222: Xu Fengnian practices swordsmanship! Iron Pagoda sets out on a campaign!

Chapter 220: Xu Fengnian Practices Sword! Tie Futu Marches Out!

Qingliang Mountain, Northern Liang Royal Mansion.

Li Yishan asked with a solemn expression, "Your Highness, do you really agree to Feng Nian personally leading the campaign against Sha Province?"

Xu Xiao, sitting opposite him at the chessboard, looked up, his ox-like eyes filled with various complex emotions.

"Feng Nian was imprisoned for three years. What I feared most was that he would be scared out of his wits, losing his backbone and pride, and completely become a useless person."

"Fortunately, though Feng Nian is young, his mind is incredibly firm. He actually grew stronger with each setback, never forgetting to conquer Sha Province and avenge himself."

The two fell silent, facing each other. There was also a very crucial fact within this.

After Xu Fengnian was brought back, Sha Province released the news of his three-year imprisonment, which Northern Liang could not suppress.

The generals of Northern Liang all thought the Crown Prince was traveling the Jianghu, never expecting him to have been imprisoned by Li Chang'an.

The dignified Northern Liang Crown Prince was actually imprisoned. The army was also enraged, and calls to conquer Sha Province were rampant.

The Battle Intent in the army was secondary; the most crucial thing was that Xu Fengnian's prestige had once again plummeted to rock bottom, even worse than his previous reputation as a wastrel.

The entire Northern Liang officialdom was abuzz with discussion, all having reservations about Xu Fengnian's position as Crown Prince.

Is a person who was captured for three years still suitable to be the Crown Prince? Is he suitable to inherit the Northern Liang kingship?

"Old Li, only by letting Feng Nian lead the troops to conquer Sha Province can he rebuild his prestige."

At this moment, Xu Xiao's eyes held a touch of helplessness, because this was a last resort.

"Feng Nian is now at the center of a storm. I can no longer hide and protect him. He must fight for the position of King of Northern Liang himself."

After saying this, Xu Xiao sighed in frustration, "Otherwise, he won't be able to hold his position."

According to Xu Xiao's plan, he originally intended for Xu Fengnian to travel the Jianghu, temper his will, and truly mature.

However, his plan had been disrupted by Li Chang'an, and now Xu Fengnian had to personally face the doubts from all sides of Northern Liang.

Li Yishan consoled him, "First, let Wang Chonglou pass on the Great Yellow Court Sutra to Feng Nian. It's just that I don't know if that old Daoist priest is willing."

Hearing this, a trace of anger flashed in Xu Xiao's eyes, and then he slammed the table.

"If that old scoundrel dares to have other intentions, I'll overturn his Wudang Mountain!"

Li Yishan nodded, "Let the Crown Prince establish his martial Dao Foundation, and then have Yuan ZuoZong and Qi Dangguo personally accompany the Crown Prince on the campaign."

"This time, bring all the Iron Pagoda and Great Snow Dragon Riders. No matter how strong Li Chang'an is, he won't be able to break through the Iron Pagoda. This will ensure Feng Nian's safety."

The two had made complete preparations. If they won, it would be good, but even if they lost, Xu Fengnian could not lose his life.

Xu Xiao had the same thought; no matter what, his son could not die on the battlefield.

"I also invited the Old Sword God to protect Feng Nian along with my father-in-law, to ensure nothing goes wrong."

The fact that Qi Lianhua was severely injured by the Eight Exquisites made Xu Xiao's heart uneasy.

Qi Lianhua and Xu Yanbing had similar strength, just one step away from being a Terrestrial Deity.

Such a hidden master was actually severely wounded by eight first-rank experts!

From this, it was clear that Li Chang'an's side truly had hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Only if the Old Sword God and Qi Lianhua went together could Xu Fengnian's safety be guaranteed.

Six months later, Wudang Mountain.

The former martial Dao Genius, one of the Four Grandmasters, the Sword God Li Chungang, was lying in a bamboo forest, chewing on a piece of wild grass.

At the other end of the bamboo forest was a turbulent waterfall. Below the waterfall, Xu Fengnian was diligently practicing his sword techniques.

After Xu Fengnian returned to Northern Liang, Xu Xiao spared no Spirit Pills and quickly healed his injuries.

After his injuries were largely healed, he came to Wudang Mountain. Sect Head Wang Chonglou indeed readily passed on the Great Yellow Court Sutra to Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian was single-mindedly practicing martial arts for revenge, so Xu Xiao invited the Old Sword God Li Chungang to specifically teach Xu Fengnian martial arts.

Xu Fengnian, who practiced sabers in the original work, was now, under the guidance of Li Chungang and accompanied by Huang Zhentu, beginning to practice the sword.

Xu Fengnian held a precious sword and thrust it at the waterfall, sword after sword.

"Swoosh!"

The waterfall was cut open by Sword Qi, creating a gap!

A look of relief appeared on Xu Fengnian's tired face; he finally made progress.

"With such Sword Qi, I can be considered a second-rank Lesser Grandmaster, right!"

Old Huang, who was beside him, also rushed over excitedly, "Congratulations, Young Master!"

"Young Master is indeed a Genius at sword practice, neither arrogant nor impatient."

"Although he received six layers of the Great Yellow Court Sutra from Sect Head Wang, he still Cultivates diligently."

"Now, the Crown Prince's martial arts have advanced by leaps and bounds, already a second-rank Lesser Grandmaster, just like the King."

The smugness in Xu Fengnian's eyes did not last long before it turned into a hint of hatred.

"Old Huang, I heard that Li Chang'an actually killed the Northern Mang Devil Head Hong Jingyan."

"What Realm is he considered now?"

Huang Zhentu was a bit troubled, because Xu Fengnian cared very much about the Realm of his enemy, Li Chang'an.

However, Li Chang'an's current martial Dao attainment was already one of the best below the Earth Immortal Realm.

Xu Fengnian, who had inherited Internal Skill from others and was hastily Cultivating, was far from comparable to Li Chang'an in martial Dao.

"Crown Prince, Li Chang'an's strength is probably only slightly inferior to Mr. Xu and Old Master Qi."

The competitive spirit in Xu Fengnian's eyes instantly extinguished. Although he was very unwilling, he had to accept reality.

"Old Huang, tell me honestly."

"How much longer will it take for this Crown Prince to reach Li Chang'an's Realm?"

Old Huang smiled bitterly, a smile uglier than crying, because he really didn't know.

He did not Cultivate Dao techniques and did not understand the Great Yellow Court Sutra.

Xu Fengnian Cultivated Dao techniques, but he was not part of the Dao sect; he was still a Jianghu martial artist.

After entering the first-rank, he also had to experience the three great Realms: Vajra, Zhi Xuan Realm, and Celestial Phenomenon Realm.

In other words, Xu Fengnian would have to Cultivate to the Peak of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm to fight Li Chang'an, a Realm that most people would never reach in their lifetime.

Just at this moment, a lazy and somewhat melancholic voice answered the question.

"Crown Prince, this junior Daoist can answer that question."

"If the Crown Prince doesn't visit Brothels and Cultivates diligently day and night, it would still take decades."

"However, the martial Dao emphasizes Epiphany. If the Crown Prince can have some fortuitous encounters and gain insights between life and death, an Epiphany overnight is not impossible."

The speaker was Wang Chonglou's Junior Brother, Hong Hixiang, who was said to become the world's number one.

At this moment, Hong Hixiang's face was troubled, his appearance haggard, with a scruffy beard and unkempt look.

Xu Fengnian fell into deep thought after hearing this answer. In other words, practicing day and night was not necessarily the best way to Cultivate martial arts.

In other words, even if he kept practicing martial arts, it was very likely that he would never surpass Li Chang'an in his lifetime.

At this moment, he suddenly felt very unwilling. He had been a favored son of heaven since childhood, with a transcendent status, getting whatever he wanted. It seemed there was nothing in this world he desired that he couldn't obtain, nothing he couldn't achieve.

But now he found that Li Chang'an, who was two years older than him, had achieved far greater accomplishments than him.

The current King of Tang, Li Chang'an, was already subtly on par with his father, Xu Xiao, and far stronger than Xu Fengnian.

As he was lost in thought, Hong Hixiang walked up to him, and Xu Fengnian couldn't help but feel disgusted.

"You little Daoist priest, are you mourning for my eldest sister again?"

Hong Hixiang said, "Ever since that first meeting at fourteen, I felt like our past lives' 緣分 (karma) had been renewed."

"Alas, your eldest sister feels nothing, and now she's even betrothed to the King of Tang, Li Chang'an!"

"Sigh... From ancient times, the passionate have only known regret..."

Xu Fengnian said bitterly, "Don't worry, eldest sister will never marry Li Chang'an!"

After Xu Fengnian finished speaking, he sheathed his precious sword.

Huang Zhentu asked in surprise, "Young Master, are you not practicing anymore?"

Xu Fengnian also knew his situation in Northern Liang. Many old Northern Liang veterans had already proposed replacing the Crown Prince.

He had been imprisoned for three years, and his prestige had plummeted. He wanted to quickly master martial arts to boost his prestige in Northern Liang.

Now it seemed that the path of martial arts might not work. Moreover, Xu Xiao and Chu Lushan were both second-rank Lesser Grandmasters, and weren't they all invincible?

For him, the Northern Liang Crown Prince, martial arts only needed to be enough for self-preservation; military achievements were what mattered.

He was the Northern Liang Crown Prince, with thousands of troops under his command. To seek revenge on Li Chang'an, why should he painstakingly Cultivate martial arts and rely on his own fighting?

Now, to secure his position as the Northern Liang Crown Prince and not be pushed out by Chen Zhibao, he could not sit idly by.

"Old Huang, I think I've been deluded. Surpassing Li Chang'an in martial Dao might be something I can't achieve in my lifetime."

"What's more, martial Dao Cultivation, once it reaches a certain level, also requires experience and Epiphany. Now that the Great Yellow Court Sutra is proficient, what remains is real combat experience."

Then, he looked at the Old Sword God in the bamboo forest, "Senior Sword God!"

"If I lead the army westward, can you guarantee that I won't be assassinated by Sha Province's experts!"

Li Chungang, having accidentally killed his lover years ago, suffered a great loss of mental state, falling from the Earth Immortal Realm to the Zhi Xuan Realm.

He stayed on Wudang Mountain for over half a year, repeatedly defeating the Wudang sword fanatic Wang Xiaoping, and recovered to the Celestial Phenomenon Realm Cultivation.

"Boy, I get stronger when I face strong opponents. If I truly encounter experts from Sha Province, I might even recover my Earth Immortal Cultivation."

"Your father has so many experts under him, are you still afraid they can't protect you? Being so indecisive, what great things can you achieve?"

Li Chungang said this with confidence. Although Wang Xiaoping was weaker than him, he had greatly inspired him, and perhaps one day he would recover his Terrestrial Deity Cultivation.

Hearing Li Chungang's words, Xu Fengnian became even more resolute in his confidence.

"Old Huang, return to the Royal Mansion!"

Fifteen days later, Northern Liang Royal Mansion.

In the main hall of the Royal Mansion, Xu Fengnian sat coldly in the first seat at the head, surrounded by his supporters or Xu Xiao's loyal die-hards.

Over a dozen military generals and over a dozen first-rank experts were present. At the head of the hall sat the current Grand Pillar State, King of Northern Liang Xu Xiao.

"Gentlemen, Li Chang'an has been entrenched behind Northern Liang for over two years. He not only stole the strategist's 100,000 refugee reserve army hidden in Green Cang, but also killed the envoy this King sent to Sha Province!"

To conquer Sha Province, Xu Xiao naturally had to find the most legitimate reasons, and he couldn't openly mention Xu Fengnian's imprisonment.

"These years, Your Majesty has repeatedly ordered this King to clear out Li Chang'an, but this King, considering his recovery of lost territory and his contributions to the country, has always been reluctant to act."

"But now, he has become a grave threat to Northern Liang and must not be allowed to remain!"

"My Northern Liang Army once swept across the land, destroying the Six States of the Spring and Autumn Period, each of which was several times larger than Sha Province!"

Xu Xiao's mind was made up, and the generals in the hall understood.

"Your Highness, we are just waiting for your command!"

"Sha Province has provoked us everywhere, even killing Your Highness's envoy. This is simply courting death!"

"Li Chang'an has eliminated several of our secret agents. Fushui Bureau must take his life!"

"Your Highness, send forth the troops! Conquer Sha Province! Capture Li Chang'an alive!"

"Sha Province's soldiers are only good for bullying small tribes; they don't know the might of the world's number one army!"

... The generals of Northern Liang, whether they supported Xu Fengnian or not, were all united against Li Chang'an, who was a thorn in Northern Liang's side.

A hint of excitement flashed in Xu Xiao's eyes. He hadn't seen such a scene of collective indignation and eager requests for battle in many years.

If it weren't for giving his son a chance to rise, he himself would have wanted to lead this campaign.

"Yuan ZuoZong!"

With Xu Xiao's command, White Bear Yuan ZuoZong, one of the Six Adopted Sons, stepped forward.

"Your son is here!"

Yuan ZuoZong, a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert, was known as the world's number one general, commanding the 10,000 Da Xue Dragon Riders Army, also known as the world's number one cavalry.

"Gather 10,000 Da Xue Dragon Riders and 50,000 Liang Province Iron Cavalry to accompany the Crown Prince on the campaign against Sha Province!"

Yuan ZuoZong replied loudly, "Understood!"

Xu Xiao continued to order, "Qi Dangguo!"

"This King has already deployed 6,000 Iron Pagoda. I order you to lead the Iron Pagoda and 50,000 Ling Province elite soldiers to accompany the Crown Prince on the campaign against Sha Province!"

"Understood!"

Qi Dangguo was the standard-bearer of the Northern Liang Army, and also the most steady and loyal.

Xu Fengnian calmly watched the two great generals step forward, knowing that Xu Xiao had assigned him the strongest forces.

Out of 350,000 troops, 140,000 were cavalry and 210,000 were infantry.

However, Liang Province, Ling Province, and You Province all needed troops to guard them, and they also had to defend against Northern Mang's southward advance.

The 116,000 men dispatched to Xu Fengnian this time were only made possible by Xu Xiao's personal arrangements over the past year.

Moreover, the strongest cavalry, the Great Snow Dragon Riders and the Iron Pagoda, as well as the most excellent 'Wolf Dog' and 'White Bear' (referring to generals), were also sent out.

It could be said that with such generals and forces, none of the previous Eight States of the Spring and Autumn Period could have withstood them.

Xu Fengnian knew that Xu Xiao had spared no expense this time to help him solidify his position as Crown Prince.

Although Li Chang'an's military strength had surged in recent years, even with local garrisons, he only had about 150,000 troops.

The maximum he could field for a full-scale battle was actually only 70,000 to 80,000 men.

In the eyes of Northern Liang's generals, the Northern Liang Army was a seasoned, victorious force. Sha Province's greatest achievement was merely sweeping some tribal groups on the grasslands.

Such achievements could not compare to the Northern Liang Army, which had annihilated six states and killed 500,000 enemies.

Subsequently, Xu Xiao also called upon over a dozen veteran generals to accompany Xu Fengnian on the campaign.

Accompanying Xu Fengnian on this campaign, in addition to these armies, were over a dozen first-rank experts.

Except for Xu Yanbing, who remained to protect Xu Xiao, Li Chungang and Qi Lianhua both went with Xu Fengnian. Xu Xiao could be said to have gone all out.

Xu Xiao's expression was solemn, and his tone was murderous, completely devoid of the usual jovial demeanor he had with Xu Fengnian.

"Xu Fengnian!"

Xu Fengnian also stood up and cupped his hands, showing no hint of a wastrel.

"Your son is here!"

Xu Xiao said grandly, "This battle concerns the survival of Northern Liang. If you don't take Sha Province, come back with your head!"

This was probably the sternest thing Xu Xiao had ever said to Xu Fengnian in his life.

But these were Xu Xiao's heartfelt words. Li Chang'an was a major threat to Northern Liang, capable of stabbing Northern Liang in the back at any time.

Moreover, the army Xu Fengnian was taking away could be said to be Northern Liang's elite and formidable forces.

If this battle was not won, Northern Liang would only be on the defensive against Sha Province, and the situation would become very passive.

For Xu Fengnian, if this battle was not won, his position as Crown Prince would also be untenable.

"I respectfully obey the Grand Pillar State's command. I swear not to return until Sha Province is destroyed!"