"Aren't you worried at all about the battlefield over there?"
On the ship heading to the West Sea, Tian Heng, the former Duke of Qi and now the Sea God of the West Sea, sat next to Chen Qing and asked curiously.
"If Xu Hu's side loses, the fog over Nanming Prefecture hasn't cleared yet, leaving a large buffer zone that can be redeployed at any time. In comparison, the situation in the West Sea has a greater impact on the subsequent course of events, and Xu Hu's side is unlikely to lose."
"So confident?" Tian Heng frowned.
"It's not confidence, it's just that the combat strength of both sides is like this." Chen Qing looked at the other party. "You've been here for a year now, can't you see the strength of the Battle God Army?"
Tian Heng remained silent. The fact that he finally agreed to accept Chen Qing's imperial decree three months ago meant that he fully recognized Chen Qing's strength. Jiangnan now has a million-strong Battle God Army and more than 100,000 warriors of the eighth rank or above. If the imperial court wants to confront such strength head-on, it would have to mobilize at least one of the elite Five Dragon Guards to have a chance!
Moreover, it's only a matter of time. Based on his long-standing understanding of the Battle God Army, if the imperial court is unaware of the intelligence beforehand and uses the same methods used against the northern barbarians to fight against Chen Qing's Battle God Army, even the strongest Flying Dragon Guard are likely to suffer a greater loss.
The imperial court sent 50,000 troops to test the waters, but these were mostly greenhorns left behind in the capital. In terms of overall strength, they were no match for the elite Fighter Army under Yuchi Feihu, who had been tempered by a year of fighting against the living dead.
"But we have Yuchi Peng!" Tian Heng whispered, "On the battlefield, top-tier generals can sometimes change the course of a battle."
" Xu Hu won't lose," Chen Qing said, looking at the chessboard in front of him without raising his head.
"You trust him that much?" He had met Xu Hu before. A year ago, Xu Hu's power seemed to have only just reached the First Rank rank, a huge gap compared to Yuchi Peng, who had already entered the Above First Rank rank more than ten years ago. With the expansion of the Battle God Army this year, Xu Hu's strength had increased by leaps and bounds. In terms of energy, it seemed that Xu Hu had now entered the Above First Rank rank. But compared to Yuchi Peng, who had already entered that realm, the probability of him being a match for him was probably not high, right?
After thinking for a moment, Tian Heng voiced his concern. "In a duel between top experts, experience is also very important."
" Xu Hu is not lacking in experience." Chen Qing shook his head. "In terms of body control and power generation techniques, you shouldn't underestimate ordinary people without bloodlines. Many ordinary people put in several times more effort than those with bloodlines to survive on battlefields full of bloodline monsters. To close the gap, they not only train their bodies but also hone their skills. Perhaps in your eyes, those ordinary people are doing useless work, and that is indeed the case."
Tian Heng was speechless for a moment. He actually admired those ordinary people who studied martial arts. Although they could never defeat an eighth-rank martial artist even if they studied for a lifetime, the skills they honed were always impressive. Many large families had secretly used the skills of ordinary martial artists.
"But things are different now," Chen Qing finally looked up. "Here, their countless years of hard training and research will quickly transform into combat power. Why was Xu Hu able to become Battle God? It's because his aptitude is high enough. He has extraordinary martial arts talent. At the age of twenty-five, he had already become a martial arts master through his own hard work and research. The reason he remained unknown was simply because he wasn't born into a family with a special bloodline. And now, there are only three martial artists in your Great Jin who can defeat him, but that certainly doesn't include Yuchi Peng!"
Tian Heng: "."
--
On the battlefield, the decisive battle seemed incredibly slow to everyone!
Even though the two men were moving so fast that even a veteran like Yuchi Hong Lie couldn't see them clearly, they still held their breath and didn't dare to blink, for fear of missing a single moment.
Time seemed to slow down because of their duel; although their movements were incredibly fast, each second passed by with an almost unbearable slowness.
Everyone watched anxiously, wanting to know the result quickly, yet also not wanting it to end quickly; they just wanted it to last a little longer, to see it for one more second.
But the final moment finally arrived.
Bang!
The crisp sound of metal shattering echoed throughout the battlefield. Yuchi Peng's twin blades flew away, turning into countless metal fragments. Xu Hu's metal fist, wielding a tiger's finger, pierced through Yuchi Peng's chest with a thunderous roar. Blood rained down like raindrops, leaving everyone stunned in place!
"Peng!!" Yuchi Hong Lie was the first to react, and he tried to rush over like a madman!
But Yuchi Feihu held him firmly in his way.
Meanwhile, Yuchi Peng stared blankly at his pierced chest, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
" Tiger Cannon? You're from back in the day!"
"Oh? You still remember me?" Xu Hu grinned. "Looks like those three days of sparring weren't wasted."
Is it really him?
Memories flashed through Yuchi Peng's mind. He didn't know the centurion's name, but he remembered his opponent's moves. During those three days of skill training and sparring, he had never won against his opponent once!
Unfortunately, I was temporarily drafted to the front lines, and when I returned, I heard that the other side had already been discharged.
He regretted it for a long time.
Because he had figured out a way to counter the opponent's Tiger Cannon move!
Even after more than a decade, he still regrets it.
He never imagined that one day he would fight that person again, and with all his might. He reacted the moment his opponent used the Tiger Cannon. In that instant, the counter moves he had practiced countless times flashed through his mind, and he used them subconsciously.
But we still lost!
"Your Tiger Cannon seems different from before," Yuchi Peng, spitting out blood.
"It's different," Xu Hu laughed. "Ever since I knew I was going to fight you, I've been wondering if you'd found a way to counter the Tiger Cannon. I'm glad you actually took the time to figure it out. To be honest, if I had reacted even a little slower, you would definitely have chopped off both my arms!"
"You just realized it on the spur of the moment?"
"Yes!" Xu Hu nodded. "I've been clear about the weakness of this move since I created it. A true martial arts master is never inflexible. If you can't react in time and only know dead moves, what's the difference between you and a puppet?"
"I see." Yuchi's eyes began to look tired, but also incredibly satisfied. "Then I didn't lose unjustly. You... are really amazing. If I had understood this sooner, perhaps... I could have fought you a little longer. What a pity."
As he spoke, his eyes glazed over. His heart was under immense strain from activating the secret technique, and now, being punched through the heart meridian was like having an engine blown up at maximum speed, causing a shower of blood to fall and dissipating all his strength.
We lost. There's absolutely no chance of a comeback.
What a complete and utter defeat!
Yuchi Peng smiled, though with a hint of resentment. It seemed he had been complacent. For so many years, he hadn't had anyone who could make him use his skills effectively, which meant he hadn't honed his techniques for a long time.
Otherwise, he felt he could be as adaptable as the other person.
I really want to do it again!
Yuchi Peng wearily closed his eyes and slowly lay down.
Xu Hu quickly hugged the other person and shouted back, " Bluebird!"
The next second, a clear bird song rang out, so beautiful it made one's skin crawl. A streak of blue light streaked across the sky, transforming into a beautiful rainbow, and landed beside Xu Hu!
"Hmm, it's quite serious," Bluebird said, looking at Yuchi Peng's injuries.
"I can't stop!" Xu Hu shook his head. "The opponent is very strong. If I hold back even a fraction of my strength, I'll be the one who dies!"
The Bluebird nodded, a flash of blue light passing from the corner of its mouth, and a drop of green, jewel-like liquid fell and flowed into Yuchi Peng's mouth.
The next second, Yuchi Peng was enveloped in a blue light, and a life force slowly emanated from Yuchi Peng.
Yuchi Hong Lie, watching from a distance, knew what was happening, but he was certain that the other party was rescuing someone. So he stopped struggling and watched the scene with extreme tension.
"How is it?" Xu Hu asked.
The sound wasn't loud, but in the context of the battlefield, it was crystal clear.
"Yes, your life has been saved, but recovery will take time."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, including the Fighter Army.
They weren't pitying the other person, but they felt it was a real pity that such a powerful figure would die like this.
The Fighter Army revere strength and always hold a special affection for the strong.
Xu Hu smiled upon hearing this, glanced at Yuchi Peng who was struggling to open his eyes, and said, "It's good that you're back. Don't die too soon, kid. Since you're not satisfied with your loss, come back next time. No matter how many times, I'll be happy to oblige."
"Tsk." Upon hearing this, Yuchi Peng closed his eyes. He never expected that one day someone would say this to him. "No matter how many times, I'll always be there for you," wasn't that what he often said to his fellow challengers?
Xu Hu glanced at Yuchi Peng, who was feigning death with his eyes closed, smiled, stood up, looked at the imperial army on the battlefield, and shouted, "Those who surrender will not be killed!"
A booming voice reminded all the Golden Dragon Guard that their commander had been defeated!
For a moment, they all looked at each other in confusion.
Finally, the first sound of throwing down a weapon rang out, and everyone looked to see Yuchi Hong Lie, the commander-in-chief in charge of the battlefield.
With an important figure taking the lead, things went much more smoothly. All the soldiers dropped their weapons one after another, covered their heads, and slowly squatted down.
"Uncle."
Yuchi Feihu looked at the other person, hesitating to speak.
"You're getting cocky, aren't you?" Yuchi Hong Lie said with a wry smile, "So impressive, huh? My first time as the commander-in-chief, and you've got me arrested. Even if I go back, I'll have no face to lead troops anymore."
"Uncle." Yuchi Feihu smiled and scratched his head, unsure of what to say for a moment.
He knew why his uncle hadn't continued to resist; the chances of winning were almost nonexistent if the fight continued. Even though he had ordered his men to capture as many prisoners as possible, the battlefield was a dangerous place, and if they fought back to the death, how could his men not use lethal force?
The fact that his uncle chose to concede defeat at the last moment, besides realizing there was no chance of winning, was also for Yuchi Feihu's sake.
After all, if he really got his hands on the blood of Yuchi Household guards, it would be difficult to explain to his family.
Thus, in the twenty-first year of the Great Jin, the imperial court's military campaign to conquer Jiangnan suffered another defeat!
The prestige of the Great Jin plummeted once again in this battle, becoming another catalyst for the subsequent fragmentation of the country into a state of warring states.