Within the base camp of the Qilin Army.
Accompanied by the sound of screams, the soldiers of the Qilin Army glanced sideways and saw several men, led by the iron-boned Fan Qing and the unrestrained Yuwen Hua, all wrapped in bandaged wounds, sprinting crazily from somewhere, when suddenly a buzzing noise was heard.
Two crossbow arrows struck directly into the lower backs of these two war generals.
The force of the crossbow was not great, and the wounds were small, but they were envenomed with a high concentration of Powder for Anesthesia. Fan Qing fell to the ground with a thud, while Yuwen Hua ran a few steps, turned around, picked up the unconscious Fan Qing, and ran wildly again.
Then seven doctors grabbed them.
These two were standard war generals with the ability to command thousands, daring to contend with contemporary famous generals within the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, capable of withstanding a strike from the famous generals, not even blinking when a knife plunged into their bodies.
Yet at this moment, their faces turned pale and they were dragged back by the old ghosts of the Qilin Army.
The sound of screaming soon came out.
"Damn it, stay away from me!!!"
"Get that thing away! Away!"
The soldiers of the Qilin Army shivered and turned away, no longer paying attention to that scene. Now that the previous great battle had ended, the Qilin Army had achieved a rare grand victory. The old ghosts and three hundred Pill Masters worked tirelessly for several days, managing to pull back the lives of more than thirty severely wounded brethren.
When Shi Dalin came out, he merely said that thirty-seven lives were saved.
He then fainted directly, slept for two days and two nights, and nearly did not catch his breath back.
The grand armies of Chen Country and Ying Country had both withdrawn. After leaving nearly ten thousand corpses behind, their primordial qi was greatly injured, the battle line retreated, and afterward, the warships representing the Eastern Azure Dragon Seven Stars advanced, successfully conquering a city that had lost its infantry and main general.
From this point on, the strategy depicted by Yuan Zhi for Li Guanyi was completely fulfilled.
All of Jiangnan’s Eighteen States fell under the control of Li Guanyi’s Qilin Army.
And going forth, there would, one day, be a completion, controlling one state, remotely commanding the remaining seventeen states, with a territory of a thousand miles all under command. Although it could not compare with the vast countries spanning tens of thousands of miles, this location was strategically critical, the key to charge through.
While Chen Country and Ying Country did not resolve their differences, they found it hard to spare the effort to attack this place.
The Qilin Army maintained readiness, without expansion, keeping ten thousand infantry warriors and eight thousand in logistics.
The navy had thirteen thousand warriors and fifteen thousand in logistics.
Even so, such terrifying logistical pressure was already making Li Guanyi’s scalp tingle, plus there were a large number of prisoners, originally the group that attacked East Crossing City and another group contained by the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation. Every day when Li Guanyi opened his eyes, he felt the logistical strain.
Yuan Zhi suggested not to rashly expand the military.
At this time, a letter from the Academy finally arrived slowly.
The signature was [Fang Ziqiao], this was Mr. Wang Tong’s eldest disciple, nominally Li Guanyi’s senior brother, but they had not spent much time together. Li Guanyi was surprised, opened his letter and read: "Guan Yi my brother, a year has passed since we last parted, I hope you are well recently."
"The three of us, following the Master, are temporarily staying at the Central State Academy. Hearing that my brother has conquered all directions, I am very delighted, Yuan Zhi is with you, right? Tell him, since he entered the world, Gongyang Su Wang is quite displeased. However, he has proven his own ability and scholarship."
"Su Wang said, his final assessment has been passed."
Li Guanyi looked towards the Ranger beside him.
Yuan Zhi, having commanded the battle formation seven days ago, had fallen ill immediately. Such large-scale combat, close to ten thousand troops, severely depleted the commander’s mental and physical state. At this moment, drinking a bowl of Lei Laomeng’s Secret Chicken Soup, he appeared to breathe a sigh of relief.
Li Guanyi said, "Is the Academy’s assessment so rigorous?"
Yuan Zhi replied, "It’s Su Wang who is terrifying."
This strategist, who dared to defend a city before tens of thousands of troops upon his debut and then implemented a speed attack strategy within months, swallowing territory like a tiger, now openly used the word ’terrifying.’
In the letter, Fang Ziqiao briefly recounted the past, then abruptly changed the subject:
"However, Yuan Zhi, proficient in schemes and battle formations, is still not first-rate in other areas. I guess, if you have a chance to occupy Jiangnan, you may encounter many troubles later. I asked in Wenxue Palace about who is the most adept in the grand situation and overall strategy."
"I send this with the letter, if you find it feasible."
"When you enter the Academy one day, bring the scent of Jiangnan’s spring as a gift."
Li Guanyi nodded and when he saw the second sheet included with the letter and unfolded it, a fragrance wafted up and the handwriting was even more clear and elegant. The tone of the other party was quite calm and composed: "The General has already occupied the Jiangnan ferry, and if my guess is correct, Yuan Zhi must have taken a risky and rapid approach, deciding to battle with Chen Country and Ying Country"
"If this battle is won, the General can occupy the majority of Chen Country, Jiangnan, and the waterway fortresses."
"I have two strategies ready for the General to consider."
"One concerning the hearts of the people, the other concerning the expectation of the world."
Li Guanyi had not expected that in Central State, thousands of miles away, someone had already foreseen the current situation. He looked at the strategy proposed by this Academy student; the first strategy was to advise Li Guanyi not to forcefully swallow the military and prisoners.
This was a stark contrast to the other generals, who were bursting with enthusiasm.
"The General’s victory over Chen Country and Ying Country has already echoed across the land, yet ultimately the foundation is unstable. What I speak of as foundation is not the region or cities. Although Jiangnan is only a thousand miles, as a stronghold crucial to the world, to be owned by one person is not trivial."