Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 781 (2): Heroes of the Grasslands

Chi Li was a man of the Divine Temple, not bound to any one tribe. He was well aware that, right now, the two forces with the strongest will to fight were Timur’s Golden Wolf Army and the Divine Temple’s Protector Army. The strategists of the Central Plains might have imagined discord between the two, but in truth, no such rift existed. No matter how much tension there might have been between the leaders, a god’s will bound them together. At this moment of life and death, they would fight as one. Bo’e had willingly taken the role of second-in-command, throwing his full support behind Timur.

But their cooperation alone was not enough. They could not expect every tribe to be the same. Outside of those within the temple, others did not hold their faith in the divine above their own people and their own survival. They needed an advantage. If they fell into a disadvantageous position, their resilience would never compare to Huangfu Yongxian’s army, forged through years of blood and battle.

“Circle around to the rear left flank...” Chi Li murmured. “I see Cui Yuanyong over there. If my guess is correct, Situ Xiao is only responsible for the right wing and won’t casually move to the left to interfere with Cui Yuanyong’s defense. They wouldn’t have arranged for that kind of overlap, and their pride wouldn’t allow it.”

“And then what? We’re out of arrows! This is pointless!”

“We saw it just now. Neither flank is like the spear-and-shield formation at the front. A single volley to open the way will be enough.” Chi Li took a deep breath. “I need a few men who aren’t afraid to die. Ride with me, break open their formation, and the rest will follow. We’ll tear through their rear guard.”

The cavalry force of 3,000 fell into complete silence.

Assaulting the enemy’s rear flank... If they had 10,000 men, maybe. But with only 3,000? This was a gamble with their very lives.

“Tactics, when stripped down, still rely on strength and courage. If we don’t bet our lives on this, then this battle is already lost,” Chi Li said calmly. “Those unafraid to die, follow me.”

Cui Yuanyong rested his hand on his sword hilt and gazed at the charging cavalry before him. The sky above darkened under the sheer volume of incoming arrows, just like the sudden gusts of wind sweeping across the battlefield.

He could feel the reckless, violent resolve in it.

For a warrior known for his agility and adaptability to abandon all finesse and charge headlong into a heavily fortified army... Cui Yuanyong understood then that this rising star of the Grasslands, once the undisputed top youth of his time, had no intention of making it out alive.

Back when Yue Hongling and Zhao Changhe were on the ranking, Chi Li had held the spot above them, making him the most prestigious First Hidden Dragon in history. Given enough time, he was bound to become the Divine Temple’s next Bo’e.

But the tides of war were relentless. Even a hero among men could not change the inevitable.

Clang!

Cui Yuanyong’s sword met Chi Li’s scimitar, halting his forward momentum.

Spears surged up all around them.

“Brother Chi Li, this path is closed.” A powerful surge of purple qi erupted around Cui Yuanyong, washing over the surrounding blood-drenched battlefield. “Do you truly believe the Vulture Tribe hasn’t already fled by now?”

“The Golden Wolf Army in the rear will keep them moving forward,” Chi Li muttered, though it was unclear whether he was arguing with Cui Yuanyong or trying to convince himself.

“You abandoned your fluidity and chose brute force. In this kind of battle, you won’t be my match.”

“Then let’s test that.”

* * *

Indeed, as Chi Li expected, the Vulture Tribe was not fleeing.

Clang!

Spears clashed. Vulture Beak leaned back slightly, evading the countless thrusts aimed at him as he retreated several steps.

Standing before him was Huangfu Yongxian, his spear held across his chest as his iron-clad formation pressed forward once again.

According to the Rankings of Troubled Times, Huangfu Yongxian had long been ninth on the Ranking of Earth. Though it was somewhat embarrassing that he ranked lower than his own daughter, he was still among the world’s top experts. Unfortunately, age had caught up with him, and the burdens of military command had left him little time to advance his cultivation. He had been stuck at the second layer of the Profound Mysteries for years, unable to break through to the third layer. Yet, as the tides of fate shifted with some figures advancing and others falling his ranking silently climbed to second place, with only Tang Wanzhuang ahead of him.

In truth, Huangfu Yongxian knew that he was not worthy of the second rank on the Ranking of Earth with his cultivation. The man before him, Vulture Beak, was undoubtedly stronger.

Once hailed as the strongest of the Ranking of Man—long before Zhao Changhe even made a name for himself—he had been recognized as a true King of Man. In the prime of his life, he had broken through the second layer of the Profound Mysteries immediately after the war. In this age of rising gods and demons, he had pushed himself relentlessly, and it was now evident that he had stepped into the third layer. Although he was still at the beginning stage, in past eras, that would have already placed him on the Ranking of Heaven. Now, with no major victories under his belt, he remained in the middle ranks of the Ranking of Earth.

The Grasslands had always been home to an endless stream of mighty heroes. It was why, for a thousand years, they had never ceased their conflicts with the Central Plains.

Unfortunately for Vulture Beak, though Huangfu Yongxian had stagnated in his cultivation, the gap between them was not so vast that he could simply crush him. And here, surrounded by tens of thousands of disciplined soldiers, Vulture Beak found himself in the same predicament that Zhao Changhe had once faced against him. He was capable of overwhelming Huangfu Yongxian in a direct clash, yet utterly unable to break through the encroaching wall of spears.

After all, he had yet to break through to the Profound Control Realm and was no Divine Brilliance Sect martial artist proficient in the Iron Shirt. In the end, he was still made of flesh and blood. Meanwhile, Huangfu Yongxian’s officers were not ordinary soldiers. The soldiers under Huangfu Yongxian were all elite warriors, most of which were at the eighth or ninth layer of the Profound Gate, with some even having recently stepped into Profound Mysteries. They were no mere fodder.

One by one, the Vulture Tribe’s finest warriors fell around him. Unnoticed in the chaos, Huangfu Yongxian’s formation steadily advanced.

He could not hold them back. Step by step, he was forced to retreat, barely slowing the Han army’s relentless steel tide. His warriors were being slaughtered, their numbers dwindling.

To be honest, Vulture Beak himself was willing to fight Huangfu Yongxian to the death. But he was not willing to let his entire tribe perish here. Why should he? And yet, behind them, the Golden Wolf Army loomed, pressing them forward. If they tried to flee now, they would be slaughtered by their own supposed allies. There was no real difference.

Unless... Huangfu Yongxian has a way to throw the Golden Wolf Army into chaos.

Retreating as he fought, Vulture Beak extended his divine sense, sweeping his senses toward the battlefield behind him, searching for an opening.

As Vulture Beak held back Huangfu Yongxian’s advance, the chaos in the rear had gradually subsided. The so-called swamp had significantly dried thanks to Timur’s relentless efforts, and more and more of the northern barbarians were mounting their horses once again. If they could just hold on a little longer, would they be able to pull the battle back into their familiar rhythm?

But Vulture Beak instinctively knew that Huangfu Yongxian would not rely solely on this direct, methodical advance. He would not just sit back and watch his overwhelming advantage get eroded.

In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.[1] A general of Huangfu Yongxian’s caliber would undoubtedly understand this principle.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a great plume of dust rose from the west.

The rear of the Golden Wolf Army was under attack!

From the sky, Timur’s enraged voice thundered, “Batu! I’ve been waiting for you! With your ragged band of beggars, do you think you can repeat the feats of the past?”

Of course, it’s Batu. Vulture Beak felt a tinge of disappointment. This so-called surprise force was no surprise at all. Everyone had anticipated it, and Timur had long prepared a countermeasure.

He saw tribes from the rear moving to encircle Batu, waiting for him to charge into the trap.

Yet, just as the rear forces shifted, another plume of dust erupted from the east, and this plume of dust was far larger than Batu’s. The sound of synchronized iron hooves resounded like an earthquake across the battlefield.

Vulture Beak’s heart tensed. He extended his divine sense, straining to see.

Even Timur hesitated, momentarily unable to process where this army had come from. And when he did realize it, his expression froze.

When Huangfu Qing first launched the northern campaign from Mobei, she had determined that the western front would be the main battlefield. She had thus dispatched Wu Weiyang, a senior general of the Demon Suppression Bureau, with 10,000 light cavalry to reinforce that flank.

But then, through a series of feints and deceptions, the battle had seemed to shift eastward, especially after Timur’s clash with Zhao Changhe. Everyone had adjusted their strategies, repositioning their forces for an eastern conflict. And yet, no matter how the battle’s focal point shifted, Wu Weiyang’s cavalry never turned back.

What seemed like Huangfu Qing’s indecisive, ever-changing assessments and tactics—changing three times in just a few days—had, in truth, never shifted at all. From the beginning, Wu Weiyang’s reinforcement had been set on a course to link up with Huangfu Yongxian.

The vast desert had hidden them well enough, but how had they arrived at precisely the right moment, at exactly the right place, on this battlefield that had only formed through an unexpected clash?

Not only that, but they had appeared just as the swamp disappeared, just as cavalry could move freely once again. Before the Golden Wolf Army could fully reorganize, they had arrived in perfect formation, charging in unison.

How did they time it so flawlessly?

Vulture Beak suddenly looked up. Above, goshawks circled in the sky.

The Vulture Tribe’s vultures had long since been driven away.

Clang!

A powerful force surged toward him. Distracted for a split second, Vulture Beak was nearly disarmed as Huangfu Yongxian thrust his spear with terrifying precision, forcing him back.

Snapping his focus back to the battlefield, he heard Huangfu Yongxian’s resounding command, “The enemy rear is in disarray! Annihilate the Vulture Tribe!”

1. This is from Sun Tzu’s Art of War. ☜