Under One Person: I Opened the Age of Mythology

Chapter 355: Marching to Chaoge!

"Um……"

After listening to Qu Ying's words, the tense string in the heart of Holy Mother Jin Ling seemed to relax a little, but she still frowned with a complicated expression.

Having said that, she still couldn't let it go, and couldn't help but sigh, with a hint of confusion in her tone, not knowing how to explain to her master.

Seeing this, Qu Ying smiled and said:

"Victory and defeat are common in the military. Just go back and report the situation truthfully. Master Tongtian is wise and will surely understand the situation."

"..."

"That's all it can do."

The Golden Spirit Holy Mother nodded, knowing that it was rare that the other party did not capture her, so she did not stay any longer and left.

Qu Ying smiled slightly and watched the Golden Spirit Mother transform into a ray of golden light and disappear into the sky before she slowly turned around and walked towards the Xiqi camp.

After returning to the camp, Qu Ying walked straight to the tent where Master Wen was imprisoned. Master Wen was tied up to a wooden stake in the middle of the tent. His clothes and armor were torn and his face was covered with scars, but his eyes were still sharp and indomitable.

Qu Ying walked up to Master Wen and looked at him quietly. Master Wen also looked at Qu Ying, with a complicated look in his eyes.

After a moment, he said:

"Kill or cut into pieces, it's up to you!"

His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of unwillingness.

Qu Ying did not answer immediately, but walked to the table beside her, poured a cup of tea, and then slowly said:
"Master Wen, now that the victory and defeat have been decided, why are you still so stubborn?"

As she spoke, she handed the teacup to Master Wen.

"Have a cup of tea to moisten your throat."

Master Wen snorted coldly, turned his head away, and rejected Qu Ying's kindness.

Qu Ying was not annoyed, she put the teacup on the table and said:

"Master Wen, you are loyal and righteous, and you are a rare talent. Now King Zhou of Shang is ruthless, killing loyal people, and the people are living in misery. Why would you work for such a tyrant?"

Upon hearing this, Master Wen trembled slightly. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly said:
"If the king wants his subjects to die, they must die. I am paid by the king and I must be loyal to him. How can I betray him?"

Qu Ying sighed and said:
"There is nothing wrong with being loyal to the emperor and loving the country, but if the emperor is incompetent and cruel, and harms the people, will you still be loyal to him?"

She paused, her tone becoming more severe.

"Don't you see how many people were displaced and their families were destroyed because of King Zhou's tyranny?"

Master Wen remained silent, his face changing from gloomy to bright, and it was obvious that he was having a fierce struggle in his heart.

At this moment, Jiang Ziya opened the tent and walked in. He walked to Qu Ying and asked:
"how?"

Qu Ying shook her head and said:
"I'm afraid it will be difficult to persuade Master Wen to surrender because of his loyalty and righteousness."

Jiang Ziya walked up to Master Wen and said in a deep voice:
"Master Wen, are you willing to surrender to Xiqi?"

Master Wen opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Ziya. A trace of struggle flashed in his eyes. Finally, he slowly shook his head and said:

"I am a Shang minister in life and a Shang ghost in death. I will never surrender!"

Jiang Ziya heard this, sighed, and said to the soldiers behind him:

"Take him to jail and keep him under good guard."

Two soldiers stepped forward, untied Master Wen from the wooden stake, and then escorted him out.

Qu Ying looked at Master Wen's departing back with mixed feelings. Although she hoped that Master Wen would surrender to Xiqi, she also admired his loyalty.

Jiang Ziya walked up to Qu Ying, patted her shoulder and said:
"Don't worry too much, we'll talk about this later."

Qu Ying nodded and said:

"Master, now that Master Wen has been captured, what should we do next?"

Jiang Ziya pondered for a moment, stroked his gray beard, and looked deep in the eyes:
"Now that Sishui Pass has been breached, the morale of the Shang army has been greatly reduced. This is a great opportunity for us to seize the opportunity and pursue the enemy."

He walked to the huge map hanging in the center of the tent, his eyes fell on the red dot representing Chaoge, and said in a firm tone:

"I intend to lead the army directly to Chaoge!"

Qu Ying stood aside, looking at the flags on the map representing the situation of the two armies, frowning slightly, and said after thinking for a moment:

"Master, this plan is very good, but Chaoge City is high and deep, and there are many talented people guarding it. We need to be more cautious and make a comprehensive plan to ensure that it will be foolproof."

Her slender fingers gently moved across the map, her fingertips lingering at several key locations.

"Especially in these strategic locations, we need to deploy carefully to prevent an ambush by the Shang army."

Jiang Ziya nodded approvingly:

"That makes sense. The battle of Chaoge is no small matter. We must be fully prepared."

He turned to look at Qu Ying, his tone serious:

"Qu Ying, you have profound attainments in formations. This time when we attack Chaoge, the formation arrangement will be left to you. You must ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Qu Ying bowed and accepted the order:

"I will do my best to live up to Master's trust."

Qu Ying returned to her tent and immediately began to deduce a new formation. She sat cross-legged in front of the table, with a huge formation diagram spread out in front of her. The formation diagram was densely drawn with various symbols and lines, and was extremely complex.

Her slender fingers kept moving on the formation diagram, sometimes pausing in thought, sometimes moving quickly, modifying and perfecting every detail of the formation.

Sandalwood incense was rising from the incense burner inside the tent, and a faint fragrance filled the air, which set off her focused expression and made her look even more elegant and refined.

at the same time……

The Golden Spirit Mother returned to the Biyou Palace on Jin'ao Island and went straight to the Tongtian Sect Master, kneeling down and saluting:
"Disciple meets Master."

Master Tongtian sat upright on the cloud bed with his eyes slightly closed, surrounded by immortal aura, looking quite majestic.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze fell on the Golden Spirit Mother, and his tone was calm:

"Wake up, what was the result of the battle at Sishui Pass?"

The Golden Spirit Mother stood up and reported to Master Tongtian the details of the battle of Sishui Pass, including the deployment of troops by the Xiqi side, Qu Ying's formation, how she was trapped by the formation, and how Master Wen was captured. She did not dare to hide any details, and her tone was full of regret and self-blame.

"I am incompetent and have failed to complete the task assigned by Master. Please punish me, Master!"

The Golden Spirit Mother knelt down again and bowed her head to apologize.

After listening to the report from the Golden Spirit Mother, Master Tongtian was silent for a long time. He gently waved his sleeves, and a gentle force lifted the Golden Spirit Mother up.

"Get up. Victory and defeat are common in the military. You don't have to blame yourself."

His voice remained calm, and no emotion could be heard.

Then, he pondered for a moment and continued:
"This Qu Ying's formation is indeed quite mysterious. Even you can't crack it. It seems that the Xiqi party is not an ordinary person."

The Golden Spirit Mother raised her head and looked at Master Tongtian, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes:

"Master, Xiqi is very powerful. I request you to send more Jiejiao disciples down the mountain to help us fight against Xiqi together to protect Cheng Tang's kingdom!"

After hearing this, Master Tongtian frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. After a long time, he slowly spoke:
"Well, I'll do as you say." Although his tone was still calm, it carried a hint of imperceptible majesty.

"Pass the order down, order the Turtle Spirit Holy Mother, Zhao Gongming and other disciples to go down the mountain and assist King Zhou of Shang in fighting against Xiqi."

When the disciples came to obey his orders, Master Tongtian added:

"After you go down the mountain, you must be careful and cautious, and don't underestimate the enemy. Remember, don't fall into Xiqi's trap again."

"Disciples, please remember Master's teachings!"

Just as Jiejiao was planning a new deployment...

Xiqi Prison.

Master Wen sat cross-legged on a pile of grass in the corner of the cell, closing his eyes to rest.

His clothes were torn, his hair was disheveled, and there was still blood on his face. He looked extremely disheveled.

Outside the cell, two Xiqi soldiers patrolled back and forth, and their footsteps echoed in the silent cell.

It was unknown how long it had been, but Master Wen slowly opened his eyes, with a complex light flashing in his eyes. He thought of the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Sishui Pass and the scene of himself being captured, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

As the Grand Master of the Shang Dynasty, he was loyal but powerless to change the situation. He had to watch the Shang Dynasty decline step by step, his heart filled with helplessness and sadness.

He didn't know what his future would be like, nor did he know what the fate of the Shang Dynasty would be. He only hoped that he could live up to his conscience and be worthy of the ancestors of the Shang Dynasty.

"Ugh……"

Master Wen sighed, closed his eyes again, and prayed silently in his heart, hoping that the Shang Dynasty could survive this disaster and regain its vitality.

Inside the main tent of Xiqi, Jiang Ziya and Qu Ying sat opposite each other. In front of them was a sand table filled with small flags representing the two military camps.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating the interior of the tent. Jiang Ziya twirled his long beard with his hands, staring deeply at the intricate mountain features on the sand table.

Qu Ying held a thin wooden stick and gently stroked the sand table, with her fingertips pausing briefly at several key positions from time to time, as if she was deducing the battle between thousands of troops.

"In your opinion, how should we advance?"

Jiang Ziya was the first to break the silence, and his deep voice echoed in the tent.

Qu Ying put down the stick, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"The defenses of Chaoge are strong and the military is strong. If we attack by force, our army will suffer heavy losses."

Her slender fingers pointed at two winding rivers on the sand table.

"We can split our forces into two groups. One group will go down the Black Water River in the north and feint to attack Qinglong Pass to attract the main force of the Shang army. The other group will march along the Huanglong River Valley in the south and attack Chaoge directly to catch it off guard."

Jiang Ziya stroked his beard and pondered. Qu Ying's strategy coincided with what he had in mind. He nodded slightly to show his agreement:
"This is a brilliant plan. The pincer attack will make it difficult for the Shang army to defend both ends."

He stretched out two fingers and gently flicked the two flags representing Xiqi on the sand table, moving one flag to the Huanglong River Valley and the other to the banks of the Heishui River.

"You will lead one group, sneaking along the Huanglong River Valley and launching a surprise attack on Chaoge. I will lead the other group myself, feinting at Qinglong Pass to draw enemy firepower."

Qu Ying thought for a moment, then bowed and said:

"Master, I am willing to lead the army to launch a surprise attack on Chaoge."

She understood that the task of feigning an attack on Qinglong Pass was even more difficult, and Jiang Ziya chose to lead the troops himself in order to protect her so that she could better utilize her advantages in formation.

Jiang Ziya looked at Qu Ying, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes, and he nodded with satisfaction:

"Okay, let's do it."

He immediately raised his hand and drew an arc on the sand table.

"You lead 50,000 elite soldiers to bypass the Shang army's defense line through the Huanglong River Valley and head straight for Chaoge. You must quickly break through the city gate. After our army captures Qinglong Pass, you can attack from both sides and capture Chaoge in one fell swoop."

Qu Ying bowed again and said:
"Disciple understands!"

Her eyes were determined, her tone was calm, and she already had a detailed plan in mind.

Jiang Ziya and Qu Ying discussed some specific details, including the marching route, food supplies, communication methods, etc., until late at night, they finally finalized all the battle plans.

Qu Ying returned to his tent and summoned the generals of Xiqi.

She explained in detail Jiang Ziya's orders as well as the specific marching routes, formation arrangements and precautions. Although her voice was soft, it was clear and powerful, and every word was accurately conveyed to the ears of every general.

The generals of Xiqi sat around the table, listening attentively to Qu Ying's explanation, and occasionally writing down the key points on the cloth in their hands.

Some of them had frowned eyes, looking as if they were thinking about something, while others were very excited and eager to try.

After the explanation was finished, Qu Ying looked around and asked:

"Do you have any questions, Generals?"

A general stood up and clasped his fists and said:

"Fairy, there is something I don't understand. This surprise attack on Chaoge is a long journey. There may be Shang troops patrolling along the way. How should we respond?"

Qu Ying smiled slightly and answered confidently:
"I have already deduced the terrain along the way and the patrol routes of the merchant army in advance, and designed several countermeasures."

As she spoke, she took out a scroll from her sleeve and slowly unfolded it.

"This is a detailed map I drew. It marks the weak points of the merchant army's patrols, as well as our stealth and evasion routes."

She pointed to a few marks on the map and continued:
"In addition, I have also developed a special formation that can conceal our army's whereabouts. Even if we encounter a patrol of the merchant army, we can safely avoid it."

Upon hearing this, all the generals nodded in praise, expressing their admiration for Qu Ying's meticulousness and thoroughness.

Another general stood up and asked:
"Fairy, Chaoge City is well defended. How can we break through the city gate?"

Qu Ying answered again:

"I have designed a new type of siege formation, called 'Breaking Cone', which can quickly break open the city gate and carve out a bloody path for our army."

As she spoke, she took out a battle formation diagram and explained in detail the arrangement and use of the "city-breaking cone".

The generals listened carefully and took note of the key points seriously, with focused expressions, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Qu Ying's explanation was clear and easy to understand, so even those generals who were not familiar with the battle tactics could easily understand it.

After finishing the explanation, Qu Ying looked around and said in a firm tone:
"Generals, this battle concerns the future of Xiqi and the well-being of the people of the world. We must go all out and strive for victory!"

"Yes!"

All the generals responded in unison, their voices loud and powerful.

For a moment, the morale of the Xiqi army was high and they were ready to go. They would march eastward and attack Chaoge at dawn tomorrow.

When he returned to his tent, Qu Ying sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes and concentrated, adjusting his state and making final preparations for tomorrow's battle.

The moonlight filtered through the window and fell on her, outlining her beautiful figure. She looked like a fairy from heaven, holy, noble, and heroic.

After repeatedly confirming all the details, she narrowed her eyes slightly, nodded and said to herself:

"Um……"

"We can set off tomorrow!"

(End of this chapter)