty of the Southern Wilderness!

He wanted to use the head of that young general named Gao Feng to wash away the humiliation suffered by the Southern Wilderness!

For a time, the entire Southern Wilderness was surging with wind and clouds!

Countless barbarian tribes responded to the call!

An unprecedentedly large and murderous barbarian army began to slowly assemble in the hinterland of the Southern Wilderness.

A huge cloud of war was sweeping toward Linhuang County and toward Panshi Stockade with an unstoppable momentum!

A bigger and more cruel storm was coming!

...

Gao Feng was naturally prepared for this, but unexpectedly, what followed was not a frantic revenge by the barbarians, but a suffocating silence that lasted for two months.

This silence was more terrifying than any hoarse roar.

It was like the deep breath of an ancient Vicious Beast before launching a fatal strike; every silence was accumulating terrifying power capable of tearing the world apart.

The scouts of the Scout Battalion risked their lives, time and time again, to penetrate deep into the hinterland of the Southern Wilderness, and the intelligence they brought back was more shocking each time.

Ten Thousand Snake Valley, Barbarian King Order, Southern Wild Hundred Barbarians Alliance...

These words, filled with the Aura of wilderness and blood, were constantly transmitted through encrypted carrier pigeons to the City Defense Office of Linhuang County, piling up on Gao Feng's desk.

Each piece of intelligence was like a heavy lead block, making the air in the conference hall almost solidify.

Finally, when the first cold wave of early winter arrived, Li Four, the Deputy Commander of the Scout Battalion, risked his life despite being seriously injured. He was carried back on a stretcher by three personal guards, bringing back the final piece of intelligence that would make anyone despair.

"Report... Reporting to the Stockade Master..."

Li Four's face was as pale as paper, his lips cracked, yet he still struggled to raise his head, his eyes filled with the lingering fear of having survived a brush with death and determination, "Barbarian... Barbarian King Longduota... personally... personally leading the army... has crossed the Black Swamp Forest... is... is rolling toward our Linhuang County..."

Before he finished speaking, his head tilted, and he completely passed out.

Uncle Sun, who was nearby, immediately stepped forward to provide aid, and the animal skin map soaked in blood that Li Four brought back was presented to Gao Feng.

On the map, a thick, blood-colored torrent formed by countless small arrows was heading north from Ten Thousand Snake Valley in the south, its edge pointing precisely at the small city marker of Linhuang County.

Beside the blood-colored torrent, chilling tribe banners were marked in trembling handwriting — Black Tooth, Vulture, Giant Rhinoceros, Fire Scorpion... a total of thirteen large and small tribes, encompassing almost all the powerful forces in the Southern Wilderness that had any reputation.

And finally, there was the final estimate of the enemy's scale, which the scouts had exchanged their lives for —

"Banners block the sky and sun, the formation stretches for dozens of miles... After three close-range reconnaissance missions by our unit, risking our lives to estimate... The enemy claims to have one hundred thousand, but their actual combat-ready soldiers are no fewer than sixty thousand! There are still forty thousand auxiliary troops and Menial Laborers! The earth trembles under their iron hooves, their momentum... is enough... enough to sweep away any prefecture in the Southern Region..."

When this intelligence was slowly read out by Gao Feng in a heavy voice at the highest-level military meeting in Linhuang County, the entire conference hall of the City Defense Office fell into a deathly silence.

You could hear a pin drop.

All the generals, whether they were the veterans who had followed Gao Feng from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, or the young officers promoted in the last two years, had faces full of unprecedented shock and horror.

Sixty thousand... combat soldiers!

What kind of concept is this?

This is equivalent to the entire force under a full-strength General of an Upper Prefecture of the Great Qian Dynasty!

And how many people does their Linhuang County have?

The standing garrison in the city is one thousand five hundred, plus the three thousand five hundred elites personally led by Du Wei, who rushed to aid from the main Panshi City; the total force has just reached five thousand.

Even counting all the able-bodied men in the city who can pick up weapons — those militiamen who have just put down their hoes and cannot even walk in a straight line — the total defensive force will never exceed eight thousand people.

The ratio of frontline core combat soldiers to the enemy has reached a desperate number — one to eight!

This is no longer a battle between evenly matched opponents, and it cannot even be called a game with suspense.

This is Mount Tai pressing down on the top!

"Gulp." A young Centurion swallowed hard, and his face turned pale instantly.

He had participated in the battle to exterminate the Black Wind Stockade and had also participated in the pursuit and annihilation of the Blood Vine Tribe; he considered himself a warrior who had seen blood and been through battles.

But at this moment, in front of the cold number "sixty thousand," he felt as if his heart had been gripped by an invisible giant hand, and even breathing became difficult.

His reaction represented the inner voice of most people present.

Fear, like an invisible plague, spread rapidly through the conference hall.

"Stockade Master..."

Finally, a civil official responsible for civil administration stood up tremblingly. He was an old scholar in his fifties, who had been discovered by Liu Chengfeng from a refugee camp, and had always been known for his steadiness.

But at this moment, his voice carried an unmistakable tremor.

"Stockade Master... Stockade Master, the disparity between the enemy and us is too great. It... it is truly impossible to fight them head-on!"

"The walls of Linhuang County are not yet secure, and the hearts of the people have only recently been won over. The... the Barbarian King has arrived in person, and his momentum is overwhelming..."

"In... in this old man's humble opinion, we... we might as well... as well temporarily abandon this city and withdraw all our people and supplies back to the main stockade at Ghost Sees Sorrow."

"The main stockade has natural barriers that can be defended; it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. For us... for us to rely on these natural barriers to hold our ground... that is the only foolproof strategy!"

His words were like flipping a switch.

"That's right, Stockade Master! Lord Wang's words are absolutely correct! As long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood!"

"Fighting head-on is no different from throwing an egg against a rock! We cannot gamble the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians to make such a meaningless sacrifice!"

"Retreat, Stockade Master! If we retreat to Panshi Stockade, we will still have a chance to make a comeback!"

For a moment, in the council hall, the arguments of the conservative faction surged like the tide.

Those newly promoted officers who had not been tested in major battles, as well as most of the officials responsible for civil administration, had been scared witless by the enemy's terrifying momentum.

In their view, holding Linhuang to the death was no different from a mantis trying to stop a chariot—it was courting destruction.

Du Wei, Big Fool, Zhao Iron Pillar, and the other core generals did not speak, but their furrowed brows and grave expressions revealed the immense pressure and wavering in their hearts.

After all, a force disparity of one to eight was already beyond the scope of what any tactics or courage could compensate for.

The entire council hall was shrouded in an atmosphere of pessimism and despair.

Gao Feng remained silent throughout.

He just sat quietly in the main seat, his face as calm as water. His deep gaze slowly swept over everyone present, taking in the fear, hesitation, and wavering on their faces.

Until no one spoke anymore and the entire council hall fell into dead silence once again,

he finally moved.

"Bang!!!" A loud noise exploded without warning!

Gao Feng's broad, thick hand slammed fiercely onto the hardwood sand table in front of him!

The hard surface of the sand table was actually cracked by his palm, creating clear, spiderweb-like fissures!

The tremendous sound was like a clap of thunder on flat ground, causing everyone present to shudder and instantly wake from their fearful emotions. Subconsciously, they all focused their gazes on the man sitting steadily in the main seat, as immovable as a mountain.

Gao Feng slowly stood up. In the flickering candlelight, his tall figure cast a huge, oppressive shadow.

His gaze was like lightning, sharp enough to pierce a person's Soul, as he slowly scanned everyone.

Whoever was swept by his gaze, no matter who they were, would subconsciously lower their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Are you finished?"

Gao Feng's voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally cold, carrying a majesty capable of freezing blood.

"Is this the backbone of my Panshi Stockade?"

"Is this the courage of the battle-hardened elite troops I brought up with my own hands?"

"Sixty thousand barbarians have scared you into such a state?"

"Abandon the city?!" He sneered, his voice filled with endless mockery. "That sounds nice! That sounds easy!"

He walked over to the old scholar who had first proposed the retreat and stared down at him.

"Lord Wang, let me ask you!"

"I ask you, what is our promise to the tens of thousands of people in Linhuang County?!"

The old scholar was trembling with fear from his overbearing Aura, his lips quivering, but he couldn't say a single word.

"I will answer for you!"

Gao Feng's voice rose sharply, echoing in the council hall like a great bell. "It is to 'protect the borders and settle the people'! It is the promise that we, Panshi Stockade, bought with blood and victory! It is what made them believe that as long as Panshi Stockade exists, they will never have to worry about the butcher's knives of the barbarians again!"

"If we abandon the city and flee today! What we lose will not just be a city! It will be the reputation of Panshi Stockade! It will be the final trust that these tens of thousands of people have in us!"

"Once the hearts of the people are lost, they can never be regained! Do you understand?!"

He turned around and looked at the officers who had advocated for retreat, the disappointment in his eyes almost becoming tangible.

"I ask you again! What does this Linhuang County mean to our Panshi Stockade?!"

"It is the first nail we drove into this vast plain after walking out of the treacherous mountains and bad waters of Ghost Sees Sorrow! It is our future granary! It is our future source of troops! It is the Foundation for us to contend for the world!"

"If we take a step back today! In the future, we will have to pay ten times, or even a hundred times the price to stand here again! Do you not understand this principle either?!"

Finally, his gaze fell upon core generals like Du Wei and Big Fool, and the disappointment in his eyes turned into heartache.

"Do you also think that we are bound to lose?"

"Do you also think that I, Gao Feng, would lead you into a battle where death is certain?"

"Let me tell you!" Gao Feng's voice rose again, filled with infinite confidence and dominance. "This battle may look like a crisis, but in reality, it is a once-in-a-millennium, heaven-sent opportunity for Panshi Stockade to establish itself between heaven and earth!"

"Think about it! As long as we can win against the strong from a position of weakness right here, under the walls of Linhuang City, and defeat the sixty thousand main forces of the Barbarian King Longduota head-on! How shocking would it be when this news spreads?!"

"The prestige of Panshi Stockade will spread throughout the entire southern border of the Great Qian Dynasty! Among the heroes and outstanding figures of the world, who will not fear me? Who will not respect me? Who will not be willing to come and join us?!"

"This battle is the 'Undergoing Tribulation' battle for our Panshi Stockade to transform from a flood dragon into a Dragon!"

"This battle must be fought! And, it must be won!"

His words were sonorous, powerful, and deeply thought-provoking!

In the council hall, everyone's breathing became heavy.

They lifted their heads and looked at that figure, who was like a god of war, radiating infinite faith and strength. The flames in their eyes that had been extinguished by fear were reignited!

That's right! The Stockade Master is right! What were they afraid of?

From having nothing to the thousands of households of Foundation they had today, which step was not carved out through mountains of corpses and seas of blood?

Which time had they not defeated the strong while being weak and created miracles?

The Stockade Master was their backbone! As long as the Stockade Master was there, there was no battle they could not win!

"I am willing to follow the Stockade Master and fight to the death without retreating!" Du Wei stood up with a 'whoosh', knelt on one knee, clasped his fists heavily, and roared like thunder!

"Fight to the death without retreating!" Big Fool slammed his giant hammer onto the ground, the dull thud sounding like a war drum!

"Fight to the death without retreating!!"

"Fight to the death without retreating!!!"

At this moment, all the generals and officials were infected by Gao Feng's powerful will. They all knelt on one knee in unison, issuing their most resolute vows!

Looking at the morale that had been reignited before him, a satisfied smile finally appeared on Gao Feng's face.

He helped Du Wei up, scanned the entire room, and issued his final, and most ruthless, order.

"Pass on my military order!"

"Linhuang County will live or die with me, Gao Feng!"

A frantic pre-war mobilization that swept through the entire city began.

Gao Feng personally issued the 'Linhuang Wartime Control Decree', and the entire Linhuang County instantly turned into a high-speed, war machine filled with an Aura of slaughter.

All the able-bodied men were organized into the reserves, led by veterans of the Panshi Army, to undergo basic formation and weapon training. They would serve as the most critical supplementary force in the defense of the city.

All the able-bodied women were organized into logistics teams, transport teams, and medical teams. They were responsible for moving arrows and rolling logs and stones, and under the guidance of Uncle Sun, they learned to bandage wounds and decoct herbal medicines.

Even the white-haired elderly and the children who were just half-grown were not idle.

They were organized in the safety of the rear to sharpen wooden stakes, twist ropes, and even use large pots to boil the most disgusting, yet most effective weapon in city defense—golden juice.

Soldiers and civilians were united as one, their wills forming a fortress!

Under the remote guidance of Liu Chengfeng and the day-and-night rush work of the craftsmen in the city, the defense system of Linhuang County was armed to the teeth at an incredible speed.

The exterior of the city walls was urgently fitted with a large amount of 'additional armor'—hundreds of laborers stacked countless sacks filled with sand and soil layer upon layer at the base of the wall, forming a simple buffer zone several feet thick.

The top of the wall was filled with sharpened, tung oil-soaked hardwood stakes, greatly increasing the difficulty for the enemy to swarm the city.

At the four key corners of the city wall, four 'bastions' that protruded several zhang from the wall and were shaped like acute angles were urgently built.

This design, which was ahead of its time, allowed the defenders to form devastating crossfire from the flanks against enemies climbing the wall, completely eliminating blind spots in the city's defense.

And at the main South Gate, a second, crescent-shaped 'urn city' was quickly constructed.

Once the city gate was breached, this place would become a death trap that would swallow the lives of the enemy.

All the stock of Panshi Stockade was moved here by Gao Feng without reservation.

Fifty ferocious bed crossbows were deployed on the city walls and the highest points of the bastions, their specially made bolts, as thick as a child's arm, flashing with a cold light capable of piercing through everything.

Thirty counterweight trebuchets, newly improved by the Hundred Crafts Institute with longer range and greater power, were also dismantled, transported to Linhuang, and reassembled.

Next to them were piles of rubble-filled pottery jars, fierce fire oil pottery jars, and a newly arrived, round, black secret weapon wrapped in layers of oil paper and cowhide—'heaven-shaking thunder'!

Meanwhile, a transport line consisting of thousands of laborers, under the direct command of Liu Chengfeng, operated day and night.

Risking discovery by barbarian scouts, they transported, through rugged and hidden secret mountain paths, the last arrow from the armory of the main Panshi Stockade, the last bag of military grain from the granary, and the last packet of herbs from the pharmacy, continuously to Linhuang County.

Liu Chengfeng's letter contained only one sentence.

"My Lord is outside, fighting bloody battles; I, Chengfeng, am inside, and I must guard this last family legacy for my Lord. If the city exists, I exist; if the city falls, I... will also die!"

The entire Panshi Stockade had bet everything it had!