Double penetration: This Three Kingdoms has dragon energy

Chapter 136 Zhuge Cetian: Ominous, ominous, ominous!

Guo Jia quickly brought Xun You over.

In the late autumn, a grand welcome banquet was held for Xun You.

The banquet was attended by all the main civil and military officials of Ji Qiu's faction.

Ji Qiu introduced these people to Xun You one by one.

Such a serious attitude deeply moved Xun You.

He immediately swore allegiance to Ji Qiu and became Ji Qiu's retainer.

Ji Qiu then inquired about Xun You's secret techniques.

They learned that Xun You had awakened a very powerful innate secret technique.

Its name is "See Through!"

This secret technique can see through all illusions, all deceptions, and all flaws!
Of course, this is only possible if your level is high enough.

Xun You's innate secret technique is currently at the advanced level of the sixth rank.

Ji Qiu was overjoyed, praising Xun You for arriving at just the right time!
He was about to organize troops to attack Pu's Wubao.

According to the intelligence sent back by Jin Yulou, this Pu family's Wu Fortress is no ordinary place.

Not only are the defensive measures comprehensive, but a dragon energy array diagram specifically designed to defend Wubao has also been set up.

The so-called Dragon Qi Formation refers to a dragon-qi-inspired structure like the Eight Trigrams Formation.

In fact, the Eight Trigrams Formation is also a kind of dragon energy formation, and a very advanced one at that.

That's why it was so difficult for Ji Qiu to build this Eight Trigrams Formation.

However, other lower-level dragon energy arrays are not as difficult to construct.

In addition, the Pu family is a family that is proficient in the secret techniques of material refining and weapon crafting, so they can manufacture it directly.

Dragon Qi Array Diagrams usually possess amazing abilities, and some of these abilities are practically unsolvable if the corresponding solution is unknown.

In this situation, Xun You's ability to see through secret techniques becomes extremely powerful.

It can directly see through the flaws in the Dragon Qi Array Diagram, and thus destroy the Dragon Qi Array Diagram!
Of course, as mentioned before, the goal is to use the secret technique of seeing through things to see the flaws in the Dragon Qi Array Diagram.

First, it was determined that Xun You's level of understanding the secret technique was higher than that of the Dragon Qi Array Diagram.

But Ji Qiu believes this is not a problem that needs to be considered.

Although Xun You's innate secret technique was not of a high level, only the sixth grade advanced level.

However, when placed on the Dragon Qi Array Diagram, it is already at a very high level.

The Eight Trigrams Formation built in Wubao, a fortress with a thousand-year history of the Sun family of Le'an, is only at the initial level of the ninth grade.

Ji Qiu simply couldn't believe that the dragon energy array diagram set up by the Pu family's Wubao could be higher than a sixth-grade advanced level.

A high-grade sixth-rank dragon aura array diagram is something that even a low-level aristocratic family like the Pu family outside the city would find difficult to master.

Even a top-tier family like the Yuan family might not be able to set this up!
Besides being able to see through secret techniques, Xun You also possessed some acquired secret techniques.

like,
Calming: It can stabilize the morale of our troops and help them recover from chaos, panic, and other states.

Boost morale and extend combat time of our troops.

Confusion: Inflicts a state of confusion on enemy troops. Enemy troops in a state of confusion will be unable to attack and may even fight each other.

Intimidation: Applying an intimidation status to enemy troops will lower their morale, instill fear, and significantly reduce their combat effectiveness.

It can only be said that Xun You truly lived up to his reputation as a member of the prestigious Xun family outside the city; he was indeed well-versed in family learning and possessed profound knowledge!

With so many acquired secret techniques, even without considering Xun You's powerful innate secret techniques, he was already a very powerful scholar.

This is the legacy passed down from generation to generation in a distinguished family.

Let alone ordinary people, even wealthy families and poor children are far from being able to compare with them!

However, the levels of the above secret techniques are not very high. Even the highest level, the calming secret technique, is only at the mid-level of the seventh rank.

This is mainly because as the level of acquired secret techniques increases, the required cultivation resources also increase.

The Xun family was indeed wealthy and powerful, but they also had a large number of descendants.

Even a core member like Xun You could not consume the family's vast resources indefinitely.

Therefore, they still need to serve in various places and acquire cultivation resources through their own abilities.

This is for myself, and also for my family.

Ji Qiu was not surprised by this. He directly introduced Xun You to his subordinate Dragon Weapon Pavilion, Secret Arts Pavilion, and Resource Pavilion.

He told Xun You that he could exchange for unlimited amounts of the cultivation resources he needed at the Resource Pavilion.

Of course, this is on the premise that he has enough merits.

Besides military achievements, merits can also be earned by contributing financial resources, working diligently, and offering suggestions.

Even the civil and military officials under Ji Qiu's command would receive a portion of merit points along with their monthly salaries.

It's roughly 10% of the salary.

This is the level of salary for the Jiqiu faction, which is lower than the average level of other factions, yet it has always played a key role in maintaining the morale of the people.

Many resources that are common in modern times but rare in the world of Dragon Qi Three Kingdoms cannot be bought by other forces even if they have money.

In Ji Qiu's place, as long as you have enough merit points, you can exchange them without limit.

This makes the combined value of the civil and military salaries of Ji Qiu's forces exceed that of other forces of equal standing.

This naturally attracted a large number of civil and military officials at the lower levels to flock to it.

At the same time, this is also a great thing for Ji Qiu, with multiple benefits.

First, it saved on regular salary.

Secondly, it controlled the gap between the rich and the poor.

Secondly, it facilitates resource conversion.

Finally, it enhanced the capabilities of his subordinates.

A win-win-win situation!

Xun You was overjoyed at this.

He immediately expressed his willingness to donate all four of his acquired secret techniques to the Secret Technique Pavilion.

Then use the merit points earned from contributing secret techniques to purchase cultivation resources!
After understanding Xun You's abilities, the next step was to assign him a position.

In the autumn of the year, Xun You was appointed as a staff member of the Ministry of Military Affairs.

Currently, Ji Qiu has divided the ranks of his civil and military officials into nine grades and thirty-six levels, the same as the Dragon Qi Secret Technique levels.

The soldiers in the training camp were at the ninth rank, junior level.

The ninth-rank junior strong soldiers of the Strong Army Battalion are the ninth-rank intermediate strong soldiers.

All the battalion commanders and department heads were at the peak of the third rank.

The eight ranks of official positions, from first to second grade, were, according to Ji Qiu's plan, not responsible for actual affairs; they were all nominally high-ranking but honorary positions.

In the future, it will be mainly used to place those ministers who have made great contributions but are not suitable to continue to serve in front-line positions.

For example, those who followed Ji Qiu to conquer the country at this time could have their ranks raised to the first or second rank after the founding of the country, and then leave front-line work.

It's both about reducing power and giving young people opportunities.

Of course, that's all a long time from now.

It's too early to say these things now.

Currently, Ji Qiu does not have anyone like this under his command.

Therefore, all eight levels of official positions were vacant.

Xun You's position as a clerk was at the sixth-rank junior level.

For a newcomer who has just joined Ji Qiu's faction, this is already a very high position.

It is also the highest initial level that newcomers can obtain after joining Ji Qiu's faction.

Only those candidates that Ji Qiu particularly favors can be chosen.

Currently, there are only two people who have acquired this level of talent immediately upon joining Ji Qiu's faction.

One is Xun You, and the other is Fa Zheng, who came not long ago.

Fa Zheng's position was also that of a staff member in the Ministry of Military Affairs, but he had already been sent by Ji Qiu to Liu Bei's side to assist Liu Bei in conquering Ping'an County.

For an increasingly mature power, the worst thing to do is to use people like piles of firewood, allowing them to overtake those who came before.

This would displease the veterans, but it wouldn't benefit the newcomers either.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Ji Qiu would not violate organizational procedures to promote someone out of turn.

If this person is talented and capable, then he will definitely use his abilities to gradually reach him.

If a talented person lacks ability, promoting them to a high position will only harm them!
After arranging Xun You's position, Ji Qiu began to consider which people or troops to allocate to attack Pu's Wu Fort.

The Pu Clan's Wubao is quite powerful, with 20,000 Wudang Flying Army soldiers, three peak fourth-rank scholars, and a large number of dragon weapons.

Although it cannot match the strength of the Tian family of Qi County and the Sun family of Le'an in the past, considering that Qingshui has already alerted the enemy, it is basically impossible to lure the Pu family's powerful army out of Wubao.

Given the need to launch a strong attack on Pushiwu Fort, this may be the most powerful enemy the army has faced since its founding in the autumn!

Of course, the so-called most powerful enemy is just a simple assessment based on the opponent's apparent strength. However, every specific situation requires a detailed analysis.

After a detailed analysis, Ji Qiu did not believe that the Pu family's strength could truly threaten him.

What the opponent relied on was nothing more than the well-defended Wubao.

However, Ji Qiu is most adept at dealing with enemy buildings that cannot be moved and can only be defended in fixed areas.

After all, he has a technologically advanced modern world behind him.

And what are the most powerful weapons in the modern world like? Bombing fixed targets.
Or, why not just send them a Dongfeng Express missile and let them experience the power of world peace?

Ji Qiu thought about it seriously, but in the end, she gave up this tempting idea.

Firstly, even for him, obtaining a Dongfeng Express missile was not easy.

After all, he controlled Annam in modern times, not Dongda University.

Secondly, if a Dongfeng Express missile is thrown over there, the battle will end quite quickly, but the Pu's Fortress will probably be reduced to nothing.

There are still many good things in Pu's Wu Fortress, especially the earth spirit secret technique he needs.

He attacked Pu's Wu Fortress for the sake of the Earth Spirit Secret Technique.

But even though they captured Wubao, they didn't obtain the Earth Spirit Secret Technique.

This whole thing is just so frustrating.

So we still have to use conventional methods!

Speaking of conventional methods, we must mention Huang Zhong's mountain battalion and the newly formed artillery battalion.

Huang Zhong's mountain battalion was the unit with the most modern weapons among all the battalions under Ji Qiu's command.

The soldiers were all equipped with AK47s and MG42s, as well as Type 89 grenade launchers.

In addition, their mastery of the Taishan Army's secret techniques made them highly suitable for mountain warfare.

The Pushi Wubao Fortress was built halfway up the mountain, and the 20,000 Wudang Flying Army stationed inside was also a powerful army that was very good at mountain warfare.

Therefore, the mountain battalion will definitely participate in this battle.

As for the artillery battalion, it was only established after Ji Qiu captured Qi County.

There are two main reasons for forming an independent artillery battalion.

One reason is that, with the improvement in the quality of the soldiers under Ji Qiu's command, they have the conditions to form an artillery battalion.

On the other hand, as the war progressed, Ji Qiu believed that there would be more and more places where artillery would be needed in the future.

The mountain battalion's Type 89 grenade launchers were insufficient in both quantity and power.

There is an urgent need to establish an independent artillery battalion to provide artillery support to the other battalions!

Although the artillery battalion has not been established for long, it has already basically formed combat capability.

This is because the soldiers used to form the artillery battalion in the fall were all veterans who had already mastered artillery skills in the training camp.

The artillery battalion did not have strict requirements for secret techniques training, so with just a little training, they could become combat-ready.

So let this battle be the artillery battalion's first battle, and let it test the quality of the artillery battalion!

In addition, you can also bring the Imperial Guard and the Wei Wu Camp.

The Imperial Guard Battalion is the strongest force under Ji Qiu's command, and its duty is to protect Ji Qiu's safety.

It's one thing for Ji Qiu to run around with the time portal on ordinary days, but now that it's a battle, it's definitely not an option to leave without his personal guard.

This could make the soldiers of the Royal Guard think they are not trusted, thus lowering their morale.

At the same time, having a personal guard battalion as a reserve force on the battlefield also serves as a safety net for various plans.

As for the Wei Wu Camp, this was the earliest unit in the late autumn. It had many veterans, strong combat power, and was good at surprise attacks. Its ability in mountain warfare was also quite good.

With this unit involved, they can assist the mountain battalion in completing the mountain warfare after capturing Pushiwu Fort.

After all, relying solely on the mountain battalion was still somewhat weak in combat against the Pu clan's 20,000 Wudang Flying Army.

Among the main battalions under Ji Qiu's command, the Mountain Battalion was probably the most recently established.

Relatively speaking, the soldiers in the camp also had the lowest level of secret arts.

To be honest, Ji Qiu was a little unsure about facing 20,000 Wudang Flying Army soldiers who had been trained by the Pu family for several years.

That's how it is from the military's perspective.

As for the civil and military officials, Xun You will definitely be included, as will the commanders of the four battalions.

With Gan Ning joining us now, that should be enough.

With all the troops arranged, Ji Qiu sent someone to summon Zhuge Liang.

Before any major operation, they would invite Zhuge Liang to predict the outcome.

This is a habit that Ji Qiu developed after he won over Zhuge Liang.

He might not act entirely according to Zhuge Liang's predictions of good or bad fortune, but they can serve as an important reference.

After all, facts have proven that Zhuge Liang's celestial divination technique was indeed somewhat miraculous.

Zhuge Liang arrived quickly, still wearing his pigtails, but with a calm and polite demeanor. He walked up to Ji Qiu, bowed, and said, "Greetings, my lord."

"Kongming is here! Get up quickly! I am about to send troops to wipe out the Pu family, and I need to borrow your Zhuge Liang astronomical prediction technique to foresee good or bad fortune!" Ji Qiu said with a warm smile.

Zhuge Liang said solemnly, "This is my duty!"

Ji Qiu then told Zhuge Liang all the arrangements for the trip, so that he could use them to perform Zhuge Liang's secret art of astronomical observation.

So Zhuge Liang stood on the Observatory with a bronze gnomon.

Twelve black iron chains hung down from the top of the platform, firmly nailing the Twenty-Eight Mansions constellation map into the bluestone ground, and the tortoise shell at the position of the Big Dipper was getting hot.

He took off his black crane cloak, revealing a Taoist robe with yin-yang fish patterns underneath. He dipped his fingertips in cinnabar and drew the Big Dipper talisman on his palm, while reciting a fragment of the "Song of Walking to Heaven".

Suddenly, a strong wind arose from the southeast, and the three stars of the Orion constellation in the Twenty-Eight Mansions diagram trembled violently. Mars streaked across the Purple Palace Enclosure like weeping blood, and condensed into a blood-red comet tail next to the Jade Balance Star.

Zhuge Liang's pupils suddenly contracted; it was clearly an omen of Mars guarding the heart!

Even more terrifying, the purple aura within the Heavenly Market Enclosure dissipated, replaced by a thick black fog that enveloped the Emperor's Throne Star.

"Heaven displays omens, revealing good or bad fortune."

A hoarse whisper escaped his throat, and the "Gan Shi Xing Jing" in his sleeve moved without wind. The annotation on the yellowed pages, "Venus crosses the sky, Po Jun is in power, and war and bloodshed are in the air," was stained with dark red water.

The night wind whipped up his scattered white hair, and suddenly the wailing of countless wronged souls echoed around the observatory. In the distance, the Minjiang River shimmered with eerie, ghostly blue phosphorescence, drifting with the current like a will-o'-the-wisp marching.

"My lord, this journey is fraught with misfortune!" Zhuge Liang said, turning his head.

Ji Qiu was taken aback and asked in confusion, "A terrible omen?"

He felt his arrangements were quite reasonable, so how did they become a bad omen?

Could it be that the Pu family's strength far exceeds his estimation?
"What if we add the Flying Feather Camp as well?" Ji Qiu asked.

The Flying Feather Camp was originally the Northern Army trained by the late Emperor Liu Hong.

It has eight thousand powerful soldiers who have mastered the secret arts of the Imperial Guard, and the average cultivation level of the soldiers is the peak of the ninth rank.

This is an extremely powerful force.

It even possesses the power to independently destroy the Pu's Fortress.

Zhuge Liang added the information about the Flying Feather Camp and recalculated.

The result, however, was still a very bad omen!

"Although it is still a very ominous sign, its severity has been greatly reduced compared to before," Zhuge Liang reported.

Ji Qiu muttered to himself, "The severity of the disaster has lessened, which means that I'm on the right track."

The Pu family's strength is indeed far beyond my previous predictions. We must strengthen our forces for this expedition to change the outcome of our conflict!

"What if we add the Iron Cavalry Battalion and the Wolf Cavalry Battalion as well?" Ji Qiu continued to ask.

Zhuge Liang performed another calculation and then said, "It has already turned into a minor ominous sign."

"What if we add the Trapped Camp?" Ji Qiu continued to ask.

Zhuge Liang calculated again, and then said, "It has turned into a very ominous sign again!"

"It's turned into another ominous sign?" Ji Qiu was a little confused.

According to his previous speculation, the reason why this trip was predicted to be ominous was because the Pu family was too powerful.

Therefore, as he continuously increases the number of troops he brings on this expedition, he will continuously change the predicted outcome of the expedition.

But now that they've brought more troops from the Trapped Camp, their strength should have increased.

Why did it worsen the prediction results?
"Could it be that my initial considerations were flawed, and the reason this trip was so ominous was not because the Pu family was too powerful, but because of other factors?" Ji Qiu pondered to himself.

He felt that this should be the correct reason.

Firstly, only in this way can the predictive results of Zhuge Liang's celestial divination techniques be explained.

Secondly, he genuinely didn't believe that the Pu family could possess such formidable strength.

If the Pu family truly possessed such immense power, then Shu Commandery would likely have long since fallen out of Liu Yan's control!

"But if it's other factors, what factors could lead to this result?" Ji Qiu wondered to himself.

(End of this chapter)