Chapter 65: Battle on the Wasteland
"General, are we heading back?"
When he saw Zhou Hongling approach, Lu Yuan took a step forward and asked.
Her expression was serious as she said, "The Marquis has ordered a Scout unit to be dispatched to probe the main force of the Northern Barbarians. I recommended you. How many men are you planning to take?"
"A hundred men will do. Scouting isn’t open warfare. Taking more won’t be of much use and will only make us easier to spot," Lu Yuan said.
Zhou Hongling nodded. "If you succeed this time, you’ll receive one thousand Merit Points, and each of your men will get one hundred. Kills will be counted for triple Merit Points. On top of that, there will be Heavenly and Earthly Treasures suitable for the Organ Refining Stage.
"However, this mission is extremely dangerous. The Marquis’s Guardian Army has already lost three waves of men. Your opponents are the Golden-armed Iron Kite. Are you confident?"
"A military order is absolute. I’m willing to try," Lu Yuan replied without hesitation.
’Since I’ve come to the battlefield, it’s only natural to vie for merit.’
’Nowhere on this battlefield is safe. Not even the Marquis of Jiuse or the Marquis of Yundu commanding the Central Army are completely free from danger.’
"Good. Then go back and prepare. You depart today. This matter is extremely urgent, and success will be a great merit."
"As you command!"
After acknowledging the order, Lu Yuan leaped onto his warhorse and galloped toward his own camp.
At the same time, the messenger under Helian Shang’s command also hurried back to his camp, clearly to gather his men.
Zhou Hongling watched Lu Yuan ride off. Only after his figure disappeared from sight did she turn and return to the Marquis of Jiuse’s main tent.
Inside, food and wine had already been laid out.
The other Garrison Generals and Captains had also arrived. When the Disciples of the General’s Family from the Imperial City looked at Zhou Hongling, their eyes held a hint of provocation.
They were just as determined to claim the merit from this mission.
The Marquis of Jiuse, seated at the head, was naturally aware of the wager made outside the tent just now, but his expression revealed nothing. This was a development he was happy to see.
As long as it was positive competition, he would not interfere.
As the commanding general, he had only one goal: to complete the mission.
"Everyone, have a seat. For now, we will wait here for news to return. Have your battalions begun to move into position?"
"Reporting to the Marquis, the order has been given. They will certainly arrive tonight," Zhou Hongling said immediately.
The other Garrison Generals also gave their assurances.
Then, at a gesture from the Marquis of Jiuse, they all sat down.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan had already returned to his camp. He glanced at Wei Yong and the others who came to greet him and said, "Notify all the old brothers to assemble. Tell them to pack enough rations. We have a mission."
"As you command!"
Wei Yong acknowledged the order and withdrew.
A short while later, a team of nearly one hundred men had gathered.
Ever since they had annihilated the Silver-armed Iron Kite, the squad’s numbers had not been fully replenished.
This was mainly because time was too short to find suitable recruits.
But while their numbers were smaller, their strength had increased significantly. After their last return, every one of them had earned a fortune, purchased Cultivation Resources, and had now reached the Entry Level.
Zhou He had even reached the Muscle Refining Realm and had now become a Centurion.
However, seeing that Lu Yuan was heading into battle this time, he still followed along with the ten squad leaders under his command.
Lu Yuan, of course, would not refuse. Having Zhou He along would save him a lot of trouble.
At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about logistics.
Half an hour later, everyone had assembled. With two horses per man, the ninety-plus soldiers were all equipped with at least half-plate iron armor.
The weapons in their hands were of fine quality.
Lu Yuan swept his gaze over them and, without any fuss, said, "Move out!"
As the order was given, he spurred his warhorse first, charging forward.
The rest of his men followed closely behind.
Just as Lu Yuan and his men departed, the Helian Family’s Silent Riders also galloped out of the camp at almost the same time.
The Zhao Family’s Red Armor Cavalry kicked up a trail of dust in the Wasteland, disappearing into the distance.
In a matter of moments, more than ten elite Scout units had vanished into the Wasteland.
By now, the sky was gradually growing dark.
It seemed the Dayong forces had long been targeted by the Northern Barbarians.
After these Scouts were a hundred li from camp, they encountered ambushes.
The first to be attacked were the Silent Riders.
They had just crested a hill when they saw a unit of cavalry clad in Fine Copper Armor blocking their path.
The Helian Family’s Silent Riders were unquestionably an elite force. They spent years traversing the deep Wasteland, completing various missions, and had ample experience dealing with the Northern Barbarians.
The moment the two sides met, there were no superfluous words.
They instantly clashed in a bloody struggle.
However, the Iron Kites before them were no ordinary ones; they were true Golden-armed Iron Kites.
The Silent Riders already struggled against the Silver-armed Iron Kite.
One could imagine the result of facing the Golden-armed Iron Kite.
In a single charge, more than a dozen of their men fell to the ground.
However, the reason for their fame was their fearlessness and ferocity.
Despite suffering heavy losses, they continued to draw their blades and press forward.
Not far from them, the Red Armor Cavalry and the other elite units dispatched by the General’s Families from the Imperial City also encountered their own opponents.
This time, to pin down Dayong’s right-wing army, the Barbarian Race had also gone all out.
They had deployed dozens of Hundred-Man Squad scouts around the Dayong camp.
Even more units patrolled the periphery.
All this was to intercept Dayong’s Scouts.
The goal was to render them blind, and the effect was clearly excellent.
At this moment, Lu Yuan and his men had also run into a unit of the Golden-armed Iron Kite.
The Tiger Head Blade in his hand reflected a cold gleam in the moonlight.
The Leopard Head Shoulder Guard on his armor looked all the more ferocious.
All the men behind him wore grave expressions. This kind of battle was different from the patrol skirmishes they had fought outside the city.
This was a true, large-scale war.
In the past, after a fight was over, they at least didn’t have to worry about someone else attacking them again for a short while.
But now was different. No one knew the situation in the surroundings; another unit of Iron Kites could appear at any moment.
Therefore, upon seeing the enemy blocking his path, Lu Yuan immediately gave the order.
"Form up!"
His voice rang out as he unslung the Python Sinew Bow from his saddle.
He drew a Wolf Hair Arrow with extreme speed. In the next instant, a gust of wind swirled before him, converging on the feathered arrow at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
"SWISH!"
"SWISH! SWISH!"
At that moment, his hands were but a blur. In a mere instant, more than twenty of the Golden-armed Iron Kites charging at them had fallen to the ground.
Every one of them was pierced through the throat.
They tumbled to the earth.
"SKREEE!"
Seeing the enemy draw near, he put away his bow. The Cloud-Rushing Crane Wing Array activated, and as they charged, it actually emitted the cry of a crane—clear and piercing.
They crashed straight into the opposing Golden-armed Iron Kites.
The Tiger Head Heaven-Swallowing Blade swept out. Using the momentum of his horse, he viciously cleaved down upon a Northern Barbarian Warrior’s shoulder. The blade sliced all the way through, cutting down diagonally.
The Northern Barbarian Warrior’s body was split in two from the hip.
A viscous spray of blood erupted, splattering onto Lu Yuan’s armor, mixed with bits of shredded organs. He paid it no mind.
As the "crane’s beak," his mission was to charge relentlessly.
Thus, though he was instantly wreathed in a mist of blood, the power behind his blade only grew stronger.
In an instant, he tore through the Iron Kites’ formation.
At the same time, system data scrolled continuously in his mind.
[Host has slain an enemy. Skill Level +10]
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[Host has blocked an enemy attack. Skill Level +10]
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