Three Kingdoms: Domination of the World

In November, the cold winter is coming.

Thirty miles outside Xiangyang, a cloud of blue-gray smoke rose from the Lumen Valley, and a large banner with the inscription "swallow" fluttered in the autumn wind. Two hundred thousand northern troops lined up among the hills, the click of new Yuanrong repeating crossbows echoing incessantly, and the steel-forged arrowheads gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

"Report! The vanguard of Sun Wu's army is less than five miles away!" Before the scout finished speaking, a strange tremor could be heard from the ground.

Yan Xiang stood on the watchtower, sword drawn, her brows furrowed slightly beneath her gilded visor. She could clearly see dark dust rising from the distant horizon. A hundred thousand heavily armored Black Tortoise infantrymen advanced in unison, their bronze greaves colliding with the rock with each step, creating a thunderous roar.

"Release!" As the command flag waved, three thousand Yuanrong crossbows simultaneously erupted with a trembling hum of springs. Specially crafted triangular-edged armor-piercing arrows rained down like a torrential rain, but the moment they struck the Xuanwu Army's shield formation, countless sparks flew—dark golden inscriptions flowed across the surfaces of those black iron square shields!

"It's a Mohist mechanical device!" the deputy general exclaimed in horror. Suddenly, dozens of bronze chariots, over ten feet tall, appeared within the Xuanwu army's formation. The rotating Yin-Yang fish mechanism on their roofs belched out smoke, forming a Bagua formation in mid-air. The rain of arrows, encountering this barrier, deflected from their trajectory and plunged into the earth.

"Fire!" The command flag waved, and hundreds of cannons fired simultaneously, the whirring sound incessant. As the shells landed, the Xuanwu Army began to waver.

Sun Wu sat upright on the four-wheeled chariot and lightly tapped the command flag in his hand:

&34;Kan turns to Li, Xun wind rises. &34;

The Xuanwu army formation instantly split open in eight gaps, and a hundred thousand Jiangdong light cavalrymen rushed out like a crimson tide. These warriors were all clad in leather armor with Vermillion Bird patterns. The ring-handled swords hanging on either side of their saddles had yet to be unsheathed when a cloud of flaming arrows tore through the air—it was Sun Wu's unique fire attack technique, "Prairie Fire."

"Raise your shields!" Yan Xiang shouted. The Jingzhou army hastily raised their iron-clad wooden shields, only to see the flaming arrows suddenly deflect before striking the shields, transforming into streams of fire that hurled themselves straight at the forage camp in the rear. Amidst the blazing flames, the shadowy image of a military manual loomed above Sun Wu's head, its golden seal characters entangling the entire army like chains.

[God Level: Know Yourself and Know Your Enemy]

[God Rank. Know Yourself and Your Enemy: When this skill is activated, the Intelligence of Sun Wu's generals increases by 10 points (can exceed the upper limit of 100); Sun Wu's army's success rate in launching surprise attacks, fire attacks, and food shortages increases by 80%. If the enemy generals are weaker than Sun Wu's, all other strategies will be ineffective.]

"He's using military tactics to tamper with the heavenly time!" Yan Xiang bit her tongue, and the Qingluan Sword drew the light of the Big Dipper. Just as she was about to unleash her secret technique to slay the general, she saw eight black bird battle flags rising from the Xuanwu army formation, each bearing a figure identical to Sun Wu.

[God-level: The Scheming of Soldiers Takes Effect]

[- Godly Rank. Cunning Soldiers. When this skill is activated, all soldiers and generals in the same faction gain 10 points of Strength, 20 points of Leadership, and 100 points of Morale. Enemy morale decreases by 50 points and Intelligence by 10 points.]

The 100,000-strong Black Tortoise Army suddenly split into 24 teams, intersecting and cutting through them using the Qimen Dunjia technique. The Northern Army's prized artillery formations, before they could even reload, were caught in close combat by heavily armored infantry. Fine steel sabers slashed through the Black Tortoise's armor, leaving only faint white marks.

"Their chain mail is mixed with meteorite iron!" a soldier screamed in despair. Yan Xiang's pupils shrank suddenly. She clearly saw a Black Tortoise Army centurion pierced through the chest by a spear, yet still able to swing his sword and cut down three people in a row—Sun Wu's military saint domain was emitting a blood-red halo.

[Unparalleled Military Saint Domain Opened]

【神阶.兵圣。技能发动时，孙武形成兵圣领域。全军统御值提升20点（可突破100上限），士气提升100点；兵圣领域对智力值低于自己的敌军造成20点体力的真实伤害（体力值低于15点则不受影响）。】

The battlefield, encompassing a ten-mile radius, suddenly fell into an eerie silence, and every northern soldier felt a heavy burden weighing on their chests. Yan Xiang swung her sword to shatter three incoming spearheads, but the Qingluan sword energy inexplicably dissipated mid-strike. She suddenly looked up and saw Sun Wu himself, writing the Art of War on his chariot. With each stroke, golden seal characters sank into the earth.

"Break his army!" Yan Xiang leaped into the air, her sword pointed directly at the center. Three thousand armored guards suddenly formed a human wall, their zhangba Modao blades forming a thorny braid of steel. Several brave northern generals, unable to stop, were reduced to pulp, their horses and their bodies alike.

Sun Wu finally raised his eyes, and the bamboo slips of "The Art of War" in his hand moved without wind:

"Girl, do you know what 'unmoved as a mountain' means?"

The Xuanwu army's main formation suddenly sank three feet, and a hundred thousand heavily armored infantrymen plunged their massive shields into the rock. As Yan Xiang's sword energy descended, a phantom of the Xuanwu, a tortoise-and-snake entwined, appeared above the entire formation, withstanding the blow that split the mountain and shattered the rock.

[God-level Sun Tzu's Art of War takes effect]

[God-level. Sun Tzu's Art of War. When Sun Wu is deployed, the Intelligence and Command attributes of the generals in the same faction are increased by 10 points (can exceed the 120-point limit)]

A sudden roar erupted from the western flank of the battlefield. Twenty Black Tortoise chariots burst through the sea of ​​flames, their roof-mounted thunderbolt cannons continuously pounding the Jingzhou army's flanks. These war machines, adapted from Mohist mechanical techniques, could reduce a thirty-foot radius to scorched earth with each volley.

Yan Xiang wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and suddenly let out a long warning cry. But it was too late—the Jiangdong navy, which should have been a hundred miles away, suddenly rushed out from a tributary of the Han River, and the poles on their ships hurled flaming boulders high into the sky.

"This is the true meaning of 'attacking the enemy when they are least prepared.'" Sun Wu closed his military manual and shook his head slightly as he looked at the collapsing Northern Army. His chariot began to advance, and the Black Tortoise Army formation transformed into a sharp arrow formation in response to the command flags, leaving waves of blood surging wherever it passed.

Yan Xiang's skills were geared towards healing and single combat, and she couldn't provide a comprehensive boost to the army. In group combat, the Northern Army was at a disadvantage, but their superior firepower kept them from suffering a major defeat.

"The Xuanwu Legion is too terrifying =, husband, where are you? Am I going to fail again?" Yan Xiang looked towards Qingzhou. When she was frustrated in life, the person she missed most was the man who was the gentlest and most secure.

[Divine Level Medical Immortal Takes Effect] Yan Xiang wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and continued to treat the wounded.

[God-level. Medical Immortal. Increases allied faction morale by 200%, increases injury recovery rate by 60%, and grants allied faction generals a higher chance of immunity to critical hits.]

Faced with a top-notch commander, she did not have the confidence to defeat the powerful enemy and could only barely maintain the situation to prevent it from worsening.

In terms of medical skills, Yan Yu's talent is second only to her husband Suo Chao, and there are almost no seriously injured patients that she cannot save.

Although the Northern Army suffered a defeat in the Battle of Jingzhou, the casualties were relatively few. Yan Xiang's main force remained, and the Sizhou defenses remained impregnable.