Demon Lord Tang Dynasty

Inside the tent, Gao Yi sat in the main seat, head bowed in deep thought.

Below stood a man and a woman. Bai Yue'er was looking at Gao Yi with reverence, while Bai Hufa was staring intently at Bai Yue'er.

The white protector's face was covered in black, whether it was a side effect of the poison used by Bai Yue'er or the lingering anger in his heart was unknown.

"Master, what should we do next?" Bai Yue'er asked softly.

"Reporting to the leader, I have completed the reorganization of all followers as instructed, and we are ready to continue our retreat at any time."

Before Gao Yi could respond, Protector Bai spoke up hastily, his voice carrying a hint of flattery.

Now he's like fish on a chopping board.

Surprisingly, Protector Bai did not feel the same hatred and anger towards Gao Yi as he had at the beginning.

The person Bai Protector hates most in his heart right now is Bai Yue'er, who is standing right next to him.

Betrayal, rebellion, and then poison control—this former daughter of his had never treated him like a human being.

Protector Bai glanced at Bai Yue'er out of the corner of his eye, and sneered inwardly:

"Hmph, I have led the Divine Sect for half my life. Even in my most destitute state, I am still far more useful than a wicked creature like you who uses your beauty to please men."

"very good."

Gao Yi chuckled lightly: "How many soldiers does the sect have capable of fighting now?"

Protector Bai quickly bowed and said, "My tribe is not large, but it has more than two thousand strong men, all of whom are skilled in riding and archery. They are now lined up and ready to receive your orders at any time."

Gao Yi nodded in satisfaction.

Although the Maitreya sect is not very powerful, controlling only one tribe, as a theocratic force, it has a very good control over its members.

Although the White Protector's abilities were average and caused chaos in the tribe, once the tribe was reorganized, his cavalry force of over two thousand men would naturally be a formidable fighting force.

Seeing Gao Yi's reaction, a smile appeared on the white protector's lips.

"In that case, I will make the arrangements immediately and ensure the safety of the leader." Protector Bai cupped his hands in a gesture of seeking credit.

"Withdraw? When did I say we were going to withdraw?"

As Gao Yi's laughter subsided, Protector Bai involuntarily froze on the spot.

"W-what? The cult leader means..."

Protector Bai wasn't that he didn't understand, he just couldn't quite believe it.

"It is impolite not to reciprocate. If the enemy comes with great fanfare, and we flee without a word or a fight, wouldn't we be laughed at?"

"Master...Master...you...you want to..."

The White Protector had begun to stutter, and dared not continue speaking.

"Hehe, the Maitreya Sect has been silent for too long. It's time for it to make its voice heard." Gao Yi smiled.

"Gulp~" Protector Bai unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He understood Gao Yi's meaning perfectly well, but that was Yang Lin.

Even Shibi Khan, who commanded a million soldiers, treated the Prince of Kaoshan of the Sui Dynasty with utmost respect.

Although he was feeling uneasy, Protector Bai did not immediately voice his objection.

The moment his superior spoke, he immediately refuted him; of course, Protector Bai wouldn't be that foolish.

Moreover, he always felt a strange fear of Gao Yi.

In his view, this was very likely a madman who had developed problems from consuming blood pills, and most importantly, this madman's strength was extremely terrifying.

Ignoring his hatred, Protector Bai stared directly at Bai Yue'er, his eyes darting around, constantly gesturing for her to speak.

"Our leader is wise and resourceful, and possesses great supernatural powers. He will surely lead us to victory." But clearly, what Bai Yue'er said completely contradicted the ideas of Protector Bai.

White Protector: "..."

He had just pledged allegiance to Gao Yi, and although he believed his abilities and wisdom far surpassed those of others, this rebellious woman beside him was, after all, more than one step ahead of him and was one of Gao Yi's confidantes.

Therefore, Protector Bai originally did not want to disobey Gao Yi's wishes at will, as this was the way to protect himself and his way of life.

But listening to the increasingly abnormal conversation between the two people, one above and one below, one could see...

The White Protector felt increasingly flustered and exhausted. After hesitating for a long time, he finally stammered out:

"Master, our sect only has two thousand soldiers, but Yang Lin has over one hundred thousand troops. Even if he doesn't mobilize at full strength, his numbers must far exceed ours. The disparity between us and the enemy is too great, I'm afraid..."

Gao Yi was not angry when he heard this.

He knew Bai Hufa's personality well. Even if their forces were equal or even greater, Bai Hufa might not dare to fight Yang Lin. Besides, their strength on paper was indeed weaker than the enemy's.

"How many troops did Yang Lin's unit send this time?"

Upon hearing this, Protector Bai shook his head blankly, making Gao Yi almost unable to hold back his curses.

Clearly, from the beginning until now, Protector Bai has not sent out any scouts; his only thought from the start has been to escape.

"According to my estimation, since Yang Lin has dispatched troops, he probably has at least 20,000 to 30,000 men, with the vanguard numbering no less than 5,000," Protector Bai added after a moment's thought.

Gao Yi nodded. Fortunately, this person wasn't entirely useless. Even if the quantity the other party mentioned was incorrect, it should be close enough.

"Master..."

Protector Bai blinked at Gao Yi. He couldn't see through Gao Yi's thoughts, but what he really wanted was for Gao Yi to agree with his idea of ​​retreating.

"A mere 20,000 men, with only a few thousand in the vanguard, why retreat?" Gao Yi sneered.

He was certainly not a stubborn man who insisted on confronting the Sui army head-on.

But if they continue to flee aimlessly as the White Protector said, the final outcome will definitely be that they will be surrounded and trapped.

Protector Bai was mediocre, but he didn't believe that the Sui army, especially Yang Lin's army, would be so slow.

From the time Protector Bai received that unreliable message until now, they haven't even seen a shadow of the Sui army.

There are only two possibilities in this situation: either the Sui army has other purposes, or they are surrounding them.

"Master, we only have two thousand people..."

The white protector's vision went black, and he involuntarily wailed.

"Who said we only have two thousand people?"

When Gao Yi's voice came out, Protector Bai was stunned for a moment, looking at Gao Yi with clear eyes.

It's important to know that the tribe's fighting strength was only a little over two thousand soldiers, after he and Bai Yue'er had just finished integrating them.

Gao Yi narrowed his eyes and sneered.

"Turkic tribes have always been a nation of soldiers, so there is no distinction between soldiers and civilians. Now that a major war has broken out, it is natural that the old and the young, women and children all go out to fight."

The White Protector's pupils contracted, and he gasped.

"Master, do you mean...?"

"How many people are left in the tribe besides the selected soldiers?"

"There should be five or six thousand people, but they are all old, weak, women and children. The sect leader wants them to fight, but... but we are afraid we don't have that many warhorses and weapons." Protector Bai stammered.

"If there are no warhorses, then go on foot; if there are no swords or spears, then use kitchen knives or iron bars; even if you're carrying door panels or stones, you must all carry them for me." Gao Yi said without any emotion.