Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 304 - 292: Turning the Tide of Battle

"The vanguard troops on the left flank of Mohe Valley, advance three hundred miles to the east!"

"The central army consisting of ninety-two battalions should immediately reinforce the right flank and secure the territory around Mohe Pass..."

"The archery battalion on the eastern front, push forward another hundred miles at all costs and occupy the high ground..."

The continuous series of deployments by Qin Qing left the generals gaping in disbelief.

Because they simply couldn’t grasp the purpose behind each of Qin Qing’s deployments.

Moreover, Qin Qing’s deployments seemed clueless and violated a major taboo of military strategy—being too risky!

"This..."

The generals were at a loss for words, their mouths agape.

They didn’t know whether they should trust Qin Qing.

At this moment, it wasn’t personal feelings that made them reluctant to follow Qin Qing’s orders.

Rather, they found it difficult to accept these seemingly absurd military maneuvers.

"What General Qin says represents my will!" Guo Ziyi spoke up at this time.

And after pondering for a moment, Zhao Danchen slowly nodded, "Proceed according to General Qin’s deployments!"

With Guo Ziyi and Zhao Danchen having spoken, the other generals said nothing more.

Quickly, they started to direct their troops according to Qin Qing’s plans, adjusting their formations on the battlefield.

...

One day later.

Qin Qing, Zhao Danchen, and Guo Ziyi stood atop a high ground.

This vantage point offered a view over much of Mohe Pass, as well as a clear sight of the battle unfolding.

"General Qin!" Zhao Danchen bowed to Qin Qing with a fist and kneeled on one knee once again, "General Qin, that slap you gave me was not in vain!"

Zhao Danchen spoke with deep conviction.

Within the day, the Great Qian Army had triumphed in three battles, entirely turning around their previously disordered situation.

Qin Qing’s seemingly ludicrous and chaotic strategies had perfectly disrupted the enemy’s offensive rhythm, crushing the enemy’s reinforcements at every turn.

The continuous victories under Qin Qing’s command only further proved that his earlier suggestions were anything but chance.

It also showed that if Zhao Danchen had listened to Qin Qing’s advice from the start... then so many soldiers wouldn’t have had to die on this battlefield.

This was Zhao Danchen’s sin!

Zhao Danchen now accepted his fault.

"Now is not the time to admit mistakes," said Qin Qing, waving his hand. "General Zhao, what you must do now is to atone through meritorious deeds. Within three days, we must completely dismantle Northern Yuan’s offensive and turn the tide of battle once more! In seven days, we will break into the Northern Yuan camp again and capture Tu Alar alive!"

Qin Qing extended his hand, pointing towards the distant camp of the Northern Yuan army.

Zhao Danchen couldn’t help but be inspired by the aura emanating from Qin Qing.

"Break into the Northern Yuan camp and capture Tu Alar alive? Good!"

Zhao Danchen stood up firmly, "General Qin, from now on, I, Zhao Danchen, am at your disposal!"

This scene was also witnessed by a group of generals who had rushed over from not far away.

These generals had commanded their troops in battle and even led the charges on the front lines throughout the day.

The successive victories achieved by the Great Qian Army during the day had also dispelled any doubts these skeptics had about Qin Qing’s tactics.

"General Qin!"

The men hastened over and almost simultaneously kneeled before Qin Qing.

"General Qin’s great talent makes our previous ridicule seem utterly foolish!"

"General Qin was not sowing discord among the ranks. Rather, he saw the true situation. We were stubborn and did not heed General Qin’s advice, which is a grave sin!"

"Please punish us, General Qin!"

"We accept any punishment General Qin sees fit!"

The generals, one after another, kneeled on the ground with earnest words.

Qin Qing remained indifferent and gestured dismissively.

He could tell that these generals were veterans of many years of war, in whom the belief of supremacy of military merits had been deeply ingrained.

Only military achievements could justify everything.

Qin Qing was merely a teenager, lacking any military merits or experience to speak of.

Thus, these seasoned generals had not acknowledged him from the beginning.

But now... under the command and deployment of Qin Qing, in just one day, the Great Qian army had won three battles, reversing their prior disarray.

These veteran generals naturally conceded.

"We shall not discuss punishment for now! After winning the battle, when we return to the Northern Borderlands, I will report everything to the Prince of Zhennan and leave the final judgment to him," Qin Qing declared.

...

Over the next three days.

The war raged on fiercely.

But the situation turned once again.

Under Qin Qing’s command, the Great Qian army broke through seventeen of Northern Yuan’s battle lines, and the counterattack began in earnest.

Inside the tent of the Northern Yuan army.

An elderly man with white hair and beard held a white jade walking stick.

His snow-white eyebrows were furrowed tightly, the wrinkles on his face stacking even deeper.

This was Tu Alar, the military advisor of the Northern Yuan army.

The burly man standing next to him was Tu Longsuo, the current Great General of this Northern Yuan force.

"How could this happen?"

Tu Longsuo’s thick eyebrows were also knitted tightly in a frown.

"Why has the Great Qian army suddenly seemed like they’ve changed into an entirely different force?"

Tu Alar spoke slowly, "There is a master among their ranks giving directions, very likely a new military advisor. This new advisor has a terrifying talent in the field of Spiritual Arrays."

"What should we do now?"

Tu Longsuo looked toward Tu Alar.

"Now... either we give up on Mohe Pass and retreat directly," Tu Alar’s voice seemed to age a thousand years in an instant as he spoke with a tone like a man on his deathbed, "Such a retreat would likely cost the Northern Yuan army more than ninety percent of its forces."

"Lose more than ninety percent of our forces?" Tu Longsuo’s expression grew very grim.

"The enemy advisor is very formidable. They won’t just let us withdraw. If we retreat, they will surely pursue us relentlessly. Losing ninety percent of our forces is just a conservative estimate..." said Tu Alar.

"Then... is there any other way?"

"A fight to the death. There is still one last hope, as long as there’s a single oversight on their side, a single flaw to exploit, we can still turn the tables!" Tu Alar’s eyes flickered with a sharp gleam once more.

For him, he was more inclined to stay at Mohe Pass and engage in the last, desperate struggle.

As a military strategist, he was not willing to concede defeat.

Nor did he want to lose.

A hundred years ago, he had led the armies of the Northern Yuan to severely damage Great Qian.

Afterwards, he returned to the Northern Yuan, toiling in solitude, studying Spiritual Arrays, combining them with Battle Arrays, becoming the top strategist of the Northern Yuan.

This time, he joined forces with the brave and skilled Great General Tu Longsuo, their momentum fierce as they swept towards the Northern Pass, with one goal in mind—to seize Mohe Pass and invade the Northern Borderlands of Great Qian!

The army deliberately showed weakness at the Devil Dragon Pass, then continued to retreat, luring the enemy deeper. When the Great Qian Army attacked the Northern Yuan’s main camp, everything was unfolding according to their plan.

Subsequently, the Great Qian Army was in disarray, on the brink of capturing Mohe Pass, and poised to take the Devil Dragon Pass in one fell swoop.

But at that moment, the situation changed dramatically once again.

Tu Alar couldn’t accept it.

Nor could Tu Longsuo...

The two of them had come together, full of vigor.

Even before this march, they had already sworn an oath to their king: they would not return until Devil Dragon Pass was taken.

And now... if they retreated, it would mean complete defeat!

"Fight!"

Tu Longsuo gritted his teeth, fists clenched, "To fight is to fight to the end! How can we retreat? To retreat now is no different from admitting defeat!"

With losses reaching ninety percent, perhaps even more, Tu Longsuo could not accept such a retreat!

"Good!"

Tu Alar nodded.

"Hold the last line of defense, wait for them to reveal a flaw. Just one flaw, and I’m confident that I can turn the tide of battle!" Tu Alar promised, his eyes shining.

...

The war continued unabated.

Both armies battled, with countless soldiers clashing on the field.

But unseen was the duel of wits taking place inside the tents, the strategists on both sides engaging in a remote but fierce battle.

War on the Tian Nian Star was extremely brutal.

Because everyone was a Martial Cultivator, and possessed tremendous combat capabilities. It wasn’t uncommon for an army to march hundreds of miles a day, and a thousand miles was not unheard of.

The pace of battle was rapid, and the scale immense.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

This war was finally drawing to a close.

Qin Qing ultimately gave Tu Alar no chance whatsoever.

He left no flaws unguarded.

The million-strong army of the Northern Yuan was gradually whittled away.

"It’s time to break into the Northern Yuan camp!" Qin Qing declared, holding the Azure Dragon Spear. That day, he took to the battlefield personally.

And Zhao Danchen and others finally witnessed the true might of Qin Qing.

Qin Qing with his Azure Dragon Spear, riding his Blazing Flame Horse, charged at the forefront, unstoppable, as if in an uninhabited land.

"Thwack!"

A Golden Core Realm commander guarding the Northern Yuan’s camp had his head pierced through by Qin Qing’s spear.

The army of the Northern Yuan was utterly defeated.

"Tu Longsuo, come out and surrender!" Zhao Danchen yelled toward the tent in front.

"Come out and surrender!" The Great Qian Army, having closed in for the kill, cried out in unison, their voices thunderous.

Inside the tent, Tu Longsuo and Tu Alar looked at each other, wordless.

They had lost the bet.

Over a hundred battles, big and small, in these last three days.

The enemy was meticulously prepared.

They... they hadn’t left a single flaw for Tu Alar to exploit.

Tu Alar and Tu Longsuo had played their final hand...

They were defeated!

Defeated utterly.

The whole army wiped out!

A million-strong army, entirely wiped out!

"I’m sorry, old friend!" Tu Longsuo looked at Tu Alar, "If I hadn’t called you this time, you wouldn’t have come to the battlefield, and we wouldn’t be in this situation..."

Tears rolled in Tu Longsuo’s eyes.

Tu Alar too was choked with emotion.

Defeated!

Thoroughly defeated.

The top strategist of Yuan Country.

Studied in solitude for decades, mastering the way of combining Spiritual and Battle Arrays.

He came in the prime of life, aiming to achieve great feats.

But he never expected to end up like this.

"I’ll go on ahead. Old friend!" Suddenly, Tu Longsuo drew the sword at his side and slashed it across his own neck.

"Gurgling... gurgling..."

Blood bubbled from his mouth, his eyes bulging, seemingly filled with reluctance.

But...

Boom!

He fell heavily to the ground, his life force fading away.

Tu Longsuo, in defeat, committed suicide in the Northern Yuan’s main camp!

Tu As wanted to follow Tu Longsuo in death...

But a trace of unwillingness held him back; he wanted to step out of the tent, to see for himself who the great strategist of Great Qian truly was...