Chapter 6: The Art of War

  Yesterday I forgot to update with my kid, today morning made up for it, and tonight there are still two more updates! …………………………"The Art of War, the way of the soldier, this is the key!"

  He took a light sip of wine, picked up a small piece of fermented bean curd and put it in his mouth, and his mind began to recall the details about Taoist martial arts.

  When he first came to this world, he had heard of the Art of War, but he didn't take it to heart. At that time, he thought that the so-called Art of War was like the Thirty-six Stratagems and Sun Tzu's Art of War, which were just general knowledge about deploying troops and formations in a world with advanced martial arts and magical spells, where the role of ordinary soldiers could be completely ignored.

  But now he knows he was wrong.

  The art of war is not the Art of War by Sunzi, nor the Thirty-six Stratagems, but the true method of deploying troops and arranging formations. And this deployment and formation are not what people imagine them to be, but rather the Taoist method of deploying troops and arranging formations.

  This is a very pure technique, unlike other techniques that cover everything, it mainly consists of five major parts: Gongfa, Junzhen, Jiang, Zhanzhantechnique, and War tactics.

  The Gong Fa is the martial art practiced by the Taoist soldiers, which is not much different from ordinary martial arts. Most of them are modified from ordinary martial arts and have added a method for communicating with Qi.

  In this world, armies are divided into two kinds. One is the ordinary army, which doesn't differ much from the ancient armies of his previous life. The other kind is the Dao Army.

  Ordinary armies are used to conquer the world, while Taoist soldiers are the biggest trump cards used by secular dynasties to contend with external powers.

  The source of the Taoist army is ordinary troops, and among ordinary troops, strong and brave soldiers are carefully selected, trained, and cultivated in the unique skills of the Taoist army. Those who qualify are the Taoist army.

  It sounds simple, but this training is not something that anyone can start with.

  These carefully selected soldiers, who eat and live together every day, cultivate the same skill, martial arts, use the same weapons, and grind together day after day. After several years, they can become one, like a single person. When facing the enemy, their vital energy can be connected. The connection of the vital energy of one or two soldiers is nothing, but if hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of soldiers connect their vital energy and integrate their internal energy in one place, with the addition of military formations, then even if each soldier only has the strength of the initial stage of cultivating vital energy, it would still be enough to overwhelm and kill a high-ranking martial artist who is at the level of protecting his vital energy.

  The military formation, similar to the battle array, can effectively communicate the internal energy of the soldiers' morale, integrating them into one entity. At the same time, the battle array can also follow the terrain, communicating with the heavenly and earthly primal energies, fusing the soldiers' momentum with the heavenly and earthly primal energies, forming a primal energy lock that seals off a portion of the heavens and earth. Within this sealed-off portion of the heavens and earth, it suppresses the morale of warriors and martial artists. This move is extremely useful against martial artists, as their techniques all require communication with the heavenly and earthly primal energies. Once the heavenly and earthly primal energies are sealed off, martial artists are almost crippled, losing half their strength.

  Jiang refers to the commander of the Taoist army. Only when a warrior's cultivation reaches the 7th layer of Lianqi can they qualify as a Jiang. All Taoist soldiers' internal energy is integrated into one, which can be used by the Jiang, and their cultivation can be directly advanced to the 9th layer of Lianqi.

  Formation Battle Technique, the strongest attacking method of Taoist soldiers, is performed by the general. Its power is immense, just like when the Hei Li Army annihilated the Seven Spider Eyes during the destruction of the Bai Du Men, that final move was indeed the Formation Battle Technique.

  Warfare tactics are large-scale tactics specifically developed for warfare, characterized by a wide range but biased towards auxiliary functions and lacking substantial attacking power. The Fog Locking the World unleashed by Yu Qingkong is a typical example of warfare tactics.

  These five parts combined are the martial arts of this world, and it is precisely by relying on the martial arts that the great families, secular imperial powers, firmly grasp everything in the world. Even if they are strong sorcerers or strong warriors, it is difficult to compete with them.

  Soldier against soldier, general against general!!

  Wang Guanlan let out a soft sigh, picked up a piece of fatty fish belly and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. He understood the power of the Taoist soldiers, but he was very clear that these Taoist soldiers were actually not much different from burning money. The armor and weapons worn by each soldier had been specially crafted, with special auxiliary symbols engraved on them. The high-level Taoist soldiers' armor was even a magic weapon, although it was only an inferior magic weapon or even a fake one, but the quantity was really too large.

  A warrior, or a practitioner, may be lucky enough, or strong enough, to acquire more than one magical weapon, spiritual tool, or even a divine instrument in this lifetime, but the number will not be too many.

  Two thousand years ago, there was a Daoist priest who possessed an extraordinary aura and had hundreds of colorful magical tools, dozens of spiritual instruments, and several Taoist instruments on his body. He was already known as the "Multitasking Child" and his name has been passed down for two thousand years.

  What about the troops?

  There are as many soldiers as there are magical instruments, and the soldiers are also victorious in number. This is not something that one person can afford to undertake, only a powerful force with strong resources and strength can set up such a household.

  Like Ning Wangfu, there are four branches of Taoist soldiers, namely Jinliu Army, Yinliu Army, Heiliu Army and Hualiujun.

  The four branches of the Dao army have clear divisions of labor, the Jinli Army is directly under the control of the Ning Wangfu, and is the strongest force in the Ning Wangfu. The Yinli Army is responsible for external conquests, the Heili Army is responsible for security within the Ning Wangfu territory, and the Huali Army is specifically responsible for guarding the Ning Wangfu and its officials.

  In Wang Guanlan's understanding, the Silver Fox Army is like an army, facing outward, while the Black Fox Army is like a police force, facing inward.

  This time the Bai Du Men and Ning Wang Fu are at odds, with the Hei Li Jun being deployed because the Bai Du Men is within the sphere of influence of the three southwestern states, making it an internal affair of the three southwestern states.

  For the Taoist soldiers, Wang Guanlan had a desire, but no extravagant hope. The four branches of the Taoist soldiers in the Wang Mansion were not something he could contend for, except for the Hua Liujun, however, with his current strength, it was still far from enough.

  "At least, until my Taoist rank reaches the third stage, my martial arts cultivation breaks through the condensation period, and I pass the Imperial Examination, only then will I have the qualifications to compete for control of the Huā Lí Wèi!!" Wang Guanlan was clear about the bottom line of the Ning Wang Fu. Yes, he had shown potential to become a formation master, but having potential alone was not enough.

  The Ning Wang Fu proved this point with its powerful strength, potential is just floating under the water, whether it can float to the surface or not is still an unknown number, while real strength is everything.

  ……………………

  ………

  "It seems that among the four young masters in the mansion, only the eldest and second sons are truly favored. The eldest son is the legitimate heir, enjoying privileges that other sons do not have. The second son controls the Black Fox Guard, with great power in his hands. Compared to them, the third and fourth sons are on a completely different level... or perhaps they have some hidden cards that I'm not aware of!" Wang Guanlan suddenly became interested in controlling the Flower Fox Guard, not because he had big ambitions, but because he thought of the several young masters in the mansion, especially the third son with whom he had a past conflict. The power of the Flower Fox Guard was so strong, if he didn't fight for it and let the third son get control, he would be in trouble.

  He and the Third Young Master have completely stood on opposite sides, and they have also harbored a deep grudge. The destruction of the Hundred Poisons Sect can be seen as a testament to the strength of the Dao Army. If such power were to fall into the hands of the Third Young Master, the pressure on himself would be immense.

  The Third Son has ambitions to contend for the Ning Wang Fu, and wanting to contend for the Ning Wang position is impossible without obtaining the support of the four major armies. Among the four major armies in the palace, the Golden Leopard Army is the most mysterious, always controlled by the Ning Wang's own hands. The Eldest Son has command authority, the Silver Leopard Army is responsible for external conquests, under the control of Wang Xian Tang, and the Black Leopard Army is in the hands of the Second Son. Therefore, the Third Son can only set his sights on the Hua Leopard Guard.

  The Hua Li Wei is controlled by the seven great overlords and does not belong to one person. It is also the only Taoist soldier among the four major Taoist soldiers who has no owner. Wang Guanlan believes that for this Taoist soldier, those with ambitions are not just him and Lao San, but the fourth son must also be eyeing this Taoist soldier.

  "Never mind, the boat will naturally go straight when it reaches the bridgehead. I'll just adjust my body first!" A faint tremor came from Wang Guanlan's abdomen, and he slightly furrowed his brow. Wang Guanlan self-mockingly smiled, his body had been adjusted to a certain extent, but it was not completely healed. The scattered Adnan Broken Blade Qi in his body had been absorbed into the Dan Tian, greatly increasing his cultivation, but the injuries to his meridians and internal organs still needed slow adjustment.

  When illness comes, it's like a mountain collapsing; when it goes, it's like pulling out silk threads. He is now in the stage of pulling out silk threads.

  The current Wang Guanlan, although able to walk, cannot make too much movement, let alone fight with others. Of course, this refers to the martial arts aspect. He is now a second-tier Xuanzhao realm practitioner, and his cultivation in Taoist techniques has grown greatly. With Huā Lí Wèi's personal protection, he doesn't have to worry about safety issues within Yicheng.

  Withdraw complex thoughts, raise eyes and look around, the sunset's afterglow falls on the Angry River, casting a golden glow over the river.

  The Nuoshui River was known for its turbulent waters, but outside the city of Yicheng, where the riverbed was wide and the water flowed more gently than in other places. The docks were built along this stretch of calm water. At this time of year, it would normally be the busiest season for the Nuoshui River, with warehouses filled to the brim with phoenix tail grass, workers scurrying about like ants as they transported goods between ships and warehouses, and the streets crowded with people and vehicles coming and going in an endless stream. Local vendors set up stalls along the roadside, their faces mysterious as they hawked their wares to visiting warriors, selling them their stored-up phoenix tail grass for a tidy profit. Wang Guanlan's fire had burned all of Ningtaihang's phoenix tail grass to ashes, leaving the major merchant houses in a predicament, but benefiting the ordinary citizens of Yicheng, who finally had an outlet for the old stockpiles of phoenix tail grass they had been storing at home, and at a higher price than before.

  !，。