The next day, after the fog had completely dissipated, Yuchi Peng and the others finally understood why the other party had said the fog hadn't actually completely cleared the night before.
The colors are too bright!
As dawn approached and the appointed time arrived, a gentle breeze swept by, and only then could everyone clearly see the colors on the other side.
It's completely different from here!
Just like completely different painting styles, the colors on the opposite bank were noticeably darker: the grass was greener, the soil was darker, and the sky was bluer. It was also visible to the naked eye that the colors on the people on the other side were more vibrant and eye-catching.
In comparison, my own work is like a faded oil painting; the overall style feels blurry!
Only then did Yuchi Peng understand why the other party had said the fog hadn't dissipated; it was indeed not, the thin mist obscuring the vibrant colors on the other side.
What's going on?
A group of soldiers, lined up in battle formation, cautiously observed the opposite side. Although they didn't understand the meaning of the term "art style," they had a feeling that the other side seemed to be of a higher level.
"My lord, is the opponent on the other side a magician?"
Yuchi Peng, standing at the rear of the army, looked at the dazed Vice Minister Luo beside him and gazed at him curiously.
After staring at it for a long time, Vice Minister Luo suddenly slapped himself hard across the face. Feeling the pain, he took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Such a thing actually exists in this world!"
Looking at the other person's dazed expression, Yuchi Peng suddenly felt an urge to slap him, but considering his frail physique, he was afraid of accidentally slapping him and losing his head. So he could only calm down and wait patiently.
Finally, after waiting for almost fifteen minutes, I received a reply from the other party.
"That's not technique, that's spiritual energy!"
"Spiritual energy?"
Yuchi Peng was taken aback. He knew this term; many sorcerer families often used it. It seemed that they would deliberately use complex magic arrays to ensure that certain areas of the family were rich in spiritual energy, so that newborns could cultivate spiritual power through meditation.
"Spiritual energy makes the colors of heaven and earth even more vibrant!" After stabilizing his breathing, Vice Minister Luo said, "Therefore, in order to give their children a higher starting point in spiritual power than ordinary mortals, sorcerer families will set up extremely complicated magic arrays. These arrays need to be maintained, requiring not only many sorcerers but also a considerable amount of spiritual Earth Spirit. Any treasure land rich in spiritual stones is a top resource in the sorcerer world, and good treasure lands are usually regarded as ancestral lands by sorcerer families, where they occupy them for generations!"
"No wonder." Yuchi Peng suddenly realized something. He had said that although those sorcerer families had all pledged allegiance to the imperial court, most of them were unwilling to move their main base to the capital. They were like the Shen Family, sending a few representatives, while the families themselves remained firmly in their original places, as if they could not bear to leave their homeland.
To say that the Shen Family's entrenched position in Jiangnan was due to their reluctance to give up the climate is a bit of a stretch; many Fang Family, too, were unwilling to relocate to the capital due to the freezing temperatures. It turns out they simply couldn't bear to leave their own prized territory.
"So you mean the Jiangnan across the river is a treasure trove, just like your warlock family's?"
"This is impossible!" Vice Minister Luo frowned. "Where would there be such a large piece of treasure land?"
Looking across the river at this moment, everything on the opposite bank looked the same, and the spiritual energy was so rich that it was comparable to the best spiritual field in his master's family!
My master's family is a prominent clan in the eastern city with a history of over a thousand years. The spiritual fields that can maintain the current concentration of spiritual energy are probably only about ten acres in size. Normally, only the most outstanding members of the family are allowed to enter, for fear that the spiritual energy will be diluted.
But looking across, this vibrant world stretches as far as the eye can see!
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that there could be a place in this world with such a high concentration of spiritual energy and such a wide range of areas!
He's been to Jiangnan before, so how could it be like this?
"What's the reason?" Yuchi Peng asked, bewildered.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have become someone else's son-in-law!"
Yuchi Peng: "."
Could it be because of the fog?
Luo Yi frowned. If that was the case, it made sense. After all, the nine ministers of the court had analyzed the situation in Jiangnan before. The thick fog that could divide the entire Jiangnan might be an ancient magic array.
Now that the thick fog has dissipated, perhaps the concentration of spiritual energy in Jiangnan will soon disappear as well!
What a waste!
Had they known this would happen, every sorcerer family in the land would have fought tooth and nail to flock to Jiangnan. With such a concentrated concentration of spiritual energy covering the area for over a year, did the sorcerers of Jiangnan essentially get a year's worth of free spiritual energy?
The thought of this made Luo Yi feel incredibly envious.
"They're here!"
Yuchi Peng narrowed his eyes and said to his deputy behind him, "Form ranks!"
Several lieutenants directed the chess players to use flag signals, with the shield infantry in the middle moving forward and the light cavalry on both sides retreating according to the formation, preserving enough dive area!
Yuchi Peng looked across the river. He hadn't expected them to cross on their own initiative. Was the commander stupid, or did they simply not take him seriously?
Although the troops he led this time were not the elite of the Golden Dragon Guard, and most of them were raw recruits, they were still his own bloodline, and most of those who came this time were cavalry.
Instead of defending along the river, the opponent took the initiative to move closer—that's incredibly foolish!
Anyone familiar with military affairs knows that in open terrain, for infantry to fight cavalry, one needs thick armor to withstand the charge, and the other needs a good formation to counter the cavalry's impact. Even with a good formation, there are still some ways to overcome the cavalry's mobility.
The enemy is clearly an all-infantry force, yet they dare to cross the river and abandon their advantageous terrain!
Since they were so arrogant, Yuchi Peng naturally had to comply. He immediately ceded most of the terrain along the river, waiting for the front half of the enemy's troops to land before launching a charge that would leave them unable to advance or retreat!
At this moment, Luo Yi was also puzzled. With such high-quality soldiers, didn't they have a single person knowledgeable in military affairs?
How could you make such a mistake?
Even though he wasn't a military expert, he could see how foolish the enemy's command was at that moment.
Chen Qing so confidently and boldly handed over command to Xu Hu; is this how he uses troops?
Meanwhile, Xu Hu, who was crossing the river in a small boat, saw the enemy cavalry retreating like the wind and a hint of envy flashed in his eyes. "What fine horses! The Golden Dragon Guard's horses are said to be specially supplied to the East City, fed beef every meal, and taken six years to raise. Tsk tsk, truly magnificent!"
Several deputy generals nearby also looked on with envy. Nowadays, the Jiangnan Fighter Army is said to be a million-strong force, but it doesn't have a single decent cavalry unit.
The reason for this was the lack of horse sources. Several Mountain God gods experimented with many breeds through their livestock immortals and developed a Spirit Deer that was more suitable for riding in mountainous areas. This Spirit Deer was extremely agile, seemingly light, but also strong. Equipped with powerful spearmen in the complex mountain terrain, it was quite formidable.
However, once they reached the plains, their sprinting ability was far inferior to that of the imperial court's elite horses!
Although we recently made contact with the north and found a source of horses, this temporary source of horses requires the livestock experts to conduct further research in order to breed better breeds and develop good horses in the Jiangnan. According to the biology students in the academy, this process will take at least two years, and it will take at least five years for the industry to mature.
In other words, it is unlikely that Jiangnan will have its own cavalry within the next five years.
Xu Hu and the others had all served in the army in the north. The north was a vast and open region, teeming with cavalry. Anyone who had experienced the battlefield had a strong desire to own a horse.
Seeing the thousands upon thousands of cavalrymen of the imperial court at this moment, I couldn't help but feel a little envious.
"Kid," Xu Hu patted Yuchi Feihu on the shoulder, "These are all good horses from the Golden Dragon Guard. Many of them haven't been marinated to ensure their strength. Keep as many alive as you can, understand?"
Yuchi Feihu rolled his eyes. He'd heard of capturing cavalrymen alive, but capturing horses alive?
Are you kidding me? On the battlefield, the rule is to shoot the horse before the rider. If horses were so easy to capture, there wouldn't be such a shortage of them in the world.
"I'll try my best," Yuchi Feihu could only promise against his will, looking at the expectant eyes of the group.
"Hahahaha!" Xu Hu burst into laughter. "Good, do a good job, kid, your day is your day!"
Upon hearing this, a hint of excitement flashed in Yuchi Feihu's eyes.
Xu Hu looked ahead, took a step, and leaped hundreds of meters to the opposite bank. "Where is Yuchi Peng? Do you dare to fight?"
The sound was like a heavy bell, not harsh, but it made everyone's blood surge in their chests, as if they had been hit by a dull hammer. Thousands of horses neighed and took a few steps back!
Watching from afar, Yuchi Peng's eyes blazed with fighting spirit. "What is there to be afraid of?"
Turning to a middle-aged general beside him, he said, "Uncle Lie, you're in charge of the troops now. I'm going to meet Xu Hu!"
The middle-aged man nodded. His name was Yuchi Hong Lie. He was an elder of the Yuchi Household and the clan uncle that the Yuchi Household had specially sent to assist Yuchi Peng. He had very experienced military tactics.
Hearing this, Luo Yi frowned deeply. This guy abandoned his troops the moment someone provoked him? Is this how you fight a war?
Seeing Luo Yi frown, Yuchi Hong Lie explained in a low voice, "On the battlefield, top-tier combatants rarely take command, because they all need to contain the enemy's high-end forces. Take Xu Hu, for example. If he were left at the shore, he could cover the landing of all the troops behind him by himself!"
"I see." Luo Yi nodded, but before he could say anything, he saw Yuchi Peng excitedly fly directly towards Xu Hu: "Come and fight!!"
Xu Hu grinned, took a step, and shot into the sky like a cannonball, crashing into Yuchi Peng. Neither of them used weapons; their bare hands collided in mid-air, producing a thunderous sound that sent people and horses tumbling below!
Luo Yi watched in astonishment, his heart pounding. He rarely witnessed the combat prowess of top-tier martial artists, and now he understood why, for so many years, sorcerer families had been suppressed by bloodline families.
In terms of direct combat strength, three First Rank sorcerers might not be a match for a First Rank martial artist!
Yuchi Hong Lie, however, paid no attention to the battle situation above. He was extremely confident in his nephew's fighting prowess and was more curious about who was in charge of command.
When they saw the person on the other side using the main semaphore, they were completely stunned.
Are you kidding me?
It was that brat Yuchi Feihu!!
The second update will be posted later. I haven't had any drafts saved up these past few days, so the update schedule is a bit unstable. Once Mofang have two chapters saved up, I can post them on time from now on.
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