Edict of Peace 42
Chapter 42: A match for ten thousand men!
July 31, 2024
Chapter 42: A match for ten thousand men!
Seeming to sense the sharp energy emanating from Li Guanyi, General Xue subtly raised his eyebrows, but gently raised the brush in his hand, calmly saying, “Of course, I’m ready.”
“It’s just writing a checkmark, how much effort could that take?”
Li Guanyi ignored the languid general.
The third prince of the Tiele tribe, already incredibly fierce, attacked again. His Blue Wolf Law Physique gathered, transforming into a defensive and offensive Law Physique martial art. Li Guanyi twisted his waist, his body exploding with short bursts of power. He threw his heavy saber, spinning it fiercely before it crashed down upon the Blue Wolf Guard.
A violent roar followed.
The heavy saber was violently flung back, its sharp blade embedding itself in a stalactite hanging from the cave ceiling. Numerous small stones tumbled down, while Li Guanyi rapidly retreated. This time, he held two arrows simultaneously.
This was a method taught to him by the young miss.
Holding two arrows between his fingers, shooting them one after another could save time, but it demanded high skill. Insufficient skill and lack of wrist strength would significantly reduce the accuracy and power of the arrows, making it inferior to shooting them one by one.
Li Guanyi’s understanding of technique seemed quite good, as he had mastered this method.
The first arrow was nocked, a White Tiger roared from his shoulder.
Golden light emanated from the arrow.
He drew the bowstring to its fullest extent.
Shoot!
The entire bow vibrated violently, and the arrow, twirling with golden wind, tore through the air, striking the Blue Wolf Guard. The Blue Wolf Guard began to dissipate its power, but the arrow didn’t give it time, piercing through its defenses in an instant.
The third prince of the Tiele tribe instantly twisted his body.
His strong, tall physique, with an unbelievable gracefulness like a dancer, arched in the air. The arrow, wrapped in golden wind, flew past, only tearing a small wound on his side. If he had been wearing armor, it would have been completely blocked.
This was an unbelievable feat.
Even a seasoned border warrior like Qian Zheng couldn’t have dodged Li Guanyi’s arrow.
The moment the third prince landed, he used the momentum of his twist to continue his advance, his body almost touching the ground, rapidly closing the distance with a zig-zag trajectory, like a hunting wolf.
But Li Guanyi didn’t stop, quickly retreating, his second arrow already nocked.
He drew the bowstring fully.
A red dragon coiled around the arrow, like a dragon coiling around a pillar.
General Xue, seated cross-legged, slightly raised his eyes, letting out a surprised “Eh.”
Li Guanyi’s eyes reflected the image of the Tiele third prince, as if ignited with flames. His fingers tightened on the bowstring, the string so hot it burned his fingers, yet he didn’t release the arrow. He knew that with the third prince’s agility, he could dodge this arrow as well.
When the third prince suddenly lunged, extremely close, Li Guanyi released the bowstring.
This time, the bowstring’s roar was even more intense.
A streak of red light burst from the bow.
It passed through the hole created by the earlier White Tiger arrow, piercing the Law Physique. The third prince roared in anger, crossing his arms to block it. He had heavy, black iron wrist guards, two fingers thick, crossing to withstand the impact of the arrow. But the next moment, the red dragon coiled around the arrow charged forward.
BOOM!!!
A loud explosion, fire erupted, the young man’s black hair flew, his eyes filled with red firelight. The fire soared, like a dragon’s roar reaching the heavens. The third prince’s forward momentum was interrupted, his wrist guards burned red-hot, acting like a branding iron, twisting the prince’s face in agony.
Li Guanyi threw his bow, and the third prince, enduring the pain, managed to deflect it.
But in deflecting the bow from his face, his arms moved away from the front.
An opening appeared.
A violent gust of wind.
The boy, having thrown his bow, had already leaped.
In mid-air, he bent his knees, using his knees like two chisels to strike the third prince’s chest, while simultaneously thrusting his left hand towards the prince’s eyes. The third prince raised his hands to shield his face, instinctively leaning back, defending against the attack.
This caused his entire weight to fall onto his upper body, combined with Li Guanyi’s charge, sending him crashing to the ground.
Li Guanyi’s left hand, aimed for the eyes, was blocked.
His right hand was already raised, his middle finger extended, thumb pressed against the lower part of the middle finger, forming a Phoenix Eye Fist.
Using the third prince’s falling momentum, he struck the prince’s Adam’s apple with force.
A move from the Beggar Clan’s scattering hand combat!
The third prince roared, struggling to stand up. Li Guanyi didn’t resist but spun his body, trapping the prince’s arms with his legs, his arms encircling the prince’s neck, pulling him back to the ground. Then, using his waist as a pivot, he forcefully moved his legs and arms in opposite directions.
This was another variation of the scattering hand combat taught by the old beggar.
The third prince grabbed Li Guanyi’s back, struggling and twisting in resistance.
The struggle continued.
Li Guanyi pushed his Po Jun internal energy to its limits. The two wrestled for a full incense stick of time (approximately 15 minutes). Eventually, the lingering power of the Po Jun internal energy prevailed, while the third prince’s injured arms and wounded waist continued to bleed, his strength diminishing after his initial, desperate struggle.
Finally…
A crunching sound.
The incredibly fierce third prince’s neck twisted, and he was killed.
The third prince’s eyes lost their light, fading into scattered starlight that slowly disappeared. Li Guanyi’s body relaxed. Although the fight was short, he felt completely exhausted, severe fatigue and pain causing him to spread his arms and fall backward.
His muscles tensed and then relaxed, his hair stood on end, sweat instantly pouring from his forehead and back.
He gasped for breath.
Even knowing the opponent’s techniques and style, this confrontation instilled fear and immense pressure in Li Guanyi. Qian Zheng was a seasoned border soldier, who had killed seven enemies and led fifteen new recruits, something Li Guanyi could handle alone.
But facing the third prince, whose strength had been suppressed to a level below Entry Realm.
Even knowing his opponent’s moves, it was still such a hard-fought battle. It shows how terrifying the third prince would have been in full armor, leading an army on the battlefield. Such a hero, an unparalleled hero of the Tiele tribe…
His history was briefly recorded:
[Rebellion, treason, imperial anger, dispatched troops to subdue]
[Rebellion suppressed]
Lying there, Li Guanyi suddenly felt the weight of those three words, his own insignificance.
“Rebellion suppressed…”
Such a hero, reduced to just these three words.
At this time, the starlight from the third prince’s death remained, not yet dissipated. General Xue nodded, saying, “Take this pill and absorb the starlight. It’s the stellar energy absorbed by this blessed land, very effective for pre-Entry Realm cultivation.”
Li Guanyi managed to get up, taking the pill provided by the Xue family and circulating the Po Jun technique.
From the very beginning, he felt the difference.
As the old man said, combat depletes one’s vital essence, causing bodily fatigue. In life-or-death battles, parts of the body normally hard to train are activated. After the battle, using pills to accelerate the circulation of internal energy greatly enhances the tenacity and recovery of internal power. The stellar energy entering the body replaces the original vital essence, refining the minute muscles and bones.
Li Guanyi realized this was changing his very constitution.
This was the creation of a battle-hardened constitution through repeated life-or-death battles, followed by powerful restorative medicines!
It’s impossible under normal circumstances to survive countless battles unscathed.
It’s even more impossible to have such powerful medicine to replenish and purify vital essence after life-or-death battles.
Only those who can wait for five hundred years to accomplish the impossible are truly exceptional heroes.
General Xue smiled slightly. “I will teach you the Blue Wolf Guard technique. But now, it’s time to fulfill my promise. This is my inheritance, even the Great Emperor wanted me to teach it to his descendants. Unfortunately, his grandson is too stupid. His eyes only see women; he wouldn’t be able to learn it.”
Li Guanyi became curious.
What kind of inheritance was this?
General Xue didn’t display any martial arts but sat cross-legged beside the youth, saying:
“The Tiele tribe rides Western Region horses.”
“According to the Fang Zhou Miscellany, tribute horses from the Western Regions are nine feet tall, their necks the same length as their bodies, majestic like a phoenix. Their hind legs have two spurs between their tibia and fibula, their fur seemingly hiding scales and armor. They are fast and have great stamina. They wear light armor, and their horses don’t wear full armor, prioritizing extreme speed.”
“In battles, they would press their bodies close to the horse’s back, holding their blades horizontally. Two horses would meet and cross, and the opponent’s head would be cut off by their blade. Quickly. Sometimes, the opponent’s horse would run more than ten zhang (approximately 33 feet) before the blood would spur the head, and the horse would continue to charge forward carrying the headless corpse.”
“The Tiele Golden Crescent Saber cavalry is skilled in crescent formations, like a fast blade, particularly adept at splitting tactics, cutting into the enemy army from the flanks like a sharp blade cutting through flesh. If you were leading troops and encountered such a force, how would you break them?”
“If you were leading cavalry, if you were leading infantry, if your numbers were fewer than theirs…”
“How would you handle it?”
General Xue smiled slightly, “You’ve already learned my skills, how can you not know military strategy?”
The exhausted Li Guanyi widened his eyes.
Whether learning military strategy was good or bad…
He felt like he’d walked into a trap.
He only wanted to leave Chen Kingdom safely with his aunt, at most adding repaying General Xue’s kindness. The young man had no desire to conquer the world on horseback. He craved martial arts and strength more than military strategy. General Xue’s lips curved into a slight smile:
“You’ve already come this far.”
“You’re exhausted now, unable to move, unable to concentrate, right?”
He tapped the boy’s cheek with his inverted brush, smiling.
“This is also military strategy.”
Li Guanyi grimaced.
General Xue laughed, “If the world falls into chaos, this knowledge will be useful.”
“My successors cannot let me down.”
“Compared to archery or halberds, this is my true skill. Powerful generals exist in every country; being able to hold a pass against ten thousand is the basic requirement of a renowned general. In my army, there are archers far superior to me; battlefield tigers who excel at capturing flags and are unmatched in bravery, exist above me.”
“In this era of great strife, the grandmasters of the martial world are also incredibly strong.”
“Why am I ranked first on the list of Divine Generals?”
General Xue said, “Military strategists classify generals into six categories.”
“Those whose bravery is unmatched, fighting fiercely even when wounded, leading the charge, are fierce generals.”
“Those who can command cavalry, with unified momentum, moving freely, are cavalry generals.”
“Those who triumph in single combat, capturing enemy flags and boosting our army’s morale, are duel generals.”
“Those who can lead rapid marches, ensuring that orders are delivered and armies arrive, moving in and out, are leading generals.”
“Those with astute strategies, who know the timing and geography, using the strong to strike the weak, and the weak to overcome the strong, are strategic generals.”
“And those who can sit in command of over one hundred thousand troops in a major battle are the great generals!”
Li Guanyi understood, “You want me to learn military strategy, to become a great general?”
General Xue smiled slightly, “Martial arts might allow you to be a match for a thousand, moving freely, laughing at the world, making the world respect you, and princes both hate and love you, making the world admire your might.”
“What I will teach you is the art of being a match for ten thousand men.”
“Able to lead the charge and behead generals, capable of using the weak to defeat the strong, ensuring victory in battle, success in attacks, victory in conquering, securing peace, and enduring peace.”
“Able to unify the world with a smile, to strike fear into the hearts of princes with a frown, where the spear points, all can be conquered. Duel generals, fierce generals, leading generals, cavalry generals, strategic generals, great generals—all can be, and all can be conquered by them. Unparalleled style, unmatched in the world!”
He stood up, looking at the youth, saying:
“That is a Supreme General!”
……………
At this time, however, the world was stirred by a piece of news.
The hidden thirty-fourth Divine General, Yu Qianfeng.
His whereabouts have been revealed!
(End of chapter)
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