Chapter 563: Chapter 149: General Validation Map (Two in One)_2
The Red Flower Camp, a flower blooming on the battlefield, whose home will it finally fall into? It must be clarified thoroughly.
Without reaching this step, the suppression, difficulties, and encirclement faced by Red Flower Camp will continue.
Zhang Zhongyi clenched his fists tightly, grinding his teeth in anger.
His heart was filled with resentment.
Ning Zhuo’s face was expressionless, but his heart was secretly excited: “The game of the Righteous Path has reached this point, so cold and cruel.”
Inside the tent, the Cultivators showed no signs of physical confrontation, not even a trace of Mana had been activated.
Yet, they had once again pushed General Mu Lan to the edge of the cliff.
Cultivation Level, Magic Treasures, Spells, and so on, were not the most important at this moment. It was the mind, strategy, and tactics that were key.
General Mu Lan took a deep breath and stared at Ma Liangcai: “Since that’s the case, let’s proceed to the last step.”
“When you were ordered to come here, the Monarch must have bestowed a treasure upon you. Take it out.”
Her situation was not good, constantly at a disadvantage.
Previously pretending to be unconscious was just to strive for a chance for a fair contest.
Now, Sun Gan and Shuangjing had been swiftly and cleanly dismantled by the Royal Capital’s side, leaving no room for her to maneuver.
General Mu Lan could only retreat if necessary, but now she had to carry out the final contest.
Ma Liangcai nodded slightly and took out a scroll.
He unfolded the scroll in front of everyone, and they instantly knew that this was a General Validation Map.
Once the map was spread out, it was about one zhang and eight chi (approximately 5.6 meters) long and six chi (approximately 1.8 meters) wide, made of rice paper with a slightly yellow surface, having survived many years.
The four corners of the scroll were edging with gold thread, and the edges were slightly curled up.
The entire map was filled with countless Talismans, both large and small, tightly arranged.
Ning Zhuo glanced at it, feeling dizzy and his Divine Sense being sucked in as if he was about to fall into some illusion. He quickly closed his eyes and retracted all Divine Sense.
However, General Mu Lan stroked the General Validation Map and said in a reminiscent tone: “Years ago, when the front lines were in peril, my father volunteered to lead the defeated troops for another battle.”
“Before that, he had no experience as a Main General, and faced many doubts from his comrades. The Monarch rewarded his bravery, willing to take out the General Validation Map for the test.”
“My father passed the General Validation Map and proved himself. Then he led the remaining troops back, seizing the enemy’s weaknesses on the battlefield, breaking through enemy lines, slaying the enemy chieftain, causing the enemy’s morale to collapse, and achieving a great victory!”
“Upon my father’s victorious return, the Monarch asked what reward he desired.”
“My father then requested these remaining soldiers who accompanied him in battle, which later became Red Flower Camp.”
“As my father went from victory to victory, gaining great merits, the size of Red Flower Camp grew, and it inevitably led to suspicion in the Court.”
“When my father came to the capital to report, he reached an agreement with the Monarch.”
“In the future, if Red Flower Camp was to be abolished, it could only be because there was no one left in the Upper General Mansion to lead the army.”
“To prove this point, a test with the General Validation Map was required.”
Through General Mu Lan’s narration, everyone in the tent suddenly understood.
This strategic contest between ruler and subject had already begun. Both sides were of the Righteous Path, not willing to result in mutual destruction, and both were trying to avoid becoming losers in the end.
Thus, General Mu and the Monarch had long settled on a bottom line.
Red Flower Camp and Upper General Mansion began with a test of the General Validation Map, and naturally, it would be tested by the map. General Mu Lan had to pass for the Upper General Mansion to continue.
But if she failed, the Upper General Mansion would be disbanded or replaced.
General Mu Lan withdrew her gaze, slightly raised her head, and glanced at Ma Liangcai, then at Sun Gan, Shuangjing, and others: “Since you all have thoughts, why not enter the map and battle. Reenact the past to determine the future!”
Ma Liangcai was a formidable opponent, and General Mu Lan was uncertain of victory, so she still intended to pull down Sun Gan, Shuangjing, and others.
In case the battle turned unfavorable, she could also agree on the spot in exchange for support from either Sun Gan or Shuangjing.
Liu Er was the first to agree, promising to give his all and expressing hope to call upon Guan Hong and Zhang Hei to join.
Seeing this, Sun Gan and Shuangjing could only reluctantly agree to participate.
Guan Hong soon arrived at the tent.
Zhang Hei had been captured by Sun Gan and was also released immediately. After all, Ma Liangcai’s faction was the biggest threat.
After everyone gathered, they all projected their Divine Sense into the General Validation Map.
Very soon, each Cultivator stood still on the spot, retaining a small portion of their Divine Sense in their bodies while the majority was drawn into the map.
The scroll of the General Validation Map bloomed with brilliant colors.
Countless Talismans began Flashing, emitting different hues of light. The Talismans moved with Spirit Movement, circulating amongst each other, speeding up until they converged into a stream of light forming a vortex.
Amidst the dazzling array of colors, the majority of Ning Zhuo’s Divine Sense coalesced into his own form.
He looked left and right and immediately noticed Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei. He then reached to his waist and found that Sun Lingtong was still in the Mechanical Dragon.
This was because he had covertly communicated with Divine Sense, requesting General Mu Lan to agree to Sun Lingtong’s inclusion.
After all, having one more person would increase their chances of victory.
Besides Liu, Guan, and Zhang, there were four to five hundred soldier shadows around them.
Guan Hong stroked his beard: “This is a small General Validation Map, without many strategic passes or terrain features. Upon entry, according to our Cultivation Level and proficiency in Military Art, soldiers were allocated to us.”
Zhang Hei clamored: “Hurry up and train the troops! Ma Liangcai is not someone to be trifled with.”
Ning Zhuo offered a strategy: “In addition to training the troops, we also need to dispatch Reconnaissance Cavalry to scout the surroundings to prevent us from being too close to Ma Liangcai and provoking his attack first.”
“Moreover, we should contact General Mu Lan. Relying solely on us won’t suffice; we need to unite and resist Ma Liangcai together.”
Liu Er nodded in agreement with this suggestion and proceeded to follow the plan.
Triangle Arrow Formation.
One-Line Long Snake Formation.
After only two or three training sessions, the soldier shadows began to look the part.
This training efficiency was much better than in reality!
After another two or three sessions, the soldier shadows became much more solid and their appearances also changed.
Previously, they were just blurry humanoid shadows, where limbs and torso could be discerned. Now, not only the limbs and torso were clearly visible, but their heads also changed, turning into triangular snakeheads.
“Little Zhuo, what would happen if we were to join in the training?” Sun Lingtong watched this process with eagerness to try.
He had previously read “Gao Sheng’s Legacy” using the helmet shared among the soldiers and learned the Thief Light Wind Formation.
Ning Zhuo thought for a moment: “If we add a new Battle Formation, of course, that would be better!”
“Ma Liangcai is renowned for his impressive military achievements: the battles at Soul-breaking Ridge, Chishui River, the relief of East Mountain, and Ghost Flame Gorge all showcased his exceptional performances, even being decisive at times.”
“Our own Guan Hong and Zhang Hei are not in their best form, and although General Mu Lan has awakened, she still bears injuries.”
“Shuangjing is more formidable when it comes to equipment, but this advantage is lost in the General Validation Map.”
“And finally, Sun Gan, as the head of the Imperial Guards, has spent most of his life defending the Royal Capital and rarely has battlefield combat experience.”
“However, it’s better not to expose the boss!”
Ning Zhuo naturally knew some relevant information about Ma Liangcai, the famous general from Liangzhu Country.
Ning Zhuo came back to his senses, immediately spoke up, and said he also had a set of Battle Formation. Currently, the speed of training troops in the General Validation Map stemmed from the commander’s grasp of Battle Formation, unlike reality which required investing time and energy. Therefore, he wanted to give it a try.
This came as a surprise to Liu, Guan, and Zhang.
They had been worried about their side only having two types of Battle Formation, lacking variety and easily targeted.
Ning Zhuo’s proactive offer was a pleasant surprise, and all three generals agreed to let Ning Zhuo take the lead in training the troops.
On the surface, Ning Zhuo replaced Sun Lingtong in giving orders, and after five cycles, he managed to train the soldiers in the Thief Light Wind Formation.
“Strategist, what is this Battle Formation? Forgive my ignorance, I have never heard of it,” Guan Hong asked, a rarity for him to do so.
Ning Zhuo replied, this was the Light Life Gale Formation, which could increase the troops’ marching speed and aid in becoming invisible.
Sun Lingtong was not as proficient in Military Art as the three generals, and it took five cycles of practice before he mastered it.
Following that, the three generals practiced their Military Art, each bringing some minor changes to the form of the soldier shadows.
Ning Zhuo took the opportunity to practice his Heroic Return Skill, once again arousing the generals’ curiosity, as they could not discern any effect from the application of the Military Art.
“What is the strategist practicing?”