Chapter 347: Charging the Formation, Breaking the Army, Securing Victory

Li Shude and the others had already been holding out within Yemenguan, defending the city, but they saw more and more wounded filling the city, medicinal herbs dwindling, food stores decreasing daily, and arrows likely to run out soon.

An invisible pressure kept accumulating.

Li Shude pounded the city wall's stones and sighed: "It's already September, autumn deepening—I doubt we can hold out much longer. If I die here, I'll kill myself rather than let these westerners sully my reputation."

Xia Hou Duan gripped his battle saber, his armor caked with dried, congealed blood; he fell silent at these words. They faced the most brutal scenario of a siege: arrows exhausted, food gone, no reinforcements arriving.

"Your humble general will…"

His voice halted abruptly—he sensed something, his brows lifting. "This is…" As a seasoned general, Xia Hou Duan felt sharp whistling sounds cutting through the wind; the besieging force suddenly erupted in chaos.

Though faint, the disturbance was unmistakable. Xia Hou Duan's gaze snapped downward, spotting a single thread of disorder amid the vast, nearly endless army.

Xia Hou Duan's eyes narrowed sharply, then lit up with joy:

"My lord! Someone is charging the formation!"

Li Shude, mid-sigh, blinked, then lifted his gaze—where Xia Hou Duan pointed, a streak of ink-black motion drew near. His eyes instantly sharpened.

Eight hundred Xuanjia troops charged through a weak point in the formation.

Battle formations are linked, but one hundred thousand troops and one hundred thousand men are two different things.

Li Guanyi thrust his battle spear forward with mountain-crushing force, piercing armor. The enemy general before him widened his eyes, filled entirely with terror—the terrifying force hurled him upward; Li Guanyi swept his spear backward.

Several captains around him were flung flying, each soaring several zhang away.

The eight hundred were all assembled from Xiyicheng.

The weakest among them were at the Second Heaven level.

Second Heaven equals the rank of a squad leader in a frontline company.

In ordinary border troops, each of these men possessed the martial skill to command a hundred-man unit; among them, men like Wei Chi Xiong were even Fifth Heaven warriors—so calling them eight hundred men was really saying eight hundred elite officers.

Now under Li Zhaowen's command, they formed a sharp, elite force like a chisel driving straight in. Li Guanyi rode the momentum of the army, avoiding prolonged combat, exploiting the moment the Dawa general hadn't yet reacted—charging through, eyes calm, targeting only officers.

Li Shude and the others saw a fierce general who didn't need to regulate his breath, recover qi, or ease internal pressure—only slashing forward, relentless. The enemy, caught off guard, was violently driven deep into their ranks.

But those who came here were surely the finest warriors of the entire western lands.

The Dawa unit began shifting its formation.

Like a vast, misty serpent coiling and circling, they retracted with long spears and heavy shields, trying to crush Li Guanyi's forces from the flank and rear with this formation.

Li Shude's eyes blazed with fierce fire. He shouted: "Bring me bows!"

Xia Hou Duan handed him a bow.

The old duke drew the bowstring taut, his dark weapon fully drawn, then released.

Three arrows flew at once. Three barely audible groans followed—three Dawa captains tumbled from their horses. The old duke, once a youthful prodigy, his face twisted: "Turn back?"

"Hahahaha! These barbarians think we're what?!"

"Xia Hou!"

Xia Hou Duan replied: "Your humble general stands ready!"

The old duke pressed his hand against the wall, veins bulging, eyes locked on the battlefield, roaring: "Bring up every arrow, every crossbow! Aim them all there—shoot!"

Xia Hou Duan said: "But…"

Li Shude shouted: "My daughter is out there!"

The deeply calculating old duke's voice grew hoarse, paused, then returned to his usual composure and boldness:

"She must have brought reinforcements. Letting them in will shatter the morale of this western alliance—and lift ours. If this fails, we die anyway—what use are these arrows then?"

"To die with us?"

"Are we old men less bold than our children?"

Xia Hou Duan gritted his teeth: "Yes!"

The Dawa unit had been pierced from behind—its once fluid formation shattered. They never expected the old duke, dismissed as feeble and senile, would without hesitation unleash the last reserves of Yemenguan—all arrows and crossbows fired at once.

They tore violently through the rear ranks.

Xia Hou Duan, a famed general, of central plains' orthodox noble lineage.

He knew precisely where the core of a battle formation lay.

The Dawa unit's commanders clearly lacked Xia Hou Duan's insight, and the central and left armies meant to reinforce them failed to coordinate—like a giant whose limbs moved independently.

The banners commanding the formation whipped like a storm.

Qi currents shifted and changed.

Li Guanyi swung his battle spear, roaring: "Er Lang!!"

Li Zhaowen thrust her spear forward, killing one, then drew her bow, loosed an arrow—and in the chaos, she severed the enemy banner outright. Li Guanyi surged forward like a tiger, his spear a dragon in motion.

Li Shude shouted from the wall: "My sons!"

"Our central plains reinforcements have arrived!"

"These brave warriors brought word of aid—will you let your comrades fight alone?!"

The Duke of Li donned armor, ordered his men to bring out the war drum.

The old duke struck the drum himself.

The defenders' morale surged. Though they didn't charge recklessly, arrows rained down in frenzy. Tens of thousands of soldiers remained in the city—now abandoning defense for offense, disrupting the enemy.

Li Guanyi looked ahead and shouted: "The enemy is in chaos!"

Li Zhaowen brought her spear down in a heavy slash, brows raised: "A mere ornamental pillow!"

They charged and cut through, shooting down enemy banners one by one. With the duke's aid pinning them down, this elite Xuanjia force—composed of hundreds of officers above squad leader rank—twisted like a venomous snake through enemy gaps.

The earlier decoy tactic.

Yemenguan's sudden counterattack.

And this Xuanjia unit's surprise charge.

Combined, they became a blade driven deep into the enemy's morale.

One hundred thousand troops were terrifying, but because they lacked a peerless general as commander, they could not coordinate; once attacked, chaos erupted instantly, each unit unaware of how many enemies had come, only knowing they were under assault.

Without a peerless war general, one hundred thousand troops become a burden.

One who commands fewer than one hundred thousand, forcing a million troops into battle, may still fight well in favorable conditions, but when a situation like this arises, chaos breaks out immediately.

Li Shude beat the war drum, gazing down at the battlefield, his eyes gleaming with spirit.

"Who is this?!"

"Could he really be this ferocious?"

Xia Hou Duan shook his head, admitting he did not know, his face filled with awe: "This man charged the formation with extreme ferocity, killing thirty-seven officers above the rank of Captain, eight deputy generals, and one commander of a thousand. He does not seem to need to regulate his breath or restore his blood qi."

"The ones he killed were all key figures directing the battle array. Dawan has no top-tier generals; faced with such a decapitation tactic, their formation cannot quickly regroup—but if time drags on, they will surely die."

Li Shude said: "What extraordinary bravery!"

"Let us old fools pave the way for the young!"

He feigned boldness.

Xia Hou Duan said: "Yes!"

Both men seized their war bows; under their command, the archers on Yemeng Pass all nocked arrows but held them back, forming a battle array. The old duke stared intently at the tide of battle, waiting for the critical moment to unleash a rain of arrows to shield this group's entry into the city.

He grew tense, fearful.

Li Shude was no ordinary man; in his youth, he quelled rebellions with his friend, so poor he had to pull out enemy arrows to reuse them, yet with seventy-two arrows alone, he pacified an entire region, elegant and bold.

He was a free-spirited, heroic swordsman.

Even his wife was the daughter of the Supreme Commander; upon hearing of the world's upheaval, she left the household saying: "I regret not being a man, to save my uncle's plight!" Li Zhao Wen's character came from her. The Supreme Commander, knowing this woman's bold spirit was no ordinary one, once said:

"This woman's talent and beauty are such that she must not be given lightly to just anyone—she must be matched with a worthy husband."

So he painted two peacocks on his gate screen; any young master seeking her hand was given two arrows to shoot at them, secretly agreeing that whoever pierced the eyes would win her. Dozens had failed to hit the target—until the young swordsman Li Shude rode past and, casually, shot two arrows that struck the peacocks' eyes.

His archery had reached such mastery, his nature so carefree—yet now his hand trembled slightly.

It was not that his bravery or skill had waned in the slightest; it was merely because the one charging to her death below was his own daughter.

Li Guanyi and his group charged through, having pierced through Dawan.

Only two hundred or so of the Xuanjia soldiers remained to follow them.

Even though all were elite officers, their losses were heavy.

Ahead lay Yemeng Pass; their strategic goal was achieved. Now they needed to charge urgently back to the city to report the external strategy. Before them, layers of enemy armor blocked the way, while within Yemeng City, the barrage of arrows and crossbows was gradually weakening.

The enemy's military formation closed again, surrounding them completely with western frontier generals and soldiers.

Enemies attacked from left and right.

Li Guanyi swept his long spear, piercing the cavalry officer who slashed at Li Zhao Wen.

Li Zhao Wen brought his horse spear down in a heavy strike, killing the man who aimed to crush Li Guanyi's shoulder with his spiked club.

Li Guanyi said: "If we don't leave now, we'll be swallowed whole."

Li Zhao Wen said: "To charge like this now, even ancient heroes could not surpass us."

"Brother Li."

"A hundred years from now, your name and mine will be written side by side in the annals, read together by future generations."

Li Zhao Wen said with carefree ease: "If that's how it will be, death holds no fear."

Li Guanyi said: "I don't want to die."

Li Zhao Wen smiled, silent.

Li Guanyi could not use the Fire Qilin, nor Bai Hu, nor Chi Long.

What he used was the Qing Luan bird—the fastest, most vital, perfectly suited to his Longsheng Bu Mie cultivation body.

Li Zhao Wen's horse spear and Li Guanyi's long spear crossed tips; both men let out a low chant, and on the spear, a pale blue light flared; on the horse spear, golden-red flames rose.

They unleashed their force in unison.

As the spearheads scraped past each other, a metallic shriek exploded, inner qi surged as if igniting fire—and in that instant of thrusting, their spiritual forms erupted.

On the dim, chaotic battlefield, two auras roared upward; over a dozen armored western frontier cavalrymen were flung dozens of feet away, crashing to the ground and trampled to death by warhorses.

A clear, piercing cry briefly drowned out the battlefield's roars.

A blue luan bird, a golden-red phoenix.

Both appeared simultaneously on the dim battlefield.

Their auras merged, surging skyward.

Li Guanyi and Li Zhao Wen charged together!

Yan Xuanji led the remaining Xuanjia soldiers and forcibly pierced through Dawan's forces.

They tore themselves free from the enemy formation, reaching the foot of Yemeng Pass. Xia Hou Duan watched, blood boiling, desperate to ride out himself in their place; he nearly shouted to shoot.

But Li Shude held him back.

Li Shude stared fixedly at the battlefield, at the enemy troops, waiting until the moment when even Li Zhao Wen and his group were in grave danger—then he roared: "Shoot!!!"

In an instant, the formation opened.

Arrows flew in layers, like three crashing waves, slamming into the front of the pursuing enemy.

It wasn't meant to kill them.

But it was exquisitely timed, shattering the enemy's momentum.

War, formations—all have purpose; killing is the crudest use.

The Duke of Li exhaled, dropped his bow, and said: "... My daughter is safe."

Li Guanyi and Li Zhao Wen, with the remaining Xuanjia soldiers who still followed them, reached safety, successfully disrupting the enemy's great army—a massive blow to enemy morale.

The so-called one hundred thousand troops, already shaken by the decoy tactics, now saw their suppressed doubts and fears rise with even greater force.

But just as they neared the city gate, a Xuanjia soldier trapped deep in the enemy ranks cried out in despair: "When we set out, we swore to die together, comrades!"

"Has the general abandoned us?!"

Li Duke and Xia Hou Duan heard but showed no reaction.

Yet the warrior clad in shanwen armor, his battle robe stained with blood, fell silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled his reins tight, raised his long spear, turned back, and charged the formation again—no one expected anyone to charge under such conditions, and they were utterly unprepared.

【Shatuo Clan】Grand General Helian Jieshan said: "Who is this man?!"

"How fierce!"

His subordinate, face grim, replied: "We don't know…"

Li Guanyi, relying on his Wu Gong and physical foundation, took advantage of the enemy's surprise to countercharge, returned with a hundred men, displayed his prowess before a hundred thousand troops, shocking both friend and foe, and rescued those captured.

He struck once and withdrew, showing not the slightest desire to linger in battle.

Even so, his body was embedded with numerous arrows, lodged in the gaps between the shanwen armor plates.

Yamen Pass unleashed another volley of arrows, allowing the hundred-odd men to enter the city.

Li Guanyi exhaled, feeling heat in his breath as if from a battlefield; his battle robe was utterly blackened by blood, the armor plates sticky and clotted, his war boots crunching on the ground as he walked into the city.

When Li Guanyi arrived, the previously fiery atmosphere instantly fell into a thread of silence and oppression.

The Captains on either side gripped their weapons and instinctively lowered their heads.

No one dared look up.

The soldiers and civilians of the city, seeing his appearance, regarded him with the awe of a divine being.

Li Zhao Wen, who had earlier shielded him with arrows and entered the city with him, saw that morale within the city was still decent; a group of men rushed down from the walls, their leader an elderly man with white temples but still commanding presence, saying:

"Second son, are you unharmed? Have you been wounded?"

Li Zhao Wen bowed deeply: "Father is unharmed—that is all that matters."

Seeing his daughter was safe, Li Duke's thoughts stirred; he shouted loudly: "Reinforcements have arrived! Boost your spirits, do not slacken!" Morale surged in the army; Li Duke then ordered the city to distribute its meager remaining wine and meat to honor the Xuanjia Army.

The Xuanjia soldiers, honored by this favor, stood tall and proud.

Eight hundred charged the formation; even with Li Guanyi and Li Zhao Wen among them, even the weakest among them possessing Foundation Establishment Level Two, clad in superior armor and wielding fine weapons, only three hundred or so survived the charge—the rest perished.

Yet Li Duke suddenly paused, realizing these fierce Xuanjia soldiers were not drinking.

Even the most rebellious among them, Yu Chi Xiong, now sat quietly, holding their wine, staring at Li Guanyi, his battle robe soaked in blood.

Li Guanyi had slain commanders, seized banners, charged twice—his ferocity had won their respect; in the eyes of these valiant Xuanjia soldiers, there was only stillness and reverence—as if, because he did not drink, they would not either.

Li Duke personally brought a cup of wine: "Brave warrior, drain this cup."

Li Guanyi flicked his wrist, driving his spear into the ground, then took the cup and drank it down in one gulp.

Li Duke praised: "How magnificent!"

Only then did the other Xuanjia soldiers drink.

One hand holding weapons, the other holding cups, their fierce, heroic spirit could not be matched by any other force in Yamen Pass; Li Duke then arranged for rest and healing, first met secretly with Li Zhao Wen, then invited Li Guanyi and bowed deeply: "Thank you."

Li Duke stepped forward before all his generals and bowed respectfully, his tone heartfelt: "Other cities have betrayed or surrendered—only you, brave warrior, chose to aid us. Li Shude owes you a debt—and it will be repaid in full!"

Li Guanyi fell silent.

Li Guanyi said: "I need money."

Li Duke froze.

Li Guanyi continued: "It's just an alliance. Anxi City is in ruins—everything is lacking, everything is poor. If the Lord Duke is willing to help, that would be truly excellent!"

Li Duke pressed his lips together.

It was the noble family's habit—before others, to gesture gratitude and win loyalty; the recipient would usually gracefully accept the implied offer. But this time, he had never expected this.

He offered an apple as a token.

This kid actually ate it!

He turned a potential alliance into a shield, then blurted out his need for money—did this boy swallow the bait and spit out the hook?

Li Duke laughed loudly: "Gold, silver, artifacts—nothing! Our alliance will fulfill your needs!"

Li Guanyi said: "Lord Duke, your family has served as ministers for generations—your word is worth a thousand gold!"

No matter what, lock it in place first.

Li Duke smiled inwardly—this boy was a sly fox.

He and the generals and strategists jointly analyzed the current situation: using Li Zhao Wen and Anxi City as decoys, the enemy's morale was already shaken; combined with today's events, this unrest would likely cause desertions within days.

Generally, when a siege reached this stage, it was effectively over; though the army had not yet collapsed into chaos, it had lost the will and resolve to storm a great city in bloody combat.

Under these circumstances, a competent commander would choose to withdraw.

He could still preserve some morale and momentum.

Otherwise, this current unrest, if struck by a surprise force, would easily collapse—because they would face an enemy whose strength had been magnified by their own prolonged pressure, fear, and uncertainty.

Especially this so-called hundred-thousand-strong army, cobbled together from seven clans.

Lacking a supreme commander capable of full control.

Once part of it began to flee, the trend would spread—the army would cease to be an army.

Li Zhao Wen said: "Now, we wait for time to do its work."

Li Duke felt reassured: "This calmness owes much to your bold charges, which stoked their fears—but we must still remain cautious…"

Li Zhao Wen nodded, offering several suggestions; Li Duke agreed, planning to distribute part of the city's remaining rations to boost morale and deepen the enemy's unease.

Thus, the city held a rare feast: the last of its meat, mixed with grain and greens, boiled into porridge and served to the soldiers; smoke rose, laughter and joy drifted beyond the walls.

After the charge, the Western Region army's atmosphere grew heavy.

Though few had actually been killed—insignificant against a hundred thousand—the blow to morale was immense; Helian Jieshan, hearing the rumors, grew increasingly agitated and furious, realizing his strategic miscalculation.

Though most of his army remained intact, the strategic objective had failed.

This was a defeat!

"Who is that man?!"

"When did such a fierce warrior appear? At least Sixth Heaven's peak cultivation, with a Qingluan bird manifestation—where did this monster come from!"

Li Guanyi sat atop the city wall, still clad in armor; this suit of precious armor was one of the thirteen prototype armors of the Duke's Mansion, forged from various rare materials, reaching the level of Mystic Arms—blades and swords could hardly leave a scratch, surpassing even the 【Tie Futu General's Armor】 he had once obtained.

It was even stronger than the armor he wore during his campaigns in the Jiangnan region.

Li Zhao Wen said: "What are you thinking about, Brother Li?"

Li Guanyi turned to look; Li Zhao Wen wore a bright light armor, exuding far greater composure. Each time Li Guanyi saw Li Zhao Wen, he felt a pang of awe—this man seemed born for this chaotic world.

His growth rate, martial strategy, both were extraordinarily powerful. Li Guanyi himself had endured over two years of eastern and western campaigns, fought in battles involving hundreds of thousands, and only now could he maneuver freely upon this battlefield.

Yet Li Zhao Wen seemed to have mastered the ten-thousand-army battlefield after just one battle.

Li Zhao Wen smiled and said: "Thinking about this great army? Their morale is shattered—if we launch a direct assault, deserters and routed troops will surely appear. Helian Jieshan is no ordinary man; he will surely choose to retreat…"

Li Guanyi patted the stone beside him and replied:

"Yes, but why did they suddenly do this? They've withdrawn today, yet we haven't defeated them or broken their will—Helian Jieshan still retains a complete force. This battle has yielded no real gains."

Li Zhao Wen said: "Then…"

She sat beside Li Guanyi and said: "It's plain to see—this Western Army's spirit is withered. If my guess is right, this elite Western force is tied to Yu Langwang's blockade of the Tangxiang capital and Xiao General Xiao Wuliang's garrison at the mighty pass."

"Who will claim the corpse-benefits of the Tangxiang Kingdom? Who will forge Western dominance, seize the Western lands, and swallow the world?"

"That's the thought of us Central Plains people. The Westerners probably don't see it that way."

Li Guanyi said: "Once this force retreats, it will merge with the other allied factions and Yu Langwang's elite, Xiao General Xiao Wuliang, for a decisive battle at the pass—according to me, if we can strike this army now…"

"Crush them utterly."

"Only then will we truly influence the Western situation."

"Only then will the grand tide of the world shift."

Li Zhao Wen said: "Brother Li seems to have an idea?"

Li Guanyi gazed into the distance, silent. The atmosphere and aura of Yumen Pass surged again—joy within the city, hesitation beyond its walls, like the turning of Yin and Yang.

Li Guanyi's eyes widened slightly as he stared afar; in the center of the allied army, the martial energy of soldiers piled layer upon layer, forming dense clouds. Li Guanyi replied:

"It's just that—in this chaotic world, every step demands advancement. If we cannot seize this force, we must break it."

"If this army rejoins the Western struggle, this battle brings us no benefit."

In the enemy formation, Helian Jieshan also struggled, his eyes locked on the city—he had staked everything, gambled his future, to trap the Duke here and sever the Ying Kingdom's Western strength, yet because of that charging warrior, his plan had failed at the final moment.

Should he launch one final charge?

But what if there truly are reinforcements…

Is there truly a reinforcement?

At this point, it no longer decides victory or defeat—whether reinforcements exist only determines whether the Western allied army can retreat in full. And at this moment, the Duke of Li once again regained his composure, personally inviting Li Guanyi into the city.

He said: "Come to a banquet."

He called it a family feast.

Li Zhao Wen would accompany him.

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