My Cultivation Starting from Archery

Two days later.

Outside the Great Wall.

The scattered barbarian soldiers finally regrouped, numbering around a thousand, but no one dared to approach the Great Wall again. They headed straight back to the grasslands dozens of miles away to station themselves. During this period, the two spies they had sent out also vanished without a trace, deterring anyone else from going.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sound of horse hooves shook the earth.

It was on this day.

The large army forcibly transferred from the main battlefield in Liangzhou finally arrived, with more troops than reported—forty thousand strong!

"Damn it!"

The Main General of the Meridian Passage Realm, Wu LiangHa, lashed his whip onto a soldier: "You were supposed to be besieging the city. Why are you here?"

The whip split the soldier's body right in half!

To those with good eyesight, it was clear.

In fact, the whip hadn't touched the barbarian's body at all. Instead, an invisible force attached to the whip was what tore the soldier apart.

"Mercy, my lord!"

The barbarian soldiers knelt down one after another, recounting the events of two days prior.

"Nonsense!"

"Sun Xiangzong is still at the main Liangzhou battlefield. It would take at least half a month to come to You State! How could he possibly run to Po Yang and kill an insignificant Refining Organ General!"

Wu LiangHa raged: "Army, march with me! Direct assault on Po Yang! I want to see who scared you like this!"

When the army of forty thousand arrived beneath the city walls.

What emerged before them was an empty city.

Not only were there no defending troops, but even the civilians were gone!

"Idiots, idiots!"

Wu LiangHa was hopping mad: "Tens of thousands of people from a city, and you let them escape? If you're not up for taking the city, can't you even encircle it? Search the city!"

The barbarian army flooded into the city.

Wu LiangHa, on his own, went to an uninhabited place and waited in silence.

Before long.

One after another, members of the Witch God Sect cloaked in black robes arrived.

Leading them was also a master of the Meridian Passage.

In his hand, he held a long spike: "General Wu LiangHa, why have you given me an empty city?"

"Wu Mu'er is completely useless! One after another, the Refining Organ troops sent are no fewer than the Sheng Dynasty's, yet they're beaten down to just two thousand men!"

Wu LiangHa suppressed his rage: "What's next, should we give up on Po Yang?"

"No!"

The Witch God Sect leader Amugu, with a solemn expression: "We originally counted on the six hundred thousand from You State, and one county should have at least thirty thousand. If they escape, what if we can't meet the numbers?"

"Then we shall pursue."

Wu LiangHa said firmly: "These city defenders are not thinking straight, dragging civilians with them, their pace must be extremely slow. Leading the army by the main road, the cavalry should catch up in a few days."

"Send three thousand Light Cavalry to pursue. A few Refining Organ leaders will suffice. I'll take another troop to Hengkang Prefecture first. There are more people there. After dealing with that, I'll personally go after them."

Amugu methodically arranged: "As for the rest, you lead them to hit An Ding Prefecture."

Above Refining Organ is Hua Jin.

Above Hua Jin is Meridian Passage!

"An Ding Prefecture?"

Wu LiangHa did not immediately reply: "Are you sure? Wasn't it agreed that we would surround An Ding Prefecture but not attack, and immediately retreat after our main mission?"

"This is the Sect Hierarch's command."

Amugu stated: "Hengkang Prefecture is about to fall. If we can also take An Ding Prefecture, even if we can't occupy You State, we'll be able to demand more benefits."

"Fine!"

Wu LiangHa accepted: "That is enough. The defenders in this city, the highest realm is merely at Refining Organ, and they might not even have that. Leave it to you."

Orders were dispatched.

The barbarian cavalry quickly followed the trail left by the abandoned city garrison and gave chase.

...

"Phew—"

Having finally assimilated the potency of the Tiger Blood Wine, Chen Sansi planted his long spear into the ground and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

[Cultivation Technique: Unity Spear Technique (Not Yet Entry-Level)]

[Progress: 45/100]

[Utility: Power of the Dragon Elephant, Nine Dragon Living Veins, Vajra Body]

After starting the Refining Internal process, his efficiency in utilizing Spiritual Grain improved. Coupled with the valuable Tiger Blood Wine, his cultivation speed was not slow.

It had been two and a half days since they left Po Yang.

In another two days, he could almost enter the Refining Internal realm.

By then, should he encounter Refining Organ Generals, unless they are at the Perfect Level, he would not have to face life-and-death situations as before.

However.

The barbarian pursuers were likely to catch up soon.

"My lord!"

Wang Li raced over on his horse: "Mr. Wang's reinforcement troops have come to assist, numbering two thousand!"

Chen Sansi picked up his spear and mounted his horse, riding Qian Xun to the fork in the road ahead.

It had felt incomplete to only call it Little Xun before. Since it could find its master from a thousand miles away, it was fittingly named Qian Xun, a complete name.

Arriving at the designated location.

He saw a troop with fairly commendable marching discipline.

At the very front was a Refining Organ Deputy General on a red-maned horse, holding a long spear: "This must be Officer Chen, who led a thousand remnants to crush six thousand barbarian bandits. Truly a young hero; Du has nothing but admiration."

Wang Zhi introduced: "This is Vice Thousand Households Du Rong, sent specially by Commander Ma to assist us."

"Mr. Chen."

Du Rong sat upright on his horse: "Hengkang Prefecture is in dire need. I implore you to make haste and return with me to assist."

"We can't go back directly. Xu Wencai, bring the map."

Chen Sansi pointed with his spear at the map: "Vice Thousand Households Du, I must ask you to lead your troops through this minor road with me. Additionally, dispatch a small number of troops to take the major road back to Hengkang Prefecture to assess the situation. After confirming everything is in order, we can then cut back from the border of this mountain."

"Why make such an unnecessary move? This back and forth will delay us by at least a day and a half,"

"Mr. Chen, you can't possibly suspect that Hengkang Prefecture has been taken in the past few days, can you?" Du Rong speculated with a start.

Chen Sansi tacitly agreed.

"Impossible!"

Du Rong asserted confidently, "Hengkang Prefecture is built against the mountains, easy to defend but hard to attack. Even facing a large army, it should hold for at least five months. How could it possibly fall in just a few days?"

"I kindly ask Mr. Du to allow my suggestion!"

Chen Sansi cupped his fists, "With tens of thousands of civilians ahead, I dare not gamble with their lives. This way is the safest."

Easy to defend but hard to attack?

Wasn't Po Yang County just a small city that held out? But if there's internal trouble, who could foresee it?

The strongest fortresses are often breached from within.

The words of Xue Yuping before had left him uneasy.

Du Rong furrowed his brows in thought, half believing and half doubting, "If that's true, then I can't afford to waste time with you. I must rush back immediately!"

"Mr. Du, caution is paramount."

Chen Sansi gave his final piece of advice, "Let the army take the small path first. We should hear news within two days at most. There's no harm in deciding then."

"No way!"

Du Rong had made up his mind, "Wang Zhi, I'll leave those few kinsmen of yours behind to follow Mr. Chen's route. The rest must come back to the Prefecture City with me immediately!"

After speaking, he hastily led his troops back the way they came.

The once mighty procession, after just a short time, was reduced to little more than two hundred people remained.

"..."

Chen Sansi sighed softly.

He couldn't persuade him, and there was nothing he could do.

It was natural for someone to be anxious when their home was in danger.

He too hoped that Hengkang Prefecture was alright. But if things had gone wrong, there was a nine out of ten chance that Du Rong wouldn't be coming back.

However, at least there were two hundred more people at his disposal.

"Uncle Tang!"

"We've seen General Tang!"

"..."

The three Bone Training Realm military officers leading the group saluted Fatty Wang.

"All right, rise,"

Wang Zhi stepped forward and helped each of them up.

"You have so many kinsmen in Hengkang Prefecture?"

Chen Sansi was somewhat curious, guessing, "Old acquaintances of yours?"

"To answer Mr. Chen,"

A young man spoke up before anyone else, "Our fathers were all generals in the Black Tortoise Camp. After the incident, General Tang settled us in Hengkang Prefecture, and all the resources for practising martial arts were provided by General Tang. Without General Tang, our cultivation would have been greatly diminished."

"Don't listen to their nonsense, I'm the one who owes them,"

Wang Zhi admitted guiltily, "Back then, I rashly attacked the city without reporting it to the Heavenly Strategy Camp, which constituted unauthorized troop deployment, causing the total annihilation of our forces. Not only I, but also all the generals above the Bone Forger Realm, were removed from their positions to serve as a warning to others."

Chen Sansi finally understood where all of Fatty Wang's money had gone.

"Report—"

Wu Da, responsible for scouting at the rear, came galloping in on his warhorse, "Sir, this is bad news. Fifty li away, we found three thousand elite barbarian cavalry!"

"Wu Da, you and Zhuang Yi, along with a separate group of men, stay behind. Ten li after we leave, set the mountain on fire!"

Chen Sansi ordered decisively.

The sides of the small road were flanked by forests.

In the dry autumn and winter seasons, the forest caught fire easily, which could greatly slow down the cavalry.

Boom—

A blaze roared into the sky, the flames spreading quickly and soon joining together into a vast sea of fire. Black smoke billowed into the sky, turning a hundred li into scorched earth.

The barbarian cavalry that had come in pursuit had no choice but to take a detour.

"It's only a temporary measure."

Chen Sansi sighed. The road ahead was long and hindered, and he could only hope his worries were unfounded, and that after passing through this small road, they could find a way to Hengkang Prefecture to settle.

Unfortunately, the bad news still came.

"Hengkang Prefecture has fallen!"

"..."

One day later.

Of the two thousand Hengkang Prefecture soldiers they had just seen, only a dozen or so cavalry arrived at the rendezvous point.

"Three days ago, the Vice Commander-in-chief of the vanguard of Hengkang Prefecture committed treason. He launched a surprise attack and killed Commander Ma, then opened the city gates wide. Now inside and out, Hengkang Prefecture is enduring a massacre by the barbarians!
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"The brothers who escaped death are scattered and gone, their whereabouts unknown..."

"..."

Traitorous?

"How could this happen?!"

Wang Zhi yanked the man off his horse, "Commander Ma is dead?!"

"Dead, his head is hanging over the city gates..."

"Mr. Wang, Yunzhou is finished!"

"..."

A heavy weight sank in Chen Sansi's heart.

The fall of Hengkang Prefecture, with An Ding Prefecture and the other two closing their gates, meant that the rest of Yunzhou would be trampled under hoof. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of citizens' lives were likely to be used for the so-called blood sacrifice!

What was even more frightening was that their own situation was even less optimistic.

You State was not far from their current location, but it would take at least half a month to reach. That time was definitely enough for the barbarian pursuers to catch up.

"Cuckoo, cuckoo—"

Suddenly, the call of a cuckoo bird echoed in the nearby woods.

Was there news from the Governor Mansion?