69: The final battle begins, traditional martial arts practitioners charge into battle.
The Longze Grassland was the battlefield where Annan Prefecture fought against the barbarian tribes.
Chen Chuanwu was practicing martial arts in his tent. Having been away from home for two years, he had persisted in his daily training. Although he was now at the Blood Refining Peak and could not advance further, the habit of daily practice had taken root, and his Foundation had become increasingly solid.
"Captain, you have a letter from home!"
A military messenger shouted from outside Chuanwu's tent. Upon hearing this, Chuanwu immediately wiped the sweat from his body with a coarse cloth. Without even taking the time to put on his armor, he walked out of the tent, his robust upper body bare.
"Brother, where is my letter from home?"
Chuanwu called out to the messenger. The messenger took out two letters, handed them to Chuanwu, and said with a smile:
"Big Brother Chuanwu, your family is truly wealthy. That house is so imposing. When I delivered the letter, the old master even gave me fifty taels of silver!"
"If he gave it to you, just keep it. We are all brothers in arms; just take it and spend it!"
Chen Chuanwu laughed heartily and said generously, then impatiently walked back into his tent to read his letters from home.
His wife Wang Juan's letter was filled with longing, and she also told Chuanwu that she had given birth to a son for him, named Cheng An!
Seeing the contents of the letter, a happy smile appeared on Chen Chuanwu's face, though it was tinged with a bit of sadness. Since his child's birth, he, as a father, had not once shown his face; it was truly irresponsible of him.
He then opened his father's letter, which was filled with Chen Changsheng's exhortations, telling him not to worry about home and to be extra careful on the battlefield so that he could return safely!
"Father, Juaner, I will definitely return alive! Don't worry!"
Chen Chuanwu carefully put away the two letters, his eyes filled with determination!
"Woo-woo-woo!"
Just as Chen Chuanwu put away the letters, a sudden sound of horn blasts echoed through the military camp. Chen Chuanwu's expression tightened immediately; this was the signal to assemble before a major battle.
Without time to think, Chuanwu quickly put on his armor, grabbed his iron spear, and rode straight to the drill ground.
The drill ground was chaotic. It was clear that this sudden assembly had caught the soldiers off guard. Recently, both sides had only been engaging in small-scale skirmishes; a situation like this, where the entire army was assembled for a full-scale battle, had never happened before.
"Cavalry battalion men, stand in formation quickly and assemble here!"
With fifty thousand troops flooding into the drill ground, the scene was inevitably chaotic for a moment. As a captain of the cavalry battalion, Chen Chuanwu naturally had to be responsible for maintaining order among the cavalry.
He picked up the battalion flag, chose a spot, and shouted to the soldiers. Seeing the flag, the cavalry battalion soldiers found their direction and soon gathered around Chen Chuanwu.
Seeing that Chuanwu's method was effective, the other officers followed suit, and the fifty thousand troops gradually gained order, with everyone returning to their positions.
"Chuanwu, well done!"
A young general rode over; he was Chen Chuanwu's immediate superior, the cavalry battalion's Company Commander—Du Bo.
"It is a trivial matter, not worth mentioning!"
Chen Chuanwu held Du Bo, who had appreciated and promoted him, in high regard, so he humbly cupped his hands in salute. At this moment, looking at the grand scene of the entire army assembling, he felt a bit of worry. Thinking that Du Bo was the general's nephew and might have inside information, he quietly walked to Du Bo's side and asked in a low voice:
"Company Commander Du, with the entire army assembled today, do you know what the general's plan is?"
Upon hearing Chuanwu's question, Du Bo's expression instantly turned serious. He looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he said to Chuanwu in a low voice:
"Our scouts have discovered that the barbarian elite forces have all been deployed and are assembling outside our camp. It is estimated that we are going to fight a major battle this time. After two years of fighting, perhaps this is the decisive battle!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Chuanwu's heart tightened involuntarily. Although he had experienced many battles before, those had only been localized skirmishes involving a few thousand people.
This time, the barbarian tribes and Annan Prefecture were committing their entire military strength. With over a hundred thousand people from both sides slaughtering each other on this grassland, one could imagine that this would definitely be a bloody battle!
"Once the battle starts, be sharp. Do not charge recklessly; saving your life is what matters. To tell you the truth, how many enemies our army kills does not determine the outcome of the war. It depends on the battle between the Immortals in the sky. Whichever side they win, that side is considered the victor!"
Du Bo truly appreciated Chen Chuanwu; he had actually told Chuanwu such sensitive inner thoughts directly, not fearing that it might leak out and disrupt military morale.
"Yes. Thank you, Company Commander, I will be careful!"
Chen Chuanwu sighed inwardly. The conflict between the Immortals of both sides would require tens of thousands of Mortals from both camps to pay with their lives. These Immortals were truly, as his father had said, more vicious than Mortals!
"Alright, look after the troops. I am going to the general's camp for a meeting!"
Seeing that Chen Chuanwu had taken his words to heart, Du Bo patted him on the shoulder and headed toward the general's camp, while Chen Chuanwu straightened out the troops and waited for orders.
Half an hour later, Du Bo returned with a grim face.
"Damn it, it really is an all-out battle. Our cavalry battalion is ordered to charge behind the infantry. Remember not to charge too fiercely! Let's go, to the battlefield!"
Du Bo complained a few times to Chen Chuanwu, then led the troops toward the vast Longze Grassland.
The once boundless grassland was now filled with figures. On one side were the disheveled barbarian warriors clad in iron armor, and on the other were the armored soldiers of Annan Prefecture. The two sides stood in confrontation, separated by a distance of a hundred meters.
Above the armies of both sides, several figures floated in the air; those were the Immortals who would determine the true outcome of this battle!
"Engage! Charge!"
With the general's command, the armies of both sides surged toward each other like a tidal wave.
The hundred-meter distance was covered in an instant, and blood immediately stained the grassland red!
Barbarian warriors wielded battle axes to hack off the heads of opposing soldiers, while Annan Prefecture soldiers wielded sabers to cleanly slit the throats of the barbarians. A rain of arrows would often claim dozens of lives at once!
On this vast grassland, countless men fought hysterically. Only through slaughter could one have a chance to survive!
The fighting at the front had reached a fever pitch, and Chuanwu and the cavalry battalion were prepared to join the battlefield.
"Chuanwu, it is our turn to charge. You must be careful!"
Du Bo drew his saber, watched the situation on the battlefield, and said to Chuanwu, who was beside him.
"Cavalry battalion, follow me!"
Chen Chuanwu silently tightened his grip on his long spear, glanced at Du Bo, and without any unnecessary words, let out a long shout and led his troops to charge straight into the enemy lines!
The cavalry battalion led by Chen Chuanwu was like a sharp knife, instantly piercing through the enemy lines!
And the blade of this knife was Chen Chuanwu!
Having reached the Blood Refining Realm, he wielded the Eight Desolations Great Spear like a grim reaper on the battlefield. With every swing of his spear, he sent several barbarians flying. The barbarians before him could not resist at all; they were slaughtered like grass, wiped out completely!
"Good! Truly worthy of being the seed of a great general I have taken a fancy to; truly valiant!"
Outside the formation, Du Bo, watching the invincible Chen Chuanwu, could not help but cheer. Being a Company Commander and the general's nephew, he naturally did not need to charge the lines, so he watched from outside the formation.
Moreover, with Chen Chuanwu there, it was not his turn to lead the cavalry battalion. After all, his martial arts skills were not high; he could only shout "Charge!" rather than shouting "Follow me!" like Chuanwu.
The reason he appreciated Chen Chuanwu, besides the fact that Chuanwu had saved his life, was Chuanwu's fierce martial arts, which slaughtered enemies like a fierce tiger; that was the true key factor.