he carefully guarded his belongings against contact by Nanjiang people made Ye Li curious as to what might be in that large package of his. It didn't seem like it contained gold or silver.The Luo Yi...258. Using cheats is not right.

It was still before the second watch, but a group of young soldiers had already taken their troops out of camp according to Ye Li’s instructions. It wasn't that they were really convinced by this unknown military advisor named Ye Li; rather, if they didn’t follow her orders, there would be no battles for them to fight in. Since it was already at this point, these people could only obediently listen to what she said.

No one knew whether these young men were actually capable or Zhang Qilan had been polite and easy-going towards them; but the fact remained that every single person made it out of camp without a hitch. When they stood in front of Ye Li, their chins unconsciously lifted, with a hint of pride in their eyes. Ye Li simply smiled faintly and nodded in satisfaction at the over one thousand people before her.

"Military Advisor What are we supposed to do" Someone asked impatiently.

Under the moonlight, Ye Li spread out a map on the ground and squatted down, pointing with her fire stick at several places on the map. "General Zhang will lead his troops to draw the enemy’s attention; you’ll follow me and climb up from these two points, then take a detour behind Heavenly Gorge Cliff."

Someone frowned and said, "If you’ve already planned ahead, why didn’t you tell us earlier We could have sent people to scout out the way." Ye Li looked at him and smiled faintly. "Scout out the path Do you think General Lu’s men are just wooden stakes that won’t notice your movements"

"But it's completely dark at night, we can't see any paths; how do we proceed" Although they didn't know the specifics, after taking a quick look at where Advisor Ye had pointed out on the map, they roughly understood where these so-called paths were. The terrain in this area was naturally easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it dangerous even during daytime. Nighttime would only make matters worse.

Ye Li stared at the young man who spoke and said, "That's why I've told you... there’s no guarantee that there won’t be any casualties. This is a battlefield!"

The group was startled; indeed, this was a battlefield. On the battlefield, they couldn't even rely on visibility to guide their actions—sometimes it was necessary to sacrifice lives even when everyone knew it meant certain death.

Ye Li looked at them and said, "If anyone doesn’t want to go, you can still return by your original path now. I’ll give you half an hour to communicate with your subordinates; I need to make things clear: the climb up is dangerous, but even if everyone makes it safely to Heavenly Gorge Cliff, there won't be smooth sailing from then on. If anyone drops the ball en route, military law will apply!"

Less than half an hour later, the group had returned before Ye Li once more. Seeing that no one retreated, she nodded in satisfaction and turned around to say, "Let’s go."

At this time, though it was already past two hours of night-watch, the surroundings were not tranquil; on a nearby slope, both armies were locked in fierce battle. Taking advantage of this situation, under Ye Li's guidance, they quietly climbed up the steep mountain path led by Qin Feng, with Wei Lin bringing up the rear.

Though it wasn't a long distance, it took over an hour for everyone to reach the top. Ye Li looked back at the young men whose clothes were torn and disheveled from climbing but who had bright eyes. Satisfied in her heart, she nodded. Although their clothes had been shredded by rocks, branches, and grass along the way, with many even having scratches on their faces, not one person had fallen behind or made a big mistake that would have alerted the enemy. It seemed that the soldiers of the Black Ink Army received adequate training.

Due to the presence of enemies all over the mountain, they had to be extra cautious; along the way, they avoided being noticed by the enemy until they reached their destination at dawn. The moment they arrived, Ye Li hadn't even said that everyone should rest on the spot when shadows suddenly moved from the darkness and startled them into raising their weapons in full alert.

"Don’t worry, we’re your own people," one of the shadowy figures waved his hand and smiled. At this darkest hour before dawn, no one could make out who it was; everyone stayed on guard due to caution. Ye Li said coolly, "Phoenix Three."

Fei Zhiyao walked slowly forward with a smile. "I didn’t expect you all would actually arrive here—I thought we’d have to do this ourselves." It wasn't until the person came closer that everyone could see clearly; who else could it be but Fei Zhiyao

"General Phoenix, how come you're here"

Feng Zhiyao chuckled and said, "I've been here since the beginning. I wasn't waiting for you guys. Sir Chu, have you worked hard" Ye Li glared at him and asked, "How is it going"

Feng Zhiyao replied, "Lu Jinxian plans to defend against us stubbornly from Mount Tianyan Pass. He has approximately 30,000 troops under his command, of which only up to 2,000 are Blackcloud Cavalry." The terrain at the pass was perilous; the Blackcloud Cavalry couldn't be used effectively here anyway, so leaving too many would be a waste. Feng Zhiyao glanced at the detachment following Ye Li and frowned, "Why do you have only this small number of people"

Ye Li said, "Do you think it's easy to bring people up here These are already the maximum number we can manage. If we wait until dawn, they will definitely spot us. Although we've taken some precautions, once the sun rises, the other side might still find traces of our arrival." Leading a group of new recruits, there was no way to be very subtle in masking their movements along the path. If the patrolling soldiers had sharp eyes, they would likely detect signs that many people had passed by.

Feng Zhiyao knew he was being overly demanding and asked Ye Li, "I only have 3,000 men here. What should we do now"

Ye Li smiled and said, "Don't worry about it; take the opportunity to set fire behind them while General Zhang capitalizes on any openings he spots to launch a charge."

Feng Zhiyao nodded and said, "Alright then." Ye Li turned back and glanced at his followers, saying, "Rest for half an hour here before we move out."

A young officer behind them said, "Tactician, we're not tired. We can start right now!"

Ye Li gave him a cold look, "Who cares if you are General Zhang and his men will have to fight soon as well; we need to act at dawn before the enemy notices us. After causing chaos, we'll withdraw before it gets fully light."

The young officer's face turned red and he sat down to rest awkwardly.

Feng Zhiyao stood by the side, amusedly watching Ye Li’s group of young officers and said with a smile, "It looks like Sir Chu also has his moments when things don’t go smoothly" Feng Zhiyao could see that these younger officers were not entirely devoted to Ye Li. Ye Li didn't even bother to roll her eyes but walked over under a tree for some rest, saying, "Sorry to disappoint Third Young Master Feng; I can’t shake them with my presence alone."

Feeling Ye Li’s mood was less than pleasant, Feng Zhiyao touched his nose and left to find somewhere to take a nap.

In the temporary tent outside of Mount Tianyan Pass, Lu Jinxian sat in a chair meditating. The officers around him were visibly angry, "With these nightly sneak attacks every day, do they even care if we get any rest"

Not to mention Zhang Qilan’s men had been feeling very frustrated over the last few days; Lu Jinxian's side wasn't much better either. They held a strategic advantage with their higher ground and could easily inflict casualties on the Eastern Army, but Zhang Qilan wouldn’t risk fighting them directly here. During the day it was manageable, but at night, the constant disturbances made every soldier have to be extra vigilant as they could sneak up unnoticed in the dark. No one knew whether these attacks were just probing or a full-on assault.

After several days of this, both sides’ troops became increasingly irritable with each other.

"General, His Highness sent a fast horseman with a letter," someone reported from outside the tent.

Lu Jinxian opened his eyes and glanced at those causing trouble around him. He said in a deep voice, "Let him come in."

A soldier entered and handed over a letter respectfully. Lu Jinxian read it and slowly furrowed his brow.

The others noticed the change in their commander's expression and asked quickly, "General, what does His Highness want

Lü Jinxian casually handed the letter to a deputy commander sitting beside him. The deputy commander was taken aback when he read it, and looked at Lü Jinxian in confusion: "Your Highness is reminding Commander to be careful with Consort"

The others also passed the letter around. Frowning, Lü Jinxian said, "To think of it, these few days, Consort seems not to have appeared in camp at all." When talking about Consort, although she was a woman, it still made those battle-hardened commanders show respect. It wasn’t just because Consort had military talent unlike ordinary women; in the past years, Consort did many things for the entire Black Family Army. For example, promotions and demotions of soldiers, salaries, placement of wounded or disabled soldiers, even arrangements like military organization were all proposed by her. Therefore, in these warriors’ eyes, Consort was not simply a consort but one of the real leaders of the Black Family Army.

Having Your Highness specially write to remind them made everyone give more importance to Consort. But at this time… They didn’t know what Consort was doing. At this point, Lü Jinxian realized that he had overlooked an important figure. It wasn’t that Lü Jinxian thought Ye Li’s ability of commanding troops was better than Zhang Qilan’s, but after working together for more than ten years, they had a certain understanding of each other. However, Consort was completely unknown to them. The only thing they knew about her was the battle against the Southern Commanding King a few years ago. Of course, that battle alone was enough to make any commander look at her differently. There is an adage in military strategy: knowing oneself and one’s opponent ensures invincibility in a hundred battles. For some reason, Lü Jinxian suddenly had a vague uneasiness.

Just as he was mulling over something with his head down, there were noisy sounds of weapons and fighting from afar. Soon after, soldiers outside reported, "Commander! The enemy is making another sneak attack."

"Drive them back! Remind the front-line troops to be cautious," said Lü Jinxian as he slammed the letter onto the table and stood up, leading the way out of the main tent.

From a vantage point far away from Jian Tianyankou Ravine, Ye Li looked down upon the distant place where lights were flickering and smiled slowly. "Let’s get started," she said in a low voice.

"Yes."

In no time, flames rose to the sky at Jian Tianyankou Ravine. The originally quiet surroundings gradually became noisy.

“Commander! It is Jian Tianyankou Ravine… There’s a sneak attack"

"Damn it! How did they manage to get there" In front of the battle, Lü Jinxian frowned and said in a low voice: "Shut up! Deputy commander, stay here and defend. I’ll go back with reinforcements." Because he didn’t know how many enemies were at Jian Tianyankou Ravine, unwilling to take risks, Lü Jinxian decided to personally lead troops to reinforce. He had left only six or seven thousand soldiers out of over thirty thousand under his command in that place; once Jian Tianyankou was lost, staying here would be meaningless. The others also did not argue and quickly agreed to each gather their forces.

Zhang Qilan below the slope saw the flames in the distance as well. Of course, this wasn’t the fire at Jian Tianyankou Ravine but a signal sent by Ye Li deliberately. On his stern face finally appeared a smile, he shouted loudly: "Beat the drum!" Before dawn, drums sounded through the dark night, and soldiers rushed up the slope like a tide in the sounds of battle all day long. Lü Jinxian who was hurriedly galloping back heard the fighting behind him and an expressionless smile rose at his lips. It’s too late for Your Highness to remind us, if not careful…

Jian Tianyankou Ravine was also in chaos now; soldiers still asleep rushed up upon hearing the noise but naturally were no match for soldiers who had prepared themselves. Moreover, these people did not intend to fight to death either, they just set a fire and ran away. If they met enemies and could fight, they would do so, if not, they would run as well. The soldiers still asleep who were caught off guard by this could only be enraged but helpless; in the chaos, they fought blindly.

From a high place not far from the battlefield, thanks to the light of fire, he could clearly see what was happening on the field. Standing next to Ye Li with a smile, Feng Zhirao looked down and asked jokingly: "These youngsters are pretty good; if they were really in battle like this, it would be great."

This time not only young commanders took part in the drill but also ordinary soldiers who had joined the Black Family Army in recent years. Although veterans of the army might not have been through a hundred battles before, many of them still had some combat experience. For them, such drills were not as important as for new recruits.

Some soldiers under fire continued to fight with swords and spears while others simply rolled on the ground in a tangled mess. Some even resorted to choking or biting ears. It was no wonder that Third Young Master Feng, who always insisted on chivalry even in battle, found it amusing.

Ye Li calmly watched below and said indifferently, "At least it will allow them to get a bit familiar with the situation so that they won't panic when they are on the battlefield. New recruits always die quickly."

Feng Zhirao stopped smiling and nodded, "Your Excellency Consort is right… General Lu has returned." A strange whistling sound came from the night sky; Feng Zhirao's expression became serious as he solemnly said. Ye Li nodded and looked at the sky before saying, "It’s getting late, let’s withdraw." Feng Zhirao frowned and said, "But what about General Zhang…" Ye Li replied, "General Lu will at least recall half of his troops. If we can’t make any progress on General Zhang's front either, there’s nothing more we can do. Once General Lu’s men arrive, it’ll be too late for us to leave. Let’s go up the mountain." Feng Zhirao was helpless and knew that what Ye Li said was true; he could only send signals to retreat.

The young officers who were in the midst of a heated battle were forcibly called back; they were as agitated as little horses.

When Lu Jinxian rushed back to the large camp at Jiante Heaven Cliff, it was already completely dark. The originally well-organized camp looked like it had been burned by fire and plundered by robbers, while in the center of the camp were rows upon rows of fallen soldiers. With no sleep for a night, Lu Jinxian’s face was even uglier as he asked sternly to one of his East Army soldiers who was chatting with other soldiers beside him, "Who is your commander How many men do you have"

The soldier was stunned for a moment before quickly responding, “Reporting to the general, I am already dead!” The dead cannot speak.

Lu Jinxian’s face twisted involuntarily; he gave an icy snort and left. The soldier frowned in concern, his face filled with confusion: Had he said anything that offended General Lu

Twenty miles away on a hillside, fierce陣地爭奪戰持續進行。但是守軍因人數驟減而逐漸陷入劣勢。而在澗天崖上則是另一番景象，東路軍時不時前來圍攻，但西路軍將其擊退後，並不糾纏，而是撤回休整後再繼續進攻。如果是在平原上這種挑釁方式純屬自尋死路，但在澗天崖這樣山石嶙峋、道路崎嶇的險關上，有時一萬與三千人其實並無太大差彆。

等到呂近賢完全摸清對方兵力，在扣除之前戰亡後賴在他大營裡白吃白喝的人數外，連四千人都不到時，已經來不及後悔了。因為這四千人牢牢占據了通往外界增援的要道；上萬兵馬隻能眼睜睜看著二十裡外自己的隊伍被對手慢慢消滅殆儘。

懊惱不已的呂近賢發誓要在澗天崖殲滅這群人。於是，澗天崖上演了一場複雜的陣地爭奪戰。通往外麵的通道就那麼一小塊地方，雙方都無法傾巢而出，西路軍占據了路口；出去增援的兵馬還冇離開關口就被衝上來的東路軍壓著打。東路軍占領了路頭，不到半個時辰，西路軍又再次衝上來繼續戰鬥。雙方傷亡慘重，最奇特的是在交戰時彼此拚死相鬥，無所不用其極。

然而一旦判定陣亡，大家又是好兄弟，一起坐在一旁圍觀戰友們的廝殺。

這場爭奪戰持續到當天下午，小小的路口被雙方反覆爭奪了四五次，雙方損失慘重。葉璃和鳳之遙這邊原本的四千兵馬剩下不到兩千；呂近賢那邊同樣折損將近三千兵力。但如果張起瀾不能在明天早上之前拿下前麵的敵人的話，他們將功虧一簣全軍覆冇。因此，在看到張起瀾發出信號後，葉璃和鳳之遙都長長地舒了一口氣，而呂近賢的臉卻黑了。前方關隘已破，再執著於眼前的路口已經冇有任何意義，呂近賢哼了一聲，沉著臉收兵回營。

遠遠看著呂近賢離去的背影，鳳之遙坐在一塊光滑的大石頭上哈哈大笑。

葉璃在一旁斜睨了他一眼道：“什麼事情讓三公子如此好笑？”

鳳之遙坐起身來道：“還能有什麼？王妃冇看到呂近賢的臉色麼？哈哈…那傢夥一向自詡為墨家軍王爺以下用兵第一人，也就是對張起瀾稍微服氣一些。偏偏現在張將軍還在二十裡外呢。打了一整天他還不知道自己的對手是誰，你說他的臉色能好看麼？”

葉璃無奈的搖搖頭道：“這次可算是僥倖了，若是張將軍再晚幾個時辰。鳳三公子，剛纔你我隻怕都要成呂將軍的俘虜了。”

鳳之遙摸摸鼻子抱怨道：

“王妃為何不讓麒麟參戰？”ed. On the contrary, his body was deteriorating more and more.Now, just by moving a little bit, he could feel excruciating pain throughout all of his organs. Mo Jinqi knew that he didn't have long to...