My Cultivation Starting from Archery

Chapter 630 - 210: A Worthy Opponent_6

"Hey, Chen, I'm talking to you, did you hear me? Order the pursuit!"

"Qu Yuanxiang, you're only responsible for supporting the rearguard, command has nothing to do with you,"

Chen Sansi said solemnly, "Continue to disrupt our formation at will, and you will face military law!"

"Hmm?"

Qu Yuanxiang was obviously taken aback, seemingly unable to believe that someone would speak to him like this. He glared with wide eyes and angrily said, "What did you say? What punishment?!"

"Military law."

Wang Zhi interjected, "Let me explain it to you in plain terms, it means 'beheading,' taking off your head."

"I'll behead you guys first!"

As he spoke, Qu Yuanxiang summoned his flying sword.

Chen Sansi was undaunted, looking directly at him, and leisurely said to another cultivator, "Wang Jun! If your Shengyun Sect still wishes to win this battle, then control this drunkard of yours!"

"Brother, stop!"

Wang Jun, also wielding a flying sword, stood in front of Qu Yuanxiang, "The Spirit Vein is of great importance, also concerning our future paths as Immortals, if you continue to create chaos here, I will have to report you to our Sect."

"You..."

Threatened by his Sect, Qu Yuanxiang did not act rashly.

"Qu Yuanxiang."

Chen Sansi said indifferently, "If you disagree with my arrangements, you can also fly on your sword to Gravel River yourself to see if Han Xiang is indeed waiting there for you."

"I will go!"

Qu Yuanxiang said, yet ultimately did not take the step, but instead sneered, "All right, Chen, for the sake of the Spirit Vein, I will tolerate you for a few days!"

With that, he left.

"Retreat——"

The garrison sounded the retreat.

The army that had been in disarray since Yiling finally tasted victory, and morale began to rise from rock bottom.

...

Gravel River.

Atop the mountain.

Han Xiang sat on a huge rock, with a chessboard in front of him.

The chessboard, that was his map!

Behind him, all the cultivators were assembled, just waiting for the enemy to fall into the ambush to strike together.

Zhong Wuxin, with one hand on his sword's hilt, looked anxiously, "Why haven't they come yet?"

"Commander!"

"Chen Sansi, they've retreated!"

A scout came to report, "They pursued up to twenty miles before Gravel River, then suddenly they sounded the retreat!"

"It seems, Mr. Chen isn't easily fooled."

Zhong Wuxin sighed deeply, somewhat disappointed, "Well, at least we didn't lose much."

However,

Han Xiang was removing many white pieces representing the West Qi Army from the chessboard.

It signified their losses.

"What does the Immortal Master mean?"

Zhong Wuxin didn't understand, "We only lost just over two thousand men; it should not affect us severely."

"The loss in troop numbers is tangible, but the loss in morale is intangible. This round, Chen Sansi wins by a small margin. This game is becoming more interesting."

Han Xiang flicked a chess piece, pausing in mid-air for a moment before laying it down heavily, "Pass my military orders, let the army camp eighty miles outside Cloud Top Prefecture on the plains, then challenge them day and night to come out and face us in battle."

"Yes!"

Another twenty days passed.

Both sides became deadlocked.

Ever since retreating to Cloud Top Prefecture, the garrison had not shown themselves again, no matter how much they were provoked.

"What a strategic withdrawal."

Han Xiang still sat in front of the chess board on the mountain summit, his hair and clothes fluttering in the autumn breeze, holding a chess piece, dangling in the air, muttering to himself, "I guess I'll have to force you into a corner."

"This move."

"Is called 'Hawk Attacks Pheonix'!"

"Clack—"

The chess piece fell.

...

Cloud Top Prefecture.

After a minor victory and twenty days of recovery,

The garrison troops reorganized their discipline, looking like a brand new force.

But they could no longer continue to defend endlessly.

"Report—"

"The scout brings news!"

"The West Qi Army has split fifty thousand troops, planning to bypass Jiazhou directly and attack Feng State!"

"..."

"Supervisor Chen, Feng State is vulnerable!"

Tong Xiaochu's hair had turned significantly whiter, "Once they enter Feng State, Ming State will also be in danger, and if Ming State falls, Liangzhou can't be held either, since most of the Beiliang Army is currently facing off against Qing Country, with only a few garrison soldiers left to defend."

"We can't continue to hold the city any longer."

"This Han Xiang is really cunning!"

"He, he is forcing us to fight him in battle!"

Chu Shixiong, Wang Zhi, Teng Le, and others all had serious looks on their faces.

Especially Hongze Camp.

This was the first time they encountered such a situation.

Although they hadn't lost, they also hadn't made any progress.

To think that someone could deadlock with the White Robe was impressive indeed.

"If it really comes to it,"

Wang Zhi said solemnly, "Give me ten thousand men, I'll go to Jinghai Prefecture in Feng State, and even if it kills me, I'll defend it for half a year for you."

"No,"

Chen Sansi's gaze shifted away from the map, he said, "Since Han Xiang is so eager to face us directly, then let's grant his wish."

"Pass the order down."

"In five days."

"Our army of 170,000 will march out and prepare to directly face the thirty thousand of the West Qi Army!"