Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

Jiang Wu followed Liu Xiu, Zong Tiao, and others to the front of the army.

The generals looked out and saw that the Qiang army several miles away was raising clouds of yellow sand, making it impossible to see their numbers at a glance.

According to Jiang Wu's previous statement, it was the Jiang clan of Qiangzhong, who formed a temporary alliance with the Xianling Qiang tribe and the Lejie Qiang tribe.

Report!

The General was informed that the enemy force numbered approximately 30,000.

When the scouts from the army reported back, Liu Xiu understood the situation, but still looked at Zong Tiao beside him and said:

"You will lead your troops to stand by on both flanks and provide support for Jiang Wu's strategy to persuade him to surrender."

Zong Tiao accepted the order and took his leave, placing his ten thousand soldiers behind the hillsides on both sides of the plain, ready for battle at any time.

The two armies soon faced each other across the banks of the Huangshui River.

In ancient times, before a battle, the generals of both sides would exchange insults, then the soldiers would fight each other on the battlefield, and finally the whole army would launch an attack.

This rule cannot be abandoned.

Jiang Wu arrived at the front of the battle line surrounded by several soldiers, and he immediately spotted his clansman uncle.

"Um?"

"Father, that man in the New National Army on the front lines looks like Jiang Wu!"

A junior member of the clan spoke to the middle-aged man beside him, who wore animal skin armor and a crest of wild bird feathers.

He was Jiang Liao, the commander-in-chief of the Jiang clan in this battle.

Jiang Liao immediately opened his throat, his rough voice piercing through the banks of the Huangshui River and reaching Jiang Wu's ears on the opposite bank—

"Jiang Wu, you said you were going to travel the world, how come you've now become an enemy of the family?"

Hearing this question, Jiang Wu's face flushed slightly. He had been close to this uncle since childhood, and the situation he least wanted to see when he was fantasizing in the army was this.

But he still had to say, "Uncle! Jiang Wu is unfilial..."

But my nephew traveled far and wide and saw that the new country was thriving, and that the people in the city were all well-off.

Jiang Liao suddenly shouted, interrupting Jiang Wu, and said to him:

"I see you've been eating Han food and receiving a salary for a few days, and you've forgotten where you're from!"

Although the new state is different from the old Han dynasty, the Qiang people have always been disgusted with them, regardless of which dynasty they belong to.

They have been a nomadic people since ancient times, and they love freedom, so naturally they do not want to be controlled by other ethnic groups.

Jiang Wu remained silent, and Liu Xiu, seeing that even his own relatives would not heed his advice, knew that the other two tribal leaders were even less likely to listen.

He summoned Jiang Wu back to the army, and just as he was about to order the battle, he saw the Qiang alliance charging towards them first!

A major battle was imminent, and the Qiangzhong Alliance's formation instantly scattered, splitting into more than ten teams of varying sizes. Some crossed the riverbank, while others wandered aimlessly along the shore, seemingly unaware of the danger.

This was the first time Liu Xiu and his old subordinates had faced these Qiang people. They couldn't figure out their tactics and had no choice but to remain unchanged for the time being.

He retreated to a higher position in the rear to survey the overall situation.

He ordered a general to ascend the command platform to direct the army and defend against the attacking Qiang soldiers.

Zong Tiao, who had originally been lying in ambush on the flanks of the two armies, also led his 10,000 men into the battlefield, further scattering the forces of the three Qiang tribes alliance.

Liu Xiu stood on high ground, looking at the situation that was temporarily favorable to the new National Army, but his brows were furrowed.

He saw that the Qiang people, despite the scattered and disorganized army, remained calm and composed, skillfully using the terrain around the riverbank to maneuver and outmaneuver the large army.

The so-called advantage of the new Nationalist army was quietly eroded in this constant maneuvering...

"I've heard that the Qiang people are good at guerrilla warfare, and now that I've seen it for myself, I can confirm that their reputation is well-deserved."

Liu Xiu couldn't help but sigh, his mind never stopping its scheming. He frequently commanded the army at the front, constantly changing strategies to deal with the troublesome Qiang alliance.

He ordered Zong Tiao, skilled in charging and breaking through enemy lines, to penetrate deep into the heart of the Qiang alliance, while the vanguard army disrupted the battle lines of the smaller squads around the perimeter, attempting to find a breakthrough point in the enemy's center.

To Liu Xiu's surprise, although Zong Tiao successfully broke through and reached the leader of the Xianling tribe, he was locked in a stalemate with him and even gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

"Hmph, a mere boy from Hanzhong, wielding a large sword, yet so weak and feeble?"

The leader not only parried all of Zong Tiao's attacks, but also managed to verbally mock him.

In contrast, Zong Tiao looked strained. His sharp swordsmanship had been easily broken by the opponent's brute force, and he couldn't help but admire him inwardly.

This guy is really strong!

Having fought on the battlefield for over a decade, he had rarely encountered such a formidable opponent. It was a true clash of titans, and his fighting spirit was ignited at that moment.

Zong Tiao gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands, used his waist and hips to lift the broadsword, and at the same time, the remaining force from the end of the hilt struck the horse's back, spurring the horse to dodge the downward slash of the Xianling leader's blade.

He dodged to the side, his attack aimed directly at the enemy general's shoulder and neck!

Seeing this, the leader of the Xianling tribe had no choice but to dismount in order to avoid the attack, but after a muffled thud, the horse's head fell to the ground.

"Dare to slay my warhorse? Prepare to die!"

He glanced longingly at the horse's head on the ground, then immediately swung his sword at Zong Tiao, severing both of his horse's front legs as well.

Both lost their horses and, with their feet firmly on the ground, engaged in a fierce battle, with neither able to gain the upper hand for the time being.

Near Zong Tiao, Wang Feng and his group, who had broken through the encirclement, encountered two other leaders, but the battle was not so evenly matched.

Facing Jiang Liao and the leader of Le Jie's tribe, the new National Army generals almost had to use several people working together to barely hold them off.

Seeing that the tactics were useless and that the rest of the New National Army would only be outmaneuvered in the flanking maneuvers, Liu Xiu immediately changed his strategy.

"Issue my order: launch a full-scale attack and annihilate the Qiang alliance with overwhelming force!"

Given the current situation, he had no choice but to adopt an extremely aggressive annihilation strategy. However, the sheer number of troops required considerable time to mobilize.

In this brief respite, Liu Xiu suddenly heard a battle report coming from behind—

"General, the enemy has encountered the enemy on the right flank of our army!"

The right flank of the rear? Liu Xiu was somewhat surprised. He had ordered people to guard the border last night, and there should only be three tribal alliances this time.

Where did this force come from?

The rapidly changing situation on the battlefield left him little time to think. Liu Xiu quickly mobilized his troops to defend against a surprise attack from the rear.

Fortunately, he had carefully studied the terrain of the entire Huangshui Valley and knew that the terrain on the right flank of the army's rear was the most complex. He had deployed a tight defense there in advance, which prevented the raiding army from succeeding in disrupting the main force.

However, his annihilation strategy, which he had just issued, has been delayed once again.

If the battle drags on, the spirit of the new National Army, which rested last night, will be slowly depleted. When their energy wanes again, the battle will become much more difficult.

Liu Xiu decisively ordered, "Sound the retreat!"

In an instant, the New National Army heard a piercing sound as Zong Tiao, Wang Feng, and others who had been fighting on the front lines broke through and returned.

Once the surprise attack from the rear was eliminated, the army retreated to its previous farming camps and made further plans.

In this initial clash, although the Qiang alliance suffered considerable losses, killing approximately three to five thousand elite troops, their new national army suffered even greater losses.

When the retreating troops were signaled to withdraw, the Qiang alliance pressed their advantage, inflicting a total loss of over ten thousand men on the Qiang.

Despite the initial defeat suffered by the new National Army, morale remained high, as Liu Xiu had already ascertained the origins of the surprise attack.

They were the famous Shaodang tribe among the Qiang people. According to Jiang Wu, the four tribes combined could only produce a maximum of 50,000 people.

This number gave the generals and the new National Army a lot of confidence. The army still had nearly 200,000 men and most of the fertile land in the Huangshui Valley.

As long as we proceed steadily and cautiously, and once the soldiers have adapted to the adverse weather conditions, conquering Qiangzhong will only be a matter of time.

Everyone firmly believed that a temporary setback meant nothing, and that the advantage still lay with our new nation!