Lu Bu, the Thunder General, is my adoptive father in Genshin Impact.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle!

Unlike the lightning we usually see, the crimson lightning illuminated the darkness, and the energy gradually stabilized, condensing into the shape of a slender katana.

A katana surrounded by an evil aura.

The owner of the weapon was then exposed to the soldiers.

The tattered black clothing revealed the texture of leather, as if it had become one with the skin. In addition, the cloak on his back fluttered even without wind, and the hood of the cloak covered his head. He wore a mask with cracks on his face, made of an obsidian-like material.

An ominous sign—this word, without prior agreement, instantly surfaced in the minds of all the soldiers.

The archer trembled, but still dutifully pulled the trigger, and in an instant, dozens of arrows shot neatly towards the strange man in black.

Unexpectedly, the black-clad monster swung his demon sword in a wide arc, deflecting all the arrows away. One arrow, crackling with red lightning, struck the vanguard in the neck.

whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

The strange man in black hung his crimson demon sword by his side and slowly walked toward the soldiers, who were drenched in cold sweat.

Although the soldiers were tense, they did not panic. The archers reloaded their arrows, and the soldiers with spears launched a charge, wanting to turn this strange creature into a pincushion.

A flash of red light, and the tips of all the guns fell to the ground. A flash of red light, and several heads rolled off neatly.

One of the crossbowmen turned and ran. He was not a cowardly deserter, but someone carrying an important mission—to sound the alarm and alert more than two hundred comrades who were unaware of the danger.

The archers dared not turn around, for behind them came the sound of arrows leaving the bowstring and pitiful screams.

He ran to the nearest sentry post, and without explaining to the sentry, pulled down the alarm line. The crisp sound of the alarm bell immediately rang throughout Tasha.

The next moment, the sentry was cut in two at the waist. Before the archer could release the alarm line, a strange, crimson demonic blade pierced through his chest.

The soldiers who heard the alarm stood ready, knowing that a tragic future awaited them with no chance of victory.

A few minutes later, the troops that had gone to patrol remote locations heard the alarm bells and returned to Tabusha.

They never expected that their unit was the last remaining soldiers of the garrison. When they returned, they saw incomplete remains scattered all over the ground, and a strange figure standing among the remains.

Under the leadership of Captain Morishita, the isolated force fought and moved to higher ground, attempting to use the terrain to their advantage and defeat their opponents from above.

Logically speaking, strategically, and experientially, this is the correct choice.

Unfortunately, the enemy defied common sense.

In the end, only Morishita, the captain of the reconnaissance team, remained of the three hundred defenders. With no way to retreat, he could only fight desperately against the black-clad monster wielding a demon sword.

Unexpectedly, the strange man spoke at this moment, making a muffled sound as if he were underwater.

"Whenever I pick up any weapon, it transforms into the shape of this blade. Any creature struck by it will immediately suffer necrosis. Therefore, no matter how I slash at my target, I will never witness the beautiful sight of blood gushing forth. What a pity, what a pity..."

whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Morishita swung his sword at the demon, who calmly retaliated, the demon's blade slicing through Morishita's wrist, severing his right hand that had been with him for many years.

However, due to inertia, the separated hand, carrying a samurai sword, brushed past the mask of the demon and knocked it off.

Morishita saw the face of the strange man...

The strange man grabbed his neck and threw him off the cliff. Morishita fell from the height, but luckily landed on a cloth shed that provided shelter from the wind and rain, crushing several layers of the shed. After being cushioned, Morishita fell deep into the coal pile and lost consciousness.

……

Morishita recounted everything he had seen with trepidation.

Xiao Yi stroked his forehead, lost in thought.

A red energy sword, a black cloak, a black mask, superb swordsmanship, capable of parrying ranged attacks, and deep, rough breathing...

He suddenly realized that the murderer was—

Darth Vader!

No, no, this is Teyvat, not Star Wars... Xiao Yi dismissed the nonsensical conjecture.

Suddenly, Iron Fist Bald Takashimaru ran over again, excitedly and anxiously reporting the situation.

"Lord Narukami, our scouts have spotted several groups of wandering samurai approaching our camp from 3,000 meters away. There are a total of 250 of them, and most of them have red skulls tattooed on their bodies. We can confirm that they are members of the War Maniacs!"

Xiao Yi was a bit confused. He came here to punish the War Maniacs, so why did they come looking for him instead of him? And they were the worst of the worst.

"Two hundred mere ronin dare to provoke my five hundred elite troops? This is outrageous!" He ripped the white cloth off his face. "Gather the troops! Gather the troops! Call Sara over, prepare to slaughter them all!"

Chapter 54 The Subordinate Who Slacks Off

Xiao Yi took the matter of suppressing the bandits very seriously, since his adoptive father had set a time limit.

If his 500 elite troops fail to dismantle the War Maniacs within a week, he will have to go back and experience fatherly love, eating that food in front of the general.

That's right, it's still "the same" stuff. The general doesn't plan to cook again because the castle tower has a special preservation method that prevents it from expiring even after a week...

In order to protect himself, Xiao Yi must do his job diligently.

He sent three hundred men to fight against more than two hundred war-crazed bandits, while the remaining soldiers remained on the spot. He and Sara stood on the mountaintop, observing the overall situation and guarding against any unexpected events.

If he sees any special circumstances, his 15 trust points already provide a lot of strength, allowing him to launch himself into action and plunge into the battlefield to support the soldiers fighting on the front lines.

So far, the situation seems to be progressing smoothly.

Xiao Yi's five hundred subordinates were divided into four large teams.

Each battalion consisted of 125 men, led by a junior officer. The hothead of the Takatsukasa family was one of the four junior officers.

A large brigade can be divided into five smaller teams, each with twenty-five members, led by a team leader.

The combat method was not a direct confrontation, but mainly guerrilla warfare. First, archers would fire volleys to wear down the enemy, then spearmen would charge to break up the formation, and finally, samurai wielding katanas would clean up the remaining enemies.

This tactic is unsuitable for use on the front lines, but it is highly effective in suppressing bandits.

The battle between the expeditionary force and the war madmen took place on a small plain next to the forest.

The soldiers fired in unison according to their training and then charged. From a distance, it looked like ants fighting. However, the war freaks were a complete rabble. They were good at bullying passing merchants and their mercenaries, but they crumbled at the first touch when they encountered a regular army.

"It's said that the members of the War Maniacs are all ronin who want to make a fortune quietly, or rebels and samurai with psychological problems," Xiao Yi commented. "Their composition is complex and they lack training, so how can they have any fighting power? Sending three hundred men is giving them too much credit; fifty men would be more than enough."

With her right hand draped over the white cloth in front of her chest, Kujo Sara sighed with a complex expression, "It's been a long time since I've smelled the strong stench of blood since the war between the shogunate and Sangoku-no-miya ended."

Xiao Yi touched his nose, looking puzzled.

Where is the smell of blood coming from? Isn't it the smell of milk?

Oh, I see. It was the smell on my face.

Lost in thought, Xiao Yi suddenly narrowed his eyes. With eyesight as sharp as a telescope, he clearly saw that his men had stopped chasing the fleeing enemy.

The elite troops were left to scatter and flee as the war madmen ran into the small forest and disappeared without a trace.

what happened?

……

Xiao Yi arrived at the scene in a carriage, where his subordinates were collecting and counting the spoils of war, checking to see if any of the war-crazed members were feigning death.

Takashimaru, his iron fist covered in blood, approached.

"Reporting to Lord Narukami, in this battle we killed thirteen enemy samurai, captured 114 samurai swords, 51 spears and halberds, and also found 4 bags of Mora. Our most seriously wounded soldiers only suffered abrasions—a great victory, a great victory!"

Xiao Yi didn't give him a friendly look.

Three hundred regular soldiers fought against two hundred rabble, yet only thirteen were killed? Even if you fed each enemy a bite of the food my godfather made, more than that would have died!

"Summon all the young soldiers," Xiao Yi said.

Soon, four junior officers, including Takatsukasa Maru, came to Xiao Yi, stood in a row at attention, and quietly awaited Narukami-sama's decision.

Strangely, these young players all share a common characteristic: they are all young people between the ages of twenty and thirty.

Xiao Yi first put his hands behind his back, frowned, and paced back and forth before facing the young generals.

"Why didn't you pursue the fleeing enemy?" he questioned.

"Reporting to Lord Narukami!" a young general with thick eyebrows and large eyes shouted in a loud voice, "The enemy has fled into the forest. We are not familiar with the situation in the forest and fear there may be an ambush. We dare not act rashly!"

"What's your name?" Xiao Yi asked.

"Katayama Shintaro!"

"Good, very energetic, next... no!" Xiao Yi slapped his forehead and scolded, "Whether it's Katayama or anyone else, listen up!"

"From now on, don't be afraid of any ambushes. I will be your strongest support! Your mission is to fight the Berserkers to the death. Kill one Berserker you see, kill a thousand of them!"

"We obey Lord Narukami's command!" the four young generals said in unison, full of spirit.

After the speech and dismissal, Xiao Yi asked Jiu Tiao to compile a report on the details of the spoils of war. With nothing else to do, he took a walk on the blood-soaked battlefield.

From not far away came Takatsukasa Maru's shout: "Lord Narukami, someone here is still alive!"

Xiao Yi strode toward the sound and saw a member of the War Maniacs lying on the ground, barely alive. His abdomen had been completely ripped open by a sharp weapon, and his faint breaths could stop at any moment.

Xiao Yi bent down to examine him: "Is there any way to save him?"

"This injury won't last long. The exposed intestines are big enough to play cat's cradle," the bald man with the black skin and iron fist answered honestly. "He can only live for a few tens of minutes, and the process will definitely not be pleasant. Losing consciousness will be a blessing."

"Can we get any information out of them?" Xiao Yi asked.

Takatsukasa Maru shook his head: "He seems unable to speak."

Xiao Yi pulled out his cheap knife and, without hesitation, stabbed it into the half-open mouth of the War Maniac member, instantly killing him.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever learned that there’s an organ called the brainstem behind the mouth, and damage to it is fatal.” Xiao Yi wiped the blood and other fluids off the knife. “I’m kind-hearted and can’t bear to see others suffer, so I’ll choose the quickest way.”

"This head is yours for the military merit." Xiao Yi sheathed his sword and walked in another direction.

Not long after, he met Sara, who was carrying a scroll.

"Lord Narukami, I have compiled the information." Kujo Sara presented the scroll.

"Hmm, you did a good job." Xiao Yi took the documents. "Let's go back to camp and rest first."

"Lord Akishin, there's one more thing," Kujo Sara hesitated, "Actually, I feel that your reprimand just now wasn't very effective..."

"What do you mean?" Xiao Yi blinked.

"Don't you find it strange? The young officers leading the battalion are all very young soldiers."

"Indeed, logically speaking, the front-line command should be composed of experienced veterans—is my godfather testing me, deliberately making me lead newcomers?"

Then, Kujo Sara answered the question.