Chapter 1412: Seizing the Bridge, Blowing Up the Waterway (Part 3) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Chu Jie looked at Su Shiyilu with surprise.
A few years ago, he would never have dreamed that the words "let bygones be bygones" would come out of the mouth of that old man, Su Shiyilu—how arrogant was Su Shiyilu? Relying on his birth and talent, he regarded the human ethics and moral principles that the world valued as a bunch of nonsense, and he trampled on the rules! How could he make such an arrogant and conceited person take the initiative to admit defeat and soften his stance?
Hehehe, Chu Jie felt that the possibility of killing Su Shiyilu was far greater than the possibility of making the other party admit defeat willingly.
Seeing that Chu Jie did not respond immediately, Su Shiyilu quickly put on a stern face: "What, is the General unwilling?"
Chu Jie twirled his blade with one hand, the blade's energy grazing Su Shiyilu's temple. He bent his elbow, using the metal scales on the blade to create sparks. In the instant the sparks flew, the muscles in his arm tensed abruptly, and a hundred-foot-long blade shadow slashed down without warning at the arrogant enemy.
"Alright, considering our years of friendship, I'll give you a buy-one-get-two-free deal this time. All three heads are yours."
Chu Jie accepted the job with a slight smile.
Su Shiyi lowered his head; he could write this on his tombstone.
The blade flashed through the air with ferocious force; the sheer power of the attack was enough to make anyone tremble. Unexpectedly, several people high in the sky neither dodged nor evaded, allowing the blade to strike them directly. Indeed, they didn't need to dodge, for this attack was utterly harmless at this moment!
It appeared to cleave the heavens and the earth, but upon closer inspection, it was merely a gentle breeze that stirred the red tassels on the temples—a rigid rule of the "sand table battlefield," restricting both sides. The enemy could not launch a sneak attack on Chu Jie's troops before the start of the competition, and Chu Jie's strike would not harm them either.
However, it is sufficient for provocation.
The enemy general finally spared a glance for Chu Jie, but only gave him a disdainful look before calmly looking away. He looked down at Su Shiyilu, whose face was ashen, and said regretfully, "General, why must you go down this dark path? The things that Kangguo has done to Shiwu are all blood debts. If you refuse to rebel against Shen Youli today, Shiwu will be exploited to the bone by Kangguo in the future, and then it will be gone forever."
Su Shiyilu sneered: "Fool, who do you think you are?"
In earlier years, people might not have realized it.
So many years have passed, even the most oblivious should have noticed that Kangguo was secretly undermining their interests. The Ten Wu nobles were slave owners, and Kangguo had been using various policies to attract lower-level slaves from the Ten Wu to migrate. The former slave owners either died in battle or were "reformed" afterward. Only the former nobles who submitted could retain some of their interests and were honored by being incorporated into the local government of Wuzhou.
Is this a compromise by Kangguo?
No, this is just a delaying tactic, a slow and painstaking approach.
Nominally, the Ten Crows no longer had slaves. The common people at the bottom only held the Kang State's official registration; they didn't belong to the old nobility, much less were their property. The slaves rejoiced. Their offspring, relying on resources provided by Kang State, joined the Zhechong Prefecture, becoming equals with, or even superior to, the offspring of the old nobles. Just think about it—what had the old nobles done in the past? Wouldn't these slaves retaliate?
Hehe, of course I'm afraid.
I was filled with anxiety and couldn't sleep at night.
Even Su Shiyilu harbored fears, and the old nobles of the Ten Crows were always prepared to seize the opportunity to secede from Kang Kingdom if it collapsed. To put it bluntly, the Ten Crows and Kang Kingdom were not of one mind. Su Shiyilu could never be of one mind with Shen Youli.
But comparisons are always a bad thing.
Although following Shen Youli would be exploited to the bone, at least he still had a life. Moreover, the population growth in Wuzhou in recent years had exceeded the highest level in the past few hundred years. Su Shiyilu had seen all of this, and even some die-hards had quietly changed their minds—even if they rebelled against Kangguo, they couldn't rebel now. They had to wait thirty to fifty years to use the essence of Kangguo to restore the vitality of Shiwu, and then they could talk about the rest later.
Chu Jie quietly reminded him, "Don't affect morale."
Su Shiyilu's attitude will affect the morale of the soldiers in Wuzhou.
"Do I need you to remind me of this?"
Su Shiyilu rolled his eyes inwardly.
The enemy general seemed very interested in Su Shiyilu. Even after being called a "stupid thing," he was not completely enraged and was willing to give Su Shiyilu another chance: "As long as the general is willing, the position of Marquis Che is in his pocket, and Shiwu can seize the national seal and establish his own country."
This promise is quite tempting.
This is also the bargaining chip that can most sway Su Shiyilu.
Whether it's the Ten Crows or the Northern Desert, other ethnic groups have wandered in barren lands for over a thousand years, remaining ethnic groups rather than nations. The fundamental reason is that they lack a national seal and have always been rejected by other countries.
If it were the old Su Shiyilu, he would have agreed immediately.
Now, after years of further study, things are very different from before.
"...Tch, do you really think I'm a three-year-old kid to be fooled? What do the aristocratic families in the central region believe in? That there are no poor families among the upper ranks and no noble families among the lower ranks? Even our own people can only get the lower rank, let alone those who are not of our kind? It would be truly brainless to believe your nonsense."
Honestly, Kangguo has the best attitude towards foreign races in over a thousand years. Kangguo is even willing to spend time playing games like "cutting off the enemy's supply lines," while other countries don't even bother with them. They only remember that there are a few foreign experience packs living next door when they need experience, and they come over to farm for experience when they have nothing better to do.
The attitude of the central continent towards foreign races will only worsen.
Verbal promises are always subject to being broken at any time.
Su Shiyi Lu refused twice, and the enemy general finally became angry, saying indifferently, "So ignorant of death, go to the underworld to repent!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and a burst of martial energy flew out from his sleeve.
The burst of martial energy stopped in mid-air.
Chu Jie strode forward, a phantom golden dragon shadow bursting forth from his palm, soaring and disappearing into the martial energy. The instant the two merged, time in the "sand table battlefield" seemed to be forcibly paused, and a cold, neither-male-nor-female reminder rang in everyone's ears.
[Battlefield reorganization complete; both sides are ready.]
[Countdown—]
【ten! 】
【Nine! 】
【eight! 】
As the countdown began, time, which had been frozen in this illusory space, resumed its flow. The leading enemy general stroked the patterns on the hilt of his sword, his gaze fixed on Chu Jie below. Su Shiyilu conjured a peculiar, iron-gray weapon with a wave of his hand. It wasn't his usual mace, but something resembling a long cone—a four-sided armor-piercing cone! The shaft was composed of more than a dozen intertwined dragons.
Chu Jie glanced at him sideways out of the corner of his eye.
This thing is used to break through heavy armor. Looking at its unique design, Chu Jie could tell even with his toes who Su Shiyilu was after: "Can you even wield it properly?"
Su Shiyilu grinned coldly.
"Why don't we try it later and see?"
With one strike, Chu Jie's brains were pulled out!
【three! 】
【two! 】
【one! 】
The instant the countdown ended, Kang Shi unleashed two [Five Virtues of a General] techniques, tightening the Xuanwu Formation inwards and revealing a thick barrier outwards. Chu Jie shot into the sky like an arrow, while the leading enemy general simultaneously charged downwards. The moment the two martial energies collided, a dense, sun-obscuring fog rippled through the valley, resembling a blooming lotus flower. The enemy general roared, "Overestimating yourself! You're courting death!"
The moment the five-colored light entered Su Shiyilu's body, he followed closely behind Chu Jie and threw out a spear. As soon as this special armor-piercing spear left his hand, the dragon on the spear came to life and smoothly separated in mid-air.
The sharp, piercing roar of the dragon was disorienting.
The martial spirit, like an ox sinking into a muddy sea, visibly slowed down.
The dragon-shaped spear, however, remained as sharp as ever.
Even the heaviest armor, when faced with this thing, will be pierced through to the flesh once the defense is breached, leaving blood gushing out like a fountain! Su Shiyilu's spear was still aimed at the enemy's forehead! Hmm, before fighting Chu Jie, let's practice on the enemy first.
"Die, you old bastard!"
From the moment the enemy general brought up his sister and brazenly uttered the words "the hatred of killing his son," Su Shiyilu had only one thought in his mind—none of these people should be spared!
Below, on the battlefield, the soldiers' morale clouds above their heads transformed into the phantom of Xuanwu, its back as thick as a mountain, its limbs cast in bronze and iron, standing tall and firm. Beneath its back, over a thousand archers drew their bows, ready to fire. A dense buzzing sound exploded in their ears, and a barrage of arrows, like the roar of a ferocious beast, surged endlessly in all directions of the valley. Xuanwu's head emerged, emitting a chilling roar.
The enemy scribes on the illusory sandbox battlefield were slightly surprised.
Unexpectedly, the Kang Kingdom's army reacted so quickly. Judging from their formation and attack, there wasn't even a moment of panic, as if they had received prior intelligence about his scholarly ways and had come prepared. Little did they know, this was truly the first time Kang Kingdom had faced such a situation.
The soldiers' calm reaction was simply because they had seen it too many times.
The public is enthusiastic about "sand table battlefields," so how could the military not be less enthusiastic?
Every year, various military exercises are held in different prefectures. Winning is certainly gratifying, but losing will lead to various post-mortem analyses.
This time, he has simply gone from being a spectator to a pawn in the game.
What's there to panic about?
Not only were they calm, but thanks to the special starting rules of the "sand table battlefield," they didn't have to worry about enemy ambushes. They could calm their emotions during the opening intervals, adjust their formations, and ensure high morale.
"What Xuanwu Formation? It's nothing but a cowardly turtle hiding its head in the sand."
Looking down at the almost impenetrable military formation below, a ruthless glint flashed in the enemy strategist's eyes. He swiftly formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation. As the incantation flowed forth, countless light, long threads, like dragon's beard candy, materialized beneath him, extending all the way to the eight directions of the battlefield. These threads converged at the eight points to form ten-zhang-tall stone pillars, their surfaces adorned with various bird and beast totems.
"Form ranks, then decapitate!"
A gust of wind suddenly blew from somewhere, and the long threads of the stone pillars spread downwards to the battlefield, but not towards the Kang Kingdom's troops. Instead, they were directed at the allied troops in the center of the valley, who were closing in on the enemy lines from all directions.
These filaments are even lighter than spider silk.
When it falls on a person, it can turn into an indestructible puppet thread.
Scholars could use these silk threads to let the soldiers hear their commands, minimizing errors in command and dispatch. Kang Shi immediately guessed the function of these silk threads and clicked his tongue, saying, "...If we have to capture them alive, then Luan Gongyi will owe us two favors."
I reckon Qin Li would be interested too.
Qin Li's [Cloudy Sky and Foggy Earth] technique can use dense fog to disrupt the enemy's vision and command his own troops; however, the main action still relies on the soldiers themselves, requiring a high degree of coordination between the strategist and the soldiers. These puppets with their long filaments seem different, even skipping this step. Given such battlefield advantages, Kang Shi boldly speculates that this strategist, even if not yet perfected, is close to achieving it…
He's not in a hurry.
Su Shiyilu roared, "Kang Jishou—"
With such a huge tiger-head guillotine falling from the sky, aren't you in a hurry?
Enemy troops charged from the direction of the Xuanwu tortoise's head, their formation erupting with dazzling light. The clouds of morale instantly melted into a majestic tiger-head guillotine, its trajectory precisely aimed at the head of the Xuanwu formation. Su Shiyilu flicked his finger, and one of the dragons on his armor-piercing spear twisted at a right angle mid-air, striking the tiger-patterned blade of the guillotine with a clang. The tiger-like shadow howled in pain.
Kang Shi didn't even lift his eyelids.
He said nonchalantly, "What's there to be afraid of!"
Not to mention that the Xuanwu Formation was covered in thick scales, even if the Tiger-Head Guillotine could split mountains and seas with its downward force, Kang Shi could still choose to cower. Why not cower when you should? Su Shiyi's attack did not slow down the Tiger-Head Guillotine's descent, nor did it even deflect it slightly. It fell straight down, crashing to the ground and raising a cloud of dust several feet high.
The yellow sand swirled upwards, resembling a thick city wall that enveloped the Tiger Head Guillotine. The signal flags shifted, and the position of the tortoise head in the Xuanwu Formation became the tortoise tail. The four pillars split into four, each transforming into a guillotine blade pointing inwards, slowly and laboriously turning.
Enemies approaching within a certain distance will be pulled in, and once trapped between the two cylindrical blades, they will be dragged in and shredded into a bloody pulp. Kang Shi conducted experiments showing that not only mortals, but even city walls, if caught between the blades, would be gradually shredded into dust. Unless something sharper than the blades, or brute force is used to break through the tightly interlocking blades, it is extremely difficult to breach this point.
It's a pity there aren't enough.
If there were countless such sword pillars surrounding the entire battlefield, and you could control them to move, wouldn't you be able to shred whoever you wanted?
The enemy scholar coldly swept his gaze across the entire Xuanwu Formation.
With a thought, he gave the command: "Sever its spine!"
He then ordered the cavalry near the four limbs of the Xuanwu formation to turn around, maneuver around, and charge inward to attack the "turtle's legs." The Xuanwu formation is modeled after a tortoise; when it is formed, the morale of the troops transforms into a tortoise shell that covers the entire army, with its weak points being the head, tail, and limbs. Its lower body is relatively unstable, and its movement speed is slow, making it one of the military formations whose defensive effectiveness far outweighs its offensive capabilities. This Xuanwu formation is quite interesting.
Its limbs transformed into bizarrely shaped cylindrical blades, forming a wall to block attacks. It could both attack and defend, leaving only its head and tail exposed as potential entry points. However, the enemy scribes thought differently.
As if invisible chains were pulling the tiger-headed guillotine, which had been buried several feet deep in the ground, upwards: "I want to see just how thick this tortoise shell is!"
Even if we have to smash it, we'll smash this tortoise shell to pieces!
Meanwhile, Chu Jie was already locked in combat with three enemy generals a hundred feet into the air—originally there was only one, but Chu Jie had promised to buy one and get three free, so he couldn't let the other two go and ambush Su Shiyilu. If Su Shiyilu died, who would take over?
Even if someone tried to break free to deal with Su Shiyilu, Chu Jie would skillfully draw them back, truly achieving a balance of strength and gentleness. His power was like shaking a mountain, his gentleness like encompassing a hundred rivers. Su Shiyilu even gave Chu Jie a thumbs up for this.
"Good brother, you're a true comrade!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Jie was swept across most of the battlefield by a single blow. Sparks flew, and the heat from the friction between his armor and the air almost cooked him. Chu Jie steadied himself in mid-air, shook his numb wrist to relieve the tear in his hand, but remained calm.
"Don't disgust me."
What kind of brotherhood? What kind of loyalty?
In business, once the money and goods are exchanged, don't let feelings get involved.
ヾ(■_■)
I forgot I bought a cake the day before yesterday and put it in the fridge without eating it. I ate it today and it tasted the same, but then I went to the bathroom seven times in one hour...
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