Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 46: At the Gates

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Zhang Yao has already served as the Governor of Baihe County for three years.

Recently, Baihe City has encountered some trouble.

Inside the Governor’s Mansion.

Zhang Yao sat in the Taishi Chair, casually asked:

"So, you are certain they are coming for Baihe City?"

"Yes."

An elderly man in fine clothes sitting below replied repeatedly:

"According to reports from the scouts, this band of rogue soldiers numbers over ten thousand, fully armed and marching in this direction."

"In three days at most, they can reach Baihe City."

"It is still unclear what the real purpose of these rogue soldiers is, but nothing more than attempting to break through the city for plunder or trying to seize the city to establish their rule."

"Is that so..."

Zhang Yao tapped the armrest, pondered for a moment, and then spoke:

"And the origin of this group of rogue soldiers, have you figured it out?"

"Reporting to the Governor, it has been clarified."

A middle-aged man stood up, respectfully responded:

"Based on the collated intelligence, they originally belonged to the forces under ’Shi Yong’, the Jiedu Envoy in the north of Jiangzhou."

"At the height of his power, Shi Yong occupied four territories, commanded an army of one hundred thousand, and was the leading vassal warlord of Jiangzhou. It is said that a few years ago, he even considered taking over Jiangdu but eventually abandoned the idea."

"A month ago, Shi Yong led his army to battle with the Jiedu Envoy of Qin Province, ’Huo Luan Mountain’, and suffered a crushing defeat, with heavy losses. Both he and his two sons died in the military."

"As a result, Shi Yong’s forces completely disintegrated, his territory was hastily taken over by Huo Luan Mountain, and most of his soldiers scattered. Some became bandits, some became kings in the mountains, bringing calamity to many people in the four northern territories." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Pausing here, he continued:

"This group of rogue soldiers was reorganized by a Guerrilla General under Shi Yong, who took the opportunity during the chaos to gather many scattered soldiers and deserters."

"Because of their large size, fearing encirclement by Huo Luan Mountain’s forces, they fled the northern territories and raided southward to here."

"I understand."

Zhang Yao nodded slightly, casually said:

"Then, as you have discussed, deploy experts, reorganize the government soldiers, and actively prepare for battle."

"When they reach the city gates, I will naturally take action."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was overjoyed, repeatedly expressing gratitude and praise, their attitudes becoming even more respectful.

Frankly speaking, they did not have much confidence in whether Zhang Yao would be willing to assist, but this Governor, Master Zhang, was evidently much more responsible than they had anticipated.

With a Grandmaster taking action, passing through this crisis for Baihe City would become effortless.

"Alright, you may leave now."

Zhang Yao waved his hand, and the heads of the noble families and the Baihe Squad Leader of Cao Bang respectfully bowed and withdrew.

After everyone had left, Zhang Yao felt a slight sense of sentiment:

"Over twenty years have passed..."

"Da Wei’s destiny is clearly exhausted, yet the chaos across the land has continued for so many years with no end in sight."

"The division of vassal states, the chaos of warlords, the rampant actions of factions, the incessant emergence of bandits and rogue soldiers, along with natural disasters like droughts and floods, have left the populace of the Nineteen Provinces in dire straits..."

The chaos has swept across the nation, and even though he holds the status of Grandmaster, he is powerless to change any of it.

All he can do is protect the hundreds of thousands of people in Baihe City in this tumultuous era, maintaining this piece of pure land.

...

Three days later.

The northern rogue army reached the city gates, and panic spread throughout Baihe City.

Baihe, being a tributary of the Ling River, and the county city neighboring Bai Bo Lake, had not suffered any large-scale military disaster since thousands of river pirates were eradicated by Cao Bang decades ago.

This siege by the large army indeed caused considerable panic among the city’s populace, with every household’s doors and windows tightly shut, and the streets deserted.

In contrast, the noble families and dignitaries of Baihe City were much more composed.

The local noble families and strong martial artists from Cao Bang’s branch united their forces. Additionally, five thousand government soldiers were prepared for battle, and a Grandmaster was overseeing the situation, leaving them feeling no significant pressure.

"The military discipline is strict and well-trained."

On the city wall, Zhang Yao looked down, gazing at the massive army gathering and preparing to siege the city from a few miles away.

This group’s quality was second only to the border elite he had seen once, and this was after being reorganized from scattered soldiers and deserters.

It is evident that the northern Jiedu Envoy, Shi Yong, was unquestionably a military strategist.

"It’s about time."

Zhang Yao waved his sleeve, speaking calmly:

"Open the city gates and prepare to break the enemy!"

With a single command:

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The city gates of Baihe City opened, and accompanied by the solemn and majestic sound of war drums, five thousand government soldiers marched out in formation.

In front of the five thousand government soldiers:

A small-scale martial army composed of martial artists at the Perfection and Great Success levels from major noble families and Cao Bang’s branch, led by several Absolute Peak Experts.

"A mere few thousand troops dare to face us head-on? Utterly overestimating themselves!"

Outside the central tent of over ten thousand rogue soldiers, the commanding Guerrilla General and several military advisors couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

Their forces are those of a Jiedu Envoy, seasoned and elite veterans, and these inexperienced government soldiers—how could they even measure up?

Originally wanting to siege the city would involve a bloodshed, but now all they need is to defeat these weaklings, and they could easily storm into the city for a fierce plunder!

"Beat the drum, charge!"

With the commander’s flag raised by the Guerrilla General, the rapid beats of war drums immediately resounded in the army, and more than ten thousand troops maintained tight formations, beginning their charge.

This meticulously arranged military formation, viewed from afar, resembled an impenetrable wall of bronze slowly rolling forward.

"The enemy is charging!"

On Baihe City’s side, there was slight unrest among the government soldiers, but without orders from the higher-ups, they remained motionless.

The leading Absolute Peak Experts couldn’t help but turn back to the figure standing on the city wall.

"Rushing sound..."

Zhang Yao, with his wide robe sleeves fluttering in the wind like banners, stood with his hands behind him.

The scene he witnessed as a boy on Changping City’s wall etched deeply into his heart, and now he finally had the chance to perform it himself.

Zhang Yao descended lightly from the city wall, with a slight step, flying toward the massed army at such speed that only lingering shadows were left behind, hardly anyone could discern his movements clearly.

"What?"

The Guerrilla General and several advisors watching from afar witnessed this scene and their faces instantly changed!

They seemed to remember some deepest nightmare, their expressions turning pale, with faint traces of fear and disbelief in their eyes.

"Shoot arrows! Shoot arrows!!"

The Marshals and Camp Commanders in the army reacted immediately, ordering a volley of arrows.

In an instant, a rain of arrows was launched, falling like a downpour.

But it was of no use.

The dense black barrage of arrows fell uniformly, a sight terrifying enough to instill fear in anyone.

Yet the arrows, covering the sky, shattered and broke a few inches in front of Zhang Yao, as if crashing into an invisible barrier, failing even to graze a corner of his garment.

Passing through thousands of arrows, nothing touched him.

"What kind of demon technique is this?!"

The soldiers and officers on the front line, witnessing this horrifying and impactful scene, couldn’t help but widen their eyes, their breath stopping for a moment.

At this moment, some belief within them rapidly collapsed, unrest spreading uncontrollably, and the front-line soldiers couldn’t help but slow their charge.

"Don’t just stand there! Keep shooting arrows!"

The front-line officers finally came to their senses, yelling orders, unable to hide their panic in their voices.

But it was too late!

Before the vanguard could unleash a second volley, Zhang Yao had already darted over, directly breaking into the formation.