Chapter 340: The Move to Break the Stalemate

On the grassland near the real Khitan king's court, the autumn wind carried a chill, sweeping over the lush pasture.

An extraordinary "martial drill" was quietly taking place under the arrangement of the Southern Courtyard Great King Yelü Taliè.

The audience was small, but their weight was immense.

Besides Yelü Taliè himself and his few close tribal chieftains.

Moreover, several Khitan nobles who had originally been neutral, even slightly leaning toward Yelü Wuzhi, were also "invited" to come and watch.

Fan Zhi and Han Wei stood to the side, their expressions calm.

In the field, fifty guards of the Great Chen envoy stood solemnly.

They wore no heavy iron armor, but light leather armor suited for movement, carrying strong bows on their backs and horizontal knives at their waists, their eyes sharp, breath steady—clearly battle-hardened elites.

But this alone was not enough to move these Khitan nobles accustomed to warriors.

The real show was yet to come.

Han Wei stepped forward, clasped his hands toward Yelü Taliè and the nobles, and said:

"Your Highnesses, today's weather is fine and sunny, just right for a martial drill. Our young men wish to demonstrate a bit of squad coordination and assault-and-breach tactics for your appraisal."

Yelü Taliè nodded with interest:

"Good! I, the king, have long wanted to see the bearing of the southern warriors!"

Han Wei turned and gave a slight nod to the field.

Almost at the same moment, Chen Wen, far away in the Huangcheng of Bian Liang thousands of li away, felt something.

He was reviewing memorials when the thick Xuanhuang Fortune Momentum vortex within him stagnated slightly.

Then he sent out a fine yet pure strand of power, following the subtle connection established via the Heart-Guarding Talisman and the dynastic bond with those fifty guards, crossing mountains and rivers to descend silently.

【Conferred Focus——Sixteenfold!】

No dazzling light, no awe-inspiring presence.

But in that instant, the eyes of the fifty guards grew sharper, as if a flame had been ignited deep in their pupils.

Their breathing fell into perfect unison, their muscles tensing slightly.

An intangible, condensed like substance aura rose from this small unit.

It even made the warhorses brought by the Khitans not far away nervously paw at the ground.

"Begin!" Han Wei gave the order.

The fifty moved as if a single entity.

No chaotic charge; instead they split into five ten-man squads.

Like five flexible daggers, they interwove forward to the urgent, rhythmic beat of war drums.

Their speed was astonishing!

Sprint, detour, cover, assault…

Their movements flowed as if practiced a thousand times, their coordination reaching perfection.

A Khitan noble could not help but exclaim softly:

"What incredible speed! How can their stamina be so enduring?"

Even more shocking was yet to come.

As Han Wei waved his command flag, the drill moved into the simulated assault phase.

The presumed "enemy formation" consisted of dozens of tightly bound straw stacks.

Suddenly, one squad accelerated; as they neared the straw stacks, the five in front hurled their carried spears!

Who—!

The spears tore through the air with a heart‑pounding whistle.

They sank deep into the solid straw stacks, the spear tails trembling violently, revealing the throwers' astonishing arm strength and explosive power.

While the spears provided cover, the five in the rear drew their horizontal knives, their bodies flashing like lightning as they lunged at the "enemy formation".

The blade light flashed, not a wild hack.

But precisely struck the specific joints of the straw stacks, the motion clean and efficient, with extremely high efficiency.

The tough straw bundles, under the sharp knives, were swiftly split and scattered like rotten wood.

The whole process, from charge to breaking the formation, took only a few dozen breaths.

The fifty‑man squad displayed the ferocious assault and devastating efficiency of a myriad‑strong army.

The Khitan nobles watching had lost their nonchalance, replaced by intense shock and disbelief.

As a horse‑born people trained in martial arts from youth, they knew what such a feat required.

What terrifying individual martial power, physical strength, and near‑telepathic teamwork would be needed!

This had completely surpassed their notion of "elite"!

"Is… is this really the southerners' army?"

A tribal chief muttered to himself, his voice trembling slightly.

Although Yelü Taliè had been mentally prepared, seeing it in person still shook his heart violently, his eyes blazing with fervent light.

He perceived it more deeply.

This was not merely personal valor, but a systematic, crushing tactic and execution!

If Khitan cavalry encountered such a squad in the wild, even with equal numbers they would likely be torn to shreds in just a few exchanges!

Next came the bow‑and‑crossbow demonstration.

Still those fifty guards, they took down the strong bows on their backs.

They used exactly the batch of standard bows brought as gifts.

The target was set at one hundred fifty paces out.

At this distance, even elite Khitan archers need to focus and calm their breath to hit the target.

However, these fifty guards moved in perfect unison—drawing bows, nocking arrows, aiming, releasing—all in one fluid motion.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!

The arrows left the strings like a swarm of locusts, almost forming a single line, precisely pinning the red bullseyes of the distant targets.

This isn't just accuracy—it's speed! A chilling, highly efficient killing pace!

"Fine bow! Fine archery!"

Yelü Talie couldn't help shouting his approval, his eyes fixed hungrily on those powerful bows.

If Khitan warriors could be equipped with such fine bows, supplemented by this terrifying rate of fire……

He could scarcely imagine that scene.

The demonstration ended amid the complex gazes of the Khitan nobles.

The fifty guards fell back into formation, their breathing quickly returning to normal, as if the earlier earth‑shattering display had been merely an illusion.

Only they themselves knew that in that instant, an endless surge of power seemed to rush through their bodies, and their thoughts became extraordinarily clear.

A glance or a subtle gesture from a comrade was enough to convey perfect understanding.

That feeling was as if aided by the gods.

Han Wei stepped up to Yelü Talie and gave a slight smile:

"Please forgive my lord's amusement. Our modest squad tactics are nothing compared to a Khitan cavalry charge—only practice makes perfect."

Yelü Talie drew a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and heaved a hearty pat on Han Wei's shoulder:

"Deputy Envoy Han, you're being too modest! Today you've truly opened this king's eyes!"

He glanced around at the nobles with their varied expressions, his voice booming.

"You all have seen it! To be friends with Great Chen is to gain such divine weapons and this battle method of sincere cooperation! If they were enemies……"

He didn't go on, but the chill of those unspoken words made everyone present feel a tightness in their chests.

The few nobles who had been neutral or leaning toward Yelü Wuzhi now had flickering eyes, the scales in their hearts already beginning to tip.

Strength is forever the hardest currency on the field of diplomacy.

Fan Zhi stepped forward at the right moment and began a quiet conversation with Yelü Talie, the topic naturally turning to more concrete cooperation—including bow and crossbow procurement, personnel training, and even the prospect of joint military action.

This time, the Khitan side's attitude was more proactive and earnest than ever before.

Far away in Bian Liang, Chen Wen slowly withdrew the thread of thought that had spanned a thousand li.

He could sense that this brief, small‑scale 【Concentrated Endowment】 had taken place.

The drain on Fortune Momentum was negligible, far less than the impact of the previous large‑scale acceleration project.

"Precise use, minimal cost, maximum strategic gain…… This, perhaps, is the proper application of the 'Fortune Momentum Balance.'" He mused.

This carefully planned demonstration on the northern grasslands.

It not only achieved a breakthrough in diplomacy with the genuine Khitan.

Its ripples will also spread outward, influencing the struggle on another grassland and even the pattern of the whole world.

Great Chen's fangs have already begun to show.