"The Mang plains are vast, spanning more than ten thousand miles from east to west. The west is adjacent to the three provinces of Yumen, Jinyuan, and Luochuan. Because of the mountains blocking it, it has never been the main route for our Mang tribe to invade the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
Tuoba Ge stood in front of a huge sand table and introduced to Jiang Li the composition of forces in the northwest of the wilderness.
"There are hundreds of tribes in the northwest region, half of which belong to the two royal families of Tuoba and Chiluo. Compared with the lush pastures in the central and eastern parts of the wilderness, the northwest region seems much more desolate, and the tribes are relatively weak!"
"As early as a month ago, Mang Khan had already issued a mobilization order, and the major tribes in the northwest region were also notified and moved to the hinterland one after another. First, to avoid the sharp edges, avoid being wiped out one by one by the Zhou army, and gather strength; second, to lengthen the area. Battle line, make it more difficult for the Zhou army to supply!"
…
"In other words, there are not many tribal forces around us that can be gathered by us?"
Jiang Li nodded, his eyes moved slowly in the sand table, his eyes moved slightly, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
A full half month has passed since he reached an agreement with the mercenaries from the Western Regions.
His 10,000 Zhou troops, 130,000 mercenaries from the Western Regions, and 40,000 Tuoba tribe cavalry formed a huge army of 180,000, roaming in the peripheral areas of the northwest of the wilderness, annexing and conquering all available tribes in the northern wilderness, large and small, but The effect is not great.
Due to Mang Khan's early mobilization, most of the large and small tribes in the northwest of the wilderness have migrated to the northwest hinterland near the central part of the wilderness.
In addition, the available combat power of many tribes was mobilized to the hinterland to join the power of the Chiluo and Tuoba royal families.
In the past half month, Jiang Li captured more than 30 tribes, large and small, and more than 600,000 people, but the available troops collected were less than 30,000.
"This is all expected!"
Tuoba Ge did not feel anxious or uneasy, "According to Tuoba Lue's layout strategy, before the main force of the northwest Mang army led by Chi Luo and Tuoba clashed with the Zhou army, this was the only force that could be gathered.
Although compared to the two major royal families and the main force of the Great Zhou Dynasty, 200,000 soldiers and horses are not many, but our purpose has never been to confront them head-on. It is to take advantage of the main force of the two armies to fight and suddenly kill them when their strength is exhausted. Enter and take control of the battle! "
When Tuoba Ge said this, he couldn't help but get excited.
There will definitely be a battle between Chiluo, Tuoba and the Liangzhou General Camp. Even if one side wins, it will have to pay a heavy price.
More than 200,000 fresh troops rush into a stalemate battlefield and can instantly turn the tide of any battle.
Whoever you help wins!
"If your goal is only to control the Tuoba royal family, then the weaker the tribes of the Tuoba royal family, the easier it is for you to control. But if you want to become the king of the northwest wilderness, support your own troops, and control Luo and Tuoba Most of the strength of the two tribes must be preserved, otherwise how can we compete with Mang Khan and defend your territory in the future!"
Jiang Li shook his head, "Our goal is not just to defeat Chi Luo and Tuoba, but to completely control the entire northwest wilderness and even the lush pastures in the central part of the wilderness!"
"You are right. Mang Khan's background is no weaker than that of the Zhou royal family. Even if the Zhou people win a great victory this time, they will not be able to truly annex the Mang plains, at least not within decades!"
Tuoba Ge suddenly realized, but no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could not think of any feasible strategy, "We only have more than 200,000 soldiers and horses, and we want to make Chiluo and Tuoba surrender while retaining most of their strength. , it is simply impossible to do it unless the force is doubled, but the northwest of the wilderness is so big that there is no other force that can be requisitioned. "
"It may not be impossible if we have limited troops. We must gather all our troops immediately and wait until the time is right to continue marching towards the northwest hinterland!"
Jiang Li had already made a decision in his mind and ordered Tuoba Ge to speed up the control and training of the 30,000 newly surrendered soldiers, and at the same time recall all the troops that were wandering around looking for isolated tribes.
"suitable time?"
Tuoba Ge was a little puzzled. At this moment, hundreds of tribes, large and small, gathered in the northwest hinterland, and the main forces of Chiluo and Tuoba were also nearby. If Jiang Li led an army of 200,000 people directly into the hinterland, he would inevitably encounter hundreds of tribes of Chiluo and Tuoba. A battle breaks out between thousands of armies...
"The Liangzhou General Camp continues to penetrate deep into the wilderness, and will reach the hinterland of the wilderness in at least ten days. Chiluo and Tuoba will never sit still and wait for death. They will definitely launch an attack in advance before the Liangzhou General Camp approaches!"
"Once the main armies of Chiluo and Tuoba are mobilized, the defense power of the hundreds of small and large tribes that have moved to the hinterland of Beimang will inevitably be weak and weak. As long as we capture all these tribes and control them, the soldiers of Chiluo and Tuoba's armies will , it is absolutely impossible to watch your relatives being slaughtered by us one by one!"
Jiang Li said in a calm voice: "Our real advantage is not how many troops we have, but that until now, neither Chi Luo, Tuoba nor Da Zhou knew that such a force existed.
"From now on, our first priority is to stay away from the battlefield and don't let anyone discover us!"
"Take advantage of their unpreparedness and control Chiluo and Tuoba's base camp!"
Tuoba Ge's eyes brightened. As long as he could control the life and death of all civilians, even if the royal families and nobles of Chiluo and Tuoba refused to surrender, the ordinary Mang soldiers below would never be indifferent.
A mutiny can be caused with just a few tricks. Coupled with the threat of military strength from the Liangzhou General Camp, it may not be impossible to peacefully conquer the northwest wilderness.
By then, with millions of troops, he, the king of the northwest, would be able to truly secure his position.
"Don't worry, sir, I'll do it right away!"
Tuoba Ge nodded, convinced by Jiang Li's strategy. He put his hand on his chest and saluted respectfully, then turned around and left in a hurry.
"Jiang Li, this demon is back!"
A strong wind blew inside the tent, and a ferocious black dog the size of a calf appeared panting, lapping up water from the copper basin used for washing hands.
"How is the current situation of Liangzhou General Camp?"
Jiang Li flicked his finger, and dozens of True Essence Pills emitting a faint golden glow flew toward the big black dog.
Jiang Li, who is leading the troops this time, is only responsible for the mission of a ranger. He can act independently and is not subject to instructions from the Liangzhou General Camp.
In order to avoid Beimang intercepting correspondence and exposing his whereabouts and plans, Jiang Li did not maintain communication channels with the Liangzhou General Camp.
But as he controls more and more troops, he can already influence or even control the situation in the northwest of Mangzhou. He must always be aware of the movements of the Liangzhou General Camp, Chiluo and Tuoba.
Therefore, as early as ten days ago, the big black dog and the old deer demon were dispatched to investigate the specific movements of both parties.
"Wow, I think you are very interesting!"
The big black dog quickly swallowed the True Essence Pill in one gulp, and the True Yang essence was flowing in his body. It shivered comfortably, and then said: "Everything is as usual in the Liangzhou General Camp. We march three hundred miles every day. I dare not I got too close and only watched from a distance for a while, but I discovered something on the way back!"
"What's going on?" Jiang Li was moved.
"In the area we passed by, there was an army of 50,000 people, sweeping around aimlessly. Almost all the Mang tribes they discovered were slaughtered!"
The big black dog shrank his neck and said with lingering fear: "I also detected an extremely terrifying aura in this army. The smell is also very familiar. It should be a figure in the Zhenwu Marquis Mansion!"
Hearing this, Jiang Li walked to the sand table and looked at it for a moment, frowning slightly, "The only Zhou army that can appear in this area is the 50,000 left-wing army led by Jiang Xuanluo. They shoulder the heavy responsibility of guarding the safety of Liangzhou's main left wing. How could it be so far off course?”
"Not only is it deviating, but the marching speed is not very fast either. It only moves left and right in this area. The direction of the advance is all the marching traces we deliberately left behind to interfere with the line of sight!" the big black dog added.
"Jiang Xuanluo is looking for me?"
Jiang Li's thoughts changed and he immediately guessed something. His expression suddenly changed: "I'm afraid the Liangzhou Camp is in danger!"
"How do you say that?" the big black dog asked curiously.
"The Chiluo and Tuoba royal families will definitely notice Jiang Xuanluo's massacre in such a big way. Once they learn that Zhou's left-wing army has deviated from the planned position, they will definitely take this opportunity to send an army to attack the Liangzhou general camp from the right. .
Even if victory cannot be won in one battle, the Liangzhou general camp will suffer heavy casualties and morale will be greatly reduced. The combat power pattern in the northwest of Mangzhou will be completely destroyed. Not only will it be impossible to conquer the northwest, it may even affect Jinghuang's overall layout! "
Jiang Li smiled coldly, his heart filled with anger.
Jiang Xuanluo's move almost dragged the entire Liangzhou General Camp into danger.
Such behavior is extremely stupid and arrogant.
"Wow, is it so serious?"
The big black dog jumped up suddenly, also a little anxious, "Then what are you waiting for? Let's go and notify the Liangzhou General Camp now. No, we will lead the army to rescue now!"
"Since you have discovered the location of the left-wing army, Chiluo and Tuoba have probably discovered it as well, and have even led their troops to attack long ago!"
Jiang Li shook his head and said: "We are too far away from the Liangzhou General Camp. It is of little significance to rush there now. Even if we can relieve the Liangzhou General Camp, we cannot change the northwest."
"What should we do? If the main force in Liangzhou is destroyed, we will be in danger. How about we go to the Western Regions. An army of 200,000 people will be enough to conquer several small countries. Then you will be the king and be on an equal footing with Emperor Jing!" The big black dog was talking nonsense. Said.
"Establishing an independent country? Don't tell me whether I have such thoughts. With my current strength, even if I establish it, I won't be able to maintain it for long!"
Jiang Li pondered for a moment and said: "Dahei, you go to Chiluo and Tuoba again to confirm whether their army has left. Once all Fu Di's Western Region mercenaries turn back, we will set off immediately.
"First go to the northwest hinterland to capture all the Mang tribes, and then immediately go south to rescue the Liangzhou General Camp. I hope they can sustain it until then!"
"Okay, I'll leave again now. I don't know what happened to Lao Lu. He hasn't come back after being gone for so long!"
The big black dog nodded and swept out of the tent like a gust of wind.
"Wow, Jiang Li, help me, the hard fight is coming!"
However, just a few breaths after the big black dog had plundered out of the main tent, it retreated backwards, its body shaking like chaff and its voice trembling.
"Manager Qiu!"
Jiang Li was shocked when he saw this. After walking out of the tent, he saw a thin and short old man standing in front of the tent with an expressionless face, his head lowered, and his cloudy eyes staring at the toes exposed from the bottom of his robe.
This man was thin in stature, but he was wearing a very large black robe, which was flying in the air under the strong wind of the grassland, as if he was covered with a huge flag, which looked quite strange.
It was Qiu Tianhai, the chief steward of Zhenwuhou Mansion.
Jiang Li's main tent was located in the center of the camp, with nearly 10,000 tents set up in an orderly manner around it.
Teams of soldiers were fully armed and patrolling around the camp. On the grassland not far away, tens of thousands of Tuoba and Dazhou sergeants were practicing formations.
But no one discovered Qiu Tianhai's existence.
He just stood there quietly. Although he was visible and real to the naked eye, he managed to make everyone ignore his existence.
A patrol consisting of a hundred warriors from the Western Regions passed by not far away, but they turned a blind eye to Qiu Tianhai's presence.
"Master Li's changes really shocked me!"
Qiu Tianhai slowly raised his head. He moved slowly, and his eyes slowly scanned the nearly 60,000 soldiers and horses in the entire camp. Gu Jing Bubo's eyes could not help but tremble slightly.
He naturally knew about Jiang Li's current situation in Liangzhou Headquarters.
However, it only took more than a month for him to lead 10,000 troops and horses from Yumen Pass, but he actually gathered and formed such a force.
The mercenaries of the Western Regions, the Tuoba cavalry and the sergeants of the Great Zhou Dynasty were in the same camp, and they had no offense against each other.
And they all came under the command of Jiang Li.
How did he do that?
Qiu Tianhai had also led an army as a general and followed Jiang Shirong in his expeditions east and west, so he naturally knew how incredible such a scene was.
Even someone as strong as Marquis could not do this.
"The old slave has watched Young Master Li grow up, and is also aware of the various changes that Young Master Li has undergone over the past year. Before coming to see Young Master Li, he had certain expectations in his heart, but Young Master's performance is always so unexpected. Dare to imagine!”
Qiu Tianhai sincerely sighed: "I have seen quite a few powerful characters in my generation, but none of them can compare with Mr. Li, not even the Marquis!"
"It's rare for Butler Qiu to approve, but you left the Marquis Mansion and went all the way into the wilderness to see me, wouldn't you just want to praise me?" Jiang Li said gently.
"The Marquis sent me to Beimang mainly to protect the safety of the eldest young master!"
Qiu Tianhai sighed: "If the eldest son could completely follow the orders of His Royal Highness, put aside selfishness and fulfill his duties, I would not have planned to come to see you.
"It's a pity that the eldest son is headstrong and blinded by hatred. Not only can he not make meritorious deeds, but he may also make a big mistake at any time. But you, Mr. Li, are different!"
Qiu Tianhai pointed at Jiang Li's camp and said: "Based on these alone, Young Master Li is already in an invincible position, and he also has the power to influence a certain battle situation. Once he makes meritorious deeds in the future, comparing the two, the situation of the eldest Young Master will be even worse. Embarrassing!”
"Compared?"
Jiang Li was startled when he heard this, "Don't you think it's ridiculous, Mr. Qiu? Why should I compare with him?"
"Of course Mr. Li doesn't have this intention, but the eldest son does. Once he can't accept the reality, he will definitely come to find trouble for Mr. Li!"
Qiu Tianhai smiled bitterly, "Once you brothers meet, a fight is inevitable. Although the eldest son has a higher level of martial arts, he may not be able to defeat you. With the temperament of Mr. Li, I will probably not spare his life, old slave. I really can’t bear to let Mr. Hou experience the pain of losing a child again!”
"What does Mr. Qiu want to do?" Jiang Li asked calmly.
"Originally, when I came here, I wanted to persuade Mr. Li to lead his troops away from the battlefield and leave a way for the eldest son to survive. If the Marquis knew about it, he would feel less grudge against you. After all, you are father and son, and you will eventually reconcile! "
Qiu Tianhai sighed: "But now that I have met the young master, I find that I was too optimistic before. Now the young master's life is not important anymore!"
As Qiu Tianhai spoke, he shook his sleeves. The empty black robe seemed to be gradually filling up.
The corners of the robe that were about to fly up due to the strong wind also calmed down.
Although the strong wind in the wilderness was still howling, it was isolated by Qiu Tianhai a hundred meters away.
The sound of the wind disappeared in my ears, and even the sound of tens of thousands of military horses training in the distance was isolated and disappeared completely.
"Master Li, your existence has begun to threaten the life of the Marquis!"
Qiu Tianhai started to take steps, walking towards Jiang Li step by step.
With every step he took, his thin and short body became fuller and taller, gradually becoming more majestic.
"Master Li has obtained the Qi Meridian inheritance from the Jiaohe Sect. In the future, his Qi Meridian achievements will never stop at the life-threatening realm. He may even achieve the legendary Nirvana Realm and become an existence on the same level as a human immortal!"
Qiu Tianhai shook his head and said: "It's not possible, but it will definitely happen. Mr. Li's strategy and talent are much higher than those of the Marquis. It is only a matter of time before you surpass the Marquis. Once you have power that even the Marquis cannot restrain." , there is no possibility of reconciliation between you father and son!"
"With the young master's determination to kill the eldest lady, I am afraid that he will treat the marquis with the same cruelty. I can't just watch this happen, so I can only wrong the young master and return to the marquis' mansion with me!"
"You want to take me back to Zhenwuhou Mansion!"
"There is nothing we can do about this. I know Mr. Li feels aggrieved, but for the sake of the Marquis, I can only sacrifice you!"
Qiu Tianhai nodded, and the Martial Saint's aura suddenly rose up, pressing heavily towards Jiang Li. His originally five-foot figure was now as tall as a god.
A line of energy smoke visible to the naked eye rose from Qiu Tianhai's head, straight into the sky, resonating with the heaven and earth, and shining with the sun and the moon.
The skin stretches and regains its luster, and the silver hair becomes as thick and black as if dyed with ink, dancing without the wind.
He appeared in front of Jiang Li and grabbed Jiang Li with a pair of big hands.
The Martial Saint's aura, which was as heavy as a mountain, made Jiang Li's shoulders sag suddenly. All the bones in his body were shaking, and there was a possibility of being crushed by the aura at any time.
This kind of momentum and power is not comparable to that of Fei Qianren and the martial half-saints who have become saints like the ancestors of the White Walkers.
Between the palms, there is a strange and powerful fist spirit running.
This boxing spirit has unrivaled spiritual will, but it also has a wonderful artistic conception of turning reality into emptiness, and creating life and non-life.
It seemed as if everything would turn into nothingness and disappear between Qiu Tianhai's hands.
"none!"
"This is your fist spirit!"
"Can everything be dissolved into nothing?"
Jiang Li quietly looked at the big hand that was grabbing at him. The Sumeru Ring's brilliance flashed, and the Demon Sword Man flew out with a swish. The endless aura of destruction swept around him, and the pressure of the Martial Saint that originally enveloped Jiang Li dissipated in an instant.
Jiang Li held the knife, and blood surged throughout his body, making a roaring sound, like a great river rushing through his body.
"The Wrath of the Desolate Sky" brings luck to the ultimate heaven.
All the blood in Jiang Li's body instantly burned and evaporated, turning into endless and surging power.
A six-fold increase in strength instantly appeared all over Jiang Li's body.
The young man held the knife in both hands, put his feet on the ground, and leaped into the air against the wind, the sword glow billowing.
It seemed that thousands of soldiers and horses were shouting and shouting, and the sound was like a sea of thunder, but it finally condensed on a point on the edge of the magic sword and turned into a soundless sound.
Elephant Xisheng!
"Master Li has great sword skills!"
Qiu Tianhai's eyes shrank, with a look of surprise in his eyes.
The magnanimity has no corner, the great talent comes late, the sound is great, and the elephant is invisible!
The loudest and most beautiful sound in heaven and earth is the sound of silence!
The best image is formless, imageless and soundless.
Qiu Tianhai's fist spirit was nothing, so when Jiang Li's sword appeared in front of him.
He understood instantly and was even completely immersed in this infinite sword intention.
It is precisely because he can truly understand this invisible artistic conception of Xisheng that he can become more aware of Jiang Li's attainments in martial arts.
"Achievement in the Yiwu Realm!"
The light of the sword flashed away, and Qiu Tianhai's figure stopped. He slowly retracted his hands. With a pair of unbreakable palms, a deep knife mark was shocking and could be seen as deep as the bone.
"Master Li, you have given me too many surprises!"
Qiu Tianhai's voice was also trembling a little at this time.
"Yi Wu Realm, you have actually developed your martial arts to such a level in less than a year. You have hid it from everyone, even the Marquis!"
"Your power even surpasses that of ordinary martial saints. Although it was achieved through secret methods, it is still too terrifying!"
Qiu Tianhai raised his palms, his eyes full of disbelief.
There were just two crisp sounds, and the bones in his hand broke all together.
(End of chapter)
