Smiles

At this time, the Liao Kingdom army was marching at full speed. The Taihang Mountain were indeed quite far away from them. The Taihang Mountain were still over Qingzhou City, but they were over Tieyang City. Moreover, they could only rely on their own two legs. Sure enough, it had been a day and a half, and they still hadn't reached the Taihang Mountain.

"Hurry up, damn it, you guys are the slowest!" A pockmarked man from the Liao Kingdom yelled at the soldiers beside him.

The soldiers kept their heads down, muttering under their breath, "He's just a leader, why is he so arrogant? Why is he running so fast? Is he in such a hurry? It's one thing to be ugly, but he's also so arrogant. If it were me, I would have committed suicide long ago!" The soldiers didn't dare to look up, for fear that the leader would see their mouths moving.

The pockmarked man glared at the soldiers with bulging eyes, secretly furious. "Damn it, how did these greenhorns get assigned to me? Looks like I'm doomed this time. The 100,000 Mountain Bandits will probably crumble after one charge from the front. I won't have a chance at all. Ugh, it's all these guys' fault for being so slow!" Thinking this, the pockmarked man glared at the soldiers again, venting his dissatisfaction.

At this moment, the entire Liao Kingdom army was filled with an atmosphere of seeking merit. Everyone regarded the Mountain Bandits of Taihang Mountain as a piece of tender meat, and everyone wanted to take a bite. The 800,000-strong army accelerated eagerly, all wanting to be the first to attack.

"Report!" a scout shouted from afar.

"Reporting to the commander, there is an estimated 100,000 bandits from the Taihang Mountain about ten miles ahead. They are forming a square battle formation and seem to be waiting for the main army!" The scout immediately reported the information.

Yelü Hongjin was taken aback, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahaha... Hahahaha... Ten thousand Mountain Bandits actually lined up in battle... Hahahaha... They actually lined up in battle... Hahaha..." Yelü Hongjin laughed triumphantly, as if he had heard the funniest joke.

Yelü Hongye immediately started dancing with joy. "Oh my, brother, even the heavens are on our side! I was worried they were hiding in the Taihang Mountain, which would have made things really difficult for us, but I never expected... I never expected they would actually... Hahahaha..."

A bearded general laughed and said, "Those Mountain Bandits dare to form a square formation? Haha, that's hilarious! It seems there are only 100,000 Mountain Bandits in the Taihang Mountain. Good heavens, who is the leader of these Mountain Bandits? They actually put all their men in a square formation to fight against our 800,000 regular troops of the Great Liao Kingdom! Hahaha..."

A general standing nearby chimed in, "Oh dear, the Taihang Mountain have a history of over a thousand years. If the founding ancestors of the Taihang Mountain knew that their descendants were eating such gruesome things, they'd probably jump out of their coffins!"

How could this general know that the ancestors of the Taihang Mountain are still alive and well? He would probably be dumbfounded if he found out, since these things are beyond his comprehension.

The generals all looked down on the Taihang Mountain leader's stupidity and burst into loud laughter.

Indeed! A scattered army of 100,000 Mountain Bandits was actually arrayed to fight against the 800,000-strong Liao Kingdom —could there be anything more ridiculous? All the Liao Kingdom generals began to firmly believe that eliminating the 100,000 Mountain Bandits would result in minimal losses; everything seemed perfect. These generals were already imagining the good times that would come with rampant looting in the heart of the Ming Dynasty! Bright smiles appeared on their faces.

At this moment, Li Tianxiang was still coldly giving instructions. "Damn it, hurry up, yes, that's it. Everyone be careful, don't get discovered. Whoever gets discovered beforehand, is going to commit suicide to atone for their sins!"

Li Tianxiang arranged the outermost 100,000 men in a square formation in the open this time, so that the Liao Kingdom army would think that the Mountain Bandits of Taihang Mountain had already formed a battle formation and were ready to resist them. Here, Li Tianxiang had to thank Yuchi Gong. No matter what, Yuchi Gong only showed the 100,000 Mountain Bandits troops to outsiders, so now everyone outside thought that there were only 100,000 Mountain Bandits in Taihang Mountain.

The 150,000 experts lay in ambush, silently waiting for the enemy to appear. Once the Liao Kingdom army entered the ambush, the 150,000 experts would charge like Fierce Tigers descending a mountain, creating a spectacular scene. Li Tianxiang Liao Kingdom at the silent 150,000 experts, nodded in satisfaction, and flew into the air to take control of the situation.

Everything is progressing as expected.

Inside Tieyang City!

Zhang Xingfeng smiled and said, "Hmm... those 400,000 Liao Kingdom troops have encamped at a dangerous spot on their way to the Taihang Mountain. Hmm, they're really clever. Encamping in such a treacherous place, it'll be quite difficult to attack. It probably wouldn't be possible to take it without 800,000 troops. But... but... who said I was going to pursue you? Hehe... as long as I'm waiting for you on your retreat route, as long as... hehe... Li Tianxiang, although his skill level is only so-so, his influence is still considerable. Dealing with your 800,000 troops shouldn't be a problem!"

Zhang Xingfeng glanced at a hilltop on the military map and laughed, "As long as I wait for you there, not too many people, 400,000 will be enough. When you're fleeing in panic, I'll ambush you two and give you a good push... Hehe!" Zhang Xingfeng seemed to have already seen the future of the Liao Kingdom army, and a smile appeared on his face.

Hong Zhu suddenly ran in, excitedly saying, "Earl Zhang, the Yuzhou army is almost here, probably in about an hour."

Zhang Xingfeng suddenly laughed, "Good, good! I didn't expect this. Even the heavens are on my side! Hmm... one hour, right? General Hong Zhu, you're planning to have the 300,000 Yuzhou troops stationed in Tieyang City. I'm going to take this army to have some fun with them!"

Hong Zhu was startled and said, "Earl Zhang, we can't be careless in war! It's best if we hold our ground here! Mobilizing 400,000 troops is no child's play. Earl Zhang, you must think this through carefully!" Hong Zhu was originally a man who liked to do the extraordinary, but this war was no longer his little game. If things went wrong, the entire Ming Dynasty could suffer a disaster. Under such pressure, could he still dare to do the extraordinary? Seeking stability was the most important thing.

Zhang Xingfeng chuckled and said, "Hehe, General Hong Zhu, you have no idea how powerful the Taihang Mountain are. Let me tell you, even if an army of 1.5 million attacked, the Taihang Mountain could probably fight to the death and wipe out the 1.5 million troops!"

"One and a half million troops? You're saying the Taihang Mountain can wipe out one and a half million troops?!" Hong Zhu's eyes popped out in surprise. What does one and a half million troops even mean? One and a half million troops lined up like that is an endless force!

Zhang Xingfeng chuckled to himself, thinking, "Heh heh, 50,000 Innate Master against an army of 1.5 million? Isn't it just one Innate Master killing 30 soldiers? Although the advantage of experts isn't great under the impact of battle formations, and there are innate Innate Master in the army, those Innate Masters are scattered and number at most 10,000. But those 50,000 Innate Master can form an extremely solid battle formation. I guess only by wearing them down can we kill these 50,000 Innate Master!"

"General Hong Zhu, don't worry. There are 300,000 defenders, and now the Liao Kingdom army of 800,000 has gone to attack the Taihang Mountain. Do you think 400,000 can break through the city with 300,000 defenders?" Zhang Xingfeng said jokingly.

Hong Zhu was taken aback and said, "Oh, that's right. I didn't realize it just now. As soon as I saw the Earl was about to move out, I stopped him. Yes, now it's only 400,000 troops, right? I really don't believe that 400,000 Liao Kingdom troops can break through a city defended by 300,000 troops!"

"Earl Zhang, you can go without worry. Don't worry about things here. I'll take care of everything. Hehe, I actually hope those guys come to attack. Four hundred thousand? What am I worried about? Without more than double that, there's no hope of taking the city!" Hong Zhu exuded strong confidence.

Zhang Xingfeng nodded and said, "Alright, as soon as the Yuzhou army arrives, I will immediately lead my men out. This time, I'll be the one to reap the benefits."

"Yes, yes, fishermen, we are fishermen, hehe, I love being a fisherman the most!" Hong Zhu laughed excitedly.

"Earl Zhang, you can go without worry, hehe, I'm leaving now!" Hong Zhu greeted him with a smile, walked out of the room, and hummed a folk tune, seemingly from the countryside.

Zhang Xingfeng smiled broadly and said, "Alright, you can go!" Suddenly, a strange look appeared on Zhang Xingfeng face. "Hmm... why does this feel so strange? Earl Zhang, why does the phrase 'go without worry' make me feel uncomfortable?"

Zhang Xingfeng his head, then suddenly a playful look appeared on his face. "Haha, let's see how you guys are having fun!"

"General, we're only 500 meters away now! We can probably charge now!" the bearded general said excitedly to Yelü Hongjin. His face was flushed with excitement. Yelü Hongjin looked at the bearded man and thought to himself, "You're always so excited in battle, and your beard always turns red. But why is it that your beard has remained black all these years? It hasn't been dyed red at all!" This strange thought suddenly popped into Yelü Hongjin's mind.

Yelü Hongjin glanced at the bearded man's anxious expression, shook his head to dispel the random thoughts in his mind, and said seriously, "Hmm... well, the charge is probably about time. Oh dear, why aren't those fools in the Taihang Mountain charging yet? Are they really waiting for us to charge?"

The bearded man laughed heartily, "General, they're all fools. How could they be fools if they charged forward?"

Yelü Hongjin looked at the bearded man's smug expression and thought to himself, "I guess you're the real Big Fool, but that's exactly what I want—for you to be a fool, hehe!"

"Okay, good, all ready. Watch the signal. Once the signal comes, charge immediately! Oh dear, having too many people is a problem. Only the vanguard can attack, while the middle and rear can only watch. But I estimate that 300,000 vanguard troops can make a good charge in one go!" Yelü Hongjin frowned.

The bearded man chuckled and said, "General, don't worry. As long as I'm at the front, everything will be fine. Ah, it's been so long since I've killed any Ming Dynasty people. My hands are itching to get rid of them. These Mountain Bandits are Ming Dynasty people after all. Killing them won't be a bad idea!"

Yelü Hongjin felt disgusted, but he still smiled and said, "Okay, you go first!" Yelü Hongjin treated his trusted generals very well.

The bearded man sat on a tall horse, holding a giant wood-chopping axe. What was chilling was that the edge of the axe was so shiny, and every now and then a flash of blood would appear on the blade, making it extremely eerie.

"Charge!" The bearded man roared as soon as he saw the signal, and his voice carried clearly throughout the entire army.

"Ah..."

"Kill..."

The battle cries immediately rang out, so loud they were absolutely Heavenly Movement, even Yelü Hongjin, who was in the central army, felt deafened by them.

What?! Yelü Hongjin shocked to find that the deafening sound was coming from the center of the army. Suddenly, he realized that the deafening sound was not coming from the front, but from his left and right sides!

There's an ambush!

Yelü Hongjin was suddenly jolted awake. Looking at the fiercely ambushed troops on both sides, he was once again chilled by the army's powerful attack. He had lost seven or eight men while the enemy had only lost one. This was outrageous! His biggest question at this moment was how so many people had been ambushed without being discovered.

Ignoring his shock, Yelü Hongjin immediately displayed his skills as a commander-in-chief, roaring, "The central and rear armies, move towards the center and attack! Kill all enemies without mercy! The vanguard, hurry and annihilate the 100,000 Mountain Bandits!"

Li Tianxiang wore a smug smile, "Haha, a little trick and you couldn't notice my people, haha, now that I've attacked, they're probably doomed, hehe!"

The 150,000 skilled warriors moved like a meat grinder, clashing back and forth, instantly killing nearly 100,000 Liao Kingdom soldiers while only losing about 2,000 themselves. The number of soldiers in the central and rear armies immediately dropped to 400,000, but Yelü Hongjin's orders clearly had an effect.

The central and rear armies immediately began attacking the 150,000 elite soldiers among them. Upon discovering that these were all highly skilled soldiers, they automatically formed triangular formations, with each squad consisting of three soldiers attacking in turn!

The experts from Taihang Mountain were shocked to find that after dodging one attack, they were preparing to kill the soldiers as before when another attack came. "Why? How is it so fast?" Before they could even react, the experts were dead!

Within a short hour, 20,000 of the 150,000 experts had died, as had 20,000 of the Liao Kingdom army. This result stunned Li Tianxiang, who was watching the battle from the sky. Suddenly, he understood. "Ah, so that's how it is, so that's how it is. Three people forming a battle formation to attack continuously, what kind of thing is this!"

"Everyone, form a giant triangular formation and charge!" Yelü Hongjin, seeing victory within reach. Looking at these suddenly appearing experts, he thought to himself, "Heh heh, I'll take advantage of your pain and kill you!"

The giant triangular formation's charge resulted in the deaths of over 10,000, yet another 10,000 of the 150,000 experts perished.

Li Tianxiang finally roared, "You idiots, form a giant triangular formation and attack them!" Li Tianxiang's roar actually made the Liao Kingdom army soldiers sway, while the experts from Taihang Mountain resisted and immediately formed a giant triangular formation. Although they had not been trained, they relied on their own attack power to exert half of the formation's attack power.

The result was self-evident: nearly 120,000 experts immediately formed two giant triangular formations, attacking the central and rear armies respectively.

With overwhelming force, the Liao Kingdom army's battle formation crumbled in an instant, and fallen soldiers lay like stalks of wheat being cut down. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, only 2,000 of the 120,000 elite warriors had perished, while the Liao Kingdom army had lost over 100,000!

Li Tianxiang immediately beamed with joy, feeling extremely pleased.

He didn't notice what had happened to the 100,000 Mountain Bandits who were standing in a square battle formation. In his eyes, those 100,000 Mountain Bandits were just a burden.

He didn't notice that when 100,000 Mountain Bandits faced a triangular battle formation, they automatically transformed into a triangular battle formation as well. Why did these ordinary 100,000 Mountain Bandits know how to deal with the battle formation, while those Taihang Mountain masters did not?

Because they were the most ordinary, specifically tasked with dealing with government troops, they knew all this. As for the 150,000 skilled warriors, in Yuchi Gong's eyes, they were masters of guerrilla warfare. Yuchi Gong's original idea was: as long as 150,000 skilled warriors were scattered throughout the Taihang Mountain, utilizing their familiarity with the Taihang Mountain and their superior skills for surprise attacks, even if an army of over a million swept through the Taihang Mountain, they would be swallowed up by the 150,000 skilled warriors within the Taihang Mountain! But who knew that Li Tianxiang would use these skilled warriors as an army today! Moreover, Li Tianxiang had never read any military books. How could he know the secrets of warfare?

Seeing the situation was dire, Yelü Hongjin, who was in the central command, immediately roared, "Charge eastward with all your might!"

Upon hearing this, the bearded man, who was excited about the killing, suddenly swung his axe again, killing a Mountain Bandits, and immediately roared, "Charge!" Although the bearded man was a reckless person, he was absolutely obedient to orders, which was why Yelü Hongjin trusted him to lead the vanguard.

"Damn it, these guys are really something!" the bearded man muttered as he charged forward. He had only managed to kill 60,000 Mountain Bandits after losing 30,000 of his men. Keep in mind that they had attacked with 300,000 men. Logically, if he had lost 30,000, he should have wiped out the entire Mountain Bandits!

"Ah! Brothers, charge!" The bearded man had already seen the Taihang Mountain masters charging in a triangular battle formation; their power was terrifying. "Too terrifying! How can my 300,000 vanguard troops possibly stop such a charge!" the bearded man roared, leading the charge.

Looking at the Liao Kingdom army fleeing in chaos, Li Tianxiang's face showed a hint of satisfaction. "After a bit more pursuit, we'll return to the mountain stronghold!" Li Tianxiang thought to himself.

At this moment, Zhang Xingfeng, who was observing the battle with his Spiritual Sense, laughed, "Oh, thank you so much, Li Tianxiang, thank you so much! I'm going to take all the credit. Hmm... it'll probably take another half day to get to that nameless mountain, and these guys will probably take another day. That's plenty of time! Hehe, I'm going to be the fisherman!" A bright smile appeared on Zhang Xingfeng's face.

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