The next day, snow fell heavily.
The entire northern land of the human race seemed to have returned to the depths of winter. Amidst the falling snow, the figures of countless human armored soldiers appeared in the wilderness hundreds of miles north of the Eastern Wu Kingdom. Wang Jingzhi led the 150,000-strong Lingnan Legion, advancing northward, while 50,000 soldiers from the Border Garrison Legion provided flank cover. Along the way, spirit eagles raised by the accompanying cultivators were released. These spirit eagles soared in the snow, their eyes glowing with an alluring pale blue. Their masters, the accompanying cultivators, rode warhorses, their eyes shrouded in a silver light, using the spirit eagles' vision to survey every movement on the ground.
"Found them!"
A young cultivator at the Golden Core stage opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Sir, the spirit eagles have spotted traces of demon cavalry about ten miles to the northwest. Their numbers are at least over three thousand."
"Hmph!"
Wang Jingzhi's lips curled into a smile. "Even a mosquito's leg is meat. The heads of three thousand demon cavalry are enough for us to brag about in the Ministry of War. Issue an immediate order: the left flank army, with thirty thousand men, will advance rapidly to the southwest. In one hour, I want to see three thousand demon cavalry heads neatly arranged before me."
"Yes, sir!"
The messenger galloped away. Immediately, the 30,000 men of the left flank separated from the main army and charged towards the direction of the demon cavalry.
Not far away, Zhou Yan led 50,000 armored soldiers of the Border Garrison Legion northward. He kept glancing to the sides; many soldiers were coughing violently. This heavy snowfall had come too suddenly, and the Border Garrison Legion soldiers had no time to put on their winter clothes. They were still wearing the soft armor meant for autumn warfare. Many had runny noses from the cold, and the army's equipment and provisions were extremely scarce. It was truly not the time to advance.
He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "My Royal Guard Cavalry, accompany me to the main camp of the Lingnan Legion."
"Yes, sir!"
In the wind and snow, Zhou Yan arrived before Wang Jingzhi, his face weathered by the elements, snow clinging to the cloak of his general's uniform. He wiped his face and said, "General Wang Jingzhi, it is truly not advisable to attack further. Many of my soldiers are suffering from frostbite and illness. Furthermore, we have already fought with the demons, and our dry rations, drinking water, and weapons have not yet been replenished. If the Border Garrison Legion were to engage the elite demon cavalry now, we would likely be nothing but targets for slaughter."
"Oh?"
Wang Jingzhi grinned. "What are you saying, old sir? Are your Border Garrison Legion men afraid of death, and are the brothers of our Lingnan Legion not? We are all born of our parents and have only one head. Who is willing to risk their lives fighting those northern barbarians? But I have the Grand Marshal's writ, ordering us to drive the demon army south of the Washing Sword River. If we are afraid of death, what about the citizens of the Great Shang behind us?"
"I am not afraid of death!"
Zhou Yan gritted his teeth, feeling incredibly stifled. What else could he do? He was also a general of the Great Shang Dynasty, but Zhou Yan was posted to the fringe outside the Fusang Great Wall as a minor general, while Wang Jingzhi was a trusted subordinate of the northern commander. Their ranks were the same, but their status was different. Moreover, the latter had the military order of Li Chunyang, so Zhou Yan could only obey.
"Good that you are not afraid of death!"
Wang Jingzhi sneered. "My left flank army has already gone to engage the demon cavalry. Old sir, please do lead the Border Garrison Legion to stabilize the right flank for the Lingnan Legion. If the demons truly come, we can only fight a bloody battle, with no other choice."
"Yes!"
Zhou Yan cupped his fists and took his leave.
...
About ten miles behind the Lingnan Legion's flank, Lin Zhao and Chu Yu, leading 1,000 Snow Domain cavalry, were also marching through the snow, albeit with great caution. They continuously sent out cavalry soldiers to scout in all directions, ensuring they were aware of enemy positions within dozens of miles at any time.
"Sir."
Chu Yu narrowed his eyes, looking into the distance and dusting snow off his shoulders. "The Lingnan Legion has advanced so far north. It's clear that Wang Jingzhi is seeking merit by advancing rashly, underestimating the 50,000 demon cavalry. What is the point of us following along?"
"Seize the opportunity."
Lin Zhao frowned. "Xu Sheng has many surrendered soldiers from the Eastern Wu Kingdom within the Border Garrison Legion. If a situation arises, we must do our best to provide assistance and rescue Xu Sheng's contingent from the demon cavalry's swords. Afterwards, Xu Sheng will undoubtedly be convinced of our strength. Moreover, Xu Sheng is an elder to Tong Yu, and if he can come to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, our strength will undoubtedly increase significantly."
In fact, there was another reason.
Lin Zhao wanted to train his troops, to make the elite among the 1,000 Snow Domain cavalry even more elite. The levels and attributes of NPCs were displayed with data. The more enemies these Snow Domain cavalry killed, the higher their levels and ranks would become, and the stronger they would be. Six-realm martial artists could advance to Seven-realm martial artists. Lin Zhao, as the commander of the three armies, paid close attention to these subtle changes.
Furthermore, it would also earn him some plot compensation rewards. After all, he hadn't been grinding monsters and leveling up much recently. If he didn't strive for compensation rewards, he might fall behind in level when he met Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, and Ding Chi in the future. As the leader of the alliance, he absolutely could not lose face in terms of level.
Of course, the most important thing was Xu Sheng and his contingent of armored soldiers. If these people came to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, they would be loyal. Secondly, these people were the elite troops of the Eastern Wu Kingdom. They had surrendered after being persuaded by Lin Zhao. In fact, their combat power might even be slightly stronger than the Great Shang cavalry of the Lin Lu Legion, as Xu Sheng was a renowned general, and the troops he led would not be inferior.
...
In the afternoon, the sound of heavy hooves echoed through the snow. By the time the human army reacted, Yu Feng, leading 20,000 demon elite cavalry, charged south from the north like a sharp sword, directly piercing the main camp of the Lingnan Legion. Simultaneously, a deputy general led 10,000 cavalry to charge into the gap between the Lingnan Legion and the Border Garrison Legion. Then, another general led 10,000 cavalry to launch a fierce attack on the Border Garrison Legion from the east.
Flying cavalry delivered reports one by one.
Chu Yu held a map, while Lin Zhao wiped the snow off the map and continuously drew the positions of the Lingnan Legion, the Lin Lu Legion, and the demon cavalry on it. The more he looked, the colder his heart became. "This Yu Feng... is indeed deeply versed in the art of war. He intends to cut the human army into pieces and devour them one by one, starting with the weakest Border Garrison Legion, and then the Lingnan Legion."
Chu Yu pursed her red lips. "So, the 3,000 demon cavalry that appeared in the front left were actually just a diversion, to distract us?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded and said in a deep voice, "Let's go to the rear of the Lin Lu Legion to support Xu Sheng and the others!"
"Mm!"
...
A great battle was unveiled in the sea of snow. Yu Feng personally led 20,000 elite demon cavalry southward, like a precious sword, rapidly slicing through the vanguard camp of the Lingnan Legion. The 30,000-strong vanguard of the Lingnan Legion could not even hold back the demons for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. When Wang Jingzhi was still looking at the map on his horse, the demon cavalry had already appeared in front of him.
"Capture Wang Jingzhi alive!"
A group of demon cavalry roared, their voices like thunder.
"Quick, block them!"
Wang Jingzhi gnashed his teeth, feeling a chill in his heart. He had no intention of drawing his sword to fight. He quickly put away the map, turned his horse, and fled, shouting, "Intercept them, surround these demons, deploy the archer formations and spear formations, and exterminate them! Brothers, glory and wealth are within sight. Each demon head is worth ten Qing Fu coins!"
"Hahahaha~~~"
In the chaotic battle, Yu Feng swung his sword, and nearly a hundred human cavalry, along with their horses, were turned into a rain of blood. This Eleventh-realm demon was practically invincible on this battlefield. Wrapped in Fifth-realm True Qi, he rode his horse, constantly breaking through the ranks of the Lingnan Legion. For a time, it felt as if they were breaking through any obstacle. Nearly 20,000 cavalry directly plunged into the main camp of the Lingnan Legion, their blood staining the snow-covered forest.
On the other side, the old general Zhou Yan led the Border Garrison Legion in a desperate struggle, but their defense line was still breached. The pitiful 50,000-strong army of the Border Garrison Legion could not withstand the fierce attack of a mere 10,000 demon cavalry.
"Old sir, you retreat!"
Xu Sheng, wielding his long sword, led more than 10,000 cavalry forward.
"Be careful!"
As Zhou Yan watched Xu Sheng lead 10,000 cavalry forward, his heart ached. These 10,000 cavalry were the most valuable assets of the Border Garrison Legion, his darlings. Now, for Wang Jingzhi's reckless pursuit of merit, 10,000 cavalry were going to fight 10,000 elite demons. In reality, it was not a fight, as their armor and weapons were far inferior to the enemy's, and they had been starving for half the night. They were essentially throwing their lives away.
The two cavalry formations charged at each other, a brutal clash. Soldiers of Xu Sheng's contingent fell from their horses one after another, while the demons also paid a considerable price. After the initial charge, nearly a thousand cavalrymen were lost!
They did not turn back. Seven to eight thousand cavalry continued forward, literally cutting through the entire Border Garrison Legion!
...
"Hoo!"
The demon deputy general gripped his reins and, after leading his men through the rear of the Border Garrison Legion, was about to turn back to continue the charge when 1,000 human cavalry appeared before him. Judging by their armor, it seemed completely different from that of the Border Garrison Legion. He frowned, deciding not to dwell on it. He pointed his sword forward and shouted, "After we kill them all, we'll go back and attack!"
"Yes, sir!"
Over 7,000 demon cavalry, their horses neighing, charged towards Lin Zhao and his men.
"..."
Lin Zhao's sword eyebrows were tightly knitted. He said in a deep voice to his troops, "Prepare arrows. When they charge over, let loose a volley. We'll shoot as many as we can. When the demon cavalry gets close, turn and run with them!"
"Yes, sir!"
All the Snow Domain cavalry sheath their long swords, hang their spears in the saddlebags on the sides of their warhorses, and then picked up their bows. With a creaking sound, they drew their bows. At Lin Zhao's command, arrows flew like rain, hitting the demon cavalry ranks with a "pitter-patter." Following the second volley, after everyone had finished shooting, Lin Zhao said in a deep voice, "Retreat, create distance, and keep shooting backwards!"
Everyone retreated, while Lin Zhao took out a Zhao Jian Talisman. The moment the demon army charged, he ignited it and threw it straight ahead. Immediately, a surge of sword energy contained within the Zhao Jian Talisman shot out, splitting an entire contingent of demon cavalry and killing over a hundred of them, greatly deterring the enemy's morale.
"Damn it!"
Seeing Lin Zhao and his men retreating, the demon deputy general reined in his horse and said in a deep voice, "Don't mind them. Turn back and attack. Our target is the Border Garrison Legion, not this rabble!"
"Yes, sir!"
...
However, just as the more than 6,000 demon cavalry turned around, Lin Zhao also ordered the Snow Domain cavalry to turn around. They charged forward and unleashed a volley of arrows, causing more demon cavalry to fall.
"These bastards!"
The demon deputy general roared with rage and turned his army back to charge at the thousand Snow Domain cavalry again. Lin Zhao immediately ordered them to run again, and when the enemy turned back, they unleashed another volley to disrupt their actions.
"..."
Chu Yu stared, dumbfounded, and murmured, "Sir, what kind of tactic is this? I've never seen it before..."
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle. This wasn't a tactic at all; it was merely the art of kiting.