Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 290 Li Zhaoting: Your Highness, it's time for you to set off.
in the afternoon.

Li Zhaoting released a falcon.

This falcon was not trained by Tie Chuanjia, but was a messenger falcon of the Beggars' Sect. The Western Regions were in constant chaos, and beggars were everywhere, making the Beggars' Sect quite powerful.

The Beggars' Sect did not have any decisive, invincible masters in the Western Regions, but it had the largest intelligence network.

Even in Huangshi Town, where "flowers don't smell sweet, birds don't sing, chickens don't fly, dogs don't jump, and rabbits don't poop," there is a small branch of the Beggars' Sect with seven Beggars' Sect disciples.

The Beggars' Sect of the Western Regions is like the Shaolin Temple of the Western Regions. It has its own leader, whose status is equivalent to that of the deputy leader of the main sect. The leader acknowledges the command of the main sect, but rarely goes to the Central Plains.

If you can be a local tyrant, who wants to be a subordinate?
To put it bluntly, the Western Regions Beggars' Sect is willing to obey the command of the headquarters because its martial arts heritage is too weak, it lacks top masters, and it cannot afford to offend the major powers in the Western Regions.

Large powers in the Western Regions are extremely polarized. Over 90% of their authority rests with their leader. If the leader is capable of fighting, the power is large; if the leader is incapable, the power will eventually be swallowed up by others. Don't expect to be able to please everyone.

For example: Supreme Alliance, Sea Shark Palace, Sword Forging City, Four Directions City, Divine Moon Cult, Mountain City...

These forces all have very strong leaders with two or three reliable assistants, most of whom are disciples. The remaining managers and disciples are mostly useless.

The struggle for power is essentially a contest of leaders.

If Helian Ba, the master of the Sea Shark Palace, defeats Guan Yutian, the leader of the Supreme Alliance, he can directly annex the Supreme Alliance.

Conversely, if Guan Yutian kills Helian Ba, the Sea Shark Palace will surrender to the Venerable Alliance. Loyalty is irrelevant; these are all survival tactics, and most people are already used to them.

The Beggars' Sect of the Western Regions has the advantage of being numerous and powerful, with beggars everywhere. Its disadvantage is that its leader's martial arts skills are too low. It would be too dangerous for the Beggars' Sect to compete with large forces or break away from its headquarters. It would be better to temporarily rely on the headquarters.

Shang Kunyang!
According to Xiao Feng, Shang Kunyang, the leader of the Beggars' Sect in the Western Regions, was a very upright person with a great reputation for chivalry. He held a very high seniority in the Beggars' Sect, being of the same generation as Xu Chongxiao.

Its weakness is its martial arts skills.

There's really no way to fix this.

The Beggars' Sect of the Western Regions seems to be cursed, with no masters emerging from its more than ten generations of succession. This is not due to any deliberate scheme. The internal energy cultivation methods passed down in the Beggars' Sect of the Western Regions are even more advanced than those of the Beggars' Sect headquarters. Although they do not possess ultimate techniques such as the Dragon Subduing Palm or the Dog Beating Stick Technique, they do have martial arts techniques such as the Eight Immortals Palm, the Heart-Shattering Palm, and the Eighteen Strikes of the Hidden Dragon Protecting the Treasure.

The fact that no masters have emerged from this area can only be attributed to feng shui issues.

Li Zhaoting had done a simple analysis: all the outstanding talents in martial arts from the Western Regions had been recruited by powerful forces, so what talent could be beggars on the streets have?
Princess Pipa invited Feng Suzhen away and respectfully inquired about the history of Kucha, recording it down in detail to declare her family's legitimacy.

Justified!
These four words are true everywhere!
Time passed by uneventfully.

The entire campsite felt very relaxed.

With Li Zhaoting, a top-notch expert, on the battlefield, even if the rebels arrive, as long as Li Zhaoting beheads the rebel leader, the battle will be won, and they can return to the capital.

night.

The starlight was dim.

The campfire crackled and popped.

The night watchmen yawned boredly.

It looked like an ordinary night.

Suddenly.

Yuanbao shouted loudly towards the distance.

"Woof! Woof! Woof! Roar! Roar~~"

The cries grew more urgent, and the expression became fierce.

Li Zhaoting looked into the distance and saw a large, dark mass in the distance, clearly the arrival of the rebel army. He immediately activated his Lion's Roar skill and shouted, "Enemy attack! Prepare to fight!"

The King of Kucha was being intimate with his queen when he heard Li Zhaoting's words. He was so frightened that he collapsed into a coma. He hurriedly dressed and ordered his guards to form a battle formation.

How should we arrange the formation?
Who is in charge of commanding the operation?
The King of Kucha was weakened by wine and women. Even with Li Zhaoting protecting him, he would be exhausted to death if he were put in charge of commanding the two armies. Princess Pipa was not good at military strategy, and Chu Liuxiang and others were even less likely to be. The situation was urgent, and the lady needed to show her talent.

Feng Suzhen said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have read some military books. Please grant me command."

"Here you go! Here you go! All of it is for you!"

The King of Kucha took out two tokens, one for Feng Suzhen and the other for Princess Pipa, instructing the two to jointly command the army. This was to prevent Feng Suzhen from deliberately giving orders haphazardly, and to allow Princess Pipa to build up her reputation, laying a solid foundation for her succession to the throne.

Feng Suzhen composed herself and, based on the contents of the military manual, directed the army to set up an impenetrable porcupine formation.

When first going to the battlefield, it's easy to engage in theoretical discussions but lack practical experience.

Feng Suzhen was on the defensive. As long as she could block the enemy's attack, she would win. She could stick to the rules and set up a super iron barrel according to the content of the military books.

Even if something goes wrong, Li Zhaoting can use his unparalleled martial arts skills to kill the culprit, making his strategy extremely forgiving.

Feng Suzhen commanded with composure, and the soldiers quickly formed ranks.

Princess Pipa watched with great interest.

Compared to Lan Fenghuang, the leader of the Five Poisons Sect, and Miss Wang, the head of the Free and Unfettered Sect, Feng Suzhen, who has rarely been involved in martial arts training recently, has become much less famous. Compared to Cheng Huaixiu, the leader of the Salt Gang, and Li Shengnan, the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, she is far inferior. People in the martial arts world can't help but wonder what skills Feng Suzhen has and why she can become the leader.

Tonight, Feng Suzhen provided the answer:

Knowledge is power!
In Feng Suzhen's eyes, 99.99% of the people in the martial arts world are academic failures, no different from illiterate people!
Feng Suzhen was adept at turning knowledge into power. Even academically challenged people like Lan Fenghuang and Miss Wang could only deeply admire her and would never dare to utter a single word of provocation.

Except in bed.

Miss Wang, relying on her physical advantages, looked down on all her sisters equally, especially Lan Fenghuang, who liked to provoke fights but always lost quickly. Lan Fenghuang's combat power was far inferior to Miss Wang's, and she was beaten soundly.

Miss Wang possesses astonishing stamina, is a skilled warrior, a master of feats like turning her horse around, drawing her bow while riding, and eloquent and persuasive.

In this respect, no one can compare!

Feng Suzhen shook her head, banishing the embarrassing thought, put on her armor, took up her sword, and calmly set up an impenetrable defense.

Li Zhaoting served as an observer.

Knowing their surprise attack had failed, the rebels ordered their army to march at full speed and launch an attack.

Arrows rained down as both sides engaged in fierce offense and defense.

Feng Suzhen commanded her soldiers to raise their shields and resist, looking for opportunities to shoot arrows back. She did not seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes. As long as they could hold out for two days, Di Qing would be able to lead his troops to arrive.

The rebels, of course, understood this principle and launched an attack regardless of the consequences, casually promising all sorts of rewards.

Two groups of people clashed in the night sky.

Looking down from mid-air, the two armies resembled two millstones, rotating in opposite directions, using their resilience to wear down the enemy and crush everyone into dust.

The once vibrant oasis was now covered in blood, with severed limbs scattered everywhere. The rebels were determined to break through the camp in one fell swoop, but Feng Suzhen's command became increasingly smooth, and the defenses became more and more perfect, repelling the attacks time and time again.

Standing on high ground, Li Zhaoting observed the battlefield below, looking at the blood-soaked landscape and feeling the atmosphere of the battlefield where blood flowed like rivers, corpses piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like a river.

Offense, defense, long snake, iron barrel.

This seems to be... the True Martial Seven-Section Formation!

Li Zhaoting recalled the scene of his 100th birthday banquet, the battle between the Zhenwu Seven Intercept Formation and the Shaolin monks, and the paintings by Tang Bohu, as well as the magnificent imagery of a lone plume of smoke rising straight from the desert and the setting sun over the long river. He unconsciously gestured with his hands.

Unbeknownst to him, Li Zhaoting entered a state of complete enlightenment, his fingers forming a sword, which he wielded with great force, displaying a style of battlefield swordsmanship.

The "sword" was not a weapon used on the battlefield. The precious swords and blades carried by generals were either ornaments or personal weapons to defend against sneak attacks. In most cases, generals preferred long weapons, heavy weapons, or dual weapons.

Only heavy swords such as the Horse-Slaying Sword and the Mourning Sword can be used as battlefield weapons, and they are relatively rare.

However, the battlefield cannot be without swords.

The sword is a general's last desperate trump card, the last chance to turn defeat into victory, the final killing blow after all other moves have been used, and the dignity after defeat.

Defeated but not humiliated, he drew his sword and committed suicide! The sword finger technique became increasingly extreme. Initially, it was a powerful move of ten sweeping strikes and ten decisive blows. In the final stage, the last move of the Dragon Subduing Palm, "Divine Dragon Swings its Tail," flashed through his mind. He made a light stroke with his fingers, and his eyes flashed with a brilliant light.

"Sudden enlightenment" makes the passage of time imperceptible.

When Li Zhaoting regained consciousness, the battle had lasted for two hours. The sky was beginning to lighten. The rebels, having come from afar, were exhausted and unable to take the camp in one fell swoop. Inevitably, their strength waned and they were eventually worn out. They had no choice but to retreat several miles to find a place to set up camp.

Princess Pipa asked softly, "Sister Feng, should we press our advantage and wipe out the rebels?"

Feng Suzhen said, "Don't pursue a desperate enemy. The rebels have more troops and more supplies than us. What we need to do is not to counterattack, but to wait for reinforcements. As long as the Song reinforcements arrive, the small rebels can be wiped out with a wave of our hand."

"I want to give it a try..."

"Our troops are too few and cannot withstand losses. Besides, we should never overdo things. We are the victors and our morale is high. If we fall into an ambush while pursuing the rebels, our morale will surely plummet."

"I understand, we have to wait!"

"That's right, it's all about waiting!"

When will the Song Dynasty reinforcements arrive?

"They will definitely arrive within two days. Go and promise the soldiers a reward, give them gold and silver, give them confidence in victory, and maintain their joy of victory."

"Two days? Too easy!"

"Arrogance will surely lead to defeat. If the rebels dare to come, they must have some hidden trump cards. Even if they don't have any, if they confront us head-on, we will be in danger."

"I understand, Sister Feng!"

Princess Pipa secretly wrote these words down.

Her master taught her the pipa and martial arts.

Her father taught her cunning and power tactics.

No one taught her the skills of being aboveboard and honest.

Clever tricks may bring temporary gains, but to achieve greater benefits, one needs to use upright and honorable means.

Those who try to gain small advantages will inevitably suffer big losses!
This leads to a cycle of victory and defeat in military strategy:
An arrogant army is bound to be defeated → A defeated army is bound to be pitiful → A pitiful army is bound to be victorious → A victorious army is bound to be arrogant → An arrogant army is bound to be defeated...

This process can repeat indefinitely!

It's utter nonsense no matter how you look at it!

Under Feng Suzhen's guidance, Princess Pipa distributed the stored wine and meat to the soldiers. There was only one cup of wine, but plenty of flatbread and meat, as well as gold and silver rewards.

The King of Kucha was very generous.

All requests were granted.

If we lose this battle, everything will be over. Keeping that money is useless; we might as well use it to buy off the soldiers.

If we win this battle, I will restore the throne and control a key part of the Silk Road. Sooner or later, I can make it all back.

The King of Kucha was very cunning.

It's not about being cunning and taking advantage of others, but about being able to make crucial choices, especially in critical moments.

The rebels were driven back.

Chu Liuxiang and his companions, following the kidnappers' demands, took gold and silver jewelry to trade for the Star of Bliss. The princess was so frightened by the shouts of killing that she fell ill and lay trembling in bed.

The king had no time to take care of the queen, so he could only have the maids look after her carefully. In the king's heart, the queen was obviously not as important as the throne, so this issue did not need to be considered.

The transaction went very smoothly.

Chu Liuxiang brought back the Star of Bliss.

It was a sparkling gem.

The king carefully put it away, making various promises of rewards, most of which were empty words. He kept mentioning the treasures of Kucha, and his voice sounded hollow.

However, there is one very important thing.

After several days of propaganda, everyone in the camp knew that the Star of Bliss was the national treasure of Kucha, and that with the Star of Bliss they could unlock the treasure and defeat the rebels.

The King of Kucha used this to boost morale.

The camp was held firm as if it were an impregnable fortress.

There is only one flaw.

It blossoms in the center, attacking from both inside and outside.

At dusk, two falcons flew back.

A reply from Li Xunhuan.

A reply from Shang Kunyang.

After briefly reading the letter, Li Zhaoting gave Chu Liuxiang a few words of advice, then led Yuanbao to the royal tent.

The king is comforting the queen.

The princess was pale and seemed to be nearing the end of her life.

Li Zhaoting said softly, "Your Majesty, I am proficient in the ancient and wondrous art of longevity and am skilled in healing the sick. May I take the princess's pulse and diagnose her illness?"

The king said, "Thank you for your trouble, Master Li."

Li Zhaoting slowly approached the princess, his right sword-like finger suddenly pointing towards her fair, jade-like wrist. Sensing the impending danger and the deadly intent, the princess abruptly jumped out of bed and overturned the bed.

The king was stunned: "Queen! Where is my queen? What have you done to her?"

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "Your Majesty, this person is your queen, also known as Shi Guanyin. She stole the Star of Bliss, she demanded the ransom, she instigated the rebels, and she also sold out the address."

The king was so angry he couldn't speak.

Stone Guanyin was equally enraged.

After enduring so much, just when he was about to obtain the secret of the Star of Bliss, Li Zhaoting exposed him, rendering all his years of forbearance futile and instead bringing him to deadly danger.

"Li Zhaoting, you deserve to die!"

"Do you know how I found you? You're such a failure as a person, even your dog betrayed you. No matter how hard you try to hide, you can't fool a dog's nose!"

Li Zhaoting rubbed Yuanbao's head.

Yuanbao whimpered softly twice, rubbed its head against Li Zhaoting's trouser leg, and then shouted at Shi Guanyin.

"Shi Guanyin, don't say I'm bullying you. As long as you can beat me, you can leave alive!"

"I want to leave, and who can stop me!"

Shi Guanyin soared into the air like a white rainbow; her lightness skill was exceptional, no less than Duan Yu's.

Li Zhaoting gave a cold smile.

Li Zhaoting never intended to stop Shi Guanyin.

The message "leave alive" is a mental suggestion that makes Shi Guanyin run away and escape back to her lair, with Li Zhaoting chasing after her relentlessly, creating a mud dragon.

Halfway through the chase, two giant eagles swooped down. Shi Guanyin grabbed the eagles' claws and was carried into the air by the giant eagles. The faint fragrance of Shi Guanyin's body lingered in the air.

(End of this chapter)