---

“`html

Dark Heaven Village

“Alright, now let’s head to our positions.”

The next morning, I received orders from Mangnyang to lead the White Guard. After a night spent reading the Art of War and picking up basic strategies and command techniques, I felt ready for the challenge. Dressed as a military strategist, Mangnyang stood before the vast army.

The commanding generals assembled were clearly displeased with Mangnyang. Of course, a bookworm suddenly commanding tens of thousands of troops would raise eyebrows among seasoned generals.

Yet, Mangnyang marched forward without a hint of tension and shouted, “Advance!”

Slowly, I felt the ground tremble beneath the movement of the immense army. I rode, pulling the White Guard behind me, aware that we were outnumbered compared to the forces guarding the capital. Despite that, moving at the forefront of tens of thousands was a tremendous pressure.

Was Mangnyang unfazed leading such an army? I sneaked a glance; instead of nervousness, he appeared relaxed, absentmindedly playing the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line. I scanned the faces of other generals riding nearby; still, they were all expressionless.

It soon became clear it was because General Hwang Yeon was with us. Although Mangnyang was giving the real orders, the sheer presence of General Hwang Yeon meant a lot. Normally, generals would scoff at a rookie like Mangnyang, but the respect paid to Hwang Yeon kept them in line.

After marching for about a day, we reached a plain forty li from Luoyang. Soon, I spotted a dark mass on the horizon, already camped and waiting.

Rumble…

It looked like clouds were rising, as though I had never witnessed such a large number of people before.

Two hundred thousand soldiers!

This was a massive force with over one hundred thousand elite Imperial Guards. The dark cavalry was lined up, ready to charge, comprised of at least thousands of men.

Seemingly deciding to observe first, they kept their distance. As our armies faced off, one rider galloped forward, shouting.

“Rebels! How dare you defy the emperor’s order and court a foolish death? Do you wish to follow your rebel leader, Hwang Yeon, to total destruction? The emperor does not consider all of you rebels; drop your weapons and surrender now!”

A psychological tactic, trying to stir confusion in our ranks to enable an easier battle. Mangnyang, grinning, turned to the captain of the North Dragon Troops’ archer team and ordered, “Take off his head.”

“Yes.”

Swoosh!

In an instant, the arrow from the archer captain flew far beyond the usual range, piercing right through the provoker’s forehead. I was astonished by the display of skill.

‘Amazing archery!’

The captain of the North Dragon Troops would probably be regarded as a peak expert even if he ventured into the Jianghu. Having undergone extreme training under General Hwang Yeon, they were the elite of the elite.

With the provocateur tumbling lifelessly off his horse, Mangnyang slightly stepped forward toward the main force, channeling his internal power to shout.

[We do not go against the wise Emperor! We simply aim to remove the flatterers and puppets that deceive him and forge a bright and glorious future for the Great Ming Empire! General Hwang Yeon did not make this bold decision without reason! The havoc wrought by the Golden Eagle Guard and the Duke of Guanzhong has become too extreme, affecting the common people.]

Clenching his fist, he declared, [This is true patriotism! Can’t you feel the resolve of General Hwang Yeon as fellow soldiers?!]

This sentiment seemed to shake the enemy’s ranks. Besides everything else, the name of General Hwang Yeon held absolute trust among soldiers. Additionally, Mangnyang’s eloquence bore great persuasive power.

Then, the enemy commander yelled angrily, “Attack!! Shut that fool up!”

Rumble…

Dust clouds rose as hundreds of thousands charged forward like a tidal wave. In such circumstances, the side with fewer numbers was at an undeniable disadvantage; I couldn’t help but wonder what Mangnyang’s plan was.

“The enemy vanguard is cavalry. Artillery teams, prepare your shots!”

Mangnyang raised his hand.

“Launch the Red Cannon!”

KABOOM!!

At that moment, it was as if fire erupted from the heavens. Thousands of Red Cannons deployed in our front fired simultaneously, unleashing hell upon the approaching cavalry. In seconds, hundreds of cavalry troopers were ripped apart, some falling off their horses, chaos ensued.

“Eeeeek!”

“Aaaah!”

The sheer force was unsettling; the enemy’s great army wavered in its advance. From my position, I could hear Mangnyang leisurely muttering at the command post.

“The Great Ming Empire is vast, but aside from some naval forces, only the North Dragon Troops have practically used the Red Cannon in real combat. With this, we’ve broken the enemy’s spearhead.”

Bum bum bum!

Still, the enemy’s attack pressed on. Seemingly hoping to wear us down with relentless charges, they closed the distance to about thirty yards.

Then Mangnyang raised his flag and waved it twice.

“Strike!”

The loud drumbeat reverberated.

Suddenly, our formation dispersed like a spilled pot of beans. Mangnyang had previously organized our battalions into meticulous formations, allowing the captains of various teams to interpret the signals from the flags and move accordingly. I led the White Guard, trying to keep up amid the fray.

Shortly after, the disbanded forces seemed to be gearing up for close combat, regrouping to begin undermining the enemy’s flanks. The unique maneuver made it utterly impossible for me, fighting at the frontlines, to gauge how the battlefield unfolded.

Swoosh CLASH –

KABOOM!

Whoa! I didn’t quite understand how it was happening, but I had a single mission. I fueled my combat intent and shouted, “Let’s go!”

I swung my sword and spear, carving a path through the enemies. I realized as I cut down armored warriors that the spear was way more practical and powerful than the sword. There’s a reason it’s a weapon of war. While wielding the sword felt stronger, the spear proved much more effective, leading me to ultimately focus solely on it.

In the midst of cutting down hundreds, I found myself dumbfounded.

‘What? I can’t believe… this feels endless.’

Squelch! Bang!

“Oooooo!!”

I was already nearing around two hundred or even three hundred foes dispatched. My sword Qi burst out violently, slicing through three to four men in one slash. Usually, in the Jianghu, such a tally would spell the downfall of a sect or signal the end of most battles. Yet, even as I severed and severed, adversaries continued to swarm me from every direction, eerily reminiscent of an unending wave of insects.

At this rate, it wasn’t just about martial prowess. In addition, if they were heavily armored soldiers, it was hard to take them down in one hit without sword energy or flame techniques. Before I knew it, rather than the epic solo campaign I had envisioned, I felt like I was merely going through the motions of slaughter while being carried along in the battlefield’s current. Naturally, thanks to my prowess, the men adhering to the White Guard were hardly falling, but a sense of emptiness was undeniable.

This is what war really is.

In an instant, I realized how pitiful an individual’s contribution was in a colossal war. It was like facing a gargantuan entity known as an “army,” akin to dealing with an immortal god.

CRASH!

Suddenly, a segment of the enemy army collapsed, and I caught sight of our forces bursting in unexpectedly. After a flash like lightning, there stood Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong, and immediately everything clicked.

‘They divided our troops to ambush the enemy from the rear!’

This wasn’t just a random encounter on the plains.

Mangnyang had discreetly prepared ambush positions from the beginning. It was proof he had already predicted where we’d meet the enemy and devised a plan.

And there was more.

Rumble…

“Move!”

With Mangnyang’s clear command, the flags waved, transmitting this momentum through the ranks in under thirty seconds.

Despite the direct confrontation on the plain, our forces organically shifted according to Mangnyang’s flags, efficiently warding off multi-directional attacks. The enemy was unaware of our numerical superiority and was getting worn out by the ongoing assaults from our front. To crush a highly elite army in a direct clash on the plains was a testament to Mangnyang’s extraordinary tactical command.

Internally, I couldn’t help but marvel. Even from the frontlines, I couldn’t grasp how the tides of battle were turning. Yet, the level of Mangnyang’s tactical acumen, orchestrating the forces down to each hundred, efficiently to annihilate the enemy head-on, was simply unimaginable.

Only the rarest individuals among those called generals could achieve such feats. It wasn’t without reason that General Hwang Yeon held Mangnyang in high regard.

Kazam!

“Wooo-hooo!”

“Charge! The shield bearers are breaking through.”

“Cavalry, advance!”

As if a martial arts master were toying with amateurs, astonishingly, the tide shifted in our favor across the battlefield with our threefold troop advantage. The enemies had already dwindled to less than half, while we had suffered minimal casualties aside from the foremost units.

“Wha—? I heard it was a bookworm and not General Hwang Yeon leading this charge?! Unbelievable!!”

Swept up in the chaos, before long, I found myself at a spot where a commander was shrieking. Noticing his opulent garb hinted at his high rank, I dashed forward to attack.

“No!”

“Stop him!”

To my surprise, five guards from the Golden Eagle Guard rushed to defend him simultaneously. Each of them appeared to be at least first-class experts, giving me an odd feeling. I had never anticipated encountering the Golden Eagle Guards on this battlefield.

‘Against top experts, swords are definitely better.’

I quickly switched tactics. Using the Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique combined with the Bowing Sky Slash, I disrupted their movements. As the air rippled, their Absolute Slashes lost steam, bouncing off in different directions.

“Ugh?!”

“What kind of sword technique…?!”

The warriors of the Golden Eagle Guard were thrown off by the unexpected effect of the Bowing Sky Slash. As they staggered back, I swiftly swung my sword horizontally, severing the commander’s head clean off.

With a swish, the commander’s head flew into the air, and I caught it triumphantly.

“I’ve taken down the enemy commander!”

Woaaah!

Suddenly, cheers broke out around me. Nearby soldiers and generals were shouting in celebration. A general’s voice rose above the noise.

“Good heavens!! You’ve slain their general!”

“……?!”

So this was the enemy general, huh? Looking back, it made sense why five Golden Eagle Guards would swarm to protect him. Failing to stop me, the Golden Eagle Guards wore somber expressions and began to flee as their commander was slain. I blinked, realizing I’d unexpectedly achieved a major feat, scratching my head in disbelief.

‘Does this count as doing my part?’

The battle ended with a resounding victory for our side. I either killed or captured enemy soldiers, restraining them for information gathering as ordered by Mangnyang.

Collectively assessing the battle results, approximately a staggering 120,000 enemy soldiers were dead or injured, while the rest surrendered or fled. Meanwhile, our losses were limited to a mere 15,000, effectively mostly from injuries. We had overwhelmingly won a direct confrontation on the plains.

This was a victory unlike any other. It might very well be remembered in the annals of Great Ming Empire’s military history.

I couldn’t comprehend the reason behind such a decisive win. Could it truly be just the difference in leadership causing such a gap? When I questioned Mangnyang, he chuckled before replying.

“Of course, no matter how talented my command is, I couldn’t achieve victory on my own. It’s the qualitative difference between the Imperial Guards and the North Dragon Troops.”

“Qualitative difference?”

“Indeed.”

Mangnyang waved the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line.

“The Imperial Guards boast top-notch equipment and rigorous training, but that’s all. They’ve likely never encountered a ‘real’ enemy in their lives. It’s almost safe to say they lack combat experience.”

“Ah, I see.”

“On the other hand, the North Dragon Troops are the remnants of the frontline cavalry and seasoned warriors who’ve survived countless battles, each soldier packed with incredible combat experience. The North Dragon Troops are practically the elite bodyguards groomed directly by General Hwang Yeon.

With the North Dragon Troops at the core, their superior range with the Red Cannons swept through the battlefield, while Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong led detachments steadily assassinating enemy commanders, infiltrating the enemy ranks like they owned the place. Losing wouldn’t be weird in this scenario, right?”

“…..”

Of course, Mangnyang’s words held merit. Various factors combined to create our triumph.

However, all the same, if the overall commander Mangnyang hadn’t held the line centrally, even with the North Dragon Troops or Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong’s might, we would have been bound to suffer losses. I knew that best from leading the White Guard at the forefront, executing without a single error while commanding such a vast army.

‘A genius commander…’

The unparalleled genius of strategy and tactics in the world.

That was Mangnyang.

“`

 

---