Longzang

Chapter 627 The Significance of an Opponent

Does the lack of artillery shells mean the inability to fight? Wei Yuan certainly didn't think so. He personally led the Dragon Wing Cavalry in relentless pursuit, repeatedly annihilating the rearguard left behind by Lei Dong, and then continuing the chase.

Three thousand cavalrymen managed to chase tens of thousands of troops into a chaotic retreat.

Several generals of the Leize tribe could no longer stand by and watch, and they all volunteered for battle: "My lord, let's fight back!"

"My lord, this is so frustrating!"

"Sir, turn around and fight him!"

Although the generals were willing to die, Lei Dong only wanted to escape. If he could leave the army and act alone, he would have returned to his ancestral homeland long ago.

Lei Dong vaguely felt his luck draining away, and he often felt inexplicably terrified. Originally, with his arrogant and volatile personality, he would have already fought Wei Yuan to the death. But now, whenever he thought of Wei Yuan, he would recall that bird's cry, and all his fighting spirit would instantly dissipate.

At this moment, the Demon Blade remained unresponsive, like a dead object, which further strengthened Lei Dong's determination to escape.

He immediately said coldly, "Generals, you want to kill the enemy? Very well! I'll give each of you two thousand soldiers. You must hold off the enemy for half an hour. That's all!"

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment. Although they were willing to fight to the death, this was clearly sending them to their deaths. The two were completely different.

Wei Yuan annihilated another 3,000-strong rearguard and marched forward. There stood several hundred Leize warriors at the key point, all with blank expressions, surrounding a general in the center. The general's eyes were wide with rage, but he had already committed suicide.

Seeing that the soldiers had lost all will to resist, Wei Yuan stopped his horse and inquired about what had happened. It turned out that the general, unwilling to be humiliated and disheartened, had volunteered to cover the rear and then committed suicide.

Wei Yuan felt a pang of sympathy; this was the consequence of siding with the wrong person. Even if one were temporarily blessed with good fortune and held a high position, how could one remain secure if their virtue did not match their rank? Sooner or later, someone would rise up in rebellion, shouting, "Is the Creator Immortal born with a special destiny?"

Wei Yuan was startled and quickly pulled his wandering thoughts back, then realized that his Dao heart had indeed been unstable lately. It seemed he needed to read more history books when he returned, learning how dynasties suppressed rebellions. He didn't need to delve into the details of worldly affairs for this part.

Having shown the Thunder Warriors the direction to surrender, Wei Yuan continued his pursuit, regardless of whether the Thunder Warriors would surrender.

Thus, Wei Yuan pursued Lei Dong's central army for five hundred li in one go. Lei Dong's central army was almost in front of him several times, but Wei Yuan was in no hurry to charge into the formation. He just watched leisurely as Lei Dong sent people out to cover the rear.

If Lei Dong doesn't send someone, Wei Yuan's killing intent will immediately surge and lock onto Lei Dong. Only if Lei Dong sends someone to cover his retreat will Wei Yuan restrain his murderous intent.

In this way, Wei Yuan wiped out more than a dozen of Lei Dong's rearguard units, totaling thirty to forty thousand soldiers, leaving Lei Dong with less than thirty thousand troops. Wei Yuan was determined to force Lei Dong to send men out to their deaths; every time he sent someone out, his luck would diminish.

In the end, Lei Dong even had to kill the witch to establish his authority in order to force out a group of warriors, but these warriors surrendered immediately when they met Wei Yuan.

Five hundred miles away, Wei Yuan finally stopped his pursuit and shouted, "Kid, do you remember how I chased you like a rabbit for five hundred miles? With your character, do you even deserve to take over the kingdom of Red Leaf? Get lost!"

Lei Dong was both ashamed and angry, with nowhere to vent his anger. Suddenly, he swung his demonic blade and killed the two priestesses serving him!

He suddenly noticed that the shaman generals around him were looking at him strangely. He felt a chill in his heart, finally calmed down, and fearing that Wei Yuan would change his mind, he led his troops away in a hurry.

Wei Yuan stood on the mountaintop, watching the Thunder Swamp army flee like a herd of cattle in the distance. He ordered, "Go find some surrendered soldiers from Thunder Swamp and have them deliver a message to that brat, telling him to hand over the Demon Blade. If he does, I'll let him remain the ruler of Thunder Swamp. Otherwise, the army will raze his ancestral land to the ground!"

Tianyu, standing nearby, asked, "How could he possibly hand over the Demon Blade?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "I'm saying this to Demon Blade, and also to the other people in Raize who are qualified to inherit the throne." "What if he really hands it over?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "Then naturally we'll let him continue as the Lord of Thunder Swamp. And not only will we let him continue, we'll also find a way to secure his position. That's what you need to do."

Tianyu was completely bewildered: "I'm being lenient by not killing him, why would I let him continue as the Lord of Thunder Swamp?"

Wei Yuan patiently explained, "After I chased him for five hundred miles, most of his luck has dissipated. This guy doesn't have much ability himself. He suddenly rose to power and became arrogant and tyrannical. In reality, he's terrified that he'll be overthrown one day."

As long as he's in power, Raize will never become strong. Think about it, would you rather face such an opponent, or a wise and powerful enemy?

After thinking seriously for a while, Tianyu said, "Then I am still willing to face a wise and powerful opponent. Only with such an enemy can the life of a witch have meaning!"

Wei Yuan was speechless for a moment.

If Tianyu hadn't thought about it, that would be one thing, but this was his answer after careful consideration. It seems there's a reason why the Desolate Ancestor Tribe couldn't develop in the past, and its future prospects are not optimistic either.

It's clear that specialization is key; muscles can't compare to the brain, although the Lord of the Bright King Palace certainly wouldn't agree.

Tianyu had followed Wei Yuan all the way here, chasing the defeated soldiers. After a five-hundred-mile chase, he was still full of energy and showed no signs of fatigue. Only the six Dao Foundation Perfection Power Witches were somewhat listless.

Xu Wenwu was drenched in sweat, and could barely lift his hands. If the artillery shells hadn't run out, he wouldn't have even had time to catch his breath. Although his body was exhausted, a spiritual light emanated from him, his primordial spirit was exceptionally active, and his cultivation had made significant progress, with his foundation in the Dao being largely solidified.

This progress was far faster than Wei Yuan's, which greatly surprised Wei Yuan.

In fact, after the tank ran out of ammunition, the shells that were fired next were all materialized by Xu Wenwu. Since Tianyu had no cannons to fire, he was responsible for indicating targets to Xu Wenwu and also served as "human armor".

Xu Wenwu had also thoroughly enjoyed the battle. The artillery fire became increasingly smooth, and with each group of Wu tribe members he annihilated, his Dao heart improved a bit, and his Dao foundation became a bit more solid. Everything seemed to have returned to the time when he hid in his dormitory in college and didn't go to class.

The only regret was that the battle was too fast, and he couldn't get out of the vehicle to loot the bodies; otherwise, he would not have missed a single pocket.

At this moment, Lei Dong's luck had dissipated by seventy or eighty percent, but the remaining bit was still quite troublesome, and he could escape if he wasn't careful.

Wei Yuan already had a deep understanding of the concept of fortune. The fastest and most abundant way to acquire fortune was through war. A victory in a major battle could even significantly boost a nation's fortune.

The second approach is to improve people's livelihoods and accumulate humanitarian blessings. This path is advantageous because it is stable and sustainable; once the population reaches a certain size, the blessings will be considerable. However, this path is also the most difficult, as there are far more famous generals than wise rulers in history.

Good fortune is like this, and so is bad fortune.

In contrast, if Lei Dong were to flee across thousands of miles, he would expend far less of his luck, and Wei Yuan might not be able to achieve anything even after pursuing him for several years. History is replete with examples of large organizations hunting down chosen ones for centuries without success, only to have them return after achieving mastery in their cultivation, ultimately uprooting the entire organization.

Therefore, Wei Yuan wanted to keep Lei Dong in the position of Lord of Lei Ze. As long as he was in power, whether he was defeated or the people suffered, his luck would continue to be depleted.

There's another reason Wei Yuan didn't mention: Tianyu dislikes opponents like Lei Dong, but Wei Yuan adores them. Wei Yuan has no intention of meeting all the heroes in the world; he'd rather everyone except himself think with their butts, so he can easily win without lifting a finger.

The phrase "winning by lying down" was also learned from Xu Wenwu, and it's very apt.

(End of this chapter)