Chapter 668
Chapter 668
Would the "Golden Dragon's Blood," the very thing he used in his scam, actually be of any use?
Of course! It was far more potent than the finest restorative tonics from modern Earth. If it hadn't been so effective, Shen Lang wouldn't have been able to swindle five million gold coins with it. After taking Shen Lang's "Golden Dragon's Blood," the sons of those nobles had experienced an explosive increase in strength, speed, and stamina. A weakling who couldn't even lift a hundred pounds with one hand could suddenly lift over three hundred after taking the potion.
However, Shen Lang had diluted it far too much. He had turned a thousand doses into ten thousand, meaning each guard would drink a portion containing only one-seventh of the original medicinal ingredients.
“Bring him in!”
At Shen Lang's command, two strongwomen dragged in one of the guards. The man was sturdily built, but his face was now pale, and his whole body trembled. He immediately dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor.
“Young Master Shen, spare me! Please, spare me!”
He was a deserter. As Su Nan's grand army drew near and surrounded Yangguo City, the atmosphere of despair within the walls had grown thicker. Consequently, deserters had finally begun to appear among the ten thousand guards. Nearly every day, men attempted to flee, and today, over a hundred had tried.
According to military law, deserters were to be beheaded. But in the current situation, beheading soldiers would completely shatter the morale of the entire force, and the rest would all flee as well.
Gao Duhuan was furious. For the past year, he had trained these guards like a madman, increasing their combat prowess, strength, and discipline, but he could do nothing to change their cowardice. To put it bluntly, most of the guards were former thugs, and their characters were already set in stone.
Their usual duty was to maintain order in the capital. This meant bullying commoners and dealing with hooligans and ruffians. Their greatest enemies were the various gangs that committed all sorts of villainy. The guards were not soldiers meant for battle, yet now they were being dragged here to fight the formidable main army of the Savage Tribes? The only reason they hadn't all deserted by now was due to Gao Duhuan's skillful command.
“Young Master, I have parents, a wife, and children. I'm the only son for three generations; I really can't die. Young Master, it's not that I'm useless, but this battle is truly impossible. Twenty thousand soldiers from Tiannan Province were wiped out in less than two hours. There are only ten thousand of us; we won't even last fifteen minutes. Why don't you lead us in escape, Young Master Shen? Take us across the sea to Raging Tide City.”
This deserter was truly something else. Not only was he running away himself, but he was also trying to persuade Shen Lang to flee with him.
Shen Lang gestured helplessly, and Gao Duhuan stepped forward, grabbed the man's jaw, and forced his mouth open. The deserter, thinking they were about to cut out his tongue, instantly let out a squeal like a stuck pig and struggled desperately. But how could he possibly struggle against someone as formidable as Gao Duhuan? Without a word, Gao Duhuan poured the diluted "Golden Dragon's Blood" into the man's mouth.
“I'm going to die. Young Master Shen, are you poisoning me? Death is fine. At least my body will remain intact. Even if I'm poisoned, I don't want to fight those beasts from the Savage Tribes. If I go out there, I'll be torn to shreds and eaten.”
The deserter then lay on the floor, waiting for death.
“Death is good, yes, good. It means I don't have to fight the Savage Tribes.”
The man was so terrified that he had lost more fighting spirit than a stray dog before the battle had even begun. If they fought the main army of the Savage Tribes in this state of mind, their lines would collapse in less than fifteen minutes, and the entire army would be annihilated.
But after about seven minutes, the effects of the "Golden Dragon's Blood" began to take hold.
The deserter shot to his feet, his eyes gleaming. He panted heavily as he strode outside with a commanding gait. Gao Duhuan asked coldly.
“What are you doing?”
The deserter shouted.
“I'm going to kill them, kill them all! If I don't fight the Savage Tribes and kill them, may my mother become a whore! Where are the Savage Tribes? Where is Su Nan? I'm going to kill that bastard!”
The deserter yelled, then stormed into the barracks, grabbed a sword, and tried to head out of the city, intending to single-handedly fight the main army of the Savage Tribes. Gao Duhuan was stunned by the sight and looked at Shen Lang in disbelief.
*Young Master, what on earth did you put in that Golden Dragon's Blood?*
Shen Lang had indeed added something to it, but he hadn't expected the effect to be this dramatic. That sniveling coward from just moments ago was now brave enough to shout about killing Su Nan? It was as if a mouse had turned into a tiger.
How could one describe the feeling the deserter had after taking the Golden Dragon's Blood?
*There is no one who can stand against me. I am magnificent. In all of heaven and earth, I alone am supreme. The heavens cannot cover my eyes, and the earth cannot bind my heart. I will wipe out every last one of those Savage Tribe barbarians outside.*
The sudden increase in the deserter's strength and speed wasn't the most significant change; the key was the explosive surge in his courage, which had erased all fear.
*I'm so incredible. It's a shame I can't cut myself just to see some action. I need to shed some blood to cool this fire raging in my veins.*
The deserter raised his sword and actually started for the city gate. Gao Duhuan rushed out to stop him.
“Brother, don't be so hasty. Save your strength! The enemy will attack the city soon enough, and then we can slaughter them.”
The deserter beat his chest with the hand holding his sword and roared.
“Where is the enemy? Where are they? Hurry up and come die on my blade!”
Several soldiers had to rush over and struggle to calm the deserter down. Gao Duhuan looked at Shen Lang and said.
“Young Master, this is a bit too effective. Perhaps we should reduce the dose?”
Shen Lang nodded.
“We'll reduce it. We must!”
He had added too much of the other ingredients; he needed to cut the amount by at least half. At this rate, anyone who took it would lose their minds. So, while keeping the amount of "Golden Dragon's Blood" the same, he cut the special additives by half. They administered it to another deserter, and he, too, rushed outside.
“Aargh! Die! Die!”
He felt as if his body was overflowing with limitless power, about to explode. He suddenly grabbed a greatsword—one weighing over a hundred pounds—and began to swing it around wildly. That greatsword belonged to Gao Duhuan.
“Loyalty to the nation with body and soul! Slaughter all the barbarians! I will win great merit and become a general! Die, die!”
The deserter roared madly as he performed his martial arts. Gao Duhuan nodded and said.
“Let's make it just a little weaker than this!”
The effect was still too intense.
***
Ten hours later, Yangguo City was completely transformed. The same ten thousand men were still defending the city, but now their blood boiled, and their killing intent pierced the heavens. There were no more deserters, no more soldiers afraid of battle. Every one of them was several times stronger and much more agile. Most importantly, their morale and courage had skyrocketed. Each man possessed an incomparably powerful force within his body, and without an outlet, they felt they were about to explode.
*Let's fight, quickly! We can't take it anymore. Where is the enemy? Where is the Savage Tribe army? Why haven't they come to fight yet? We can't stand it. If we don't fight soon, we might end up drawing our own blood.*
Their vitality had surged to an astonishing degree, but with no women in the city, they couldn't release it through that particular activity. So, Gao Duhuan led them in desperate training. It was a high-intensity regimen several times more demanding than their usual training.
“Bring the bows!”
The bows they brought were all strongbows with a one-*shi* draw weight. Before, the guards couldn't have even drawn such powerful bows, but now they could do so with ease. As for their accuracy... well, never mind that. It was too late to start training their aim now.
The guards trained with incredible fervor late into the night, yet they didn't feel sleepy at all. In truth, after drinking the Golden Dragon's Blood, they could go for days and nights without sleep and still be full of energy, but they needed to rest so as not to waste its effects. Left with no choice, Shen Lang had a large batch of sleeping draught prepared for them. Only after each man drank a bowl did they calm down and lie in their beds to sleep.
Shen Lang wept tears of blood inwardly. He had just used up several years' worth of anesthetic in one go.
Even in their dreams, these guards still shouted loudly.
“Die, die!”
Their desire for battle pierced the heavens. They had transformed from a pack of frightened dogs into ten thousand ferocious tigers.
***
The defensive line of Tianbei Province.
The Third Prince, Ning Qi, was burning with anxiety. The State of Wu was constantly amassing troops, and unlike the State of Chu, they had no enemies at their back. With the Great Yan Empire to their rear, there was no chance of Wu being attacked from behind. While Chu had to gather more forces to defend against the states of Liang and New Qian, Wu had no such need and could focus all its national power on dealing with the State of Yue.
*We won't be able to hold them. We definitely won't be able to hold them!*
Ning Qi studied the map over and over. The army the King of Wu had assembled on the border of Tianbei Province already exceeded two hundred thousand, and their numbers were still growing. In contrast, his and Zhang Chong's defending forces combined numbered only sixty thousand. Moreover, this force had to defend the entire border region, not just a single city. Once the King of Wu's army marched south, the situation would collapse even more terrifyingly than it had in Tianxi Province, and they could lose Tianbei Province in just half a month. Furthermore, if they lost this territory, the blame would fall on Ning Qi, and he would likely face a fate similar to Ning Yi's.
*What should I do? What can I do?*
He went personally to the barracks of Zhang Chong, the Commander of Yanzhou.
“Commander Zhang, I will entrust my thirty thousand troops to you. The defense of Tianbei Province is in your hands.”
Zhang Chong was taken aback.
“Your Highness, are you planning to go to the State of Wu?”
“That's right! I will seek an audience with the King of Wu and negotiate with him directly.”
A sense of awe rose within Zhang Chong. Ning Qi's courage was far greater than that of Crown Prince Ning Yi. However, negotiating in this situation was pointless. Besides, as the commander of the northern front, the Third Prince Ning Qi ran a very high risk of meeting with disaster if he recklessly entered an enemy nation.
“I know that negotiations are meaningless at this point, but at the very least, I can buy us some time.”
Hearing Ning Qi's words, Zhang Chong nodded.
“Understood!”
“Then I leave Tianbei Province to you, Commander Zhang.”
With that, Ning Qi handed the tiger tally, the symbol of command over his thirty thousand troops, to Zhang Chong. Without orders from King Ning Yuanxian, Ning Qi headed north alone, entering the State of Wu to negotiate with its king.