With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

On the desolate land of Kitahara County, a large army is slowly advancing.

The autumn wind whipped up yellow sand, making the military flags flutter loudly. The two large flags bearing the inscriptions "Lin" and "Chen" hanging high in front of them stood out conspicuously against the hazy sky.

It was late autumn, September, and the flames of war in Kitahara County reignited.

The blood feud between the Han and the Xiongnu, which had lasted for hundreds of years, was reenacted on this vast land.

As the war intensified, the conscription order finally reached the Lin family in Xiang County. The three-year term had come to an end, and the Lin family needed to contribute to the resistance against the Northern Xiongnu.

This army was the conscripted force sent by the Lin and Chen families in response to the call. They would march side by side to Lulong Prefecture, a major military town in Beiyuan County.

According to past practice, the lords' armies under the jurisdiction of Qingyang Prefecture usually support Yulin Prefecture.

When Liu Yun and his group went on the expedition last time, they were stationed in Yulin Prefecture, which was the second line of defense of Beiyuan County, mainly responsible for supporting and rotating troops at the front.

However, the situation changed dramatically last year.

The Wang family launched a rebellion, which destabilized the defenses, and Lulong Prefecture was temporarily lost.

That battle not only caused heavy casualties, but also inflicted irreparable damage on the entire Kitahara County's defense system.

Given the special and important geographical location of Lulong Prefecture, Nangong Ao, the newly appointed General of the Northern Garrison, overruled objections when redeploying the defenses.

Some of the lords' troops originally stationed on the second and third lines of defense were transferred to Lulong Prefecture for reinforcement.

This move increased the size of the garrison in Lulong Prefecture from 150,000 to 200,000, making it a veritable first-line bulwark of Beiyuan County.

The Lin and Chen families happened to be among those being transferred.

Therefore, their destination was no longer the relatively safe second line, but the front line facing the Northern Xiongnu cavalry directly, Lulong Prefecture.

As for the previous General of the North, Cheng Enjiang, he was responsible for the loss of Lulong Prefecture, and in the subsequent process, some small cities were looted.

Upon returning to the capital, he was severely reprimanded by the Prince of Han, not only demoted but also ordered to remain in the capital to recuperate, thus severing all ties with the military affairs of Beiyuan Commandery.

Instead, it was Nangong Ao, who came from the Nangong family.

The Nangong family, as one of the nine first-class powers in Northern Han, ranked fourth among the nine families and held a prominent position.

What's even more remarkable is that, apart from the four major sects—the Moral Palace, the Thunder Sound Temple, the White Deer Academy, and the Blood-Draining Sect—the Nangong family is the only family power that controls an entire prefecture.

With its deep-rooted foundation and immense power, it was incomparable to the now-declining Qingyuan Sword Sect.

The newly appointed General of the North took on the heavy responsibility of rebuilding the defenses of Beiyuan County as soon as he took office.

Although the Wang family rebellion has been quelled and Lulong Prefecture has been recaptured, the shadow of that defeat has not dissipated. The chain reaction it brought is gradually appearing on the defense line of Beiyuan County.

According to the imperial court's conscription order, all county lords north of the Canglan River were required to send 2,000 troops as per regulations.

The Lin family controls Xiang and Qing counties, and according to regulations, they should send 4,000 troops. This time, they were led by Lin Ye, the General of the Central Army, the Baron of Xiang County, and the Baron of Qinghe County, to the front line of Beiyuan County.

The Chen family, as usual, sent 2,000 troops. Originally, Chen Cheng planned to go on the expedition with the army, but when he learned that the garrison was in Lulong Prefecture, the front line where the war was most intense, the Chen family members unanimously opposed it.

Chen Cheng is currently only a second-rate martial artist. If he were to be placed at the forefront of the battle between the two armies, the risk would be too great. The safety of the entire Chen family rests on his shoulders, and he cannot afford to make any mistakes.

After several discussions, Chen Yun, a captain from the Chen family, was chosen to replace Chen Cheng and lead the troops into battle.

Lin Ye rode a tiger-shaped Taoist soldier, which was a head taller than an ordinary warhorse, with a shoulder height of nearly six feet. Its body was covered with short, ink-black hair that gleamed with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight.

Its muscle lines are extremely smooth, and each muscle bundle is as taut as a finely crafted bowstring. With each step, a low hum can be faintly heard coming from under the skin, as if it contains thunderous power that is about to erupt at any moment.

What is most captivating is its pair of fiery red eyes.

The red was not the color of ordinary beast eyes, but rather like two real flames leaping in their eye sockets, with a faint golden halo around the edges of the pupils. As the light changed, it seemed as if heat waves were rising from the eyes.

When it gazes ahead, its fiery eyes can look straight into people's hearts, making opponents fearful before the battle even begins.

On the center of its forehead, there is a faint golden vertical line, shaped like a tiger talisman, which is said to be a spiritual mark naturally generated when a Dao soldier awakens.

With its four legs sturdy and powerful, and claws tipped with a dark silver color, it can leave a mark about an inch deep when it steps on the ground, but without scattering stones, showing that it has extremely strong control.

Its tail is about ten feet long, with a short mane at the end that swings like a steel whip as it runs, leaving trails of afterimages in the night.

This was a generous gift specially sent by the Qingyuan Sword Sect after they learned that Lin Ye would be stationed in Lulong Prefecture: the first-class Daoist soldier "Crimson-Eyed Tiger Guard".

This warrior can be ridden, possesses incredible speed and strength, and is most adept at shooting scorching rays of fire from his crimson eyes, aiming straight for the enemy's vitals.

The only drawback is that this ray attacks in a straight line, so it can't cover a wide area like Lin Ye's Flaming Lion, but it's still terrifying enough to kill or suppress a single enemy.

But even these Crimson-Eyed Tiger Guards were obtained by the Sword Sect through considerable effort in exchange with other forces.

After all, the Qingyuan Sword Sect itself does not have a first-class riding soldier nest. Although the sword-winged mantis is strong, it cannot be ridden by people.

Now that Lin Ye has broken through to become a first-class martial artist, this Crimson-Eyed Tiger Guard has become the first first-class Dao Soldier he has contracted, and also an important help to him on his journey to the front line.

Not only did Lin Ye himself contract with new Dao soldiers, but Dao soldiers could also be seen throughout the entire Lin family army, subtly changing the composition of the team's combat power.

Besides the Cracked Claw Wolf Kings ridden by Liu Yun and others, several stone gargoyle soldiers were circling above the army.

They glide silently in mid-air, overseeing the entire situation and taking in the enemy situation within a radius of dozens of miles, providing early warning for troop movements.

At the very front of the army, three Green-bladed Riders were constantly scouting ahead.

They were contracted by Lin Qiang and Liu Yun, two second-rate martial artists, and were obtained by exchanging their family's accumulated Rotten Soil Ant Servants with the Qingyuan Sword Sect.

Although they are only second-rate soldiers, they are incredibly agile and have amazing stamina, making them very suitable for reconnaissance and pursuit missions in complex terrain.

Within the infantry formation, there was also a whole squad of twenty shield-wielding guards.

These third-rate soldiers, clad in heavy stone shields and wielding fine iron halberds, moved in perfect unison, like a moving city wall.

During the defense of Xiang County, Lin Ye had witnessed their strengths: they were fearless and had amazing defenses, able to firmly block even the ferocious charges of the Mountain-Splitting Rhinoceros.

Faced with a mass charge by the Northern Xiongnu cavalry, these shield-and-halberd guards, though unable to annihilate the enemy, could at least shield the soldiers from the most deadly first wave of impact, reducing casualties.

However, the number of shield-and-halberd guards was still too small; these twenty were almost all of the Su family's inventory.

In the Daoist weapon market, the advantages of the Shield and Halberd Guards are not obvious. First, they cannot be ridden like the Cracked Claw Wolf King, and second, they cannot be used for aerial reconnaissance like the Gargoyle. Therefore, no one has traded them for a long time. Otherwise, the Su family would not have been able to keep so many.

In addition, there are ten Rainstorm Arrow Guards in the army, who are third-rate Taoist soldiers produced by the Wei family.

They can fire in rapid succession in a single breath, forming a dense rain of arrows that covers a fan-shaped area in front.

It is highly effective against loosely organized light cavalry and lightly armored infantry.

These ten Rainstorm Arrow Guards were also obtained by Lin Ye through a trade with the Wei family using Rotten Soil Ant Servants, in order to add some ranged suppression power to the Lin family army in the upcoming great battle.