Chapter 206: Heroes Raise Their Arms, the Sun and Heaven Shine Clear

Pang Shuiyun personally witnessed the transformation of those eighteen hundred men; though the old man, skilled in the art of vertical and horizontal alliances, had countless words to say, he could only stare in disbelief at what unfolded before him, then turned away and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

He grinned slightly, thinking to himself:

"Lord… the young master's bold spirit is no less than yours."

After turning back, Li Guanyi apologized to Pang Shuiyun; he understood the old man's good intentions and explained his own reasoning. Pang Shuiyun nodded gently and said only: "The young master's vision is vast—I have come to understand. I will assist you in your plans."

The School of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances can serve as the Way of Kings under a mighty lord, or as the Way of Deception under a scheming ruler.

Pang Shuiyun abandoned his previous strategy and fully supported Li Guanyi in fulfilling his demands.

Yet after the young man released the former Taiping Army veterans as scouts to confirm General Yuwen Tianxian's position, he began another operation that made the old strategist's eyes twitch—he gathered everyone and distributed the Taiping Book directly.

Pang Shuiyun nearly shouted out, staring at him as if he were a wastrel, wanting nothing more than to drag that brat down by the collar!

You—you—you're going to do what?!

That is the martial art created by Tai Ping Gong.

It can barely be called a top-tier second-rate internal cultivation technique.

It cannot compare to true supreme arts, let alone Divine General-level martial arts or Manifestation martial arts; whether in offense or defense, it is merely second-rate Wu Gong, its only advantage being abundant internal Qi—barely qualifying it as top-tier second-rate.

But this martial art has one, and only one, extraordinary trait.

It requires no innate talent!

Even those universally regarded as martial wastes can practice it—only at a slower pace.

It is not without path.

Even those with both legs severed can cultivate it, merely progressing slowly; yet even in the days of the Taiping Army, this art was not taught to everyone. Pang Shuiyun clenched his fists tightly, suppressing the urge to stop the young master.

"The lord's own son, the lord's own son, the young master himself—cannot, cannot."

The men left behind, in Pang Shuiyun's eyes, understood why they stayed—they knew that even if they fled, they had no chance of survival; better to stay here and gamble with this youth.

Such men will never abandon any opportunity to increase their strength.

Not to mention the Taiping Book, which is considered superior even in the martial world.

But time was still too short; upon returning, the news was that General Yuwen Tianxian's army numbered over three thousand, with five hundred cavalry—three hundred fully armored heavy cavalry and two hundred light cavalry—advancing slowly toward this location.

And they had already begun constructing siege machinery.

Pang Shuiyun said: "General Yuwen Tianxian is truly a famed general; even with overwhelming superiority, he shows no arrogance or rash advance, advancing steadily. Such an opponent is most vexing."

Li Guanyi nodded, studying the terrain map around him.

They were targeted—they could only fight. As for fleeing…

No commander would be so wasteful as to send cavalry against a formation, yet no one would dare turn and flee knowing the enemy had five hundred elite cavalry—those two hundred light cavalry could circle, harass, and tie down thousands.

Once under such circling harassment tactics, fleeing soldiers become a routed mob.

Then the cavalry would charge, slaughtering.

With such tactics, annihilating an enemy ten times their size is not impossible.

Facing such cavalry, turning to flee is suicide.

Only heavy infantry can stand against them—but the deadliest problem is that Li Guanyi's men have a helmet-and-armor rate of no more than one-third; most are merely the lord's private soldiers, wearing only light leather armor, no true heavy armor.

They lack even the possibility of forming standard heavy infantry formations with giant shields and hook-spears to counter heavy cavalry, and cannot hope to match armored elite warriors in close combat.

This was Pang Shuiyun's greatest concern.

No matter how high the morale, armored and unarmored are two entirely different tiers.

Only a Likely to Enter the Realm cultivator might kill an armored elite soldier without armor—but against two or three armored warriors, even a Likely to Enter the Realm cultivator, though able to project internal Qi, would still meet his end.

Li Guanyi ordered Changfeng Lady's people to depart, avoiding General Yuwen Tianxian's advance, and head to other cities via the Xue family's connections to buy as many crossbows, wagon-crossbows, and similar weapons as possible, while casting crude shields from pig iron.

He also tasked Pang Shuiyun with logistics and training; no matter how slow General Yuwen Tianxian moved, he would reach the mountain's base within days—this slow advance was a deliberate pressure tactic to instill fear in Li Guanyi's men.

Yet even under these conditions, Li Guanyi established designated latrine zones and living areas, ensured food supplies, and forbade direct drinking from wells—water must be boiled first. The men did not understand why, but they obeyed.

Pang Shuiyun watched as the young Daoist's orders caused the soldiers, already trained for a month by veterans, to undergo a profound transformation.

On this day, after completing cultivation, Fan Qing joined other soldiers to chop trees and build defenses; when he returned, he smelled an intensely savory aroma—meat. He swallowed hard but remained calm.

He had been a soldier.

Even border troops got meat only every three days—and just a few pieces.

This meat was surely meant for the young general; he hoped today might bring a little fat. Thinking this, his mood lifted slightly. He walked over, took a bowl, and scooped a large portion of rice—not fine rice, but enough to fill his belly.

As he wondered what vegetable to take, a large spoonful of meat landed in his bowl.

Fan Qing froze. He saw the young man lifting the spoon and asking: "Not enough?"

Then a second large spoonful was added, and the young man said:

"Say if you need more. Eat, then rest over there."

"Next!"

Fan Qing remained stunned even as he walked away. He took a bite of rice, then a big mouthful of meat. He shoveled twice—the meat was delicious, rich and savory. He swallowed instinctively, then paused.

Suddenly, he remembered his parents at home, bullied, their land seized, his father's legs broken, left to starve nearly to death. For no reason, his nose stung. He shoveled food furiously, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.

He bit his lip, muttering curses under his breath.

Ate with all his strength.

Li Guanyi nodded, scooped up some leftover food, and sat with them to eat. After eating, he trained them, then brought in two thousand sets of clean, thick clothing. He gathered everyone and said:

"No armor? Use these sturdy cloth garments, and insert iron plates over vital areas."

"Just make do with them."

"Line up, one by one, to collect."

Pang Shuiyun didn't understand the boy's strange thinking—why waste time on this instead of drilling? But he carried out every task with utmost seriousness, and completed them better than Li Guanyi had expected.

Fan Qing was the first to step forward. He walked over in silence.

When he took the garment in hand, he paused slightly—the fabric wasn't fine, but it was solid.

Better than these ragged scraps on my body.

He directly threw off the ragged strips of cloth, put on this set of clothing—with leg bindings and wrist guards—then walked forward, picked up a knife, along with a strip of cloth and some medicinal herbs; though Fan Qing didn't understand why, he took them all.

This was personally organized by Pang Shuiyun, who emptied several city cloth shops.

Of course, money had to be paid—Changfeng Lady's silver had burned through like fire.

Li Guanyi raised the strip of cloth in his hand, then bound it around his left arm, saying: "Gentlemen, normally we'd have official tokens, but we don't have any—make do with this…" Fan Qing stared at the strip: small, three fingers wide, a fiery red color.

He tied the strip around his left arm.

Then he looked sideways: all were men dressed in similar attire, standing straight.

The red strip on the left arm fluttered, then blazed like fire.

Fan Qing felt something stirring within him; for no reason, he recalled that day's conversation with the young man—

Aren't we just a band of robbers?

Of course not!

A fire seemed to ignite in his heart, burning him with discomfort.

Pang Shuiyun gazed at this army; he hesitated—this could hardly still be called an elite force, yet they stood there, their spirit vastly improved from before, brows calm, armed, movements orderly.

Even if the Grand Tutor of the Ying state came, he could no longer call this a rabble.

Li Guanyi could do little; after confirming the topographical map of this area, he already had a strategic plan in mind, but no matter what, these soldiers had no armor, their Wu Gong was poor, most possessing only rudimentary skill.

Pang Shuiyun reported today's intelligence to Li Guanyi.

The morale on the mountain had settled into calm.

Yuwen Tianxian had drawn within two hundred li and had already constructed siege engines.

Beicheng gave no response.

Meanwhile, the people in this region had learned of the matter; amid public outrage, the Beicheng general declared that those occupying the mountain were bandits, traitor Li Guanyi, and that Yuwen Tianxian was Ying state reinforcements come to aid Chen state in suppressing the rebel.

Additionally, all soldiers recited the military regulations Li Guanyi had imposed on them.

Pang Shuiyun sighed: "Military regulations? I've only ever heard military orders before."

Li Guanyi redrawn the topographical maps he'd recorded, while the silver-haired girl beside him ground ink; Li Guanyi said: "A Mr. told me this—Mr. Pang, treat it as my nonsense."

Pang Shuiyun said: "We don't need these yet."

Li Guanyi raised his gaze: "We'll need them eventually. Waiting until then to act is just patching up, isn't it?"

"First, all actions follow orders; take nothing from civilians; all seized goods belong to the public—no unauthorized looting. These three are the foundation."

"Additionally, those going down the mountain for supplies must follow those eight rules."

"Speak gently; trade fairly; return borrowed items; compensate for damaged property."

"Don't strike or curse; don't destroy civilians' crops; don't harass women; if we take prisoners later, don't abuse them."

Pang Shuiyun said gently: "A grand, righteous path—clear and majestic. I understand."

Li Guanyi nodded, studying the topographical map, and asked: "Mr. Pang, how much chance do we have of victory?"

Pang Shuiyun said: "Military strategy has four forms: the art of technique involves training limbs and hands, mastering weapons, accumulating mechanisms, to gain advantage in offense and defense. Your form is strong, but the time is too short—if we meet them head-on, victory is nearly impossible."

"In my view, Yuwen Tianxian's army of three thousand five hundred includes five hundred cavalry—all frontline elite troops who've fought in many major battles; the remaining three thousand are second-line troops—but even second-line troops are trained in martial arts, each soldier possessing inner Qi."

"Here, among one thousand eight hundred, fewer than six hundred possess inner Qi."

"Lacking the means for direct confrontation, in my view, the only advantage we can exploit is…"

The old man extended his hand, pointing to the river ahead: "This river."

"They still greatly underestimate us."

"Yuwen Tianxian and Yuwen Hua are northerners, unfamiliar with southern climates; the plum rain season has only just passed—the water level has surged. If we pile massive stones and mechanical devices upstream to block the flow, accumulate a great reservoir, and wait until they're halfway across, we can unleash the flood upon them."

"Then we can disrupt their formation, charge out with momentum, and overcome the stronger with the weaker."

Li Guanyi said: "Good!"

"We'll follow Mr. Pang's plan."

Pang Shuiyun bowed: "But while the water strategy is set, mechanical devices cannot be built overnight. I can borrow the Fire Qilin to flatten rocks and form a simple dam and reservoir to block the river."

The dozing Fire Qilin shuddered.

The Fire Qilin, long idle, suddenly felt cold along its back, baring its teeth.

But Li Guanyi had already lifted it, saying: "Thank you."

The young man stared at the topographical map; even with the water strategy, defeating such a massive army was difficult—even if he rode the Fire Qilin, he was only at the peak of the Sixth Heaven Realm, while Yuwen Tianxian commanded five hundred cavalry and three thousand infantry, far surpassing him and the Fire Qilin.

A general's military formation and array are forces even Jianghu Sect masters must avoid.

Li Guanyi wanted to bring all these men back alive, hoping to save as many as possible; his gaze locked onto the map, which connected with another landscape drawing.

"Chen Duke, Chen Baxian's Mystical Realm."

Li Guanyi's expression was calm.

That Mystical Realm was vast.

One of its entrances was no more than one hundred li from here; Li Guanyi stared at it—his final tactic for strengthening troops had surfaced in his mind: the medicinal herbs within the Mystical Realm—if extracted, could improve these soldiers' physical condition no matter what.

Morale soars only where death is certain, and only then can one find a path to survival.

But this certainty of death requires soldiers to embrace the resolve to die—not to blindly charge blades; with the resolve to die, executing precise tactics is the foundation of great victory. What he sought was never a pyrrhic win!

Li Guanyi looked toward the side at Yao Guang.

The silver-haired girl nodded, her voice serene: "Alright."

………………

Within the Yuwen army formation.

Yuwen Tianxian sat calmly atop a strange beast; Yuwen Hua rode beside him on a warhorse, clad in black armor, following his uncle. After his defeat at Li Guanyi's hands, he had not sunk into despair but had revived his spirit.

Five hundred cavalry: three hundred heavy cavalry, two hundred light cavalry.

Heavy cavalry were fully armored, mounted on chestnut-colored horses, armed with extremely long lances, slashing sabers, heavy bows on one side, and crossbows at the waist, carrying three quivers totaling seventy-five wolf-tooth barbed arrows—this was the most expensive and strongest troop of the era.

As long as they did not lose speed due to heavy infantry, they were an invincible force.

Two hundred light cavalry carried curved swords and long spears, wore only light armor, and had no horse barding; their speed was extremely fast, excelling not in direct charges but in flanking, harassment, and cutting supply lines—tactical warfare.

The remaining infantry all wore armor and possessed robust internal Qi, capable of sustaining prolonged combat.

Along the way, they conscripted two thousand able-bodied men and laborers to follow behind the main army and transport supplies.

This behavior was tacitly permitted and supported by the General of Beicheng, who knew his leverage might lie in Li Guanyi's hands.

The infantry's weapons were long spears, massive shields, curved swords, and bows and crossbows, equipped according to troop type; Yuwen Tianxian was an extreme exemplar of the standard general—when he led troops, no mistakes occurred; with comparable renowned generals present, he could become the perfect second-in-command, also serving as Yuwen Lie's assistant.

Yet even so, Yuwen Tianxian had once defeated twelve thousand Chen troops' flank with only five thousand men.

Combined-arms formations operated like a perfect mill, capable of grinding down any single troop type; Yuwen Hua said calmly: "Uncle, the prisoner we captured said Li Guanyi allowed them to leave and even gave them silver for travel expenses."

Yuwen Tianxian said: "... Win their hearts; unity from top to bottom."

"But this step is merely to align soldiers with their commander; someone like him, directly giving money and letting them go, is like severing his own arm." After a pause, he added: "Many commanders personally suck poison from their soldiers' wounds, sharing hardship and fortune."

"But these acts often carry deliberate performance; the bottom line is, they never allow soldiers to leave their control—yet Li Guanyi is different; his actions are not about winning hearts, but seem genuinely intended to let them go."

"He gives them a choice."

"A compassionate man cannot command troops; such womanly mercy could never make a renowned general."

Yuwen Tianxian did not understand Li Guanyi's actions.

"To weaken one's own strength out of mercy will only cause everyone to die with you—truly foolish behavior."

Yuwen Hua nodded calmly: "Yet among those who remain, all must possess courage; Li Guanyi is no weak enemy." Yuwen Tianxian looked at his nephew, who had grown through repeated defeats, and said: "It is excellent that you think this way. In this battle, we will defeat Li Guanyi with our main army."

"Wash away the stain in your heart—defeat him, kill him, then return and become a renowned general."

"Civil war is imminent; the war against Chen will surely break out within five years."

"The chance to earn a noble title through military merit lies right before you."

Yuwen Hua said calmly: "Yes!"

This force of several thousand soldiers advanced with a heavy, resolute aura, and upon the order of Beicheng, all cities remained on guard but, like the Yue army before them, did not block them; within days, they would arrive.

The borderlands of Ying.

Eight thousand fully armored cavalry advanced in battle formation, indicating that this army had remained on the brink of a charge throughout their journey; any commander who understood battle arrays would feel fear upon seeing this.

They could maintain a near-charge formation and pierce through the defenses of two nations.

Then charge northward for tens of thousands of miles—this journey was nothing short of a hellish cultivation; the fully armored heavy cavalry were subtly transforming from elite frontline troops into a prestigious unit rivaling the empire's three greatest heavy cavalry forces.

On this day, scouts returned bearing a post from the 【Heavenly First Tower】.

General Yue Qianfeng glanced at it during rest, his expression subtly shifting.

"'Spear Madman' Li Guanyi infiltrated the Beicheng governor's mansion, maneuvered between the Wrathful Scale Dragon King, the Yin-Yang Wheel Turn Sect's Grand Elder, the Motian Sect Sect Master, and the Kunlun Furious Sword Immortal, fought Yuwen Tianxian to a standstill despite serious injuries, then departed, whereabouts unknown."

"Later, Li Guanyi gathered forces at Zhongshan; Yuwen Tianxian led five hundred heavy cavalry and three thousand infantry."

"They marched forth in force to surround and kill Li Guanyi."

Yue Qianfeng and the others turned pale; Yan Xuanji's expression darkened. Yue Qianfeng passed the intelligence to the others; all generals' expressions grew grim. One said: "What should we do now? We've come this far—if we turn back, we must fight."

Another general said: "But Li Guanyi has plunged himself into certain death for us."

"How can we ignore him!"

"But General Yue—"

The generals fell into a tense silence when a familiar voice rang out; they froze, turned together, and saw two cavalrymen carrying a stretcher—Yue Pengwu sat upon it, his face pale.

This world-renowned general had finally awakened briefly one day prior.

He occasionally slipped into unconsciousness or near-death, then woke again.

Poison had ravaged his body, weakening him greatly and tormenting his spirit, yet now he set down the letter, looked around at the generals, smiled, and said: "I once heard him say: 'Those who gather firewood for others must not let them freeze to death in the snow.'"

"He treated me this way—I must answer him."

"Cough—cough—cough—cough—"

Yue Pengwu lowered his gaze and said: "Ling Pingyang."

The young general, barely past thirty and ranked ninety-seventh on the Divine General List, stepped forward, knelt half-bowed, and said solemnly: "Your servant is here!"

Yue Pengwu looked at the intelligence and said:

"Yuwen family has five hundred cavalry; we send five hundred heavy cavalry."

"I want you to break their cavalry."

"Choose five hundred heavy cavalry yourself, turn your forces, and ride three thousand li immediately to reinforce Li Guanyi—then…"

Yue Pengwu paused, his voice weak; his face was sunken, yet his eyes still shone like cold stars in the night, still holding the ambition to ride across the world. He smiled faintly, burned the intelligence, and said:

"You… need not return."

Ling Pingyang's pupils contracted sharply as he looked at Yue Pengwu, understanding the meaning and expectation in those words. Yue Qianfeng, Yan Xuanji, Simu Baishen, and Yue Pengwu—the four great generals of the previous generation—watched the young successor.

They would ride northward, to another battlefield of the world—but the young should not follow them; Yue Qianfeng patted Ling Pingyang's shoulder, then Yan Xuanji, then Simu Baishen: We have our battlefield; you have yours.

Finally, Ling Pingyang slowly bowed deeply in salute:

"Yes!"

He said: "We'll meet again, won't we?"

Yue Pengwu was too weak to sit upright; he smiled faintly and said: "Yes, we will meet again—on that day, we will fight side by side, for this world, because—" the frail general extended one finger, pointing to the sky, and whispered:

"The sun and moon shine bright."

"How could I betray them?"

Ling Pingyang stared at his frail form, nearly weeping; he clenched his teeth, saluted, and turned to stride away.

The sun and moon shine bright!

Five hundred elite, battle-tested, fully armored heavy cavalry detached from the main army this day.

A top-tier military unit that can maintain its initial charge state after galloping tens of thousands of miles.

Under the pretext of returning kindness for kindness.

Wheel the troops' spearhead!

All ride bloodline beasts, eight-foot-tall monstrous steeds, clad in thick, hardened full-body armor, wielding Golden Peng Horse Spears and Feathered Arrows, their hooves striking the ground like thunderclaps, led personally by Generals Ling Pingyang, ranked ninety-seventh on the Divine General List and the foremost cavalry commander of his generation.

By order, we arrive!

Rush to reinforce!

Rush to reinforce!!!