Chapter 120 - 105: Rank 3 Military Array

Chapter 120: Chapter 105: Rank 3 Military Array

[Name: Lu Yuan]

[Age: 17]

[Cultivation Technique: Fourth-Grade Cultivation Skill, "Spring and Autumn Saber Skill" (1482/10,000 to Great Success)]

[Third-Grade Cultivation Skill, "Tiger Subduing Posture" (Meridian Passage, 10,291/30,000 to Perfection)]

[Fourth-Grade Cultivation Skill, "Blood Refining Golden Bell Shield" (30,134/30,000 to Perfection, Breakthrough?)]

[Second-grade Array, "One-Character Long Snake Formation" (60,134/50,000 to Entering the Stance). Additional Effects: Defense Enhancement, Chasing Kill. Upgrade?]

[Second-Grade Cultivation Skill, "Torrential Rain Arrow Skill" (40,356/50,000 to Entering the Stance)]

Looking at the data, Lu Yuan was very satisfied. Every one of his Cultivation Techniques had progressed significantly.

Then, he said calmly, "Breakthrough."

As soon as he spoke, a dense wave of Qi and Blood Power erupted from his body. He could clearly feel the blood throughout his body undergoing a process of Refining.

His strength and Qi and Blood were constantly growing, to the point where it felt like a complete transformation.

Blood-red patterns flickered across his body.

Then, the new data appeared.

[Fourth-Grade Cultivation Skill, "Blood Refining Golden Bell Shield" (134/50,000 to Entering the Stance)]

With this new increase in physical strength, Lu Yuan could clearly sense that he could now match experts of the same realm using his physical power alone, without even mobilizing his Qi and Blood Power. In fact, he could probably crush them.

Immediately after, a flood of insights about Arrays appeared in his mind.

It was as if he had studied Military Arrays for countless years and, one day, all that experience suddenly sublimated.

The Military Array began to upgrade.

[Third-Grade Array, "Shaking Mountain Copper Gate Formation" (134/1,000 to Minor Achievement). Additional Effects: Super Defense, Shaking Mountains and Earth.]

A hint of a smile flashed in Lu Yuan’s eyes after he read the description.

’As expected of a Third-Grade Array.’ When deployed, not only would it greatly increase their Defense Power, but more importantly, it could unleash a Death Stampede once every incense stick’s burn time.

In mountainous terrain, it could cause small-scale fissures in the ground.

’If that’s really the case, then it’s certainly not weak for infantry combat.’

Then, Lu Yuan opened his eyes, took out the ink, brush, and paper from his desk, and drew the Array Map for the "Shaking Mountain Copper Gate Formation."

He then called out, "Wei Yong."

As soon as he called, Wei Yong walked in. After his breakthrough, Zhou Xiong had already been promoted to Thousand Men Commander.

As for Wei Yong, his cultivation had reached the Tendon Refining realm, so Lu Yuan had promoted him to Centurion of his Personal Guard Camp.

"Sir," Wei Yong said respectfully, cupping his fist.

He cherished his current position and was therefore always extremely cautious in Lu Yuan’s presence.

It was a stark contrast to how he used to be.

Lu Yuan had mentioned it to Wei Yong a few times, but seeing that he wouldn’t change, Lu Yuan had no choice but to let it be.

He now held out the completed Array Map and said, "Take this and have the Thousand Men Commanders drill their troops. They must master this Array in a short amount of time."

"Also, deploying this Array requires shields. Take my token to the Mechanical Camp and collect three thousand shields. Tell them I don’t want Vine Shields; I want metal ones."

"Get these two things done as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Sir," Wei Yong replied before withdrawing.

As for Lu Yuan, he took out a map and began to study it. They were currently located inside Mentu Pass, on the Dayong side of the Western Border.

Over the past few days, reinforcements had been arriving from all over.

According to Duke Zhenyuan’s plan, they were to wait until the entire army had assembled before proactively marching out of the pass to meet the enemy.

Lu Yuan speculated that it would take half a month at most for all the armies to arrive. At that point, a battle between the two sides would be inevitable.

The last time in the Northern Border, although it was a large-scale battle, the two sides had not truly arrayed their forces for an all-out clash.

’This time, as a member of the Central Army, I’m afraid I’ll have to face a real, massive battlefield.’

This would be a grand, open war—the most dangerous kind of battle on the field.

With hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides clashing head-on, even experts with Gang Qi or at the Innate realm were just ordinary commanders. A single moment of carelessness could lead to their death.

However, Lu Yuan didn’t dislike the prospect of such a massive battle. On the contrary, he felt a faint sense of anticipation.

’As long as the Warriors under my command master the Military Array, our side will hold a significant advantage amidst the tens of thousands of soldiers.’

At that very moment, Duke Zhenyuan, Xiao Heng, was in his commander’s tent, also studying a map. His hair was streaked with gray, and he wore a suit of dark gold armor.

He was a renowned figure in the Imperial Guard and one of the few nobles who was upright and incorruptible, viewing the support of the state as his primary duty.

Over ten Garrison Generals stood inside the tent, all of them commanders from the Imperial Guard.

Every one of them wore a solemn expression.

Duke Zhenyuan stared at the map for a moment before turning around. His gaze was stern as he said, "According to the reports from our Scouts, the Xirong army should reach a strength of three hundred thousand in about a month."

"They will launch an all-out assault on Mentu Pass. Although this pass has been repaired and its Arrays reinforced annually in recent years, if we try to defend from within the walls, we will be put on the defensive. The millions of civilians outside the city will also be threatened by the Xirong."

"It’s too late to evacuate them now. Therefore, we must take the offensive and stop them completely, a hundred li outside the pass."

He then placed his finger on a marked location on the map. "The Stone Forest Plain. Although it’s covered with a Stone Forest, it’s the only place where both sides can fully deploy their forces."

"In one month, we will fight a decisive battle with the Xirong here."

Xiao Heng had great faith in the strength of the Imperial Guard. While the Xirong were powerful, he had a full one hundred thousand Imperial Guards under his command.

A pitched battle should be no problem.

If they could crush the Xirong in a single battle, it would save a lot of trouble down the line.

Moreover, based on the small-scale skirmishes over the past few days, the Imperial Guard held the advantage against the Xirong legions.

Dayong and the Xirong forces had already begun clashing a month ago. However, the Border Army units gathered from various regions had not been allowed to participate; only the Imperial Guard had been sent into battle.

During those fights, the latter held a significant advantage.

"Marshal Xiao, what about the Border Army units that have come from all over?" a commander from the Imperial Guard stepped forward to ask.

His black-scaled armor accentuated his exceptionally burly physique, and his aura was powerful even while standing still. If Lu Yuan were here, he would have realized that although this man was only a Garrison General, his cultivation level was likely even higher than that of the Marquis of Jiuse.

They were truly worthy of being the Imperial Guard; the Border Army simply couldn’t compare.

"Once all the Border Army units have arrived, we expect their numbers to reach three hundred thousand. In one month, they will be deployed at the very front on the Stone Forest Plain, organized by their respective Captain’s Mansions."

"They will be responsible for blocking the first wave of the Xirong attack and attriting their forces as much as possible."

"The Imperial Guard will be held in the rear, and we will strike when the Xirong army is exhausted."

Xiao Heng said in a heavy voice. He knew this would place immense pressure on the Border Army.

But as the saying goes, a kind heart can’t lead an army. He didn’t want to do this, but there was no other way.

The Xirong were too strong. Winning this war without any losses was fundamentally impossible.

"As you command!"

The assembled Garrison Generals below saw nothing wrong with this plan.

This was war. As soldiers, they had all long ago prepared to sacrifice their lives for victory.

Even if one day they were the ones pushed to the front lines for the sake of victory, none of them would complain.

"Good. Then make your preparations. For the time being, increase the frequency of small-scale attacks. That way, in a month, the pressure on the Border Army might be slightly less," Duke Zhenyuan said, then waved his hand to dismiss them.

When he was the only one left in the tent, he couldn’t help but sigh to himself.

’After this battle, who knows how many of these gathered Border Army soldiers will be left.’

Lu Yuan was unaware of this conversation. And even if he had known, he wouldn’t have had a better solution. At a time like this, the only thing he could do was improve his own strength and that of his men as quickly as possible.

「A month passed in the blink of an eye.」

Lu Yuan spent nearly every day focused on his cultivation, while the army under his command practiced their Arrays.

Meanwhile, more and more Border Army units arrived from all over.

On this day, Lu Yuan was in his tent, drinking with a Captain named Li Feng who had also come from the Northern Border.

This man was also one of Hong City’s subordinates, tasked with guarding Qingshi Fortress. His current cultivation was at the Late-stage True Essence realm.

He could be considered quite an expert.

He looked up and said, "Have you heard? The Xirong army has finished gathering. The battle will probably start in the next day or two. Are you confident?"

Lu Yuan had once saved Li Feng’s life, and they had spent a lot of time together over the past month, so the two were now on quite good terms.

"Confident or not, we still have to fight. We’ve come this far; there’s no turning back."

Li Feng nodded and glanced at Lu Yuan. "Good point. We have no choice. But with your strength, your chances of survival are high. If you can kill three times the number of enemies, you can earn another third-class merit. Work hard."

"Duke Zhenyuan will be personally observing this battle. If he takes a liking to you, you’ll be set once you join the Imperial Guard."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "The Imperial Guard’s treatment and equipment are indeed much better than the Border Army’s."

"It’s more than that. The Imperial Guard is also responsible for suppressing sects that defy imperial law, as well as supervising the City Guard and Border Army in various regions. Their jurisdiction is extremely broad."

"The branch of the Imperial Guard led by Duke Zhenyuan is called the Divine Prohibition Army. They are normally responsible for guarding the Imperial City, and the cultivation speed there is incredibly fast."

"That’s why so many people want to join the Imperial City Guard."

Li Feng’s words made Lu Yuan nod. He then said, "If the Imperial Guard is that impressive, it can’t be easy to get in."

"Of course not. An ordinary Centurion from the Border Army might not even qualify to be a common soldier in the Imperial Guard. They don’t just look at strength, but also potential."

"You could say that everyone who enters the Imperial Guard is someone with immense potential. The Marquis of Jiuse once served in the Imperial Guard, but he only ended up as a Border Marquis because his potential was exhausted later on and he came from a common background," Li Feng said in a low voice.

A glint flashed in Lu Yuan’s eyes.

It was unclear what he was thinking. The two of them drank late into the night before Li Feng finally left.

Lu Yuan went to rest as well.

The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, just as he woke...

WOOOO—WOOOO—WOOOO!

A deep, powerful horn blast echoed through the air.

Lu Yuan knew the war had begun. Watching Wei Yong run toward him, he ordered, "Tell the troops to assemble!"

"Yes, sir!"

Wei Yong acknowledged the order and hurried away.

A few moments later, three thousand soldiers were gathered.

Lu Yuan watched the direction the Commander’s Banner was slowly moving and commanded, "March out."

Once the order was given, the grand army began to move forward and assemble.

At the same time, the Imperial Guard also began advancing outside the city. Zhang Zhe was at the rear of the main army, leading his men with a look of high-spirited pride on his face.

Beside him, Bai Hong followed closely. After Zhang Zhe’s grand wedding, Bai Hong had been permanently assigned to his side to act as a strategist and teach him the art of Military Arrays.

Although he felt somewhat helpless about his disciple’s choice to marry into his wife’s family, seeing how far Zhang Zhe had come, he had now come to terms with it.

His own dream was to cultivate a Renowned General. Now that Zhang Zhe was a Captain of the Imperial Guard, he had, at the very least, taken the first step.

After all, among all his past disciples, not a single one had ever managed to join the Imperial Guard.