Told You I Can Turn Back Time
Chapter 69 - 69 69 Embracing the Battlefield

69: Chapter 69: Embracing the Battlefield 69: Chapter 69: Embracing the Battlefield The officers in the rear were still urging Zhu Fen to dispatch troops for support when they suddenly discovered that the gates of Linked Ring Fort had somehow been opened.

Lin Xing was gesturing to them from afar, signaling them to come over.

Zhu Fen sent troops to investigate, and the news they brought back shocked him, “Linked Ring Fort has surrendered?”

When he arrived at the fort with a squad of personal guards, seeing Zhang Yu standing to one side, he finally believed that Linked Ring Fort had indeed surrendered.

Looking at the bewildered Zhu Fen, Lin Xing burst out laughing, “I told you not to follow me with your troops, and you really didn’t.”

Zhu Fen was about to explain when Lin Xing patted his shoulder and said, “You did well, just do as I command from now on and don’t do anything unnecessary.”

Lin Xing recalled the several times he had been shot and severely wounded, and he sighed with relief that no one had come to his rescue, allowing him to be quickly shot dead with another arrow.

“What a pity,” Lin Xing thought as he glanced at Zhang Yu, “they surrendered too quickly.”

Zhu Fen, watching Lin Xing laugh heartily, was momentarily unsure whether the other man was being sarcastic or speaking honestly.

And with the surrender of Linked Ring Fort, Zhu Fen then realized that among the five sub-forts of Linked Ring Fort, there were hardly any able-bodied men left, only hundreds of the elderly, weak, women, and children.

Only then did he understand why Zhang Yu surrendered.

The able-bodied men of Linked Ring Fort must have left the fort to support the Heavenly Will Sect, leaving Zhang Yu and a group of young men to defend the fort.

Realizing this, Zhu Fen couldn’t help but feel that Lin Xing was lucky, “If he hadn’t stumbled upon such an unguarded fort, the guy would have been a goner.”

Not long after accepting Zhang Yu’s surrender, Lin Xing headed straight for the place in Linked Ring Fort that stored books.

As he sifted through various secret manuals, a trace of disappointment began to appear in Lin Xing’s eyes.

He had hoped to find martial arts techniques in Linked Ring Fort that would satisfy his desire to master the Sword Hero’s legacy.

Unfortunately, the collections there were all about weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and archery, not what he was looking for.

“I should have thought about it, how could such a fort have Taoist texts?

I hope to find something in other places,” he pondered.

On the other hand, after seizing Linked Ring Fort, Zhu Fen immediately set his sights on the fort’s treasures and the women and children within.

In his view, it was no different than before: loot the wealth and sell the women and children.

But when he was about to tie up the women and children one by one to take them away with his soldiers, he saw Zhang Yu blocking his path, “General Lin has said, as long as we are willing to surrender, he guarantees no harm to anyone in the fort.”

“You believe that nonsense?” Zhu Fen sneered dismissively, “Get lost.”

As the standoff ensued, a righteous looking Lin Xing arrived, looked at Zhu Fen, and said, “I did indeed promise them that I wouldn’t harm a single person in the fort.”

Zhu Fen, dissatisfied, said, “That’s not the way it’s done, I think the soldiers will be unhappy.”

“Whoever is unhappy can come to me,” Lin Xing glared coldly at Zhu Fen and continued, “No longer will we slaughter or sell captives; I’ve discussed this with the Commander, and he has agreed to my methods.”

Watching Lin Xing leave after dropping a statement, Zhu Fen felt a surge of indignation.

After stationing a squad of soldiers to garrison Linked Ring Fort, the main army set off again, moving towards the direction of Upper River County.

Zhu Fen led the majority of the troops at the front, while Lin Xing sat in a carriage following behind.

Atop the carriage, Lin Xing glanced at a cat doll, noticing it curiously studying the puppet’s skin.

Lin Xing then spoke, “Don’t worry, Master Bai, I have no idea what this skin is made of, bows and arrows can’t penetrate it, fire doesn’t damage it, very durable indeed.”

Bai Yiyi replied in surprise, “Is that so?

That powerful?” But the next moment her heart sank, sensing something was amiss, “How do you know that?”

She suddenly exclaimed, “Did you use my puppet for something while time was reversed?”

Lin Xing explained, “You have to trust my character, anything I did was with your consent.”

Bai Yiyi urged, “What exactly did you use the puppet for?”

Lin Xing said, “When we were attacking Linked Ring Fort earlier, I tried using the puppet as a shield.

Other than being too heavy, there were no other issues.”

Taking a breath of relief, Bai Yiyi’s mind couldn’t help but wander, “Every time Lin Xing reverses time, my memory gets erased.

What else has he done that I don’t know about?”

…

Two days later, the massive army arrived on the plains outside Upper River County.

Lin Xing stood atop a carriage and, from a great distance, could see Commander Zhang’s troops stationed across the plains, tent after tent connected in succession.

“It looks like the other three forces have already arrived.”

Indeed, just as Lin Xing had anticipated, including their own contingent, more than ninety percent of Commander Zhang’s forces had now gathered within the encampment.

Aside from the thousands of soldiers, there were also thousands of conscripted laborers, nearly ten thousand people encamped both inside and outside the vast camp.

As soon as Zhu Fen and Lin Xing arrived at the military center, they were immediately summoned by Commander Zhang.

While listening to the reports of his subordinates, the previously grim-faced Commander Zhang suddenly burst into laughter and said, “Well done, Lin Xing.

You did well seizing Linked Ring Fort.”

The military tent then resumed discussions about the war situation.

At the mention of this, Commander Zhang’s expression grew even grimmer.

The four armies had swept through the land, but the results of their campaigns were pitifully small.

Whether it was Linked Ring Fort, attacked by Lin Xing’s force, or targets of the other routes, they either found them abandoned or left with just a few weaklings and stragglers.

Most of the combat strength of the Heavenly Will Sect and its allied forces had already been transferred before the war, now concentrated within the city walls of Upper River County before them.

And speaking of this county city, Commander Zhang’s eyes filled with an even denser murderous intent.

Inside the tent, an officer sighed, “These damned heretics from the cult have somehow gotten their hands on several cannons.

Now mounted atop the city walls, they’ve caused our forces to suffer heavy casualties.”

Several officers brought up the matter of the cannons, yet none had a solution, all casting furtive glances toward the Commander.

After all, they thought, dealing with a city armed with cannons meant either expending soldiers’ lives in a forced attack, waiting for the enemy to run out of ammunition, or expecting a master like the Commander himself to take personal action.

But rumors were increasingly circulating about the Commander having been seriously injured by an assassination attempt from the Heavenly Will Sect’s Holy Daughter, and the officers in the tent couldn’t figure out what Commander Zhang was truly contemplating.

Commander Zhang did not continue the discussion about the cannons, but instead looked towards Song Yi, the general in charge of logistics, inquiring about the supply and support situation.

The results were equally bleak.

The logistics troops transporting food, ammunition, and other supplies had been attacked several times in succession.

Several elite experts from the Heavenly Will Sect were laying in wait, hiding in the nearby high mountains, dense forests, or even among the villagers’ homes, specifically targeting the supply troops, retreating if they encountered a significant force.

Lin Xing, who had been listening quietly, also began to summarize the current situation in his mind, “Commander Zhang’s side has lots of guns and soldiers, giving him a significant advantage on the battlefield.

The Heavenly Will Sect, on the other hand, has more experts, adept at guerrilla warfare and assassinations…”

This was Lin Xing’s first time participating in a war on such a grand scale; he couldn’t help but recall the ancient warfare accounts he had seen in the modern world.

But those memories from the modern world now seemed too distant, and with each reversal of time and years of life-and-death struggle, those memories had slowly started to blur, becoming so vague that he struggled to think clearly.

Realizing this, Lin Xing suddenly became worried, “I’ve been away from the modern world for too long, and I seem to have forgotten much.”

He immediately tried to recall his identity card number, mobile phone number, home address, criminal law…

Although he still remembered these things, he felt he had forgotten something, something important.

That night, Lin Xing sought out Song Yi, who managed the logistics, to inquire whether the other forces had found any of the books he needed during their raids.

Regrettably, after a thorough search, they still did not find what Lin Xing was looking for.

Seeing Lin Xing’s disappointed eyes, Song Yi asked, “Are you looking for the Taoist scriptures?”

He looked towards the direction of the city, comforting, “Once we take down the city, it’ll be fine.

Tianyang Temple, Linghe Temple, River Gang…

now in Dongya Prefecture, there are seven or eight factions that have joined the Heavenly Will Sect and crammed into this city.”

“If we can take it down, we will definitely find the scriptures you need.”

The next morning, as the siege began, the battle cries once again echoed across the field.

Lin Xing stood at the front line, watching as the whole battlefield, amid the sounds of cannons, gunfire, and human voices, gradually turned into a meat grinder, his eyes slowly brimming with anticipation.

He opened his arms and embraced the carnage and death.

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