I Can See Your Combat Power

From the perspective of a commanding officer, many recent orders issued by the chieftain Tang Zhi have sparked grumblings among his subordinates, starting with missing the right moment for a breakout.

After setting a final time limit, he then arbitrarily changed the plan from a breakout to a last stand, relinquishing the robust Martial Hall formation of the auspicious cloud valley and leading everyone into this impasse.

This certainly didn’t reflect the demeanor of a clan leader who should maintain a strategic and tactful mind, but seemed more like a headless fly changing directions frequently. However, given that the council of elders stood by Tang Zhi, the handful of commanding officers could only suppress their discontent and obey reluctantly.

But those in high positions were by no means fools. Rather than believing Tang Zhi was engaging in a pointless act of desperation, they were more inclined to consider there was a deliberate meaning behind his actions.

However, being caught in the middle of the play, they couldn’t discern Tang Zhi’s strategies so they could only resort to the most rudimentary method to find out by asking directly.

Facing such a candid question, Tang Zhi and a few elders exchanged glances, thinking it was about time for an explanation, so he stood up and began to address their concerns.

“You three commanders can rest assured, I will not allow such a thing to happen.” Tang Zhi calmly declared, “As for the allied forces, someone else will take care of them.”

A fleeting flash of delight passed through Tang Yi’s eyes, heaving a sigh of relief.

Tang Yi, who is one of the commanding officers of the Martial Hall, had mused over a plan to resolve this predicament on several occasions. Facing the imposing coalition of the Mi Clan, he could only think of relying on the family’s heritage and external aid. Therefore, to resolve the lingering doubts in his heart, he asked, “Is it the family’s sacred objects providing support or the reinforcements from the Ji Family?”

“Not exactly.” Tang Zhi shook his head and addressed everyone present: “It involves the warriors from various cities and tribes in the northwest of Longzhou.”

Informed that the Ji Clan from Beimang had not come, Tang Yi expressed some disappointment and replied, “Having the elders exit their seclusion should be enough. And as for these warriors from various cities and tribes, they should stick to supporting roles such as blocking enemies from chasing and assisting us.”

Lingjiang, being situated on the frontier of Longzhou, can hardly be referred to as a rich land. Only ten large cities upstream and downstream truly boast wealth. While the east and the west are both plains, due to their lack of rainfall and lakes, they are not considered wealthy territories.

In impoverished areas such as these, formidable warriors seldom emerge. After all, as commanding officers of the Martial Hall, they even feel somewhat contemptuous of the warriors from the prestigious families of Xiling. Naturally, they keep their expectations for these remote clans at bay.

While the two men were conversing, the Great Elder Tang Siyuan arrived at the command center with Tang Luo, instantly drawing the collective attention of those present, their eyes gleaming with anticipation towards Tang Luo.

“What’s wrong, is there something on my face?” Tang Luo was bewildered by everyone’s gaze. He quickly touched his face and his chin, asking in confusion.

“There’s nothing.” Great Elder Tang Siyuan reassured him with a chuckle, “They’re just amazed by your commanding performance earlier.”

Some matters can only be entrusted once they have been witnessed firsthand. Every elder had anticipated that Tang Luo would eventually become the backbone of the Tang Clan. However, being well versed in history, they were also aware of the countless young prodigies who had disappeared without leaving a mark behind.

It was often said, a child prodigy may not necessarily have a promising future, like a curse that caused numerous peerless princes in their prime to end up as ordinary Martial Ancestors.

Therefore, the attitude of the Tang Clan elders towards Tang Luo was rather ambivalent. On one hand, they acknowledged his extraordinary talent. However, due to Martial Saint Bu Xiao’s assessment of Tang Luo at Martial Saint Mountain, the family had dismissed him for quite some time, inevitably causing resentment in such a young prodigy.

Including the few instances where he had clashed with the elder and the family head, everyone thought these actions stemmed from his desire for revenge against the family’s cold treatment.

However, after the later gain from the Minor Spiritual Realm, his plans for the family’s future, and even his appointment as the defense chief of North Mountain, this youth was solidifying his position in the family in an irreplaceable way.

Today, on the battlefield, his manifestation of the aesthetic of violence reached its peak. His punches, aimed at the massive figures, brought enemies to heel and left corpses covering the ground.

Facing a young genius such as him, the satisfaction of the elders was beyond words; their eyes were full of expectation for his future.

Just as Tang Siyuan said, the elders were fascinated. However, being stared at with adoring eyes by a group of elders made the macho Tang Luo feel uncomfortable.

He was thinking of how to smoothly get through the situation when he heard Tang Zhi’s timely question, “Commander Luo, you’re back so soon. Have you observed any movement from the Mi Army?”

“Indeed.” Seeing an escape route, Tang Luo didn’t hesitate to take it. “The two thousand men of the closest Zhenwen Mountain allied forces are now just outside of Baoding Mountain. Having gathered the remnants of the Baoding Mountain defense forces, they’re constructing fortifications.”

“The three thousand men from Longjiao Mountain, five thousand men from Dayou Mountain, and the defense forces from other mountains are all moving toward Baoding Mountain. They’ll regroup by midnight at the latest, reaching a total of more than twenty thousand men!”

When it comes to serious matters, Tang Luo couldn’t help but turn serious. He stepped up to the sand table with a frown, picked up a command flag and inserted it around Baoding Mountain. Addressing the crowd, he proposed, “This is the current movement of the allied forces. I suggest that instead of holding onto these simple defenses, we should strike at the Zhenwen Mountain defense base while their main forces are scattered and lack high-end troops. Then we move into the mountains and annihilate the enemy on the move.”

The so-called mobile warfare relies on exploiting a larger operational space to buy time to maneuver troops and encircle the enemy, achieving a quick victory with superior forces. Mobile warfare can be summarized as “Avoiding the enemy’s main force, luring the enemy in deep, concentrating superior forces, and defeating them one by one.”

The current number of warriors in the Tang Clan is simply not sufficient to face the allied army head on, which is why Tang Luo has resorted to such a battle plan. He intends to wage a furious war against the allied army by relying on the terrain of North Mountain.

He believes that by relying on the superior quality of the Tang Clan’s Martial Ancestors and their familiarity with the North Mountain, they can effectively exhaust the allied army and vanquish them here.

Tang Yi and the other two commanders, who were well-versed in tactical strategies, were all brought to a realization by Tang Luo’s suggestion. Tang Yi would definitely prefer solid military tactics to any crafty plots and schemes. He commented, “Commander Luo is right. Instead of wasting any more time on these preparations, we should strike back at the allied army, then retreat to the mountains. With the keen sight of Commander Luo aiding us, our information gathering would undoubtedly be superior to the Mi Allied Army. Perhaps we really can pick off the main force of the allied army piece by piece, forcing them to retreat from North Mountain!”

The other two commanders also voiced their agreements, considering it to be the best strategy at the moment.

However, Chieftain Tang and the elders remained unmoved. Despite smiling and nodding their heads, as if considering taking their advice, the calmness in their eyes readily gave away their true plans.

“We will not retreat. We will let the Mi Army assemble their allied forces here.” Tang Zhi spoke with nonchalance “And then, we will bury all seven clans’ warriors at Baoding Mountain!”