<h4>Chapter 452: The Terrifying Lin Xiao</h4>
The war had begun.
This martial contest was far from a friendly match; it was a life-and-death battle. Though Xiaoyao Hou was a feeblemander, his troops were among the elite. Whether it was the twenty-nine Emperor Extreme Realm experts or the million-strong army, they were the finest. These million soldiers had just descended from the battlefield, their bodies brimming with a murderous aura!
As the horns red, the three-way army scouts were dispatched. Without the ability to fly, they dashed through the forests at incredible speeds, gathering intelligence on the enemy.
In front of Xiaoyao Hou.
"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, fifty miles southeast, we discovered thirty thousand soldiers of the Zhong family."
"Dispatch a hundred thousand men to annihte the Zhong family army!"
"Yes!"
Not long after the hundred thousand troops departed.
"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, a hundred miles southeast, we discovered a hundred thousand Zhao family soldiers!"
"Oh?" Xiaoyao Hou''s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
The same direction?
"You two, Emperor Extreme Realm experts, go and assist my army! Wipe out the small forces of Zhong and Zhao!" Xiaoyao Hou ordered.
"Yes!" The two immediately responded.
"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, seventy miles due east, we discovered forty thousand soldiers of the Zhong family."
"Dispatch a hundred thousand men to annihte the Zhong family army!"
"Yes!"
"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, a hundred and fifty miles due east, we discovered ny thousand Zhao family soldiers!"
... The messages continued to rapidly ry to Xiaoyao Hou.
Rubbing his temples, Xiaoyao Hou felt a bit overwhelmed as he continuously issued orders.
The same chaos was happening on Zhao Tiansha''s side.
Who could have expected that the battle would be so chaotic so quickly? The war of the three armies escted at an astonishing pace. How long had it been? And so many soldiers had already been dispatched.
Kill!
Once the war began, it was all about ughter. Deaths and injuries were inevitable, unless someone surrendered voluntarily, in which case they could fly up and be taken out of the central square by designated personnel.
In a concealed valley.
Inside a grand hall, Lin Xiao stood before a battlefield map, continuously arranging the troops. Shui Wuhen stood beside him, carefully observing and learning.
"At this position, deploy ten thousand troops, but only to harass. Do not exceed the time of half a burning incense stick, then quickly move through this path, across the forest, and reach this location!" Lin Xiao pointed to the map with a stick.
"Yes!" Ten messengers took turns rying the orders to various troops.
"Alright, I have arranged twelve skirmishes. Now we wait for a while as scouts from all sides quickly gather intelligence." Lin Xiao instructed.
"Yes!" The messengers immediately responded.
Shui Wuhen gazed at the battlefield map in front of him, his eyes filled with uncertainty.
"Deputy Marshal Lin, what is your intention with these moves?" Shui Wuhen asked in amazement as he watched the scenes unfold.
On the battlefield map, Lin Xiao used magic to reveal the positions of the three armies, showing scenes of their skirmishes and even the damage incurred. But all of this was based on Lin Xiao''s conjectures and judgments of the battle situation. Could this really work?
"This was the first lesson the Grand Marshal taught me: ''Drive the wolf to devour the tiger!''" Lin Xiao replied.
"Drive the wolf to devour the tiger?" Shui Wuhen furrowed his brow. It wasn''t an overlyplex strategy; he knew of it too.
"Amander must foresee the oue before the battle begins. Of the twelve units I''ve dispatched, ording to my strategy, our forces will lose at most one unit, while the others will remain unharmed, and we will destroy two hundred thousand of the enemy troops!" Lin Xiao dered.
"Report, the first unit is unharmed. The Nie and Zhao armies shed, each side suffering eight thousand casualties!"
"Report, the second unit is unharmed. The Nie and Zhao armies shed, each side suffering six thousand casualties!"
... Good news kepting in, exactly as Lin Xiao had predicted.
"Report, the ninth unit was surrounded by both armies and faced certain death. They surrendered and were led out of the battle zone. This maneuver caused the Nie and Zhao armies to engage each other, resulting in heavy casualties, and the battle is still ongoing!"
At dawn, the first group of soldiers was escorted out.
The Zhong family army, twelve thousand men, surrendered.
Onlookers were astonished. Was the Zhong family army, without Zhong Shan, really so weak? In such a short time, twelve thousand men had surrendered?
The battle continued swiftly. Although the battlefield had a diameter of a thousand miles, it was still too small for these cultivators, especially with over two million people inside.
By noon, more soldiers from the Zhong family army surrendered. This time, thirty-eight thousand men came out.
A total of fifty thousand stood in the surrender zone, eliciting long sighs from countless spectators.
These fifty thousand men seemed too cowardly. How long had it been? They surrendered already? Moreover, they appeared unscathed. Were they truly so terrified?
Those who had bet on Zhong Shan winning were all ring angrily.
In the afternoon, soldiers from Zhao Tiansha''s army finally surrendered. Three thousand men, covered in wounds, with few uninjured, were forced to fly up and admit defeat, being escorted to the surrender zone.
Next, four thousand of Xiaoyao Hou''s soldiers emerged, also severely wounded.
However, after Xiaoyao Hou''s men came out, they all red angrily at Zhao Tiansha''s subordinates, showing no animosity towards the Zhong family army.
Countless eyes were watching from the outside. What was happening inside?
When the unscathed surrendering soldiers from the Zhong family army increased to a hundred thousand, while the injured soldiers from the other two sides reached tens of thousands, the spectators finally noticed something was off.
Something was wrong. Why were all the Zhong family army''s surrendering soldiers uninjured, while Xiaoyao Hou''s and Zhao Tiansha''s men were all heavily wounded?
When two Emperor Extreme Realm experts were carried out, there was anothermotion among the crowd.
Emperor Extreme Realm, those two were Emperor Extreme Realm experts, Xiaoyao Hou''s strongmen, how were they so severely injured?
By evening, the battle continued! In the forest, one could see countless streams of light and numerous powerful arrows shooting in all directions.
On the battlefield.
At Xiaoyao Hou''s position.
"How many have we lost?" Xiaoyao Hou shouted.
"Grand Marshal, we''ve lost two hundred and eighty thousand soldiers, including your personal guards. Among the Emperor Extreme Realm experts, one is dead, three are injured, one is recuperating, and two have surrendered and flown away." a subordinate reported.
"Zhao Tiansha!" Xiaoyao Hou red in anger.
At Zhao Tiansha''s position.
"How many have we lost?" Zhao Tiansha asked.
"Our losses amount to 250,000 troops. It was perilous, but luck was on our side. Our forces encountered Xiaoyao Hou''s army and even their Emperor Extreme Realm experts. We were on the verge of defeat when the Zhong family army suddenly appeared and blocked part of Xiaoyao Hou''s forces, allowing us to sessfully kill one Emperor Extreme Realm expert and severely injure three others!" a subordinate reported.
"The Zhong family army appeared suddenly?" Zhao Tiansha frowned.
"Yes, they got lost, haha, truly heaven''s favor for our army," the subordinate said.
"Hmm!" Zhao Tiansha nodded.
In the valley where Lin Xiao was stationed, within the temporary camp pce.
Shui Wuhen looked at two identical maps, his eyes filled with astonishment. One map depicted Lin Xiao''s predicted battle scenarios, while the other showed the actual intelligence gathered by scouts. The two maps were eerily simr, with only the slightest differences.
Shui Wuhen could hardly believe his eyes, looking at Lin Xiao as if he were a monster.
Noticing Shui Wuhen''s expression, Lin Xiao smiled, "This is basic. Do you want to learn?"
Shui Wuhen, still in shock, nodded slowly, the turmoil in his heart reaching its peak.
"First, understand these," Lin Xiao tossed a stack of documents.
"What are these?" Shui Wuhen asked, puzzled.
"These are dossiers on Xiaoyao Hou and Zhao Tiansha—their living habits, their styles of handling affairs, and their methods ofmanding troops. There are also profiles on their subordinates," Lin Xiao exined.
"What is this for?" Shui Wuhen asked, still confused.
"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles. How can you talk about fighting a war without understanding your opponent? By understanding the habits and characteristics of the opposingmanders, you can predict their actions and formte strategies ahead of time," Lin Xiao borated.
"I understand. I am ready to learn," Shui Wuhen replied, his previous arrogancepletely gone as he earnestly began learning from Lin Xiao.
In the Lihuo Holy Temple.
"How is the battle progressing?" Nie Fancheng asked.
"Your Majesty, Xiaoyao Hou and Zhao Tiansha are sure to lose," the elderly eunuch replied.
"Oh?" Nie Fancheng raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"The deputymander of the Zhong family army, Lin Xiao, is truly a genius. His ability tomand and strategize is terrifying. Perhaps only Shaofei Hou could match him," the eunuch said.
"You speak of him with such high regard?" Nie Fancheng smiled.
"Indeed, Your Majesty. Let me provide you with some figures to illustrate the situation," the eunuch said.
"Speak!" Nie Fanchengmanded.
"In the surrender za, there are 100,000 soldiers from the Zhong family army, but only a few are slightly injured. On the other hand, Xiaoyao Hou and Zhao Tiansha each have 100,000 troops there, all severely wounded. Inside the battlefield, Xiaoyao Hou''s forces have lost 180,000 soldiers, Zhao Tiansha''s forces have lost 150,000 soldiers, while the Zhong family army..." the eunuch''s eyes widened in disbelief.
"What about the Zhong family army?" Nie Fancheng asked.
"Not a single one has died!" the eunuch replied, incredulous.
Silence enveloped the Lihuo Holy Temple for a long moment.
"The Zhong family army ismanded by Lin Xiao, correct?" Nie Fancheng asked after a pause.
"Yes, the same Lin Xiao who recently followed Zhong Shan into the Lihuo Holy Temple and brought the Mingyuan Pill before the entire court," the eunuch confirmed.
The war could not be concluded in a short time. Even in such a confined space, a fast-paced battle involving so many soldiers could not be resolved quickly.
Under Lin Xiao''s meticulous calctions, the Zhong family army yed the role of a strong catalyst in the entire battlefield, hiding in the shadows and waiting for the two opposing armies to sh. If they did not engage, the Zhong family army would incite conflict, forcing them into a frenzy of battle.
Ten dayster.
"Deputy Commander Lin, ording to your current calctions, Nie Kuang and Zhao Tiansha each have less than 200,000 soldiers remaining in this area?" Shui Wuhen asked, astonished.
"Yes, 200,000 remnants on each side, with less than 100,000 effectivebatants," Lin Xiao replied with a smile.
"Deputy Commander Lin, you are truly amazing!" Shui Wuhen eximed with joy.
"Amazing? They are just a bunch of weaklings. What''s there to be surprised about? Besides, I have less than 500,000 men left," Lin Xiao shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with the result.
Shui Wuhen was speechless. They had lost 300,000 men, but all of them were perfectly fine, waiting outside. The remaining 500,000 were mostly uninjured, with only a few lightly wounded. The other sides had each lost 800,000 men and had wasted 23 Emperor Extreme Realm experts. And Lin Xiao was still dissatisfied with this result?