[Skill: Horse Control (Small Achievement)]
[Progress: (1089/2000)]
"Hao Qianxun."
Chen Sansi gently stroked the horseâs mane, which in turn demanded a reward, plus a bath.
The last few rounds of fighting had been intense.
Both he and the White Swan Horse were covered in blood.
"Youâre really getting more and more fastidious."
Chen Sansi remarked.
Qianxunâs demands for food were getting higher, and so were its living conditions.
Of course,
you canât expect the horse to run without feeding it.
Moreover, in some sense, Qianxunâs role was irreplaceable by any martial artist, so its needs should be met as much as possible.
The master and pet arrived at the vicinity of Pieye River after arriving at Hu Lao Pass.
Pieye River, being a branch of the Zhanan River, was not wide enough for large ships, but the surrounding pastures were extremely lush, suitable for grazing horses.
There was a food shortage in Hu Lao Pass.
Later, Chen Sansi could let Qianxun take three thousand warhorses out to graze, but this location was visible to the Nanxu scouts. However, sometimes letting the enemy see oneâs movements could actually be beneficial.
Chen Sansi made a mental note of any useful information, then bathed in the river and brushed Qianxunâs fur.
By the time they returned to the pass, it was the next dayâs dawn.
"My lord!"
Xia Cong had been on guard all night and hurriedly came to greet him: "Where did you go yesterday?"
"Indeed, my lord."
The others also crowded around, almost forming a circle.
Yesterday,
seeing the general disappear, they thought something had happened and sent out scouts to investigate.
What they found...
There were also many frightened and uncontrolled horses running wild across the wilderness.
In front of the armyâs main camp, not only was the guard extremely strict, but also shield formations were arranged.
It looked as if they had been attacked.
And yet...
the general had gone alone!
"Hunting."
In response to everyoneâs inquiries, Chen Sansi replied indifferently.
Hearing this, Fang Qingyun finally understood what his junior brother had ventured out to do alone.
He shook his head slightly, somewhat emotional.
He had not understood before what kind of strategy one man could use.
But sometimes, no cunning tactics are needed, or rather, unparalleled combat power is the true scheme that canât be countered.
His junior brother...
was truly frightening.
With a bow and arrow, he gave the feeling of killing people with a spell.
"With this commotion from the junior brother, the enemy forces definitely will not dare to attack again within seven days," Fang Qingyun said, "But judging by the junior brotherâs current method of combat, you donât intend to give them time to rest and regroup their morale. You must be planning to further strike at their vanguard, right?"
He knew very well.
After this event, the Nanxu Army would have to deploy generals from the Xuanxiang Realm to command the front lines. If they wanted to further strike at the enemy, the best strategy would be to do it before that deployment occurred.
"Brother, youâre right," Chen Sansi said, "we shall launch an offensive in five days."
"..."
Sha Wenlong was somewhat stunned: "An offensive attack?"
"General," Lu Shuhua said, "according to the messages from our scouts, the Nanxu Camp is heavily fortified and does not venture out, plus their vigilance is extremely high. If we approach rashly, Iâm afraid..."
"At that time, I will have a way to draw them out," Chen Sansi stated, "for the next few days, youâll gather twenty sets of General Armor for me, half of which must be from Qing Country."
"General Armor?" Lu Shuhua asked, "Whatâs the use of so many high-level armors?"
"Itâs manageable," Deng Feng said, "I will order to bring all the armor of the surrendered generals from the nearby Eight Prefectures."
"Hmm."
Chen Sansi then instructed, "Besides that, from today onwards, send out two thousand people to pasture horses by the Pieye River at 5 a.m. and return at evening, continue this over the long term without concealment."
"Pasturing horses? I know about the lack of provisions inside Hu Lao Pass," Sha Wenlong said in confusion, "but for pasturing horses, we donât need two thousand people. The total number of defenders is just over three thousand."
Chen Sansi paid him no mind, and after giving the orders, he ate some meat to restore his energy, then mounted Qianxun with enough provisions, and once again disappeared into the vast wilderness.
He made a large detour to observe from the periphery and quickly determined how far he could go without getting surrounded. While he couldnât approach the camp closely, it didnât affect his ability to continue hunting on the outskirts.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swooshâ"
In the Nanxu Army camp.
None of the patrol squads that came out lived to return.
In just two days, another two hundred or so perished under the arrows.
Eventually, even the patrolling squads carried heavy round shields, ready to hide behind them at the slightest rustle of wind or grass, and those who failed to take cover properly ended up maimed.
Before long, five days had passed.
The army that nominally numbered one hundred thousand, apart from setting up camp, had not taken any other significant action. Even the scope of their patrols had become increasingly limited, not daring to venture more than twenty miles from the camp.
"What a disgraceful humiliation!"
Fan Jiuxiao raged within the camp, his anger flipping a table in front of him: "Should my hundred thousand army really be stopped by just one man?!"
"Fourteenth master, weâre really helpless!"
"Under the current circumstances, itâs death upon showing oneself!"
"Whatâs more, that horse of his!"
"Itâs just impossible to catch up!"
"..."
"How much longer until General Peng arrives?"
"Itâs too far, itâll take at least another seven to eight days!"
"Then find my elder brother first!"
Fan Jiuxiao said, "Have him lend me his green horse and also bring a batch of thick iron round shields suitable for cavalry to carry. Also inquire with Li Gong, and tell him to speak the truth about how many there are in Hu Lao Pass and what the situation in Lai State really is. Itâs vital for us to know so we can judge how to fight the upcoming battles. There must be no omissions!"