Chapter 185 The Art of Nurturing

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Zheng Fan was knocked to the ground again and again.

This surprised Li Fusheng, who couldn't help but ask:

"Commander Zheng, your family's martial arts..."

The implication was that Li Fusheng had witnessed Fan Li's martial arts skills. Without using qi and blood, even a seasoned general like Li Fusheng was no match for Fan Li.

However, the person who could teach Fan Li was himself...

Zheng Fan got up and replied:

"He's just talented."

Hearing this, Li Fusheng recalled how Fan Li often anticipated his movements when they sparred and nodded:

"Then he must be a martial arts prodigy."

"Sir, there is one thing this subordinate doesn't understand."

"Speak."

Li Fusheng squatted down like an old farmer, uncapped his water pouch, and took a sip.

"This subordinate has been stuck at the eighth-rank martial artist realm for a while now."

"How long?"

"Two months? Oh no, it seems like a little over a month."

Li Fusheng shook his head and said:

"That's not long."

Moreover, it was already considered fast.

"When did you start practicing martial arts?"

"Reporting to the General, this subordinate started practicing after joining the army."

"So fast to reach the eighth rank?"

"Yes."

Li Fusheng stood up, walked to Zheng Fan, and grabbed Zheng Fan's wrist. Immediately, a surge of qi and blood entered Zheng Fan's body, and Zheng Fan's own qi and blood reacted immediately.

"So you didn't get here by taking elixirs, hehe."

Li Fusheng had originally thought that Zheng Fan had relied on elixirs to reach the eighth rank so quickly.

Similar to the Fu Prince, forcibly propelled to the sixth rank.

"Really, it's already very fast."

Li Fusheng was starting to believe that Fan Li was taught by Zheng Fan.

Although Li Fusheng himself wasn't a genius, he believed that there were indeed geniuses in this world, such as… Qing Shuang.

Few outsiders knew that Qing Shuang, the only one of the seven Grand Commanders who could be referred to without the "Li" surname in writing, was actually the one with the highest personal martial arts skills among them.

Therefore, Qing Shuang often accompanied the Marquis.

Because, also unknown to many, although the Marquis was a martial artist, his rank was not high. Sometimes, he would even struggle when wearing his armor.

It was said that the Marquis had shown extraordinary martial arts talent as a child, but later, an accident occurred, and he suffered a severe injury that caused his qi and blood to decline.

"The ninth rank is about sensing the flow of qi and blood and controlling it. The eighth rank is about releasing qi and blood externally. The seventh rank is about using qi and blood outside the body.

I am not a martial arts genius. In my opinion, the way of qi and blood lies in nurturing."

"Itch?"

"Yes, it needs nurturing."

"How much itch is needed?"

"Taoists and qi refiners follow a similar path, nurturing the qi of heaven and earth and integrating it into themselves, in the hope of resonating with heaven and earth and borrowing its power.

We martial artists use ourselves as a furnace. This body is actually the heaven and earth of the Taoists, and qi and blood are the weather within this heaven and earth.

In my personal experience, the most suitable way for martial artists to nurture qi, especially for soldiers, is to nurture killing intent!

Because there are enemies, because there are battlefields, because there is slaughter. Enlightenment can be gained in slaughter, and breakthroughs can be achieved in battle formations."

Zheng Fan nodded, so this was the nurturing of qi.

He understood that the cultivation method Li Fusheng was talking about, in simple terms, was:

Fight!

Fight with all your might!

With an added prefix:

Don't stop!

"Commander Zheng."

"This subordinate is here."

"You are a genius, and I am a fool."

"Sir, this..."

"But clever people like to take shortcuts, always thinking that there are shortcuts to everything in the world, but they often neglect to be down-to-earth.

As a soldier, one must have the spirit of going all out. I don't see that in Commander Zheng."

Zheng Fan shuddered upon hearing this.

This was practically saying that he was somewhat "afraid of death."

"I once heard Qing Shuang mention when advising others that a martial artist should have a spirit of unwavering courage. Confucianists nurture noble righteousness, Taoists nurture the qi of heaven and earth, and sorcerers nurture the qi beyond the mundane.

Seemingly qi, but actually, it's just a different mood when looking at the scenery."

"This... was said by Lord Qing Shuang?"

"Yes, I am just repeating his words. I don't know if these are useful to you, but since you are both geniuses, there should be some common ground."

Zheng Fan knelt on one knee to Li Fusheng,

And cupped his fist:

"Thank you for your guidance, General Guo!"

He didn't call him Li Fusheng but his original surname, which signified respect because the guidance he had received was akin to that of a half-teacher.

"Actually, in my opinion, it's more comfortable to be a martial artist. You don't need to think too much or care too much. The only thing you need to think about is how to kill your opponent.

People with fewer thoughts are like a horse with less weight, able to run faster and farther."

"This subordinate is enlightened!"

"Alright, get up. Stop kneeling around like those scholars with so much etiquette. Li Bao has been acting like a madman these days. Alas, I really feel sorry for this old brother."

Li Bao had been leading his troops to actively engage in battle for several days in a row. The more he fought, the harder it was to break through. The more he fought, the deeper he was surrounded. Leaving aside the losses, the original freedom of movement was actually turned into an "invitation to enter the urn" by Li Bao.

Of course, because of this, Li Bao attracted the vast majority of the Qian Kingdom's capital region troops.

Although he kept cursing,

Although he was definitely unhappy,

He still chose to cooperate after seeing through Li Fusheng's plan.

This was the military, this was the Northern Garrison Army of this era, because they had a common goal, which was the oath established when the first Northern Garrison Marquis built the army.

Even Zheng Fan couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement after learning about Li Bao's movements from Li Fusheng.

Compared to these Grand Commanders of the Northern Garrison Army, Zheng Fan truly felt that his own pattern was too small, too dirty...

They didn't think about preserving their strength, and would even actively sacrifice their own interests for the sake of the bigger picture.

Nothing was more precious to these military leaders than the lives of their subordinates.

"Alas, sometimes I'm actually quite glad that I was the one who brought you to my side, otherwise, you would probably have gone to that silly leopard."

Putting aside the future benefits of taking Chuzhou City, just the military supplies were incredibly abundant. One had to know that Chuzhou City itself was the rear base of the Qian Kingdom's three borders.

Apart from the battle against Zu Dongcheng, Li Fusheng's unit had been quite idle so far.

"Lord Li Bao is deeply aware of the greater good."

This was a heartfelt admiration.

Li Fusheng smiled,

And said:

"We can't let that silly leopard really kill off all his men, otherwise, it will be difficult to meet again in the future. It's about time, let's make our move too."

Li Fusheng licked his lips,

The familiar bloodlust in his eyes,

Began to reappear,

"At all costs, charge to the capital, to the Zhao official of the Qian Kingdom,

Ask

If he is well!"

………

Ancient cities, apart from a few places that were "impregnable," the situation where a city was simply stuck there and the enemy couldn't even enter, as imagined by ordinary people, was almost non-existent.

Reality was not like an online game with a fortress system.

The reason why it often felt like, because this city was here, the enemy couldn't enter, and they had to fight to the death under the city, was because if you didn't take down this city and left it behind you, you had to worry about the troops inside the city raiding your home base or cutting off your supply line, or even being caught in a pincer attack.

For military insurance considerations, ancient wars often featured scenes where the two armies fought to the death around a city.

In the history of Zheng Fan's previous life, which he was familiar with, it was actually not difficult for the northern nomadic tribes to go south. As long as the Central Plains dynasty fell into decline and lost its ability to fight in the field or sweep the outside of the Great Wall, the Great Wall was so long that they could enter through a breach anywhere.

Just like now, the Qian Kingdom's capital was a certain distance from Li Fusheng's unit,

And all the cities, military strongholds, and passes along the way could be ignored!

Either,

You come out of the city and fight me in the field, or, you huddle inside and don't come out. I'll continue to advance!

So, strictly speaking, if you completely didn't want a retreat or a home base, there was really no city that you had to attack and couldn't bypass.

That night,

Li Fusheng personally killed three Qian prisoners and ordered three knights to hang their heads on spears and parade them around the army.

Immediately after,

Li Fusheng drew his saber and pointed it south, directly at the capital!

A,

Large-scale raid, no less than the previous incursion of the Great Yan iron cavalry through the Qian Kingdom's border defenses, began to unfold again!

Because Li Bao was extremely effective, attracting most of the firepower, and even the Qian generals seemed to be planning to devour Li Bao completely, Li Fusheng, who had been very low-key and silent, was given a huge opening!

A three-day raid,

Along the way, any Qian troops who dared to step forward to stop them were directly defeated by dividing the troops. The main force maintained its rapid marching momentum.

This was a completely reckless way, leaving no retreat, even a gambler-style advance that was willing to bury the entire army with Li Bao!

Finally,

Three days later,

The Yan army's iron hooves arrived at the Bian River!

This was originally a ferry, but because the river was frozen, ships could not pass temporarily. However, there must be towns near the ferry, so there were still many people here. In addition, there was a war ahead, so this was also a hub for material transfer.

The rumbling sound of iron hooves awakened the silence of dawn, followed by the panicked screams of the Qian people. The other side of the river was in chaos.

The Yan people are here, the Yan barbarians are here, the Yan dogs are here!!!

Riding on horseback, Zheng Fan suddenly had a childlike impulse,

Cupped his hands around his mouth,

And shouted at the opposite bank:

"Run! The Yan dogs are here!"