Longzang

Chapter 79 Recruitment
Upon returning to the human realm, they should have headed towards the military camp, which was only a few dozen miles away and could be reached in the blink of an eye. However, Li Zhi did not change his orders, and the troops retreated towards Quyang as Wei Yuan had commanded.

After a short while, a cloud of dust suddenly rose from the direction of Quyang County, and the ground trembled slightly. The tremors were very regular, indicating that an elite force was marching in perfect unison. Otherwise, the earth tremors could not have been felt from such a distance.

With the arrival of reinforcements, Li Zhi and his personal guards were greatly encouraged, and their magical arrows flew like they were free, forcing the Northern Liao cavalry to keep their distance.

As reinforcements approached, the forest of spears could be clearly seen through the dust and smoke! This army was arranged in a square formation, marching forward, each step landing on the same spot, advancing slowly like a forest, with an imposing momentum like a mountain!

The number of people was obscured by the smoke and dust, but judging from the length and width of the formation, there were at least a thousand. When the Great Tang fought against the Northern Liao, its elite infantry relied on long spears for defense, supported by powerful bows and crossbows, and also had cultivators using magical arrows for long-range sniping, making them unafraid of open battle against the Northern Liao cavalry. This reinforcement was not only numerous but also disciplined and imposing; even six or seven Liao cavalry units, let alone two hundred-man squads, would have to give way.

Seeing the arrival of reinforcements, and knowing they were now in human territory, the two centurions, unwilling to linger, raised their hands. The two hundred-odd Northern Liao cavalry ceased their charge, created distance, and retreated back into Liao territory.

After joining up with the reinforcements, Li Zhi was surprised to see that the reinforcements were not elite border troops, but a group of ragged farmers.

The farmers formed a hollow square formation, with only the front row carrying twelve-foot-long spears, while the back row held sharpened wooden poles. Leading the army was Fang Hetong, dressed in a scholar's robe, who held a long sword in the air and swung it rhythmically. With each swing of the sword, the farmers took a step forward.

The billowing dust obscured their formation, and from a distance, they appeared to be an invincible elite force. Only upon closer inspection could one see that they were nothing more than a group of farmers.

Wei Yuan dismounted and went to greet him, saying, "Brother Fang! What brings you here?"

Fang Hetong raised his longsword, and a glint of Dao power shone from its tip. The entire formation came to a halt with a bang, and the hundreds of people became as one. Fang Hetong then lowered his sword and said, "I saw the distress arrow and knew you were in danger, so I quickly brought men to your aid. I calculated the range that the Liao barbarians could sense, and then began to advance in formation, hoping to scare them away first."

Wei Yuan said, "This is too dangerous! What if the Liao barbarians attack?"

Despite their neat appearance and imposing manner, the 300 militiamen of Shayang Village were physically weak, lacked powerful crossbows and heavy armor, and had very few decent weapons. If the Northern Liao cavalry were to charge, this force would have no chance of survival.

Fang Hetong said, "It is not something we scholars should do to stand by and watch people die. If the Liao barbarians really come to attack, we will at worst sacrifice ourselves for righteousness. If the Liao barbarians are not eliminated, the people will be on the verge of life and death every day. It's just a matter of dying sooner or later, there is not much difference."

Fang Hetong had long since disregarded life and death, as had the three hundred militiamen behind him.

Li Zhi was also moved by what he saw from afar and was about to ride forward to make a proper acquaintance.

To his surprise, despite urging the horse three or four times, it remained unmoved. Li Zhi then remembered that he was riding a Liao horse, one that Wei Yuan had tamed. However, Li Zhi hadn't expected the Liao horse to be so fickle, allowing him to ride only Wei Yuan's horse, but refusing to move when ridden by him.

Li Zhi remained calm and composed, leaping off his horse as if nothing had happened. He strode up to Fang Hetong and solemnly said, "Brother Fang, your righteousness is admirable! Tonight, I'll host a banquet; let's drink until we're both drunk!"

Fang Hetong seemed somewhat embarrassed and repeatedly said, "General Li, you flatter me. I was just doing my duty. Isn't this what we scholars should do?"

"Brother Fang is a model of self-cultivation, family harmony, and governance of the country!"

Fang Hetong quickly shook his head: "I am dull-witted and cannot be considered a person of self-cultivation. I have sold off my ancestral lands and houses, and it is best not to mention managing my family. I am now only trying my best to keep two or three villages safe. I am powerless to even manage a county, so how can I talk about governing the country?"

Li Zhi said, “From small to large, this is the way of heaven and earth. Even sages started from humble beginnings, and we may well be able to follow the path of the sages.”

Fang Hetong seemed to be moved. The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and then dust rose again in the distance, indicating that other reinforcements were coming. However, these reinforcements were all coming from afar, and if Fang Hetong hadn't scared away the Liao barbarians, Li Zhi's personal guards would probably have been reduced to very few men by the time they arrived.

Upon seeing the reinforcements, Li Zhi remained calm and ordered, "Send a signal saying that the enemy has retreated and that I need to rest in Shayang Village. Please have them meet up in Shayang Village."

The captain of the guard immediately shot a signal arrow into the sky to send the message out.

Fang Hetong initially thought Li Zhi should rest in Quyang County, as there was nothing in Shayang Village. However, Li Zhi had already made his decision, and he wouldn't object. So, he swung his longsword a few times, pointed it towards Shayang Village, and the tip of the sword flashed with a divine light. The three hundred militiamen immediately changed from a square formation to a long line and marched back to Shayang Village.

Li Zhi waited for Wei Yuan to return to Liaoma together, since without Wei Yuan, Liaoma would stand like a statue.

Wei Yuan glanced at the Liao horse and said, "This horse is no longer usable; we need to get a new one."

Li Zhi then discovered that the Liao horse had been struck in the belly by several arrows, each one penetrating deep enough to cover the feathers. Despite these injuries, it had been able to continue walking as if nothing had happened, persisting until now.

Echoing Wei Yuan's words, the Liao horse suddenly collapsed and died silently. A wisp of black energy flew out from the horse's body and returned to Wei Yuan's body. However, when Wei Yuan used the Heaven and Earth Madman technique, he used two wisps of black energy, but now only one returned. It was unclear whether the one that subdued the soul had disappeared or the one that drove the horse was gone.

Li Zhi's personal guards gave up two horses to Wei Yuan and returned to Shayang Village. After mounting his horse, Li Zhi glanced towards the military camp, his gaze icy: "Liao Jingwu..."

The military camp is closest to the battlefield, so logically the border troops should arrive first. However, reinforcements from other counties are almost here, but the border troops are still nowhere to be seen.

The village of Shayang was still twenty li away. Fang Hetong led three hundred militiamen on foot, with Li Zhi's personal cavalry following behind. The militiamen formed two ranks, their steps light and swift, and most remarkably, they were perfectly aligned. Every so often, when the militiamen's steps became slightly unsteady, Fang Hetong's longsword would flash with Daoist energy, and the scattered ranks would immediately become orderly again.

The soldiers not only marched in unison, but also at a very fast pace, equivalent to a jog for an ordinary person. Li Zhi observed for a while and found that the soldiers' stamina was depleted slowly. At this speed, they could walk continuously for several hours, which was clearly Fang Hetong's ability.

Li Zhi rode his horse closer to Wei Yuan and said, "Brother Fang, you are very skilled in leading and commanding troops!"

Wei Yuan said, "His foundation lies in three articles, and this is the second one that has earned him merit. It can enhance the soldiers' combat effectiveness on the battlefield."

Li Zhiru, a scholar well-versed in the classics, understood immediately upon Wei Yuan's mention: "So it was from the Three Imperishables of the Sage. This chapter on establishing merit is truly remarkable. It's not only useful in battle, but also extremely useful in disciplining the army. Look, just this march alone, a few more marches can transform a rabble into a disciplined army. Furthermore, being able to integrate the sage's words into one's own understanding of the Way, Mr. Fang, is no exaggeration to call himself a great Confucian scholar. How could he have fallen to this state?"

Li Zhi then recalled the banquet last night and said thoughtfully, "Mr. Fang is indeed a bit stubborn, but with his talent, how could he be abandoned? Is the Western Jin Dynasty so corrupt? That's good news."

Wei Yuan said, "You want to recruit Mr. Fang? He doesn't know how to talk nicely."

Li Zhi laughed and said, "As long as what you say is right, it doesn't matter if you point your finger at me and curse me!"

P.S.: It's expected to be released on the 1st. We're still adjusting the later content. The climax is coming soon, and the pace won't slow down at all. Updates will have to be like this for the next few days, so please bear with us; it won't be long.

(End of this chapter)