Martial Arts Universe: With a single command, 100,000 iron cavalry will sweep across the martial wor

"Chief Steward Du, there are actually elite troops here. We are probably no match for them."

Another general said indignantly, "That's right! I don't know which bastard gave us a false report, saying there were only 20,000 ordinary Sui soldiers here. We've probably made a wasted trip this time."

Du Fuwei, mounted on his horse, looked at the Xiaoguo Army standing ready ahead and felt a sense of unease. He had originally intended to capture the prosperous city of Yangzhou, but with the Xiaoguo Army present, this operation was likely to end in failure.

Moreover, the Song family, a branch of the Song clan, is also on the way. If we cannot take this opportunity to eliminate Song Que, he might launch a war against the Jianghuai Army once he returns to Lingnan.

"General Duan, do you know why these elite troops are here?" Du Fuwei asked.

General Duan immediately reported: "Chief Steward Du, didn't a top-tier martial arts manual called 'The Longevity Manual' appear in Yangzhou City a while ago? Many martial artists rushed to compete for it, all saying that mastering this martial art could lead to immortality. These elite soldiers are here specifically to escort a Martial Lord of the Great Song Dynasty."

Du Fuwei pondered for a moment, then issued the order.

"Go and send a message. Since these troops are protecting Lord Wu Xiang of the Great Song Dynasty, we don't need to make enemies with him. First, ask Lord Wu Xiang if he is willing to cede Yangzhou. If he doesn't, then we will attack. With our 160,000 troops, we can wear down the Xiaoguo Army even if we have to exhaust them."

"Yes, Steward."

The general spurred his horse toward the front of the Xiaoguo army's formation and shouted:

"Listen up, generals of the Xiaoguo Army! I am Han Wenxuan, deputy general of the Jianghuai Army. Our commander, Du Fuwei, has said that as long as Lord Wu Xiang leaves Yangzhou, the Jianghuai Army will never be his enemy."

Tong Hu glanced at the Jianghuai Army and smiled disdainfully:

"General Han, our sovereign will never cede Yangzhou. If you want to fight, then fight. The Xiaoguo Army is just looking for a battle to fight. Today, we'll test our strength against your Jianghuai Army and let our sovereign see our power!"

Han Wenxuan's face darkened as he saw the high morale of the Xiaoguo soldiers:

"Then let's meet on the battlefield."

"I'm always ready!"

Han Wenxuan returned to the army, and the Jianghuai Army immediately began to regroup, preparing to launch an attack on the Xiaoguo Army.

Inside Yangzhou city, Su Qingfeng, accompanied by Grandmasters Hua Yuenü and Hua Xingnu, rode swiftly out of the city. Su Ming led several hundred guards in close pursuit.

When they arrived outside the city, they saw the Xiaoguo Army and the Jianghuai Army facing off, with the Jianghuai Army already poised to attack.

"General Tong Hu of the Valiant Army pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Tong Hu immediately dismounted and saluted, and all the Xiaoguo soldiers also knelt on one knee in unison.

Fan Qinghui felt somewhat awkward at this moment—she stood alone in the Xiaoguo army, with all the soldiers around her kneeling before Su Qingfeng, leaving her standing there by herself, which seemed particularly out of place.

Su Qingfeng glanced at the Xiaoguo Army and noticed Fan Qinghui among them. Seeing her uncomfortable expression, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Get up, everyone."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Su Qingfeng observed the Xiaoguo Army and found that although it was considered elite, it was still somewhat inferior to his own army, and its weapons and equipment were also inferior.

His purpose in coming here was to see the fighting strength of the Xiaoguo Army with his own eyes. If it met his requirements, he planned to bring Yuwen Huaji's remaining Xiaoguo Army troops under his command.

Fan Qinghui was furious that Su Qingfeng completely ignored her. She had used up most of her true energy to send the message, and although she hadn't expected Su Qingfeng to have already detected the Jianghuai army's attack, she was, after all, Shi Feixuan's master, and this guy was completely indifferent to her.

Fan Qinghui walked towards Su Qingfeng. It was already inconvenient for her to stay alone in the Xiaoguo Army, so since Su Qingfeng had come, she went to his side first. As for teaching this person a lesson, it wouldn't be too late to deal with it after the war was over.

Upon seeing Lord Wu Xiang arrive, Du Fuwei smiled and then asked the chief steward, "Chief steward, Lord Wu Xiang has arrived. Shall we continue our attack?"

Someone nearby whispered among themselves, "I didn't expect Lord Wu Xiang to be so young... but why are the Xiaoguo Army so respectful to him? They treat him like a master. Could it be that the Xiaoguo Army has already submitted to Lord Wu Xiang?"

After receiving the order, General Duan ordered a halt to the attack, while the chief commander said, "I'll go and meet this Lord Wu Xiang."

Su Qingfeng frowned slightly as he looked at the more than 100,000 troops facing off against the Xiaoguo Army. Although the Xiaoguo Army was stronger than Du Fuwei's Jianghuai Army, the enemy outnumbered them. Even if they won, their own side would suffer heavy casualties—this was not the outcome Su Qingfeng wanted.

He silently ordered, "System, deploy 10,000 heavily armored Netherworld Iron Cavalry five miles away, awaiting my command."

"Ding! Ten thousand heavily armored Netherworld Iron Cavalry have been deployed and are awaiting orders."

Su Qingfeng summoned Tong Hu, took out a token from his pocket, and handed it to him: "Take this token and go five miles south. There are ten thousand heavily armored Netherworld Iron Cavalry there, and you will now be in command. Remember, neither the Valiant Army nor the Netherworld Iron Cavalry should suffer significant casualties."

Tong Hu accepted the order with great excitement. He had long heard of the Netherworld Iron Cavalry's formidable reputation from Su Ming, the commander of the Dark Guards, and this time they were heavily armored elites. He solemnly said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, with ten thousand heavily armored iron cavalry assisting us, casualties will be under control. If the losses in this battle are too great, Tong Hu is willing to atone with his life."

Su Qingfeng waved his hand: "Go prepare for the battle. I will watch from here. You don't need to worry about my safety."

At this moment, Fan Qinghui had already approached. Su Qingfeng glanced at her and casually said, "Fan Qinghui, what are you, an old woman, doing in the army? Perhaps you're giving up being a nun and want to become a female general?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Qinghui was furious. Although she was older, she still looked young, and being called an "old woman" by Su Qingfeng made her want to kill him immediately.

Suppressing her anger, she gritted her teeth and said, "If it weren't to inform you that the Jianghuai army intends to attack Yangzhou, why would I have come here!"

Su Qingfeng hadn't expected Fan Qinghui to specifically remind him of the Jianghuai army's attack, which made him feel somewhat guilty when he looked at her—he had indeed been a bit too harsh on her earlier; after all, she was a beautiful nun with a captivating figure and outstanding looks. Seeing Fan Qinghui's annoyed expression, Su Qingfeng smiled and said, "Haha, then thank you very much, Abbot Fan. Su Ming, prepare a horse for Abbot Fan." "Yes, Your Majesty."

At this moment, Du Fuwei arrived at the open space between the two armies with a group of personal guards and shouted loudly, "Lord Wu Xiang! I am Du Fuwei of Jianghuai. Would you dare to come and have a chat?"

Upon hearing this, Su Qingfeng smiled and spurred his horse toward the point of confrontation. He also wanted to see for himself what kind of person Du Fuwei, who would later pledge allegiance to the Li Tang dynasty, really was.

Hua Yuenü and Su Ming immediately rode off to follow, with a group of guards also hurrying to accompany them.

Fan Qinghui was left standing there again—Su Qingfeng went to see Du Fuwei without a word, and his men followed. She glanced at the hundreds of guards she had left behind, and finally felt a little more at ease; at least this time she wasn't left alone here.

"Jianghuai Du Fuwei".

"The Martial and Minister of the Great Song Dynasty, Su Qingfeng."

After they met, they introduced themselves and sized each other up from a distance of several meters.

Su Qingfeng looked at Du Fuwei, who was of fairly robust build. While his appearance wasn't outstanding, he didn't seem like a vicious criminal. So why were there rumors that his army was committing widespread burning, killing, looting, and all sorts of atrocities? Su Qingfeng couldn't help but want to ask him directly. He reined in his horse and smiled at Du Fuwei:

"Du Fuwei, you should go back to where you came from. Although Yangzhou is no longer mine and I have no obligation to defend it, your military discipline is really too poor—I'm afraid that as soon as I leave, you will lead your troops to massacre Yangzhou."

A murderous glint flashed in Du Fuwei's eyes. He was well aware of the affairs within the army, but without this method, they simply couldn't recruit soldiers. He had originally planned to rectify military discipline once the situation stabilized. Seeing Su Qingfeng's refusal, Du Fuwei immediately considered killing this Wu Xiangjun—perhaps the Xiaoguo Army would retreat without a fight. He looked at Su Qingfeng with murderous intent:

"Lord Wu Xiang, you are not a citizen of my Great Sui Dynasty. Aren't you afraid of provoking conflict between our two nations by doing this? Or... is your Great Song Dynasty already preparing to invade the Great Sui Dynasty?"

Su Qingfeng realized that Du Fuwei wanted to kill him here, and shook his head, saying:

"Say what you will. Even if I were to invade the Sui Dynasty, what could you do? Do you think your rabble can destroy my army? Or are you going to take my life right now?"

Du Fuwei laughed loudly:

"Haha! If I kill you here, the Xiaoguo Army might collapse without a fight, and I could easily take Yangzhou!"

"Then can you kill me?"

Su Qingfeng sensed that several of Du Fuwei's guards possessed considerable strength, but he felt no fear. Although it was inconvenient for him to take action personally at the moment, if anyone wanted to kill him, Su Qingfeng wouldn't mind eliminating a few first.

Du Fuwei laughed and called out to those behind him:

"Lord Wu Xiang, I have specially invited several powerful figures from the martial arts world this time. I'm afraid you won't be able to escape so easily today. Xie Xiaofeng, Yang Xuyan, and Shangguan Jin Hong, come out now."

Hua Yuenü and Hua Xingnu immediately became alert, and Su Ming also quickly led his guards to protect Su Qingfeng.

Su Qingfeng glanced at the group and shook his head slightly—only Xie Xiaofeng and Shangguan Jin Hong could be considered Grandmasters, while Yang Xuyan was merely at the Innate Realm, whom Su Qingfeng figured he could easily eliminate. The others seemed to be Shangguan Jin Hong's subordinates, and were even less of a concern.

"Du Fuwei, do you think you can kill me with their help? Xie Xiaofeng, do you really want to be my enemy?"

Du Fuwei answered confidently:

"They will surely take your life. I promised them that if you help me take Yangzhou, I will help them find those two thugs... Although the Longevity Formula is in their hands, it is useless against me. You cannot escape today."

Xie Xiaofeng was torn. He hadn't expected Du Fuwei to want him to deal with Su Qingfeng; if he had known, he would never have come. Su Qingfeng's wife and confidante were both incredibly powerful; if he really attacked Su Qingfeng, the entire Xie family might be in danger. After much deliberation, he said to Du Fuwei with a grim face:

"Du Fuwei, our deal ends here. I cannot afford to offend Lord Wu Xiang. Farewell."

Shangguan Jin Hong also felt troubled when he saw Su Qingfeng. He knew that the women around Su Qingfeng were shrewd and capable, and if he were to harm Su Qingfeng, the Money Gang would probably be wiped out.

"Du Fuwei, the Money Gang is withdrawing from this matter. I will send someone back the gold you sent."

Su Qingfeng chuckled:

"Du Fuwei, it seems none of the experts you hired dare to make a move. Now only the Shadow Assassin Yang Xuyan remains. Do you think he will stay?"

Du Fuwei hadn't expected Xie Xiaofeng to back down at the last minute, and even the Money Gang, which had received a hefty reward, had withdrawn. He immediately sensed something was wrong. He glanced at Yang Xuyan beside him—there was absolutely no way a single assassin at the Innate Realm could kill Su Qingfeng. This plan had ultimately failed.

"Lord Wu Xiang, then let's meet on the battlefield," Du Fuwei said, turning to leave.