Chen Ping's Sword

It’s a shame to just kill them directly, using them to gain some goodwill is just right.

"Junior Yan acts with such grandeur, truly in tune with my heart. What the master said was indeed true, Junior, you will surely accomplish great things in the future."

Glancing over more than a hundred crying, miserable-looking women, Daoist Mingcheng’s eyes gleamed, barely able to contain his excitement.

Noticing Yan Beifei’s gaze inadvertently sweeping over his wrist, he chuckled and said, "This time the True Martial King Ji Changfeng’s death angered the master greatly.

If not for being at a critical juncture in his practice and unable to get away, he might have even descended the mountain himself."

He raised his right hand, shaking the gold and white rings on his wrist, "This ring was personally given by the master just before descending and cannot be lent to you for play.

However, rest assured, with this spiritual artifact in hand, even if Chen Ping is an extraordinary genius, he won’t withstand a single blow."

"With Senior Brother saying so, I am much relieved."

Though Yan Beifei had obtained the Divine Martial Inheritance and was halfway to transcendence, glimpsing the Divine Martial threshold, he had early on developed a bit of Divine Sense.

Naturally, he could feel the profound power hidden within this ring, which looked like gold and jade.

In his perception,

this ring seemed to merge with the Vitality of Heaven and Earth, just looking at it felt like a mountain pressing heavily on his heart.

Even more strangely, he could feel the ring seemingly alive, autonomously breathing, with a mysterious rhythm, absorbing some extremely tiny peculiar substances from Vitality.

"Truly worthy of being a spiritual artifact, it seems much more formidable than the Magic Sword Senior Brother wields."

Recalling how a single blow previously broke the Cyan Wood Dragon Locking Array, and further obliterated the upper body of Jiang Yuanhao, who was reinforced by the Array.

No matter how composed and shrewd, Yan Beifei couldn’t help but feel a tinge of greed in his heart.

Noticing this desire, he quickly suppressed his greed, not daring to look further.

Daoist Mingcheng glanced at Yan Beifei with a faint smile and shook his head, "There’s no need to envy, Junior Brother. The Sun and Moon Ring is the master’s personal treasure, and I am merely borrowing it temporarily.

After helping you slay the formidable foe, it still needs to be returned to the master..."

"However, if Junior Brother can defeat Chen Ping, gather Jiangnan’s Qi Number, and assist the master in completing his refining technique, it’s not impossible to earn a reward."

"Senior Brother, you’re joking, doing something for the master is my duty. How dare I ask for a reward, let’s not talk about it. Let’s not talk about it.

If there’s any reward, it would be proper for Senior Brother to take the spiritual artifact."

The two exchanged a knowing smile and dropped the topic.

Instead, they began preparing troops and horses, gearing up to face King Ping’s army.

If they win, they get everything.

If they lose, there won’t be much to say, not to mention spiritual artifacts, not even a hair.

The senior and junior brothers were well aware of their master’s temper.

Turning hostile like flipping a book.

He wouldn’t care much about the master-disciple relationship.

...

"Report, the Imperial Army across the river, led by Yan Beifei, has arrived and set up a ten-mile defense line. The rapid currents at Guangyun Crossing make crossing difficult."

Chen Ping took the note, unfolded it with a wave, glanced at it, and passed it to Feng Yuantu.

After all the advisors and generals inside the tent finished reading it, he asked:

"Gentlemen, if anyone has any ideas, feel free to speak up, don’t hold back.

This time, how can we cross the river to avoid the pain of being struck mid-crossing, and break Yan Beifei’s ten-mile defense?"

He slightly frowned, shaking his head, "I thought by rushing through and capturing cities along the way, we could reach Jiangyou before Jiang Yuanhao was wiped out.

However, I didn’t expect the East Celestial King to be overrated. He couldn’t stall Yan Beifei for even a few days and died inside East Sea City."

The confidential report from the front came in, stating that Jiang Yuanhao, with the protection of an array and skilled in defending cities, shouldn’t have fallen so easily.

Yet, somehow, he was killed by a ring of light.

According to reports from operatives, they heard a loud noise at the time, saw flames rising, and Jiang Yuanhao was just gone.

Once Jiang Yuanhao died, without the protection of the array, although the large army of East Sea City remained, it became leaderless.

The invading Imperial Forest Iron Cavalry slaughtered them ruthlessly, leading directly to their collapse.

Only about two thousand East Wood Army soldiers escaped from the city...

The rest were either dead or surrendered.

"This matter is peculiar and must be guarded against."

Feng Yuantu also pondered deeply, contemplating the note he just read.

He felt that things had exceeded his expectations.

What exactly was that brilliance?

How did Jiang Yuanhao die under the protection of the array?

For the past month, King Ping’s army indeed exhibited strong combat power, capturing cities and territories almost without facing tough resistance.

Only occasionally, the elite guards of noble families and some scattered experts were individually slain by King Ping’s army masters, with even the commander Chen Ping making a move only three times.

One can say King Ping’s army advanced fan-shaped, crossing Qingjiang, reaching the edge of Wenjiang River, a complete rout.

Under his command, the twenty thousand strong army kept capturing and training elite troops...

Through relentless battles, their forces not only increased but the army gained the aura of a mighty army of a hundred battles.

A force refined by blood, its combat power has more than doubled.

The irresistible will to win and confidence, far surpassed what it once was.

This proves that Chen Ping wasn’t wrong in choosing the lesser strategy that day.

Regardless of whether the strategic objective was achieved, at least, the training purpose was fulfilled.

Only an army baptized by blood and fire like this would have a chance to vie for supremacy under Heaven.

"Why not link the warships with chains, set up a grand array, and forcefully cross the river...

Even with Yan Beifei’s ten-mile defense, we would encounter head-on combat, making it not difficult to defeat him."

Suddenly enlightened, an advisor stepped forward and proposed a strategy.

The soldiers under Chen Ping mostly came from Xingqing and Liiyang, naturally skilled in land battles, but somewhat lacking in naval warfare.

Frankly, except for Xie Daocheng’s part of the Dragon Soaring Army, the others were landlubbers.

Forcibly crossing the river to engage the combined navies of major families and gangs from the East Sea would undoubtedly have significant shortcomings.

The opponent blocks the river, ships criss-crossing...of course, not without purpose, but intending to attack their weakness with their own strength.

Unless King Ping’s army could cross and occupy a foothold on the other side, repelling Yan Beifei’s nearly twenty thousand infantry and cavalry dozens of miles back,

suddenly crossing the river to engage in battle would be courting death.

A mid-crossing strike is indeed lethal.

’Aren’t you Pang Shiyuan?’

Chen Ping looked closely and found that the strategist presenting such a plan was actually Zhang Ce Zhang Yuanhe, a renowned scholar from Wenyuan Prefecture.

This person’s strategy was indeed exceptional, well-versed in classics...he followed tens of thousands of refugees to evade Beizhou Hu Cavalry and was saved by Chen Ping, thus joining his forces.

Since then, loyal and diligent, he frequently advised.

Presently making this proposal should bear no ulterior motive.

It’s just sheer goodwill.

...

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