My Cultivation Starting from Archery

The soldiers frantically delivered the intelligence into the hall.

"We've been defeated at the front!"

"Twenty days ago, the Soldier Immortal Han Xiang from Nan Xu set fire to the 800-li encampment at Yiling with a burst of fierce flame!"

"..."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this,

the Minister of War, Ming Qing, first realized, then pounded his chest in frustration, "Foolish! We've been so foolish! Our distance from Luozhou is too great, causing us to overlook the dry and hot climate of the Yiling region! It's true that setting up camp by the mountains and fields can both provide shelter from the heat and utilize the terrain for stability, but if the enemy uses fire against us, wouldn't our army be reduced to ashes? Fortunately, Tong Xiaochu noticed the signs in time and withdrew early, preventing greater losses!"

"A close call, a close call!"

Prince Regent Cao Huan breathed a sigh of relief, "Tong Xiaochu truly lives up to the legacy of the Tong Family, skilled in the use of troops. It's just a pity that, just as we had pushed forward to Yiling, we had to pull back again. At this rate, who knows when we will be able to recapture the two states."

"Why haven't you invited General Chen yet?"

On one side of the hall,

Cao Zhi lay back in a chair, eating chilled watermelon, "It's still not too late to ask for help."

"No need for that!"

Ming Qingfeng raised his hand, "Tong Xiaochu's ability to see through the Military Immortal's strategy and withdraw from Yiling already proves his capability is no less than that of the Military Immortal. I believe he will surely stabilize the situation afterward."

"Lord Ming is right."

Yin Mingchun agreed, "This is enough to prove that our Great Sheng Dynasty has plenty of young talent!"

"A collapse over a thousand miles, a collapse over a thousand miles indeed!"

Cao Zhi casually discarded the watermelon rind.

"Twelfth brother, how can you repeatedly demoralize our troops?"

Cao Huan said displeased, "If you keep talking like this, brother, I might just have to punish you in anger."

"Alright, alright, alright."

Cao Zhi said, "Just wait and see, the defeat at Yiling is just the beginning."

...

"General Tong, it's bad, General Tong!"

"Just as we arrived at Yellow Wind Ridge, the enemy was already prepared."

"We were the ones ambushed!"

"At Yellow Wind Ridge, we lost eight thousand troops; one Mysterious Phenomenon and two Meridian Passage were killed in action!"

"Another force of the West Qi Army has already moved early to the end of Jingxing Road, about to outflank us — if we don't think of something soon, we won't be able to leave this place."

"General Tong, what should we do, General Tong!"

"..."

Looking at the retreating defeated soldiers, Tong Xiaochu's forehead broke out in large cold sweat, his voice trembling, "Quick, bring the map!"

"Rustle!"

Two soldiers unfurled the map before him.

"Lishi Prefecture!"

After a quick decision, Tong Xiaochu brought his fingers together and pointed to a city on the map, "We abandon the main road and take the side paths to Lishi Prefecture. With its sturdy city walls, abundant supplies, and the protection of a moat, and considering the dry summer and fall, we need not worry about them flooding the city, this will definitely help our troops stabilize the situation!"

"Brilliant foresight, General Tong!"

"Quick, let's set off!"

"Inform the vanguard to change direction, heading to Lishi Prefecture!"

"..."

Fifteen days later.

Before Prefecture City.

"General Tong, there's serious trouble!"

"The commander of Prefecture City, Yue Biao, absolutely refuses to open the gates and let us enter the city!"

"What?!"

Tong Xiaochu's face changed dramatically. He personally galloped to the front of the city gate, drew his sword from his waist, and demanded harshly, "Yue Biao, have you lost your mind? Open the gates at once!"

"General Tong!"

Above on the city tower, a middle-aged general called down loudly, "I must confess, Yue has already sworn allegiance to the Da Xu Immortal Master! In consideration of our past friendship, I won't combat you with sword and spear for one day, but if General Tong hasn't left this place by tomorrow, then I will have no choice but to join Da Xu in annihilating you all!"

"You, you..."

Tong Xiaochu's neck turned red, and veins bulged out.

He hadn't expected that the city behind them would turn against them and join the enemy!

But there was nothing he could do.

With blockades ahead and pursuers behind, there was no way they could stay and attack Prefecture City.

"Shanhua Prefecture!"

In his desperate ingenuity, Tong Xiaochu said, "Quick, tell everyone to head to Shanhua Prefecture immediately!"

Shanhua Prefecture.

It was the last stronghold that could stabilize the situation!

The army of 200,000 changed their route again.

"How is it?"

Tong Xiaochu asked the officer responsible for intelligence, "Have you received any new secret messages from the Governor Mansion lately? If so, give them to me, and I'll personally burn them!"

"General Tong, there are none."

"..." freeweɓnovel.cøm

Tong Xiaochu took a deep breath, feeling the pressure increasing.

But he thought about it.

The war situation was changing every day.

Chen Sansi, thousands of miles away, ultimately wasn't a Divine Calculator. He couldn't foresee everything, much less continuously provide him with brilliant strategies.

But fortunately,

once they reached Shanhua Prefecture, even if West Qi had many more troops on their heels, they would be at a loss!

The army changed routes.

Again, 10,000 rearguards were lost.

Another 20 days passed.

The Governor's troops finally neared their destination.

"Report—"

Just when they were only a few dozen miles away from Shanhua Prefecture, a blood-covered scout stumbled back to the Central Army, "It's bad, General Tong! Shanhua Prefecture has also surrendered!"

"Impossible!"

Tong Xiaochu said, "The commander of Shanhua Prefecture, like me, is a descendant of one of the Twelve Marshals from the era of the Kylin Hall. Even if his family has fallen into decline, he is still of ten generations of loyal martyrs! How could he possibly join the enemy?"

"Commander, it's true!"

The scout, who had been scared out of his wits from fleeing, stuttered, "The road ahead is the only way leading to Shanhua Prefecture, and it's covered with West Qi's army flags. It's hard to estimate the exact number of troops, but the force is massive, surely numbering over 50,000!"

"..."

Tong Xiaochu's eyes twitched uncontrollably, and for a moment, he was speechless.

"General Tong, it must be true!"