"Marshal Chu!"
Chen Yu looked at Chu Huaixi, her beautiful eyes filled with deep affection, and said, "For this surprise attack, Lin Zhao, I, and Old Marshal Huang will go. You stay and guard Tianchi Mountain. After all, we can't all leave."
"Why?"
Chu Huaixi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Is Your Highness worried that I, Chu Huaixi, will die in battle?"
"That's not what I meant..."
Chen Yu frowned and looked at Lin Zhao, "Say something!"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao said in a deep voice, "Marshal Chu, the one strategizing in the demon army's tents is likely still Yu Zhi. If she is in command, she might guess that we have this surprise attack, but she can't possibly guess the time and place. So, the initiative is ours. However, the demon race still has a considerable number of troops deployed to our north. If Marshal Chu also leaves, who will preside over the defense of Xueyu Tianchi?"
Old General Huang Tingyu smiled slightly, "You've hit the nail on the head. The demon race has ample troops. It's not difficult for them to attack Yunzhou Iron Cavalry and Xueyu Tianchi simultaneously with a pincer movement. With Marshal Chu here, Xueyu Tianchi can stand. Even a naked child in a small town would understand this logic."
Chu Huaixi couldn't help but laugh, "You all... are you planning a military remonstrance?"
"We dare not!"
Lin Zhao clasped his hands in a salute, "It's just that... we can die, but Marshal Chu cannot. Therefore, Marshal Chu, let me, Sister Chen Yu, and Elder Huang lead the troops into battle."
"Understood."
Chu Huaixi took a deep breath, "Huang Tingyu, Your Highness, after descending North Mountain... the highest command of the Decisive Battle Camp, Vanguard Camp, and Swift Wind Camp will be Lin Zhao's. You will obey his orders in everything, do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Huang Tingyu and Chen Yu nodded in unison.
Lin Zhao felt a little uneasy, while Liu Ping, Wang Jiang, Ma Feiyu, and others cast envious glances. At this moment, Lin Zhao held a position second only to one person in the Tianchi Army.
There was another important point: Shao Shiyu, as the Palace Marshal, would not be descending North Mountain with the army. She had only dispatched two Wanfu commanders. The seventeen thousand Vermilion Bird Camp cavalry would also obey the command of the Tianchi Army. This meant that Lin Zhao would, in effect, be the commander of twenty thousand cavalry for this expedition!
Early morning.
A group of heavy cavalry marched mightily towards North Mountain. Lin Zhao summoned both Vermilion Bird Camp Wanfu commanders to his side and explained how the battle should be fought. The three camps of the Tianchi Army would act as the sharp edge, at the very front of the entire cavalry formation. The Decisive Battle Camp would be the sharpest of the sharp. As for the seventeen thousand men of the Vermilion Bird Camp, they would be divided into two parts, serving as the left and right flanks, advancing, flanking, and retreating alongside the Decisive Battle Camp, Vanguard Camp, and Swift Wind Camp.
North of the small town.
Twenty thousand cavalry passed by, attracting the attention of many early risers. In the morning light, Zhang Liucheng, carrying his book bag, was among the crowd. He stood on the railing of a stone bridge, shading his eyes with one hand as he watched the distant cavalry. Suddenly, he spotted a person in armor, with two swords on his back, riding a white horse among the crowd. It was Lin Zhao.
"Ah?"
Zhang Liucheng exclaimed in surprise, "So what my parents said is true. Lin Zhao is already a high-ranking official in the army... I also heard he's already a seventh-realm martial artist. What should I do? Such a Lin Zhao... isn't suitable to be my lackey anymore. How about... I go talk to him and ask to be his lackey again?"
The young man was dejected. He looked at his book bag and muttered to himself, "I really want to learn swordsmanship. To become a sword immortal in the sky, killing demons and vanquishing monsters, what a satisfying life that would be. What's the use of me reading these books? Can the principles in books kill demons? I don't think so. Can the teacher's smooth talk kill a great demon above the fifth realm? Absolutely not..."
...
Northern Battlefield.
Snow stretched to the horizon. Amidst the flying snowflakes, Wuhou Yue Hao, holding a blood-stained steel spear, frowned as he looked at a demon army tent ahead, surrounded by a group of Wanfu commanders. He said sternly, "Deploy another three thousand cavalry to charge together. We must take this demon army tent!"
"Your Excellency!"
A Wanfu commander with blood on his lips said in a deep voice, "We have penetrated too deep... This is the seventh demon army tent. The brothers are truly... hungry and tired, and the warhorses have not been able to rest or be supplied. We can barely charge anymore!"
"I know."
Yue Hao frowned. "What's the situation with the Ningzhou armor and Yanzhou armor? They are escorting the grain and grass. Once they arrive, the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry can rotate out for supplies and a brief rest."
"They should arrive in about half a day."
"Mm!"
Just then, a scout on a swift horse galloped over and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, a large number of demon cavalry have been spotted to our northeast. The number is unknown. It appears to be the main force of the demon race!"
"Demon race?"
Yue Hao frowned and smiled faintly, "They have finally appeared... I knew it. The demon race reinforcing the demon race only proves that the demons are on the verge of collapse. Immediately issue an order: Lin Wuyang, Li Xuanji, Ning Ze, Wen Tingwan, and Zhou Congyu's forces will continue to fiercely attack the demon army tent. Li Ji and Luo Chong's two divisions will move entirely east to engage the demon race, constructing a barrier to the northeast of the battlefield. Do not allow the demon army to cross the line!"
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
A gaunt strategist frowned and said, "Your Excellency..."
"Mm?"
Wuhou Yue Hao looked at him and asked with a smile, "Sir, what is it?"
The strategist's expression was grave. "We have penetrated too far as an isolated force... The situation is extremely unfavorable to us now. Once the demon cavalry are mobilized, the forces of the two provincial governors, Li Ji and Luo Chong, will not be able to hold them off for long. If the demon army tent at this time detaches a portion of its forces to raid from the south, cutting off our connection with the Ningzhou and Yanzhou armors, what shall we do?"
He gritted his teeth and said, "I request Your Excellency to immediately issue an order to fight and retreat, gradually withdrawing, and rendezvous with the forty thousand armors, grain, and supplies. The opportune moment for a surprise attack has passed. We cannot continue to fight."
"Can we escape?"
Yue Hao pointed forward and said with a bitter smile, "Sir, look. The enemy and our forces have already become entangled. If I were to order a retreat now, how many Yunzhou sons would die in vain under the demons' powerful bows and crossbows? If our Yunzhou Iron Cavalry must die, it will be with arrows in the chest, not arrows in the back!"
The strategist sighed, "Then please grant me three thousand soldiers, and I will personally lead the troops to intercept any approaching demon forces."
"Mm!"
After a short while, the strategist led three thousand cavalry to flank the southern rear. The moment they appeared in the snowy forest, countless demon soldiers swarmed from all sides.
"Repel them!"
The strategist raised his hand and pointed, shouting, "Attendant cultivators, form ranks!"
As a result, before several mid-fifth-realm cultivators could even make a move, a pure white sword energy descended from the sky. With a "shing," it split the strategist's body in two. Then, with another sword strike, the attendant cultivators' bodies exploded into bloody mist. The three thousand cavalry felt a chill in their hearts. Facing such an existence, how could they fight?
In the air, a white-haired old ape carried a sword on his back, holding another sword in his hand, his expression cold.
Bai Lan, a thirteenth-realm sword cultivator.
In the jungle, the great demon Yu Zhi rode a fiery red warhorse. She wore a red robe, which formed a stark contrast with the icy, snowy surroundings. Looking at the sea of blood ahead, she curled her lips and smiled, "Lord Bai Lan has excellent swordsmanship. I wonder, if Your Lordship were to go alone to the central army of the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry, could you bring back Yue Hao's head?"
"No hurry."
Bai Lan smiled faintly, "Just a human martial artist at the Tianyuan realm. I'm not saying I haven't killed one before."
...
At noon, the two provincial governors of the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry engaged hundreds of thousands of demon troops, and the two sides became locked in a fierce struggle.
In the afternoon, Yu Zhi personally led the demon forces from two army tents and cut into the south of the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry, severing their retreat route and also blocking the path of the forty thousand armors.
In the jungle, as a group of heavily armored human soldiers transported grain, supplies, and equipment to the northern border, they were met with a rain of arrows. The demons had already set up heavy ambushes in the jungle.
"My Lord, be careful!"
A Qianfu commander raised his shield and stood in front of Han Shanyi of Yanzhou.
"This is not good..."
Han Shanyi hastily turned around and looked at Qin Yiran not far away, shouting, "What should we do? The demon army is already between us and the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry!"
"Kill them!"
Qin Yiran drew his sword and roared, "We are only ten li away from the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry. Kill all these demons. If we cannot pass, then the fifty thousand Yunzhou Iron Cavalry will be finished!"
The armored soldiers had been marching for two days and two nights. They were tired and weary, but at this moment, their eyes were still bloodshot. They held their shields and sabers and charged forward. Waiting for them were countless demon soldiers who had the advantage of position.
...
West of the battlefield.
The heavy sound of horse hooves broke the tranquility of the jungle. Lin Zhao, leading twenty thousand cavalry, finally arrived. From a distance, a demon army tent was in sight. It was a relatively lagging army tent. More than half of the demon soldiers in the tent had already been dispatched by Yu Zhi to intercept the human forty thousand armors, leaving behind a weaker contingent.
"Charge!"
Lin Zhao directly drew his steel sword and led his men into the army tent without hesitation. With each sword stroke, strands of sword energy shot out. Essentially, demon soldiers below the third realm would die upon encountering Lin Zhao's sword energy. As for the higher-cultivation demons, Lin Zhao dealt with them with his fists. A punch from a seventh-realm martial artist with the courage of a war god could severely injure even a seventh-realm demon!
On the flanks, the two seventh-realm sword cultivator Baihu commanders, Zhu Zhi and Luo Yang, continuously struck with their swords, their sword energies weaving and killing among the demon soldiers. Mu Zha, Zhu Zhi, and other martial artists swung their swords and hacked, their strength formidable.
"Old Huang!"
Lin Zhao shouted, "Just focus on hacking at the higher-cultivation demons in the tent!"
"I know! Do I need you to tell me?!"
Huang Tingyu suddenly drew his sword, and a beam of sword light shot out, decapitating an eighth-realm demon cultivator. Then, with a thrust of his blade, another beam of sword light shattered the golden core of a Xinghe-realm demon cultivator. At this point, Lin Zhao no longer doubted Huang Tingyu's identity as a sword immortal. If he were not a sword immortal, how could he kill a Xinghe-realm cultivator with a single sword strike?
On the two wings, the two female Wanfu commanders of the Vermilion Bird Camp led their troops in a swift advance. The fiery red sword edges of the Vermilion Bird Camp cavalry continuously flashed within the army tent. The twenty thousand cavalry moved as if through an empty land, their sharp blades crushing everything in their path!
...
In the distance, Xueyu Tianchi.
On the observation tower, Chu Huaixi strained his true qi but could not see the distant battlefield clearly. However, he could feel the trembling of the earth and perceive the distant chaotic battle.
Regardless of victory or defeat, this battle was destined to shake the world.
Chu Huaixi laughed heartily and said, "Our Great Chen Dynasty has not been absent from this world-shaking battle. It is truly wonderful!"