Chapter Ninety-Eight: Bewitching and Dazzling, Difficult to Tear Through the Fog
"Oh my god, I've had enough!"
Zhong Li'an had just picked up the teapot when he was startled by Yang Xiao's angry shout outside the tent. His hand trembled, and a lot of tea spilled out. He looked up and saw Yang Xiao angrily lifting the curtain and entering the tent. She threw her helmet on the shelf beside her, then stood there with her arms crossed, panting angrily.
Zhong Li'an exchanged a glance with Qi Kun beside him, then put down the teapot in his hand. "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Why are you so angry?"
“My lord, please don’t mention it.” Yang Xiao suddenly became excited upon hearing this. She took two steps toward Zhong Li’an indignantly. “Xiao Yan seems to know our military strategy. His formation is flexible and he is fully aware of our movements. He keeps setting traps to lure us and then obstructs us at every turn.”
Before he finished speaking, Bai Ming lifted the curtain and entered the tent. Looking at Yang Xiao's angry expression, he couldn't help but sigh softly.
Yang Xiao looked back at Bai Ming with a wronged expression, shook her head gently, then plopped down next to Cen Xun and leaned against her. "Tong Xi, you're good at formations, why don't you join us in the third battle tomorrow?"
“I can only use that weapon skillfully on land, I’m still far from being able to use it on the battlefield,” Cen Xun said with a smile, pointing at Yang Xiao. “But your armor is really heavy… Hey, hey,” seeing Yang Xiao about to get up, she quickly put her arm around her shoulder. “Just kidding, feel free to lean on me.”
"It's alright, only two battles, no big deal." Xue Chang waved his hand with relief. "Let's review the formation Xiao Yan used today, study her tactics, and try to defeat her in one strike tomorrow."
Bai Ming sat to the side and nodded in agreement, "I've always heard that Longcheng is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times. Now it seems that this is indeed the case."
"That's why we must do everything in our power to take it down. Bingzhou Longcheng is Xiao Yan's gateway. Only by breaking through it together can we aim our swords at Chang'an." Xue Chang nodded to Bai Ming. "However, Xiao Yan is indeed a master of using formations. It is said that when she repaired the palace and reorganized Chang'an, she wanted to integrate military formations into the city to make it easy to defend and difficult to attack, and immune to all poisons."
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun frowned. "How is it possible to turn an entire city into a military formation?"
“Don’t forget, Xiao Yan isn’t the only one in Chang’an who knows about formations,” Xue Chang said with a sigh, shaking his head. “There’s also her close attendant, Lu Qi.”
“Lu Qi…” Qi Kun murmured softly along with Xue Chang. He frowned and turned to look at Xue Chang. “Cheyan, who exactly is this Lu Qi?”
Upon hearing this, Xue Chang turned to look at Qi Kun, "You were silent just now, but why did you perk up as soon as Lu Qi was mentioned?"
“Master,” Yang Xiao frowned and looked at Qi Kun, seeing him shake hands with a slightly anxious expression, and tentatively asked, “Do you think there’s something more to his name than meets the eye?”
"Tell me," Qi Kun sighed, "is it possible for such a coincidence to happen?"
“Qi Lu, whose whereabouts are unknown, the flawless formation, Lu Qi, who is adept at maneuvering…” Yang Xiao frowned and sat up. “It’s all too coincidental, but we have absolutely no evidence to prove it.”
Qi Kun smiled with relief and shook his head. "Forget it, I guess I was just being paranoid."
Seeing this, Zhong Li'an raised his hand and patted Qi Kun's shoulder. "Don't worry, there will be a result when the dust settles." He sighed softly and changed the subject, "By the way, Gu Fan, what were you thinking about when you were silent earlier?"
“I was thinking…” Qi Kun closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, then turned to look at Zhong Li’an, “I was thinking about what Ling Yu just said…”
He rubbed his temples and stood up, regaining his usual composure. "No matter how skilled Xiao Yan is in warfare, he couldn't possibly have predicted our attack method in advance." He looked up at Yang Xiao, who was frowning beside him. "So I think there might be a traitor in our camp."
“We have a plan to return, so why should we fear spies in the camp? In that case, why don’t we turn the tables on them?” Xue Chang suddenly had an idea and looked up at Qi Kun.
Bai Ming immediately understood and echoed, "Mr. Cheyan, could it be that you intend to use the general's command to turn the tables on us?"
Xue Chang smiled and nodded, "That's exactly right."
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." Yang Xiao sat to the side, frowning and rubbing her chin. "Even if they don't know our movements, we know very little about Xiao Yan. It will still be difficult to defeat them this time."
“Our tough battle has only just begun,” Zhong Li’an nodded firmly to Yang Xiao. “We will proceed step by step and eventually break through. Longcheng is of utmost importance, and no matter how long it takes, we are determined to win.”
Xue Chang nodded approvingly, then looked at Yang Xiao and teased, "Why are you getting discouraged first?"
"That makes sense!" Yang Xiao slapped her thigh and perked up immediately. "Bai Ming, you're meticulous and hold the outer perimeter. I have to charge into the enemy lines myself and get my revenge!"
Seeing this, Bai Ming chuckled and nodded, "Don't worry, I'll be there to help you. But don't be reckless, be careful."
"Okay, don't worry."
Seeing Yang Xiao's aggressive demeanor, everyone immediately relaxed.
“I’ve noticed,” Qi Kun said with a smile, looking at Yang Xiao. “It seems that ever since the battle for revenge, you’ve been full of murderous intent every time you go into battle, and there’s no stopping you.”
Yang Xiao chuckled and sighed, looking up at Qi Kun. "You told me before that my mother always had a kind of 'wildness' when she went into battle. I didn't understand it at the time, but now that I think about it, it seems to be that kind of aura, right?"
“This shows that you’ve improved.” Cen Xun chuckled and patted Yang Xiao’s shoulder. “Alright, let’s not delay. Let’s reenact Xiao Yan’s formation today and explore her methods of using formations.”
As Cen Xun spoke, he spread out a map and outlined the positions of the two armies.
“Speaking of using formations, Tongxi’s skill is actually a few points higher than mine.” Qi Kun nodded approvingly, glancing back at Xue Chang.
“Of course,” Xue Chang said proudly, crossing his arms. “Don’t you even know whose disciple you are?”
As each soldier moved across Cen Xun's brush and inkstone, the battle formations of the two armies leaped onto the paper, and the scene of confrontation flowed across the page once again.
A sandstorm suddenly arose, and the night passed in a flash.
In the blink of an eye, they were back on the battlefield.
The bugles and war drums sounded incessantly. Yang Xiao immediately stood at the front of the formation, spear in hand, staring fiercely at the ever-changing formation before him.
A force of men, like a swimming dragon, swiftly snaked their way in. As soon as Yang Xiao raised his spear, Zhang Ping understood and led an elite force to charge into the formation.
The serpent's head swiftly turned back, abandoning its previous fierce attack. Xiao Yan's forces used this opportunity to maneuver around and neutralize Zhang Ping's attack, then instantly split into two groups, forming wings to encircle Yang Xiao's army.
Yang Xiao frowned as she stared at the enemy soldiers rising like a tide, her heart tightening. "They changed their formation so quickly," she thought, clenching her fist. She nodded to Bai Ming beside her. "I'll go and break their formation." With that, she took the lead and charged into the enemy's flanks.
The troops behind him immediately charged into the formation like arrows, following Yang Xiao, attempting to cleave the double-wing formation in two.
Bai Ming frowned as he looked at Yang Xiao, who was charging ahead. He raised his spear to the soldiers behind him and shouted, "Form a tortoise formation and be ready to provide support at any time!"
The soldiers behind him immediately sprang into action. The neat circular formation transformed into a tortoise shell formation in no time, and yellow sand billowed up everywhere. Bai Ming spurred his horse forward and stared intently at the battle unfolding before him.
The double-wing formation instantly split in two, but then started operating unexpectedly. The broken wings decisively abandoned their previous offensive. A cloud of dust suddenly rose, and Xiao Yan's two forces quickly extended to both ends and then merged into one. It seemed that troops were continuously pouring out from the center of the formation, and the outside of the formation became as impregnable as a city wall.
Seeing this, Bai Ming immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly spurred his horse to lead his men into the formation. However, the formation kept moving, and countless troops rushed past Bai Ming. No matter which angle they attacked from, the formation did not budge at all, and there was not even a place for the warhorses to put their feet.
In his haste, he yanked on the reins, and Tayue reared up, letting out a long neigh as it stomped its feet in place.
A cry instantly drew Yang Xiao's attention. She and her five hundred elite troops had joined forces with Zhang Pingbing, but they were then enveloped by the formation created by Xiao Yan.
As Yang Xiao raised her spear to pry away the enemy soldiers constantly darting around her, she frowned, glancing at the center of the formation and then at Bai Ming, who was stubbornly unable to break through. A cold sweat broke out on her brow, her fingers gripping the reins tightly. "If this continues, we'll be wiped out by Xiao Yan sooner or later." Her eyes filled with a death-defying resolve. She turned and nodded to Zhang Ping, "Charge into the center! Fight to the death!"
Before Zhang Ping could respond, she charged straight to the heart of the formation like an arrow released from a bow. The soldiers guarding the formation were thrown into disarray, hastily and haphazardly parrying Yang Xiao's attacks.
Soldiers running around immediately came to support, and the formation was instantly weakened and unable to function.
Seeing this, Yang Xiao couldn't help but sneer. She swung her gun with all her might and charged towards the outside of the formation, tearing a hole in the previously impenetrable battle formation.
Seeing that the formation had been breached, Bai Ming quickly brandished his spear, shouting, "Brothers! Follow me and advance!"
Before he finished speaking, three thousand soldiers rushed forward like waves to meet Yang Xiao. Yang Xiao immediately understood his meaning, turned his horse around, and charged towards the broken battle formation.
The soldiers, who had been standing ready just moments before, scattered and fled in disarray. Dust billowed up from the horses' hooves. Yang Xiao and Bai Ming exchanged a glance and immediately launched a pincer attack into the dust cloud.
The war drums thundered without ceasing, and a gust of west wind swept through, instantly engulfing the entire army in dust. Xiao Yan's fragmented troops had somehow regrouped and were now moving about in an unpredictable, twisting and turning pattern on the front lines.
Seeing this, Bai Ming frowned, reined in his horse, and raised his spear to defend himself. "It's a maze. How can such a scattered army possibly move?" He turned to Yang Xiao. "Xiao, why don't we break through with a fierce attack..."
Before she finished speaking, a newly erected overpass suddenly appeared in Yang Xiao's eyes in the distance, only to be completely obscured by the billowing dust.
A fierce westerly wind, carrying sand and gravel, lashed against everyone's faces. Yang Xiao felt a chill run down her spine. "Damn it!" she thought, quickly reining in her horse and raising her spear to block Bai Ming's advance. She shouted without room for argument, "Withdraw the troops immediately! Quickly!"
Before Bai Ming could recover, he grabbed the reins and pulled him back.
In an instant, the sound of retreating troops rang out from the city gate tower, as if confirming Yang Xiao's words.
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