You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/

Fenzhou State, Huangu Pass

The commanding general at Huangu Pass was an elderly general with gray hair. He had carefully studied Lin Jiang’s tactics and knew that Lin Jiang liked to lead from the front, relying on his exceptional strength in combat.

This method of warfare easily led to decapitation tactics, so he positioned his central command to the east of Huangu Pass. As long as his central command was intact, he could continue to command the troops to attack relentlessly.

The rate of casualties that a military can withstand before collapsing is a very unusual circumstance. In reality, as long as the central command and the supervisors are intact, the military can endure a much higher casualty rate than expected.

"General, our soldiers and horses have been defeated again by Rebel Wolong. He is too powerful, every group we send up gets defeated by him."

"We’ve been fighting with him for four hours now, I don’t believe his internal strength will run out. Send another team up."

The old general shook his head, in the era of warriors, wars were cruel like this. Ordinary soldiers were just tools to consume the enemy. Many of their elite fighters had not yet moved, waiting for the moment when Rebel Wolong’s internal strength would be exhausted.

At the pass, Xie Yunfeng also joined the battle, but it was in vain. Enemy soldiers were climbing up everywhere, it seemed like they were defending the pass while the enemy was attacking.

"General, our men from the mountain below are almost here. We are outnumbered, once we have no reinforcements, it will be all over for us."

"Have we found the enemy’s command center?"

"It’s not at the pass, it must be down the mountain."

Xie Yunfeng said, he also knew about the strategy of targeting the command center, but they had searched for a long time without success.

Lin Jiang looked down from the pass and saw countless tents and soldiers, he really couldn’t find where the enemy’s command center was located at that moment.

"Throwing stones to ask the way."

Lin Jiang had a sudden idea. He saw a wooden ball with wood inside and straw outside. He poured oil on it, lit it up, and it became a fireball, a typical tool for defending a city.

Lin Jiang lit the wooden ball on fire, then grabbed hundreds of pounds of them and threw them down east of the pass. The wooden balls flew far, hitting a tent and setting it on fire.

Not enough, Lin Jiang continued to throw more wooden balls, dropping all of them from the pass. Many tents east of the pass were set on fire.

"Don’t come close, scatter quickly!"

Below the pass, the old general suddenly realized something, but it was too late.

Lin Jiang saw the camp on fire. The central guards spontaneously protected the general. Lin Jiang located the general.

"I’ve found the enemy’s central command. Xie Yunfeng, you stay here and hold your ground."

Lin Jiang shouted loudly, then jumped down the pass of several tens of meters. He rolled on the ground to reduce the impact and dashed forward.

"Go help, follow the general."

Xie Yunfeng shouted loudly. There were many enemies below the pass. How could Lin Jiang defeat them alone?

Then, many skilled soldiers from the Datong Army arrived at the pass. They may not have Lin Jiang’s abilities, but they have their own techniques.

With tens of thousands of troops, Lin Jiang couldn’t fight his way through. So Lin Jiang used his light skills to dodge and avoid fighting as much as possible, to prevent being surrounded.

"General, we should go. Rebel Wolong is approaching."

In the enemy’s central command, the guards advised the old general to leave, as Rebel Wolong was closing in.

"If tens of thousands of troops cannot protect me, there is no safe place. Form ranks and eliminate the traitors!"

The old general shook his head. If he left now, it would be a complete defeat. He didn’t want to give up like that.

The surrounding soldiers quietly prepared, forming layers around the commander, with the Martial Arts Master positioned at the front.

Lin Jiang quickly rushed to the final challenge, where the difficulty was the highest. Hundreds of warriors were charging at him, using all kinds of weapons like arrows, fishing nets, and bed crossbows.

Lin Jiang bravely pushed through, overcoming all obstacles. More soldiers were recklessly charging at him from all sides, making Lin Jiang feel like he was in a vast ocean.

"Burning Life Secret Method, charge!"

With no other choice, Lin Jiang unleashed the Burning Life Secret Method once again, increasing his strength greatly. He broke through the encirclement and reached the enemy’s leader.

"No escape from battle."

The veteran watched in despair as Lin Jiang approached. He had tried everything, but suddenly Lin Jiang’s power surged, almost defeating all his bodyguards. The veteran was helpless.

The veteran charged towards Lin Jiang like a soldier, and Lin Jiang mercifully ended his life.

With the leader fallen, the enemy’s morale crumbled, and many soldiers began to flee in panic. There was no one left to command them.

Around Lin Jiang, there were only lifeless bodies, resembling a scene from a mythic movie. It was similar to the death of Meng Yi, except Lin Jiang was still alive.

At this moment, Lin Jiang suddenly felt tired of fighting. Since waking up, he had lost count of how many people he had killed, definitely more than a few thousand. With all this crazy killing, Lin Jiang became weary.

·······

Huangu Pass fell, and no one in Fenzhou State could stop Lin Jiang’s army anymore. Even if there were other dangerous passes, the Datong Army marched straight ahead and swept through each county.

Half a month later, Lin Jiang captured the city of Fenzhou State, and the situation there was settled.

"General, you haven’t been in good spirits these days. Is there something bothering you?"

Many high-ranking officials noticed that Lin Jiang was feeling gloomy, so they sent Xie Yunfeng to ask him about it.

"Xie Yunfeng, if I told you that I actually hate all this killing, would you believe me?"

"Um…"

"It may sound strange to say it out loud, but it’s true. From Zhong State till now, just a few years, I have been constantly killing. I’m fed up with it."

"General, Chen Kingdom has lasted for six hundred years, it’s time for a change of dynasty. Every change of dynasty involves killings and chaos. If the general doesn’t kill, others will. Before the general rose to power, there were five emperors and dozens of warlords in Chen Kingdom, all engaging in violence. However, it’s all destined by fate."

"I understand the reason. After too much killing, the negative energy accumulates in one’s body. I need some quiet time. During this period, please maintain the stability of Fenzhou State."

"Yes, General."

"Arrange for talented officials to come from the rear to start training programs. Keep one for me, preferably someone who is good with children."

Lin Jiang said that children are innocent and pure, and he has grown tired of killings and deceit. He wants a change of environment.

Thousands of officials quickly arrived in Fenzhou State. They spread out in various counties to eliminate the local factions’ influence and start organizing peasant soldiers and local defense forces.

In each county, many training programs were established, all catering to poor children. The main focus was on youth, and they were already familiar with the system. The territories captured by the Datong Army were replicated, even the class content was the same.

Lin Jiang led a group in Fenzhou State, consisting of over a hundred people, mostly orphans, beggars, or those too poor to afford food at home.

Lin Jiang treated them very well, providing them with new clothes, clean bedding, and an abundance of food every day. This made them have genuine smiles on their faces.

This kind smile is very healing, the bad vibes around Lin Jiang are slowly fading away.

It wasn’t until three months later that Lin Jiang set off for Zhong State. By then, both armies had arrived at Zhong State and started working together to take over the city.

With a reputation for winning many times, wherever Lin Jiang went, the opposition surrendered easily. He easily captured most of Zhong State, except for the part north of Yun River, which remained unconquered.

After capturing Zhong State, King Jing of Jingzhou State abandoned his kingdom and fled elsewhere. Taking advantage of this, several rebel forces descended from the mountains and took over Jingzhou State. Subsequently, they contacted the Datong Army, seeking to join their ranks.

Lin Jiang sent someone to welcome the rebel messengers and negotiate with them. He rejected the rebels’ proposal to rule over Jingzhou State, setting his own conditions instead.

The rebel leaders were allowed to keep their plundered wealth and settle in any province under the Datong Army. Lin Jiang promised them fame and fortune. Those rebels willing to join the army would be integrated into the Datong Army. Non-combatants could settle down where they were, receiving land, seeds for planting, and livestock to ensure a comfortable life.

Negotiations were complicated, so Lin Jiang assigned the task to Xie Yunfeng. He focused on governing the newly conquered three provinces, which brought a host of responsibilities.

As time passed to the year 3870 in the lunar calendar, Jingzhou State fell. Some rebel groups accepted Lin Jiang’s terms, while others refused. Sensing the right moment, Lin Jiang sent troops into Jingzhou State.

With this, Lin Jiang now controlled the territory of ten provinces in Chen Kingdom. His population exceeded a billion, making him the strongest in Southern Chen Kingdom without a doubt.

At this time, Lin Jiang received a message from Hezhou State that part of the remaining forces of Immortal Kingdom broke through the mountains and forests and arrived at Hezhou State, seeking help.