I Can See Your Combat Power

No matter how much they revered Xiao Jinlin, each commander had their own responsibilities. It wasn’t possible for them to keep welcoming him indefinitely. Thus, after brief introductions and casual greetings, the commanders had to return to their posts.

However, Mi Hai, who had managed to gather all the commanders, had different plans. He kept everyone for a while and took them to the tents located at the southern foot of North Mountain.

Mi Hai, with his top-tier tactical acumen, had detected certain unusual tendencies from the movements of the defenders in Xiangyun Valley over the past few days. He intended to discuss these observations with everyone.

So, after welcoming everyone into the tents at the foot of the mountain, Mi Hai gestured towards the huge North Mountain sand table and said, “From observing the Tang Clan’s defensive forces these past few days, I deduce that they will attempt a breakout within the next two days. Gentlemen, where do you think the Tang Clan will choose to breakthrough if they decide to do so?”

As soon as he sat down, Mi Hai surprised all the commanders with his statement. Even though they didn’t understand how he came to this conclusion, they were all willing to trust his judgment.

This trust was built over the course of the war, led by Mi Hai himself. This trust was so deep that none of the commanders doubted him, all began to ponder the possible routes for the Tang Clan’s breakout.

Head Commander Bai Qi of Zhenwen Mountain was the first to speak up, “In my opinion, if the defenders from the Tang Clan in Xiangyun Valley choose to break out, they will definitely choose either the exact North or the Northwest positions. This is because these two sides connect the North Mountain settlements and the terrain is rugged, aiding in battles. Also, the other directions all lead into the areas under our control. They have no other choice but to go deep into the North Mountain settlements.”

“I agree with Commander Bai’s viewpoint.” Wan Qianyi, the commander stationed at the northern front of Xiangyun Valley, echoed Bai Qi’s words. After Mi Hai mentioned the possibility of the defenders breaking out, Wan Qianyi thought of his own post and added, “Dayou Mountain is a must-pass route from the valley to the North Mountain settlements. Therefore, it is crucial to stop the Tang Clan from escaping there. However, Dayou Mountain is currently stationed by only a few dozen Martial Ancestors and fewer than a thousand transformation squads. We are clearly lacking enough manpower to effectively hold back the Tang Clan’s breakout. I would kindly request that Sect Head Mi could provide more reinforcements.”

While speaking, he repeatedly glanced at Cao Xiong and Xiao Jinlin, making his intentions very clear.

Existing as newly formed powers in North Mountain, Xiao Jinlin must consider how to distribute defenses. Currently, he himself lacked troops and could make use of this opportunity to receive more.

If Xiling’s strongest warrior was backed up by a group of the Xiao Family’s Martial Ancestors, Wan Qianyi was confident he could stop the Tang Clan’s breakout. Regarding Cao Xiong, he viewed him as an added security measure.

Considering the timing, Tang Sen should have recovered from his injuries by now. If Cao Xiong wasn’t present at the scene, Tang Sen’s Golden Rock Battle Body could cause immeasurable damage in a guerilla wilderness fight. While the Martial Ancestors might be able to take to the skies to escape the damage, those Transformation squads would have nowhere to go. To make sure all bases were covered, they needed Cao Xiong to hold down Dayou Mountain.

“Commander Wan speaks the truth. Therefore, I request that the Xiao Family’s head and the Cao Family’s head switch their defenses to Dayou Mountain.” Mi Hai approved Wan Qianyi’s request decisively. “I will immediately draw an additional two thousand Transformation squads from the southeastern defenses to reinforce Dayou Mountain. Our goal is to cut off all communication between Xiangyun Valley and North Mountain. We must not let even a single mosquito slip through!”

The direction for Tang Clan’s breakout was blatantly obvious. North Mountain settlements were their only lifeline. If they chose another direction, it would signify their willingness to engage in a fight to the death.

Longzhou Calendar, Year 1781, Fifteenth day of the first month, Rainwater on the horizon

Within the Golden Light Shield-covered Xiangyun Valley, all warriors of the Tang Clan were already dressed in armor, lined up in the middle of the Martial Hall. Their high spirits left a deep impression on all who saw them.

Their morale was due to the reappearance of Sect Head Tang Sen, which instantly debunked the rumors spread by the Mi Clan.

Everyone believed that under the leadership of the Sect Head and the elders, they would be able to successfully break through.

However, when Clan Chief Tang Zhi finished his first sentence, all warriors in the Martial Hall couldn’t help but clench their fists tightly.

“Warriors of the Martial Hall. I am the Chief of the Tang Clan, Tang Zhi.”

“About the battle today, I want to tell you that ever since the front-line defense collapsed, the Mi Clan’s allied forces have begun to land on North Mountain and carry out brutal sweeping operations.”

“At the same time, the Mi Clan’s allied forces have always been pushing deeper into North Mountain, and have formed a huge blockade around Xiangyun Valley, striving to swallow us in one bite.”

“I know that in these few days, everyone has been holding back their breath and accumulating pent-up anger. Some are saying that since we are already defeated, why didn’t we attempt to break through earlier. Some are saying that if we had attempted to break through earlier, the encirclement by the Mi Clan’s allied forces wouldn’t have grown this large.”

“But people of the Tang Clan, if we retreat, everything you have cherished on this land will vanish.”

“Even though the land of Longzhou is vast, if we retreat, we would be nothing more than homeless dogs etching the disgrace of defeat on our backs!”

What was thought to be just another morale boost suddenly took a solemn turn. The common term ‘retreat’ suddenly seemed to carry more weight. Even those warriors who initially wanted to retreat were now feeling something different.

Should they aim for glory, or survival?

For the victorious lions of the Tang Family, this was an unprecedented question that left them feeling lost.

But there were always some who were born to fight and to strive for glory. So, when the warriors of the Divine Martial Army shouted out, “Without glory, we’d rather die!”, the entire Martial Hall was filled with fervor.

The already high-spirited army was now filled with killing intent, their twisted anger reaching for the skies.

“Good!”

“I love this spirit of the Divine Martial Army. But I do not wish to hide the truth from you. We are about to face an unprecedented blood battle, and it will be extremely ruthless.”

Tang Zhi drew his Spiritual Sword and roared, “But I want to say, there is no encirclement in this world that can’t be broken. Even though we are facing the Mi Clan’s allied forces that outnumber us, even though they are using clever formations to encircle us, they are only trying to hide their cowardice. This allied army does not have the word ‘bravery’ in their language, and they lack the spirit to fight to the death!”

“We are different! We dare to fight our enemies with our lives on the line. We dare to carve out a bloody road. We will let this allied army know that to swallow the millennia-old glory of the Tang Clan in one bite, this rabble won’t be able to do it!”

“So, I do not see this as a breakout battle, but as an offensive for vengeance!”

“Who is willing to charge with me?”

This unconventional motivating speech was bound to be written in the annals of the Tang Clan. Transforming a break from a dead end into the starting point of a counter-attack, the Tang Clan’s actions were nothing short of madness.

However, as all the Martial Hall soldiers echoed the cry for “Victory!”, the impact of their collective will made it seem like victory wasn’t impossible in the upcoming breakout battle.

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