Chapter 508: Chapter 108: Lu Hongtu Designs According to the Poem
In the mist, the sound of a horn faintly carried through.
The heavy sound of horse hooves gradually approached, seeping through the dense fog and spreading into the forest.
The army moved slowly through the thick fog, the iron armor emitted a cold light, obscured by the mist into a blur.
The cultivators marched in steady and orderly steps, the sound of iron and mud rubbing echoed through the fog. The warhorses bowed their heads as they moved, their breaths exhaling white mist, like an illusion through the thick fog.
Five armies coordinated with each other, advancing through the towering mountains, like a slow and heavy giant snake winding through the mist.
It was not until the afternoon that the dense fog gradually dispersed.
The speed of the entire army consequently increased.
By the time the sun was leaning west, under Sun Gan’s command, the whole army slowly halted, took up their respective territories, and began to set up camp.
By dawn the next day, the army would march again.
After marching for two days, the gap between the armies gradually widened.
In the main tent, Sun Gan looked at the map, a flicker of cold light in his eyes.
He pointed to the mark indicating Three Generals Camp and asked the people in the tent, “What’s happening with Three Generals Camp? Why is their marching speed so slow? They are actually ten miles behind Red Flower Camp!”
The deputy general replied, “Reporting to you, sir, Three Generals Camp strictly uses the One-Line Long Snake Formation, which makes it difficult for the entire army to speed up. The cultivators often have to stop after half a two-hours to rest and replenish their mana and stamina.”
Sun Gan glared, “What nonsense is Liu Er and his people up to? They haven’t even reached the frontline yet, and they’re already delaying the march like this? Are they scared of moving forward?”
Another deputy general scoffed, “They claim outwardly that they are substituting marching for training.”
“The key point is, their way of marching complies with military discipline, so we can’t easily reprimand them based on this.”
“I see it as these people being timid as mice. It’s evident from the start as they avoided the responsibility of leading the vanguard.”
“The so-called Three Generals Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei are merely third-rate Golden Core cultivators, unknown to the world.”
“The reason they joined the war is just to seek some profit, how could they be as dedicated to the country and the people like us!”
Sun Gan, however, looked at the deputy general discontentedly, “I entrusted you with the matter of marching; didn’t you order Three Generals Camp to speed up along the way?”
The deputy general gave a bitter smile, “Sir, I sent messengers to urge them many times, but Three Generals Camp still did as they pleased.”
“If pressed too hard, they even sent us an Omen Poem, claiming that their Military Adviser Divination Master derived it and warned us to be cautious!”
“Oh? An Omen Poem?” Sun Gan’s expression paused, then his eyebrows twitched as he asked in detail, “What does the poem say?”
The deputy general replied, “Horse hooves stamp upon flowers, wind rises and shadows sink into sand. Who can keep the moon bright, who again buries the rosy clouds?”
Sun Gan frowned slightly, pondering deeply, “This poem augurs ill, who wrote it?”
The deputy general replied, “It was by a young man named Xu Ning, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Southern Bean Country.”
Sun Gan’s eyebrows immediately relaxed, “Merely a Foundation Establishment, a mere youth, even a cultivator from another country, haha. Three Generals believing in such divinations from him, how ridiculous!”
“Pass my military order!”
“Three Generals Camp’s Liu Er blindly trusted the Omen Poem, delaying military affairs, to be punished with sixty heavy paddle strikes, to be carried out when the grand army reaches Mulu Town.”
The messenger immediately took the military order and ran out with the oral message.
Sun Gan lowered his head and continued studying the military map.
He frowned again, “The position of Red Flower Camp is also somewhat off, what’s going on?”
The deputy general said, “Sir, it’s said that General Mu Lan also believed in this Omen Poem, hence she has been organizing the Flowing Water Battle Formation during the march, as a precaution.”
“Is that so…” Sun Gan muttered under his breath, secretly alarmed.
Though the Flowing Water Formation also aids marching, sustaining it for a long time is extremely challenging.
In comparison with Three Generals Camp, it was evident.
Yet Red Flower Camp has persisted for so long, and using a battle formation to march, they could actually keep up with the main body of the troops.
“Red Flower Camp’s training is so proficient, it can almost compare with my Golden Halberd Army!”
“Albeit this Upper General Mansion has declined, the underlying foundation of the army still exists, the old soldiers left
behind, the backbone, are extraordinary.”
Sun Gan, being a veteran in the army, immediately realized this point, but he still voiced, “Mu Lan actually believed in that Omen Poem written by a junior?”
“Haha, after all, she is a woman, long hair but short-sighted! The Upper General Mansion really has no successor!”
The deputy general quickly laughed and agreed.
Sun Gan thought for a moment, “Mu Lan, protected by the prestige of the Upper General, this seems like a good opportunity to make her lose face.”
“General Mu’s prestige in the army is very high, only by operating this way, step by step reducing it to a very low level, can we aim for the position of Upper General legitimately and naturally.”
Sun Gan, being the head of the Imperial Guards, holds a high and powerful position, but the position of Upper General is more desirable!
In the entire Liangzhu Country, there are only three Upper Generals.
With General Mu bedridden all year round, his Upper General Mansion had become a juicy target for others.
This time, by unspoken agreement among many, General Mu was forcefully chosen to lead the troops.
Mu Lan went to war in place of her father, facing a severe situation, for she was contending not only with the enemy army but also with the covetous gaze of her own people!
Thinking of this, Sun Gan immediately ordered, “With such stop-and-go, when can we reach Mulu Town and meet with the commander?”
“Too slow!”
“Order to be given, from tomorrow, march urgently!”
Thousand Peak Forest.
Huangmu Peak.
This Heavenly Pillar Giant Tree Mountain is treacherous, barren, and desolate. The entire mountain is full of dead trees, branches twisted like bizarre skeletons, densely stretching out.