Volume 3 Chapter 5: The Enemy Army Surrounds and Annihilates

  Lei Meng held the oilcloth package, looking at the faint red bloodstains on it, and said to Tong Da Shuai and others who came forward: "This person has been injured and should not dare to stay in Hexi City. Everyone can disperse."

  Tong Dashuai chuckled and stroked his beard, saying: "As long as nothing's wrong, that's good."

  "I told you, don't worry about Leimeng and the others!" Zhang Shan muttered, holding up his fire axe.

  Tong Da Shuai was right in front of him, and the surroundings were very quiet, so he immediately listened to everything that was said. He turned around and stared at Zhang Shan, saying: "What did you say! Did General Tong worry for nothing?!"

  Zhang Shan's words had just come out when he realized something was wrong, the surroundings were too quiet, and seeing Tong Da Shuai turn around and glare at him made him retreat a step back. Upon hearing Tong Da Shuai's scolding, he immediately stuttered: "Ah~, no! Commander... wise..." Zhang Shan couldn't continue speaking, seeing everyone staring at him with mocking gazes, his eyes shifted and he changed the subject: "Ah~, Commander, what is that thing in Lei Hong's hand? It seems to be something dropped by that assassin earlier." Everyone's focus immediately shifted to Lei Hong, more precisely, the oilcloth package in Lei Hong's hand.

  Everyone has curiosity, Tong Da Shuai hummed and turned around to look at Lei Meng.

  Without waiting for others to ask questions, Lei Ming said: "Let's go inside and take a look." After finishing speaking, he turned around and walked towards the front hall.

  Everyone came to the hall, standing around the table, waiting quietly for Lei Meng to unpack. In the sound of "sizzling~beeping" torches, Lei Meng gently opened the oilcloth, revealing a white folded satin inside, which seemed to have lines and words on it. Gently unfolding it to take a look, there were actually many words written on it, with human figures interspersed in between... Could this be a martial arts secret manual? Everyone looked at it with some excitement in their hearts.

  Yang Tian was a bit impatient and couldn't help but say: "This seems like a martial arts manual! Quickly unfold it and take a look!"

  Very soon, Lei Meng unfolded the long silk scroll on the table. Luoyang Tian stared at the first few words on the scroll, and Qin Hao also looked and took a deep breath. Yang Tian knew some characters, but only knew that they were shocked by what they saw, and hastily asked: "General Luo, what kind of martial arts is this?"

  "Xī Xīng Jiàn!" After a pause, Luò Yáng Tiān continued, "If this secret manual is genuine, then practicing according to it will undoubtedly make one a master. As for how far they can go, that depends on each person's destiny."

  "I've heard that most people who practice this skill don't participate in military battles because it's meaningless." Qin Hao added, staring at the secret manual.

  This time it was Lei Meng's turn to be shocked. It turned out that the masters of this world generally did not participate in the war, and it seemed that they had to be more careful. Yang Tian asked in surprise: "Then each of you copy a copy, hurry up and take it back to practice, won't that ensure your life?"

  As soon as he said this, he immediately felt the atmosphere around him filled with disappointment. Huang Chu sighed and said: "It's best to practice martial arts when you're a child, if you start practicing as an adult, it's twice the effort for half the result, and some people can't even achieve one-fourth of that."

  "Ah! So this is...!" Yang Tian glanced at the crowd, seeing that only he and Lei Ming were the youngest, and only they met the age requirement for practicing this profound martial art. He continued, "The two of us?"

  Huang Chu nodded.

  Tong Dashuai was more open-minded: "What's the use of being able to practice? It takes several years of practice to achieve great success, and distant water can't save a fire that's burning nearby."

  The thunder rumbled without a word, staring at the pattern, unable to recognize the characters. Alas, it was a bit of a failure, not recognizing a single character...

  "Everyone disperse and go back to sleep! Leiming, put away the secret manual, you can practice again when you have time." Tong Dashuai said as he turned around and left.

  "Wait a minute!" The crowd that had turned around stopped in their tracks and turned back to see Lei Meng say with embarrassment, "Mr. Wen, please stay."

  "What's the matter?" Mr. Wen was also very straightforward. But this question embarrassed Leiming, he stiffened his scalp and said: "Trouble Mr. to explain it to me and Yang Tian, we are illiterate." After finishing, Leiming really wanted to find a hole in the ground to drill into. Yang Tian heard it too, and hastily retreated one step, not standing with Leiming together, how embarrassing!

  "Oh~ haha!" The crowd burst into laughter. Tong Da Shuai spoke up, "Alright, stop laughing. They're still young, it's normal that they can't read. But can any of you beat them in a fight? Disperse!" Then, he nodded to Mr. Wen and said, "Thanks for your trouble, sir."

  "Trivial matters one by one." Mr. Wen also returned the courtesy. Yang Tian rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

  The crowd dispersed with quick steps, leaving Mr. Wen to explain to Lei Ming and the others.

  Two people put aside distractions, listened carefully and remembered the words above. When they encountered unclear parts, they quickly asked for clarification. Mr. Wen saw that the two were so eager to learn, he couldn't help but teach with even more effort, also explaining some commonly used characters along the way. The two had super strong memories, and these characters were also pictograms, so they quickly memorized everything Mr. Wen taught.

  Mr. Wen was so absorbed in his lecture that when he finally finished explaining the secret scroll, he looked for a cup of water to drink and suddenly realized that it had already dawned outside; while Lei Meng and Yang Tian were still standing there, immersed in the martial arts demonstration. Mr. Wen quietly left, he wanted to go back and rest with a drink, having such diligent students was truly delightful!

  Lei Meng listened to the explanation and was very interested in the operation method of Xi Xing Jian. Because Xi Xing Jian usually operates by inhaling air through the nose, gathering it in the Dantian, and then channeling it into the meridians. When using its suction force, it actually uses the meridian on the arm to inhale air into the Dantian, and then channels it out from another meridian to produce suction; or uses one meridian on the arm to inhale, and another meridian to output, producing a rotating energy... Hmm, indeed a good idea, but it's too difficult to practice inhaling air from the hands. This is another variant of the Xi Xing Da Fa! Only the legendary Xi Xing Da Fa requires dispersing one's power, which this technique doesn't need, but this technique can't absorb other people's internal energy...

  Lei Meng thought for a moment and shook his head. When he looked up again, it was already bright outside, the sun had come out.

  Before long, Yang Tian also excitedly said: "Haha ~, got a good harvest!" Then, Yang Tian's enthusiasm rose, and he practiced the Stellar Sword with precision. At first, his movements were a bit stiff, but soon became smooth.

  "Ah, Lei Meng nodded in approval as he watched from the side. It seems that Yang Tian has a good understanding and was able to learn quickly. Moreover, he's also changed his previous way of only using brute force to attack, now he's more balanced... If, if he can also use the absorbed energy to strike back with great force..."

  As he thought about it, Lei Meng couldn't help but laugh.

  Zhang Shanfeng came over to call Lei Meng and the two of them to eat breakfast on the orders of General Tong. As soon as he entered the great hall, he saw one person practicing swordplay with chaotic stabs and slashes, while another stood there smiling foolishly. He walked closer, scratching his head, just about to speak when suddenly a strong suction force attacked him, causing him to stumble and fall towards Yang Tian's direction, feeling cold all over his body.

  "Ah!" Zhang Shan was shocked and Yang Tian quickly withdrew his attack. Fortunately, he still knew it wasn't an enemy, or else Zhang Shan would have been stabbed a few times by now.

  Lei Meng also shook a bit, simulating the release of energy, and thought he was scared. Immediately after seeing Zhang Shan in front of him, knowing it was his fault, Lei Meng raised his right foot to make a kicking motion, using his internal energy to draw back from his foot, feeling a surge of energy rushing up from his big toe to his dantian. Then, Zhang Shan was sucked over, before even reaching his leg, Zhang Shan was still in a daze when Lei Meng's right leg kicked out, Zhang Shan loudly shouted "Ah~", and his entire body flailed wildly as he flew out the window.

  Yang Tian had just practiced the Star-Absorbing Sword and felt that he was getting the hang of it quickly. He was about to show off to Lei Ming when he encountered a freakishly strong opponent, leaving Yang Tian stunned.

  Zhang Shan didn't get kicked or hurt, Lei Ming just gave him a kick to let him go. So Zhang Shan quickly scrambled up and shouted: "Lei Ming, Yang Tian, Commander Tong is calling you two over for dinner!..." After shouting, Zhang Shan didn't dare make any other noise and quickly ran away.

  Yang Tian was called back to his senses by Zhang Shan's shout, and he jumped in front of Lei Meng, grabbed Lei Meng's shoulders and shook them violently, asking: "Tell me! Tell me quickly! How did you do it? How can you be so demonic!"

  "Ah-hmm, this isn't very difficult. As long as you inhale it back and then use the 'Guantai' hand technique to strike it out with force, that's all."

  "But how did Zhang Shan not get hurt?!" Yang Tian asked, dissatisfied with Lei Meng's answer.

  "Thundered and narrowed his eyes at Yang Tian, lecturing: 'Combining softness and firmness, do you understand? You're a young and promising scientist, after all!'"

  "Combining both hard and soft?" Yang Tian let out a thunderous roar, as if he had gained some insight.

  "Come on, just practice the Stellar Sword technique more often and you'll be fine. Your previous moves were too stiff!" Lei Meng said as he pulled Yang Tian along, walking out while speaking: "Didn't you used to practice Tai Chi? Why didn't I see you use it when fighting? If you combine them with a few more practices, that move won't be of much significance to you anymore."

  Yang Tian was pulled to Tong Da Shuai's side of the dining hall for breakfast. The dining hall had two three-meter-long and one-meter-wide long tables, which were filled with food, but there weren't many dishes, just large bowls of white rice, braised pork, fish, and green vegetables. The tables were surrounded by people, with only two empty seats on the left side of the head table.

  Luoyang Tian saw the two coming in, and with a loud laugh, he stood up and said: "Practiced for a whole night, not bad, huh? Haha~, come sit over here." He pointed to the seat beside him.

  Lei Meng pulled Yang Tian to sit next to Luoyang Tienshen, picked up the bowl and started eating hastily, his stomach was growling with hunger, couldn't care about anything else. Yang Tian sat down and also scooped some rice, but he ate slowly, savoring each bite, losing his usual composure.

  After eating for two minutes, Lei Meng suddenly became full; while Yang Tian on the side had only eaten three mouthfuls of rice. The leaders sitting at both tables also started to get full one after another. Luo Yangtian was one of them, and he asked Lei Meng: "Lei Meng, how's your practice of that sword technique last night?"

  "Hmm!" With a satisfied belch, Lei Meng said, "As long as I survive this war, I can teach you the Xing Xuan sword technique."

  Luoyang Tian heard this and was momentarily stunned: Alas, I still don't know what the outcome of this battle will be.

  Tong Dashuai walked over from another table after finishing his meal and said, "Lei Meng, the people sitting here are all main leaders of our army. In times of war, we should help those in distress."

  He glanced around at the people nearby and nodded: "Alright, I'll take action whenever I see a Jin soldier."

  Tong Dashuai comforted with a smile, then he said loudly: "To all the leaders present! Please remember that this one is called Lei Meng, and this one is called Yang Tian. They are both top-notch masters. If we engage in battle, please follow their command; if there's difficulty, they will also lend a helping hand!"

  "Yes! Obeying General Tong's orders!" The crowd of commanders responded in unison. Although some people didn't quite identify with the two kids, in the army, military orders were like mountains and had to be obeyed; besides, a master who could gain the general's recognition couldn't be bad.

  "Assemble at the outer city training grounds in fifteen minutes!" Having said that, Commander Tong hastily walked away.

  Not long after, the various leaders put down their bowls and chopsticks, calling out to the soldiers to leave, leaving only Luoyang Tian accompanying Lei Meng and Yang Tian. Lei Meng looked at the messy dinner table and asked faintly: "General Luo, did we receive any news before we came?"

  Luoyang Tian nodded heavily and said, "Yes, according to the scouts' report, Huáng Yuè has dispatched 1.5 million troops to attack us. If we calculate the time it takes for the scouts to go back and forth, I estimate that the Huáng Tiān army is only more than 40 kilometers away from the west of the river."

  The thunder rumbled without a word, and Yang Tian didn't react much either, still thinking about his Stellar Sword technique. Luoyang Tian looked up at the sky, the sun had already risen to mid-sky. Estimated that by dusk, the Huotian army would arrive, but it was unknown whether they would start fighting tonight or tomorrow. ——If the general of Huotian is an idiot, rushing over all the way and having the whole army collapse here on the west bank would be great, only this possibility is smaller than the sun rising from the west. ——The place where the sun rises is called the East, so it's impossible for it to rise from the West.

  Luoyang Tian continued: "Let's go, General Tong should be waiting for the three of us." Lei Ming heard this and pulled up Yang Tian, saying: "Let's go, we have a fight tonight."

  As we arrived outside the city, all I saw was a sea of people stretching out before my eyes, with no end in sight. Fortunately, the soldiers were all very serious and didn't dare make a sound, so if I hadn't opened my eyes to look, I would have thought there wasn't anyone here; otherwise it would be even more terrifying than a vegetable market. Commander Tong was standing at the front of the troops with several other leaders, saying something, when he saw Luo Yangtian, Lei Ming and Yang Tian walking over, and smiled: "I thought you guys were going to wait until after the troop division before coming over."

  "What's there to be afraid of? We've already come this far!" Luoyang Tian didn't show any courtesy to Tong Dashuai, speaking and laughing as if it were an ordinary day.

  "Now that everyone is here, I'll give the order." Commander Tong said with a smile. —— He's much more open-minded now than before.

  Luoyang nodded.

  "Pass on my order, each commander will deploy troops according to last night's division plan!" General Tong shouted loudly.

  Then, heard "Fall in!......"

  "Fall in!"

  "Gather at Lin Chong's place..."

  "Gather at Liao Yun's place..."

  "Gather at Qin Hao's place..."

  ……

  The rumbling footsteps continued for an hour before subsiding, apparently the deployment of troops had been completed. At this time, successive commanders came to report to General Tong, saying that preparations were complete and so on.

  Another five minutes passed, and the military dispatch report was completed. Commander Tong looked solemnly at the entire army, then turned around to face Lei Ming and Yang Tian, saying: "The Haotian Great Army is about to attack, I have discussed with General Luo, Mr. Wen, and Mr. Huang, and there is only one way to retreat. Do you two have any suggestions?"

  Yang Tian rubbed his head and said, "The difference in military strength is too great, a hard collision would undoubtedly be like an egg hitting a rock." Although Yang Tian had spoken nonsense, Tong Da Shuai and the others nodded in agreement, waiting quietly for what came next. After a while, Yang Tian shrugged and said, "I'm also at a loss. Let's retreat."

  Everyone was disappointed, and Tong Dashuai looked at Lei Ming.

  Lei Meng looked at everyone and asked, "I don't know where we can retreat to if we withdraw?"

  "It seems like the black chicken can't get through." Luoyang Tian awkwardly took over the conversation.

  "I don't know where I can hide if I escape?"

  "Bai Shan can hide for a while, but with so many people, I'm afraid he won't be able to hide for long." Mr. Wen said, and then lost his spirit.

  "So you want us to surrender?" Huang Chu asked with a hint of skepticism.

  "Are you willing to surrender?" Lei Meng retorted, rendering Huang Chu speechless for a moment, his face turning red.

  Tong Dashuai was getting impatient. He couldn't bear Lei Meng's slow pace, and hastily asked: "Lei Meng, what's your good plan? Speak quickly, it's killing me!"

  "Lei Meng furrowed his brow and said: 'It's not that easy, but perhaps fewer people will die.'"

  Everyone looked at Leiming with eager eyes. Leiming said slowly and clearly, "What's most important for the Haotian Army with so many soldiers?"

  "Hmm... food supplies!" Mr. Wen suddenly realized, but immediately sighed and said: "But with so many soldiers they have, we can't sneak up and burn their food supplies, just you and Yang Tian going won't be able to burn much..."

  "Then if we don't fight, who can hold out longer, them or us?"

  "You mean we hide and don't fight?" Huang Chu opened his mouth.

  Yang Tian seemed to be thinking of something and suddenly said: "Perhaps we can cut off that bridge..."

  At this moment, everyone's eyes lit up, as if they had found a way to reach the sky.

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