Chapter 128: The Wolf-Brush Army

The Observation Tower.

It fell silent in an instant.

The people beside Cheng Mu all remained speechless.

Several people looked over.

Inside Longhu Pass, an endless expanse of military camps.

That touch of green became the focus of Cheng Mu's attention.

The Yinzhou Army...

Why did such a variable appear at this time?

Cheng Mu had been full of confidence regarding this southern expedition.

His goal was simple: to force that old emperor, who was on the verge of kicking the bucket, to come before him through war.

However, today...

He always felt his right eyelid twitching; he gazed at the sky—was the Heavens finally planning to stop favoring him?

Why?

Why!

He had already waited for thirty years!

If things had gone according to his plan, the Longyan Army would surely have been defeated!

But the appearance of the Yinzhou Army had disrupted all of this.

"Military Advisor, Military Advisor, they are fighting again!"

Suddenly, at this moment, a subordinate came to report in a panic.

Cheng Mu gritted his teeth and barked, "A bunch of good-for-nothings! What time is it, and they are still infighting!"

He hurriedly took his men and ran down.

"It is tomorrow..."

At this time, night had finally fallen.

Liu Zheng gave a self-deprecating smile: "If your Sister Yue Ru cannot make it, then we are truly done for."

Jiang Xuan said: "Don't worry, Young Master, Sister Yue Ru values her word above all else; if she said she would arrive today, she will arrive today!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a noisy sound suddenly came from outside.

"Who goes there?"

"I am Zheng Yueru of Yinzhou!"

Liu Zheng and the others were overjoyed and ran out the door.

Because it was already night, the security at Longhu Pass was relatively strict, guarding against the Xiongnu Army taking advantage of the darkness to cause trouble. How could they not interrogate such a suddenly appearing cavalry troop?

"Zheng Yuru, who is this?"

"Do you have a pass permit?"

"If not, arrest them as spies!"

There was a commotion at the entrance, and many people looked over.

Liu Zheng and Jiang Xuan ran over quickly: "They are our people, they are ours!"

Taking advantage of the torchlight, Zheng Yueru looked travel-worn, with dark circles under her eyes; when she saw Liu Zheng, she finally beamed, and then her head tilted to the side, and she fainted just like that.

"Doctor, doctor, come quickly, come quickly!"

Liu Zheng was startled and caught the nearly falling Zheng Yueru in his arms.

Seeing that it was Liu Zheng who had come out personally, the guards naturally stopped blocking them.

"Young Master, Miss Zheng has not rested for seven days and seven nights!"

A manager who followed Zheng Yueru said with heartache.

"What?"

Liu Zheng's eyes turned red; he held Zheng Yueru tightly and pinched her philtrum. Zheng Yueru slowly woke up, and seeing that she was still in Liu Zheng's arms, she was instantly shy and whispered: "Brother Liu, are the bamboo poles satisfactory?"

Liu Zheng felt a pang of pain in his heart: "Satisfactory, very satisfactory. Don't think about these things anymore, please get some rest, okay?"

In reality, he had not yet checked whether the bamboo poles met his requirements.

But Zheng Yueru was so exhausted because of him. He had always known of Zheng Yueru's feelings for him, but he had been avoiding them. Zheng Yueru was not impatient, however, and had always followed steadily behind Liu Zheng. How could Liu Zheng not be moved by this?

Carrying Zheng Yueru to the tent, the doctor took a look and said there was no major issue; Zheng Yueru was just overly exhausted and needed rest, and her pulse was still very steady.

Liu Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief, called for Jiang Xuan and Qin Zhangfeng, and said excitedly: "Let's go!"

Seeing that Zheng Yueru had fainted from exhaustion because of some bamboo poles, Jiang Xuan felt some resentment: "Young Master, in such a great battle, what use are bamboo poles?"

Liu Zheng smiled slightly: "The use of deciding victory or defeat! What do you think?"

Jiang Xuan did not believe it.

Qin Zhangfeng did not believe it either.

Liu Zheng did not waste words. At this time, the hundred-plus horse carriages responsible for transporting the bamboo poles had already been pulled to the Yinzhou Army's camp. Liu Zheng took a deep breath as he looked at so many; Zheng Yueru, a weak woman, had managed to acquire so many in such a limited time—he could not imagine how much effort it must have cost her. He signaled for Jiang Xuan to get on the carriage and pull off the oilcloth used for covering. It was full of very long bamboo poles, Mao Bamboo! According to his requirements, even the branches and leaves on the bamboo poles had not been removed!

"Good!"

Liu Zheng was instantly overjoyed.

This was what he wanted!

Jiang Xuan asked curiously: "Young Master, these bamboo poles haven't even dried out yet; what exactly are they for?"

Qin Zhangfeng had the same question.

Liu Zheng laughed out loud: "Jiang Xuan, go and get a Mo Dao!"

Although Jiang Xuan did not understand, he still followed Liu Zheng's request and held a Mo Dao.

Liu Zheng chose a piece of Mao Bamboo to hold in his hand and smiled faintly: "Attack me!"

Jiang Xuan was greatly alarmed: "Young Master, do not joke; be careful not to hurt yourself!"

Liu Zheng smiled: "Just come at me!"

Jiang Xuan let out an angry shout. At this time, he was no longer the thin, weak young boy he once was; under Qin Zhangfeng's tempering, he had grown into a true, sturdy man of Liangzhou, and the way he wielded the Mo Dao was quite imposing. He slashed down with extreme force.

Liu Zheng exclaimed "Good fellow," thinking to himself, is this guy trying to take revenge for Zheng Yueru?

But he was not in a hurry; he picked up the Mao Bamboo in his hand and thrust it toward the Mo Dao!

Jiang Xuan's fierce slash was actually caught by the branches on the Mao Bamboo! No matter how much force he used, he could not advance even an inch! Jiang Xuan's expression changed slightly, feeling annoyed; he withdrew his blade and came again, but the next slash was the same!

Because this Mao Bamboo was a full fifteen feet long, Jiang Xuan could not even get close to Liu Zheng's body, and as he slashed with force, although many branches fell off, there were still many left, stubbornly resisting the extremely sharp edge of the Mo Dao!

"Enough!"

Liu Zheng looked at the frustrated Jiang Xuan and smiled faintly.

Jiang Xuan and Qin Zhangfeng looked at each other in shock.

"Young Master..."

"This..."

"What is the logic behind this?"

A piece of Mao Bamboo could actually block a Mo Dao? Before this, who would have dared to think so?

Liu Zheng chuckled.

When he learned that the Xiongnu soldiers were using Long-handled Curved Sabers this time, three words popped into his mind: Langxian Soldier!

The Langxian Soldier was a type of unit created by General Qi Jiguang in the mid-Ming Dynasty of Huaxia civilization. The weapon known as the Langxian was made precisely from Mao Bamboo. The "New Book of Effective Discipline" records that the main body of the Langxian is a piece of Mao Bamboo, about fifteen feet long, with the branches of the bamboo retained on the upper half; both the Mao Bamboo and the tips of the branches are fitted with iron spear points. When used, it is often closely combined with the "Mandarin Duck Formation," using the branches to shield oneself and the spear points to strike and kill the enemy.

In the mid-Ming Dynasty, during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor, the border defense situation of the Ming Dynasty was extremely tense, and the "Southern Wa and Northern Barbarians" problem that had plagued the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years erupted simultaneously. In particular, the "Wa pirate scourge" in the southeast coastal areas had reached the point of seriously threatening the national security of the Ming Dynasty. The Wa pirates not only harassed the coastal areas, but because the Ming army found it difficult to resist their invasions, they gradually penetrated deep into the Jiangzhe region, the financial heartland of the Ming Dynasty, becoming a major threat. However, because the Ming army was listless and had low combat effectiveness, the Wa pirates were composed of fierce Japanese Samurai and pirates; they were not only fearless of death but also had excellent weapons, with the "Wa saber" in their hands being extremely long and sharp, and the Wa pirates were skilled in sword techniques.

"When a single blade enters the formation, the five weapons cannot defend against it," and "When the blade is swung swiftly, all soldiers are fearful, and they are defeated upon encountering it."

It can be seen that the rampant behavior of the Wa pirates at that time was not much different from the current Xiongnu soldiers.

After Qi Jiguang took charge of the overall situation against the Wa, he racked his brains to defeat them. Based on the traditional martial arts principle that "one inch longer is one inch stronger," he put great effort into the innovation of Ming military weapons, not only imitating the Wa saber to create the "Miao Saber" with an extra-long blade but also using poison to fight poison by creating the Langxian. The Langxian is about five meters long; it can attack when advancing and defend when retreating, which not only keeps one outside the attack range of the Wa pirates but also effectively kills them, becoming a sharp weapon against the Wa.

Since the advent of the Langxian and the accompanying "Mandarin Duck Formation," the face of the Ming Dynasty's anti-Wa war took on a new look. Relying on the Langxian and the "Mandarin Duck Formation," the Qi Family Army repeatedly created a casualty ratio of killing thousands of enemies while suffering fewer than ten casualties themselves, killing the Wa pirates until they were in disarray and retreating repeatedly.

So when Liu Zheng heard about the Xiongnu's Long-handled Curved Saber, he suddenly felt that this kind of saber was exactly what a Wa saber looked like, wasn't it?

Then, when everyone else had no way to deal with these Xiongnu soldiers, this Mao Bamboo came in handy!

Although there was no time to equip this Mao Bamboo with those spear points, Liu Zheng had Spearmen, and with the Langxian Soldiers providing cover and the Spearmen attacking, wouldn't that be a perfect match?

"Young Master, this, this, this, this piece of bamboo is actually this useful?"

Jiang Xuan was extremely excited.

Qin Zhangfeng also took a deep breath and said with great joy: "With this Mao Bamboo, the Xiongnu will surely be defeated!"

Only then did they finally understand why Liu Zheng wanted this fresh Mao Bamboo and not dried ones. Because the Mao Bamboo at this time had more resilience! No matter how the Xiongnu curved saber was swung, it could not cut through the Mao Bamboo in one go; in this way, the Spearmen would have the time and space to attack!

Liu Zheng chuckled and said: "The Xiongnu Cavalry are brave and good at fighting, with extremely strong attack power. Jiang Xuan, what formation do you think we should use?"

Jiang Xuan immediately replied: "Young Master, if we use this Mao Bamboo to repel the enemy, the Mandarin Duck Formation will suffice!"

Liu Zheng laughed with gratification.

The Langxian Soldier and the Mandarin Duck Formation were a major lethal weapon!

Liu Zheng had taught this Mandarin Duck Formation to Jiang Xuan back in Yinzhou. It is a formation with eleven people as a team; the leader is at the front, followed by two people, one holding a long shield and one holding a shield.

The long shield bearer holds a long shield to block the enemy's arrows and long spears, while the shield bearer holds a light shield and carries a Javelin and a waist saber; the long shield bearer and the shield bearer mainly cover the advance of the rear team, and the shield bearer can also engage in close combat with the enemy in addition to providing cover.

Two more people are Langxian wielders holding Langxian; the Langxian utilizes Mao Bamboo grown in the south, selecting the old and solid ones, sharpening the bamboo end into a point, and leaving sharp branches all around. Each Langxian is about three meters long, and the Langxian wielders use the sharp blades at the front of the Langxian to stab and kill enemies to cover the advance of the shield bearers and the attack of the Spearmen behind. Next are four Spearmen holding long spears, two on the left and two on the right, respectively looking after the shield bearers and Langxian wielders on their left and right sides.

Following behind are two soldiers holding "Tang Pa" who are responsible for guarding, support, and other tasks. If the enemy makes a detour to attack, the short-range soldiers will rush forward with Short Blades to hack and kill the enemy. The division of labor for various weapons is clear; each person only needs to be proficient in the operation of their own, and the key to effectively killing the enemy lies in overall coordination and strict obedience to orders.

The "Mandarin Duck Formation" not only closely combines spears and shields, long and short weapons, fully exerting the effectiveness of various weapons, but the formation is also flexible in its changes. It can change from a column to a line, or from one formation into two small formations on the left and right or three small formations on the left, middle, and right, according to the situation and combat needs. When changed into two small formations, it is called the "Two-Talent Formation," where the left and right shield bearers follow the left and right Langxian wielders, Spearmen, and short-range soldiers to guard their advance; when changed into three small formations, it is called the "Three-Talent Formation," at which time the Langxian wielders, Spearmen, and short-range soldiers are in the center, and the shield bearers guard the left and right sides. This changed formation is also called the "Modified Mandarin Duck Formation." This formation is flexible and mobile, just enough to suppress the advantages of the Wa pirates.

After Qi Jiguang led the "Qi Family Army" and practiced the "Mandarin Duck Formation" method, they were victorious in every battle against the Wa pirates.

And when Liu Zheng taught the Mandarin Duck Formation to Jiang Xuan in Yinzhou, naturally there were no Langxian Soldiers, but after all, at that time, he had Rhodok Spears, so even without Langxian Soldiers, this formation was still useful.

And now, with Langxian Soldiers, and then equipped with Rhodok Spears!

Liu Zheng was even more confident about tomorrow's decisive battle!

"Jiang Xuan, Qin Zhangfeng, listen to my orders!"

"This subordinate is here!"

"Distribute the Langxian and train through the night!"

"Tomorrow morning, it will be the decisive battle!"

"Yes!"