The Sovereign – Chapter 128

Volume Seven: Iron Horses Shock the World

Winning Through Unexpected Tactics

Imperial Campaign, Breaking Through the Formation Personally

Yuzhou was close to Liu City, and with fast horses galloping, they reached the military camp within half a day. Except for Li Yue, no one knew that Qin Junlan’s body couldn’t withstand the jolting of horseback riding, but she herself was so preoccupied with the war that she paid no attention to it.

Under the leadership of General Yang, she arrived at a vantage point where she could vaguely see the raging battles in the distance. Liu City had been under attack for ten days and nights, and today was the last day of Qin Junlan’s decree, yet the battle for Liu City showed no progress.

“General Yang is supposed to be a renowned general of hundred battles, yet you can’t even take down a small Liu City. This truly surprises Zhen.” Qin Junlan’s face darkened as she deliberately showed her displeasure, indicating her great dissatisfaction with the Red Armor Army’s performance in this battle.

“This humble servant is incompetent, please punish me, Your Majesty.”

“What kind of person has the enemy sent that leaves you so helpless?”

General Yang felt utterly ashamed. He was indeed one of the strongest generals among Ji Kingdom’s military commanders, and managing troops had always been as easy as a fish in water [meaning: completely at ease], but he couldn’t break through the enemy’s formation, causing all of Red Armor Army’s attacks to be futile, making no progress.

“This humble servant has studied military tactics and formations for decades, but has truly never seen such strange battle tactics, and has yet… yet to find a way to break through.”

Qin Junlan sneered, gazing into the distance, hearing nothing but horn blasts and the sounds of battle between both sides. The Red Armor Army’s battle garments were like a fierce lion, sweeping forward, but the Yu Army showed no fear. Under their general’s leadership, they broke through the encirclement, forming a human wall before the city gates, not allowing the Red Armor Army to advance even half a step.

“Go forward, Zhen wants to see what formation she’s using.” At Qin Junlan’s command, no one dared oppose. Any delay in military opportunity would affect the progress of unifying the world. If this imperial campaign couldn’t achieve victory, the legendary Red Armor Army would likely become notorious.

As the two armies clashed, the Yu Army took the initiative, launching their first wave of attack with thirty thousand men to meet the Red Armor Army. The Yu Army wore blue armor, creating a stark contrast with the Red Armor Army, with every soldier charging at the forefront.

The Red Armor Army’s attacks and defense were highly systematic. The archers launched attacks with arrow rain, followed by the Stealth Armor Army advancing in unison. The spear unit and Stealth Armor unit formed an effective response, not only blocking the Yu Army’s reckless attacks but also preserving their strength and reducing casualties.

The Yu Army fought like they were “killing red-eyed” [meaning: in a blind rage], engaging in battle at the sight of red uniforms. Those charging at the front fell one after another, their blue uniforms stained with blood, the ground’s dust taking on a reddish tint that merged with the evening glow.

The Red Armor Army couldn’t find the pattern in Yu Army’s attacks and remained defensive, though the Yu Army’s apparent recklessness actually followed a pattern. This was all because their relied-upon Grand Princess Ling Yu personally commanded the battlefield, arranging a new formation that created both solid defense and effective offense, at least preventing the Red Armor Army from making any progress in their siege.

Twenty thousand vanguard troops in front, thirty thousand main forces behind, Qin Junlan was surrounded by the army as she stood on the Chao Che [siege tower] vantage point, observing the Yu Army. She saw a commander in golden armor engaging in battle – it was Ling Yu, her agile figure moving freely across the battlefield, wielding her sharp sword mercilessly against the Ji Army. None survived under her blade. Dozens of soldiers’ blood splattered, staining her armor red, her beautiful eyes seeming to turn crimson, like a bloodthirsty beast, turning the battlefield into a “Xiu Luo hell” [Buddhist hell realm].

The Red Armor Army’s Stealth Armor was extremely hard and unbreakable. Wave after wave of charging Yu Army died, rushing too quickly to see through the Stealth Armor, only to be impaled by the spears hidden behind it.

“Ye Ming, Wuming, protect me as I charge the Stealth Armor Army!” After Ling Yu spoke, she stomped the ground and suddenly leaped up. Ye Ming and Lin Wuming exchanged glances, drew their swords to kill the Ji Army blocking their path, and also flew up to protect Ling Yu’s flanks, clearing obstacles before her.

Using a Ji Army soldier’s shoulder as a springboard, Ling Yu flew swiftly toward the Stealth Armor Army. When some Ji Army noticed her approach, they immediately formed a spear formation, a unit of soldiers coordinating to thrust their spears at her simultaneously. As the sharp spears stabbed toward her, she spun her body, gathered her qi, and struck with her palm. The palm wind was like a blade, splitting the spearmen’s weapons in two. Meanwhile, Ye Ming’s swift sword moved like lightning, instantly taking the heads of soldiers blocking Ling Yu’s path, while Lin Wuming cleared the way, protecting her advance.

She appeared before the Stealth Armor Army like lightning, suddenly curling her ten fingers as a faint yellow light danced at her fingertips. She channeled almost ten layers of “gong li” [martial arts power], concentrating all her strength into her fingers. Her palms crossed and released simultaneously, sending out what looked like invisible light swords. Ling Yu’s finger-flicking power far exceeded Liu Qianxun, and her attack force actually broke a hole in the Stealth Armor, instantly creating a hole in the shield-bearing soldier’s body, causing an entire row to fall in an instant.

The rear troops hurried to fill the gap, but how could Ling Yu give them the chance? When she tore open a gap, the Yu Army rushed forward in perfect coordination, breaking through the first line of the Stealth Armor Army’s defense.

Qin Junlan watched all this but remained perfectly calm, not fazed at all by the breach in the Stealth Armor Army’s formation. Instead, she was eerily peaceful, as if lost in thought. Meanwhile, General Yang hurriedly dispatched five thousand Iron Cavalry to provide support, not wanting to remain passive.

“Your Majesty, the Yu Army’s recklessness seems like a feint, possibly a diversionary tactic to confuse our judgment of their formation.”

“You’re right. Li Yue, bring paper and brush.”

Li Yue knew Qin Junlan must have spotted something crucial, and quickly had someone bring writing implements. A guard bent down, offering his back as a writing surface for her use.

Qin Junlan gazed forward, noticing that aside from the attacking Yu Army, three units in the rear hadn’t moved at all. No matter how they fought with the Red Armor Army, they never left their positions, as if each person had a circle drawn beneath their feet that they couldn’t leave – wasn’t this a defensive formation method?

“Has Your Majesty figured out what formation this is?” Li Yue looked down at Qin Junlan drawing three horizontal and vertical lines on the paper, forming a complex grid of intersecting lines. Li Yue became confused, “Your Majesty, this is…?”

“Hmph, Ling Yu dares to use the “Three Horizontal Three Vertical Formation”, foolishly thinking she can distract our army’s vision with vanguard troops.”

“Three Horizontal Three Vertical?” Li Yue pondered, “Could it be the formation used for defending against enemies?”

“Your Majesty is brilliant! This humble servant suspected this formation, but she added a layer of chaotic troops on the outside to disturb our vision. I didn’t realize it was just her intentional distraction.” General Yang suddenly understood – he had been fooled by a mere princess of Yu Kingdom. He had been too rigid in his thinking, and when the formation was slightly modified, he failed to recognize it, mistaking it for some new military arrangement.

“Issue the order: pull back the catapults fifty zhang, launch continuous attacks at the Yu Army’s formation center. Command the left and right wing generals to lead five thousand cavalry to encircle from both sides – surround but don’t attack. Archers should launch arrow rain immediately after the catapult attack. When the Yu Army starts to collapse and retreat to the city, seize the opportunity when they open the city gates.” Qin Junlan commanded with ease, knowing clearly that the weakness of the Three Horizontal Three Vertical Formation was that despite its tight arrangement, if the formation’s center was destroyed, the entire formation would collapse.

“This humble servant accepts the order!”

Qin Junlan coughed lightly several times, the discomfort in her chest gradually intensifying, but her lips still held a smile. It was unfortunate that Ling Yu was born in the wrong country. Even though she had crammed military tactics, she couldn’t master the true essence of commanding troops in such a short time. Still, being able to push General Yang to such a state was remarkable.

Unfortunately, she was an opponent, and moreover an enemy, someone Qin Junlan must defeat.

The formation of thirty thousand Yu Army troops was indeed arranged by Ling Yu. She had hoped to use this solid defense to block the Red Armor Army’s attack at the city gate while leading the vanguard herself in battle. She hadn’t expected a sudden attack from above, with catapult stones falling like meteors, crashing heavily into the middle of the formation.

Countless soldiers were crushed into pulp on the spot, their bodies crushed under the massive stones, limbs and remains no longer recognizable. Screams of agony filled the battlefield, which was now permeated with fear, slaughter, and bloodshed. Ling Yu, who had been fighting fiercely, was stunned by the sudden catapult attack and hurriedly ordered the command troops to guide the formation’s retreat.

Just as the command soldier was about to wave the flag, he was shot dead by a sharp arrow. Ling Yu looked over to see Qin Junlan holding a bow, giving her a provocative smile.

“Qin Junlan!” Ling Yu gritted her teeth in hatred but could do nothing. Catapults weren’t supposed to be able to engage in close combat, which was why she had chosen to meet the enemy outside the city. She hadn’t expected Qin Junlan to personally lead the army, immediately breaking her formation and deploying catapults so quickly in close combat.

“We should have killed her earlier!” Lin Wuming shouted angrily as he swung his sword to kill two soldiers, blood splashing on his fair face. Before he could charge forward, Ye Ming had already rushed toward the command troops. Despite having only one arm, her movements were agile and unaffected.

She threw away her sword and picked up the command flag marked with the “Yu” character, waving it up and down to signal the entire army to change formation. Otherwise, if they stubbornly maintained their current formation, they would be crushed to death.

But Ye Ming, focused on giving commands, didn’t notice someone behind her. Suddenly, an icy spear pierced through her back, blood flowing down her shoulder. Her empty right sleeve fluttered in the air as she endured the pain, gripped the spear, suddenly turned her body, broke the spear, and thrust it into the Ji soldier’s neck.

Qin Junlan, who had raised her bow, slowly lowered it after seeing Ye Ming’s face clearly. She muttered to herself, thinking of Bai Ruoxi, “Ye Ming…”

So this was where she had been all this time after disappearing – following Ling Yu. Qin Junlan suddenly felt a pain in her heart as the image of Bai Ruoxi’s smiling face appeared before her. That cheerful girl – was she watching from heaven now as her beloved fought against her emperor sister’s army?

The arrow rain suddenly launched its attack. The Yu Army hurriedly raised their shields to block, but didn’t notice the approaching cavalry. While distracted by the unexpected arrow rain, they were caught off guard by the cavalry charge, throwing their formation into chaos.

“Quickly retreat, back to the city!” Ling Yu shouted. As the Yu Army commanders passed on the order, all the soldiers raised their shields to protect Ling Yu, saying, “Please retreat first, Grand Princess.”

“Disobeying orders before battle – do you want to face military punishment? Left General, I command you to lead the retreat immediately!”

“This humble servant obeys!” The Left General accepted the order, gathering the troops to return to the city amidst the fighting as the city gates gradually opened.

All of Red Armor Army’s attacks were for this moment of opportunity. Ling Yu hadn’t expected this to be Qin Junlan’s “one arrow hitting two birds” [killing two birds with one stone] strategy. This was the drawback of meeting the enemy outside the city – the formation and strategy of fighting outside were a double-edged sword. Unfortunately for Ling Yu, her opponent was Qin Junlan, and military campaigns and formations were not Ling Yu’s forte.

“Your Majesty, why not have the catapults attack the gate tower first, forming a main and secondary attack with the cavalry to divide the Yu Army’s attention, making them unable to cope with both?” General Yang wanted to press the advantage, but Qin Junlan waved her hand. “No, if the catapults accidentally hit inside the city, they might harm innocent civilians. Let the siege towers provide cover and the giant crossbows provide protection. Remember, we’re taking the city, not killing people. We must not harm any innocent civilians, and if Yu Army soldiers surrender, we must not randomly kill prisoners.”

“This humble servant accepts the order!”

The Yu Army retreated in defeat as the city gates opened slightly to receive the returning soldiers. They simultaneously defended against cavalry attacks while protecting Ling Yu, gradually withdrawing their troops back into the city.

Before the city gates, it was like “demons dancing wildly” [meaning: chaos and mayhem], as soldiers from both nations became entangled in fierce combat. The Ji soldiers seized the opportunity, aiming their giant crossbows at the city gates and firing from a distance, breaking through the army at the gates.

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