Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 198 The Troops (Part 1)

Ji Shi stood on the south-pointing chariot, her clothes billowing in the air currents.

The phantom of the lightning spear in his eyes trembled violently, and several muffled groans came from the formation behind him, as some armored soldiers could not withstand the impact and blood gushed from their mouths and noses.

Seeing that her attack had missed, Ji Shi snorted angrily and said, "You brat!"

At this moment, troops are arrayed on both sides of the strait, each displaying its own unique presence. The stirring of the water vapor causes turbulent waves to surge on the Zhen River, their sharp edges clashing, revealing their murderous intent.

Within the ranks of the troops on the west bank, Lü Shang frowned, gazing at the enemy forces on the east bank. After a moment's thought, he said, "Sound the retreat, withdraw the troops."

Gongzi Chong, standing to the side, received the order and said in a voice as loud as thunder, "Sound the retreat!"

As soon as the order was given, the sound of gongs in the army formation tore through the murderous aura on both sides of the Zhen River, the buzzing sound causing the shimmering water on the river surface to tremble.

Boom! !

On the west bank, amidst the Xu Kingdom's army formation, five hundred chariots receded like a black tide, the divine light on the chariots gradually faded, and as the horses moved, the surrounding clouds turned into flowing smoke and gradually dissipated.

In the ranks of the Ji clan's allied forces on the east bank, Ji Shi stood on a compass chariot, coldly watching the chariots on the west bank slowly retreat.

Finally, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Issue my order to temporarily garrison on the east bank of the Zhen River, dig trenches, erect palisades, set up camp, and hold out for further orders."

"promise!"

The soldiers responded, then waved their flags, and the 30,000 armored soldiers of the allied army changed formation.

Not far away, Ebo Ji'an gazed thoughtfully at the enemy formation on the opposite bank.

"Lu Shang's cultivation is indeed not to be underestimated. With the addition of military force, 30,000 armored soldiers alone may not be enough to destroy the Xu Kingdom. I'm afraid we'll need to send more troops to the Zhen River later."

"Ji Shi is determined to destroy Xu Liwei. He has even brought out the compass, which means he has placed a heavy bet. For him, this battle can only succeed, not fail. Otherwise, if he suffers defeat after defeat, the people will be scattered, and his throne will be unstable."

"That's why Ji Shi was so cautious and didn't dare to lead his troops to challenge the enemy again."

Thinking of this, Ebo Ji'an secretly glanced at Ji Shi. Clearly, the previous confrontation, in which Lü Shang led 500 chariots to withstand the combined attack of 30,000 armored soldiers of the Ji clan, made Ji Shi sense danger.

This is also the main reason why Ji Shi watched Lü Shang retreat without directly leading troops to pursue him.

At the western camp, Lü Shang led 500 chariots and directly joined them.

"Your Majesty, Jiao Boya, Dongliang Bokai, Xia Boqi, and Xi Bofu are already waiting in the central army."

Before the chariots had even come to a complete stop, Wu Wenhe, who had been waiting in front of the camp, immediately stepped forward to report.

"Jiao Boya, Dongliang Bokai, Xia Boqi, Xi Bofu,"

As Lü Shang leaned on the carriage, his expression hardened. In the western corner of the country, the four states of Jiao, Dongliang, Xia, and Xi were the leaders, and the rulers of the four states were all regional governors.

The western reinforcements numbered 20,000 armored soldiers, all commanded by rulers of various states.

In the central army formation, the rulers of the western states, led by Jiao Bo Jiang Xia and Dong Liang Bo Ying Kai, stood with their hands on their swords under the banner.

"This boy is indeed a young hero,"

Jiao Bo and Jiang Xia looked at Lü Shang on the chariot from afar and nodded secretly.

The State of Jiao had already formed a marriage alliance with the State of Xu, and as the future father-in-law, Jiang Xia had an excellent first impression of Lü Shang. "It was worth it for me to send military supplies and lead troops to his aid; this young man is a perfect match for my son," he said.

Jiao Bo and Jiang Xia's eyes gleamed as they followed Lü Shang's chariot, until Lü Shang pulled Wu Wenhe into the same chariot. The two rode together through the army formation until they reached the central army.

As Lü Shang stepped off the chariot with the help of the carriage, the large banner in front of the central army was fluttering in the strong wind.

Jiao Bo and Jiang Xia couldn't contain themselves and stepped forward, saying, "Uncle Xu is indeed remarkable. When we were defending the Qin River, I saw your chariots behind the formation. They were arrayed like a lock, and the movements of the five hundred chariots were coordinated. It was truly a formidable military force!"

When Dongliang Bo Ying Kai and his fellow vassal lords Ying Qi and Ying Fu saw this, they looked at each other and smiled.

After laughing, Dongliang Boying said, "Jiao Bo is right. I observed these five hundred chariots arrayed from behind the formation. They were as still as a deep abyss and as swift as thunder. Their movements were well-controlled and remarkable!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Shang immediately tucked his sleeves into his hands, bowed, and glanced at the assembled regional governors. He said in a deep voice, "Governor Jiao is too kind, and Governor Dongliang is overestimating me."

"Although Shang has some skill, the Ji clan lords should not be underestimated. These 30,000 armored soldiers are of one mind and have the power to destroy mountains and uproot peaks. Although our army also has tens of thousands of soldiers, they have not been trained together and their minds are not aligned. If we force them into battle, it will be difficult to win."

Lü Shang only tested the strength of the Ji clan's allied forces for the first time before decisively retreating, precisely because he had considered this point.

The combined forces of the Ji clan were surprisingly well-organized. Unlike the four-nation alliance that fought separately at the gates of Xuchang last time, the combined forces of fifty-nine nations this time were terrifyingly strong.

“What Uncle Xu said, we all saw from behind the lines,”

Jiao Bojiangxia said in a low voice, "It is truly unbelievable that the allied forces of fifty-nine nations could be so perfectly aligned in their divine will."

Dongliang Boying pointed to the east bank of the Zhen River, his eyes suddenly sharpening, and said, "When Ji Shi gathered his troops just now, did you all notice his carriage? That carriage seems to be the compass, a national treasure of Southern Yan."

"Sinan,"

The kings were taken aback. They knew the great name of the compass; the ancient Emperor Hong had used it to defeat the Jiuli tribe.

Xia Boyingqi stroked his beard and pondered, then said, "I have heard that the compass of Southern Yan, although not the one used by Emperor Hong in the past, was made by Feng Hou and is a divine object that suppresses the fate of the nation. It cannot be opened easily. This time, Southern Yan has gone to great lengths to open the compass."

Lu Shang's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "It is a compass forged by the Feng Hou clan. No wonder the armies of the fifty-nine kingdoms can be united as one. It is said that this treasure can determine direction, rectify the morale of the army, and even draw upon the meridian energy of heaven and earth. Its supernatural powers are astonishing."

"It seems that Ji Shi held back some power just now and did not activate the Qi of Heaven and Earth."

At this point, Lü Shang's expression turned solemn, and he said, "Gentlemen, Ji Shi has gathered the military forces of fifty-nine states with the compass, making them a unified whole. If our army were to divide its forces to defend now, it would surely be annihilated one by one by him."

"Shang Houyan recommended himself as the leader of the alliance, to command the armies, unite the troops of various states, and contend with Ji Shi."

Faced with Lü Shang's self-recommendation, Jiao Bo Jiang Xia laughed first and said, "Since Lord Xu has such a mind, my Jiao Kingdom's five thousand armored soldiers are willing to obey your command."

As he spoke, he waved his sleeve and said, "My son has already entered into a marriage agreement with the State of Xu. Jiao and Xu are like lips and teeth; if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. As long as we can resist the invasion of the Zhuji army, I will have no objections."

Bo Yingkai of Dongliang, standing to the side, said with a solemn expression, "Bo Xu is right. If our armies from different states fight individually, we will indeed be like scattered sand. However, there is a method to combining our forces. Does Bo Xu have a strategy to break through our formation?"

Lu Shang thought for a moment and said, "Everyone, I do have some ideas now."

"All things in the world are mutually generating and mutually restraining. If there is a compass, there is a way to restrain it. Moreover, this is not the compass chariot of Emperor Hong's clan. It is not as difficult as you might imagine to restrain it."

"Otherwise, the Southern Yan would not be merely a hegemon among all the nations of the world."

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Dongliang, Ying Kai, tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword slightly, and his gaze swept over Lü Shang like that of a hawk. He said, "Since Duke Xu has a plan, he might as well speak frankly."

(End of this chapter)