Peace Order
Chapter 538 - 30: The Divine General List, Signing In!_3

Chapter 538: Chapter 30: The Divine General List, Signing In!_3

Everyone knew what they had to do.

This, unlike the formations led by famous generals of the era, required each person to actively form up.

Such power!

Pang Shuiyun shuddered.

But to the expectation of the two classical school generals and strategists, these battle-hardened warriors actually understood. Although they did not comprehend the professional jargon, they cleverly grasped the essence, just like hunting rabbits, knowing when to go forward and when to encircle.

They even excitedly voiced their thoughts, and the young general did not find it disruptive; instead, he invited the soldiers to come forward and boldly share their ideas.

Another day passed, and Li Guanyi took to the platform again, calling for silence among the troops.

The young man, clad in armor, took a deep breath and then let his energy sink to his Dantian. He listed the merits of those who had ascended first.

Then he shouted loudly, "Those whose names are called, step onto the platform."

Fan Qing’s name was among them. He was somewhat unclear about the purpose, but he still went up. On the makeshift platform made of sand and soil, the young general in heavy armor acknowledged their deeds, praising actions like killing the heavy cavalry and taking the initiative to charge into formations, one by one.

Although Fan Qing did not understand, he still felt an indescribable emotion, straightening his back, and his view of the people below him grew increasingly solemn.

His lips curled, then suppressed.

Unable to control it, they curved up more and more.

Then, people from Changfeng Building came forth bearing weapons.

Li Guanyi handed over a set of heavy armor to Fan Qing, then passed him a sword.

He then took out a red cloth strip, no different from others except for a gold thread embroidered on it.

"Stretch out your left arm."

Li Guanyi personally tied it around Fan Qing’s arm.

Fan Qing, holding the armor, looked down at his comrades, then the youth declared:

"To the meritorious ones, everyone!"

"Step forward, salute!"

Over a thousand battle-sharpened warriors simultaneously stepped forward, raising their palms to strike their chests, not quite in unison, but bowing to show respect. Still, a palpable ardor surged in Fan Qing’s heart, as if he were ablaze.

Ling Pingyang’s smile began to fade.

As an outstanding war general of his time, he vaguely sensed something.

Li Guanyi—having catalogued all the meritorious deeds, those whose names were called moved forward, all receiving titles, and then he led all the soldiers to Chongshan, where the fallen were buried. Fan Qing and others maintained their solemn silence.

Li Guanyi, holding weapons—a long sword, a war spear—planted them upside down in the mountain.

Then he tied the red cloth strips of the fallen onto these weapons. He slowly withdrew his hands; initially, it was just to help these men identify friend from foe, but now, over a hundred weapons stood planted here, with red silk flapping in the wind.

Li Guanyi knelt on the ground, bowing his head for a long time.

He stood up, and then the second batch of people stepped forward, all half-kneeling.

Their palms raised, fists clenched, striking their chests.

Solemnly observing this forest of swords and spears.

Silent, solemn.

Mr. Lei, strong in inner strength, used a hammer and chisel on a stone monument, engraving names one by one; this monument would stand here eternally.

Ling Pingyang’s expression became composed, feeling a profound awakening stirring within these men, somewhat perplexed, he whispered softly:

"Honor in life, mourning in death, unified from top to bottom."

"...Military spirit?"

What was clearly just the individual quality of the Third Line Corps, even if that newly arisen inner Qi were to be believed, was merely on par with the second line corps, but nevertheless, he vaguely felt a kind of cohesion unique to a first-line corps, sharing in honor, mourning, and disgrace.

Pang Shuiyun stroked his beard, calmly saying, "It’s indeed our young master."

That day, the people had their fill, and Li Guanyi finally organized the troops.

He reiterated his strategy, then issued military orders, and over a thousand men descended the mountain.

They left the inedible horse meat to the civilians coerced by Yuwen Hua and others, gave them provisions, and allowed them to return. Then, using prisoners who had been stripped of their weapons and armor and controlled, as labor to transport food and other items.

At the base of the mountain, Fan Qing and others, clad in armor, looked at Chongshan. Despite staying in this place for just over a month, they felt an unexpected reluctance to leave.

Zhenbei City—

Fan Qing won the clash between the three generals and assumed the position of City Lord of the original Zhenbei City. He savored this hard-earned victory. However, there was still one matter lingering in his mind—

It was about that missing Yuwen Army.

They were supposed to subdue the "Spear Madman," yet they had marched to crush him. He had no doubt Yuwen Tianxian would triumph, approving his conscription of civilians for this purpose.

Yet inexplicably, five days ago, there was no further word from Yuwen Tianxian’s forces.

Scouts could not approach too closely.

Three thousand infantry, five hundred cavalry, and over two thousand civilians—how could they just vanish? Even if they were ambushed and defeated, at least some troops would have fled. But there were none.

There was no news of a victory nor of fleeing soldiers.

It was as if they had been swallowed up by some entity, unsettling Shen Xinsu slightly.

Could it be a—

[Annihilation battle]?

Shen Xinsu immediately banished the thought from his mind. An annihilation battle, even given the force Ling Pingyang had recognized, the engagement of five hundred heavy cavalry facing five hundred cavalry and three thousand infantry, could not result in an annihilation battle.