53: Chapter 0053 The Army of 30,000

Upon hearing this, General Zhao Kuan and Mu Wanying both looked grim.

Thirty thousand!? And they are all well-equipped provincial troops!

If it comes to a fight, how can we possibly defend against them with only a few thousand half-trained soldiers in the city!?

No matter how high Lin Xiao's martial arts skills are, he only managed to repel a ten-thousand-strong vanguard of the Northern Barbarians back then; this is three times that number!!

"So that's how it is..."

Lin Xiao frowned and nodded, "In that case, Official Jia Pengju certainly has reason to be confident."

"That goes without saying. I advise you all to stop making futile resistance!"

Just as Official Jia Pengju finished speaking, a "clang" sound was heard!

Lin Xiao suddenly produced the wolf fang cold moon blade in his hand, instantly slashing out a crimson streak of blade energy!

"Squelch!——"

Official Jia Pengju's head was severed, and blood sprayed wildly from his headless corpse on horseback!!

[Kill +1, Internal Energy +1, Prestige +30]

"Sir!——"

The few guards couldn't react in time, shocked by the speed of Lin Xiao's blade!

They couldn't believe that even knowing a thirty-thousand-strong army was bearing down on them, he would actually dare to strike!?

Is this guy trying to get himself killed!?

"Kill them all!!"

Lin Xiao looked resolute; what did a thirty-thousand-strong army matter?

Back when he was still of mortal grade aptitude, he dared to go up against a ten-thousand-strong Northern Barbarian Army!!

He had already killed Prince Bai's staff and provoked a three-hundred-thousand-strong army, so what were these thirty thousand?

Seeing Lin Xiao draw his blade, Mu Wanying didn't hesitate, charging forward with her spear and piercing a guard to death with a single thrust!

Lin Xiao moved as if there was no one there, facing a group of guards who were at most mystic grade in aptitude with at most twenty or thirty years of cultivation; wherever his Blazing Heaven blade energy passed, it was like cutting vegetables!

General Zhao Kuan had just dismounted and hadn't even had a chance to show his skills before realizing that Lin Xiao and Mu Wanying had already killed them all!

"Brother, what do we do now? This guy surnamed Jia probably wasn't lying; Inspector General Jiang Shengyuan of Cang Province really does have over thirty thousand troops under his command!" General Zhao Kuan said uneasily.

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Just like fighting the barbarians, we take the initiative and attack!"

"What?"

General Zhao Kuan turned pale, "The enemy is thirty thousand strong; you want to attack them head-on?"

"Brother Zhao, you don't think they won't come if we don't move, do you?"

"They wouldn't just bring thirty thousand troops here for no reason; they must be prepared to lay siege to the city!"

"Precisely because the enemy is so numerous, if their army enters Baishui Prefecture, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses!"

"The best approach is to thoroughly repel the enemy army far away from Baishui Prefecture!"

General Zhao Kuan was speechless; that was indeed the logic...

Mu Wanying nodded, "I support my husband's view. We have already made an enemy of Prince Bai; there is no turning back now!"

"This Official Jia Pengju coming to take over was just the first step; the next step would be to seize our military power and then execute us one by one."

"Prince Bai colludes with the Northern Barbarians and, in order to boost his own reputation, would rather sacrifice tens of thousands of border residents; such a person has no benevolence or righteousness whatsoever!"

General Zhao Kuan gritted his teeth, "Fine! Anyway, my life and the lives of the Border Army soldiers were all saved by you, my good brother; if you say we do it, then we do it!"

Lin Xiao laughed, "Brother Zhao, no need to be so nervous. Although it seems like the enemy is strong and we are weak, we actually have a few advantages."

"Oh? What advantages?" General Zhao Kuan asked curiously.

"First, the enemy doesn't know that Official Jia Pengju is dead yet; by taking the initiative, we will gain the upper hand!"

"Second, although the Cangzhou Army is numerous and powerful, they lack combat experience and fighting spirit. Not to mention the Mu Family Army, they can't even compare to our Border Army. As long as we can defeat them one by one, they are nothing to fear!"

"Third, and most importantly—they have no legitimate reason for their campaign!"

Lin Xiao sneered, "They are just following the orders of the inspector general to come and 'reclaim' Baishui Prefecture for Prince Bai, but we are not Northern Barbarians; we are all soldiers of the Great Gan Empire just like them."

"If we were the Cangzhou Army, we certainly wouldn't be happy doing this kind of thing, so... as long as we give them a reason to withdraw, they will surely collapse quickly!"

Mu Wanying's beautiful eyes lit up, "My husband intends to... kill General Fan Zhong!?"

"Correct! Once the commanding general is dead, the Cangzhou Army will have a reason to retreat!"

Lin Xiao said, "Wanying, you and Brother Zhao, each lead the elite cavalry of the Mu Family Army and the garrison."

"Split into two groups and draw the enemy's main force from both flanks. Do not get bogged down in fighting; maintain distance and prioritize self-preservation."

"Leave the rest to me!"

"Fine! I'll go gather the elites now!" General Zhao Kuan didn't waste any words and rushed back to the military camp.

Mu Wanying was a bit worried, "My husband, although your martial arts are excellent, you must still be careful..."

Lin Xiao stroked her cheek, "Don't worry, I haven't let you have my baby yet, how could I bear to die?"

Mu Wanying's pretty face flushed slightly; she nodded, mounted her horse, and went to mobilize the Mu Family Army.

Lin Xiao looked outside the city gate, a look of excitement appearing on his lips.

He was just worrying about having no way to farm internal energy and prestige; thirty thousand troops... hehe, there should be quite a few officers among them!

A quarter of an hour later, Mu Wanying and General Zhao Kuan led two groups of troops and assembled outside the city.

The Mu Family Army soldiers were all excited, their fighting spirit high!

And the elite troops from the Border Army and the garrison on General Zhao Kuan's side also seemed to be gearing up, clearly wanting to show what they could do.

To Lin Xiao's surprise, Chen Chuan, Li Xu, and the other five-man team also arrived behind General Zhao Kuan's troops.

"You all want to go too?" Lin Xiao frowned.

"Sir, please take us with you. Isn't the battlefield the best training ground for mounted archery?" Chen Chuan said expectantly.

Li Xu and the others all nodded in succession, their faces full of a desire to achieve great things.

Lin Xiao hesitated for a moment but did not stop them; he spoke loudly:

"Listen up! I know you are all brave warriors! You are iron-willed men!!"

"But the main task this time is to contain the enemy army, not to fight to the death!!"

"Surviving! That is victory!!"

"If anyone disobeys orders, they will be dealt with by military law upon return!!"

The soldiers loudly acknowledged the order; they had all heard of Lin Xiao's glorious achievements and wanted to witness them firsthand this time.

The two groups of troops immediately spurred their horses and galloped toward the plain between Baishui City and Pingcang County.

After resting halfway, about two hours later, some military tents appeared ahead.

One could see tens of thousands of people, a vast crowd, camping and resting on the spot.

Because they were ready to set off for Baishui City at any time, the camp was very crudely built and had no defensive fortifications.

"Brother Zhao, Wanying, next I will find a way to sneak into the military camp. Once there is chaos in the camp, no matter what happens, you must attack from both flanks!"

"Understood! Take care, good brother!" General Zhao Kuan cupped his hands.

Mu Wanying nodded, her eyes filled with determination and trust.

Lin Xiao didn't say another word and set off alone on horseback.

Getting into the camp of a thirty-thousand-strong army to get close to General Fan Zhong was far more difficult than assassinating Bate in the ten-thousand-strong Northern Barbarian vanguard camp.

Although Lin Xiao was confident in his martial arts, if he alerted the enemy and let General Fan Zhong escape, it would be troublesome.

In this battle, he needed to be unexpected and finish it quickly!

Therefore, before coming, he had already changed into the clothes of one of Official Jia Pengju's guards.

He also took the opportunity to cut a few holes in the clothes to make himself look more disheveled.

When he arrived at the military camp gate, panting and on horseback, he "accidentally" fell off his horse!

"General Fan... quickly take me to see General Fan..." Lin Xiao reached out and shouted urgently.

Sure enough, the few soldiers in charge of guarding, upon seeing Lin Xiao's attire, hurriedly came up to ask.

"You are Official Jia Pengju's guard? What happened!?"