Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

On the 23rd day of the 11th month of the fifth year of the Da Zhao Changwu era, at Da Zhao Fort in Liaodong.

At the third quarter of the hour of You (5-7 PM), the sky and earth were reddish-yellow, and all things were shrouded in darkness.

Thick gray smoke gathered above Dazhaobao Fortress, and the air was filled with the "aroma" of roasted flesh and blood. Inside and outside the fortress, the dilapidated houses and arrow towers flickered with streaks of crimson flames, crackling from time to time.

The surrounding land, tinged reddish-brown from the spilled liver marrow, was littered with mangled corpses, which were being haphazardly tossed onto wooden carts by armored soldiers and transported to a large pit on the west side for burning.

The fortress was surrounded by armored soldiers who were divided into square formations. In each square formation, there were simple depressions with dark iron pots on them. The soup and meat in the pots were bubbling and emitting a fishy smell.

Jia Tang sat on the ground beside a recessed platform, took off his helmet, took the handkerchief handed to him by Jia He, and wiped the dried bloodstains from his face and temples.

His normally dark and sharp eyes appeared somewhat hazy due to the steam constantly rising from the pot beside him.

After a quick wipe, I let out a sigh of relief and looked around at the faces that were both unfamiliar and familiar, which made me feel a little emotional.

"After nearly half a month of fighting, the breach in the city wall has finally been plugged and the defense line has been built. The Tartars have been driven out of the Liaodong Great Wall and have set up camps on the riverbank. If we fight again in the future, it will be in the open area outside the pass, where we will fight with our troops in formation."

Weapons and fighting bring misfortune and disaster.

When a great war breaks out, people are treated like dirt.

Eight days ago, Dorji suddenly ordered a retreat. Hu Duntu was furious when he learned of this. Before the Liaodong army had built up its defenses, he personally led his troops to attack. He also sent Tuman, the leader of the Haoqite tribe, to lead elite cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the ballista positions from the flank. Fortunately, the Eastern Central Army provided timely support, and the positions were not lost.

Thus, the great battle broke out, with both sides engaging in fierce fighting at the Great Wall in Liaodong, and the intensity of the battle escalated rapidly.

After a series of battles with no time to rest, Hudun Rabbit stared intently at Jia Tang like a madman, relying on the first-tier top-grade Yuan weapon, the Rock Shield, which he had somehow acquired, to withstand the attack, leaving Jia Tang exhausted.

Fortunately, the day before yesterday, Tiger Mound Rabbit stopped using his internal energy and only used his physical strength to fight Jia Tang.

Jia Tang was also happy to relax and face the enemy in the same way.

After such a long battle, he had already tested the limits of his strength. He knew that he could kill Lin Danhan if he unleashed his full power, but this move was unwise.

Firstly, if the bandit chief dies in battle, the battle will end very quickly, and the collection of alien blood and energy will probably not reach the initial expectations.

Secondly, the thunderous sounds of the Qi, unleashed at full power, could no longer be concealed.

The first five realms of the mortal cultivation are all nine-times limit. At the age of twenty-one, the body is filled with thunderous sound, and the martial artist who has just entered the middle stage of the first level can kill the late-stage martial artist across several minor levels. After that, who will call the world?

The difference between being able to resist and being able to kill is like night and day, especially when it comes to someone from the Jia family!

Jia Tang and his family could not withstand the encirclement and killing by various forces with ulterior motives within the Great Zhao territory, and all parties had to mobilize all their resources to suppress and kill Jia Tang.

Once all the vital energy has been collected, and both he and his retainers have broken through to the second rank, they can be safe and secure.

Of course, after such a long and fierce battle, none of the parties are in their best condition. Using Yuan weapons to kill them is barely acceptable, but it's better to play it safe unless the gains are substantial.

For example, when Miaohua was just entering the later stages, Jia Tang had a good idea: he could kill her without going all out.

"General, General? Have some oil and fat."

As Jia Tang was lost in thought, he suddenly heard Jia He calling out. When he came to his senses, he saw Jia He holding a wooden bowl filled with soup and meat. He reached out and took the bowl, then began to eat heartily.

Before long, with the cooks given priority, Jia Ping, Jia An, and the two young military officers all came over with wooden bowls and sat on either side of them.

The man, who was seven feet tall, with dark skin, and was tall and robust, was named Liu Ruoniu. He was from Jinan, Shandong, and was originally a battalion commander in the Liaodong Garrison. He had been added to Jia Tang's unit ten days ago.

The other person had a handsome face and was a bit slimmer than Liu Ruoniu. He was originally Xu Yunshan, a hereditary centurion of Guangning Guard in Liaodong. He had also joined Jia Tang's unit five days ago.

Liu Ruoniu lived up to his name, fighting as fiercely as a mad bull, and his cultivation was at the early stage of the first level; Xu Yunshan, on the other hand, was meticulous in his actions despite his rough exterior, and was also an internal energy cultivator.

Although these are all recent breakthroughs, they are still rare and valuable talents.

Everyone ate in silence, enjoying the rare tranquility.

Before long, Jia Tang noticed a slight commotion among the soldiers around him. Looking up, he saw a messenger jogging towards him, and officers from other formations were also getting up and heading towards the fortress.

As the messenger approached, he bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "Reporting to the commander, convey the general's oral order: all officers and soldiers of the various camps and units in the rear who are resting are to come to the White Tiger Hall for a meeting. They are to move out immediately upon receiving the order."

Jia Tang clasped his hands in a fist and said loudly, "Jia Tang obeys the order."

Upon entering the White Tiger Hall command tent, he found that most of the troops had already arrived. Jia Tang bowed to Zhao Mingshan, Niu Jizong, and the others, then found his assigned seat and sat down to wait quietly.

"Guards, seal the tent! Anyone who enters within twenty paces of the commander's tent without orders will be executed."

"Clap clap clap".

Zhao Mingshan slammed his hand on the table in front of him, glanced around and saw that all the generals' eyes were on him, and said in a deep voice: "Gentlemen, through our continuous and rapid offensive, we have successfully driven the Tartars to the border and held the line. The credit for this battle is all thanks to your bravery and courage in leading the charge. I will recommend you for commendation."

"The commander and the former general discussed launching a full-scale battle outside the pass tomorrow to cripple and kill them in one fell swoop."

However, the enemy is divided into two parts, and their positions are different, so our army must prioritize the main force in the battle.

Because the territory of the Inner Khalkha tribe is closest to our Liaodong Great Wall passes, the main objective of the battle is to cripple the Miaohua camp of the Inner Khalkha tribe as much as possible.

At this point, Zhao Mingshan paused and gestured for Niu Jizong to continue.

Seeing this, Niu Jizong cleared his throat and said, "Therefore, our army will attack from the east and west simultaneously. The eastern route will feign an attack on the Chahar tribe's camp on the banks of the Xihe River, forming a sickle-shaped formation, mainly for deterrence, with infantry in the front, archers in the middle, and cavalry on the rear."

The western route was responsible for the Miaohua tribe's position on the banks of the Linghe River, forming a crescent-shaped formation with archers pressing forward and infantry defending the flanks.

When the enemy's defensive lines break down or the western forces launch a strong attack, the eastern cavalry will come to their aid, while the rest will hold off the Chahar.

"We need two brave generals to lead troops to flank and launch a surprise attack from the east and west. Look, everyone, there is a valley here, filled with strange rocks and barren weeds. The only way to get through is a winding and rugged path."

"The scouts have already explored the valley and found that the plain is right there. Miaohua has set up a stronghold here, with about two thousand households."

Choose a guerrilla commander to lead elite infantry, capture the valley, and then move out onto the plain to launch a feint attack from the rear. Conversely, defend the valley. This is the wise strategy.

On the other side, one must depart from Dakangbao to the northwest, guided by scouts, traversing the Ling River and the territory of some small Tatar tribes to bypass them. This journey is longer and requires swift travel; this is the covert route.

"At dusk, the scouts reported that the Miaohua camp was moving cattle, sheep, valuables, and our people, so the army will cook at dawn, march out of the pass at 7 am, and start the battle at noon."

"At four quarters past noon, the western forces will launch a feigned attack, blowing three long and one short horns and beating two heavy and one light drums. The secret route must depart at 9 PM tonight and lead the troops to the enemy's rear camp before noon tomorrow."

Once the feigned attack begins, the secret route will forcefully break through the enemy's formation for an hour. After the enemy's formation is broken, the western route will launch a general attack, and the eastern route will come to reinforce and encircle them.

If breaking through the enemy lines fails, then we will attempt a breakout to the northeast, rendezvous with Ming Xi, and then act accordingly. We will also launch a full-scale attack on the western route when the time is right.

"After the war, I, the General of Peace and Liao, assessed the battle situation and petitioned the court for merit on his behalf."

The command tent was completely silent as the generals digested the military deployment.

After Zhao Mingshan and Niu Jizong finished explaining the strategy, they looked around and slowly asked, "Do any of the generals have any objections?"

No one answered, and no one objected.

"In that case, the open attack will be led by Lieutenant General Fang She; the flanking maneuver will be carried out by Captain Jia Tang. I will also grant you a division of iron cavalry. Go and prepare."

"only!"

······

The next day, at 1:45 noon.

Outside Liaodong Pass, on the banks of the upper reaches of the Ling River, behind the hills twenty or thirty miles northwest of Miaohua's camp, an elite cavalry force stood quietly. This was Jia Tang's troops, who had successfully arrived here half an hour earlier after a long and arduous journey through the night.

The area northwest of Dakangbao is a mix of mountains, plains, and hills, with some small Tatar tribes scattered among them. Without the guidance of scouts familiar with the terrain, one would likely encounter some difficulties.

On the hillside, the three generals and military officers were lying on the ground, observing the enemy camp with binoculars.

A blue light swirled above the enemy camp, and their defensive formation was half-open. Most of the soldiers on the watchtowers stood guard, longbows in hand, while a smaller group dispersed to patrol with crossbows.

Three long trenches stretched out in front of the camp gate, filled with wooden spikes, but barricades were scarce or almost nonexistent, and the muddy road beside them was covered with ruts.

After a short while, the enemy camp gates suddenly opened wide. First, armored soldiers carried heavy wooden planks to reinforce the trenches. Then, a large number of Tatar elite cavalry escorted wagons loaded with goods out of the camp.

Seeing this golden opportunity, Jia He and the others were overjoyed and slowly slid down the hill.

In the hilly ravine, all the cavalry had finished resting, donned their robes and armor, the Tiger Guards held their swords and bows, the cavalry carried their shields, and even the horses' hooves were wrapped in coarse cloth.

At this moment, Jia Tang sat upright on his horse, his blood and energy continuously flowing into his internal organs to condense his inner strength.

Upon hearing of Jia He and his men's investigation, he ordered Jia He to take out a small hourglass filled with sand from the saddle strap, place it upside down in his palm, and begin timing.

Military hourglasses come in three sizes: large, medium, and small, corresponding to one hour, one quarter, and one stick of sand respectively.

At this moment, the enemy's chariots and horses have just left. If we wait until the first chariots and horses have gone far away before launching a strong attack, then the enemy will have no way to advance or retreat.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the hourglass, where each grain and cluster of sand seemed to strike their hearts like a heavy hammer.

Suddenly, the distant sound of bugles and the booming of war drums gradually came.

"Waaaaah~"

"Thump~ thump~ thump!"

Everyone's eyes narrowed; the initial feint attack on the main battlefield had begun.

Time slowly passed, and as the last grain of sand flowed downwards, Jia Tang suddenly shouted, "Charge!"

The entire cavalry charged straight at Miaohua's rear camp gate like sharp arrows.

Thirty li away.

Twenty li away.

Ten miles!

"What...what is that?"

Some people at the camp gate had already spotted the figures rushing by and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Five li away!!

"Enemy attack!"