The Barbarian King Approaches

night.

White armor, snow-covered ground, and neat, solemn military formations.

It took more than 10,000 Beifeng soldiers stationed in the Barbarian Tribe Holy City an hour to finally assemble and form ranks outside the city walls.

An hour's assembly time seemed rather long for an elite force like the Beifeng Army, but this was not the Beifeng soldiers' fault.

After all, the three battalions stationed in the Barbarian Tribe Holy City were scattered around the four walls Barbarian Tribe the Holy City, and their deployment required traversing the Holy City Barbarian Tribe.

Therefore, compared to the other troops on the city walls, Li Yongliang, who was on duty in the south of the city tonight, seemed rather lucky.

Hehehe

Standing before the formation, Li Yongliang stroked his chin and grinned foolishly.

The rotation duty is not simply a matter of leading a team on patrol.

To prevent enemy night attacks and in case of emergencies such as not being able to find their superiors, the officers on duty that night will have their authority temporarily increased by half a rank. They will also be granted many minor but important permissions, such as opening armory storage, sounding alarm horns, and raising and lowering city gate towers.

However, this temporary increase in power was not considered a good thing within Li Yongliang's circle of officers.

Because in normal times, some commanders like to stir things up, suddenly pulling the entire army out in the middle of the night for live-fire drills.

If you do it well, it's your responsibility.

If you've made a mistake, congratulations, you've received a disciplinary gift package.

There was an example in the Third Garrison of the Beifeng Army where a rotating officer's mishandling of the duties led to a riot, and he was beheaded by the commander-in-chief.

However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

In ordinary times, this is a tough job, but in times of war, it can be considered a mission undertaken in a time of crisis!

Although it may not be considered saving a collapsing empire, it would still be a significant achievement.

Thinking of this,

Li Yongliang quickly glanced back at the red-armored figure standing on the city wall, a hint of excitement stirring within him.

Ability is certainly important, but it also needs to be recognized by those above.

Although he lost the opportunity to show his face in front of the Marquis because of that Wang Cheng Cheng's scheming, tonight's events allowed him to show his face in front of His Highness.

Although there was no direct contact and the order was given by Commandant Tang, Your Highness was standing on the city wall after all, and Your Highness should have seen what he did.

"Hey, Lao Li, what are you grinning about?"

Just then, a deep, slightly magnetic voice came from the side.

Li Yongliang glanced back and saw a burly man in a white armor, holding a sword at his waist, walking towards him. Behind him, soldiers were holding a group of the Barbarian Tribe remnants, women and children, captive.

A large, noisy group of people, because they needed to use force to intimidate these Barbarian Tribe prisoners.

The burly man's armor clattered as he walked, and he asked with a hint of a smile:

"How is the situation? Has the Marquis arrived, or His Highness?"

"Old Bai, are you holding back again?"

After a pause, Li Yongliang grinned and said, "Aren't you afraid of being punished for delaying military intelligence?"

"Give me a break."

Bai Jiaqi punched Li Yongliang on the shoulder, laughing and scolding, "My unit is stationed in the north of the city, and we're on our day off. It's already quite an achievement that you managed to get the brothers here in such a short time."

"Wow!"

Li Yongliang gave the kid a meaningful look and muttered under his breath, "He's not stirring up trouble again, is he?"

"What?" Bai Jiaqi didn't hear clearly.

"It's nothing," Li Yongliang waved his hand. "I said His Highness is here."

"Your Highness?" Bai Jiaqi was taken aback.

Li Yongliang gestured towards the top of the city wall with his lip.

After glancing at it, Bai Jiaqi immediately looked away, frowned, and asked:

"Isn't Your Highness in Beifeng? Why have you suddenly come to this barbarian city?"

Li Yongliang rolled his eyes and spread his hands:

"Ha, you think too highly of me. How could a lowly general like me know so much about His Highness's whereabouts?"

"What is the purpose of this gathering?"

"I don't know either."

"Tsk, how come you don't know anything?"

"I've already said, I'm just a lowly general, how would I know so much? Or could you give me some of your military merits and let me be promoted to a junior officer? Maybe I'll know next time."

"Get lost!"

Bai Jiaqi chuckled and scolded, glanced at the sea of white-armored soldiers forming a military formation around them, leaned closer, and whispered:

"I remember you were on duty in the south of the city tonight, right? Is it that you can't say, or do you really not know?"

Although Qu Jiang was considered a mid-level general in the army, his superiors rarely explained the specific meaning of his orders before battle; most of the time, they were simply responsible for charging into battle.

Li Yongliang clicked his tongue softly and sighed.

"My orders were simple: to relay and coordinate the assemblies of all the tribes within the city to the South City."

"."

Bai Jiaqi frowned upon hearing this.

Although the higher-ups wouldn't specifically explain the significance of the transfer order, their long military service had given these mid-level generals a certain "military instinct."

With a slightly grave expression, Bai Jiaqi murmured softly:

"The entire city's troops are assembled. Are they about to break camp? No, if they were breaking camp, I didn't see any supply wagons escorting the provisions when I came here, and the scouts' hawks didn't go out to investigate either."

Speaking of this,

Bai Jiaqi looked at Li Yongliang with a probing gaze:

"So, tonight is a live-fire training exercise? But if it's a training exercise, why did you make me bring the barbarian prisoners?"

"."

Li Yongliang shrugged and said with a smile:

Why are you thinking so much? His Highness is right here.

They looked at each other.

Bai Jiaqi grinned and patted the other person on the shoulder:

"Okay, Lao Li, I'll head to our department's meeting point first."

Having said that,

Just as she was about to leave, Bai Jiaqi caught a glimpse of a young man dressed in the robes of a grain trough official driving a carriage out of the city gate and heading towards them.

The carriage was pulled by a tall, white, Demon Horse. The carriage behind it was ten feet high, and through the oiled paper covering the interior, one could vaguely see stacks of wooden boxes and chests inside. The iron-wrapped wooden wheels left a deep rut in the snow.

Upon seeing this, Bai Jiaqi instinctively stopped what she was doing.

According to military regulations, this wagon of supplies should be heading to Li Yongliang, the officer on duty.

Soon, with a soft rumbling sound from the iron-wrapped wooden wheels, the carriage indeed stopped in front of Li Yongliang.

The young grain official jumped off the carriage with a brisk and decisive motion, and asked with a smile:

"Li Qu?"

"."

Li Yongliang returned the salute with clasped hands and respectfully presented the duty officer's tally hanging from his waist to the other party.

He recognized this person; he was one of the grain transport supervisors in the Third Garrison of Beifeng, and at a young age, he was already a fourth-rank expert.

His Will Soul swept over the tiger tally, confirming his identity.

The young grain official shifted slightly to the side, pointed at the carriage with his finger, and said with a smile:

"Commandant Tang has ordered that you distribute this cartload of supplies to the soldiers."

This was considered part of the duties of the rotating commander, so Li Yongliang subconsciously asked:

"Zhou Liangcao, may I ask what kind of supplies this is?"

"Of course."

The young grain official was unpretentious, but as he spoke, his smile faded, and he uttered a sigh:

"There are twenty chests of Strength Qi Pill in this carriage."

"."

Strength Qi Pill.

Upon hearing this, Li Yongliang subconsciously looked at Bai Jiaqi beside him, only to find that she was also looking at him.

They exchanged a glance, and both saw a hint of seriousness in each other's eyes.

The Strength Qi Pill a type of elixir that is strictly controlled within the military. Only a small amount is distributed to each unit by the logistics rations before each major battle.

A medicinal substance that grants greater power in a short period of time at the cost of damaging the body's meridians and channels.

Anyone who has served in the military for a long enough period of time has basically taken this elixir.

After all, although the Strength Qi Pill has side effects, these side effects seem less frightening in the face of death and defeat.

The young grain official said nothing more, and bowed deeply to Li Yongliang respectfully.

"Li Qu, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

"."

Watching the other person disappear in silence, Li Yongliang took a deep breath, glanced at Bai Jiaqi, and forced a smile, his voice somewhat grave:

"Twenty boxes of Strength Qi Pill. If distributed equally among ten thousand people, how many pills would each person receive?"

Bai Jiaqi remained silent for a few moments before uttering two words:

Four.

"."

Li Yongliang's fingers trembled slightly when he heard the number.

The efficacy and side effects of Strength Qi Pill increase with increasing dosage.

One pill was taken, and I couldn't get out of bed for more than half a month.

Taking two pills will cause irreversible damage to the meridians, which will affect subsequent spiritual practice.

Taking three pills will sever all your meridians, and you will most likely never make any progress in your cultivation in this lifetime.

After taking four pills, his Dantian surged upwards, leaving him severely injured and on the verge of death.

After taking five pills, the whole body turned bright red, the skin and flesh burned as if in an oven, and the skin bled out, leading to death.

Four

Those officers with higher cultivation levels were alright, but for their subordinates, four Strength Qi Pill were a matter of life and death.

After a few breaths of silence,

Li Yongliang's voice was low and somewhat hoarse:

"Old Bai, Her Highness loves her soldiers like her own children. She wouldn't issue such an order unless absolutely necessary. What do you think Her Highness is trying to do?"

Bai Jiaqi glanced subconsciously at the dark southern horizon and licked her dry lips:

"Do what?

"Although this barbarian city lacks City Protection Array, its walls are not yet sturdy. If an enemy attacks, it should defend the city. The current formation outside the walls, in a dense array, is likely... likely intended to deal with high-level cultivators."

Even a long illness can make one a doctor; a long march, as long as one isn't stupid, can reveal clues from the details.

In just a few words, Bai Jiaqi had already given the correct answer.

"High-level cultivator."

Li Yongliang murmured, also glancing at the southern horizon:

"Old Bai, how high-level cultivator do you think it would take three battalions of our Beifeng Army, over ten thousand elite troops, four Strength Qi Pill to deal with?

"."

Bai Jiaqi shivered, grinned, and said:

"How high could it be? Just Mortal Shedding. I remember at the banquet after the city was breached, I heard Commandant Tang say that even the Barbarian King was only at the Mortal Shedding Realm."

Li Yongliang glanced at Bai Jiaqi and said in a deep voice:

"Don't fool yourself. We've seen Mortal Shedding experts in our twenty-odd years of military service. It can't be that bad."

Bai Jiaqi gripped the knife hilt tightly, her voice trembling slightly:

"Since you are a sage, why doesn't Your Highness go first?"

"Can you outrun a sage? Or can our brothers escape the sage's Will Soul probe?"

Li Yongliang looked up at the dark sky, sighed softly, and clenched his fists.

"Without Your Highness, we would be routed in battle, and routed would mean death. Your Highness, with your precious life, is willing to stay for us, so what do we have to fear?"

Bai Jiaqi remained silent.

Li Yongliang climbed onto the carriage, stood on the frame, looked at Bai Jiaqi, and said with a smile:

"What are you waiting for? Have one of your free men come and lend a hand. If you make it back alive, remember to treat me to drinks and some courtesans at the Orchid Cassia Pavilion."

Bai Jiaqi snapped out of her daze, looked at the other man's unshaven smile, composed herself, and climbed into the car, helping him while jokingly scolding him:

"Damn it, why would I buy you a drink if I survived?"

"You stirred up the whole vat with your toothpick."

"Uh... I'll order you two."

"Ha ha ha ha."

On the city wall, below the city gate tower.

Leaning against the stone pillar, Xu Yuan gazed at the red-clad figure not far away.

Her profile was flawless, and she wore a form-fitting red armor, exuding a cold and awe-inspiring beauty.

Just as Li Qingyan said in the Underground Palace, a qualified commander can turn people's unease into trust simply by standing there.

When she asked him to "borrow" the Strength Qi Pill, Xu Yuan was worried that too much dosage would cause a mutiny among the soldiers below.

After all, the dosage of four Strength Qi Pill is already a lethal dose for ordinary sixth or seventh-rank soldiers.

But instead of panicking, the soldiers below became even more demoralized.

"."

Thinking about it, Xu Yuan subconsciously moved down to her buttocks, which were covered by armor.

With a slight smile, Xu Yuan lowered his eyes and glanced longingly at the tip of his slender middle finger on his right hand.

That chest-bound princess is really ruthless. He only teased her through her clothes, and she actually pulled out a knife and stabbed him. But the sensation of her fingertips...

"Changtian."

The cool voice pulled Xu Yuan back from his reverie. He looked up and saw Li Qingyan calmly staring at him, her eyes gleaming with a dark light.

What are you looking at?

Xu Yuan didn't seem to mind and replied with a smile, "What, is our Prince Wu Yuan so domineering that I can't even look at my own hands?"

Li Qingyan took a deep breath, his chest calm, and said:

You'd better just be looking at your hands.

Xu Yuan chuckled, pointed southwest, and teased:

"With battle imminent, why is our Qingyan still preoccupied with such sentimental matters?"

Li Qingyan turned his gaze away, ignoring the rogue, and said sternly:

"Judging by the time, the Barbarian King will be here soon."

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then nodded, his expression slightly serious:

"Don't worry, I'll try my best to create an opening for your attack."

Li Qingyan said in a low voice:

That's not what I meant.

"What?" Xu Yuan asked in disbelief.

Li Qingyan glanced at his red armor and said in a low voice:

"You can have Senior Luo follow you, but I don't need him."

Xu Yuan's eyes showed a hint of surprise, then he seemed to understand something and smiled:

Are you worried about me?

Li Qingyan glanced at him:

"If you die, wouldn't that let my second brother get his way? I'll settle the score with him when I get back."

"."

Xu Yuan was slightly disappointed by this answer, but also somewhat helpless.

After a brief pause, Li Qingyan's voice came from there, though it was slightly softer:

"Of course, if you really die, I might be sad."

Upon hearing this Xu Yuan raised his eyes, straightened up, and walked towards Li Qingyan:

"Qingyan."

"Don't come any closer!"

Li Qingyan frowned and let out a sharp shout.

What she had just experienced made her hesitant to let the dead body get close.

Not to mention,

This is different now; there are now over ten thousand soldiers watching their commander from beneath the city walls.

"."

Xu Yuan's eyes flashed, and with a stomp of his foot, he instantly appeared beside her.

Li Qingyan's eyes instantly turned wary.

However, unexpectedly,

The dead man didn't lay a hand on her; he simply gazed calmly in the southwest direction.

Li Qingyan turned around and looked back.

As far as the eye could see, there was only a dark, boundless horizon.

But she sensed a Source Qi was disturbing the heavens and earth, like a primordial beast crouching in the distant sky!

Someone is rushing towards the Barbarian Tribe Holy City.

Xu Yuan gazed at the sky and took a deep breath:

"Look, this Barbarian King isn't even trying to hide his presence. Since he's so confident, then let's see if your husband can give him a good beating."

"Be careful," Li Qingyan said softly.

"Don't worry, I'm very strong now."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly, patted her shoulder, and then took to the air amidst Li Qingyan's complex gaze, which held a hint of worry.

Since there was plenty of time, he would show the Barbarian King what a mage was all about!

Standing in the pitch-black void, Xu Yuan's aura rose in layers, and an extremely dense blood-ink color rapidly spread out from him.