Chapter 301

In the end, it was unavoidable...... No matter what grand ambitions Li Mi had, if he couldn't take Luokou Storage, his later plans would amount to wasted effort—of course he still had another option: attack Luoyang. But facing the formidable troops Wang Shichong occupied Luoyang with, even Li Mi lacked confidence; once an opportunity like heavenly timing is missed, it's missed, and not just one or two have started out grandly only to end in a dismal finish.

Bai Lang didn't want to seize the world, so he didn't care, but Li Mi could only hate intensely, slashing the ground with his knife and cursing nonstop. Military advisor Shen Luoyan and General Xu Shiji both found it hard to persuade him—Li Mi had also lost the general Shan Xiongxin, and Shan Xiongxin was likewise a good friend of Xu Shiji. Shen Luoyan couldn't think of any solution either—she was clever and resourceful, able to discuss strategy, arrange tactics, and see through people's hearts, yet facing Bai Lang, who had sprang from a crack in a stone, she was also helpless.

This Bai Lang has no known background, and it's unknown where his abilities come from; attempts to win him over with schemes are useless, and there's no way to find something that could threaten him—if we set up formations to fight him—this person relies solely on brute force, yet he is an unparalleled fierce general; no matter what schemes are used to encircle him, he will likely tear them apart. The so-called Hegemon of Western Chu is nothing more than this; unless there is an ambush on all sides, it's probably impossible to kill him.

This time not only did they lose Shan Xiongxin, but Li Mi's trusted personal guard cavalry was also routed, and this loss is what really hurt the Wagang stronghold. Now Bai Lang is stuck at Luokou Storage, unable to advance or retreat, which is indeed frustrating. Someone proposed, "Attack Xingyang!" Regardless of Bai Lang at Luokou Storage, if we directly capture Xingyang, this person would have no foothold left—he would either become a bandit or flee to other Sui generals—either way, there is at least a sixty to seventy percent chance he would no longer stand in Li Mi's way.

But this idea was directly refuted by Shen Luoyan, and Li Mi also didn't think highly of it—regardless of whether their main force could take the city in one go as long as Bai Lang follows behind and fights, it looks like the whole army will collapse again. As for field battles contending with this White Tiger Star Lord, Li Mi also no longer thinks highly of it; if Yang Xuangan were still alive, he wouldn't be afraid, and Li Mi's close friend on the battlefield still has courage worth trusting.

However, since Yang Xuangan is already dead, looking around at the other generals, it seems truly no one can match this Sui general in battle—the generals under Renji Pei are not trustworthy.

There is Bai Lang's maid Wei Zhenzhen inside Xingyang City, but capturing the maid to make that guy submit? Nobody present would be that naive. Killing her to vent anger? That might mean something for Li Mi, but for the Sui cause it is utterly meaningless.

In fact, Bai Lang himself is also reflecting, "This world revolves around the twin dragons; how long did it take those two kids to go from debut to peak? Less than ten years, right? My original idea of being a diehard element in Xingyang City also seems problematic." Bai Lang's mind is no longer so heated; he begins to think more calmly. In this world he is here to hone his martial arts, especially when his strength is limited by an upper bound.

In this situation, what needs to be honed is the application of martial arts at a low level and attempting to open up new lines of thought—the Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist is a martial art that can evolve and develop; we can fully research completely new kung fu in this world, so we need to see the world's experts to stimulate our ideas. Can staying in Xingyang City achieve this? Bai Lang feels it might indeed be more difficult, and things may not turn out as he expects.

So far collecting secret manuals has yielded nothing worthwhile; in Xingyang City it's probably impossible, and even if he became the Commissioner of the Henan Circuit, it likely still wouldn't work. Otherwise he should go to the armory of the great Sui in Chang'an to search. Now it seems he must still seek out various martial arts masters; staying in Xingyang City he'd probably only see Li Mi's faction all day. Loyalty to the Sui? That... badge is still needed; who knows, maybe it'll come in handy one day.

In fact, Xingyang City cannot be held; Bai Lang's approach of letting almost all the soldiers go home, with light taxes and corvée, merely makes the lives of his subjects a bit easier, but it's actually useless for offensive and defensive warfare—no matter how high popular support, it just means more able-bodied people are willing to fight to the death when defending the city. If Bai Lang weren't there, they couldn't hold Xingyang City. And Bai Lang is indeed absent; if Li Mi wants to attack Xingyang City, Bai Lang would actually be pleased to see it happen—now he has figured it out.

"Plans change from moment to moment; as long as I remember my purpose, that's enough." Bai Lang thought this, but he also didn't think about making things easy for Li Mi—the rise of the twin dragons and the ensuing chaos in the world still have time, and he has plenty of time to wear Li Mi down.

Sure enough, Li Mi began to retreat, and Bai Lang also brought Wei Zhenzhen out of Xingyang City, taking his stand at Luokou Storage to cut off Li Mi's path. However, Yang Guang encountered trouble—the Yuwen clan truly dared to commit the ultimate outrage against heaven; it looks like they intend to regicide. The Xiaoguo Army clamored to return to Guanzhong, but Yang Guang remained in Yangzhou, unwilling to leave, and even failed to placate the Xiaoguo Army. Everyone knows what the Yuwen clan is thinking; the question is whether they dare to act on it.

Just look at Yuwen Huaji and that idiot—you'll see; this kind of aristocratic scion has nothing he wouldn't dare do, as the saying goes, wealth clouds judgment. "It's a shame, I recall that Yuwen Huaji's martial arts were also quite good; not being able to fight him is somewhat regrettable. But there is still a chance—if he hasn't been beheaded yet, there's still an opportunity."

Although Yang Guang hasn't died yet, a piece of news has spread: the Cijing Nunnery is selecting a heroic sovereign for the world, and the current lineage holder is scouting various heroes. Moreover, I've heard that this lineage holder is now in Luoyang; Bai Lang heard it but felt no stir at all—after all, it's just to boost Li Shimin's reputation, and according to Bai Lang's plan he is quite likely to clash with Li Shimin. The treasury supervised by Yang Su in Chang'an, Bai Lang would also like to take a look at its martial arts secret manuals.

I suppose there probably are; setting aside other things, just that so-called relic of the evil emperor is already a strange object, and Bai Lang would quite like to see it. Gems capable of storing essence are rare, and as an Innate Expert Bai Lang has also heard of one or two. These are all extraordinary treasures; storing true qi and Internal Force allows them to be drawn upon in battle, and some are said to be talismans—single-use talismans that can absorb and release internal force essence.

"The Vajra Power Talisman is roughly similar to that..." Bai Lang recalled the secret transmission book from the Defender Commander's Manor; this talisman is for sale and not cheap, in daily practice one can pour one's own true qi and Internal Force into it, then when applied to the body it instantly absorbs and erupts, and because it's one's own Internal Force it won't rupture the meridians—this item can even be used to break through barriers. "Too bad it's really not cheap."

Wei Zhenzhen arrived, but only a few days later came word that Xingyang City had actually surrendered to Li Mi—this Sui regime really is a poison pill, and indeed traitors are gathering in droves.