Volume 11: The First Law Chapter 19: Why Fear Ghosts?
From the initial cavalry charge, to the subsequent hand-to-hand combat, and then to the final ending, this fierce battle between human soldiers and the White Walkers in the snow lasted a whole day and night.
As expected, the Northern Alliance still achieved the final victory.
Because at the current stage, the Northern Alliance still has an absolute advantage in terms of military strength.
However, in order to maintain this military advantage, the treasuries of various countries have been in deficit year after year - not to mention that most of the able-bodied men have been conscripted into the army, the financial and human resources required just to deliver food and fodder to the Iron City are unimaginable.
Therefore, no one knows how long this advantage can last.
…
Fog covered the entire snowfield.
Lu Qingshan stood on the city wall, looking down.
At this time, the entire snowfield was littered with broken limbs and corpses.
These body parts and remains all come from the human race.
Because after the White Walkers die, they will turn into liquid and disappear quickly.
There was a strong smell of rotting corpses in the air, which was the unpleasant smell coming from the vaporization of the corpses of the White Walkers.
Armies are cleaning up the battlefield.
"General, the casualty data has been counted. We suffered 767 casualties in this battle, including 31 minor injuries, 189 serious injuries, and 547 sacrifices." Gu Tianyan came from behind Lu Qingshan and reported to Lu Qingshan respectfully.
The mortality rate is extremely high because the weapons of the White Walkers are too strange. Once they pierce the flesh, the cold air invades and the soldiers' blood stops flowing in a short time.
Therefore, there are few survivors among the injured - unless they can cut off the injured part directly at the first moment.
"However, this time our Dragon and Phoenix Army killed 431 White Walkers, and the casualty ratio was close to 3 to 2. Judging from this casualty ratio alone, it should be the best among all armies."
Gu Tianyan suppressed his excitement and said in a deep voice: "Moreover, according to statistics, General, you have also achieved ."
With the overall casualty ratio being twenty to one, the fact that their Dragon and Phoenix Army was able to reduce the casualty ratio to this level was undoubtedly an extremely powerful proof of their Dragon and Phoenix Army's strength.
Although, among the 431 White Walkers killed by their Dragon and Phoenix Army, more than 100 of them were killed by the man in front of them.
Thinking of this, Gu Tianyan couldn't help but look up at Lu Qingshan, thinking of Lu Qingshan's amazing performance on the battlefield before.
Kill a hundred ghosts!
This is quite an achievement in Iron City.
Over the past thirty years, only dozens of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Tiecheng have achieved this feat.
And without exception, they were accumulated slowly through dozens of battles.
No one had ever been able to accomplish such a terrifying feat like their general in just one battle.
Moreover, among the hundred ghosts, there is also an extremely important White Walker who is judged by them to be an "elite" White Walker general.
"This is just the beginning," Lu Qingshan was not proud of this battle record, and laughed: "I guarantee that everyone in the Dragon and Phoenix Army, as long as they can survive the battlefield in the end, will accumulate merits that are not inferior to the Hundred Demons Slayer when they take off their armor and return to the countryside."
This is an astonishing guarantee.
You know, anyone who can achieve the feat of Slaying a Hundred Demons would be at least a commander-level figure in the armies of various countries, and not even one in an army could do that.
But although Lu Qingshan was speaking so wildly and nonsense, he had a powerful and convincing power.
I don’t know if it was because his previous performance on the battlefield was too shocking, or if he just exuded a convincing aura.
Seeing that Gu Tianyan seemed to be intimidated, Lu Qingshan chuckled again, "But first of all, you have to be able to survive on the battlefield."
"A soldier's destiny is to die on the battlefield. If they survive, they can achieve such an achievement. So what if they risk their lives?" Gu Tianyan clasped his fists and said in a loud voice.
His heart couldn't help but feel a little excited.
"With your full support, there is no need to worry about not achieving great things." Lu Qingshan's eyes were deep, and no one knew what great things he was referring to.
…
"Song Ying, the lieutenant general of Song State, killed eleven aliens in battle and was rewarded with three thousand taels of silver."
"General Luo Binwang of the Liu Kingdom... is rewarded with two thousand taels of silver."
…
"Qin's national defender General Lu Qingshan killed the alien generals in battle formation and slaughtered more than a hundred aliens, achieving the record of killing a hundred aliens. He will be rewarded with 20,000 taels of silver."
A lieutenant colonel walked up to Lu Qingshan carrying a red lacquered tray with a hundred gold ingots on it.
Lu Qingshan took the tray.
"Thank you."
"General Lu, you're too polite." The lieutenant colonel looked a little excited.
The man in front of him is a fierce character who can kill hundreds of White Walkers in one battle. In the past 30 years, countless soldiers have come and gone in Iron City. When has such a person appeared?
This is a general who is destined to become a legend, how can he not be excited?
The other generals present saw this scene, raised their eyebrows, and said nothing.
With the actual results in front of them, what else can they say?
All I can say is that it makes sense that Lu Qingshan was chosen by the Princess of Qin and was bestowed with the Sword of the Nation.
The general did not speak, but someone spoke at this time.
It was the person sitting on the main seat, the King of Han, the King of Korea. According to the rules, the monarchs of the nine great countries had to take turns to lead the army to Iron City in person to stabilize the morale of the troops.
At this time, it was South Korea's turn.
In fact, with so many armies gathered in one city, only the monarchs of these nine great countries could exercise some control over these armies.
“General Pingnan is a military genius, and General Lu’s martial arts are at the level of a god. The two are very different, but both have the demeanor of a great general. I just wonder who is stronger?” King Han said with a smile.
There is a needle hidden in cotton.
Lu Qingshan just smiled lightly, "King Han, you are too kind."
King Han's eyes flickered for a moment, and he laughed, "I forgot that General Lu and General Pingnan are both from Qin. If they join forces, they will be invincible. Why should we compare who is better?"
Lu Qingshan did not respond.
The King of Han's intention to provoke was already obvious, but even if one knew it was a provocation, as long as one had the slightest idea about power, one would fall into the trap.
As a human being, you will have a sense of gain and loss, and a sense of winning and losing.
This is an open conspiracy.
But Lu Qingshan is the one and only exception.
Everything in the Daoyuan Realm was nothing but a passing cloud to him. Apart from the Dragon Bird in his hand and the extermination of the White Walkers, he really had nothing else to ask for.
…
After this fierce battle, not only his prestige in the Dragon and Phoenix Guards was established, but also the generals of various countries' armies recognized this Qin's national defender who had killed a hundred ghosts in a single battle.
Especially among the troops surrounding Longmen, Lu Qingshan was quite famous.
After all, the impact of seeing the battle with your own eyes and hearing about it with your own ears is incomparable.
Lu Qingshan did not take a penny of the ten thousand taels of silver reward he received for slaying a hundred ghosts, and distributed it all as pensions to the families of the soldiers of the Dragon and Phoenix Guards who died in the battle.
This move undoubtedly increased his prestige in the Dragon and Phoenix Army.
Who wouldn't be convinced by a general who is good at fighting, good at employing people and generous?
…
The snow and wind are blowing hard.
It's that time of the year when the wind and snow start to blow.
The Iron City had been built and stood on Snow Ridge for thirty-two years.
Even though this weathered city was made of iron, it was inevitably a little rusty.
At this time, teams of neatly organized troops filed into the city from the city gate.
They came from the southern countries of Daoyuan Realm, traveling thousands of miles across wind and rain just to support the Northern Alliance.
Because just a month ago, Iron City once again suffered a large-scale attack by the White Walkers, suffered heavy losses, and urgently needed new blood.
Under the city wall, a sturdy man like an iron tower looked up at the flag fluttering in the wind on the city wall, and then his eyes tightened.
"Which country's military flag is that?"
Among the continuous flags, there was one flag that was taller than all the others.
The gold-plated dragon pattern on the big flag is eye-catching.
The lieutenant who was registering the newly arrived troops noticed the difference between the strong men and frowned, asking, "You don't know about the Dragon and Phoenix Army?"
The sturdy man shook his head.
The lieutenant thought that he was from the southern border and was not well-informed, so he showed a look of enlightenment and said, "Then you should learn about it."
"After all, in Iron City, you may not know who the rulers of the nine great nations are, but you must know Lu Qingshan and his Dragon and Phoenix Army."
"Lu Qingshan..." The sturdy man frowned when he suddenly heard this somewhat familiar name.
General Zhenning from the Yuan Kingdom remembered a strange man he met in the old forest outside Yuandu two years ago, who was also called this man.
Here, the lieutenant colonel has already started talking nonstop.
From the lieutenant colonel's narration, General Zhen Ning learned about the shocking battle record and a legend of the Dragon and Phoenix Army.
Lu Qingshan, these three words sound skinny when written, but they are full of iron spirit, and there is a feeling of reliability when reading them.
Green mountains are inherently stable things.
But no green mountain is higher than this green mountain.
No one knows the origin of this Lu Qingshan. He appeared in this world like an alien and came to Qin State. He was then favored by the Qin Princess at first sight, and was given the Sword of the Nation and the Dragon and Phoenix Guards, and was named the General of Protecting the Country. Then he went to the Iron City to fight.
On the second day after Lu Qingshan led the Dragon and Phoenix Guards to officially enter Iron City, the White Walkers launched a large-scale offensive against Iron City.
The Dragon and Phoenix Army, which arrived on this battlefield for the first time, shined brilliantly under the leadership of Lu Qingshan.
In the battle that lasted for a day and a night, Lu Qingshan took the lead, charging in front as the spearhead of the Dragon and Phoenix Army, slaying the leader of the White Walkers in the battle, completing the achievement of slaying a hundred ghosts, and leading the Dragon and Phoenix Army to an astonishing casualty ratio of three to two, making him the undisputed bravest of all the armies.
…
After this battle, the Dragon and Phoenix Army was like pearls that had washed away the dust on their bodies.
With the help of the extremely powerful general, the arduous training, the strict discipline, and the rapid improvement of the personal martial arts of all the soldiers under Lu Qingshan's guidance, he turned into a formidable beast. In the battles of the next two years, he was fearless and killed the enemy at the front, and his record was brilliant.
Tiecheng gathers armies from various countries, but ever since Lu Qingshan brought the Dragon and Phoenix Army to Tiecheng, the Dragon and Phoenix Army has been the most dazzling army in every battle, without exception.
It is not surprising for an iron city with powerful troops like a forest to be the bravest among all the armies once, but if it is like this every time, then it can only be described in four words - "invincible army".
The armies of various countries could only watch with vigilance, anxiety and great admiration as this army rose step by step and finally surpassed all of them.
Lu Qingshan also gradually became a legendary general in Iron City.
It is said that after that fierce battle a month ago, this legend has achieved the achievement of Thousand Ghosts Slaying which has never been achieved before and may never be surpassed in the future.
…
General Zhenning was slightly stunned, obviously amazed by such a vigorous battle record, and he immediately denied his previous thoughts.
How could such a legendary figure be a young man who happened to meet in the old forest?
At the same time, he also felt a bit of anticipation.
I wonder when I can see this legendary general and his Dragon and Phoenix Army in person?
What General Zhen Ning didn't know was that the Lu Qingshan he was talking about at this moment was actually the same Lu Qingshan he met two years ago, and he was right on the city wall in front of him.
…
"We are not very lucky. We have only been here for two years, and we have encountered such fierce battles twice . You know, in the past thirty years, there have only been two invasions of the White Walkers on this scale." On the city wall, Gu Tianyan said in a heavy tone to the figure standing forward.
Obviously, he was deeply saddened by the losses suffered by the Dragon and Phoenix Guards in this great battle.
"I think I'm lucky..." Lu Qingshan's eyes flickered, and no one knew what he was thinking.
"Hmm?" Gu Tianyan didn't understand what Lu Qingshan meant.
Lu Qingshan pointed at the vast snowfield and said, "This time, all the aliens roaming in the snowfield came out in droves and were wiped out by us. Doesn't that mean that there are not many aliens left in the snowfield now?"
After each large-scale attack by the White Walkers, Iron City will usher in a period of peace for several months.
This is because the White Walkers also need to be fixed.
A large-scale invasion would usually wipe out the strength they had accumulated for a long time.
"After all, passively accepting a beating is not a good strategy. Only by knowing both ourselves and the enemy can we win every battle. Isn't this the best opportunity to find out the origin and exact number of the White Walkers?"
Gu Tianyan was shocked and understood what Lu Qingshan was thinking.
"General, are you going to go deep into the snowfield to test the strength of the White Walkers?" he said in shock.
Seeing that Gu Tianyan was stunned, Lu Qingshan chuckled and said, "We have been beaten for 32 years. It is our turn to beat others."
"The generals of other countries will definitely not agree with your idea." Gu Tianyan frowned and advised.
The snowfield is too vast and full of dangers. Not to mention the White Walkers, no one dares to go deep into it just because of the blizzard that may come at any time.
"I don't need their consent because I don't plan to invite them." Lu Qingshan said softly with a gleam in his eyes.
As Gu Tianyan suddenly realized and was shocked, Lu Qingshan turned his head and said word by word: "It takes a thousand days to train an army, but only a moment to deploy it."
Yes, the brilliant battle record that shocked all the soldiers of Tiecheng in the past two years was, for Lu Qingshan, just his strategy for maintaining his troops.
He has always had only one real goal.
Train a real powerful army and then attack Huanglong directly.
"Yes, General!" Gu Tianyan said loudly, with fanatical admiration in her eyes as she looked at Lu Qingshan's young face.
Two years of brilliant achievements made the Dragon and Phoenix Army respect Lu Qingshan from top to bottom. With him as their leader, as long as Lu Qingshan was still charging in the front and killing the enemy, the morale of the Dragon and Phoenix Army would remain high even if they fought to the last man.
This is an extreme form of worship, the kind of worship that comes from winning every battle .
It is this kind of worship that brings great cohesion and combat effectiveness to the Dragon and Phoenix Guard.
But it is also this point that has caused many generals to criticize and feel disgusted.
As generals, they firmly believed that the ability to implement tactics, the unpredictability of strategy, and the strictness of military discipline were the top priorities in military management.
Personal heroism can have tremendous influence, but heroes always die.
Once Lu Qingshan dies, what will happen to the Dragon and Phoenix Army?
But Lu Qingshan always laughed off these rumors.
It is undeniable that the concerns of other generals are justified.
However, what he needed was exactly such an army that was so extreme that it could be said to be "brainless".
As long as he is there, the morale of the "brainless" army will always be high.
Because, anyone with a brain would have their morale weakened to the extreme when faced with the extreme weather in the snowfield and the unknown road of exploration.
…
"I'm not afraid of demons, so why should I be afraid of ghosts?" Lu Qingshan stood on the city wall, his long hair flying like ink, looking into the distance, the pale and vast snowfield was in his sight.
The path of cultivation is long and requires a struggle against time. Most of the time is spent in hard practice. Also, as you go along, there will be fewer and fewer people around you, so you are destined to be lonely.
The path of a warrior is much shorter, but extremely exciting.
Perhaps it's because his magic power has been sealed by the rules and he has to temporarily take the path of a warrior.
Compared with the sky, Lu Qingshan at this time was less calm and self-controlled, but more passionate about competing with the sky.
