Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 603 - 559: What is Aggressive Warfare?

Chapter 603: Chapter 559: What is Aggressive Warfare?

Following Zhang San’s order to retreat, Wang Junwu immediately commanded the troops of the Jin River to withdraw.

Meanwhile, Bai Dushu notified Changsun Bubai, who also immediately directed the Lingwu Army to retreat.

Although Feng Bubian was not from the Town Martial Office, everyone knew that there was essentially no difference between him and the office.

Upon learning that the Secret Realm they had come to enter was a sham, the martial artists who had come to participate also retreated following Feng Bubian after their wasted journey.

The youths from various martial path forces and Martial Path Sects had no reason to stay either and retreated along with everyone else.

Only the leaderless Shuofang Army, which was harassed by the Tujue people for a while, eventually realized that others around them had retreated and also fled south.

As for the Shuofang Army that had attacked from the north by circumventing the back, they tragically perished.

Seeing that the people to the south had retreated, Xue Lihong furrowed his brows, turned to his mother, Khan Long Bo, and said, "Mother, let me go after them!"

Khan Long Bo was watching the force of the calamity she had completely controlled, revealed in the whitened bones and wilderness.

"There’s no need. This battle was not ours to engage in. This outing was partly to take more people out to familiarize them with the route, making it easier for us from Black Iron City to strike in the future. On the other hand, it was to find you."

Xue Lihong glanced anxiously south, contemplating how to explain to his mother that he had essentially stolen the man his mother had brought back.

"No need to look anymore, he is long gone. Zhang San, that boy, is sharper than a monkey and must have been the first to lead his people in retreat. If you fancy him, just remember him; you must obtain him in the future! Not rush into things when you like someone and then discard them afterward, understand?"

"Yes, Mother."

Xue Lihong knew his mother was worried that he would treat Zhang San as a mere plaything.

At first, he indeed saw Zhang San as a plaything.

However, as he pursued him, he discovered many aspects of Zhang San worthy of learning, which instead brought a measure of respect for this man into his heart.

Regrettably, such a fine man had to grow legs too long.

With a wave of her hand, the troops from Black Iron City began retreating northward with her.

This battle, though the Dashi Bian did not seize anything, they discerned unrest above the plains.

Even brothers related by blood like Xing Luohou and Sharlobi seemed on the verge of becoming enemies.

If peace and unity prevailed across the plains after their departure, Dashi Bian would naturally worry.

Now, seeing everyone else envious and discontent, Dashi Bian felt considerably reassured.

Meanwhile, Xing Luohou, with two Purple Mansion Realm experts at his side, repelled all who wanted to harm his son, Ming Chasha, and quickly withdrew with his troops.

In this battle, not only did Xing Luohou’s son gain the power of the Calamity Position, but more importantly, many tribe leaders secretly sent people to contact him, hoping to side with him.

Given that Xing Luohou, the former third prince, was the most benevolent and capable compared to the ignorance of Dashi Bian and the arrogance of Sharlobi, everyone felt a brighter future with Xing Luohou.

While Sharlobi, deeming himself the Great Khan, saw the Great Sui army beginning to retreat, he ordered a pursuit.

Unfortunately, since the Shuofang Army was initially there to attack the Tujue, they had nothing of value on them.

After the battle, Sharlobi ended up seizing only some horses, armor and helmets, and several capstan crossbows that the Shuofang Army had smashed before fleeing.

"These cursed Sui people from the Land of the Midday Sun, how could they smash such fine capstan crossbows. Find someone to repair them quickly! If we Tujue had such capstan crossbows, we could easily storm into the cities of Great Sui!"

Sharlobi, looking at the spoils brought back by his subordinates, then glanced at his good friend, Kucha Shahhan.

Who would have expected that the biggest gain from this battle would belong to Kucha Shahhan?

Noticing Sharlobi’s gaze, Kucha Shahhan immediately came over and knelt on one knee before him.

"Great Khan, congratulations, I have seized the Mid Heaven Calamity Position, Blood Floating Hill! A type of calamity position that ensures victory in all battles!"

Sharlobi was very pleased with Kucha Shahhan’s gesture and the calamity he obtained.

"Very well, from now on, you are the Great General of Tujue! Together, we will flatten the Land of the Midday Sun!"

"Flatten the Land of the Midday Sun!"

"Flatten the Land of the Midday Sun!"

...

In the midst of everyone’s cries, Sharlobi suddenly felt that perhaps it was time to launch a great war.

Meanwhile, Zhang San had already led everyone quite a distance away, with the Shuofang Army covering their rear, ensuring a safe withdrawal for everyone.

It was only then that Zhang San realized he should have taken advantage of the chaos to try to eliminate Wang Ziyan.

Unfortunately, such a perfect opportunity to muddy the waters had slipped away.

After all, Zhang San had been contemplating how to trap Wang Ziyan during the entrance into the Secret Realm, never expecting that the huge gate in the sky wasn’t the Secret Realm.

Alas—

At this moment, Wang Ziyan was also not happy.

The power of the Calamity Position not only allowed the holder to become a calamity but, more importantly, enabled rapid advancement on the path aligning with that type of calamity once obtained.

Since discovering that it was Disaster Descending God, Wang Ziyan had wanted to seize a share of the Calamity Position power.

Unfortunately, although eight portions emerged this time, he didn’t capture even one.

However, during the chaos, he had noticed a young man taking advantage of the situation to steal and even fatally stab others.

That young man gave Zhang San a peculiar look, and it was incredibly sinister.

Wang Ziyan always felt that this person harbored secrets.

"Elder Ku, do you see the person lowering their head, draped in a piece of grey coarse cloth?"

Wang Ziyan’s Protector glanced in the direction Wang Ziyan was pointing and nodded slightly.

"Elder Ku, keep a close watch on him on the road, and once we reach a place where no one will notice, capture him and bring him to see me. Remember, I want him alive."

"Yes, young master."

Elder Ku was indeed an offering to the Wang Family and had watched Wang Ziyan grow up from childhood; he knew that Wang Ziyan was truly the prodigy of the Wang Family.

Now, all the forces hostile to the Wang Family thought that the Wang Family’s prodigy was named Wang Ziteng in the Capital.

Little did they know, the real prodigy had already been secretly growing his strength.

At this time, the main force marched imposingly toward the south, while Zhang San waved toward Feng Bubian, who instantly ran over.

"Military Chief Zhang, what do you need?"

Although Feng Bubian had signed a contract with Zhang San and was his servant, he still needed to address Zhang San as Military Chief in public, especially since there were so many people watching.

"Feng Bubian, I heard that you had studied Calamity before. Come, tell us about it."

Feng Bubian naturally knew Zhang San didn’t want to expose his own identity either, which was why he posed the question about having previously studied Calamity.

He then turned to glance at the few people beside him.

One was Wang Junwu, one was Bai Dushu, and together with Zhang San, these three men all had been endowed with the power of a Calamity Position.

"Calamity is essentially the power born from the Path of Calamity. But the power of any path is not infinite. Each has its own Position."

"In this world, there are a total of one hundred and eight Calamity Positions. These Positions are divided into lower, middle, and upper levels based on their strength."

"General Wang, the Position within you feels quite strong, it must be a Mid Calamity Position, right?"

Wang Junwu whispered, "I just sensed the name of the Calamity within me—it’s called Dragon Blood Mysterious Yellow."

Feng Bubian said, "This is a War Calamity. The more wars that erupt, the more Calamity Power you can obtain. But you must also be careful, as you are a military leader. Because of the influence of your Calamity Position, you might easily trigger wars. This is harmless for the Calamity itself, but you, after all, are part of the human race, and must be cautious."

Wang Junwu naturally knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. Since he had been granted the enhancement of a Calamity Position, it naturally also came with some adverse effects.

"However, after all, General Wang, you are a person of the military. By relying on this power of Calamity, it can indeed significantly enhance your strength, as well as the power of your troops on the battlefield. But you need to be cautious, you are not the Calamity; you merely control the power of Calamity. Don’t let the power of Calamity control you instead."

Wang Junwu nodded slightly.

Then Feng Bubian glanced over at Bai Dushu.

"As for you, it seems like there is also some Demon Qi around you!"

Bai Dushu gave an embarrassed smile and explained, "I come from the Bai Family of the Five Immortal Clans in the Northeast, named Bai Dushu."

"I see. I can’t clearly sense your Calamity; what is it called?"

Bai Dushu looked around at the few people present, then said in a low, embarrassed voice, "Desertion in the Face of Battle."

Upon hearing the name of this Calamity, Zhang San almost burst out laughing.

This could also become a Calamity.

Feng Bubian’s face changed drastically when he heard this.

"Although this Calamity is a Lower one, it is one of the most powerful among the Lower Calamities. The ability to cause Desertion in the Face of Battle naturally can instill fear, doubt, or other emotions in the enemy, ultimately making them choose to flee from the battlefield. This ability plays an immense role both on the battlefield and in conflicts among martial artists."

"What!?" Bai Dushu could never have imagined that the Calamity Position he had received was so potent.

Zhang San, hearing this, also couldn’t help but start to feel envious.

To subdue the enemy without fighting is indeed the best strategy.

"What about me? What about me? I just sensed, the name of my Calamity is—Aggressive Warfare! What kind of ability does this Calamity have?"

Feng Bubian immediately bowed to Zhang San and said, "Congratulations Military Chief Zhang, although this power of Calamity is a Lower one now, it once grew to a Mid Calamity Position, and if possible, it could even develop into an Upper Calamity Position. Your prospects are boundless!"

Hearing this, Zhang San became joyful.

He could never have imagined that something that had willingly come his way would turn out to be such a treasure.

"Then are there any side effects to this power of Calamity?"

"The so-called Aggressive Warfare naturally requires spending more time and energy on one’s own weapons and combat aspects, and hence, for martial artists and cultivators, it is purely advantageous without any harm."

Hearing this, Zhang San became even more delighted, and both Wang Junwu and Bai Dushu felt very envious.

"However..." Feng Bubian, seeing how happy Zhang San was, really didn’t want to add what came next.

"However, what?"

"However... Aggressive Warfare actually manifests most effectively when it influences an emperor of a nation in its human form. If it’s just in the hands of martial artists and cultivators, at most, it can be considered a minor hobby. After all, no matter how aggressively you engage in warfare, the Calamity Power you can generate is very limited."

"So..."

"So?"

"Aggressive Warfare is one of the Calamities with the highest potential among the Lower ones, but it is also... the weakest."