The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror-Chapter 426 - 186: Thousands of Troops, Martial Arts Grandmaster (Please Subscribe)

Xu Qing observed the lay of the land while cultivating his Qi and refining his spirit when, not far away, dust and smoke billowed rapidly, and soon a line of cavalry arrived.

This group of cavalry was enveloped in an evil aura, their muscles robust, and even their galloping maintained a methodical approach.

Xu Qing had learned military strategies from Meng Yuxuan and knew that such a level of cavalry, when working together, could not be easily defeated head-on even by Refining Internal Masters.

The cavalry’s Qi-Blood and evil aura rolled forth.

Feng Qintian stood guard in front of Xu Jieyuan.

Having been through many battles in the worldly society, how could he not recognize the fierceness of this group of cavalry.

Especially when such Qi-Blood and evil aura surged forth, many Dao Skill masters would flee, as it was extremely difficult to use Dao Skill in the face of such Blood Killing.

Fortunately, he was a Sword Hero, and his swordsmanship merged with Daoist Skill to form a Flying Sword, forged from refined metal, which could transform into the essence of pure white, possessing a strong resistance against the robust Qi-Blood of Martial Arts.

Although Xu Qing was surprised by the arrival of the cavalry, he remained calm.

"Is this South Zhili’s Xu Qing, Xu Jieyuan?" the leading cavalry shouted.

"It is I."

"By order of General Yu, please Xu Jieyuan come to the military camp for a discussion."

Xu Qing, having read the recent imperial report, was aware that General Yu was a military general newly dispatched by the Court to quell the rebellion in East Mountain Province.

This man, over fifty years of age, had illustrious military achievements.

Before this, the Lotus Sect had attempted a rebellion in Lingnan, only to be defeated at the hands of General Yu.

Xu Qing observed the Qi Fortune Little Snake within him and, seeing no black Qi emerging, knew that the visitors bore no ill intentions.

He also understood that being near the Court’s army for suppressing the rebellion, it would not be hard for scouts to discover his whereabouts after some investigation.

Moreover, in such a battle situation, it was inevitable for Embroidered Guards to gather intelligence.

Xu Qing composedly said, "Please lead the way."

"Alright." The cavalry kept their gaze straight, and the cavalry behind did the same.

Subsequently, they cleared the way, leading Xu Qing towards the large military camp.

Along the way, the cavalry remained silent and stern, devoid of unnecessary movements and words, as if they had transformed into killing machines like Asuras, devoid of human emotions.

Xu Qing inwardly admired the strictness of General Yu in managing his troops.

Although Meng Yuxuan also emphasized discipline when training soldiers, there was a touch of humanistic care involved, whereas General Yu’s method of managing soldiers evidently aligned more with the popular definition of a distinguished general.

This also highlighted the differences in military leadership styles between the two famous generals.

Feng Qintian followed Xu Qing into the large camp.

Being from the lower sectors of society, he was accustomed to moving freely; never had he been in and out among a vast army of tens of thousands. The Qi-Blood and evil aura in the military camp particularly sensitized someone like him.

He had faced officials before, but those were trivial compared to the mighty army before him.

Let alone, the cavalry leading them were the cream of the crop.

He looked around apprehensively.

If this large army were to close in, he feared he would not be able to protect Xu Jieyuan, and even escaping on his own would be impossible.

He was a Sword Hero, not a deity!

Under the oppressive Blood Killing of such a large army, no Dao Skill could be effectively employed.

Feng Qintian then looked at Xu Jieyuan, who appeared calm and composed, as if not in the midst of a great army, but strolling in his own backyard garden.

How could such a demeanor not profoundly impress others?

Feng Qintian secretly admired him greatly, no wonder Xu Jieyuan, at such a young age, had already accomplished great feats. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Indeed, he was a natural-born hero.

Xu Qing remained composed, continually observing the Qi Fortune Little Snake within him; fortunately, from beginning to end, there were no changes. Should there be even the slightest sign of trouble, he was ready to seize the moment to escape.

Despite being within a large army where Dao Skill could not be freely utilized, he was confident he could make an escape using his masterful Eight Diagram Wandering Dragon Body Technique.

Moreover, General Yu had no reason to harm him; otherwise, he could not justify it to the Court.

Even though Xu Qing was notoriously lawless, he was still part of the Civil Servant system. Many Civil Servants might have been disgusted by Xu Qing, but if Xu Qing were beaten or imprisoned by a Military Officer, the Civil Servants would likely want to relentlessly punish General Yu.

After all, the superiority of Civil Servants over Military Officers is a common interest among them.

This is also what they consider to be natural justice.

On his journey, Xu Qing even leisurely observed the camp’s layout, combining Meng Yuxuan’s knowledge of military strategy and attentively memorizing everything he saw and heard.

Before entering the main tent.

Xu Qing had not felt any Martial Arts Qi Blood from General Yu outside.

Once he entered inside.

His retinue and Feng Qintian could only stay outside.

Xu Qing met General Yu alone, a famous general of this era, who, despite being over fifty, was still vigorous. What shocked Xu Qing even more was that, with his keen eyesight, he couldn’t ascertain the depth of the general’s Qi Blood.

"Martial Arts Grandmaster!" Xu Qing was secretly amazed.

But upon further reflection, it made sense.

The Court would naturally pay significant attention to the rebellion in East Mountain Province, so revealing its true strength was expected.

A Martial Arts Grandmaster and a famous general leading tens of thousands of well-trained soldiers, Xu Qing had no clue how the Luo Sect Master and his ragtag group could win.

In most late-dynasty periods, peasant armies in their initial stages against the Official Army were usually slaughtered.

Thus, historical records often casually mention the Official Army wiping out tens or even hundreds of thousands of rebels.

The gap between a regular army and makeshift troops is simply too large.

"Scholar Xu Qing from Jiangning Prefecture, pays his respects to the great marshal." Xu Qing greeted with a bow.

As he spoke, he used the technique of Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound; his voice was potent and thunderous, striking awe.

Xu Qing knew that these tough soldiers and Military Officers usually despised Civil Servants, yet due to the country’s laws, they had no choice but to respect them.

He did not want to flaunt his Civil Servant status but chose to demonstrate his strength in the most common manner among warriors.

The military respects the strong.

Regardless, showing his strength was a correct choice for Xu Qing, ensuring others wouldn’t underestimate him.

Moreover, his thunderous voice eased the tense atmosphere inside the tent significantly.

"Good!" General Yu exclaimed in admiration, continuing, "Truly a hero emerges from youth. No wonder Meng Yuxuan has mentioned you multiple times in his letters."

Being the Emperor’s favorite, he naturally could not be too close to the Civil Servants.

Calling Xu Qing into the camp this time was because he felt having Xu Gongming in East Mountain Province was an unstable factor as he was on the verge of quashing the rebellion.

To be a general, planning for more victories is better than planning for fewer; planning for fewer is better than planning for none.

General Yu was well-versed in this principle.

Thus, as a general, he summoned Xu Qing to join the camp and the rebellion-suppression, keeping this unstable element in front of him where he could freely act.

Moreover, since Xu Qing belonged to the Civil Servants, skilled in pacifying the people, after the rebellion, he would also need to hear Xu Qing’s advice on handling post-war affairs.

Indeed, quelling peasant uprisings and winning battles are not the most crucial issues; the key is how to manage the aftermath to prevent recurrence, which is what every general should consider.

However, many Military Officers never think about these issues.

Passing through like bandits is the norm.

General Yu was naturally not such a kind of Military Officer.

But pacifying the people was indeed his weak point.

Moreover, with Xu Qing’s formidable skills surpassing his own when he was younger, and being well-versed in both literature and martial arts, General Yu was even more pleased with Xu Qing.

He then relaxed his expression and began to engage in a conversation with Xu Qing.