Chapter 74: Going to Battle
"As you command!"
Zheng Tong acknowledged the order, a flicker of joy flashing through his eyes before vanishing.
A moment later, a unit from the Zheng Family’s army surged forward.
In moments, they formed a great array on the field that resembled a golden eagle.
It shimmered like colored glass under the sun as it charged forward.
From a high point in the fortified camp, King Yan watched all of this with a cold gaze.
The Lone Wolf Array was forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood; it could absolutely withstand the test of war.
For an army of equal strength to break this Array, it would be impossible unless their own formation had reached the level of Perfection.
But as for the imperial court’s Garrison Generals, it was already impressive for their Military Arrays to reach Great Success. To find one at Perfection was truly impossible.
He was certain of this.
That was why he had his elite troops hold the line outside the camp.
With this Array, they could stall for ten to fifteen days. By the time the battle on the main front was over, the Dayong forces would have little choice but to retreat.
That way, his own men would suffer no losses, and he would have completed his mission.
Although he was now called King Yan, the high command of the Northern Barbarians had never truly accepted him.
The battle below unfolded just as King Yan had predicted.
After clashing with the Lone Wolf Array for a few rounds, Zheng Tong’s troops couldn’t hold on any longer, and their formation was ripped apart.
A troop of one thousand men was annihilated without making the slightest ripple.
Yet the lone wolf outside the gate showed no signs of fatigue. Instead, its ferocious aura swelled outwards.
The phantom of a vicious wolf, shrouded in black mist, flickered in and out of sight.
The black array banners surrounding it snapped in the wind, and a thick, bloody mist seemed to float among them.
"Send more men to break the formation!"
The Marquis of Jiuse ordered coldly.
As a commoner who had become a Marquis by fighting his way up from the Border Army, he was renowned for his ferocity in battle.
Moreover, he was fearless in the face of death, and he demanded the same from his men.
The loss of two units from the great military families meant nothing on a battlefield like this.
But the morale of the troops could not be allowed to falter.
If they couldn’t turn the tables now, the resistance they’d face trying to break the camp would be immense.
Following the Marquis of Jiuse’s command, several Disciples of the General’s Family exchanged glances. No longer holding back, they each dispatched their elite troops to battle.
It was quite a spectacle for Lu Yuan. He didn’t volunteer to fight this time, simply standing and observing as a wide variety of Military Arrays appeared on the battlefield.
But in the end, every single one met a grim fate, perishing on the battlefield without exception.
In a single day of fighting, six units had been wiped out.
That was six thousand men, and they hadn’t even reached the enemy’s fortified camp.
The ground had turned scarlet.
A faint, bloody mist hung over the open ground outside the camp.
The Marquis of Jiuse’s expression was grim.
Back then, King Yan had dared to openly defy the Dayong nobility because he wasn’t just exceptionally talented himself; his skill at leading troops was also first-rate. He was said to be firmly ranked among the top three Border Marquises.
Now that he had defected to the Northern Barbarians, his abilities were even greater than before.
’For his men to have trained the Lone Wolf Array to such a degree is simply unbelievable.’
’I have very few men who have mastered an Array to the level of Great Success.’
His gaze swept across the men below.
The Disciples of the General’s Family from the Imperial City no longer dared to speak. They weren’t fools. The men they’d sent out were all dead, and if they sent more, the outcome would likely be the same.
These were their own elite troops who had died.
They were supposed to rely on these men to contend for military honors in the future.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan knew his chance had come.
He immediately stood up and declared once more, "Marquis, I am willing to fight!"
His voice was as firm and decisive as before.
And the gaze of Hong City—the Marquis of Jiuse—finally settled on this Army Centurion under Zhou Hongling’s command.
A flicker of appreciation crossed his eyes.
’See? When it’s really time to risk it all, you still have to rely on us, the men who fought our way up from the Border Army.’
Thus, his voice was uncharacteristically gentle as he said, "If you win this battle, I will personally host a victory banquet tonight."
In truth, he couldn’t stand these nobles from the Imperial City’s great military families either.
But there was nothing to be done. These families, close to the Central Hub of power, all had powerful backers. Not even he, a Marquis, could necessarily touch them.
"Thank you, Marquis!"
After acknowledging the order, Lu Yuan spurred his horse forward, commanding his men to follow.
In moments, a troop of a thousand men had gathered behind him.
In the center of the unit, Zhou Hongling’s brows knitted together, her eyes filled with worry.
After all, everyone had just witnessed the power of the Lone Wolf Array.
Lu Yuan had only ever led small-scale Scout engagements; this was a direct clash of Battle Arrays.
It was completely different from what he was used to.
The power a thousand-man Battle Array could unleash, if deployed properly, was no laughing matter.
Take the Lone Wolf Array below, for instance. The men forming it were all fierce, elite, armored soldiers.
Furthermore, the one commanding the formation had mastered this particular Array to the Great Success level.
Without sufficient mastery of Military Arrays, even a Gang Qi Realm expert would risk being killed upon entering the field.
So, naturally, she was worried.
However, Zhao Yu and the others, who had long been annoyed with Lu Yuan for stealing their spotlight, had a cold glint in their eyes.
They couldn’t wait to see Lu Yuan die on the battlefield.
Though they didn’t dare show it due to pressure from the Marquis of Jiuse, Zhao Yu still remarked, "This Lone Wolf Array can gather baleful energy. The more people it kills, the stronger the Battle Array becomes. Now that it has defeated so many in succession..."
"Look, its baleful energy is already tinged with blood. Its combat strength must be at its peak."
"It is formidable indeed," Zheng Tong said nonchalantly. "My family’s Wind Tiger Array could probably defeat it, but unfortunately, only my third uncle can command that formation."
Although he didn’t explicitly say Lu Yuan would lose, he was implying that only a more advanced Array from his own family could hope to match the Lone Wolf Array.
He clearly didn’t believe Lu Yuan could win.
Beside them, an almost imperceptible, sinister smile touched Zhang Zhe’s lips.
He too clearly believed that Lu Yuan was doomed to die in this battle.
After all, with so many elite troops from the great families already annihilated, he simply didn’t believe Lu Yuan could make it back alive.
But by now, Lu Yuan had already spurred his warhorse and charged onto the battlefield.
As the One-Character Long Snake Formation took shape, the phantom of a great serpent materialized on the field, seemingly forged from black, crystalline glass. Every one of its scales was tight and solid, shimmering with a dark luster.
Banners billowed, snapping in the wind on all sides.
Lu Yuan stood at the very front. Beneath him, Red Scale roared, and the Crescent Saber in his hand glowed.
He glanced at the giant wolf-like Military Array before him and roared, "Kill!"
The next moment, the giant python’s body moved, slithering forward.
It collided with the Lone Wolf Array.
For a moment, dust and dirt flew everywhere.
In an instant, it blotted out the sun.
The entire camp seemed to tremble from the impact.
Lu Yuan felt he had never been so powerful.
As the roiling Essence Qi from the thousand-man Military Array surged into him, he felt as if he could lift mountains and shift continents.
The giant python stretched across the battlefield.
The vicious wolf had just pounced toward the snake’s vital point when the formation’s head and tail struck simultaneously, moving to encircle and crush it.
A bloody wind washed over the field.
All anyone could see were the two sides clashing head-on, beginning a mutual slaughter.