In the south, on the Central Plains continent, the Great Shang Dynasty.
Jizhou, the imperial capital of the Great Shang Dynasty, White Emperor City.
...
A bright moon hung high in the sky. The imperial city was somewhat desolate. A general in armor, holding the hilt of his sword, walked under the moonlight with only a few guards. His steps were steady as he arrived before the Hall of Virtuous Governance and knelt on one knee, cupping his fists and saying in a deep voice, "Marquis of War, Yue Hao, requests an audience with His Majesty!"
A royal guard in golden armor stepped forward and said respectfully, "My Lord, His Majesty is already resting. Perhaps... you could return tomorrow?"
"I have urgent military intelligence!"
The Marquis of War, with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, said, "I must see His Majesty. Tonight!"
"This..."
The royal guard looked troubled. "His Majesty decreed before sleeping that no one should disturb him. My Lord, perhaps you could..."
The Marquis of War immediately cupped his fists again, his fists clashing like thunder. The imposing presence of an eleventh-realm Tian Yuan realm warrior was fierce. He said in a deep voice, "Your subject, Yue Hao, requests an audience with His Majesty!"
"My Lord, you..."
A group of royal guards were extremely anxious, fearing they would be implicated by this fiery Marquis.
"Your Majesty!"
Yue Hao said again in a deep voice, "The northern military situation is extremely urgent. Your subject requests an audience with Your Majesty!"
Just then, the palace doors creaked open, and a middle-aged man in golden sleepwear walked out. He was dignified and naturally imposing, exuding a kingly aura. He walked directly to the front of the hall and sat down on the snow-covered golden steps, frowning, "Marquis of War, oh Marquis of War, disturbing my sleep in the middle of the night, what is it?"
Yue Hao quickly cupped his fists and knelt, "Your subject was reckless. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
"Very well!"
The Emperor of the Great Shang waved his sleeve and said with a smile, "Tell me, what is it that has you so anxious to enter the palace? It must be no small matter, right?"
"Your Majesty is wise."
Yue Hao stood up and said, "We just received a flying fish dispatch from a desperate scout who risked his life. Within the last half a month, the four northern tribes have been secretly dispatching legions south. Furthermore, dozens, even hundreds, of powerful demon, devil, and ghost clan cultivators from the upper five realms have left their lairs. All signs indicate that the northern four tribes, led by the demon clan, are about to launch a forceful attack on the Snow Region Heavenly Lake."
"Oh?"
The Emperor narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Can Chu Huaixi hold them off?"
"He definitely cannot."
Yue Hao said solemnly, "The total strength of the Heavenly Lake Army is less than ten thousand. Even with reinforcements from some of the six Great Commanders, the troop strength at Snow Region Heavenly Lake will not exceed fifty thousand. Once the four northern tribes' armies press in, the Heavenly Lake Ridge will not be able to hold for even three days."
"I understand."
The Emperor frowned, "What are your thoughts, Marquis of War?"
Yue Hao slowly stepped forward, signaled for all the guards to withdraw, and then respectfully cupped his fists, "A surprise attack!"
"A surprise attack?"
The Emperor was surprised. "The absolute strength of the four northern tribes far surpasses ours. A surprise attack at this time is like a moth flying into a flame, is it not?"
"It is different!"
Yue Hao said solemnly, "His Majesty thinks this way, and the demon clan will also think this way. Based on my observations over the years, the demon clan armies are adept at offense and plunder but not at defense. The demon clan does not even have a single decent city. If we launch a surprise attack first, the effect will certainly be better than passively defending!"
"I understand."
The Emperor pondered for a long time and then looked up at the other man, "How does the Marquis of War plan to launch this surprise attack?"
Yue Hao cupped his fists, "We will draw troops from the three northern prefectures. We will dispatch five hundred thousand Cloud Prefecture cavalry from Cloud Prefecture, two hundred thousand Cloud Prefecture armored soldiers from Yan Prefecture, and another two hundred thousand Ning Prefecture armored soldiers from Ning Prefecture. They will gather south of the Fusuo Great Wall as quickly as possible, then march out from Guyao Pass, bypass the demon clan's vanguard, and strike directly at their main force, crushing the demon clan's main army in one fell swoop. Once the demon clan is defeated, the devil clan, ghost clan, and those mischievous spirits will be nothing to fear!"
"This way..."
The Emperor mused for a moment and then said, "This matter needs to be discussed with the Marquis of Literature!"
"Your Majesty!"
Yue Hao gritted his teeth, "The Marquis of Literature and I have different views. We have been at loggerheads in court for a long time. If Your Majesty discusses this with the Marquis of Literature, this surprise attack will again become an empty talk. The reason I only mobilized troops from the three northern prefectures was to bypass the Marquis of Literature. Otherwise, if we added two hundred thousand Liang Prefecture cavalry and two hundred thousand Yu Prefecture cavalry, the demon clan would certainly be terrified and flee for their lives from our Great Shang Dynasty!"
The Emperor frowned and remained silent.
"Your Majesty!"
Yue Hao immediately knelt and said, "I am willing to stake my head on this. If the surprise attack fails, I will not live to set foot on Great Shang's territory again. The demon clan's southward momentum is already so clear. If we follow the Marquis of Literature's strategy of slow and steady defense, it will ultimately be death anyway. Why not take a gamble?"
He frowned, "The Marquis of Literature comes from a scholarly background, but I, Yue Hao, do not. I come from a military background, and our focus is on achieving victory through surprise. If we don't surprise them now, humanity will have no chance of defeating the demon clan! Even if I, Yue Hao, fail, the Marquis of Literature will still have a chance to regroup!"
"Marquis of War..."
The Emperor's expression was filled with helplessness and sorrow. "Do you really... think so?"
"Yes!"
Yue Hao said in a deep voice, "The Lingnan Alliance has always been criticized by the world. Even today, many people point fingers at us, the ministers of the Great Shang, calling us spineless cowards who only know how to appease, never daring to fight the demon clan. I am willing to give my life to prove to those who criticize the Great Shang that there are people in the Great Shang who dare to fight, and who are willing to fight!"
"I understand."
The Emperor took a deep breath. "I approve. The deployment of troops, the provision of supplies, and the attack, all major matters will be decided by the Marquis of War!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The Marquis of War turned and left.
"My dear minister..."
The Emperor looked at his retreating figure. "You're leaving already?"
The Marquis of War did not look back at the Emperor, only slowly raised his fist and said, "I am leaving to fight for the ministers of the Great Shang, and for the human race's world, to win them some dignity!"
...
Snow Region Heavenly Lake.
Living days of abundance, Lin Zhao practiced boxing and swordsmanship. His boxing techniques improved, and the silver sword mud in the Sword Cultivating Lake had been nurtured by the lake into the shape of a sword embryo. This was Lin Zhao's first flying sword, a gift from his second senior sister. The sword embryo was of very high quality, though he couldn't say exactly how high.
Lin Zhao named this flying sword "Mingyue" (Bright Moon), which was very fitting.
Perhaps because of his swordsmanship practice, Lin Zhao's entire demeanor was gradually changing. He exuded a heroic spirit, with only his eyes remaining clear. Coupled with no longer needing to wear ragged clothes, his conversation also changed. His entire aura was undergoing a transformation.
With Baiweixuan in place, he no longer needed to fish. Every day, he would simply practice boxing at home, set up sword stances to warm his sword intent, and when he was tired, he would go inside, summon Mingyue, and use that piece of Qingxin stone to refine his sword. The previously clumsy flying sword began to show its sharpness, becoming increasingly keen and quite impressive.
One day, Lin Zhao was practicing boxing in the courtyard.
A gust of wind brought Huang Tingyu into the courtyard.
"Old Huang!"
Lin Zhao immediately cupped his fists.
"Good, good!"
Huang Tingyu looked at the young martial artist and said with a smile, "Lin Zhao, there is a battle ahead. Commander Chu has ordered me to summon you back to camp. Can you return to the camp before nightfall? Bring whatever you need."
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao immediately cupped his fists, "I'll pack my things now!"
"Good."
Not long after, Lin Zhao packed his belongings, leaving plenty of necessities for Little Stone and Little Jiu'er, telling them not to cook but to eat at Baiweixuan. The third shopkeeper was willing to give him that much face. Thus, at dusk, the young man once again carried his ancient sword and a long sword towards the Heavenly Lake Army camp.
Following Old Huang, he entered Chu Huaixi's command tent.
Chu Huaixi, Chen Yu, as well as Liu Ping, commander of the Breaking Formation Camp, Wang Jiang, commander of the Valiant Might Camp, and Zhang Han, commander of the Broken Blade Camp, were all present.
"Lin Zhao."
Chu Huaixi stood up and said, "Last time, your kill count was quite high. By rights... you should be a captain. However, you are a new recruit and too young to command respect. Therefore, the Rain Princess and I have decided to promote you to a squad leader in the Iron Foot Camp. You will be going down the northern mountain on a mission to engage the enemy."
"Yes, Commander Chu!"
"Old Huang, take him."
"Yes!"
...
Upon arriving at the Iron Foot Camp, Lin Zhao met his nine subordinates, a mix of veterans and new recruits. They were all quite familiar with each other. These men had witnessed Lin Zhao's prowess in punching and killing ghouls last time, so there was no dissent. They all cupped their fists and said, "Greetings, Squad Leader!"
Lin Zhao nodded, "Pack your gear and prepare to depart!"
"Yes!"
The Iron Foot Camp dispatched a total of two hundred men, led by two captains. Below them were ten officers, each commanding fifty soldiers, followed by twenty squad leaders, including Lin Zhao. The military hierarchy was extremely strict, but Lin Zhao felt no discomfort. Being born in Heavenly Lake Ridge meant inevitable battles, so he had long accepted everything.
The next day, the two hundred men arrived at Jiuzhangyuan.
Jiuzhangyuan was a region between the Heavenly Lake Army and the demon and devil clan armies. Since the last major battle, Jiuzhangyuan had effectively become a buffer zone. Today, the demon clan occupied it; tomorrow, the Heavenly Lake Army would reclaim it; the day after, it would be lost to the demon clan again. Both sides exchanged blows, with small-scale battles constantly occurring, as if to prove that neither side had compromised, a tacit understanding between them.
At dusk, Lin Zhao stepped into Jiuzhangyuan.
At this moment, a rider from the Wind Riding Cavalry sped over and said to the captain, "The woods ahead were ours, the Great Chen Dynasty, last night. This morning, they were recaptured by the demon clan. Their numbers are not large, about three hundred demon clan soldiers, none of them with particularly high cultivation. Old Marshal Huang Tingyu has ordered you to retake these woods before nightfall today and open a passage to the flanking hills!"
"Understood!"
...
A captain looked back and said, "Brothers, while it's still light, follow me!"
Everyone raised their shields and long swords and charged forward together.
Lin Zhao observed the terrain ahead. There were woods and hills, forming a general gourd shape. If the two hundred men of the Iron Foot Camp were to charge in, it would be quite crowded. If the demon clan army sent heavy troops to seal the flanks, the two hundred men of the Iron Foot Camp would be in danger.
"Something is not right."
Lin Zhao frowned and approached the captain, saying, "Sir, there might be something tricky in the middle of the demon clan's defensive position. I would like to take some men and push through the middle, to facilitate reinforcements to the flanks. May I?"
"Yes, go ahead!"
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao drew his sword and flipped onto his horse. He said to the group he led, "Follow me, we'll go through the middle."
The young man held his sword and led nine men, heading straight for the narrow part of the gourd. If this wooded terrain were a chessboard, this position would be the heavenly center, facilitating reinforcements and containment.