Longzang

Chapter 80 I'd Do It Too
In the backyard of the military camp, Liao Jingwu had set up a banquet and was eating with several generals until their faces were flushed.

"Let me first offer a toast to the general!" Captain Wang Delu was not in the county town at the time, but in the military camp. He downed his drink in one gulp, then asked, "General Liao, are we really not going to rescue General Li?"

"Who's going? You're going?" Liao Jingwu glared at him.

Wang Delu shrank back and chuckled awkwardly, "I don't know how to lead cavalry. If we encounter a large Liao cavalry force, wouldn't that be suicide?"

"That's settled then! If you don't dare to go, then shut up!" Liao Jingwu downed his cup of wine in one gulp, exhaled a breath of alcohol, and said, "The Duke of Southern Qi has no say in our affairs! These disciples of immortal sects are just here to gain prestige and make a name for themselves. In the end, they'll all go back to where they came from. I didn't have many soldiers to begin with, and these will be my capital in the future. If I lose them all, who will I turn to?"

A captain chimed in, “The general is absolutely right! We’ve already earned some merit, so why are we still fighting so hard? If you ask me, we should just hold out until winter, and the Liao barbarians will naturally retreat. If we insist on going out to fight, what if we run into a large Liao barbarian force? We’ll really lose our heads! Besides, Sun Chao’en isn’t stupid. Quyang County can still be held. As for those people outside the city, let them die. The Liao barbarians won’t retreat without getting some benefits.”

Wang Delu said nothing more. Although he also wanted to curry favor with Li Zhi, he absolutely could not lead troops into battle on his own.

Another captain said, "General, although the imperial court's military pay has arrived, there is still a large shortfall. What should we do?"

"How much is missing?"

"The actual amount received is 30,000 taels. According to the old rules, you will take half, and the officers will take the other half from the remainder. The outstanding military pay and pensions amount to 70,000 taels, so we are still short more than 60,000 taels."

Liao Jingwu was getting a little annoyed: "Go away! Don't talk about such a spoilsport. Do what you did before! Distribute what you have now, and if you don't have enough, you can owe it to someone else. Arrest any troublemakers, and behead the ringleaders! Let's drink!"

The generals then toasted and drank, and the meal lasted from afternoon until nightfall.

After Wei Yuan and Li Zhi returned to Shayang Village, reinforcements from various directions arrived one after another. Over the next few hours, more people continued to arrive, some even coming from as far as two hundred li away. In the end, nine reinforcements, totaling over eight hundred men, gathered in the small village of Shayang. Li Zhi finally regained his confidence.

However, Shayang Village was too small, and the reinforcements also had their own territories to defend. So after exchanging pleasantries, they dispersed. Those who were nearby returned to their own defense zones, while those who were farther away spent the night in Quyang County before continuing their journey.

Ancestral hall in Shayang Village.

Wei Yuan sat shirtless, with medicine and bandages placed around him. Li Zhi was personally treating Wei Yuan's injuries.

Wei Yuan was struck by three arrows, but he immediately used Taoist magic to cut off the arrow shafts and continued fighting. He needed medical treatment after returning. Many of the arrows used by the Northern Liao had serrated tips and could not be easily removed.

Wei Yuan's body was perfectly proportioned, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His skin had a subtle, radiant glow and was otherwise flawless. However, the three long arrowheads embedded in his body were like three blemishes, making them particularly noticeable.

Li Zhi first used his divine sense to examine the shape of the arrowhead, then used his magic to change its shape, smoothing out the barbs and serrations. He then grasped the exposed shaft, used his magic to separate the flesh from the arrowhead, and carefully pulled out the arrowhead.

After the arrow was pulled out, a hole the size of a teacup was left in Wei Yuan's body, and blood immediately gushed out.

A white light emanated from Li Zhi's other hand as he prepared to cast a healing spell on the wound, followed by a healing talisman, a specialty of the Four Saints Academy. With this two-pronged approach, such superficial wounds would typically heal in two days.

Just as the Rejuvenation Technique was about to activate, the blood flowing from Wei Yuan's wound turned a pale pink, like a lump of jelly, and actually wriggled and crawled back into the wound! Then Wei Yuan's muscles twitched, sealing the wound shut, leaving only a small pale pink dot. After a while, the dot disappeared as well.

Li Zhi silently dispelled his healing spell and directly removed the remaining two arrowheads, without even bothering to remove the serrations. With both arrows removed, the blood flowed back, and the wounds closed on their own.

Li Zhi examined the arrowhead for a long time, finally refusing to believe it, and licked it with his tongue. His mouth went numb, his head spun, his Dao foundation dimmed, and his breath became weak. He quickly gulped down a large mouthful of antidote, and only then did he recover. Li Zhi finally confirmed that the three arrows from the Liao barbarians were indeed not cheaply made; each one was poisoned, and even a Dao foundation couldn't withstand it. Li Zhi himself had also been hit by an arrow, but his armor was of too high a grade; the arrow only grazed the skin after piercing it, and all the poison was neutralized by the armor's own abilities, so Li Zhi didn't feel anything at the time. Now, having recklessly licked it, he realized how potent the Liao barbarian poison was.

Li Zhi tossed the arrow aside, draped a robe over Wei Yuan, and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Wei, how many body-refining elixirs have you consumed?"

Wei Yuan listed them one by one: "Nourishing Essence Pill, Blood Essence Pill, Bone Forging Pill, and Divine Essence Pill."

Having gone through a bloody battle together, their bond had deepened, and Wei Yuan told Li Zhi everything without reservation. However, Wei Yuan didn't know what medicine his senior sister used for the purification process, and the process itself was somewhat unclear and not suitable for outsiders to know.

Upon hearing the name of the pills, Li Zhi's expression changed: "They're just ordinary pills to replenish spiritual energy and speed up the process. Brother Wei, are you only taking these?"

Wei Yuan nodded.

Li Zhi extended a finger and touched Wei Yuan's back, slowly sliding it down. Sensing the touch of his fingertip, Li Zhi tried to input a little magic power, but it was all bounced back.

Li Zhi sighed, "These ordinary pills are of little help in improving the physical body's grade. Brother Wei must have suffered a lot of grievances in the Taichu Palace. You've relied entirely on yourself to reach where you are today. In fact, not to mention what my family prepared for me, the academy alone provided me with two books written by sages to accompany my cultivation, and I've never lacked any precious medicines to improve my physique. My foundation was originally only eight feet, but I've grown it little by little to more than nine feet. But even with external assistance, my physical body is still far inferior to Brother Wei's. It was truly not unjust for me to lose to Brother Wei back then!"

Wei Yuan thought Li Zhi would resort to the same old recruitment tactics as before, but after a moment of reflection, Li Zhi said, "With Brother Wei's great talent, you will soar to great heights no matter where you are, even in the Tai Chu Palace. After all, the Tai Chu Palace is a celestial sect. No matter how blind they were back then, they will certainly provide you with the resources you deserve now. I won't go into the nonsense about transferring you to the Four Saints Academy. However, I do have an idea about seeing you again, Brother Wei."

Li Zhi looked at Wei Yuan and said sincerely, "Once Brother Wei has forged his Dao foundation, according to the rules of the Taichu Palace, it will be time for him to make contributions and establish his career. If we talk about merit, the highest achievement is undoubtedly expanding territory. I was fortunate enough to take the lead in cultivation and have been training in the army for several years. Now I have some experience in expanding territory. If Brother Wei is interested after he has achieved his Dao foundation, we can fight side by side again, just like today!"

Wei Yuan, being a young man at heart, was filled with enthusiasm and exclaimed, "Great!"

"Then it's a deal!" Li Zhi reached out and gave Wei Yuan a high five, marking the agreement as made.

During this joint operation, Wei Yuan had been observing Li Zhi.

Li Zhi was able to lead from the front, fighting bravely and fearlessly against powerful enemies. Wei Yuan was hit by three arrows, and Li Zhi was also hit by one and slashed, suffering serious injuries. When reinforcements from the Northern Liao arrived, Li Zhi remained calm and decisive, retreating to Quyang County as Wei Yuan had suggested. Even during his military training, it was clear that Li Zhi loved military strategy. Now, ten years later, Li Zhi was no longer the boy who only knew theory; he had truly led troops in battle, and his actions showed the beginnings of a renowned general.

For some reason, Wei Yuan always felt that Li Zhi's battles were not quite up to par, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong. After all, Wei Yuan's talent as a military strategist was only demonstrated during the martial arts test back then, and he hadn't had the chance to use it for the next ten years of training, so it gradually fell into disuse.

At this moment, Li Zhi imagined the days when the two of them would lead a large army to conquer the east and west, and cut through endless enemy forces. He was filled with longing and asked somewhat arrogantly, "Brother Wei, what do you think of my ability to lead troops?"

"I feel like something's missing. If I were in charge, it would be much better." Wei Yuan almost said this out loud, but fortunately, he hadn't been in the Tianqing Palace for long, so he only thought about it in his mind and didn't actually say it.

Wei Yuan pretended to think for a moment, then said, "Brother Li is able to lead from the front and remain calm in the face of danger; he truly deserves to be called a great general!"

Li Zhi was overjoyed, but also a little shy, and quickly said, "Brother Wei, you flatter me! I only have a rough understanding of military affairs."

Li Zhi was unaware that when Zhang Sheng taught Wei Yuan, the phrase "comparable" or "worthy of comparison" in historical records meant that Wei Yuan was still far inferior.

Given Wei Yuan's level of military strategy, although he couldn't pinpoint Li Zhi's shortcomings, it didn't stop him from believing that he would definitely be better than Li Zhi.

(End of this chapter)