Chapter 610: Pacifying Sibao County (Part 12) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
When the armies faced each other, their weapons clashed.
The ten-foot-tall phantom collided head-on with the ten-foot-tall giant shield.
Boom boom boom—
The dull thud of impact mercilessly reached my ears.
Like the beat of a drum, each beat strikes the heartstrings.
The phantoms looked exactly like the soldiers, and moved as nimbly as living people. Sometimes they would raise their hands to block the giant shield and violently stop its advance; other times they would grab the spears that were thrust out from behind the shield with their bare hands, snap off the spear tips with a snap, and throw them back.
The force was so great that it could pierce through flesh.
Once hit, they are completely rendered incapable of fighting.
However, their opponent is the Legion of Heavy Shield Warriors.
These puppets felt no pain, no fatigue; unless their bodies were severed or they collapsed from exhaustion, they would fight the enemy to the very end as long as they had a breath left. For a moment, invisible shockwaves erupted from the front lines of the battlefield, the booming sounds making one's teeth ache.
Jiang Sheng added fuel to the fire at just the right moment.
The phantom figures and soldiers roared simultaneously, their energy surging with each passing moment, seemingly forcing back the heavily armored warriors' formation. Archers behind them rained down arrows, relieving pressure on the front lines, creating a chaotic scene.
"Unfortunately, it's still a little lacking..."
He was not satisfied with the situation.
The enemy generals who were locked in combat with Shen Tang also noticed this.
He sneered, "So you're already playing the first drumbeat?"
"To press on with one burst of energy" is a double-edged sword.
Its effects are powerful and domineering.
Forcibly boosting morale and fighting spirit, strengthening will, and maintaining momentum are all related to the initiator's literary talent. However, there are also fatal drawbacks. After the initial burst of energy, there is a decline followed by exhaustion. Once past the peak, it's an unstoppable downhill slope.
The enemy general took the opportunity to strike Shen Tang.
"Have you lost your mind, Scholar Fang?"
Although this heavy shield warrior legion is not large, it has not yet suffered widespread losses, and both sides have only conducted their first round of probing; it's still too early to determine a victor. However, unless the incantation user's spiritual energy can forcibly sustain them until the situation becomes clear, the second drumbeat will mark the beginning of a second decline. During this phase of the spiritual energy, all enhancements will decrease significantly. If the enemy cannot be defeated by then, the third drumbeat will signal the start of the third phase, and the vanguard will be on the verge of a complete rout.
This kind of military incantation is generally used in a desperate battle or a decisive, high-risk situation. Using it too early will only backfire, while using it too late is pointless and unnecessary. Only when the timing is perfect can its effectiveness be maximized.
It is obvious—
This scholar is no good.
They betrayed their own people right from the start.
"This boy has ruined your excellent situation."
He was trying to distract Shen Tang so that he could take advantage of the situation.
A human and a beast blocked Shen Tang's path, one in front and one behind. In front of her were weapons attempting to strangle her, while behind her was the giant crocodile's long tail, whipping up a powerful gust of wind. With a gentle flick of that tail, a boulder as tall as a person could be split in two; Shen Tang's body could not withstand such a blow.
Shen Tang replied, "Guess?"
His movements were as swift as a ghost, his steps as powerful as riding the clouds and wind.
Easily avoid the tacit cooperation between the human and the beast.
It's even more slippery than a loach.
The enemy general: "..." How could a mere warrior like him possibly guess the honeycomb-like thoughts in the mind of a scholar?
Little did Shen Tang know that she had absolute faith in Jiang Sheng's abilities.
As the grassroots level of Longwu County gradually got on track, Jiang Sheng and the others were finally able to rest. They spent their free time exchanging and refining their insights on the power of words. He had obtained an alternative way to use the "One Breath" technique from Chu Yao, unexpectedly opening the door to a new world. What seemed like an unsolvable "mistake" to outsiders had a perfect solution, only the threshold for solving it was rather high.
As long as the person activating the Word of Power has abundant literary energy, they can, to some extent, do whatever they want, even avoiding the two periods of weakness following the initial burst of energy. Coincidentally, Jiang Sheng has no shortage of literary energy. With his literary skills fully developed, he has the capital to act recklessly.
Soon, the enemy general also realized something was wrong.
Jiang Sheng's sustained momentum was excessively long, and as time passed, it actually forced the heavy shield warrior legion to retreat more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) of their battle line. The warriors at the rear were squeezed out of space, and their formation lost its initial neatness.
The first thing that came to his mind was the word "Wen Gong" (文宫).
Only scholars who have achieved great success in their literary careers have the means to squander their wealth; moreover, these scholars are among the best of the best.
Enemy general: "..."
The information Qiu Cheng provided was wildly inaccurate.
And that's not all the bad news.
The enemy general keenly heard the sound of a large troop of horses approaching, estimating their numbers to be several times that of the vanguard, forming an immense formation. He was certain it was the main force of the central army. If they continued to delay, once the central army arrived, he would have no way to retreat.
His eyes darted around as he glanced to his left and right.
Preparing for where to evacuate.
Just then, another burst of martial energy arrived.
With a clang, it stopped the giant crocodile's long tail.
The next instant, he pressed his bare hands down on the giant crocodile's mouth and hurled it out in a wide arc. Meanwhile, on the heavy shield warrior's side, a large patch of dark clouds descended.
It caused a huge commotion, with people falling flat on their faces.
The man said in a deep voice, "My lord, I am late."
Enemy general: "!!!"
Enemy general: "???"
Did he mishear some word?
Then he heard, "I'm fine. You're no match for him. Step back and help the vanguard. I'll take care of him."
The first general to arrive was Lü Jue. Although he was talented, his cultivation level was on par with Bai Su's, but their paths were different, and he was no match for the enemy general before him. If he tried to fight head-on, he would most likely just be handing over his head.
"Your humble servant obeys."
The enemy general was dazed: "...You are his lord..." He never expected that the red-clad, silver-armored general was Shen Tang, let alone that Shen Tang had ordered Lü Jue to leave, and Lü Jue had actually left. What kind of warrior would abandon his lord to go to another battlefield?
Shen Tang said, "So what if it's our lord?"
Behind her understated words lay the unspeakable difficulties she faced.
The scholars were all incredibly ruthless.
The military generals were all weaker than the last.
If she, as the lord, doesn't roll up her sleeves and do it herself, is she supposed to let them do it? That's probably why she's skilled in both literature and martial arts.
Self-reliance leads to a long and healthy life.
Enemy general: "..."
The main force of the central army was about to arrive, and the enemy general had lost his will to fight. He couldn't defeat Shen Tang, but retreating was still an option, so he decisively sounded the retreat. He pressed his tongue to his lips and whistled a certain melody. The heavy shield warriors obeyed the command and moved.
They were puppets to begin with.
Instructions are paramount.
This completely threw their already chaotic formation into disarray. If they didn't seize this opportunity, when would they? Jiang Sheng naturally wouldn't miss it, decisively amplifying the [Collapse] effect, using the swampy terrain to hinder the retreat of the heavy shield warriors…
Once the main force of the central army arrived, the heavy shield warriors retreated completely, leaving behind three to four hundred corpses. Seventy percent of these corpses were left behind in the final stages of the battle. The heavy shield warriors suffered relatively few casualties during the initial engagement, demonstrating just how formidable they were.
"My lord—"
As soon as he finished speaking, his literary aura intensified.
"I have only exhausted my martial energy; my literary energy is still plentiful."
Shen Tang sheathed his sword, signaling Xun Zhen not to worry about him. His gaze fell in the direction where the enemy general had disappeared. Suddenly, he thought of something, looked at Xun Zhen again, and vaguely felt that the two were somewhat similar.
only--
That's probably impossible, right?
Shen Tang kept her guesses to herself.
Cleaning up the battlefield was none of Shen Tang's business. She chose a high spot to sit and watched the soldiers below finish off the heavy shield warriors. In the chaos of battle, it was common for soldiers to feign death to save their lives, or even launch surprise attacks. Therefore, to ensure safety, the corpses had to be finished off during the cleanup.
Yes, that's also a military achievement.
"I didn't expect Huang Lie's elite troops to appear here..." Shen Tang chewed on a flatbread to fill his stomach, his brows furrowed, thinking of some very bad things, and said with disgust, "Is his move an attempt to make it clear that he's going to back up Qiu Wenyan?"
Jiang Sheng felt refreshed and invigorated at that moment.
He spoke with a smile: "It shouldn't be."
Shen Tang looked up at him, seeking an answer: "Why?"
"There's not enough time."
From Qiu Cheng's sneak attack on Nanyu County, to the lord's ambush and counterattack in Beishang County, to the dispatch of troops now, only about twenty days have passed. Huang Lie has at most received the news, but it's too late to send troops to support Qiu Cheng...
Based on Jiang Sheng's understanding of Huang Lie, this might be a coincidence: "Although Huang Lie has many men, most of them are bandits and refugees, unlike our lord who is good at managing his troops. The only ways he can raise military provisions are 'borrowing' and 'robbing.' There's nowhere left to rob, but there are places to borrow. It's not impossible that he would exchange his heavy shield warriors for Qiu Cheng's supplies..."
Shen Tang asked again, "Xian Deng, is it possible... that Qiu Cheng forged this heavy shield warrior himself?"
She denied it as soon as she asked the question.
If Qiu Cheng had this trump card as a safety net, could he, as Qiu Cheng's neighbor who was considered a fat sheep, still farm peacefully for two years in a row?
_(:з」∠)_
Take a bath, go to sleep (3[▓▓])
The enemy general is indeed a good son, but he's unlikely to defect. On the contrary, he might fight even more fiercely because his father is around.
(End of this chapter)
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