“Hong’er, you will lead the charge this time. These thousand private soldiers are entrusted to you.” As he spoke, Lu Ji took out a token.
Then, a young general in white robes stepped forward and accepted the token. This young man was Lu Hong, Lu Ji's eldest son. In terms of strength, he appeared to be at the initial stage of the Innate Realm.
However, with several family retainers and dozens of personal guards protecting him closely, his life was not in danger. Therefore, gaining some experience and building up his reputation wouldn't be bad.
"What does the Duke think of my Lu family's private soldiers?" Lu Ji asked with some pride as he looked at the orderly and slowly advancing Lu family private soldiers.
At first glance, these private soldiers were lined up quite neatly. Each of them carried a standard weapon, wore white robes, and had a cloak behind them.
Unfortunately, they lacked armor, not even leather, let alone iron armor. They also had no powerful crossbows, only some cork bows. And yes, they didn't even have shields. If judged by the standards of a regular army, they were nothing more than a rabble. But no, they were, after all, just a private army.
Hearing this, Lin Yang smiled and said, "You look very energetic. Regardless of your strength, your spirit alone is quite impressive."
These days, telling the truth will offend people. You can't just say directly that these private soldiers are all show and no substance, that they've never seen blood and are just some better-trained recruits.
Speaking such blunt truths would surely offend many people. Lin Yang wasn't stupid, so he could only keep praising them, saying they were in great spirits. After all, spirits and momentum are very vague descriptions.
Behind the Lu family's thousand private soldiers were three thousand retainers. Compared to the private soldiers in front of them, who were dressed the same, they looked like petty thugs about to engage in a street fight.
They formed small groups of thirty to fifty people. The types of weapons they used were incredibly diverse. Some carried knives, some swords, and some even wielded large iron hammers. Others held bows and arrows; Lin Yang was speechless.
Moreover, while the private army in front of them had some killing intent, these retainers had none at all.
Behind the three thousand retainers was a group of people as undisciplined as the demon soldiers. Oh, they were just wandering knights temporarily recruited. Most of them brought their own weapons, took money from the Lu family, and were simply working for them.
"Ahem, Fengxiao, are you sure this kind of army is really okay? Not to mention compared to our veterans, I think even the county soldiers are better prepared than them." Lin Yang turned his head and said softly.
Even though Lin Yang wasn't a military genius, he could still tell that the Lu family's 'army' was really quite incompetent.
Upon hearing this, Guo Jia glanced around, then smiled wryly and explained, "After all, they are just the family's private army, so this is the only way. Armor and crossbows cannot be displayed openly. Otherwise, no matter how powerful the Lu family is, they will only face confiscation of their property and extermination. This is the court's bottom line, and there is no room for doubt."
"As for the outcome, there's no need to worry. Although the Lu family's private army is just a rabble, those demon soldiers are even worse."
"First of all, they are different species, which makes them very inconvenient to command. Imagine a tiger next to a group of rabbits, how do you think those rabbits can fight?"
"Secondly, their intelligence level is too low. They are called demon soldiers, but they are actually just a group of low-intelligence beasts. Generally speaking, the intelligence level of those demon soldiers who have been enlightened is about the same as that of a three-year-old infant."
"Your Majesty only needs to observe for a while to find out. Moreover, even if the Lu family is defeated, with these five thousand veterans at our disposal, what is there to worry about? If all else fails, isn't there still the Imperial Guard battalion?" Guo Jia patiently explained.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang nodded and remained silent.
In truth, throughout history, victory on the battlefield has never been determined by who is stronger, but rather by who makes more mistakes and who is weaker. Although the Lu family is in a sorry state, their opponents are even more incompetent.
Therefore, compared to the demon soldiers, Lin Yang suddenly felt that the Lu family's private army was actually quite formidable. At least, they knew when to retreat and when to advance.
Soon, amidst the rapid and powerful drumbeats, the distance between the Lu family army and the demon soldiers grew ever closer.
1000 steps
800 steps
500 steps
Three hundred steps
Now, the distance between the two sides is only three hundred paces. Such a short distance is already very close for these people with incredibly strong physical abilities.
With Lu Hong's strength as a Xiantian martial artist, he could even clearly see the expressions on the faces of the demon soldiers opposite him, their long fangs, and their incredibly sharp claws.
Upon seeing these, Lu Hong inexplicably felt a surge of nervousness. He then gripped the precious sword in his hand tightly.
Everyone else can be afraid, but he alone cannot. As the eldest grandson of the Lu family, many people are watching.
"Charge! Whoever kills a demon soldier will be rewarded with thirty taels of silver. Whoever kills a demon general will be rewarded with three thousand taels of silver. These are additional rewards, and the one who achieves the greatest merit this time will be rewarded even more."
"kill"
These words were like a spark thrown into a pan of hot oil; with a whoosh, the crowd erupted in chaos. Their eyes red, they roared and charged towards the other side.
Soon, the two collided like tidal waves. At the same time, Lin Yang began to observe carefully. After all, it was a legendary monster; no matter what, this was the first time he had ever seen one in his life.
I've learned something new, truly learned something new. Looking at these colorful demon soldiers before him, Lin Yang's eyes were opened. He also understood Guo Jia's description of them as a group of wild beasts.
That's right, these aren't demon soldiers at all, they're just a bunch of wild beasts with some human characteristics.
There was a tiger demon, dressed in tiger skin, standing upright and holding a long knife. There was also an elephant demon, transformed into its true form, towering tall with a long trunk. And then there was a leopard demon, incredibly fast, leaping more than ten zhang in a single bound.
In short, there are quite a lot of different kinds. Their individual strength is also quite formidable. Add to that the innate talents they possess as demons, and they are indeed very strong in one-on-one combat. However, this is, after all, a group battle, a battlefield.
Ordinary lesser demons, after being enlightened, have extremely limited intelligence. Many can't even distinguish between east, west, south, and north, so how could they possibly perform complex tasks?
Therefore, these demon soldiers' fighting style is often very simple: a single, overwhelming attack. The entire family, young and old, throws themselves into a single direction. Then, the outcome depends on fate.
After all, those monsters that absorb the essence of the sun and moon and slowly grow up, although they have outstanding intelligence, take too much time.
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Chapter Fourteen: Not Black-Hearted Enough, Not Ruthless Enough, and Not Thick-Skinned Enough
"Compared to these demon soldiers with limited intelligence, we humans truly deserve to be called the leaders of all beings." Looking at the many demons who, in the end, even killed their own people, Lin Yang nodded and sighed.
No wonder the demon race has never amounted to anything; just look at these demon soldiers. Even if humans are inferior, their intelligence is undeniable.
It's important to understand that demon soldiers aren't easily enlightened. They must first absorb the essence of the sun and moon and live for several decades before they can be successfully enlightened. Even then, their intelligence level is still like that of a three-year-old child.
Just like the little wind spirit in Journey to the West who said, "The king has ordered me to patrol the mountain," his intelligence level is truly touching.
But what about humans? They grow in generations every twenty years, like rice stalks, one crop after another, their numbers are simply too vast. If you resort to sheer numbers, you could overwhelm them with sheer numbers.