In the dead of night, the cold wind howled, and a heavy snow fell upon the northern region.
...
Inside the main hall of Gu Xia Guan, a brazier blazed, the firewood crackling and sending sparks flying. Two pots of wine were warming nearby. Further away, a massive sand table depicted the region north of Gu Xia Guan, belonging to the Rock Army. Standing beside it, the Grand Marshal Lin Ruo, his expression grave, was next to Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao, with one hand on the sand table, was meticulously studying the terrain north of Gu Xia Guan, countless details and ideas constantly replaying in his mind.
Lin Ruo remained silent, not disturbing Lin Zhao's thoughts. The Rock Army's decision to march north and engage the enemy was final, and entirely out of his hands. Therefore, the only thing he could do now was to fight this seemingly unwinnable war as well as possible, minimizing their losses.
In fact, Lin Ruo's Rock Army had many strategists and advisors, but he had dismissed them all. In Lin Ruo's heart, all the strategists and advisors in the world combined were not as valuable as one Lin Baiyi.
After a long while, Lin Ruo picked up a pot of warmed wine and placed it on the sand table, asking, "How is it coming along?"
"The threads are not yet fully disentangled."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, grabbed the wine pot, and took a large gulp of the warm liquor. He turned to face Lin Ruo and said, "The disparity in strength is huge, and we only have one night to prepare. You need to be mentally prepared; this battle to the north is bound to be a defeat. All we can do is make this defeat look a little better and try to minimize the casualties for both the Rock Army and the Snow Domain Legion."
"Lin Zhao..."
Lin Ruo's expression was complex. "You didn't need to get involved. I wouldn't want to drag your Snow Domain Heavenly Pond down because of my own reasons."
"It's necessary."
Lin Zhao frowned. "If our Snow Domain Heavenly Pond cavalry doesn't enter the battlefield, the eventual fate of your 150,000 Rock Army will likely be complete annihilation. Marching north alone against a superior force, even if Shi Jun Gang were stupid, he wouldn't pass up such an opportunity. When the Rock Army and the Ji Han Legion leave Gu Xia Guan, Shi Jun Gang will dispatch heavy troops to flank you, cutting off your retreat. The terrain north of Gu Xia Guan is largely forest and plains, the domain of demon cavalry. Forgive my bluntness, but the Rock Army and the Ji Han Legion combined wouldn't be enough to contend."
"..."
Lin Ruo also understood the severity of the situation and sighed. "If it truly results in a devastating defeat, then it is I, Lin Ruo, who has implicated Lin Baiyi. The fault will not be yours."
"It may not be a devastating defeat."
Lin Zhao gently patted Lin Ruo's shoulder and smiled. "You are marching north tomorrow at noon, so we don't have much time to plan. I have been carefully studying the terrain around Qiu Feng Plain, and I can provide the Rock Army with a set of attack and defensive routes. Listen to me, and if you find it makes sense, adopt it. If not, you can devise another plan."
"Mm!"
Lin Ruo nodded. "You speak!"
"The Rock Army is a force skilled in defense. Their spear formations, shield formations, and archer formations are among the finest in the Great Shang Dynasty. Therefore, since the Rock Army has decided to march north, they must immediately enter the intended positions and adopt a defensive posture, waiting for the demon race to attack. This is crucial."
Lin Zhao's fingertip landed on a mountainous forest area in the central part of Qiu Feng Plain. "There is a Cui Yu Mountain here, stretching from east to west for ten li. It is a divinely gifted barrier. The demon and devil races cannot attack from the north of Cui Yu Mountain. To the south of Cui Yu Mountain is a valley region, suitable for infantry operations. Five li further south is Que Yu Lake, another natural barrier. The demon race has no warships and is not adept at naval combat, and the devil cavalry certainly cannot fight in the water. Therefore, the area between Cui Yu Mountain and Que Yu Lake is a divinely gifted battlefield for the Rock Army. As long as you enter this battlefield in advance and dispatch heavy troops to seal the eastern and western exits, you can leverage the Rock Army's inherent advantages."
"..."
Lin Ruo listened as if he had been enlightened. He was also a renowned general of his time, but his ability to grasp battlefields and terrain was clearly still a distance from Lin Zhao's.
"Time is pressing."
Lin Zhao continued, "You announced to the soldiers of the Rock Army that you would depart at noon tomorrow, so you cannot truly wait until then. News from the Rock Army cannot be kept entirely secret. Therefore, provisions should depart before dawn. Transport all provisions and supplies to the predetermined battlefield, and then dispatch heavy troops to guard the eastern and western exits of the battlefield, first establishing yourselves in an unassailable position."
"Mm."
Lin Ruo nodded. "What about the Ji Han Legion?"
"You cannot command the Ji Han Legion."
Lin Zhao said indifferently, "Wang Ling is Li Chunyang's subordinate and will not obey your command. However, you can send a Flying Fish missive to Wang Ling, asking him to set up defenses in the eastern forest of Cui Yu Mountain to intercept the devil army. The combat effectiveness of the devil cavalry in the mountains is reduced by at least thirty percent. This is also the best arrangement for the Ji Han Legion."
"Understood."
Lin Ruo stated, "With this arrangement, your Snow Domain Legion should not be deployed."
"I cannot help but deploy..."
Lin Zhao frowned, his eyes fixed on the sand table. "It sounds good when you say the Rock Army seizes advantageous terrain and attacks by defending. But to put it crudely, you are also shutting yourselves in a living coffin. Once Shi Jun Gang and Yu Feng order a siege without attack, the Rock Army will surely exhaust its provisions and supplies and be annihilated. Therefore, the purpose of the Snow Domain Legion's deployment is to muddy the waters, to confuse Shi Jun Gang's judgment. I will personally lead the Snow Domain Legion in repeated charges on the eastern and western sides south of Cui Yu Mountain. It will be enough if you deploy some archers on the mountain to support our Snow Domain cavalry."
"Mm."
Lin Ruo's expression was somewhat complicated as he looked at this kinsman. "Lin Zhao, why must you wade into this murky water?"
"I cannot just watch you die, can I?"
Lin Zhao looked at him. "You don't need to worry too much about me. Our Snow Domain Legion now has two twelfth-realm sword immortals and three Heavenly Origin martial experts. While our numbers may not compare to the Rock Army, our combat power may not be weaker than yours."
"Understood."
Lin Ruo said in a deep voice, "I will order the provisions and supplies to depart immediately. At dawn, the main force of the Rock Army will secretly march north and seize the advantageous terrain of Cui Yu Mountain as quickly as possible."
"I should also return to make arrangements. We will meet again on the battlefield."
Lin Zhao tilted his head back and drank another mouthful of wine, smiling. "The wine of your Rock Army is truly not good."
Lin Ruo laughed heartily. "If we survive this battle, when we go to White Emperor City in the future, I will treat you to the finest wine there!"
"Alright, you said it."
Lin Zhao cupped his fists and smiled, then flew away from Gu Xia Guan. Lin Ruo watched the back of his kinsman, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Lin Zhao didn't need to be involved in the conflict at Gu Xia Guan, yet he had come.
...
At Snow Domain Heavenly Pond, as dawn broke.
Smoke rose from the camps, and various units began preparing meals. Flatbreads were being cooked one after another. They didn't know when they would return from this eastward expedition, so bringing more food was always a good idea. Besides food for the people, all the cavalrymen were also bundling fodder for their warhorses. Thick bundles of hay were hung on both sides of the horses. At the same time, the cavalrymen were drawing large quantities of soybeans from the supply depot, not for human consumption, but for feeding the horses. Long-distance expeditions consumed a great deal of stamina from warhorses, especially in the hours before a charge. Feeding warhorses with fine grain would allow them to maintain their stamina for longer.
"My lord, the count is done."
Mu Zuo, clad in armor, held his helmet under his arm and said respectfully, "Half of the cavalrymen who were out on garrison duty have returned. Currently, there are about thirty thousand cavalry ready to descend from Snow Domain Heavenly Pond."
"Thirty thousand..."
Lin Zhao frowned. "That's about right. After the cavalry goes into battle, Old Huang, Mu Zuo, Chen Ben, and Xu Sheng, the four of you will be responsible for leading the charges and breakthroughs."
"Yes, Commander Lin!"
The four generals saluted in unison.
"Shu Zhi, Tang Guangjun."
Lin Zhao looked at the other two great sword immortals.
"My lord!"
"Mountain Lord!"
The two nodded in unison.
Lin Zhao took a deep breath. "The Flood Dragon Boat will accompany us into battle. The two of you will unleash your swords from the Flood Dragon Boat. The task of protecting the entire battlefield will be entrusted to you. Wherever there is a need for support, you will pilot the Flood Dragon Boat there. At the same time, you must be vigilant against sneak attacks from the upper fifth-realm of the demon race. With the two of you at the twelfth-realm and a Flood Dragon Boat, even two thirteenth-realm attackers should be manageable, right?"
"We can hold them off!"
The two nodded.
"Good."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly. "Tang Guangjun."
"Mountain Lord..."
Tang Guangjun trembled. The careless twelfth-realm military strategist quickly cupped his fists. "Tang Guangjun awaits your command!"
Lin Zhao smiled. "You need to put in more effort. After all, in this battle, you are not just contributing to our Snow Domain Heavenly Pond, but to the entire human race. Previously, Third Brother said your state of mind was poor, and I agree. The reason I think your state of mind is poor is that Tang Guangjun, in everything, only thinks of yourself. As long as 'I' have a high enough realm, nothing else matters. These are what you pursue, but I don't think this is truly right. Conversely, there should be righteousness in one's heart. Therefore, I hope that this time, you, Tang Guangjun, will draw your sword for the righteousness of the world."
"Righteousness..."
Tang Guangjun frowned. "Yes, Mountain Lord, I have remembered!"
"After the battle, upon our return, I will grant you the title of a subordinate elder of the Peak Villa." Lin Zhao said with a smile.
"Ah?!"
Tang Guangjun was overjoyed. "Thank you, Mountain Lord!"
But immediately, he fidgeted and said, "Mountain Lord, actually, you shouldn't say this now. You should say it after the battle. After all, in those romantic novels and legends of the martial world, it's generally said that whoever makes such a promise is destined not to survive the campaign. With you saying this, my life is forfeit..."
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao raised an eyebrow and looked at him, a smile on his face.
Tang Guangjun's heart sank. That smile was too terrifying. When such a handsome and elegant sword cultivator like the Mountain Lord smiled like this, it felt as terrifying as a fourteenth-realm great demon. He quickly lowered his head, daring not to say anything more.
...
Just then, Lin Xingchu's voice echoed in Lin Zhao's Sea of Consciousness. "Xiao Zhao, come to Xi Jian Jiang?"
"Coming!"
Lin Zhao's heart stirred. In fact, he had already intended to go.