Chapter 198: Chapter 140: Loss of Courage 2
Translator: 549690339
From the lookout platform, Qiao Xiuyuan watched Ding Heng, whom he had high hopes for, arrive at the battlefield. Then, without even engaging with the young man in the green robe, the opponent swiftly led his knights and turned Ding Heng into a beehive filled with random arrows.
The initially recovering complexion instantly worsened again.
“Trash!”
Qiao Xiuyuan slammed his fist onto the railing, and with a crack, the originally thick wooden railing instantly broke into two parts.
Seeing this, the expressions of the surrounding people also looked terrible.
Ding Heng’s failure seemed to be a slap in their faces, using the most brutal reality to tell them that their previous fantasies of reversing the situation with their top-tier fighting power were utterly empty.
The other party had no top-tier fighters.
But relying on those elite soldiers and the strong bow and crossbow, what if they were only second-rate experts?
Under the rain of arrows, they would still have to drink from the cup of bitterness.
Ding Heng’s death was a living example.
Many people present had worse martial arts skills than Ding Heng, right?
Even for some who were better than Ding Heng, at this moment, they would think that if they encountered what Ding Heng had just experienced, escaping alive would already be considered good enough.
To capture and kill the green-robed young man under the protection of soldiers was simply impossible.
Thinking of this bloody reality, everyone’s enthusiasm instantly diminished, and they could no longer speak.
“General.”
Under the deadly silence, it was still the original general who spoke up first. He said, “Elder Ding’s expedition was unsuccessful this time, as he used the Jianghu approach to confront the warfare.
He thought that by going directly to the young man in the green robe, the opponent would fight him one-on-one.
But we military people have always despised single combat, advocating the overwhelming of the minority by the majority.
Therefore, this time he rushed forward without any precautions, and the young man in the green robe gathered his troops and killed him with an arrow formation.
It was this carelessness that led to this defeat.”
Following his own professional perspective, the red-armored general continued to analyze, “Therefore, if we make preparations in advance, wear iron armor, and bring elite warriors with us, we can face them with the same solid armor, heavy shields, powerful bows, and crossbows.
Under the gradual advancement, we can surely engage the enemy in close combat.
At that time, when the fighting gets up close, archery will no longer be useful. With Elder Ding’s martial arts skills, he can defeat the opponent.
Moreover, the main reason Elder Ding was defeated so quickly just now was that the young man in the green robe’s archery skills were just too powerful.
If it were replaced by those ordinary knights, let alone more than thirty people, even if they were gathered in hundreds, even if Ding Heng couldn’t defeat them, retreating unharmed would still be possible.
Hence, martial arts experts still have a significant advantage over ordinary soldiers.”
Hearing these words, Qiao Xiuyuan’s anger on his face was finally slightly reduced.
Others, especially the martial arts experts, carefully thought about the red-armored general’s description, and their hearts were immediately relieved.
Indeed.
Just now, Ding Heng had underestimated the enemy’s strength. Otherwise, with his opponent’s swift martial arts, he wouldn’t have been killed by arrows in just a few moves.
However, even so, the archery skills of the young man in the green armor were indeed unparalleled.
At this moment, recalling the scene, the martial arts experts still felt a little nervous.
They had made up their minds that should they encounter the opponent on the battlefield in the future, they must be cautious and try to dodge. They must not follow in Ding Heng’s footsteps; that would be too grievous. “You all heard General Cao’s words, right?”
At this time, Qiao Xiuyuan stabilized his emotions, retracted his gaze from the battlefield, and looked at the subordinates behind him. Especially those Elders who were once proud of their high martial arts skills, his voice carried a touch of coldness, “In the future, when you go to fight, don’t think that your martial arts skills are enough to look down upon the world, alright?
Elder Ding’s tragic experience is right there.
If you don’t want to end up like him, turning into a porcupine, then you’d better put away your arrogance and wear heavy armor obediently. Bring elite soldiers and follow the army’s actions.
War is not like the conflicts in the Jianghu world, where people talk about martial ethics and are willing to fight one -on-one.
The battlefield is for winning, doing everything possible, and exhausting everything to kill the enemy and let ourselves become the victors.
Here, the many will fight the few, the formation against the scattered soldiers. While martial valor is important, cooperation is even more crucial.”
If you want to be a hero, leave the army and join the Jianghu.
Here, there are only warriors, no heroes.”
When Qiao Xiuyuan spoke, his eyes focused on those dressed as martial artists from the Jianghu.
Before today, the Seven Star Sect’s rebellion, which had been long in the making, went extremely smoothly. In just a few days, they occupied a prefecture.
During the rebellion, martial arts experts played the most significant role.
After all, within the city, whether it’s assassination or seizing the city, martial arts experts are much more powerful than ordinary soldiers.
Huge victory has blinded many people, and even Qiao Xiuyuan himself was somewhat carried away by his success.
This led to the promotion of personal martial arts in the entire army. The more powerful one’s martial arts, the higher their status.
Although there is hierarchy among soldiers, the atmosphere of Jianghu is even more prominent. People call each other brothers, and it’s more common to call a military officer a big brother or leader than a general or captain.
This Jianghu-like atmosphere in the large army has deeply affected the entire army.
Originally, due to his background, Qiao Xiuyuan, who was already accustomed to the Jianghu, didn’t find this atmosphere odd, even feeling quite comfortable.
However, a crushing defeat at this moment and the death of an elder made him suddenly wake up.
As the leader of a sect and the leader of the rebel army, the wisdom and determination he should possess are naturally not lacking.
He began to change things.
Since Qiao Xiuyuan, the Sect Leader and Chief, had spoken, no one dared to say anything more.
At this moment, they all responded: ‘We will obey the Sect Leader’s (General’s) orders.”
“Well done!”
On the battlefield. Lu Yuan rode his horse and loudly praised the disciple who had just retreated: “You are worthy of being my disciple, possessing such extraordinary valor. It was the right choice to have you serve as the vanguard of the army.”
“It’s all thanks to the elite soldiers Master trained and the incompetence of those bandits.” Zhou Qing, his armor already stained with blood, removed his helmet, his hair sticking to his sweat, and humbly smiled.
“Do you need to be modest in front of your Master?”
Lu Yuan looked at his disciple, who was becoming more and more like himself, and couldn’t help but shake his head and smile. However, he didn’t focus on this point and instead asked, “I heard that you just killed an enemy second-rate expert with haphazard arrows?”
Zhou Qing nodded: “Indeed. That bandit was too foolish. Amidst the chaos of the battlefield, he tried to challenge me to a one-on-one duel, which was simply naive.
As the commander of an army, I have thousands of troops under me. How prestigious is that?
Why would I indulge in temporary bravery like him?
So, following Master’s past teachings, I gathered my soldiers, formed a battle formation, and killed him with haphazard arrows.”
Seeing his disciple applying his teachings flexibly, Lu Yuan nodded in approval: “You did well. Those Jianghu people only brag about their temporary bravery. Even if some of them are old foxes, their actions are still full of Jianghu atmosphere, and they think and act in the Jianghu way.
But our master-disciple relationship is different from theirs.
Not only are we highly skilled in martial arts, but we are also veterans in the army.
Facing these people who only have a three-foot Qingfeng sword, dueling with them is the worst possible choice.
Since we command thousands of troops, we just need to apply our skills flexibly. As generals, our duty is to command soldiers to fight, not to fight ourselves.
Killing with a sword is the job of soldiers.
So when dealing with the Jianghu people, trying to speak their language is foolish.
Summoning soldiers, forming battle formations, and killing them together is the wise choice.”
At this moment, Lu Yuan, as a Teacher, was fulfilling his responsibility in giving lessons to his disciple.
After explaining the principles and experiences, he looked at the battlefield.
At this point, the five thousand enemy troops sent to intercept them by the rebels had been completely defeated.
Some soldiers were scattered on the battlefield, being constantly chased and killed by the knights they had brought.
The wilderness was full of corpses, blood staining the ground. Broken swords and spears were everywhere, flags lying on the ground, telling a tragic story. In this battle, no less than three thousand bandits were killed, and over a thousand captured.
The enemy’s morale was utterly broken..