This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 180 This time, we should follow the history books.

In the main camp of Xiangyang City, Yin Kuangzhi was no longer a complete novice.

The governor of Jingzhou, Wang Chen, was old and frail and unable to go in person. Most of his affairs were handled outside Xiangyang City. The prefect of Xiangyang, Shao Jiling, was also afraid to go to the front line. In addition, the emperor seemed to trust the Yin family very much.

As a result, Yin Kuangzhi, despite his young age, became the military inspector and had considerable influence within the camp, his status even subtly surpassing that of some generals.

However, Yin Kuangzhi was very low-key and respectful to his officers. He never interfered with the commander's actions, which kept the camp relatively harmonious.

At this moment, Peng Yanyu, the commander of the new Xiangyang camp, was reading a newly arrived letter from the front. Beside him were several military officers, including Peng Hong, and others from the Xiangyang area, as well as Yin Kuangzhi.

Peng Yanyu, with his white beard, placed the letter on the table inside the tent. The others could clearly see the words on it, and the content, unsurprisingly, was all urging.

Urge them to pay taxes, supplies, weapons, and manpower!

In the days immediately following the arrival of the military intelligence, a force comprised of most of the elite troops from the Jingxiang region, personally led by the Southern Barbarian Commandant Yin Ji, set off northward.

Currently, the 30,000-plus soldiers in the Xiangyang camp are mostly newly recruited local militia, except for a few veteran soldiers. Although they seem numerous, they are extremely untrained. To put it bluntly, they are just a group of civilians who have just put on military robes and are carrying weapons.

"Time waits for no one, we should set off!"

"But the newly recruited local militia are not well trained and are difficult to train!"

"Yes, and we've all left. What if something really goes wrong? What will happen to Xiangyang?"

Upon hearing this, Peng Yanyu immediately looked at the speaker, for the most taboo thing in the army is to be cowardly before the battle even begins.

"You mean if we fail on this mission, the enemy army can advance unimpeded, or we need to prepare to defend the strategic pass of Xiangyang?"

"This humble general has misspoke."

Peng Yanyu then looked at Yin Kuangzhi on the side. Although the latter was young, he had been very good at managing things during this period. He had also done a good job in adjusting recruitment and pacifying villagers, and collecting military equipment, money and food. He could be considered a capable person, so he should not be underestimated because of his young age.

What is Yin Guandai's opinion?

Yin Kuangzhi did not hesitate. He looked at the people standing in the tent, and finally looked at the old general sitting down.

"General, I believe we should set off immediately, getting to the front lines as soon as possible. The local militia recruited here will never have enough time to be trained into an army, but the front lines can't wait much longer. Besides, it's difficult to train new soldiers into an army, but they can serve as a supplement."

"What this general said makes sense. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. If we are worried about defeat, we will think of Xiangyang. We can leave three thousand men here to continue training. If something happens, we can rely on Xiangyang to block the enemy army."

As he spoke, Yin Kuangzhi smiled and looked at everyone inside the tent.

"But that's all we can do. Others will figure out a solution later. Anyway, if we are defeated this time..."

As he spoke, Yin Kuangzhi grasped the sword at his waist and gently drew it out by about an inch, the reflection of the blade illuminating his face.

"I don't plan to come back alive either!"

Yin Kuangzhi spoke these words casually, yet this Confucian scholar inexplicably exuded a faint air of sternness.

"Good! Well said! With such ambition at such a young age, how can we, as martial artists, fall behind?"

Peng Yanyu stood up immediately.

"Pass on my military order: the army will march north early tomorrow morning, and all relevant personnel are to return to their posts immediately!"

"promise!"
-
With the issuance of military orders in the Xiangyang camp, the atmosphere in Xiangyang City changed instantly. Many armored soldiers in the city quickly returned to the camp, and most of the people inside and outside the city also knew that the camp was about to set off.

On the top of the city gate of Xiangyang, Zhuang Lin, Xi Miao, Wuming and Liu Hongyu stood looking at the soldiers returning to their camp in the city and also at the new army camp outside the city.

Although the atmosphere was tense, a very peculiar feeling also enveloped the army.

Zhuang Lin couldn't quite describe the feeling; in a daze, a vision of a candle flame flickering in the wind flashed through his mind.

This is a presentation of mental imagery, and also a spiritual extension at the level of "Yi" (易, meaning change/change).

"This journey to the new army camp is likely to end in grave danger."

Xi Miao's sudden words startled Zhuang Lin, confirming the image in his mind.

Zhuang Lin suddenly had a thought and asked.

"Fellow Daoist Ximiao is proficient in divination and divination of celestial secrets. I wonder if you can predict the outcome of this battle?"

Zhuang Lin's words about this battle were not simply referring to the fortunes of the Xiangyang New Army heading to the front lines.

Xi Miao understood immediately and pulled out a pale golden disc from her sleeve. She held the disc in her left hand and spun it around, her eyes darting over it, while her right hand quickly made calculations, occasionally forming hand seals.

A faint, ethereal light emanated from Xi Miao and the disc in her hand, seemingly connected to the energy of heaven and earth.

However, Xi Miao's expression was not relaxed; her brows furrowed from time to time, and they would only relax slightly after the compass shone brightly.

About fifteen minutes later, Xi Miao stopped moving, and all the radiance disappeared.

"ho"

Exhaling softly, Xi Miao took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the fine sweat from her forehead.

"It's a bit troublesome. It seems someone has interfered with the heavens, but it's not a problem for me. The Jin army will suffer a crushing defeat this time, with all 120,000 troops wiped out, Luoyang falling, and things will get chaotic afterwards."

Wuming and Liu Hongyu were initially unaware of anything, but when they looked at Zhuang Lin and Xi Miao beside them, they could clearly sense that their expressions seemed different. After hearing Xi Miao's calculations and looking at the new army camp outside, they could immediately sense a sense of crisis beneath the intense human tension.

"Something's wrong?"

Wuming asked this question, otherwise why would Master and Fellow Daoist Ximiao react this way?
Zhuang Lin did feel that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Perhaps it was a feeling of pity, but it was just the way things were, and some things were already destined.

But Liu Hongyu's reaction was more direct. He suddenly flicked his sleeve, and several thick books flew out.

Several books floated in front of Liu Hongyu, and he gently turned the pages with his fingers, causing the books to flip rapidly.

After a long while, all the other books were closed, with one of them fixed on a single page.

"Master, we've found it!"

The other three all looked at what Liu Hongyu had shown them. It wasn't written in great detail, but it could be summarized into one main point.

Around the fifteenth year of the Taiyuan era, Zhu Xu, a general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, successfully defended Luoyang by resisting the attacks of the Western Yan and Zhai Liao.
"Ok?"

Zhuang Lin asked in confusion, while Xi Miao was even more stunned for a moment before reaching out and grabbing the floating book.

"what is this?"

Although Xi Miao had been to the Dharma-ending Age, perhaps due to her limited thinking, at that time, apart from fearing the depletion of spiritual energy and the severance of the Dharma lineage, she only thought that everything in ancient times had been cut off and lamented the development of the times. She did not think about some other aspects at all. When she saw this book, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Liu Hongyu calmly replied, "This is a general translation of a historical record. However, some parts don't match up with ancient texts. Historical records aren't immune to alteration, and this section appears to be one of them."

Xi Miao was greatly shocked.

History books! That's right, the Dharma-ending Age is nearly two thousand years from now! Spiritual energy will be depleted and the Dharma lineage will be severed, but the history of mortals may not necessarily be completely cut off!

But when she heard Liu Hongyu say this, she suddenly interrupted him.

"No! No!"

Liu Hongyu frowned, while Xi Miao looked at Zhuang Lin beside her with a look of realization, whose expression had changed slightly.

"Sir? You must have sensed something, you must have other ideas, right?"

At this moment, countless thoughts surged through Zhuang Lin's mind, and countless possibilities unfolded within him. In particular, Liu Hongyu's statement that "history books have been altered" sent tidal waves through his heart.
During this process, Zhuang Lin made an extremely risky decision almost instantly.

These inner changes were more or less reflected on his face, causing Zhuang Lin's expression to change accordingly. Outsiders might not be able to see it, but Xi Miao seemed to see another scene on his face, like a calm lake under the autumn moon turning into a stormy sea, eventually returning to ripples that never stop surging.
Although Liu Hongyu and Wuming couldn't see much, they knew something was wrong.

Zhuang Lin took a deep breath and glanced at the new army camp outside Xiangyang City.

"This time, we should follow the history books!"

Above the new army camp outside Xiangyang City, the tense atmosphere seemed to be subtly beginning to shift—
Many of the soldiers in the new army camp were men from the vicinity of Xiangyang, and for a time many people went outside Xiangyang to see off their hometown youths.

Many armies of this era were not particularly disciplined, but the new recruits were more obedient. Moreover, they were all from the same hometown, and the people who came were the elders and folks of the village seeing off their fellow villagers, making the area outside the camp quite lively.

The next morning, this situation reached its peak. A sense of commotion made it impossible for Peng Yanyu, the commander-in-chief, to sleep peacefully. He then put on his armor and rushed out of the tent, where he happened to see Yin Kuangzhi outside as well.

"Good morning, General!"

"Was Yin Guandai also woken up by these noises? It's outrageous that the military camp is in such a mess!"

Peng Yanyu looked displeased and seemed to want to kick him out. Yin Kuangzhi saw his expression and quickly said something.

"General, perhaps this is an opportunity. The new army is poorly trained and everyone is filled with anxiety. They need a boost in morale!"

"Oh? What brilliant plan does Yin Guandai have?"

In Peng Yanyu's eyes, morale is simply about ensuring that the soldiers are well-fed and clothed, and providing them with sufficient training. This gives them confidence and naturally boosts their morale.

However, Yin Kuangzhi didn't think so. He leaned close to Peng Yanyu's ear and whispered a few words to him. The old general didn't take it seriously at first, but after listening for a while, he was slightly stunned. Finally, he came to his senses and showed amazement.

After listening, the old general couldn't help but look at Yin Kuangzhi with surprise.

"It seems that Yin Guandai is not just a scholar, but also someone familiar with military strategy!"

"How can a gentleman only understand literature? Furthermore, the sword's edge and the pen's edge are interconnected; the so-called art of war is also about the changes in people's hearts!"

After hearing Yin Kuangzhi's words, Peng Yanyu no longer held any contempt for him.
-
Soon, the new army camp was set up, supplies and provisions were loaded onto wagons, and the army lined up outside the city.

Thanks to the fact that the army did not strictly prohibit soldiers from saying goodbye to their elders and fellow villagers during the process, many soldiers were still among the people outside the city.

"Waaaaah~~~ Waaaah~~~~"

When the bugle sounded, all the soldiers had no choice but to return.

In a corner of the crowd, Doctor Ge bid farewell to his wife and several apprentices while carrying his medicine box. Shen Qingyou picked up the medicine basket next to him, and a person dressed in coarse cloth followed closely behind.

Everywhere, the cries of the people could be heard, and there were also many weeping sounds, but they could not stop people from leaving. They could only watch their loved ones walk towards the army.

Many officers on horseback couldn't help but discuss it, feeling it was improper and caused chaos in the ranks, but General Peng remained remarkably calm today.

"Waaaaah~~~ Waaaah~~~~"

The bugle sounded again, and by the end of this round of bugle calls, the civilians and the soldiers were clearly separated, but many people in the crowd were still wiping away tears.

General Peng spurred his horse away from his position, and Yin Kuangzhi and the others hurriedly followed.

At this moment, Peng Yanyu recalled what Yin Kuangzhi had just said, looked at the people and felt a surge of emotion. Then he took a deep breath, gathered his inner strength and roared out.

"Brothers in the army—"

The old general possessed profound inner strength, and his voice was almost like the roar of a ferocious beast. Although it could not drown out all other sounds, it quickly quieted down the noise in the arena.

At this moment, the old general galloped away on his horse, roaring continuously.

"I know that most of you are from Jingzhou and Xiangyang, and many are even from the Xiangyang family—"

“You’re unfamiliar with combat tactics and haven’t had enough training days, so you must be feeling fear. But look over here, and see who they are.”

"These are your hometown elders, brothers and friends, your parents who raised you, your sisters who need your care as their elder brother, your confidantes waiting for your return, and the helpless women and children—"

"Luoyang may seem far away, but it is very close to Xiangyang. When Xiangyang fell, the land was devastated, and the tragedies are still vivid in our minds. The older generation in Jingxiang has passed down the stories by word of mouth. We have only been stable for a few years now. Do you want that scene to repeat itself?"

Peng Yanyu stopped his horse as it was galloping, and the horse neighed loudly, but both the civilians and soldiers on both sides remained completely silent.

"Soldiers, brothers, answer me, do you want that scene to repeat itself?"

Many soldiers gripped their spears and other weapons tightly, and the crowd looked at each other. Finally, Yin Kuangzhi, standing beside the old general, took the lead and shouted.

"In no mood--"

Although Yin Kuangzhi's voice was weak, it was enough to start the conversation, and some soldiers immediately responded, though only in scattered groups.

The veteran then shouted again.

"Do you want to?"

"In no mood--"

The sounds were produced almost simultaneously, creating a whistling effect.

"Very good—we are not merely soldiers receiving pay to fill quotas, but warriors fighting to the death to defend our country and our homes—we are going to protect our villages and drive away the foreign invaders; at worst, we will die—"

"There's only death—" "There's only death—" "There's only death—"

The Xiangyang army raised their troops and shouted slogans. Even Shen Qingyou and Doctor Ge, who were standing in front of the army's carriages, were caught up in the atmosphere and couldn't help but shout excitedly.

The sound was like a tsunami, spreading in all directions, and the morale of the new army was greatly boosted!

(End of this chapter)