The armies stood in formation!
Facing the Qin army, the state of Chu had chosen a commander much like Zhao Kuo one who only knew warfare from books.
It could be said that sending Qu Zhang to lead the army was a complete miscalculation on Chu's part.
Within the Chu Army
"All generals, heed my command!"
"Once the battle begins, fight to the death no retreat!"
"Anyone who dares to withdraw without orders shall be executed!"
Dressed in full battle armor, Qu Zhang bellowed.
"We obey, General!" the Chu generals responded in unison.
"Generals!"
"This battle is ours to win!"
"The Qin army has scattered its forces to garrison our occupied cities, and now their numbers are inferior to ours."
"Our forces outnumber the Qin army!"
"The warriors of Chu this battle is ours to win!"
Even now, Qu Zhang remained supremely confident, completely ignoring the pessimism in the eyes of many Chu generals.
Perhaps, like Ma Su of later generations, he was an arrogant strategist who only believed in himself.
"Soldiers of Chu, hear me!"
"This time, we strike first!"
"Advance!"
Drawing his sword from his waist, Qu Zhang shouted.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The war cries echoed across the heavens, shaking the battlefield.
The 300,000-strong Chu army immediately mobilized, advancing in formation with a deafening roar, charging toward the Qin forces.
Within the Qin Army
Seeing this, Zhao Feng laughed.
"Since I began leading troops, I've always been the one to attack first. But today, I've encountered a reckless fool who charges ahead instead!"
Zhao Feng smirked mockingly.
"With such 'capable' generals, it's no wonder Chu is doomed," Zhang Ming said with a sneer.
"Reform the formation! Archers to the front!"
Zhao Feng commanded.
Hundreds of messengers swiftly spread the order across the Qin army.
Immediately, the army shifted in an orderly fashion.
The archers originally positioned in the middle moved to the front, while the infantry wielding long spears and pikes stepped back.
The Battle Begins
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Chu army advanced methodically.
Though Qu Zhang was a fool, there were still competent commanders in the Chu ranks, and their attack formation was well-structured.
Soon, they entered the range of Qin archers.
"Elite warriors of Qin!"
"Fire!"
Zhao Feng raised his Overlord Spear and shouted.
"Wind! Wind! Wind!"
"Great wind!"
The chants roared across the battlefield.
With an ear-splitting sound, countless arrows soared through the sky, raining down upon the Chu army.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
A storm of arrows descended.
Death filled the air.
"Ahhh!"
"Ahhh!"
Under the relentless arrow fire, countless Chu soldiers fell, their blood soaking into the earth.
"Return fire!"
Qu Zhang roared.
The Chu archers quickly nocked their arrows and let loose a counter-volley toward the Qin army.
However, all of their arrows fell short, landing in front of the Qin formations without striking a single soldier.
"How can the Qin arrows reach so far?"
Qu Zhang's expression changed in shock.
"General..."
"Do you not know that Qin's bows have a 30% greater range than those of other states?" a deputy general sighed helplessly.
Upon hearing this, Qu Zhang's face showed a moment of panic, but he quickly forced himself to remain calm.
"Pass my command!"
"Keep advancing! Once within range, fire with everything we have!"
He bellowed.
At this point, it was too late to retreat.
A battle between hundreds of thousands of soldiers was not something one could simply walk away from.
If the Chu army tried to withdraw now, the Qin army would tear them apart.
The Chu army pressed forward under the unrelenting rain of arrows.
Zhao Feng did not immediately order an attack but allowed his archers to continue raining death upon the advancing enemy.
Soon, when the Chu archers finally entered the firing range, Zhao Feng issued the order.
"Elite Guards, charge with me!"
"All generals, lead your troops into battle!"
"No mercy for those who refuse to surrender!"
With a resounding war cry, Zhao Feng activated his True Essence, letting it surge through his body.
Then, like an arrow released from a bow, he spurred his warhorse forward at full speed.
Behind him, 2,000 Elite Guards followed closely, each activating their True Qi shields, charging forward like a mighty storm.
"All soldiers!"
"Follow our lord!"
"Kill!"
Generals Zhang Han, Tu Sui, and Li You bellowed in unison.
The entire Qin army surged forward like a tidal wave.
The invincible tradition of the Wu'an Camp dictated:
Generals in the front, soldiers behind.
When the generals do not fear death, the soldiers do not fear battle.
This was the principle Zhao Feng had always upheld.
It was precisely because of this that the Wu'an Camp was undefeated in battle.
Even without Zhao Feng's War Qi Seal, which tripled their combat strength, the Wu'an Camp was already unstoppable.
With the War Qi Seal, they were unrivaled.
In China and beyond, no force could match this formidable army.
As arrows rained down, Zhao Feng smashed into the Chu front lines like a thunderbolt.
His Elite Guards followed closely behind, cutting through the enemy ranks.
"Cut them down!"
Zhao Feng roared.
His True Essence surged and with a single sweeping strike of his Overlord Spear.
Boom!
A ten-foot-long arc of spear energy slashed outward.
The hundreds of Chu soldiers in front of him were instantly cleaved apart, their bodies collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
"Killed one Chu soldier, gained 1 point of Dragon Elephant Strength."
"Killed one Chu soldier, gained 1 point of Divine Speed."
"Killed one Chu soldier, gained 1 extra day of lifespan."
...
Instantly, over a hundred attribute points were collected.
Zhao Feng continued his rampage, barely unleashing 10% of his true power, yet still cutting through the Chu army like a god of war.
"Kill!"
The two thousand elite guards roared as they continued their frenzied slaughter.
Each of them was in the innate realm of martial strength.
One could only imagine how formidable their combined power was.
In the blink of an eye, the front lines of the Chu army had been torn open.
The assault pressed on.
The three main generals under Zhao Feng led their troops in a ferocious charge.
Meanwhile, cavalry units on both flanks launched a pincer attack, encircling the Chu army from the sides.
From the moment the battle began, it was a one-sided slaughter!
Although the Chu army had superior numbers, they crumbled under the relentless assault of the Wu'an Camp.
Their formation fell into chaos, and casualties mounted rapidly.
Countless Chu soldiers were killed, and their morale shattered as they began to retreat.
"Hold your ground!"
"Anyone who dares to retreat without orders will be executed!"
"Deploy the battle police!"
"You cowards!"
"The battle police must not retreat!"
"Anyone who retreats will be cut down!"
From the rear, Qu Zhang watched his army collapse before his eyes, his face filled with panic and rage.
He continued to issue desperate commands, trying to restore order, but to no avail.
Once an army's morale collapsed, it was nearly impossible to reverse the tide without a leader capable of turning the situation around.
"How could this be?"
"How could our mighty soldiers of Chu be so utterly defeated?"
Seeing the battlefield spiraling out of control, Qu Zhang's face turned pale with terror.
This was nothing like the battle he had envisioned.
"Qu Zhang!"
"Why did the court send you to lead the army?"
"You didn't even bother to assess the true strength of the Qin army!"
"You had no idea how terrifying Zhao Feng is, nor did you understand the power of the Wu'an Camp under his command!"
"This is the end."
"Chu is doomed all because of you!"
"If only you had listened to us and fortified the city instead of marching out to fight, we wouldn't be suffering such a devastating defeat."
"This is all your fault!"
"You are the greatest sinner of Chu!"
Qu Zhang's deputy general pointed at him in fury, his voice filled with resentment.
The other Chu generals also glared at him with seething hatred.
Under the weight of their scorn, Qu Zhang's face flushed with shame.
He wanted to defend himself, but he had no words.
"Retreat!"
"Retreat to the city and preserve our strength!"
Qu Zhang's voice trembled as he issued the command.
"It's too late."
"It's far too late."
"Our army has already been crushed by the Qin forces. Morale is completely shattered."
"Even if we try to retreat, the Qin army will hunt us down."
"How can tens of thousands of soldiers squeeze through the city gates?"
"You have no skill in commanding an army. Why did you come here to bring disaster upon us?"
Despair spread among the Chu generals.
This was a head-on battle against an enemy whose strength was unknown to them.
Qu Zhang had recklessly led his army into slaughter.
Even Zhao Kuo of old at least had some military knowledge, but Qu Zhang was nothing more than an incompetent fool.
"Spare me! I surrender!"
"Don't kill me!"
"Aaah!"
"I surrender!"
Across the battlefield, the elite warriors of Wu'an Camp had surrounded the Chu army, launching a ruthless massacre.
The air was filled with screams of agony and cries for mercy.
The Qin forces were able to secure such a swift and decisive victory largely thanks to Qu Zhang himself.
Had he remained within the city walls, the Chu army could have defended itself.
But because he chose to line up his forces outside, the Chu soldiers had no way to retreat once their formation collapsed, allowing the Wu'an Camp to swiftly annihilate them.
The battle raged on
Two hours passed.
Four hours passed.
Zhao Feng, leading his elite guards, carved a bloody path to the rear of the Chu army.
Upon seeing Zhao Feng charging toward him, Qu Zhang's face was filled with sheer terror.
"Retreat! Hurry, retreat!"
Qu Zhang shrieked in panic.
All his earlier arrogance had vanished, replaced by fear and desperation.
He turned his horse and fled in disgrace.
"Useless coward," Zhao Feng sneered.
Even the surrounding Chu generals sighed inwardly at the pathetic sight.
Raising a single hand, Zhao Feng pulled an arrow from his quiver.
Then, with a powerful throw
Whoosh!
The arrow tore through the air.
With a sickening thud, it pierced through Qu Zhang's fleeing body.
[You have slain the enemy commander. Gained +50 points to all attributes.]
"This fool was a commander?"
"No wonder Chu is doomed," Zhao Feng scoffed before turning to face the remaining Chu generals.
"Surrender or die."
His blood-stained Overlord Spear pointed forward as he issued the ultimatum.
"Those who surrender will be spared!"
The elite guards echoed the cry in unison.
"It's over."
"We've lost completely."
"Surrender is the only option."
The Chu generals exchanged glances, their eyes filled with despair.
If only Qu Zhang had not foolishly led them out of the city and had instead fortified their position, the thirty-thousand-strong Chu army could have held out for at least half a month.
But he had single-handedly ruined Chu's final hope.
One by one, the Chu generals dismounted from their horses and chariots.
"We surrender."
One after another, they knelt on the ground, their voices filled with sorrow.
"Soldiers of Chu, listen well!"
"I am Zhao Feng!"
"Your commanders have been slain by my hand."
"Resistance is futile and will only lead to death."
"Lay down your weapons and surrender, and you will be spared!"
Zhao Feng raised his spear high, his voice infused with true energy, spreading like a rolling tide across the battlefield.
"The Lord has spoken!"
"Soldiers of Chu lay down your weapons, and you will be spared!"
"Those who resist will be executed without mercy!"
.....
From all directions, countless elite Qin warriors roared in unison.
Under such pressure, surrounded by the Qin army, the trapped Chu soldiers seemed to hear the sound of salvation. One after another, they dropped their weapons and knelt in surrender.
This battle!
The Qin army slew countless enemies and captured innumerable prisoners.
This battle!
It annihilated the last military forces that the three noble families of Chu and the Chu court could muster.
The fall of Chu was now inevitable.
"Tu Sui, gather the surrendered soldiers."
"Li You, tend to the wounded."
"Zhang Han, seize Qu City, inspect the battlefield, and execute any surrendered soldiers attempting to escape."
As he looked over the battlefield filled with kneeling captives, Zhao Feng issued his commands in a commanding voice.
"As you command!"
The three generals responded in unison.
The army continued its march, advancing toward Qu City.
Upon entering the city, Zhao Feng took a seat atop the city tower.
"Calculate the collected attribute points." Zhao Feng issued an order.
This calculation wasn't just for this battle but accounted for all enemies slain over the past four months.
System Notification:
"Your troops have slain 137,482 enemies, collecting 54,992 attribute points."
"Collected 5,650 points of True Essence."
"Collected 7,869 points of Dragon-Elephant Strength."
"Collected 7,868 points of Divine Speed."
"Collected 5,674 points of Postnatal Spirit Constitution."
"Collected 5,456 points of Spiritual Awareness."
"Collected 27,575 days of lifespan."
As these attribute points were added, Zhao Feng felt his dantian surge with a tremendous increase in True Essence.
It wasn't just his True Essence that grew his body and spiritual consciousness also underwent profound enhancements, immersing him in a euphoric sensation.
"Ahh, this feels amazing."
"Nothing boosts my strength like slaughtering enemies!"
Zhao Feng let out a satisfied chuckle and immediately opened his status panel.
Status Panel
Name: Zhao Feng
Age: 25
True Essence: 8,730 (Transformed from True Qi, True Essence is ten times stronger than True Qi; Divine Power Realm, Eighth Level)
Dragon-Elephant Strength: 9,245 (Each punch unleashes the power of 9,000 dragons and elephants.)
Divine Speed: 9,134 (One step spans ninety zhang; the higher the number, the faster the speed.)
Postnatal Spirit Constitution: 7,643 (Transformed from a mortal body, allowing seventy times faster energy absorption, rapid healing, endless stamina, and quicker True Essence recovery.)
Spiritual Awareness: 7,343 (Extends outward for seventy thousand zhang, maximizing energy absorption from the surroundings and enabling soul-searching.)
Soul Power: 6,754 (The stronger the soul, the more resilient it is even if the body perishes, the soul endures.)
Lifespan: 471 years + 75 years (Suppressed by an unknown force; otherwise, at his current realm, he should have a lifespan of 2,000 years.)
Merit Points: 1,125 (Can be converted into free attribute points or skill points.)
Personal Storage Space: 70,099 cubic units.
Cultivation Method: Martial Dao Emperor Dragon Canon (Grants +70 full attributes per day of cultivation.)
Martial Techniques: One Sword Across Worlds, Dragon-Subduing Palm, Explosive Fist…
"My strength has skyrocketed!"
"Back when my attributes hadn't evolved, every time I broke through, I would receive a treasure chest. Why didn't I get one this time?" Zhao Feng mused, slightly puzzled.
Just then
System Notification:
"Congratulations! Your full attributes have surpassed 7,000 points."
"You have been rewarded with six Tier-3 Treasure Chests."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng finally smiled in satisfaction.
"So before my attributes evolved, crossing a threshold meant getting Tier-2 chests. Now that I've evolved, I'm getting Tier-3 ones instead."
Feeling pleased, Zhao Feng gazed at the void before him.
Countless souls of the fallen drifted across the battlefield.
If they had been foreign enemies, Zhao Feng might have used his Netherworld Flame to incinerate their souls and absorb their Soul Power. But since they were his fellow countrymen, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.
Zhao Feng slowly stood up.
"Sons of Shenzhou and Huaxia."
"Because of the different states we were born into, we have come to this tragedy of kin fighting kin."
"But in the future, I will do everything in my power to change this."
"There must be no more war on the lands of Shenzhou."
"I, Zhao Feng, promise you when the Qin Dynasty eventually falls, I will restore peace to Shenzhou as swiftly as possible."
"This land, this people, must not suffer the ravages of war any longer."
Looking at the tens of thousands of drifting souls in the sky, Zhao Feng made his solemn vow.
Though his path had been carved by war, he could not bear to see his people slaughter each other endlessly.
The road ahead
Zhao Feng's true road lay beyond the borders of Shenzhou.
Unify Shenzhou.
Forge an imperial dynasty.
Establish an immortal Martial Dao!
Chu Kingdom, Capital City
"Report!"
"Urgent news from Qu City!"
"Terrible news!"
A messenger soldier rushed into the royal court, his voice trembling with despair.
"Speak."
King of Chu frowned deeply.
The gathered officials wore grim expressions.
"Qu City has fallen to the Qin army."
"General Qu Zhang has been slain."
"Our three hundred thousand troops have been annihilated by the Qin army less than a few thousand managed to escape."
The messenger reported in panic.
Upon hearing this, the King of Chu collapsed onto his throne, filled with utter despair.
The officials in the court also turned pale.
"How could this happen?"
"Three hundred thousand troops if they had fortified Qu City, no matter how powerful the Qin army was, they couldn't have breached it in mere days!"
"Why? How?" The King of Chu muttered in bewilderment.
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