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Outside Fengzhou City

Lin Jiang led the charge again, with two thousand soldiers forming a cone-shaped battle formation. Lin Jiang was at the tip of the cone, boldly breaking through the enemy’s camp.

The spear, fragile upon touch.

The shield, shattered with one strike.

One by one, enemy formations were broken. Lin Jiang no longer used tactics to drive away the fleeing troops, nor did he stay to kill the soldiers. He made a beeline for the enemy’s central forces, their big flag as a reference point.

When breaking the sixth formation, there were no more soldiers from the Zhenguo Army behind Lin Jiang. They couldn’t keep up with him, but Lin Jiang was fearless.

Continuing to charge forward alone, the eighth formation was the enemy’s last one and where their elite troops were stationed – a thousand warriors, all skilled fighters. There were more than a hundred warriors of innate talent or higher, with two Martial Saints overseeing the formation.

"Stop him, surround and kill him!"

"Kill Rebel Wolong, reward with gold and titles of nobility."

The enemy general spoke coldly, still not believing that Lin Jiang could not be killed. No one is invincible, he thought.

Upon hearing about the generous reward, the one thousand warriors’ eyes turned red with excitement. With this reward, they wouldn’t have to worry for ten lifetimes.

The one thousand warriors went crazy, and so did Lin Jiang. His internal strength surged without reserve, creating a thirty-meter-long sword aura that rampaged through the crowd, tearing apart countless warriors who hadn’t even seen Lin Jiang’s face.

Even the two Martial Saints dared not confront Lin Jiang head-on. They hid among the crowd, only touching Lin Jiang’s sword aura lightly, yet feeling immense pressure.

"Why hasn’t he run out of internal strength?"

As more than half of the one thousand people were injured or killed, the two Martial Saints were shocked. Lin Jiang’s internal strength seemed to show no sign of depletion. How could this be possible? Such a violent display should not be sustainable for long.

But Lin Jiang didn’t bother answering their questions. He had already spotted the two Martial Saints hiding in the crowd. Every time Lin Jiang tried to approach them, they quickly dodged away.

Lin Jiang picked up a long spear from the ground and hurled it towards the large banner ahead. With a loud bang, the banner snapped in half, startling Prime Minister Li and the others.

"Prime Minister Li, the rebel cannot be killed. It’s time for us to leave."

"Is there really no chance at all?"

"A true gentleman doesn’t stay under dangerous walls, Prime Minister Li, it’s now or never. As long as Prime Minister Li is alive, there’s still a chance."

"Okay."

Under the persuasion of his subordinates, Prime Minister Li quietly left under the escort of his guards. He wasn’t the only one leaving; many had already gone. Only one general remained, the overall commander of the army now. He couldn’t leave. If he did, they would be completely defeated.

Despite Prime Minister Li and the others leaving, it affected the morale, especially of the warriors. They were all hired by Prime Minister Li and his high-ranking officials. Now that their employers had left, they wouldn’t fight as hard anymore. Some even began to slip away, like those two Martial Saints.

Lin Jiang didn’t chase after them. Instead, he fought his way to the heart of the enemy’s central camp. There was only one general in golden armor left with a dozen or so soldiers beside him.

The soldiers tried to attack Lin Jiang but were stopped by the general. Drawing his sword, he said. I’d like to learn from Mr. Wolong’s tactics.

"I know you, Shi Hu, the Grand Commander of the Southern Capital in the Chen Kingdom. You’re a famous general and a loyal subject. You shouldn’t die here."

Lin Jiang recognized him as Shi Hu, the Grand Commander who oversaw the southwest region of the Chen Kingdom. He was one of the few renowned generals in the kingdom and the only loyal subject to the Chen Kingdom, instrumental in King Dai’s ascension to power in Daizhou State.

In this battle, Shi Hu’s strategies were flawless, showcasing his excellence. If not for Lin Jiang’s exceptional abilities in this era, Shi Hu would have already fallen victim to deception.

"Since Mr. Wolong knows I am a loyal subject, he should know that a loyal subject doesn’t serve two masters."

"Being loyal and being foolishly loyal are different. The reign of Chen Kingdom has lasted for six hundred years, it is time to end."

"Perhaps what you said is correct, but for me, whether in life or in death, I am a person of the Chen Kingdom. Shi Hu is incompetent and unable to bring peace to Chen Kingdom, so I can only repay Chen Kingdom’s kindness with my life. Please proceed, sir."

"If you are determined to seek death, then I will grant your wish. Show me what you’ve got."

"Okay."

Shi Hu nodded, then concentrated all his lifelong skills into the sword in his hand. He swung the sword towards Lin Jiang, creating a powerful energy blade over two meters long. For him, as a Grand Master of Martial Arts, this was an extraordinary feat.

With a casual swing, Lin Jiang generated a energy blade that was six to seven meters long, directly obliterating Shi Hu’s sword energy, then overwhelming Shi Hu.

"General."

A dozen loyal soldiers rushed forward, and Lin Jiang also granted their loyalty by meeting their end.

In a kingdom that lasted for six hundred years, there must have been loyal subjects. Lin Jiang just lacked talented people. If Shi Hu were willing to surrender, his plan would have been much smoother.

Once the command center was destroyed, the allied forces were completely defeated. Even though they had many soldiers, they were in utter chaos and ultimately defeated.

When the troops from Fengzhou City joined the battle, the allied forces were completely defeated, without any doubt.

·······

In the year three thousand eight hundred and sixty of the Xia calendar, autumn

The war had ended, lasting just over a month. Lin Jiang defeated the Three Provinces Alliance in Fengzhou City, causing the troops from Shizhou State to retreat.

Mr. Wolong’s name became famous throughout the land. Some praised Lin Jiang as the bravest warrior in the world, not just the most skilled.

There were many skilled fighters, but none had the bravery of Lin Jiang. After numerous battles and always taking the lead, his courage was unmatched.

Many generals were fearless soldiers, but once they rose to a high position, they became afraid of death and eager to preserve their lives.

The world was in chaos, but Lin Jiang paid no attention. After the war, Lin Jiang focused on rebuilding Feng State and Taizhou State. Due to the war, the harvest was delayed, leading to a decrease in food production even if crops were planted in a hurry this year.

However, Lin Jiang insisted on collecting only regular taxes and no extra fees. He wasn’t short on money as he had won the war and received spoils of war, including military funds and supplies from the defeated rebel noble families in Taizhou State, which were now used by the Zhenguo Army.

After two months, Lin Jiang sorted out all the affairs. He provided proper compensation to the families of soldiers who died in battle, promoted those who distinguished themselves, and continued recruiting new soldiers and horses.

Once the matters were settled, the senior members of the Zhenguo Army were waiting for Lin Jiang to address an issue concerning the army’s name change. They were currently under the banner of Chen Kingdom, but with the eight provinces attacking the Zhenguo Army’s territory, was this banner still appropriate?

"I know what you are waiting for. Today, I will announce that starting tomorrow, the Zhenguo Army will be renamed the Datong Army."

"Datong Army."

"Great Harmony Under Heaven."

"Yes, the Datong Army of Great Harmony Under Heaven."

"The way of greatness favors the public, selecting the talented and capable individuals…"

Someone read out the article on the Great Dao in public. It was a text Lin Jiang recited during a debate at Chu State’s Martial Arts Academy with Qiu Zhong. It shocked people at that time and has been considered the knowledge of emperors for centuries, a text that all emperors must learn and aspire to achieve.

The Great Dao is what our Datong Army seeks to achieve, along with a few slogans to drive away the Demon Human and reclaim our land and rivers.

Although we mentioned this slogan before, I now officially declare it a required subject for the Datong Army. All Datong citizens must strive for it.

"General, after tomorrow, we will break ties with the Chen Kingdom. What about those under our command?"

"Let them go. After this battle, don’t you realize that the nobles, scholars, they are all unreliable? The ones we can rely on are the common people. We treat them sincerely, how can they not sincerely support us?"

"Yes, General. Should we establish a country name?"

"Not for now. Establishing a country name requires sacrifices, and we don’t have them yet."

"Sacrifices?"

"Yes, like King Dai’s head. Not just King Dai, but also other princes who have declared themselves emperors. Once we’ve eliminated them, we can establish a country name."

Lin Jiang said. Without sacrifices, having a kingdom name is not meaningful, so let’s take it slow.

"Tomorrow, I will announce to the world that the Datong Army is established. We will do several things: first, set up a recruitment platform to seek talented people from all over the world, second, establish the Great Harmony Code, third…"

Facing the crowd, Lin Jiang said there are many things to do. Many things were just ideas before, but now they can be put into action. Especially, he was moved by the people of Qishan Prefecture who voluntarily joined the government to resist the large army of Shizhou State.

He felt a long-lost power, coming from the people themselves, which gave him a new drive. With more determination in his actions, Lin Jiang was ready to end this turbulent era.