txolops Chapter 233 Jiang Ziya casts a spell, freezing the Yin Shang army.
Chapter 233 Jiang Ziya casts a spell, freezing the Yin Shang army.
Meanwhile, a group of generals, led by Prime Minister Jiang Ziya, were intently watching the movements of the Shang army camp in the distance.
The continuous fortifications were silent, and the number of guards was much greater than usual. This unusual silence, however, fueled restlessness, especially among the Xiqi generals who were eager for military achievements.
"Prime Minister, the Shang camp has been quiet for some time; this is the perfect opportunity to strike. I am willing to lead an army to launch a surprise attack on their stronghold!"
"Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? General Nangong, please rest a moment. I will accept this credit."
"Lu Xiong is no mediocre man; there may be an ambush. It would be safer for me to take action!"
……
The generals all spoke up, their voices clamoring for battle never ceasing.
They had already learned from the disciples of the Chan Sect that the Four Demon Generals had been killed.
At this moment, the Yin Shang army camp had no Taoist practitioners protecting it; it was a time for ordinary soldiers to clash.
However, Jiang Ziya also knew that although many of these Yin Shang troops were not of high quality, their weapons and equipment were very advanced.
Most importantly, Xiqi currently only has one city, Xiqi City.
They were short-handed and needed to rely on these soldiers to conquer cities and territories, so he did not want to risk these troops.
Now that the Conferred God Platform has just been completed, Lu Xiong is currently deep in enemy territory alone and without any protective magic. The timing is perfect, so after much deliberation, Jiang Ziya decided that now is the time for him to make his move.
"Gentlemen, please wait. This battle is of utmost importance and should be personally led by me."
After saying this, Jiang Ziya turned and stepped down from the city wall.
The crowd followed closely behind, and they saw him set up an altar in an open space, his hair disheveled, and carrying a sword.
It was the height of summer, and the weather was sweltering. Suddenly, a strong wind rose from the northwest, bringing thick clouds that instantly obscured the blazing sun.
Jiang Ziya performed the ritualistic steps, chanting incantations, pointed his sword to the sky, and shouted, "Wind! Rain!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the wind intensified, and a torrential downpour began, plunging the world into chaos, filled only with the deafening sound of rain.
Such summer downpours were not unusual, and the Yin Shang camp initially did not pay much attention to them.
However, changes followed.
Jiang Ziya's hand seals shifted, and hailstones began to appear amidst the torrential rain.
At first they were sparse, but in the blink of an eye they became dense like scattered beans, pattering down on the tents and the ground.
Before long, the hail gradually turned into snowflakes flying all over the sky.
The sweltering summer heat was transformed into a frigid winter scene by magic.
Inside the central command tent of the Yin Shang dynasty, veteran generals Lu Xiong and Deng Jiugong abruptly stood up almost simultaneously.
The gasps of alarm coming from outside the tent and the sudden drop in temperature sent chills down their spines.
Deng Jiugong rushed to Lu Xiong, his expression already changed:
"The sudden change in climate is definitely not natural, General. There's something fishy about this; it's likely some kind of sorcery. We must act decisively and immediately order a retreat!"
Lu Xiong's expression was solemn. He had fought for many years and had never seen such a strange celestial phenomenon.
"General Deng is absolutely right. Order the entire army to immediately break camp and retreat!"
The military order was swiftly issued, thanks to Deng Jiugong's continuous training over the past few days.
This ragtag army managed to assemble in the chaos, taking no more than a quarter of an hour.
However, just as the army was gathering and preparing to set off, the snowflakes falling from the sky suddenly stopped.
It then turned into a torrential rain ten times more intense than before, drenching the entire Yin Shang army.
The rain was icy cold, mingling with the lingering chill of the previous snow and hail, causing many soldiers to chatter and shiver.
"General, it must be the sorcerers of the Chan Sect using demonic magic. Since you are the commander-in-chief, please take your personal guards and leave first!"
"What did you say?"
Lu Xiong frowned and asked Deng Jiugong in a loud voice.
The rain was so heavy that its sound drowned out all other noises.
Even if Deng Jiugong and Lu Xiong were very close, they couldn't hear each other at all.
The next moment, the downpour stopped again without warning.
The sky remained gray, but the falling snow had turned into a flurry of heavy, fluffy snowflakes.
The temperature was dropping rapidly, and the rainwater quickly froze into ice on the soldiers' robes and armor.
The warhorses neighed anxiously, and many weak soldiers fell to the ground without a sound, never to rise again.
Lu Xiong and Deng Jiugong exchanged a glance, both seeing the horror and determination in each other's eyes.
The situation is beyond saving; we should try to save as many as possible.
The two men simultaneously waved to their most loyal guards, signaling a rapid retreat.
The guards understood and, with great effort, urged their warhorses, which were already slipping, to gather around the two generals and charge out of the camp toward the direction of Yin Shang.
Horse hooves trampled through the mud and thin ice, yet the chill of death was faster than their speed.
The biting cold spread at a visible speed, and the fleeing people and horses quickly froze, their movements stiffening and eventually solidifying completely.
In a short while, the entire Yin Shang army was completely frozen in this sudden, frigid hell.
Beneath the walls of Xiqi City, atop the altar.
Jiang Ziya slowly lowered the sword that had been pointing straight at the sky. His face was slightly pale beneath his disheveled long hair, but his eyes remained as sharp as ever.
He exhaled a breath of stale air, turned around and looked at the generals waiting behind him, his gaze falling on Nangong Shi.
He exhaled a breath of stale air, turned around and looked at the generals waiting behind him, his gaze falling on Nangong Shi.
"General Nangong, gather one hundred soldiers and come with me to investigate."
Looking at the desolate Yin Shang military camp in the distance, and then at the unfathomable prime minister before him, Nangong Shi couldn't help but swallow.
"Prime Minister, isn't one hundred people too few?"
Looking at the confident Jiang Ziya, Nangong Shi felt a little uneasy.
He couldn't be sure if the 50,000 people had frozen to death; if not, these 100 people would likely have perished.
"No need for further words, go and prepare immediately!"
Jiang Ziya flicked his sleeve, mounted the horse that had been prepared, and galloped towards the Yin Shang camp.
"Prime Minister! Prime Minister!"
Seeing Jiang Ziya ride away, Nangong Shi had no choice but to hastily gather a hundred men and chase after him.
If Jiang Ziya were to suffer any mishap and I failed to accompany and protect him, I would surely face Ji Chang's punishment.
Jiang Ziya rode swiftly, and he and his hundred-plus soldiers traveled from Xiqi City to the Yin Shang army camp in just half an hour.
When the group arrived at the Yin Shang army camp, they found that all the soldiers in the camp had been frozen into ice sculptures, a sight that left everyone speechless.
"Prime Minister, what exactly happened? Could these 50,000 people already be...?"
"First, search for any survivors, especially Lu Xiong and Deng Jiugong. We must find their whereabouts."
At this time, Nangong Shi admired Jiang Ziya even more.
He waved his hand behind him, and a hundred guards immediately dispersed and began searching in all directions.
The Yin Shang army camp covered a large area, and it took nearly half an hour for four soldiers to ride back with two corpses and two living people.
Jiang Ziya recognized the two corpses at a glance as Deng Jiugong and Lu Xiong, and the weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.
Then he walked toward the two survivors.
Upon seeing Jiang Ziya, the two men immediately knelt down and kowtowed, pleading repeatedly:
"Please spare our lives, Prime Minister! We are willing to serve you, please have mercy!"
Although Jiang Ziya did not serve as an official in the Yin-Shang dynasty, he had entered the Nine-Room Palace and seen the appearances of Fei Zhong and You Hun, so he immediately recognized them.
"Prime Minister, these two are treacherous and wicked men. It would be better to kill them to prevent them from continuing to harm the people in the future."
Jiang Ziya shook his head. In his opinion, although these two were treacherous officials, it would be more beneficial for Xiqi if they stayed in the enemy camp.
The more chaotic the internal affairs of the Shang Dynasty, the easier it was for Xiqi to succeed.
Moreover, these two might come in handy when conquering cities and seizing territories.