Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 606 If the Qin army formation were so easy to break, how could my Qin have been able to contend with immortals and demons for 100,000 years?

"Form an array—"

A hoarse, tense roar exploded through the gaps in the heavy armor, and thirty dark blue iron shields slammed into the rammed earth with a "boom".

The shield's edge was deeply embedded three inches into the ground, and the cloud patterns engraved on the shield's surface shimmered under the blazing sun.

This is a newly cast standard shield from the Ministry of Works. The shield ridge is made of tempered steel three fingers thick, which can withstand a full-force blow from a cultivator at the Innate Realm.

Xu Jiyang's pupils suddenly contracted, he gritted his teeth and shouted, charging straight into the fray.

This is the time to make a name for yourself and achieve great things; even if mountains collapse in front of you, you must charge forward!

"Bam—"

His warhorse, its iron-clad hooves slamming heavily onto the shield formation, felt as if it had struck a rock in the middle of the river.

"when--"

The twelve-foot steel spear scraped against the shield, creating dazzling sparks, and the bronze spearhead even managed to chip a nick!

Let alone Xu Jiyang, who is at the Acquired Realm, even a mid-stage Innate Realm martial artist would find it difficult to break through the armor with a single blow in this situation.

Xu Jiyang's attack failed, and a low shout came from the battle formation ahead.

"prick!"

Seven eighteen-foot spears emerged from the gaps in the shield formation, their iron tips accompanied by a series of synchronized thrusting sounds.

A very simple stab.

Aside from being somewhat neat, they also seemed to possess considerable strength.

The seasoned generals on the city wall could tell at a glance that these spearmen were not veterans of countless battles.

If he were a seasoned veteran, a single strike at this moment would have been enough to kill Xu Jiyang on the battlefield.

As the spear pierced towards him, Xu Jiyang hurriedly pulled on the reins and leaned back. The spear tip grazed his breastplate and tore a five-inch-long white mark on the black-scaled rhinoceros hide.

"Bam—"

Behind them came the mournful cries of warhorses. Two black horses had been pierced through the belly by serpent spears, and the scalding blood instantly stained the shield formation red.

The two accompanying scions of noble families tumbled off their horses in a sorry state.

According to the rules of the martial arts competition, they are no longer allowed to fight.

"kill--"

On the other side, Chang Gu, who had arrived with his sword dragged along, had already slashed down with a single blow, the blade whistling as it struck the shield.

"Thorn-"

The goose-feather saber of this disciple of Songyuan Wuzong should have severed the bull's head, but instead it drew out a half-foot-long orange-red flame on the black iron shield.

The shockwave from the blade made his hand go numb, and he involuntarily took two steps back.

This shield is ridiculously strong.

Chang Gu turned and retreated to the side of the shield formation. His companion's willow-leaf sword pierced the shield and broke in two with a clang.

Holding a broken sword, the warrior in leather armor looked somewhat stunned.

Not only was he stunned, but both teams of soldiers were also somewhat bewildered in the face of the iron-clad shield formation.

Meanwhile, the civilians in the distance, seeing the shield formations blocking the charge of the two troop formations, especially the imposing momentum of the noble families' cavalry charging and the sharp edge of the swords dragged by the martial artists, couldn't help but cheer loudly.

Below the city, the head of the Xu family breathed a sigh of relief, but when he looked at Xu Jiyang and the others who were hesitating in front of the army formation, he felt somewhat disappointed.

On the other side, the sect leader of Songyuan Martial Sect had a solemn expression. Several people beside him couldn't help but growl, "What are you all standing there for? Retreat!"

"Change the crossbow!"

A roar like a gong suddenly rang out from within the shield formation.

Thirty heavily armored soldiers simultaneously lowered their stance, revealing the armor-piercing crossbows already cocked behind them.

Within five feet, face the crossbow!
Even those at the Innate Realm cannot dodge crossbow bolts!
"Bam—"

"Bam—"

Amidst the rattling of mechanisms, a torrential downpour of blunt-tipped crossbow bolts wrapped in burlap rained down on both flanks.

These are specially made arrows for martial arts practice; the blades have already been removed.

But the crossbow bolts, whistling through the air, still felled many. Before the shield formation, whether they were martial artists or scions of noble families, chaos reigned.

"This crossbow is the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, presented by Mr. Zhuge from the Northwest," said Chu Ting, Vice Minister of Works, in a loud voice from the Chongwu Hall of the Imperial City.

"This shield is a new design from the Ministry of Works. When gathered together, it can form a city; when dispersed, it can become a sharp blade."

Chu Ting's voice carried a hint of arrogance.

The weapons refined by the Ministry of Works are not expensive, but they are of high quality.

In the main hall, the assembled military marquises and several dukes knowledgeable in military affairs all nodded slightly.

"Minister Chu, you must have come from the Weapon Forging Hall. I remember you were involved in forging several types of armor in the army," said Privy Councilor Feng Lun with a smile.

Chu Ting, born into the Chu family of Sanmiao, has served in the Ministry of Works for over thirty years.

"Reporting to the Privy Councilor, I have served in the Ministry of Works for thirty-two years, specializing in weapon forging and manufacturing. I have visited all seven departments of the Ministry of Works." Chu Ting bowed slightly.

Feng Lun didn't speak again, his gaze fixed on the light array in front of him.

At the head of the table, Emperor Yuankang remained calm, simply gazing at the light array without uttering a word.

Before everyone's eyes, on the training ground outside Yunming City, Xu Jiyang's warhorse was pacing anxiously in front of the shield formation, its hooves digging deep pits into the rammed earth.

When the barrage of arrows finally stopped, only a dozen or so young noblemen remained beside him.

On the other side, the martial arts practitioners wearing light armor were scattered, but they were not seriously injured. They retreated to a distance of more than ten feet and gathered around Chang Gu.

Turning to look at the somber faces of the people behind him, Xu Jiyang gritted his teeth and growled, "Follow me and charge—"

The warhorses galloped forward, charging into the enemy lines once more.

Behind him, the remaining soldiers looked at each other, grabbed their swords and spears, and charged forward.

Xu Jiyang rode his warhorse to the front of the shield formation and thrust his spear tip into the small gap at the junction of the shields like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.

"Zheng——"

A strange, stiff feeling suddenly came from the steel-forged gun barrel.

The three shields slid and intertwined as if they were alive, firmly wedging the spear shaft into the shield groove of the mortise and tenon structure!

"rise!"

The shield formation suddenly rose half a foot, and the thirty heavily armored figures looked like giant tortoises raising their heads.

The jammed steel spear carried Xu Jiyang off the saddle and into the air. This young master from a noble family, who was at the peak of the Acquired Realm, was actually knocked to the ground by the shield formation.

After tumbling twice on the ground, Xu Jiyang sat down on his bottom, his face completely blank.

The military exercise concluded that the commander-in-chief was killed in action and the entire army was wiped out.

He lost.

The Xu family elder, watching from afar, blushed and clenched his fists.

“We’ve lost…” the head of the Su family muttered, momentarily at a loss.

He wanted Xu Jiyang to lose, but he didn't expect Xu Jiyang to lose like this.

“The scions of noble families may have good individual combat skills, especially the leaders of the army who are quite brave, but unfortunately…” On the city wall, the Earl of Yongkang, Cao Xuan, dressed in black armor, spoke softly.

"If the Qin army formation were so easy to break, how could my Qin have competed with immortals and demons for 100,000 years?" Lei Ming, standing next to Zhang Yuan, grinned.

Below, in the middle of the training ground, Chang Gu's goose-feather saber finally found an opportunity to cut into the area below the shield formation, the blade fiercely thrusting upwards along the gaps in the rammed earth.

However, the blade struck a dense array of barbs.

The bottoms of these heavily armored soldiers' boots were actually inlaid with three-inch-long tungsten steel spikes!
Amidst the sparks flying, Chang Gu's sword flew out of his hand, and the blood droplets from his split tiger's mouth were particularly glaring under the blazing sun.

He actually dropped his sword right there in the face of battle!

Without a sword at the front lines, how can one fight the enemy?
"change!"

Ahead, from within the shield formation, shouts rang out once more.

The gongs rang out again, and the shield formation suddenly began to rotate clockwise like a millstone.

"Zheng——"

Sharp blades appeared along the edge of the great shield!
(End of this chapter)