Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 498 Dragon and Tiger Army Formation
Wang Meng smiled warmly, "It seems that since you've come to Shu, you'll also be visiting Qingyang Palace. I wonder if that Daoist Yunxiao has returned yet."

"Unfortunately, I've been too busy with military affairs lately to get away, otherwise I would have gone back to visit Qingyang Palace..."

Wang Meng said leisurely, and then ordered his subordinates to bring out even better spiritual tea and fruits, which greatly improved the level of hospitality.

Wang Meng invited them to sit down and rest, saying, "The conditions in the military camp are simple, please bear with us..."

He had been stationed here with his troops for many years, and could have improved the living conditions here much earlier, building cities and houses in the valley.

But Wang Meng did not do that. If living conditions improved, the sense of crisis among his soldiers would gradually weaken, which was unacceptable.

This is not a peaceful and prosperous time. The Chu navy is not far across the river, so the garrison cannot afford to relax.

Therefore, even he lived in a simple tent in this place, with basic accommodations.

In contrast, the Chu army's city on the opposite bank of the river looked much more luxurious and fortified.

The Chu soldiers inside the city also lived more comfortably under normal circumstances.

But Wang Meng scoffed at this, believing that as long as he led his troops, the Chu navy and cities there would crumble like a house of cards and be utterly vulnerable.

It's just that the time isn't right yet, and war hasn't been started yet.

Soon, fruits and tea, imbued with a spiritual aura, were served.

Although the accommodations here are poor, the food is excellent, with plenty of spiritually enriching grains.

The soldiers stationed here, being martial artists, also need to eat good food to maintain their fighting strength.

Here, you can lack anything, but you can't lack good equipment and food.

Wang Meng slowly ate a slice of melon. “Don’t be shy here! Although our Shu Kingdom and your An Kingdom are far apart and have no connection whatsoever, if we trace our ancestry back, we might actually have some connection.”

Lu Zheng nodded, picked up a grape and put it in his mouth. It was very sweet and fruity, with a hint of coolness. It tasted sweet, smooth and refreshing.

The environment shapes the people, and the same applies to fruits and vegetables.

This was the first time Lu Zheng had tasted grapes with such a unique flavor.

Wang Meng ate a piece of melon and said, "I heard that you have a special kind of bean that even received a reward from the Chu Emperor?"

Wang Meng was able to receive news about certain events in the State of Chu even before some local officials in Chu.

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "I have read some agricultural books in the past and cultivated some grain seeds in my spare time, hoping to benefit the people."

Wang Meng clicked his tongue and said, "I've heard that the Confucian scholars of your Anguo are all bookworms. You're the one who gets things done."

"I won't beat around the bush with you. It's not easy for me to support so many soldiers; it costs a huge amount of money and supplies..."

"How about you sell me some of the seeds you have?"

Wang Meng had previously ordered some soldiers to cultivate farmland and produce some grain crops of good quality.

However, the army he maintained was like a giant mythical creature, consuming too much resources.

Although the harvest from the land reclaimed by the army exceeded that of ordinary farmland, it was still a drop in the ocean, and the main source of income was the government's financial support.

But having heard that Lu Zheng had special grain varieties, Wang Meng was naturally willing to get more grain.

Upon hearing Wang Meng's words, Lu Zheng's mind raced. He busied himself in his small space for a moment and then took out a storage bag, which he gave to Wang Meng.

"There are some seeds inside. General Wang, please see if they are suitable for planting here. If they grow well, we hope that General Wang will share some with you to help the local people..."

Wang Meng was overjoyed upon hearing this, "Great! How many spirit stones do you want?"

Wang Meng took the storage bag and looked inside. There were indeed many seeds inside, categorized and accompanied by small notes explaining their types.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "No need for spirit stones. General Wang can provide me with some crop seeds from your area in exchange."

Wang Meng chuckled and summoned a grain officer, ordering him directly, "Go, bring over some of all the grain seeds we have in our camp, one shi of each!"

Upon receiving the order, the grain official hurriedly went to do his work.

Wang Meng then looked at Lu Zheng and said, "Not bad, not bad, I like you very much, young man."

Lu Zheng smiled and then asked, "General, when we passed by the Yangtze River earlier, we saw that it was flooded. Has the Shu region suffered a flood?"

Wang Meng's eyes narrowed slightly, flashing a bright light. "Perhaps, I'm not sure either..."

"This matter has nothing to do with me, but I heard that the State of Chu is quite nervous about it? What, even you think it's my doing, and you want to use this as an excuse to send troops to attack Chu?"

Wang Meng knew perfectly well the movements of the Chu army across the river.
An hour ago, his soldiers captured several spies who had entered Sichuan to gather intelligence.

“It’s not that I doubt the general,” Lu Zheng said unhurriedly. “Natural disasters and man-made calamities are both bad. Since this matter has nothing to do with the general, let’s consider it a blessing in disguise.”

Wang Meng said quietly, "This general would not be so foolish as to do such a thing."

With the river overflowing, people in some areas will surely suffer.

Even if Wang Meng wanted to attack Chu, he wouldn't have drowned his own people before even starting the battle.

Wang Meng paused for a moment, then said, "Although I, Wang Meng, am criticized by some people for certain things, I would never do such a thing. Do those people from Chu really think I am like them?"

Suddenly, Wang Meng stood up, his eyes gleaming, and looked at Lu Zheng and the others, "Do you want to go check on my soldiers?"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "That's exactly what I wanted."

Wang Meng laughed heartily, "Since you want to, then go! Men, summon the Dragon Tiger Army for drills!"

Wang Meng's voice boomed like a bell as he strode out of the main tent.

Outside the main tent, numerous other tents stood, with armored soldiers moving back and forth. The sounds of battle cries and drills echoed clearly from all directions, shaking the very soul. Previously, these sounds had been shut out from inside the main tent.

Now that we're outside the tent, the aura and the sounds of the tent envelope us, making our blood boil and infecting us.

Wang Meng strode ahead, leading Lu Zheng and the other two to the nearest camp.

"Woo..."

A loud bugle call sounded.

The ground rippled, a vibration caused by the synchronized footsteps.

Before even seeing the main army, Lu Zheng sensed an even more powerful aura emanating from the nearby camp.

When they arrived at the camp with Wang Meng, they saw soldiers gathered there.

On the vast training ground, thousands of soldiers stood in formation, their fine armor and weapons gleaming brightly. The intangible and tangible auras gathered together, creating a powerful and oppressive force.

With ten thousand men forming an army, this was an elite force led by Wang Meng, known as the Dragon and Tiger Army.

The soldiers who can join are at least skilled veterans with the second level of martial arts.

Perhaps in the eyes of some cultivators, a second-realm martial artist is simply not worthy of being mentioned.

However, quantitative change leads to qualitative change. If tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of low-level martial artists can be trained into an army, then the nature of the situation will be different.

Even a master of profound understanding wouldn't dare to confidently claim that they could take on 100,000 men single-handedly without any harm.

When Wang Meng arrived at the camp, his entire demeanor changed; he became serious and stern, with an air of authority between his brows.

When the soldiers saw Wang Meng, they all became respectful and composed.

Wang Meng glanced at one of the deputy generals following beside him.

The lieutenant understood immediately, focused his energy in his dantian, and then roared towards the sky.

"Form ranks! Dragon and Tiger!"

The four words, like a thunderclap, echoed over the camp for a long time.

The soldiers lined up in the field were startled and immediately began to move quickly.

The once motionless army quickly transformed, with soldiers moving in unison and each unit moving according to its own formation.

The army of tens of thousands formed a single entity, as if a colossal creature had suddenly come to life.

Above the army, as the army moved, the atmosphere that had been gathering momentum changed.

"Roar……"

The sounds of tigers roaring and dragons howling suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

But the army's momentum was overwhelming, and it actually transformed into two enormous creatures.

A dragon and a tiger, gradually solidifying from nothingness, exuding a powerful and imposing aura.

As the soldiers' drills changed, the enormous dragon and tiger above also moved accordingly, constantly adopting offensive and defensive stances, like real, ferocious beasts, inspiring fear in everyone.

As the army moved, their killing intent surged, and their mere aura was enough to overwhelm any ordinary cultivator.

Lu Zheng was only a hundred feet away from the dragon and tiger army, and he could clearly feel the dragon and tiger aura that had been conjured up. Even a fifth-level expert might not be able to handle it.

"Military formation?"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but mutter to himself, recalling the military formations he had read about in books before.

But seeing is believing, and now that I've experienced it firsthand, I find it quite extraordinary.

The ghostly soldiers we encountered outside Ghost State City were ultimately just special souls without intelligence, and they couldn't create such a large military formation.

Wang Meng's eyes gleamed with arrogance as he leisurely said, "This is the Dragon-Tiger Formation created by the previous Celestial Master of Qingyang Palace for my Shu army!"

"I'm not bragging, but these 10,000 Dragon Tiger Army soldiers are worth 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers from the State of Chu!"

"It's a pity that the space here isn't open enough; otherwise, if they were on horseback, their momentum would be even more unstoppable!"

Wang Meng was quite satisfied with the army under his command.

He turned to Lu Zheng and said with a smile, "How is it? How does it compare to the soldiers of your An Kingdom?"

Lu Zheng said, "I haven't seen Anguo's army, so it's really hard to make a comparison."

Upon hearing this, Wang Meng couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

He then said, "I heard that you are close to the royal family of Anguo. When you have the chance in the future, go and visit them. If you happen to pass on a message to me, just give me your opinion. It won't be considered revealing military secrets."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but smile, "I definitely will if I have the chance."

Wang Meng smiled and said, "So what do you think of my army?"

Looking at the soldiers still training, Lu Zheng said, "It feels very good. The general is very skilled in commanding troops."

Wang Meng grinned and said proudly, "I may not have many other strengths, but when it comes to military strategy, I'm afraid there are few in the world who can surpass me!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng asked, "Does the general really enjoy fighting?"

Wang Meng remained silent for a moment, looked at the army before him, and said softly, "A true man born in chaotic times should establish unparalleled achievements!"

(End of this chapter)