Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 450 Thousands of troops avoid white robes

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ma Fonian led his troops into the Xianbei cavalry formation, wielding a 200-jin (approximately 100 kg) long-handled sword and slaying three Northern Wei generals.

The blade struck with immense force, cutting even a Xianbei officer clad in two layers of armor in two pieces, man and horse alike!
The Taoist priests accompanying the army also began to demonstrate their power. They grew extremely rapidly on the battlefield and were able to perfectly combine their supernatural abilities with the army.

In addition to using the 'Copper Head Iron Arm Talisman' to protect the charging cavalry and the 'Nine Oxen and Two Tigers Talisman' to enhance their attack, they will also use the 'Six Ding and Six Jia Talisman' to summon golden-armored warriors to assist them.

Although the Six Ding and Six Jia are relatively vegetarian, they can easily defeat an ordinary soldier. The key is that they are golden and huge, giving them an overwhelming presence.

Some Taoist priests even use lightning magic to strike enemy warhorses... Although warhorses are trained, they still instinctively fear thunder. Even a mere glancing blow from a bolt of lightning can send them reeling and bolting uncontrollably...

With their powerful assistance, the White Robe Army soldiers were able to be invincible and move through enemy territory as if it were empty!
~~
Ma Fonian led his troops in a fierce charge, his white-robed cavalry cutting through the enemy lines like a hot knife through cheese, heading straight for Yuan Tianmu's central army banner.

But the closer they got to the Great Banner, the denser the Wei army became, the fiercer the resistance, and the more skilled the soldiers appeared.

Seeing that the attack was about to be thwarted, Ma Fonian pointed to the tall, imposing banner and shouted, "Cut it off!"

Before he finished speaking, a white figure shot out like lightning, bypassing the generals and rushing straight for the banner.

The Great Banner is the command flag of the three armies, and it is naturally guarded by experts. A general with nine orifices soared into the air and swung his sword at the white figure.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over a hundred blows, but the white figure's moves were getting faster and faster, and even the Yang God was finding it difficult to defend himself...

One wrong move and Yang Shen's throat was pierced by the purple flying sword!

The flying sword, however, continued its momentum, piercing straight at the flagpole! The flagpole, as thick as a bowl, snapped in two, and the great banner fell to the ground with a slump...

Upon seeing the commander's flag fall to the ground, the Wei army wavered.

Those soldiers who had been defeated by the White-Robed Army before were terrified. They shouted, "The White-Robed Army is coming again!" and fled in panic, breaking their own formation into pieces.

Taking advantage of the situation, the white-robed army dispersed and launched a surprise attack, resulting in a comical scene where a hundred or so men chased and killed tens of thousands of people.

When the morale of the 70,000-strong army crumbled under the charge of 2,000 heavy cavalry, their numerical advantage became a joke.

As Yuan Tianmu watched the commander's flag fall to the ground and the army collapse, he finally understood why Chen Qingzhi had chosen to emulate Zhang Liao's formation with his back to the city walls—this was not arrogance, but a strategic choice to maximize one's own advantages.

Fortunately, he was also a demigod. He forced back the white-skirted woman's sneak attack with a single move and then turned into golden light and fled.

In this era, it was an unwritten rule on the battlefield that demigods and above would not directly intervene in battle.

Moreover, Chen Qingzhi on the other side hasn't made a move yet; if he breaks the rules, he'll be the only one who suffers...

~~
In this battle, Chen Qingzhi, with 6,000 white-robed soldiers, utterly defeated Yuan Tianmu's 70,000-strong army, and Yuan Tianmu barely escaped with his life...

Immediately afterwards, the White-Robed Army advanced eastward, and Xingyang, Chenliu, Yecheng and other places surrendered again without resistance.

Chen Qingzhi twice marched into Henan within a month, regarding the 300,000 Wei troops as mere chickens and dogs, his spirit soaring to the heavens and shaking the ages!
From then on, a folk song that has endured through the ages has been passed down among the people of the Northern Dynasties: "Famous generals and great commanders should not be complacent, for thousands of troops and horses will avoid the white-robed generals!"
When the good news reached Daliang, the entire city of Jiankang was in an uproar! This was a victory unprecedented in a century! Although its impact on Daliang could not compare to the victory at Zhongli, it was still incredibly inspiring!

From now on, who will dare to say that southerners are inferior to northerners?! From high-ranking officials to ordinary people, wherever there are people, they are talking about the miracles created by Chen Qingzhi and his White Robe Army!

Though I cannot be there in person, my heart longs to go...

In people's mouths, Chen Qingzhi has become the number one general in the world, and the White Robe Army is invincible!
Naturally, calls to immediately dispatch a large army north to claim the spoils of war and reinforce Chen Qingzhi grew louder and louder. Some even suggested returning the capital to Luoyang…

Although returning the capital to Luoyang was somewhat unrealistic, sending reinforcements to expand the scale of the Northern Expedition was still an urgent matter.

Therefore, at the court meeting that day, Xiao Yan boldly announced that he would personally lead an army of 100,000 to conquer the north and south!
The courtiers were shocked upon hearing this, as the emperor had not consulted them at all beforehand about the personal expedition...

They hurriedly advised the emperor to abandon this risky idea and instead send another general to lead troops north to support Chen Qingzhi.

"Hey, have you all forgotten that I was born a military general?" Xiao Yan laughed nonchalantly. "My empire was built by me, one sword and one spear. Do you think I'm too old to wield a sword or mount a horse?"

“Your Majesty is invincible, and we have no doubt about it. However, swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield, so there is no need to take such a risk,” Xu Mian and the others earnestly advised.

"Rest assured, I am ordained by Heaven, and even ghosts and gods will flee from me!" But Xiao Yan remained stubborn and wouldn't listen to any persuasion...

~~
After the court session, the Crown Prince chased after his father to the Shiqian Hall and continued to plead with him to rescind his decree.

"Father, you are getting old, and the military campaigns have taken their toll. You are not well-fed and clothed. If Your Majesty were to fall ill, the nation would be thrown into turmoil!" Xiao Tong knelt before Xiao Yan and pleaded, "Let your son lead the expedition in your place."

“You’re too pampered to endure the hardships of military life.” Xiao Yan waved his hand and said in a deep voice, “But your concern is also a problem. If something were to happen to me, it would indeed cause upheaval in the country.”

"Yes, Father." Xiao Tong was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly pressed on, saying, "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and a ruler cannot be away from the country for a day."

"Then how about this, you be the emperor." Xiao Yan slapped his forehead and said, "I'll be your general, and that will solve the dilemma."

"Huh?" Xiao Tong stared in disbelief, unable to believe his ears.

"Alright, it's settled then!" Xiao Yan clapped his hands, seemingly very satisfied with his idea.

"Father, can we stop acting on a whim?" Xiao Tong said with a wry smile, "I'm being serious with you."

"I'm not joking with you!" Xiao Yan put away his smile and looked steadily at the Crown Prince, saying, "My mind is made up. The abdication ceremony will be held in ten days, and then I will lead the army to war. Prepare yourself and ascend the throne."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am not prepared at all!" the Crown Prince said in a panic. "I am far from ready. Your Majesty cannot entrust me with this responsibility so soon."

"It's getting late. I'm already sixty-five. I don't even remember who the last emperor lived that long." Xiao Yan waved his hand and said, "You're almost thirty too. You're well past the age to take over the throne."

"Your subject is truly unprepared," the Crown Prince quickly shook his head.

"It's settled then. No one can predict when they will become emperor, and no one is born knowing how to be emperor. Besides, I have nurtured you for so many years. If you can't be a good emperor now, you won't be a good emperor in the future either." Xiao Yan's tone was already very serious when he said this.

Although the crown prince still dared not obey the imperial edict, he also dared not say that he was not doing a good job, lest he make things worse.

(End of this chapter)