This remark wasn't entirely flattery. Li Zhi concentrated all the elixirs on the Central Army's elites, and with thirty elites repeatedly charging and slaughtering, even an opponent of one or two hundred could be potentially defeated. However, this method was extremely cruel to those candidates whose elixirs had been taken, inevitably breeding resentment. Li Zhi didn't care, those candidates were merely stepping stones on his path to ascension. When the martial test was over, who would remember who they were?
Hearing the girl's words, Li Zhi smiled and said, "Although I do understand some military strategy, don't forget that these people are still children, far from elite. Now they can keep their formation without moving, but once they advance, it won't work. I estimate they'd fall into disarray before even reaching the North. So what I want is to wait, wait for Bao Yun to attack, and then, when we're rested and they are weary, we can be sure to win!"
The few young men and women gathered around Li Zhi were invigorated. They, at least, wouldn't have come up with these strategies themselves. Winning this battle would boost everyone's scores substantially. Although their places in the various sects were already assured, higher scores would still bring great honor, especially if they defeated Miss Bao. In the future, they could boast about it for many years.
Li Zhi continued, "However, we can't just wait idly. Wang Fang, you lead the vanguard out of the Central Zone. If you encounter the enemy's main force, come back immediately. If it's only the enemy's vanguard, you can engage them to test their mettle. But remember, do not penetrate too deeply into enemy lines, and you can only move within the limits of the Central Zone. Is that clear?"
Wang Fang, tall and sturdy, responded in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Senior Brother!"
He bid farewell to Li Zhi and turned to lead thirty people towards the Central Zone.
Li Zhi picked up a stick and drew a map of the entire Illusion Realm on a large, flat rock in front of him, then gazed thoughtfully at it.
To the north of the Illusion Realm.
The girl had changed into a goose-yellow dress at some point, looking even more exquisite. This dress was not available from the Treasure Box and didn't change colors according to one's camp. Amidst the green mountains and green garments, this single patch of tender yellow was especially eye-catching.
In front of the girl was a sandy area where she had modeled the terrain of the Illusion Realm with sand clay, which appeared much more detailed than Li Zhi's map.
The girl, pointing with her longsword at the central area on the map, said, "That guy Li Zhi seems calm, but he's actually the most impatient. He's bound to send someone to probe our strength. Tian Rong!"
A young man stepped forward, and the girl said, "Take a dozen men to the Central Zone. If you encounter the other side's vanguard, lure them into the predetermined area, where Jiang Qun and Xu Yu will back you up. Have you memorized 'Three Hundred Country Insults' by Mr. Su?"
"I know it like the back of my hand!" Yet the young man immediately scratched his head and said, "Miss Bao, I have two concerns. First, the words in there are truly shameful, and I find some of them hard to say out loud. Second, I'm not sure how to put them together!"
The girl said, "There's no need to combine them. Just hurl whichever insult comes to mind. After three, they will surely chase after you relentlessly."
Tian Rong gave a wry smile, "But with the overseers watching, if I say those things, I'm afraid my reputation will be ruined."
The girl laughed and said, "Don't worry, whoever you provoke will have their reputation ruined, not yours."
Tian Rong, reassured, led a dozen men toward the middle of the battlefield.
After Tian Rong had gone some distance, the girl called out, "Jiang Qun, Xu Yu!"
The two young men stepped forward.
The girl pointed to the undulating mountains on both sides of the sand table and said, "Take thirty men each and get into position to ambush here. When Tian Rong brings the enemy's vanguard to you, join forces with Tian Rong to surround them and swallow their vanguard in one gulp."
The two young men acknowledged the order.
Then the girl pointed towards the southern hills on both sides and added, "After dealing with the enemy vanguard, proceed along the mountain flanks to attack Li Zhi's wings. Oh, and after you've fought the enemy vanguard, remember to smear their blood on your bodies and faces, the more the better."
Jiang Qun was somewhat puzzled and said, "After people die, they vanish into light, where would the blood come from?"
Before the girl could reply, Xu Yu said, "Idiot! If the person isn't dead, wouldn't there be blood? We can just find a few living ones and hack at their arms and legs, then there will be blood."
"Senior Brother Xu is right," the girl praised, and then she gently rolled up her sleeve, revealing an arm as white as a spring onion. She turned her longsword upside down and lightly drew it across her arm. A wound instantly appeared on that snow-white skin, and blood immediately gushed out!
The girl pressed down hard on the wound with her hand, causing her brows to furrow slightly from the pain.
Her face soon relaxed, and she said, "You see, wounds hurt, and blood really does flow. Li Zhi is merely an armchair strategist. He took so much effort to form a pretty military formation and really thinks his men are all battle-hardened warriors? Don't forget, those people are actually just kids. They'll be scared if their wounds are severe, and they'll be scared if they bleed too much. Brother Jiang, Senior Brother Xu, when you encounter the enemy's flanks, just hack and slash wildly. Remember, it's better to cut off hands and feet than to take their heads. Your duty is to firmly hold Li Zhi's flanks, depleting his forces until the very last soldier falls!"
Jiang Qun and Xu Yu accepted the order, each leading thirty men away.
The girl stared at the sand table, lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "After I've taken out the vanguard, if Li Zhi truly knows how to command his troops, upon seeing my flanking forces, he should restrain them with a small number of forces, and then concentrate on attacking my Central Army with full force. That way, he still might have a chance to win."
The girl pointed with her longsword at the sand table and said, "We will set up a strong formation right here and wait for his assault! I, Bao Yun, want to see if he's worthy of being the first!"
A girl next to her asked, "Miss Bao, what if Li Zhi doesn't come?"
The girl laughed and said, "We originally have a numerical advantage, and we've taken out his vanguard. If he doesn't come, then after Brothers Jiang and Xu have applied some pressure, we'll go over!"
Another girl asked, "But what if Li Zhi's vanguard isn't fooled?"
Bao Yun chuckled and said, "Don't worry, those who can lead an army in the martial test are all from noble families. These people are too proud and arrogant; none can withstand the 'Three Hundred Country Insults'!"
A young man said, "I've heard that Li Zhi wants to build up his strength through this exam, so he's doing everything he can to be first."
Bao Yun's mouth curled into a smile, and she said, "I don't care if he wants to build his strength, but using me as a stepping stone is just a pipe dream. As long as I, Bao Yun, am here, he can forget about being first."
Behind Bao Yun, a young man with a sword in his arms and eyes half-closed as if he were half-asleep opened his eyes and said indifferently, "He shouldn't even think about being second."
Within the Illusion Realm, Wei Yuan, in heavy armor with a long spear, stood atop a hill, having already knocked over three or four scouts who didn't know better. Thus, no one dared to approach the hill anymore. However, Wei Yuan also realized a problem: his long spear and heavy armor were simply too cumbersome, making movement difficult. If those scouts wanted to flee, he couldn't catch even one.
As Wei Yuan contemplated a strategy, he saw two groups of troops approaching from the north and the south, meeting in the Central Zone right before his eyes.
With the arrival of the large troop formations, Wei Yuan's eyebrows raised slightly, and the Heaven and Earth Madman slowly circulated within him, a faint black qi vaguely emanating from between his armor plates. He stood proudly with his spear, waiting for the newcomers to engage him in battle.
However, both groups of troops acted as if they didn't see Wei Yuan standing alone on the high ground and formed up opposite each other.
Within the Green Team, Tian Rong stepped forward, his voice full of strength, and began with a sentence, "I curse thee, mother of thunder..."
The Yellow Team immediately became chaotic.