Chapter 788: Reinforcements

This move was Zhang Xu’s ultimate technique.

Logically speaking, to maintain military Qi and Formations, every person in the army needed to stand in specific positions, performing different functions, with the military flag as a guide, to unify everyone’s strength.

This is easy to understand: when a team stands together, they naturally realize that it is a team, just like college students doing exercises; when everyone stands together, they are naturally a collective.

However, if this team disperses, with an entire class of college students scattered in dormitories, restrooms, the sports field, and some even skipping class, then in such a situation, they naturally cannot form a whole, nor can they condense military Qi.

Therefore, it is extremely difficult to train to maintain military Qi even in a dispersed state; this not only requires coordination but also mutual trust among all soldiers, as well as extremely high tactical proficiency, enabling them to accurately contact teammates in the chaotic environment of the battlefield.

The Human Dao had very few people, only a few hundred. Zhang Xu's forces were twice that of the opponent, so his tactic was to charge into the enemy in a scattered Formation, then separate and encircle them.

Although the military Qi would weaken after scattering, it was worth it.

However, the next moment, Zhang Xu's eyes widened!

The Human Dao also scattered.

And they scattered even more! They only maintained tactical squad Formations, then hundreds of people completely separated, reaching the point of 'fighting individually'!

How is that possible?!

In this state, their military Qi showed no decline at all!

How was this achieved?!

Zhang Xu couldn't understand, but if an opponent familiar with Human Dao were present, they would know that this was one of the characteristics of Human Dao.

The Axis of All Realms.

They don’t need to confirm their teammates’ positions, because the terminal connects everyone naturally through The Axis of All Realms. As long as their call signs and military flags are still present, they can precisely construct military Qi.

Everyone knows what they need to do, everyone understands their goals, everyone has ample motivation, great courage, complete rationality, and superb combat skills.

They are self-disciplined, full of fighting spirit, possess extremely strong subjective initiative, are willing to learn, eager to learn, arm their minds with Dao, and strengthen their bodies with magical arts and Martial arts.

This is an iron army; even with only half the numbers, their combat power is several times that of the so-called 'elites' of the Baiyue.

As mentioned before.

In a one-on-one fight, a Human Dao grassroots officer, limited by their talent, might not be able to defeat Zhang Xu.

In a ten-on-ten fight, Zhang Xu would find it very difficult.

And now, with the army charging in, a thousand against several hundred, Zhang Xu's chances of victory were—zero.

Zhang Xu's soldiers fought for rewards.

The Human Dao soldiers, however, were not like that.

Zhang Xu himself accurately realized this point.

No, no! We can't fight in a military Formation! We can't engage in this kind of clash.

We will die; there is no chance of victory!

He looked at the expressions of those Human Dao soldiers before him—that resolute yet relaxed look—and Zhang Xu immediately realized that if they continued fighting like this, they would be directly shattered by the Human Dao.

But, if there is no military Qi…

As is well known, the difference between an army and a disorganized rabble lies in Formations and military Qi. Military Qi can gather the strength of many, allowing low-grade soldiers to exert high-grade combat power.

With such a blessing, an iron army of a thousand men and a thousand scattered irregulars could even achieve a complete annihilation without casualties.

Therefore, if military Qi cannot be matched head-on… death is certain. However, if they choose to continue scattering and directly abandon military Qi, that would likely also lead to death.

What to do… what to do?

His mind raced, trying to find a way to survive.

He wasn't living just to live, but to live to complete his mission; he couldn't possibly die right after leaving the city, could he?

So, a large-scale legion battle is undoubtedly a loss, but… if the battle could be broken down into small combat units, or even one-on-one fights, would there be a chance of victory?

Just as was emphasized earlier, in a one-on-one fight, the Human Dao, limited by their talent, might not necessarily win.

So, his side could break down, but how could the Human Dao be broken down into one-on-one fights?

Is there any way?

That’s it!

The military flag!

If the flag is cut down, the Human Dao will naturally be broken down into smaller combat units.

“Scatter more, scatter more!” He immediately signaled.

The charging soldiers had no doubts; as long as the commanding officer gave an order, they only needed to execute it. Zhang Xu had great prestige in the military camp, and everyone was willing to entrust their lives to him.

The army immediately scattered again, even reaching the point where their military Qi was on the verge of collapse, barely maintaining a faint connection.

The Human Dao combat units on the other side immediately adjusted accordingly, scattering to the same extent as their opponents. They spread out even further, and even with the Human Dao's solid military Qi, fluctuations began to appear.

However, this slight fluctuation was much better compared to Zhang Xu's army, which was almost on the verge of collapsing.

If a dense Formation were to face a scattered skirmisher charge, it would easily be overwhelmed by human wave tactics, which is absolutely unacceptable.

Human wave tactics do not simply mean having more people; although Zhang Xu’s army was indeed larger, it was not large enough to overwhelm. Human wave tactics actually refer to waves, like ocean waves, continuously applying pressure to the entire front line until the opponent’s line shows a weakness, then suddenly concentrating superior forces to break through the weakness and create chaos from within.

Moreover, because the forces are dispersed, even if they are subjected to concentrated firepower or even bombing, they will not suffer too many casualties, losing only a dozen or so people at a time. This is a very efficient tactic, allowing for minimal casualties while inflicting maximum pressure on the enemy.

Therefore, when facing the enemy’s scattered human wave, gathering together to defend a position is a foolish approach, and the Human Dao commander chose to scatter in response.

Everyone scatters together; your military Qi is weak and unbearable, while my military Qi remains strong. In this state, as we enter a battle of infiltration and wild fighting, my side naturally has a huge advantage.

The Human Dao grassroots officers were very confident.

To put it bluntly…

My tactical proficiency is stronger, my military discipline is stronger, and my military Qi, equipment, morale, magical arts, training level, tactical thinking, intelligence, and even the friendship among soldiers—from every aspect, I am stronger.

How can you possibly defeat me?

Even in the Human Dao’s weakest area, ‘cultivation,’ it was actually comparable to Zhang Xu’s army. Everyone’s ranks were actually quite similar, and even in one-on-one duels, they weren’t necessarily going to lose.

As expected, both sides scattered their forces and entered the phase of wild skirmishes.

Just upon contact, the soldiers from both sides clashed, emitting intense light.

The battle was like a lit match, instantly charring the matchstick black.

Within mere minutes, an area tens of miles around had already turned into a scorched wasteland. The previously untouched forests, bushes, and sandy areas were all leveled by the aftershocks.

Fortunately, the land of Song Kingdom had long since had no life surviving, with only some 'trees' that looked like they hadn't died standing in place, pretending to still be alive.

Yes, pretending, because their vitality had long been cut off; it just takes some time for plants to decay.

However, under the aftershocks of this battle, even a pile of grass or a clump of bushes was affected; even if they hadn't yet burned to a pile of charcoal, those charred stumps could no longer maintain their last shred of dignity.

The first to clash were the infantry, heavily armed heavy infantry, organized into combat squads, colliding and fighting each other, interspersed across the entire wilderness.

Light cavalry units, meanwhile, hovered at the edge of the battlefield. They were scouts, responsible for signaling, observing enemy reserves, and harassing some slower heavy infantry.

However, the surroundings were obscured by magical arts, so the light cavalry had to continuously fire a type of whistle arrow. These whistle arrows were Spiritual Artifacts that could tear through the darkness and illuminate the path ahead, providing visibility for the entire force.

Zhang Xu stayed at the rear; he did not charge to the front. That was not the duty of a Junwei; that was for a vanguard general. He was the commander and needed to oversee the entire situation.

Around Zhang Xu were precious heavy cavalry and reserves that had not yet been committed to battle.

Sending all forces into the fray at once is what an idiot does. Both Human Dao and Zhang Xu had reserved most of their forces as reserves; only less than one-fifth of the total forces were actually engaged in combat. This ensured that after the first contact, they still had the ability to make follow-up moves.

All-out assault should only be done at the very last moment, whether it’s the final moment of victory or a desperate last stand.

Zhang Xu held the military flag, gazing at the battlefield. The light cavalry were in the distance, so he couldn't see them, only hearing the sound and light of the whistle arrows. They whistled for a while, a signal from the whistle arrows, but then fell silent after a moment.

Clearly, the light cavalry there had sent their last message: they were dead.

Zhang Xu remained unfazed; this was simply the nature of this battle.

He was racking his brain to find a chance for victory. From the light cavalry's message, he learned that the Human Dao's combat teams could still condense military Qi independently. Each team had a giant monster similar to a Dharma Idol, and these monsters could easily sweep away equivalent combat teams, requiring at least five times the troop strength to be evenly matched.

It was under the suppression of these giant monsters that the scattered skirmish tactics in the front had completely failed.

From Zhang Xu's perspective, the front line could almost be described as a complete defeat.

The valley had turned into a valley of ashes, and their side's magical bombardment power had noticeably weakened. Where there had been various impacts, explosions, and raging flames before, now thick smoke billowed.

Countless crumbling ruins lay before Zhang Xu, and countless broken, scorched tree remains appeared in the faint light of the sky's whistle arrows, a scene of desolation, eerie and terrifying.

However, some things still survived this catastrophe: the Human Dao's war machines.

Yes, war machines. The Human Dao had assembled dozens of large mechanisms, imitating various Divine Beasts: there was a White Tiger, a Suanni, a Black Tortoise, and a Black Bird. These war machines appeared multicolored under the light of various magical arts, with various dazzling lights reflecting, making them exceptionally conspicuous.

However, their purpose was to indiscriminately destroy everything, a sight unprecedented on the battlefield Zhang Xu witnessed.

They seemed to reflect the morning glow of the East; these war machines, the mechanical beasts from the Human Dao's Mohist school, stood in the center of the battlefield. They continuously emitted irresistible vast light, then occasionally paused, as if surveying the terrible scene they had wrought.

Zhang Xu racked his brains, but he despairingly realized that he truly seemed unable to defeat the opponent.

Was he going to die less than a hundred miles after just stepping out of the city gates?

However, the next moment—

A massive veil of power slammed into the heart of the Human Dao's position!

The explosion created a giant crater. There was a White Tiger mechanical beast nearby, caught in the aftermath, which immediately stalled, with a pillar of fire shooting skyward, then mixing with the smoke and dust, turning into a blood-red column of smoke.

Zhang Xu immediately turned to look!

It was reinforcements!

Upon closer inspection, he saw another army approaching from the other side, one of the seventeen great armies of the Baiyue Area.

They had taken the opportunity to gather their strength and fire a shot at Zhang Xu's position, catching the Human Dao off guard.

This invigorated Zhang Xu. He signaled the standard-bearer, sending out a signal to express his gratitude to the other party, while simultaneously initiating their own bombardment.

The magical arts team among the reserves immediately gathered, using Formations and Spiritual Artifacts to concentrate their power and begin a saturation bombardment!

They hadn't done this before because the Human Dao's military Qi was strong enough to resist these bombardments.

But because of the unexpected powerful shot from the reinforcements, a breach was torn in the Human Dao's military Qi.

They must seize the opportunity!

Zhang Xu bombarded with all his might, at all costs!

Under such bombardment, the giant crater grew larger, continuously emitting brilliant green smoke, showcasing the power of the recent blast.

“Keep going, don’t stop! Unleash all firepower! Maximum load!” Zhang Xu roared fiercely!

He saw a possible chance for victory—!

Because just as the bombardment was happening,

A star increasingly bright soared from the distant friendly army position, spiraling upwards, gradually dispersing, then rushing towards this direction.

Zhang Xu immediately said to his adjutant, “Bring me my spear!”

The adjutant immediately carried a large red spear over and placed it in Zhang Xu's hand.

Zhang Xu brandished it once, then took a deep breath, circulating Martial Dao Inner Qi to his feet. With a powerful stomp, he launched himself into the sky, finally disappearing without a trace into the night.

He didn't truly disappear; it was just that Martial Dao's special effects were fewer, unable to compare with others.

But this instead added a slight disguise to him, though it was useless. The night could obscure the sight of Mortals, but it couldn't block the Human Dao's perception.

However… no disguise was needed.

Because—

This was an assault!

With a rumble! Zhang Xu directly slammed into the center of the enemy Formation, wielding his long spear like a soaring Dragon. His Martial Dao Inner Qi combined with his Martial arts, along with that indomitable Martial Dao Divine Intent, actually tore open a gap!

Unfortunately, if there were no surprises, this gap would soon be closed by the Human Dao. The Human Dao's Eighth-ranks were already converging, preparing to intercept him with the military Qi.

Normally, such a charge would be no different from seeking death,

But… the surprise had already arrived.

Almost simultaneously, a fierce hound also descended with Zhang Xu!

As this fierce hound appeared, thunder resounded all around, accompanied by many stars.

This was a true Celestial Dog, the identity the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord once disguised himself as.

The reinforcements were the demon race! (End of Chapter)