Chapter 402: The Final Move: The Divine General Returns

The battle reports had long since spread throughout the entire world.

The Wolf King, Chen Fubì, like a sharp blade, with a resolve to charge into death without seeking survival, pierced deep into the heart of the Ying state, charging wildly at an astonishing speed toward its center.

Had Ying not held the Central Plains and extended vast territories northward and westward, with sufficient strategic depth, this thrust alone would have driven straight into its heart, straight into Ducheng.

The Wolf King sought to punish Jiang Wànxiàng, but along the way, any city that blocked him was slaughtered.

The Wolf King did not seek to occupy cities; he killed officials and defeated armies.

Then, after securing the grain his troops needed,

he opened the state granaries and distributed food to the starving!

He distributed all the grain from the government granaries to the people of the Ying state!

Even the Ying Emperor, a man of great talent and vision, could not escape the immense drain of war—especially a war waged on three fronts—leaving the people crushed under unbearable pressure, barely surviving on the edge of subsistence.

This act of direct relief caused the people, when coming to collect grain, to stand in solemn silence before Chen Fubì's troops; one man named Du Wei said: "General, your actions cutting deep into the heart of Great Ying are not the moves of a strategist."

The Wolf King laughed: "Oh?"

Du Wei pressed on: "With this popular support, you could rally a massive army, carve out a territory, and declare yourself a Wang Hou—this would become a festering wound in the heart of the Ying Emperor."

The Wolf King asked: "Why tell me this?"

Du Wei clenched his lips, holding the sack of grain: "Just to live better, that's all. We've been fighting for a year now—against Chen, and within our own country, there are always dirty things."

The Wolf King laughed: "I did not come for a Wang Bazhi ambition."

"You have heart. Take it."

He casually drew his warhorse's saber and tossed it to Du Wei, who stared in shock; the Wolf King, Chen Fubì, said: "This blade is yours. If you still cannot survive one day, do not forget what you've seen today."

"If one day there is still no food to eat, remember."

"At least you still have your life, your blade, and the fierce courage in your heart."

Du Wei froze as the bold, gray wolf smiled, his eyes cold and detached, saying:

"No matter what, to eat and survive is never wrong."

"To die on this path is still death—but compared to starving, which is more worthy of a man's Dao?"

Du Wei lifted his head and watched the surrounding people bow respectfully:

"I humbly heed Your Majesty's teaching."

The Wolf Wang Chen Fubì burst into loud laughter, waving his hand: "Go!"

The Wolf King rode on, slaying officials of all ranks and opening granaries.

Qi Commandery Prince Bo, Meng Rang, Beihai Guo Fang, Qinghe Zhang Jincheng, Pingyuan Hao Xiaode, Hejian Ge Qian, Bohai Sun Xuanya, Zhao Po, Wang Bo, Wu Gong Dao, Bai Yuso, Meng Hai, Gao Shida—over twenty men, all heroes of the age, all possessing Wu Gong.

Lost in the chaos of the age, buried among the common folk, they witnessed the Wolf King's deeds.

And received his grace, his gifts.

Some received his military treatises; others received secret scrolls of Wu Gong.

The Wolf Wang Chen Fubì's actions spread the Sword of Xuanwu across the land.

Heroes had already risen in this chaotic age, yet still, there were wild magnates lurking beneath the waves—those who had not yet revealed their claws or fangs.

They were bound by daily life until the chaos of the age grew worse year by year, crushing down upon their heads, until they rose in fury and tore off their shackles.

Yet in this ordinary world, when they raised their heads to see the world,

they saw the howling gray wolf of chaos.

Like a fire hurled upon the mortal realm.

And their hearts, struck by the heroism and valor, ignited with flame.

Another man, named Dou De, had been bold and heroic since childhood, known for his chivalry; now grown, he was famed in the Jianghu as a righteous hero, gathering over two hundred wandering knights who imitated the Wolf King, storming key towns, opening granaries to relieve the people, then gathering to join the Wolf King's ranks.

The Wolf King laughed heartily, personally instructing him in Wu Gong and giving him his own military texts.

The Wolf King was not merely seeking to punish Jiang Wànxiàng.

That cunning, ruthless general aimed to destroy the very roots of the Ying state.

Wherever he went, the fire of the heroes spread.

Because Yuwen Lie had been reassigned, the central front between Ying and Chen had settled into a stalemate; Jiang Yuan learned of this, and learned that the Wolf Wang Chen Fubì had plunged straight into the Central Plains, racing at breakneck speed toward Jiang Wànxiàng.

Jiang Yuan's face darkened instantly.

"Father's Wu Gong is high, but he is no match for the Wolf King… Even with the fate of the nation behind him, he is old—fighting the Wolf King on the battlefield, whether he wins or loses, will cost him years of life."

Jiang Yuan clutched the battle report, his expression torn—then, almost that same afternoon, an imperial decree arrived:

"Your Majesty's decree: the army under the Second Prince must not move."

"If you dare move, it is defiance of imperial order, violation of law—punishable by crime."

Jiang Yuan's face turned ashen; he strode forward, seizing the imperial guard delivering the decree: "What did you say?! You want me to watch helplessly as Father and Ducheng are attacked?!"

The imperial guard, a Captain, replied: "The Emperor said that if you go—"

"He will no longer recognize you as his son."

Jiang Yuan's face twisted in agony; his strategists murmured: "Your Highness, if the Emperor says this, he must have a plan against the Wolf King. We have no general here capable of standing against him."

"Moreover, General Yuwen Lie spent so long to advance this front—if we withdraw now, we will never reclaim it."

"Think carefully, Your Highness."

"Defying the imperial decree is a grave crime!"

Jiang Yuan gripped the decree, suddenly asked: "What did you say?"

The scholar replied: "The imperial decree…"

Riiiiip!!

A shrill sound rang out—those around saw Jiang Yuan tear the golden-yellow decree in half; through the jagged tear, his eyes glowed red and cold. He clenched the shredded decree, expressionless, and shoved it into the nearby lantern pole.

Boom—

The imperial edict burst into flames instantly.

The fine silk material was the best kind of tinder.

Jiang Yuan's eyes reflected the flickering light: "What did you say?"

The scholar, the surrounding generals, and the imperial guard captain were all stunned by the sudden cold ferocity, unable to speak. Jiang Yuan struck the imperial guard captain unconscious; had he not been the Emperor's trusted man, Jiang Yuan would have killed him outright.

A pair of narrow, sharp eyes swept the front, each word deliberate:

"Today, no imperial edict ever existed."

"Yuwen Lie is absent—I am the commander of this army. Transmit my order: turn the front and rear armies, leave only the necessary garrison, and with all remaining troops, abandon baggage, travel light, and retreat to our homeland."

"The Grand Tutor will not ignore what is happening here."

"We must block the Wolf King's advance!!!"

The generals' faces changed: "Your Highness!"

Jiang Yuan's sword slashed down hard—the table before him shattered into splinters, his gaze icy:

"Whoever tries to stop me from saving my father—I'll cut them down today!"

Overcome by emotion, even Jiang Yuan's temperament could not suppress the childhood term he had not spoken since he was young; his eyes turned red as he stared ahead. The others felt fear—unlike the Crown Prince, the Second Imperial Prince meant it when he said he would kill.

Thus, in this moment, they were all silenced.

Jiang Yuan spoke slowly, each word clear:

"In this army, call me the Supervising Envoy!"

"I am the Supervising Envoy. If any blame comes from this mission, it rests entirely on me. Since he no longer recognizes me as his son, he is merely the Emperor."

"When generals are abroad, they may disobey the Emperor's orders!"

"All troops, follow me—intercept the Wolf King!"

The Second Imperial Prince Jiang Yuan disregarded all caution, mobilizing troops stationed at the central front between Chen and Ying, rushing to reinforce the rear. Though he deeply resented his elder brother, when his father faced imminent attack, he revealed extraordinary resolve and decisiveness.

He suppressed dissent and simmering mutiny within the army.

He executed several opposing generals by military law, then attempted to force a rapid advance, using a force several times larger than the Wolf King's to stall his momentum and buy time for Grand Tutor Jiang Su.

………………

In the Western Regions, Li Guanyi and Lu Youxian's forces clashed repeatedly with Ying army units.

They avoided direct contact with Grand Tutor Jiang Su's main force, instead pinning the flanks—the World's First Divine General was too powerful; in a mass army, Jiang Su was effectively invincible.

This was beyond dispute.

Yet in the grand scheme, the longer Jiang Su delayed his return, the greater the threat and destruction the Wolf Wang Chen Fubian could inflict on Ying. Lu Youxian fought as if his life depended on it to hold back Ying's flank forces.

Fifty thousand elite troops, using fortifications and mechanisms, held firm and delayed relentlessly.

Li Guanyi knew even more than most.

The Wolf King had likely glimpsed the threshold of martial legend.

Thus, intercepting Jiang Su was impossible—utterly unfeasible. But delaying Jiang Su's return, or forcing him to leave behind more troops, would greatly increase the Wolf King's chance of victory. This was a struggle for everything.

Xiao Wuliang had his arm severed, his Wu Gong severely damaged—he could no longer fight on the front lines. This famed general was effectively ruined, now resting in Anxi City. Chen Wenmian had already led reinforcements forward.

Both sides engaged in a grueling back-and-forth across multiple battlefields.

On the battlefield, the Fire Qilin roared in fury, water and fire entwined into waves of Lei Ting. Li Guanyi, clad in battle armor, wielding his weapon, fought and charged everywhere, disrupting the tide. In the midst of an army, his impact was two orders of magnitude greater than when fighting alone.

The army's soul could unleash astonishing abilities.

Li Guanyi brought down his battle halberd—the opposing general tried to block it with a horse spear, but could not stop it. The precious-grade long spear split cleanly in half; the halberd slammed hard against the helmet.

A fine helmet—it did not crack.

Yet the general wearing it groaned, fell silent, and tumbled from his steed. Beneath the helmet, blood gushed out. Li Guanyi exhaled a deep breath—on this battlefield, the Ying army broke.

The Divine General Jiang Su had initially planned a swift annihilation.

He used his left flank to pin the Western Regions' vassal khan, Li Guanyi, and Lu Youxian, while his central main force pushed deep into the Western Regions to strike the Wolf King. But now, the situation had turned: the Wolf King had secretly bypassed the front, exposing the flaw in the rapid annihilation strategy—forces were too scattered and too deeply extended.

All other factions fiercely pulled and tugged, preventing Jiang Su from concentrating his troops to counterattack.

Li Guanyi defeated the general, raised his gaze, and saw distant grim energy rising—a divine general's army soul was charging toward him at incredible speed. He realized Jiang Su, frustrated and retaliating, had been held back. He immediately withdrew.

Retreat like the wind.

When the enemy advances, we retreat. When the enemy halts, we harass. When the enemy tires, we strike. When the enemy retreats, we pursue.

The goal: attrition. The goal: distraction.

Leveraging the power of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, Li Guanyi could partially perceive Jiang Su's army soul. For days, he clung tightly to Jiang Su's main force. Li Guanyi could not defeat Jiang Su—but none of Jiang Su's other generals could defeat Li Guanyi either.

And Li Guanyi's troops were exceptionally agile.

When Jiang Su arrived on the battlefield, he saw only chaos. His expression was cold; the grim energy swirling around his spear, Jiemie, was thick—he longed to rush back immediately.

But Lu Youxian was like a tortoise that clamped onto a finger and retracted into its shell—not deadly, but agonizing and supremely distracting. The Western Regions' vassal khan was like swarms of mosquitoes and flies.

Li Guanyi's army clung stubbornly at a precise, delicate distance.

If Jiang Su turned to strike, Li Guanyi instantly retreated to his camp.

If Jiang Su continued pursuit, he would be drawn fully into the Western Regions battlefield.

If Jiang Su ignored everything and marched straight back into Ying territory,

Li Guanyi's army, with the Fire Qilin roaring, would have the audacity to bite onto Jiang Su's tail and charge straight into Ying's homeland—reminiscent of the tactics of the Red Emperor from eight hundred years ago.

Jiang Su's eyes saw the battlefield's grim energy slowly dispersing.

Beside him, his deputy general and current head of his lineage, Jiang Xuantao, said:

"Li Guanyi's reinforcements have arrived—and so has the Tian Kehan's cavalry."

"Now their forces have merged, moving like the wind—extremely difficult to handle. If you, Ancestor, do not act, even if they break and flee, our pursuers will be defeated and killed by them."

Jiang Su's eyes narrowed: "Then it is time."

Jiang Xuantao said: "What?"

General Jiang Su said: "Imperial Prince Jiang Yuan has briefly blocked the Wolf King. If we continue like this, Li Guanyi's weary-troop tactic will keep us pinned. So let us gather strength and take advantage of his habit of thinking we won't chase far."

"Crush them all at once, then strike while Li Guanyi is resting."

"Immediately return the army to the capital."

Jiang Xuantao said: "Yes!"

Jiang Su gazed into the distance, his white hair stirring slightly; his mood was not good.

He had always been the one to punish enemies, striking like wildfire. Perhaps his fame had grown too great—when water overflows, when the moon is full, it begins to wane. Now, he faintly felt as if he stood against all the heroes and generals of the world, restrained by overwhelming force.

Indeed, it is infuriating!

Li Guanyi returned to his main formation, rested briefly, rotated troops, and selected soldiers who had rested long enough to rejoin the front. Li Guanyi knew that with his current cultivation, realm, and command, he could not defeat the General.

His goal was to stall.

Li Guanyi exhaled a deep breath, feeling his military aura steadily accumulating: "The basic strategic objective has been achieved—Jiang Su has been stalled for several days. But the territory of Ying State is too vast. The Wolf King..."

"Where exactly has my uncle pushed to?"

"Has he encountered resistance?"

Chen Wenmian said: "The distances are too great, battles are raging everywhere. Intelligence transmission is no longer as swift. At this moment, aside from Ying State, none of us know the exact battlefield conditions anywhere..."

Li Guanyi exhaled, saying: "Yes."

"So we can only give our all, do our duty, and leave the rest to fate."

The entire Western Frontier battlefield had descended into chaos—every renowned general and warrior together blocking one man's advance. Is this proof of their combined strategy and coordination, or does it instead prove that, in this age, the man being blocked is invincible?

Yet on this night, a sudden change occurred.

Lu Youxian, while making his night patrol, wore armor. He walked through the camp with weapon in hand, gazing at the silent night, when suddenly he sensed something wrong—far off, faint wisps of aura flickered. He pressed himself to the ground.

He had buried hollow jars beneath the earth, allowing him to hear subtle vibrations through the soil.

He heard it—the ripple of water striking stones.

Unceasing.

A common man would ignore such a faint sound. Even a seasoned soldier might dismiss it as normal water flow. But here was Lu Youxian of Chen State.

It was cavalry slowing down, approaching.

His pupils contracted. He leapt up, struck the war drum, and roared:

"Enemy attack!!!"

The Chen army reacted instantly.

The cautious commander had already detected the night raid and prepared defenses. As the battle intensified, Lu Youxian saw that Jiang Xuantao, the current head of the Jiang family, personally led the assault—

Not a flank force. True elite troops.

Had the main Ying army moved out?!

If Jiang Xuantao fought, Jiang Su must have moved too.

If he's not here, where is he?!

Lu Youxian's pupils shrank. He instantly assessed the situation. Two thoughts rose in his mind. With almost no time to hesitate or deliberate, he chose to hold ground rather than retreat.

Lu Youxian shattered an incoming war spirit with a single lance strike and roared:

"Send word to Li Guanyi via the Flying Eagle beast! Tell him: Jiang Su has moved! He is charging toward them with his main force!"

"Stop them!!"

Lu Youxian gripped his war lance and bellowed:

"All troops, raise shields!"

"Hold back the main Ying army! Buy time for Your Majesty, for the King!"

The solemn general's eyes cracked with fury:

"Chen State shall prevail!"

Under Lu Youxian's command, Chen's heavy-shield elite erupted with unyielding willpower, turning the night raid into a prolonged siege, forcing the Ying cavalry into the very defensive tactics they excelled at.

It became a fortified-position defense.

At sunrise, the thin spring light fell upon pools of blood.

Chen's heavy-armored shield troops suffered nearly forty percent casualties before finally breaking.

Lu Youxian covered the retreat, slew dozens himself, clashed repeatedly with Jiang Xuantao, his armor pierced through, blood pooling beneath him, yet he refused to fall. With a final surge of strength, he dragged Jiang Xuantao from his horse, beard and hair bristling like an enraged tiger, blade raised, utterly defenseless.

They slashed at each other in furious close combat.

Jiang Xuantao was terrified—he did not want to trade lives with this madman.

Lu Youxian bore dozens of wounds.

Only when his strength was spent did he withdraw under cover.

Jiang Xuantao could not help but marvel: "They say Chen State has declined, that it has no great generals. But today, Lu Youxian is nothing like the rumor of a mere defender."

"Could this so-called 'defensive general' title merely be his stratagem?"

The Western Frontier battlefield shifted again. After giving everyone the illusion that the Ying army must rapidly retreat, General Jiang Su struck back violently. Lu Youxian's forces collapsed. The many Khans appointed by the Wolf King were nearly all shattered.

This delaying campaign on the Western Frontier lasted far less time than expected.

The situation changed rapidly. The world's transformation converged on the Western Frontier; the Western Frontier's change centered on the three armies; and now, the final critical point gathered in the central army.

The battle between Jiang Su and Li Guanyi.

This was the General's disdain. The General's confidence. His arrogance.

He would seize the most crucial step in his hand. He believed he would surely win, that he would surely defeat Li Guanyi. If there was no chance to return to Ying's heartland, he would create one.

He had always been this way.

Li Guanyi received Lu Youxian's message at nightfall. In truth, even without the message, Li Guanyi had sensed the aura drawing near. Jiang Su had plunged deep into the battlefield. Li Guanyi pursed his lips and murmured:

"... Bitten."

"Driving straight into the heart of the battlefield is a grave mistake in military strategy, but General Jiang Su must be bold and daring, and must trust his own plan—I am the same, so I understand."

Li Guanyi gripped his weapon, as if gripping his only trump card.

The trump card must be played at the critical moment.

Tian Kehan and Qin Wu Hou are allies.

Tian Kehan and Qin Wu Hou are one and the same.

The effect unleashed at this critical moment will be the difference between heaven and earth: one is merely leveraging the military momentum of an ally, two ordinary generals; the other is imbued with the wrathful aura of both armies, the strength of two entire forces concentrated in a single man.

"Even if this battle cannot defeat the General, at least I must accomplish what my father achieved in his day..."

"Shatter the General's strategic objective."

History seemed to turn again—the old battlefield was about to replay, but this time, the one standing before the General was no longer the alliance of Tai Ping Gong Li Wanli and Yu Langwang, only Li Guanyi himself.

"Even so, it is not bad."

Li Guanyi drew his battle halberd, stepped onto the battlefield, ready to face the approaching General—when, in the very heart of the Western Regions, the pivotal turning point of the world, a soft laugh suddenly came:

"How mighty you are, Qin Wu Hou."

Li Guanyi froze, slowly turned his head, and saw the Xuan Gui Fa Xiang manifesting on its own, characters appearing upon it, vibrating the void and emitting Mu Zi Yi's voice:

"Boy."

"We're back."

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