Chapter 166: The Great Battle (Part I)

Although the mass-produced troops created by Pix and Mu Xingye were still capped at the mid-second tier in terms of individual combat strength, their scale in numbers now made them seem no less formidable than a regular army.

Arriving at the secret base the two had established on the border, Sun Meng recounted the effects of his previous strike. "It feels like this is the influence of this phase of the mission world upon us." Although they might have been invincible in the world initially, as the world progressed, they would find it difficult to progress further unless they discovered a method to elevate their own strength.

"We joined forces to analyze a type of energy field that allows the bionic armies we both created to execute coordinated group attacks. However, I still feel that we differ fundamentally from these people in terms of the Dao."

"Then let's go meet those people from Liangshan right now!" Mu Xingye said. Leveraging their previous connection with Liang Zhongshu, as long as they assisted them, things should go smoothly without unexpected hitches. Previously, they had believed that during the second-tier mission, they wouldn't need direct contact with the Liangshan forces—that it would suffice to know their objectives and help from the shadows. But under the current circumstances, the old plan clearly wouldn't work. A legitimate identity was required to cooperate with the Liangshan forces, which was why Sun Meng had approached Liang Zhongshu in the first place.

"By the way, quite a few second-tier contestants have also appeared at the border. Most of them have accepted minor auxiliary tasks to support the large armies. If we can successfully negotiate here, treating them as chess pieces would be a good option," Mu Xingye said, as Pix displayed the basic information of more than a dozen contestants on the screen.

"Can you find out if there are any contestants over on the Liao Dynasty side?" Sun Meng asked, looking at Pix.

"None detected. Perhaps they've remained in the rear all along, or perhaps they haven't made any obvious moves. At the very least, we are currently the strongest among the contestants," Pix replied.

The Liangshan forces had arrived at the border, and Liang Zhongshu had intended to greet them in person, but his arrival happened to coincide with that of Sun Meng and his companions.

"I wonder if the three of you have any further instructions?" Liang Zhongshu asked cautiously, terrified of displeasing them.

"Nothing much. You're probably planning to go meet the Liangshan people; take us along on the way, and just introduce us as helpers you found," Sun Meng said. The excuse didn't matter; the result was all that counted.

Liang Zhongshu glanced at the three of them, thinking to himself that if he really said that, the people from Liangshan would have to be fools to believe it! Yet, since both sides were parties he could not afford to offend, he had no choice but to obey. He harbored the secret hope that the two factions might turn on each other, resulting in mutual casualties—that would be the ideal outcome.

Meanwhile, after setting up camp, the Liangshan forces began exchanging their clothing for Song Dynasty military gear. Even though their banners remained those of the Liangshan army, charging into battle while dressed like common bandits would simply make them a laughingstock!

At that moment, Liang Zhongshu escorted Sun Meng and the other two into the Liangshan encampment.

Song Jiang, accompanied by Lu Junyi and Wu Yong, came to the camp entrance to welcome Liang Zhongshu. The moment he caught sight of Sun Meng, he froze involuntarily. He had never expected that a reunion with Sun Meng would take place under such circumstances.

Although his own strength had now reached the third tier, the methods Sun Meng had previously displayed still seemed miraculous in his eyes.

"Greetings, Senior!" Song Jiang bypassed Liang Zhongshu entirely and bowed to Sun Meng.

Liang Zhongshu felt somewhat awkward, but this suited his intentions perfectly. "Since General Song and Brother Sun are already acquainted, I won't bother with formal introductions. They are here to help you deal with the Liao Dynasty. Furthermore, the fifty thousand troops and all necessary military supplies have been prepared and will be delivered shortly. I wonder when General Song and the others plan to set out?"

Sun Meng interrupted, "You don't need to worry about what happens next. Just mind your own business."

Liang Zhongshu offered an awkward smile. "Then I won't disturb you all catching up. Farewell." With that, he turned and hurried away.

Sun Meng looked at Song Jiang. "There's no need to show us such excessive reverence. Now that you have also reached this realm, just address me as Brother Sun."

Song Jiang replied, "Addressing each other as brothers sounds good to me. However, Brother Sun possesses formidable strength, and it is Liangshan's great honor that you have come to assist us! Please, this way!" Leading the way, he escorted the three visitors into the main tent.

Inside, the various Liangshan chieftains had already changed into their armor and uniforms, gathering continuously, chatting and laughing as they inspected each other's appearance.

"The brothers have all arrived!" Song Jiang walked in and looked around at the other chieftains. "Perfect, let me introduce these three."

As soon as the three stepped into the tent, six men pushed their way through the crowd directly toward Sun Meng and dropped to their knees.

"Greetings, Master!" The six were none other than the remaining members of the original Seven-Star Oath at Jizhou except for Chao Gai: the three Ruan brothers, alongside Liu Tang, Bai Sheng, and Gongsun Sheng.

"Your strengths have already stepped into this realm. I didn't teach you all that much back then, so there's no need to perform such a grand kowtow," Sun Meng said, raising a hand to signal the six to rise.

This single casual gesture immediately made the eyes of the gathered heroes light up, as it demonstrated that Sun Meng's cultivation had reached the highest level currently present in Liangshan.

After everyone had taken their seats, Sun Meng spoke. "Actually, I just returned from the border city, and a formidable detachment of elite Liao troops is currently camped beneath its walls. However, before coming here, I inflicted heavy casualties on their commanding general. If your main army moves out now, you might be able to wipe them out in a single stroke."

"There are three border cities. The garrisons of the other two cities each number ten thousand, but they lack any famous generals. Our plan is to divide our forces and attack them simultaneously, then swiftly drive straight toward the Liao capital. As long as we move fast enough, the overall deployment of the Liao forces will inevitably fall into disorder, allowing us to defeat them piece by piece and inflict a heavy blow upon them," Wu Yong explained, laying out Liangshan's strategy.

From the very beginning, they had never intended to completely conquer the Liao Dynasty—even with the fifty thousand troops supported by the imperial court, that was an impossible feat. Thus, severely crippling the Liao army and reclaiming the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun was their primary objective.

Sun Meng glanced at Pix, who waved a hand, causing a virtual screen to materialize before the assembly. Displayed upon it was a detailed distribution map of all the major cities within the entire Liao territory.

Though this feat seemed wondrous to the Liangshan heroes, what shocked them even more was the content. Cities large and small, mountain ranges, roads, and pathways were all laid out before them with absolute clarity. In particular, right beside the location of the border city, a Liao military encampment was explicitly marked, along with an estimated troop strength of around ten thousand.

With such a map, marching and tactical deployment for this battle would become immeasurably easier. At the very least, as far as they were concerned, even the imperial court of the Great Song might not possess a map of such exquisite detail.

"Actually, we also have an army of our own. Though it numbers only ten thousand, it possesses certain unique qualities," Sun Meng stated. "However, we are here to assist, so whenever Brother Song needs us to do something, just say the word."

Song Jiang nodded. "Military Advisor, if we launch a surprise attack on that detachment of Liao troops outside the border city right now, what is our probability of annihilating them completely?" Wiping out such a large force of elite Liao soldiers would undoubtedly provide a tremendous boost to their morale.

Wu Yong looked at Sun Meng. "How severe are the injuries sustained by the Liao commanding general?"

Sun Meng replied, "Critically wounded; continuing to engage in personal combat is out of the question. However, he should still be capable of commanding troops."

Wu Yong nodded. "In that case, I ask the elder brother to give the order. There is no time to lose; thirty thousand troops accompanied by several great generals will be more than enough to encircle and annihilate them!"

"Big Brother, I volunteer for the vanguard!" More than a dozen men stepped forward simultaneously.

Lu Junyi also spoke up, "Since we aim to encircle and annihilate them, speed is of the essence. I believe that if Brother Sun and his two companions act alongside me, coupled with one or two martial arts experts among our brothers, we will surely succeed in wiping them out entirely!"

Sun Meng added, "Furthermore, there are two individuals inside the city whose strength has reached the Grandmaster realm, though they lack an organized army. As long as we can breach their encampment, they will naturally lead forces out of the city to assist us."

Song Jiang declared, "Since that is the case, we shall use the blood of that Liao general to consecrate our flags! Guan Sheng, Suo Chao, Huyan Zhuo, hear my orders!"

"General, present!" the three stepped forward in unison.

"You shall follow Junyi and Brother Sun, lead a combined cavalry and infantry force of thirty thousand, and set forth!"

During the march of the great army, Sun Meng and his two companions all focused on perceiving the effects of the army's martial aura and collective will, continually analyzing the energy within it in an attempt to convert it into a power suited to their own civilization.

Very soon, the sprawling encampment of the Liao army came into view ahead of them.