“Thank you, Brother Xiao, for letting me ride on your coattails!”
After exiting the tent, Wu Ming bowed with his fists clasped together.
“We’re all brothers, no need for such formalities!”
Xiao Jidu laughed.
In terms of rank, he was merely a deputy ninth-grade officer, even lower than Wu Ming. Yet sometimes, such calculations didn’t matter.
Xiao Jidu was a personal guard serving Commander Liu Jie day and night, enjoying a close relationship and deep trust from him.
Liu Jie, in turn, was the commander of Xinshan Commandery, two ranks and four levels above the commander of Jin Gang, a gap as wide as a chasm.
If one offended Xiao Jidu, he could easily cause endless trouble by simply lodging a complaint.
“However, this person seems to have taken a particular dislike to you. Should I arrange a transfer for you?” Xiao Jidu asked in a hushed tone.
“No need!”
Recalling the earlier meeting, Wu Ming merely smiled coldly.
Where did an officer’s fortune come from? Partly from the rank bestowed by superiors, and partly from contributions by subordinates.
Earlier, he had observed the commander’s aura, which was merely average.
In fact, as a direct superior, the commander had to channel some of his fortune to Wu Ming daily.
Yet Wu Ming possessed Daoist techniques for self-defense, oral formulas to lock in fortune, and paid no tribute at all!
Under such circumstances, it was only natural for the commander to resent him!
If this situation continued, with Wu Ming’s constant draining of the commander’s fortune, the Jin Gang force of one hundred would soon be reduced by half, unable to replenish, and its fortune would soon collapse.
In other words, this person was bound to suffer a major setback sooner or later, and that would be Wu Ming’s opportunity.
…
With imperial forces approaching, Li Rubi was not one to wait passively. Without waiting for the provincial and prefectural troops to assemble, he launched an offensive himself, dispatching the Xinshan, Lianshan, and Nushan commands to attack the Zhen Ding Prefecture.
This prefecture was the gateway to the provincial capital. Once captured, the path to Caizhou would be wide open and unimpeded.
“Quickly! Keep up, don’t fall behind!”
As the army marched forward, Wu Ming looked at the endless sea of soldiers and the banners blotting out the sky, his eyes flashing with an unusual gleam: “Now is indeed a good opportunity. The imperial generals and elite troops have not yet arrived. If we capture the provincial capital and establish a fait accompli, we could carve out a domain of our own, gain momentum, and officially declare ourselves kings!… Of course, Li Rubi must be in a tight spot to deploy the Xinshan command, which is responsible for training new recruits and conscripts…”
At this time, the three commands of Xinshan, Lianshan, and Nushan together numbered over five thousand troops, stretching endlessly. They swept through several small counties that surrendered without a fight, eventually arriving at the plains outside Zhen Ding Prefecture and setting up their battle formation.
Wu Ming opened his spiritual eyes and saw the black and red battle auras rising to the heavens from the army camp. From the city ahead, martial energies also gathered thickly, causing his eyes to twitch involuntarily.
“It’s said that the city’s defender is Cao Du, the governor’s nephew. He’s brave but impulsive, with a bad temper. Although he commands five thousand provincial troops, still…”
“Report!”
At this moment, Zhong Ting approached with a report: “The Commander-in-Chief has summoned all the regiment commanders and company captains for a strategy meeting. The battle formation has been decided! Here is the company captain’s order!”
He immediately handed a scroll to Wu Ming.
Wu Ming hastily opened it and sneered: “He wants me to be the vanguard? Indeed, his wolfish ambitions are no longer concealed!”
In the perilous nature of warfare, the vanguard often suffered losses of thirty to fifty percent.
Yet to defy orders was unthinkable, as it would invite immediate execution under martial law.
“Corporal, what should we do?”
Zhong Ting, now sharing Wu Ming’s fate, asked anxiously.
“Just follow orders. I assure you all, this time we will not only be safe but may even earn promotions and honors!”
This morning, he had observed the fortune of Jin Gang and found it already overshadowed by dark clouds, its foundation shaken.
When fortune manifests, it always has a basis and does not happen overnight but rather amplifies or diminishes certain possibilities to extremes.
For example, Zhong Ting, Niu Yong, He Zihai, and others were people with fortune. Their chances of encountering misfortune on the battlefield were slightly lower than those of ordinary soldiers.
With their fortune, Wu Ming could also gain protection.
But Jin Gang’s own fortune was already in decline. If he had stayed in a cellar at home and avoided all matters, perhaps there would still be a glimmer of hope. Yet now he had come to the battlefield—wasn’t that courting death?
…
“How dare that brat humiliate me like this?”
Meanwhile, on the city wall, Cao Du looked at the pile of women’s clothes sent by the rebels. Although he knew it was a provocation, he still became furious beyond control: “Bring me my troops! I will march out and settle this once and for all!”
“That must not be done!”
A scholar beside him, his chief strategist, quickly advised: “The governor’s orders were for you to hold the city at all costs. Once General Wang Xuanfan of the imperial forces arrives, it’s said he is the true incarnation of the Martial Star, commanding six thousand elite troops capable of quelling the rebellion. At that time, you will have achieved a great feat…”
Under normal circumstances, Cao Du might have endured it, but seeing the pile of colorful clothes with the scent of perfume, his anger surged uncontrollably: “Get out of my sight! I swear I won’t be a man if I don’t kill this villain today!”
With a sweep of his hand, the strategist was thrown out and hit his head against the wall, blood gushing out like a spring.
“Are you not obeying orders yet?”
Seeing the fate of his trusted advisor, the subordinates immediately dared not disobey.
Moments later, the city gates opened, and Cao Du personally led his troops surging out, forming a battle array on the plains.
“By the decree of heaven, we shall punish the rebels!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
…
Tens of thousands faced off, their martial and bloodthirsty energies rising to the heavens, almost forming a dark cloud, exuding an overwhelming pressure.
“Haha, He Zihai, are you afraid?”
Wu Ming’s unit was positioned at the vanguard, and with a mere glance, one could see the enemy’s long spears and large halberds. Zhong Ting, Niu Yong, and several squad leaders all wore serious expressions, while He Zihai’s face was pale, his body trembling, though he managed to stand straight and gritted his teeth:
“Dying for the commander is a worthy death!”
“Excellent!”
This attitude earned nods not only from Wu Ming but also from Zhong Ting and the others, who began to see this scholar in a new light, recognizing his courage.
“Still, I can assure you all that in this great battle, we will achieve merit without suffering much loss…”
Wu Ming smiled, raising his gaze upward.
In the void above, two streams of red and black battle auras rose to the heavens, clashing fiercely.
Even on the battlefield, two connected starry fields suddenly shone brightly, revealing numerous ominous stars, each emitting light and entangling with their counterparts, as if testing and battling each other.
“Although Cao Du’s army’s martial aura is slightly weaker, it still has the strength to fight. Moreover…”
Looking at several stars in the enemy’s constellation, Wu Ming’s eyes flickered.
After a brief standoff, Cao Du could no longer contain himself and struck first:
“Beat the drums!”
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The deep, penetrating drumbeats echoed across the battlefield.
“Advance! Advance!! Advance!!!”
From the enemy ranks, the spear infantry initially surged forward, raising their spears under the urging of squad leaders and platoon commanders, marching in unison like a steel tide.
In ancient times, due to the difficulty in transmitting orders, soldiers advanced upon hearing the drums and retreated upon hearing the cymbals—these were strict orders that could not be disobeyed, for doing so would result in immediate execution by the military judge.
“Kill!”
Commander Liu Jie and several other commanders-in-chief issued their commands simultaneously.
As the drumbeats rang out, Wu Ming and others drew their long sabers, fixing their gaze on the approaching spear formation. On both sides, archers bent their bows, their arms steady as if cast in steel.
The two armies drew closer.
Three hundred paces!
Two hundred paces!
One hundred paces!
“Fire!!!”
Finally, with a roar from the commanding officer, the archers released their bowstrings, and a hail of arrows, like a dark cloud, rained down.
The archers shouted and fired in three volleys, after which even the strongest had to retreat due to exhaustion.
Shield bearers raised their wooden shields reinforced with iron, thick and sturdy, facing the arrow storm. The sound of arrows striking shields was continuous, with unlucky soldiers occasionally falling wounded.
“Kill!”
Soldiers from both sides charged through the arrow storm, biting down on their knives, suddenly launching a full-scale assault.
Peng!
The two steel tides crashed into each other violently, their martial prowess, bloodthirsty energy, and even their fortunes burning fiercely, bursting into the most brilliant splendor!
“Kill!”
Wu Ming commanded his small unit, three soldiers per group, cutting down the enemy.
Since his subordinates were nearly as elite as the personal guards, and Zhong Ting, Niu Yong, and others were capable of becoming great generals, they still had some energy to observe the surrounding battlefield.
“What a formidable martial aura and fierce killing intent! Such terrifying bloody light… even a mage’s spells would be greatly weakened!”
Feeling the waves of bloodthirsty energy and martial might crashing against him, suppressing his spiritual power, Wu Ming couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Even he, having joined the Jiushan Army and possessing a permit for spellcasting, had been reduced to this state. Ordinary cultivators on the battlefield would likely find their abilities completely nullified.
The cries of battle, the screams of the wounded, and the clang of weapons filled the air.
But Wu Ming sensed something unusual.
On both sides of the battlefield, the ground trembled as cavalry galloped, their hooves pounding the earth.
“Break the enemy’s cavalry! Charge!”
Cao Du, commanding from the center, issued the order.
A cavalry unit numbering in the hundreds surged forward, bypassing the main formation to strike the flank of the Jiushan Army.
“Cavalry, engage!”
Liu Jie gave the command, and from the Jiushan Army, a cavalry unit also charged forth. Two black torrents, with warhorses neighing fiercely, collided head-on.
“Break the enemy!”
At this moment, a cavalry commander from Cao’s forces roared, a dazzling starlight radiating from his body.
Weng!
In the celestial expanse, a star, more than twice the size of ordinary ominous stars and radiating sharp brilliance, suddenly appeared. A surge of stellar energy transformed into a long spear descending from the heavens.
The Breaker Star!
One bearing this stellar fate was destined to be an extraordinary general, capable of terrifying even the mightiest armies!
“Break the enemy! Break the enemy!”
The cavalry behind the commander roared in unison, their individual starlights merging into one. The hundreds of cavalrymen seemed to coalesce into a single terrifying spear, cutting through the Jiushan cavalry like a hot knife through butter.
“A Breaker’s secondary fate? And martial arts techniques as well?”
Liu Jie’s expression turned extremely grim.
The deputy star’s destiny had surpassed both the stage of starlight enveloping the body and the manifestation of one’s own star. This individual possessed the qualifications to vie for the true Breaker’s fate!
The intensity of the starlight radiating from this person was at least ten percent of that of a true Breaker!
“Left flank, heed my command! Slay this man at all costs!”
Cold sweat broke out on Liu Jie’s back. He knew that if this cavalry commander broke through the flank of the main army and the enemy infantry surged forward, the Jiushan Army would face a catastrophic defeat in an instant!
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