Zhu Weijiang and his deputy general's mobilization and encouragement were very effective, and the Yang family army was indeed of high quality. Even in the midst of panic and setbacks, they were able to adjust their mindset and formation in time. Every time they felt they were about to be scattered, it was as if an invisible hand was pulling them back.

More and more gun-wielding shadowy figures were able to infiltrate the formation. These shadowy figures were like mountain demons and monsters from Lingshan Mountain. Not only were they extremely powerful and ruthless killers, but most importantly, they had an excellent understanding of the terrain on the mountain.

They would thrust once and then move to a different spot, never lingering in one place. Often, their way of avoiding counterattacks was to circle around behind trees, forcing the Southern Zhou soldiers' swords to only strike the tree trunks before being pierced by the spears extending from behind the trees.

Some shadowy figures would suddenly fall from the trees, stab them, and then quickly climb back up, making it impossible for the Southern Zhou army to mount an effective counterattack.

Shooting arrows was even more impractical, as the shadowy figures were interspersed within the Southern Zhou army's formation. Shooting arrows would only result in accidentally injuring more of their own men while killing the shadowy figures.

At this time, Yang Qingzhi's rear guard had arrived at the battlefield, and the two armies were almost overlapping.

Seeing this tragic scene, Yang Qingzhi's eyes shone in the darkness, and he said in a deep voice, "The soldiers' questions are correct; there are far more than a hundred people in Jing."

Bao Sheng, holding a large sword, stood protectively in front of Yang Qingzhi and said, "But General Zhu had no choice but to grit his teeth and charge forward."

Yang Qingzhi stared at a dark figure leaping left and right and said, "These people are not the Qingdong garrison. There is another group of people on the mountain."

Bao Sheng said, "Young Commander, step back. I'll clear the way for General Zhu."

"There's no need to disrupt our rhythm."

Yang Qingzhi said confidently, "Send down the order to immediately tighten the encirclement and have the left and right armies join forces with the vanguard!"

"All troops, front and rear, are to switch to the 'character' formation!"

"yes!!"

Bao Sheng's deputy quickly relayed the order, and Bao Sheng asked, "Isn't it a bit too early to collect the bags now? If Zhao Cheng tries to escape, it will be difficult to catch him."

"Zhao Cheng didn't run away."

Yang Qingzhi narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Before Yang Le went up the mountain, I asked him about Xiao Luofeng's fighting style. This kind of counterattack and deliberately creating a disparity in strength is not something Xiao Luofeng came up with."

"If it's not Xiao Luofeng, then it might not be Zhao Cheng, right?"

"It's him."

Bao Sheng asked doubtfully, "Why is the young commander so certain?"

"intuition."

After a pause, Yang Qingzhi added, as if affirming himself, "Sometimes, intuition is closest to the truth."

Bao Sheng asked no more questions, raised his broadsword, and shouted to the soldiers behind him, "Rear guard, advance!!"

"A device!!"

"Gift! Gift! Gift!!!"

The sound of weapons echoed throughout the Southern Zhou army, and the two armies quickly changed formations.

Five people form a group. The first two and the last two stand side by side, and the four people in front and behind stand back to back, so that they can keep an eye on both the front and the back. In the middle stands a person with good eyesight who is responsible for directing their respective small groups.

This formation greatly slowed down the march, but even without it, the Southern Zhou army would have struggled to advance. Furthermore, the left and right wings on both flanks needed time to converge, and this formation provided the necessary time for them to combine their forces.

After the formation of the "器" (qi) military formation was completed, its ability to resist the black shadows wielding guns was significantly enhanced.

Previously, armed shadowy figures would infiltrate the Southern Zhou army and hit their targets with a single shot. Now, however, many shots are missing, and some shadowy figures are exposed and then killed by the Southern Zhou army.

The situation where the Southern Zhou army was being unilaterally crushed has finally changed.

Yang Qingzhi's order further boosted the morale of the Southern Zhou army soldiers.

"The Junior Commander orders! A victory in this battle will reward each person with one hundred taels of silver!! Anyone who defeats the enemy will be promoted three ranks!!!"

"kill!!!"

...

"Holy crap, when did your archery become so accurate?!"

"Shoot! Shoot hard!!"

Hearing the howls coming from the forest below, Xiao Luofeng was completely shocked.

From the first volley to the countless rounds of indiscriminate firing that followed, the Southern Zhou army would respond after each round.

The response was howling, muffled thuds, and panicked shouts.

In particular, the Southern Zhou army's advance was indeed halted as a result!

Despite the fact that it had actually happened, Xiao Luofeng still felt like he was living in a dream. He still couldn't believe that shooting arrows into the Southern Zhou army according to Yang Taozhi's formation could create such an effect of one against ten.

He glanced at Xiao Luomu and saw that his younger brother's hand was trembling as he drew the bow, which made him even more incredulous.

With such poor skill, how could they possibly kill someone?

"Brother, don't just stand there, fire the arrow!" Xiao Luomu urged Xiao Luofeng instead.

Xiao Luofeng glanced at the arrow and asked doubtfully, "The Yang family army I've seen isn't this weak. Does our arrow have eyes?"

Xiao Luomu reminded him, "Brother! Have you forgotten about the miasma? Who cares about the Yang family army or the Niu family generals? If they're hit by miasma, can they stop our arrows?"

"Besides, seeing the people around them getting knocked unconscious by the miasma, they're panicked too!"

"In this panic, how can we guard against our hidden arrows?"

"Isn't it true that it's hard to guard against a sneak attack?"

"That's a good analysis! My brother's got a good head on his shoulders!!"

Xiao Luofeng paused for a moment, then patted Xiao Luomu's shoulder, startling Xiao Luomu so much that he loosened his grip and another arrow was shot out.

"Ouch!" A howl followed immediately from the foot of the mountain.

Xiao Luomu shrugged and said, "Look, even this can hit someone. It's hard for us not to win..."

Meanwhile, Zhao Cheng was closely observing the battle from the other side.

Yang Taozhi, Zhao Wu, and Zhou Nuo were all by his side. Now that he had revealed his identity to Zhou Nuo, there was no need to hide anything from them.

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