Chapter 433

"Ah!"

Su Ye let out a heavy sigh, feeling he needed to grow a brain.

Now the situation in Great Qian is really too chaotic.

Not only is there chaos on the surface, but behind the scenes it's also intricate and complex.

Even the emperor of Great Qian in the capital doesn't know what scheme he's plotting.

Even his own father might be involved in this, giving Su Ye a headache.

The only thing that can be certain now is their stance on striking those powerful clans.

Prince Yun Su Kai and Emperor Si Xiao Fei of Great Qian are on the same side; the others remain uncertain for now.

After all, Su Ye hasn't delved deeply into the exact relationship between Prince Yun Su Kai and Emperor Si Xiao Fei.

Even though Xun You and Guo Jia are strategists with extraordinary intellect.

Given the asymmetry of information, the facts that can be deduced are also very limited.

Heaven knows, perhaps just a subtle piece of information could skew their analysis.

So the analyses of Xun You and Guo Jia are currently biased toward conservatism.

They are advising Su Ye to stay calm for now; at least from various circumstances.

His father Su Kai is definitely behind him, for Su Ye's benefit.

Rather than pretending to sacrifice a batch of his own offspring to achieve some goal.

Or rather, all of Su Kai's actions within Great Qian actually revolve somewhat around Su Ye as the core.

Meanwhile, as Su Ye was worrying, the Vermilion Bird beside him lightly nodded, put away its Vermilion Bird Heaven-Burning Bow and Hundred Bird Arrows, turned, and gave Su Ye a meaningful glance.

"Order General Lián Páo, all troops retreat!"

Although Su Ye's voice wasn't loud, it conveyed an undeniable authority.

The Black Tortoise silently guarded Su Ye and the Vermilion Bird beside them, closely following their steps.

As Su Ye's order was conveyed downward.

"Halberdier Corps, advance without retreat! Hold formation, march forward!"

"Cangzhou Army, retreat in order!"

The voice of Lián Páo behind the Cangzhou Army struck each soldier's heart like cold iron stone.

The heavy infantry—halberdiers—grasped halberds, steps firm, their heavy armor gleaming with a cold light in the sun, like a moving steel wall, immovable.

Furthermore, the Cangzhou Army on both flanks of the halberdiers began to retreat slowly.

However, the retreat was not smooth; the opposing Yellow Turban Army swarmed like sharks smelling blood, attempting to tear into this seemingly retreating prey.

A glint of cold light flashed in Lián Páo's eyes; he did not fear these frenzied pursuers, but instead used their fervor to set up layers of traps.

"Archers, ready!"

At Lián Páo's order, the archers behind the Cangzhou Army quickly nocked arrows, aiming at the approaching Yellow Turban Army.

"Fire!"

At Lián Páo's command, a dense rain of arrows fell like the scythe of the Reaper, harvesting the lives of the Yellow Turban Army.

For a moment, cries of misery rang across the battlefield, and the Yellow Turban Army's advance stalled.

However, this was only the beginning.

To retreat successfully, we must fully exploit the strengths of each troop type and form perfect tactical coordination.

"Spearmen, forward!"

Lián Páo gave the order again, and the spearmen, like swords drawn from their scabbards, quickly filled the gap left by the Halberdier Corps.

Their spears in hand stood like a forest, forming sharp lines of defense that made the numerous Yellow Turban troops opposite hesitate to advance.

At the same time, the cavalry attached to the Cangzhou Army also played a major role under Lián Páo's command.

Like a whirlwind, they darted across the battlefield, striking the flanks of the Yellow Turban forces and coming to the aid of besieged comrades.

Under Lián Páo's precise command, the Cangzhou Army functioned like a precise machine, its parts working together to unleash astonishing combat power.

Although the Yellow Turban forces were numerous, they appeared clumsy and ineffective before Lián Páo's tactics.

The Cangzhou Army, under Lián Páo's command, withdrew from the battlefield in an orderly fashion, retreating toward the predetermined direction.

However, Lián Páo did not relax his vigilance because of this.

Any slight negligence on the battlefield could lead to total defeat.

As Lián Páo continuously waved his command flag, the main body of the Cangzhou Army gradually shook off the entanglement of the Yellow Turban forces, and from time to time, using coordination between troop types, launched effective counterattacks against enemies attempting to pursue.

When the last detachment of the Cangzhou Army vanished on the distant horizon, Lián Páo finally let out a breath, then turned his gaze to the Halberdier Corps left to guard the rear and to the White Horse Guardians who still maintained the White Dragon Dharma Aspect.

As the main force of the Cangzhou Army withdrew, the focus of the battlefield gradually shifted to the Halberdier Corps left to guard the rear and to the unit of White Horse Guardians clad in shining silver armor who still maintained the White Dragon Dharma Aspect.

The White Horse Guardians led by Zhao Yun, as elite among the Dao Soldiers, now displayed extraordinary mobility and combat power.

The White Dragon Dharma Aspect trembled all over, as if a dragon's cry rang through the heavens and its voice shook the wilderness; in an instant it shook off the Profound Heaven Guard before it and Chong Heqing, who had taken an arrow to the shoulder.

«White horses gallop, the guardians fear nothing! »

Zhao Yun shouted loudly, his voice like a great bell, inspiring the White Horse Guardians behind him.

Thousands of white‑horsed, white‑armored White Horse Guardians surged like a silver torrent, racing through the Yellow Turban forces to shield the Halberdier Corps as it withdrew slowly.

Each charge came with the force of thunder, making the enemy troops tremble in fear.

The Profound Heaven Guard, though relying on the «Grand Ultimate Thunder Formation» and the support of the special top‑tier War God Chong Heqing, could briefly manifest a Dharma Aspect to match the White Horse Guardians a little, but they were ultimately not true Dao Soldiers.

Maintaining the «Grand Ultimate Thunder Formation» in place could still hold, but once they moved to pursue the light cavalry White Horse Guardians, they found themselves unable to keep up.

Zhao Yun had precisely gauged this; he led the White Horse Guardians to dart flexibly across the battlefield, each strike accurate and deadly, inflicting heavy losses on the Yellow Turban forces.

Under their cover, the Halberdier Corps was able to withdraw steadily, and no one could halt their retreat.

«Profound Heaven Guard, hear the order! Form the formation and defend! »

Although Chong Heqing was shot in the shoulder, he still kept a calm mind.

He knew that at this moment the Xuantian Guard could not pursue the White Horse Righteous Followers, and could only switch to a defensive stance to resist the White Horse Righteous Followers' guerrilla offensive.

"Want to chase? Then let you taste the White Dragon's fury!"

Seeing that other Taiping Sect elites still wanted to leave some Halberdiers behind, Zhao Yun gave a cold snort, and the Dragon Gall Bright Silver Spear in his hand swung again, leading the White Horse Righteous Followers to launch a new round of charge.

In the Yellow Turban Army, countless soldiers fell under the White Horse Righteous Followers' charge, formations were repeatedly scattered.

As the White Horse Righteous Followers moved through the Taiping Sect like entering an uninhabited land, the Halberdier Corps gradually withdrew from the center of the battlefield.

When the last silver gleam disappeared on the distant horizon, the entire battlefield fell into a brief silence.

(End of chapter)