Longzang

Chapter 391 Having a Plan (Thanks again to Mr. Dong from the Golden Alliance!)
Wei Yuan did not notice the change in Li Zhi's expression. With a thought, ten Dao Foundation Warriors appeared in the army.

As soon as these Daoist warriors appeared, they received the corresponding unit's banner, and all troops immediately followed their banners. With the sound of the charge horn, the army began its advance!
As the two armies drew near, Wei Yuan summoned Jade Mountain once more, hurling it at the mountain tribes' central army. This time, Jade Mountain materialized to be a full thirty feet tall, causing the five Dharma Images to scatter in disarray!

Immediately, Wei Yuan empowered the Dragon Wing Cavalry with the power of the Heaven and Earth Madman. Five thousand iron cavalry charged in, braving the rain of arrows from the mountain people. Amidst the booming gunfire, a large amount of smoke billowed out. Mountain people were blasted down in droves, and the army formation was cut open like tofu. In the blink of an eye, Wei Yuan had broken through it!

Without pausing, Wei Yuan spurred his horse back and led his cavalry back into battle. This time, before even entering the fray, the cavalry opened fire, causing havoc among the mountain people. Wei Yuan, meanwhile, continuously unleashed his Flowing Fire spell; wherever the streams of fire landed, chaos ensued.

Just as the mountain dwellers had escaped Jade Mountain, a scholar appeared on the battlefield, wielding a multi-barreled flying sword and cannon that roared continuously. The flying swords swept through the crowd of monks, causing chaos and confusion. One of them was targeted by Feng Tingyu, while another was chased by a cat. The remaining two had to deal with Wei Yuan's Flowing Fire Technique and also guard against the pursuit of other opponents, both facing perilous situations.

In the blink of an eye, Wei Yuan broke through the mountain people's army formation again and returned to fight his way back.

By this time, the infantry had caught up, and Wei Yuan led the cavalry to turn and charge, breaking through the enemy lines for the third time! The infantry advanced slowly, firing barrages that reaped the mountain people like mowing grass. By the time the Longxiang Army also charged into the enemy ranks, the mountain people finally collapsed, fleeing over the mountains.

Of the five Dharma Aspects, only one escaped in the end. They were all going to flee, but Wei Yuan used a remnant of the previous dynasty to immobilize three of them. Then, Feng Tingyu and Wei Yuan each quickly killed one Dharma Aspect, while the cat pursued alone and also killed one Dharma Aspect.

Then Li Zhi saw Wei Yuan continuously draw circles with his sword, firmly immobilizing the last Dharma Aspect. Then, the group of Foundation Establishments lined up to attack one by one, reaping the Heavenly Merit. The mountain dweller Dharma Aspect struggled for a long time before dying with resentment, it was unclear whether he was killed or died of frustration.

While Wei Yuan was busy distributing the Heavenly Merit, the infantry and cavalry followed their own banners and pursued and annihilated the remaining enemy forces on their own, without any need for Wei Yuan's command.

Li Zhi and his generals were dumbfounded, feeling that this battle had been played out like a child's play by Wei Yuan.
This battle annihilated tens of thousands of mountain people, most of whom still fled. Wei Yuan's forces were insufficient, so he could only fight a rout.

When Wei Yuan led his troops back, Li Zhi stared at the muskets in the hands of the Longxiang Army and asked, "What are these? May I take a look?"

Wei Yuan immediately took a musket from a soldier, along with a few bullets, and handed them to Li Zhi. Li Zhi had already learned about muskets during the last battle with Qingming, but at that time he thought they were cumbersome, had limited range, slow rate of fire, and not very powerful, so he hadn't paid much attention to them.

Li Zhi always advocated for elite troops, and firearms were clearly only suitable for ordinary people and low-level cultivators. Therefore, Li Zhi wasn't very interested in them, believing that this was just a stopgap measure by Wei Yuan due to a lack of elite troops. In reality, on the battlefield, elite troops capable of firing thirty consecutive arrows would obviously be more useful.

But this time, with Wei Yuan personally in command, the vast landscape manifested as a blessing, and the warriors of the Enlightened Foundation transmitted commands simultaneously. The 20,000-strong army advanced as one, unleashing a continuous barrage of firepower that utterly crushed the mountain people, thus demonstrating the terror of firearms.

Li Zhi witnessed firsthand how an ordinary soldier could fire dozens of shots without any problem, whereas an elite archer would have been exhausted long ago.

At this moment, Li Zhi took the firearm seriously for the first time.

Wei Yuan then handed Li Zhi a flying sword spear from a sword case. Li Zhi fired several shots with both spears, gaining a more direct understanding of the weapon. He immediately said to Wei Yuan, "Do you have any spare flying sword spears? If so, I'd like to buy a batch."

Wei Yuan was somewhat surprised and said, "This gun is quite troublesome to use. Anyone who hasn't reached the Dao Foundation stage simply can't control it. Flying swords also consume a lot of ammunition. In terms of military strength, it's far inferior to firearms. I think it's better to use firearms."

"Firearms are just tools used by ordinary soldiers and are no more advantageous than powerful bows and crossbows. I prefer flying swords."

"Alright then, how many do you want?"

Li Zhi considered it for a moment and said, "I want three hundred first."

"How many flying swords does each unit control?" Wei Yuan asked again.

Li Zhi took a moment to realize that this was similar to buying a crossbow and deciding on the quantity of bolts needed, so he said, "One hundred bolts."

Wei Yuan noted it down and said, "I'll send it to you in ten days."

"What about the price?"

Wei Yuan said, "This batch is for you as a thank you gift for the last battle with the Xu family." Li Zhi immediately shook his head: "How can that be? I already received your breastplate last time. In the long run, let's talk about the price."

The price of these flying swords and spears is indeed difficult to determine. After thinking for a moment, Wei Yuan said, "How about this, I'll give you this batch as a gift. From now on, the spears will cost 500 taels and the flying swords will cost 500 taels each."

"A very fair price."

The two sides finalized the matter, and by then the battlefield had been mostly cleared. The mountain people left behind a large amount of supplies, which Wei Yuan left untouched, giving them all to Li Zhi. Li Zhi would send someone to collect them upon his return to the territory.

Wei Yuan gave Li Zhi a final hug and was about to lead his troops back when dust rose in the distance, and two armies appeared, leisurely approaching. Judging from their armor and banners, they were likely the border troops of the Zhao state.

The two border armies combined numbered just over ten thousand, and Li Zhi's expression darkened. Even if they arrived just in time, let alone after the battle was over, what use were these ten thousand men? The mountain people numbered over ten thousand; this small force wouldn't even be enough for them to fight back.

Wei Yuan was also observing the Zhao border troops, secretly assessing their combat strength.

The army was led by two generals. When they saw Li Zhi and Wei Yuan from afar, they warily ordered the army to stop, spread out their formation, and led a small number of their personal guards on horseback.

"Your humble servants Chen Jian and Wang Quan greet Your Excellency the Military Governor!" The two generals were very respectful in their greetings, which made Wei Yuan quite envious.

As a fellow military governor, Wei Yuan encountered officials who were mostly sarcastic, openly provocative, and backstabbing. Later, people like Yuan Qingyan and Niu Jinbao were forced to feign politeness towards Wei Yuan only when they had no other options. Unlike Li Zhi, who naturally and genuinely commanded respect wherever he went. Compared to Li Zhi, Wei Yuan felt like a nouveau riche.

The two generals looked at Wei Yuan suspiciously, and when they saw the ranks of soldiers heading north, their eyes flashed with vigilance.

After exchanging greetings, the two generals explained that upon receiving Li Zhi's plea for help, they immediately mustered their troops and set off day and night. However, their authority was limited, and they could only mobilize this many troops.

Li Zhi said with a smile, "I will remember the two generals' journey of thousands of miles to provide assistance, and I will repay them handsomely in the future!"

"Then we will escort General Li back to his post."

Li Zhi nodded, then said, "Generals, please wait a moment. I need to say a few words to my brother."

The two generals wisely returned to their units to wait.

After they had gone some distance, Wei Yuan said, "These two are skilled in warfare. They arrived at just the right time, around the time you were forced to break out."

Li Zhi chuckled and said, "Their military careers have lasted for over fifty years, and they've spent most of their lives in the border army. How could they not know how to fight?"

"Hmm, judging from the type of troops they brought, it doesn't seem like they're there to deal with the mountain people, but rather to deal with your elite Southern Qi cavalry. If I hadn't come, you wouldn't have had many troops after your breakout, and these troops would have been more than enough to deal with your remaining forces."

A murderous glint flashed in Li Zhi's eyes, but he calmly said, "I am aware of this matter, and I will plan it out slowly when I return."

Wei Yuan said, "Should we send some bandits to this area?"

Li Zhi pondered for a moment before saying, "This matter is not appropriate. I cannot act as recklessly as my brother. The bandit incident could easily give others a handle against me, which would be counterproductive. Don't worry, since they want to kill me, I will not be polite."

They think Empress Xiao's money is so easy to take? Hmph, it won't be long before I have the King of Zhao behead them!

(End of this chapter)