My Cultivation Starting from Archery

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"By the way, has Deng Feng died yet?"

"We've already sent a Black Hawk to remind him to take his own life. Now that the Xuanjia Army is marching toward Hulao Pass, he must be dead by now. Moreover, someone later reported that General Deng had held out until the last moment in Zhaotong Prefecture City. He couldn't bear to implicate his subordinates and the people, which is why he failed to commit suicide."

"Hmm."

Li Gong nodded in satisfaction, "He has done Daqing proud. Once the war is over, ask the Empress to posthumously confer upon him a title."

...

Hulao Pass.

"Report!"

Zhao Kang came forward to report, "Fifty miles outside the city, Nan Xu's vanguard has been spotted, led by the fourteenth prince, Fan Jiuxiao. A conservative estimate puts them at over twenty thousand men, camped around Silver Pine Cliff. Judging by their formation, the main force of a hundred thousand is probably close at hand."

"The Fourteenth Prince, Fan Jiuxiao."

Fang Qingyun recalled this person's history, "At only twenty-five, he has already achieved Mastery of Meridian Passage, just one step away from being able to hold sway over a region. He is quite the standout among the younger generation of Nan Xu."

"Judging from their march, they are planning to take their time."

Deng Feng analyzed, "Once the hundred thousand troops are assembled and they press the attack day and night, it will be tough to hold them back."

"This battle, we simply cannot fight."

Sha Wenlong counted on his fingers, "A hundred thousand troops, four Mysterious Phenomena! Even with General Deng and me at the front, how long could we possibly hold out? At most a month, no, twenty days."

"For the moment, there's only one strategy."

Fang Qingyun confidently stated, "That is to delay their assembly time. I suggest sending out five hundred cavalry, to leave Hulao Pass and take a detour, striking their camp at midnight and setting fire to their supplies before making a quick retreat. Then, before dawn, a second raid to throw their vanguard into complete disarray."

"Of course."

"At best, this will only buy us five to seven days."

"And they are not fools; they will certainly be cautious. These five hundred men are very likely to suffer heavy losses."

"Little brother, do you have a better idea?"

Chen Sansi, after a moment of contemplative silence, slowly began, "Elder brother, we cannot hold."

"Heh, is that something you need to tell me?"

Sha Wenlong scoffed, "If we can't hold, then what? These are the orders from above! Even if it means death, we must die on Hulao Pass and not retreat a single step! The Sha family has been under the imperial grace for generations. It's time to serve the court. General Chen, I hope you don't entertain the thought of retreating."

"One-eyed Dragon, shut up."

Deng Feng cursed him with a face full of disdain, "Let the General finish speaking."

"Elder brother."

Chen Sansi looked at the Green Robed Scholar, "What do you think is the best way to defend a city?"

"Oh?"

Fang Qingyun quickly responded, "The ancestor of the military family once said, the attacker owns the heavens. The best defense is an offense, and my earlier strategy also resonates with this adage."

"It's still not enough."

Chen Sansi replied, "Elder brother's strategy is indeed the best under normal circumstances, aligning with the ancestor's words and fitting elder brother's deceit. However, for the current situation, it is still not enough."

"So, you are not planning to use a raid but a frontal assault?"

Fang Qingyun guessed his younger brother's intention, "You're about to build momentum, you..."

Want to win!

At this point.

Fang Qingyun, sitting in his wheelchair, felt a tremor in his heart.

He raised his head to look at his younger brother.

He suddenly understood Chen Sansi's plan.

This battle!

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Three thousand, defending against one hundred thousand.

The junior brother of mine,

not only does he not want to lose.

He also wants to win!

Three thousand men, wanting to win against an army of one hundred thousand.

Whether they can succeed or not is one thing, but just this courage alone, how many in the world possess it?

"My senior brother understands me."

Chen Sansi said, "That's why, I want to dispel their momentum of attack! A night raid is certainly useful, but its effect is far from as fierce as a bold assault under the light of day."

"The problem is..."

Fang Qingyun curiously asked, "Junior brother, we lack the numbers, a night raid is a move of desperation, if we face them head-on, how many men do you plan to use?"

"Let me go!"

Deng Feng couldn't wait to say, "Give me three hundred cavalry, and I guarantee to take the heads of more than five hundred and capture five generals!"

"General Deng is indeed suitable."

Fang Qingyun nodded slightly, "What does junior brother think?"

"It's not appropriate."

Chen Sansi denied, "The enemy's vanguard currently lacks a main general, there's no need for General Deng to take action."

"Shall I go then?"

Sha Wenlong, however, was not afraid, "No problem."

"It's not you either."

Chen Sansi stood up, slowly putting on his iron helmet, "For this battle of Hu Lao, where the enemy knows that the main general is me, Chen Sansi, only if I go personally, can the effect be maximized."

"Hm."

Sha Wenlong asked, "How many men do you plan to use?"

Chen Sansi picked up the long spear from the corner, and said indifferently, "I alone am enough."

"You, alone?"

Sha Wenlong was stunned, "Have you lost your mind, Chen, General Chen, don't be reckless!"

Hu Lao is vital, and as the main general, Chen Sansi cannot afford to put himself in danger.

Of course, if this young man doesn't listen to persuasion and dies, then so be it.

After all, with Fang Qingyun holding the fort, it's merely one less person who has mastered Meridian Passage.

"Chen Shuai."

Deng Feng asked, "Why not let me accompany you?"

"You should not show yourself just yet, you will be needed elsewhere."

Chen Sansi took the Iron Core Bow passed to him by his subordinate and turned to leave the tent. Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire

Not long after.

The gates of Hu Lao flung open wide.

All the generals and soldiers on the city walls several zhang high watched the scene before them.

A general in Black Armor, with a Big Bow on his back and a long spear in hand, strode boldly toward the wilderness. His pace quickened from a swift walk to a mad dash, like a tiger fleeing Hu Lao and regaining its freedom, his approach was formidable, carrying the wind and rolling clouds with him.

"Hiss!"

A horse's neigh like a dragon's roar sounded, merging gradually with the path of the general, then becoming one, disappearing in the blink of an eye onto the endless plains, leaving behind only the dust scattered in the air.