Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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"Okay, then head to your respective positions."
The next morning, I received command of the hundred-man unit from Mang Liang. Having spent the night studying *The Art of War*, and grasping the basics of military strategy and command, I felt confident there wouldn't be any major issues. Then, dressed in the robes of a strategist, Mang Liang stepped forward before the assembled army.
The veteran commanders gathered here eyed Mang Liang with clear displeasure. And who could blame them? A mere bookish scholar suddenly taking charge of tens of thousands of troops—it was incomprehensible to these battle-hardened generals.
Yet Mang Liang strode forth undaunted and bellowed to the troops.
"Advance!"
Slowly, the massive army began to move. Mounted on horseback, I led my hundred-man unit at the rear, following the column. I knew our forces were outnumbered by those defending the capital. Even so, marching at the vanguard of tens of thousands brought an immense pressure.
Was Mang Liang truly unflinched leading such a host? I glanced at his face, but far from tense, he leisurely fanned himself with his five-flower seven-precious fan. I checked the other commanders riding beside me, but their expressions were equally impassive.
It soon became clear it was because Grand General Huang Yan was with us. Though Mang Liang issued the actual commands, the general's presence alone carried immense weight. Warriors who would normally scoff at anyone less than a proven fighter now obeyed this scholar's orders without question.
After marching for about a day, we arrived at a plain forty li from Luoyang. Soon, on the horizon, a black mass of enemy troops appeared, already encamped and waiting.
Rumble...
It was like clouds rising. I'd never realized humans could number so many.
Two hundred thousand strong!
And over a hundred thousand of them elite guardsmen, formed up and ready. Their dark cavalry, thousands strong, arrayed for a charge.
For now, they seemed content to watch, holding back from striking first. As the armies faced off at a distance, a single rider broke from their lines and shouted.
"Rebels! How dare you defy the imperial decree and court foolish death? Do you, the rebel leader Huang Yan's followers, wish your entire clans wiped out? His Majesty does not deem you all rebels—lay down your spears and swords and surrender now!"
It was psychological warfare, meant to sow chaos in our ranks and ease their victory. Mang Liang smirked and ordered the North Dragon Corps' archery captain beside him.
"Take his head."
"Yes, sir."
Thwack!
It happened in an instant. The archer's arrow flew more than twice the normal range, piercing the provocateur's forehead. I watched in awe from nearby.
*Incredible archery.*
The North Dragon Corps' archery captain could pass for a peak expert even in the jianghu. I'd heard the North Dragon Corps were Grand General Huang Yan's elite, forged in extreme combat and masters of military arts for decades—their leader was no exception.
Clatter.
As the provocateur tumbled dead from his horse, Mang Liang rode slightly forward from the main camp. Channeling his inner energy, he roared.
[We do not defy our wise and enlightened Emperor! We merely seek to remove the sycophants and puppets misleading him, forging a bright and glorious future for the Great Ming Empire! Grand General Huang Yan has not made this decision without cause! The outrages of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and East Depot have grown so severe they threaten the common folk!]
He clenched his fist and shouted.
[This is true patriotism and loyalty to the race! As fellow soldiers, can you not feel the general's resolute determination?!]
Instead, their side wavered. Above all, Grand General Huang Yan's name commanded absolute trust among the troops. And Mang Liang's oratory carried tremendous persuasive power.
Their commander screamed in fury.
"Attack!! Silence that bastard's nonsense!"
Rumble.
Dust clouds rose. Their hundreds of thousands surged forward like a tidal wave. In an open plain standoff, the side with fewer numbers was at an absolute disadvantage. I wondered what Mang Liang planned.
"The enemy vanguard is cavalry. Front line holds—load one round!"
Mang Liang raised his hand.
"Fire the Hongyi cannons!"
Boom!!
It was as if the heavens erupted in flame. Thousands of Hongyi cannons arrayed upfront fired in unison, unleashing hell on the charging cavalry. In moments, hundreds, thousands of riders were shredded, thrown, amid pandemonium.
"Arghhh!"
"Aaack!"
The sheer force gave the enemy horde pause mid-charge. I overheard Mang Liang muttering calmly from the command post.
"The Great Ming is vast, but aside from a few elite naval units, only the frontier North Dragon Corps has real combat experience with Hongyi cannons. That blunts their momentum."
Thud thud thud.
Still, their assault pressed on. They figured sheer momentum would win if they kept pushing. The distance closed to about thirty zhang.
Mang Liang raised a flag and waved it twice.
"Charge!"
Drums boomed.
Our formation scattered like spilled beans. Mang Liang had meticulously arrayed the lines beforehand, with captains interpreting the flags in sequence for precise maneuvers. I led my hundred-man unit in a frantic dispersal.
Moments later, the scattered units feigned individual skirmishes before regrouping leftward, clipping the enemy's flank. The bizarre tactics left me, fighting upfront, blind to the overall flow.
Clang clang—
Boom.
Raaah—
I didn't know the big picture, but my job was simple. Surging with killing intent, I yelled.
"Forward!"
I led the hundred-man unit, slashing with sword and spear. Amid armored foes, I realized spears were far handier and deadlier than swords. No wonder they're the weapon of war. Though my sword hit harder, the spear's efficiency won out—I soon fought solely with it.
Slaughtering hundreds on the battlefield, exhaustion set in.
*What the...? This... it won't end.*
Splat.
Clang!
"Ooooh!!"
I'd already cut down nearly three hundred with spear and sword. Sword qi, fueled by vast inner energy, felled three or four per stroke. In normal jianghu fights, that would end a sect or battle. But enemies swarmed endlessly from all sides—it was demoralizing, like endless insects.
At this point, martial prowess mattered little. Against heavily armored infantry, sword qi or flames were needed for one-shots. Contrary to expectations of heroic feats, the slaughter turned monotonous, like drifting through the chaos. My unit took minimal losses thanks to my skill, but it felt hollow.
*Is this war?*
In that instant, I grasped how paltry an individual's martial arts were against a colossal war machine—an immortal god called the "army."
Boom.
Suddenly, a section of the enemy collapsed, our troops pouring in. Lightning flashed, revealing Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong. I realized:
*They split forces for a rear ambush!*
Not a blind plain clash.
Mang Liang had hidden troops from the start, anticipating the meeting point.
And that wasn't all.
Rumble.
"Move!"
With Mang Liang's clear call, the flag shifted—the order rippled to the rearguard in under thirty seconds.
Even in a frontal plain battle, our troops moved organically per his flags, efficiently parrying multifront assaults. The enemy couldn't leverage numbers; frontal cannon fire kept splitting their focus. Crushing elite foes head-on proved Mang Liang's genius command.
I was awestruck inside. Even I, fighting upfront, couldn't track it. Visualizing units in hundreds mentally, orchestrating flows to shatter them outright—unimaginable.
Only the rarest generals could manage it. No wonder Grand General Huang Yan rated him so highly.
Boom!
"Uooooh!!"
"Charge! Shields breached."
"Cavalry vanguard, advance!"
Like a martial master crushing third-raters with finesse, our side seized momentum despite triple their numbers. Their forces halved; ours, save the front, barely scratched.
"Urgh, uuurgh!! I heard it wasn't Huang Yan commanding, but a bookworm?! Impossible!!"
Lost in the fray, I reached a screaming commander. His fine robes marked him high—I lunged.
"No!"
"Protect him!"
Unexpectedly, five Embroidered Uniform Guards charged me. Each first-class expert level—odd in this melee.
*Experts? Sword's better.*
I switched weapons, unleashing Coiling Dragon Slash from the Ten Victories Sword Canon. Space warped, nullifying their strikes, flinging them aside.
"Urk?!"
"What sword art...?!"
Stunned by the unforeseen effect, they staggered. I swept horizontally, decapitating the commander.
Schwick—his head flew; I snatched it, roaring.
"Enemy commander down!"
Roooar!!
Cheers erupted around. Nearby allies and officers bellowed triumph.
"My god!! You took their overall commander!"
"......?!"
He was their top general?!
No wonder five Embroidered Uniform Guards guarded him. Failing to stop me, they fled grim-faced. Sheepishly, I scratched my head, realizing my fluke merit.
*Guess that covers my share?*
The day's clash ended in our crushing victory. I killed or meridians-struck enemies for capture. Mang Liang wanted intel from POWs.
Totals: Enemies lost ~120,000 dead or wounded; rest surrendered or fled. Ours: mere 15,000 casualties, mostly wounded. Overwhelming frontal plain win.
Unprecedented triumph—immortalized in Great Ming war history.
I couldn't fathom why. Just command disparity? Mang Liang laughed at my question.
"Of course, no command alone wins this. It's the qualitative edge over the imperial elites vs. North Dragon Corps."
"Qualitative edge?"
"Yes."
He flicked his fan.
"The imperial elites have superior gear and training, but that's it. They've never faced real 'enemies'—near-zero combat experience."
"Ah, I see."
"But the North Dragon Corps? Frontier veterans, reverse-battle survivors—each with vast experience. They're Huang Yan's personal guard, essentially.
They led with superior Hongyi range dominance, while Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong's detachment assassinated commanders, infiltrating like home turf. Losing's the surprise."
"..."
He was right. Factors converged for victory.
Yet without Mang Liang holding center, even their prowess couldn't save us. I knew best, leading vanguard. Flawless with tens of thousands.
*Genius general...*
Peerless strategic prodigy.
That was Mang Liang.
============================ Author's Note ============================
Slightly revised the descriptions.
Also, received three messages uncomfortable with the reply debates, so deleted related replies first.
I'd appreciate avoiding excessive arguments.
Always grateful to all readers ^^;; Hope everyone enjoys.
Will strive for better work ahead.