Chapter 128: Poisonous Scheme

 

The situation was unprecedentedly severe; even a rabbit, when cornered, would kick at an eagle, let alone a general commanding over three thousand elite troops. Guo Guibang led the charge, flanked by a dozen personal guards for protection, rushing forward just like that.

The two sides were only three miles apart. At the speed of cultivators, a full-speed charge would take merely a moment over tea; even the artillery, no matter how quickly it fired, would have at most three shots—perhaps not even two shots, because of the flying swords!

Guo Guibang’s flying sword was the first to arrive, flying straight toward a cannon. The speed of the flying sword was astonishing, and Liu Leigang and the others were unprepared—lacking the spiritual materials needed to weave a net to intercept the flying sword.

With a sharp “thud,” the flying sword pierced through the cannon made of ordinary steel (not of mystic iron or other spiritual materials).

Cold sweat broke out on Liu Leigang’s forehead; that was a close call! If the cannonball hadn’t been loaded yet, this could have led to an explosion! Since the production of yellow explosives was quite limited and primarily used for bullets, the cannonballs were filled with gunpowder, which is very easy to ignite.

However, the next moment, Liu Leigang chuckled. After all, the cannon was made of steel; Guo Guibang’s flying sword, while impressive, was still just a magical weapon. When it penetrated the cannon, it got stuck!

Liu Leigang let out a strange laugh and quickly summoned his own flying sword. With one stroke, he severed Guo Guibang’s flying sword!

With the flying sword severed, Guo Guibang’s spiritual sense was damaged, causing his face to suddenly turn pale, and he staggered, nearly falling. If it weren’t for the swift reactions of his nearby guards, Guo Guibang would surely have taken a tumble.

Steadying himself, Guo Guibang’s eyes were filled with shock. “Another magical treasure! This is definitely a magical treasure! How could Anyang have so many magical treasures?!”

The guards beside him advised, “General, you are injured; it’s best to command from the rear now.”

Guo Guibang looked around and finally nodded. Accompanied by several guards, he quickly retreated.

In that brief moment, Liu Leigang commanded the remaining nine cannons to fire in sequence, targeting the areas with the most people; with over three thousand soldiers crowded at the front, even when they dispersed, they remained relatively dense, and a single shot still took down over a dozen men.

But compared to the more than three thousand, those dozen or so casualties were negligible. By the time the artillery fired for the third time, a large number of soldiers had already charged to the front line.

However, before the soldiers of Luliang County could celebrate, they faced new casualties—guns! Unlike the artillery, which numbered only ten and had already lost one, there were five hundred guns!

The three hundred soldiers at the front collapsed like logs in an instant; as the men behind them hesitated, another four hundred fell! Some soldiers, emboldened and defiant, continued to charge forward; some small masters in the Foundation Establishment stage even began to use talismans, spells, and magical tools to attack and protect themselves.

It’s no surprise that the small masters in the Foundation Establishment stage could indeed fend off the danger of the guns with all their might; at most, they would turn pale and spit out some blood. But such small masters were ultimately too few and ineffective! War is not like personal dueling; this is group combat!

Moreover, even if several small masters survived the first attack, they would still suffer internal injuries. How could they withstand the second or third assaults? Even if there were occasionally a few that slipped through the cracks, Yan Zhengqing had eighty-eight Foundation Establishment elites standing by in formation!

The Foundation Establishment experts from Luliang County had magical tools, talismans, and spells; but the Anyang side had magical treasures as well!

In this immortal realm, in the current immortal realm, the differences in cultivation methods were largely minimal; what truly differentiated the two sides were their treasures! Unfortunately, with mystic iron and a large quantity of sea soul silk, the elites from Anyang were not lacking in treasures!

Talismans? You use jade stones, while we in Anyang use sea soul silk, and even mystic iron threads to craft even more powerful talismans.

Flames surged and snowflakes danced, while the glimmer of swords and knives flickered back and forth; in the next moment, all the Foundation Establishment small masters rushing from Luliang County were completely wiped out.

Meanwhile, Liu Leigang continued to direct his soldiers in shooting; with the distance closed, each gun fired hit the target, almost without fail.

In just a few breaths, over three thousand two hundred soldiers from Luliang County had dwindled to about eighteen hundred.

At that moment, dust was flying from the northern direction, that is, from the direction of Qingniu Town. Bei Chen Yuqing led a large force and had finally arrived.

At this point, Guo Guibang understood that the situation was lost and ordered a retreat. The best method now was to retreat freely and scattered into the surrounding mountains and forests.

Guo Guibang himself led a few personal guards into the forest. 

Liu Leigang, exhilarated, immediately stated that he would lead two hundred elite gunmen into the dense forest to pursue. Bei Chen Yuqing quickly dismissed him, saying, “This is not Anyang; we are not familiar with the terrain here. Entering would only increase casualties. Furthermore, our goal is not to pursue the routed troops, nor to occupy Luliang County, but to capture Zhao Guoshan!”

The team continued to advance, and along the way, they encountered no significant obstacles! Left General Guo Guibang had already been defeated, and with the Anyang army chanting slogans and making guarantees, the journey was unexpectedly “peaceful.”

As the Anyang army routed Guo Guibang and advanced rapidly, the prefect of Luliang County, Zhao Guoshan, finally received news from the front—Anyang had audaciously launched an attack against him, and the location of the attack was somewhere no one had anticipated—a heavily fortified place near the seaside, Niushan Pass!

Zhao Guoshan was taken aback—His Highness the Crown Prince had just confidently claimed that Anyang was willing to “make peace,” and now Anyang had struck back!

Zhao Guoshan narrowed his eyes, a fierce glint flashing within, and immediately wrote a letter, “Guo Xiaolin, send this letter to the Crown Prince at once. The Crown Prince should still be in Luliang County, most likely lingering by the Xian Dai River.”

The Xian Dai River, a legendary river known as a place of gentle refuge.

Guo Xiaolin, the young man who initially went on a mission to Anyang, set out on his journey once again; this time, he wasn’t riding a fast horse but was instead using talismans and spells to travel.

With the Wind Escape Technique, an incredibly expensive and unusual talisman, he used one after another. With the aid of this technique, Guo Xiaolin flew south like a wisp of breeze. His speed was almost three times that of a galloping horse! 

As soon as Guo Xiaolin left, more and more information began to reach Zhao Guoshan.

The first message: he encountered Anyang’s advance team, led by Yan Zhengqing… Upon reading this, Zhao Guoshan gasped! No matter what, Yan Zhengqing was a national commander!

Soon after, the second message arrived: We successfully blocked Anyang’s advance team.

The third: 150 vehicles have arrived.

The fourth: Yan Zhengqing stepped forward to speak, the soldiers wavered; Guo Guibang abandoned Qingniu Town and withdrew his elite forces back to Naliang Mansion.

The fifth…

The sixth…

The seventh… We have been defeated.

Looking at this information, Zhao Guoshan trembled all over. “Guo Guibang, you have thirty thousand men, and you can’t defeat Anyang? At the very least, you should be able to slow down Anyang’s advance!”

“Li Yuanming, what do you suggest we do now?”

Li Yuanming was the literary chancellor of Luliang County and also Zhao Guoshan’s strategist. Upon hearing his lord’s inquiry, Li Yuanming answered almost without hesitation: “First, spread rumors saying Anyang is attacking, that they want to start a civil war, that they kill without blinking, that they are brutal. Most importantly, we must first declare and emphasize that Anyang is rebelling, and their words are not to be trusted.

Second, Naliang Mansion must enter a state of high alert, with all soldiers on the city walls; every household in the city must urgently recruit soldiers—if they can’t fight, at least they can put on a show!

Third, prohibit any private outings and control speech within the city, stating it’s to prevent infiltration by Anyang.

Fourth, during battles, try to have ordinary civilians charge to the front lines to create casualties and generate hatred.

Fifth, vilify Anyang; capture a few well-known merchants from Anyang and force them to confess and publicly condemn Anyang’s crimes and evils.

Finally, we will use the entire population of the city as a bargaining chip to buy time and seek opportunities, forcing Anyang to retreat! After all, the one in charge of Anyang now is Princess Xia Qingqing; she cannot ignore the casualties of the people!

And one more thing, send someone to request help from Zhongshan County; but don’t hold out too much hope.”

Zhao Guoshan listened in shock, his eyes shining brightly, fully accepting Li Yuanming’s suggestions!

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