Chapter 851: Secret Technique

May.

General of the Southern Expedition Song Gongbao led his troops to the outskirts of Lishui County.

They saw that along the imperial road, camps were connected in a continuous line, with Eighteen Linked Camps erected, faintly forming a pincer formation with the county seat.

Song Gongbao returned from scouting with Wu Xing, looking somewhat worried: "The Liang Army rebels are prepared to fortify their camps and hold out to the death. This is truly an anomaly! By all logic, having just finished a major battle not long ago, shouldn't the soldiers be exhausted, and shouldn't there be complaints within the army?"

Wu Xing replied: "According to information gathered by spies... the one opposite is the Prime Minister of the puppet Liang, with five thousand troops... it will not be easy to fight."

In a siege defense, it is common for several thousand people to hold out for months or even years under the siege of tens of thousands of troops.

"Map!"

As the three young Daoists conversed, they seemed to have already treated the entire south as something in their pocket, feeling not the slightest concern for the five hundred thousand Imperial Court troops.

Time shifts back a moment.

"With hundreds of people facing tens of thousands of troops, the army's morale is actually still as cold and hard as iron?" Song Gongbao gasped, then waved his hand: "Attack!"

But there was one sentence in his heart he did not say.

Zilei Zhenren was immediately shocked: "This... then if we take such a risk and use the Qi Luck Secret Technique, could it be that it is of no use at all in the end?"

"Your Majesty?!"

Wu Xing coughed twice; ever since the amnesty, he had exhausted his heart and blood, becoming so thin he was almost unrecognizable, yet he still could not salvage anything.

He certainly knew this strategy was feasible, but it was just too poisonous!

Even if they captured Lishui County, there might be future repercussions.

Taixue.

Seeing this expression, Cao Man could not help but rebuke: "What are you afraid of? The Prime Minister is still here, so this sky will not collapse!"

Dulongzi immediately wore a bitter expression: "This old Daoist is shallow in learning and has no way... however, this suppression cannot last long; after all, its essence is the True Dragon of Great Song suppressing the Jiaolong Fate of the King of Liang... If the battle ahead can be won, and the Qi Numbers of both sides shift, it will naturally be lifted."

"Drive the commoners forward, swarm the city like ants!" Wu Xing said word by word: "The Lishui County garrison must have locals; take their parents, wives, and children to attack the city, and see whose hands are hard enough?"

"I hope the Grandmaster can succeed!"

Wu Xing gritted his teeth and said.

Song Gongbao sighed: "I have failed my brothers..."

Finally...

Military orders are like mountains!

"Hateful! Li Xuanfeng!" Song Gongbao threw out a military Token.

The minor official who came to report was somewhat terrified, and even more uneasy.

He was Song Gongbao's most trusted personal general—Li Xuanfeng!

"The Dragon Qi of the Liang State is weak and cannot stop it at all..."

A messenger covered in blood came over, knelt, and reported.

After Li Xuanfeng left, Wu Xing walked over and sighed: "After taking one camp, our side killed two hundred and twenty-seven enemies, while suffering over a thousand casualties ourselves..."

"Fine... I won't ask anymore; I'll just assume it was conjured by the Prime Minister's Daoism."

Not far away, Fan Jin heard the conversation of these young Daoists and suddenly smiled at himself; his originally somewhat anxious mood instantly became much steadier...

Ziyu and other Zhenren were all standing below the platform watching.

On a high platform.

"The medical officer has seen him and is at a loss, only saying that His Majesty is fine!"

'The suppression of the King of Liang's Dragon Qi is a minor matter, as he has not yet personally taken the throne... The key is that the great talents within the system might have their hearts shaken!'

"Two... two thousand new recruits?"

The Prefectural Assistant and Acting Prefect Cao Man, who had just returned, heard this news and could not help but frown: "Why did this happen? Has anyone been asked to look at it?"

Three days later.

While he was troubled, someone came from outside to report: "Daoist Dulongzi requests an audience!"

"Invite him in!"

"If you want the brothers to suffer fewer injuries, there is a way, but it is a bit sinister."

"Kill!"

At this time, he took out a white handkerchief, wiped the blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth, pondered for a while, and said: "There are many ways to launch a strong attack... Our side has many people, and the enemy has few; each camp has at most several hundred people. We can surround most of the camps without attacking, and only launch a strong attack on one. If the enemy dares to rescue, we will lead the army to strike them! The Liang Army has just experienced a major battle, and their morale may not be usable... This is also our opportunity; we can try to persuade them to surrender!"

If the King of Liang had two thousand new recruits before, why didn't he bring them out to fight the King of Wu?

Furthermore, when the twenty-five thousand troops of Northern Song went south, the Prime Minister only brought five thousand! If there were two thousand, why not use them in Lishui County?

Since Privy Councilor Gao in the rear had already set the strategy, the room for maneuver in the front was much smaller; they could only launch a strong attack on Lishui County!

"Yes!"

With twenty-seven thousand people guarding a prefecture city, there is plenty of leeway, and since the main force is being carried by the Prime Minister, they only need to deal with the enemy's flanking force.

"Let me think, let me think..."

Cao Man immediately associated this with the King of Liang vomiting blood and fainting, and asked again: "Is there a way to break it?"

Tang Xun covered his forehead, and his eyes immediately brightened.

At this moment, each of them opened their spiritual eyes and, in a trance, saw a True Dragon!

This True Dragon had deer antlers, a snake body, and a fish tail... most importantly, it had a Reverse Scale. Although it looked weak at this moment, it roared as if in a final flash of brilliance.

Tang Xun was not distracted at all, fully concentrating on organizing the defense: "Although traveling from Jinshi City to Jiangzhou Prefecture via Lishui County is the most convenient, we must also guard against the enemy taking a detour to raid! Fortunately, we have seven thousand people, and Jiangzhou is a prefecture city; even if besieged by tens of thousands of troops, holding out for several years is no problem..."

The next moment, they each used their Secret Techniques, some using Water Mirrors, others using Bronze Mirrors, and all saw a strange sight!

In the south, within the black and red sea, a black-backed carp quietly emerged!

Immediately after, a Sword Light descended from the sky, and the carp was instantly severely wounded!

This one-to-five exchange ratio made even Song Gongbao gasp: "This is a secret and needs to be concealed... What about the enemy army?"

Song Gongbao unfolded the map and took a careful look, his brows furrowed tightly: "Lishui County has dangerous terrain, with the peril of mountains and rivers, and the advantage of a great river... It is easy to defend and hard to attack. The opponent has also built many mountain strongholds that echo one another; if we don't uproot them one by one, our side won't be able to attack the city with peace of mind. Can we bypass them?"

Wave after wave of former bandits wearing the uniforms of the Great Song Army surged toward the mountain stronghold like a tide.

Above the arrow tower of the stronghold, Archers kept firing arrows; even though their technique was very poor, with this kind of density, they could hit something just by shooting randomly!

"General... with the strength of our tens of thousands of troops attacking a small stronghold, we should be able to take it in about a day," Wu Xing said with a smile.

Taiyin rolled her eyes: "Taichong is one thing, but you, Taihe, need to lose weight, otherwise how can you have an Official Body?"

Heavens...

"It is quite smooth, almost as if we have the help of Heaven..."

After all, after their great army marched south, they had also rested for a period of time, and now they were full of sharp spirit!

Tang Xun widened his eyes: "How could this general not know?"

"A direct assault?"

"Even without a riot, we can use the commoners to exhaust the city's arrows, logs, hot oil, and other military equipment!"

Although the Grandmaster said this, there was not a trace of joy on his face: "It is just that although I have suppressed the Dragon Qi of the Prince of Liang, his Military Qi remains completely unmoved... and within the Qi Luck of the Prince of Liang in the south, I cannot find the Qi of Xulingzi... It seems to have been hidden."

On the city wall.

Zhang Tie bowed.

"Although the city wall of Lishui County is not high, it is still five zhang, making it very difficult to take..." Song Gongbao felt a bit of a headache.

The Candles burned, the Incense curled, and the Yellow Talisman Paper table was covered with the three animal Offerings.

Chongming Taoism.

"Brother? I am here!" Li Xuanfeng held a battle axe, stepped out, and bowed.

A dark-faced man answered loudly.

However, by dusk, Wu Xing's expression had become somewhat ugly: "What is going on?"

"Oh?" In a trance, Song Gongbao even thought he had returned to the mountain stronghold; at that time, no matter what difficulties were encountered, this strategist could always provide a brilliant plan to turn danger into safety: "What is the plan?"

"What? The King suddenly vomited blood and is unconscious?"

The Qi Luck Secret Technique is ultimately only an auxiliary, but against the backdrop of the Imperial Court's 500,000-strong army attacking, it is very deadly.

Not only could this city be as solid as a golden soup, but perhaps they could also fight a few annihilation battles?

Just as the several True Ones were deep in thought, the Grandmaster on the platform stood with his sword sheathed and was likewise silent for a long time.

"General."

As soon as the words left Wu Xing's mouth, he felt a bit of regret, and he waved his Feather Fan: "This is just my shallow opinion..."

The four True Ones waited for a moment, finally unable to hold back, and asked one after another.

The surrounding palace maids and eunuchs were immediately shocked.

"In this way, we can uproot each stronghold one by one, and finally, we can attack the county seat!"

"Report! The enemy troops are fighting to the death and will not surrender!"

"Grandmaster, how is it?"

Song Gongbao waved his hand to let Wu Xing withdraw, while he himself left the camp to inspect the military camp.

"The Prime Minister took the troops ahead and asked me and Tang Xun to guard this city well and be wary of enemy sneak attacks... As long as the army is not in chaos, seven thousand soldiers guarding one city will surely be able to hold out until the Prime Minister returns! Please, Daoist, assist me!" Cao Man's words were incomparably sincere, and he even developed a will to die.

Song Gongbao led the great army and surrounded a stronghold.

The Grandmaster had disheveled hair, held a Peach Wood Sword, and paced the stars and steps; suddenly, the tip of his sword flicked, and a piece of Yellow Talisman Paper ignited without wind, being picked up by the tip of his sword like a flowering tree of silver flowers, and finally, he pointed to the south: "Go!"

He was skilled in using a Flower Steel Axe and had the courage to fight lions and tigers, but he loved to drink and ruin things, so he could not be sent out to handle a side alone, yet he was loyal and willing to unconditionally obey Song Gongbao's orders, even if it meant going to his death!

Ziyu Zhenren smiled and nodded: "This is the natural order..."

"Although the Great Song is declining, it is still the True Dragon; the Great Liang cannot avoid being constrained!"

"Report to the General, the twenty thousand surrendered soldiers have all been disarmed and used as laborers to repair the city walls... Besides that, our Propaganda Battalion has twenty thousand new recruits currently undergoing training; according to the Prime Minister's wishes, they are to garrison the area around the prefectural city to prevent any unforeseen events!"

If it were true, it would definitely be a blood loss!

"It wouldn't go that far..." The Grandmaster's expression was somewhat mysterious: "Xulingzi is unaffected, but the Prince of Liang and other ministers may not be; it is ultimately beneficial to our side..."

Dulongzi was startled, then said: "You can rest assured about this... This old Daoist has observed the Military Qi, and it is flourishing, without the slightest wavering!"

Moreover, there was a great army pressing from the rear; if the monarch wants a subject to die, the subject must die!

If one dies in battle, they are still a loyal subject of the Imperial Court and will receive posthumous honors; if one dares to rebel, they are a traitor!

"Have you persuaded them to surrender?"

"Report! We have already surrounded this stronghold on all four sides!"

"Fire!"

Song Gongbao asked.

Cao Man said hurriedly, and then he saw Dulongzi walking in with long strides, completely disregarding his demeanor: "Something is terribly wrong... Someone is casting a spell to suppress the Dragon Qi of the Prince of Liang!"

If he were an official, he would definitely be hated by others, but Tang Xun liked this kind of rigid military style.

The sounds of killing suddenly rose, and then gradually dissipated.

In his eyes, that small mountain stronghold was actually like a reef, standing proudly no matter how the tides lashed against it!

At this time, Zhang Tie walked over; this man was indeed like iron, with dark skin and a stubborn personality.

"Brother, how did you get injured?" Song Gongbao saw a small arrow wound on Li Xuanfeng's shoulder and immediately seemed to feel immense heartache: "Quickly go down and find a medical officer to treat it!"

Amidst the dragon's roar, an invisible Sword Light rose from Jingshi, swept across the Nine Provinces of the world, and headed south!

Taichong and Taihe had just finished their lesson and looked at Taiyin: "The teacher said that after this great battle, our Supreme Taoism will have huge development, at least dominating the entire south... At that time, we will all be promoted to the central government, oh my... those are the positions of Ministers and Vice Ministers, can we do it?"

Speaking of this, even the strategist would have a headache.

Li Xuanfeng returned to report the mission with a bloody head in hand: "Brother... those men in the stronghold are truly heroes; they all fought to the death and would not surrender, even when their hands and feet were severed... It took a great deal of effort for me to cut off this fellow's head."

The four Great Zhenren watched this scene, all full of anticipation.

"The letter of persuasion to surrender has already been shot in, but there has been no response," Wu Xing said, bowing.

In his heart, however, he knew that the Imperial Court was deliberately trying to exhaust him, and he still had to play along.

Liang King Palace.

"Speak!"

Wu Xing said cautiously: "Privy Councilor Gao does intend to dispatch two flanking divisions to detour and attack Jiangzhou Fucheng... but the city walls are high and the moats are deep, with seven thousand Liang Army soldiers and twenty thousand surrendered troops, so it is not that easy to attack; furthermore... our military orders are to take the official road of Lishui County!"

"There are no other official roads nearby; if we go through the jungle and cross mountains and ridges, we can only pass with a small force, and we would have to abandon our grain and supplies, which would be courting death."

"The first battle must be won, and won beautifully... take my personal guards and charge again!"

"This is the Prime Minister's Secret order to hide troops in Sanwang Mountain to guard against the unexpected!"

When the Grandmaster performed the ritual and a Sword Light spanned the Nine Provinces to strike!

Xiao Liang, who was reading a book, suddenly changed his expression and violently spat out a mouthful of blood!

It still came back to that saying: when rebels are granted amnesty, they must have their claws and teeth removed; they cannot make the Imperial Court feel threatened, otherwise, their fortune and misfortune would be unpredictable.

He did not know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that these old brothers, who had been somewhat listless due to the successive great battles, had suddenly been invigorated!

Even Song Gongbao felt his energy suddenly become much more vigorous, as if he had returned to his prime during the time at Little Yellow Mountain Stronghold!

On the contrary, on his side, wave after wave charged up, and then, like a receding tide, wave after wave retreated.

A single Sword Light chills the nineteen provinces!

Li Xuanfeng accepted the order and left, leading a group of men to mix into the main army, charging into the stronghold at the head of the pack.

Ziyin Zhenren, however, knitted her delicate brows: "The Liang King dominates the Southeast; how could he be a mere carp?"

"This is the Qi Luck Secret Technique passed down by our Taoism..."

"Oh?"

This personality of Zhang Tie made Tang Xun have a headache at this moment; this answer was simply watertight, saying nothing at all.

Who told them to accept the amnesty in the first place?

Song Gongbao shuddered all over and looked at the strategist in shock.

"The other strongholds, as well as Lishui County, sat by and watched this stronghold fall without sending a single soldier or horse to rescue it."

The Feather Fan in Wu Xing's hand trembled slightly: "Could it be that every single one of these strongholds is filled with death-sworn soldiers? If that is truly the case... then these are not eighteen allied camps, but eighteen mountains of blades, here to carve the flesh from our bodies!"

(End of this chapter)