Chapter 1696: The Forsaken Xin Yi

The Bega army's morale soared as they finally realized she possessed true skill, far surpassing someone like Baimoji.

Seeing the Bega army's morale about to soar, He Lingchuan personally intervened, twice pushing back their attempts to cross the river and soundly defeating them by the riverside.

With the preliminary probes concluded, both sides engaged in back-and-forth maneuvers, employing extraordinary strategies one after another.

He Lingchuan also discovered that while Lu Wushuang often had brilliant strokes of genius, she lacked military command experience and was no match for the seasoned and shrewd Qingyang of later generations.

After all, she was still young and impetuous at this time.

After suffering several setbacks at He Lingchuan's hands, Lu Wushuang settled down to seriously grasp the art of war. The battle on the Jinmao front quickly devolved into a dull, routine phase of offense and defense. The Bega army's attack frequency, initially two or three times a day, decreased to once every two or three days, and then further stretched to once every seven or eight days.

However, Lu Wushuang was not idle; instead, she sent troops to infiltrate Longchuan again. This time, they adopted a strategy of building strongholds progressively, pushing deeper into the swamp bit by bit.

The battle between the two armies in Longchuan was even more intense than on the Jinmao front.

Xin Yi had long personally participated in and commanded battles, but directly confronting Lu Wushuang was a first for him.

He Lingchuan's mission for him was to draw the enemy's main force and cover their own "nail removal" operation in Longchuan; thus, the longer he held out, the better.

Only by offering Lu Wushuang a tempting bait would she commit a significant attack. So, He Lingchuan offered Beifu City and dispatched avian demons to monitor the situation closely throughout.

The battle between these two sides was exceptionally fierce, lasting nearly ten hours, and ended with Xin Yi's retreat.

In fact, He Lingchuan was quite surprised that Xin Yi could hold out for so long. He immediately patted his shoulder and said:

"I only asked you to hold out, not to win. Ten hours, while a bit short, was enough for Liutiao to dismantle the Bega stronghold in Longchuan, so you've completed your mission." He Lingchuan had anticipated his failure, and he comforted him, adding, "As for Beifu City, it's not the first time we've lost it; we'll just take it back later."

Xin Yi gave a wry smile.

Back at the outpost, he set up a sandbox and battlefield diagrams, recounted the recent battle, and asked He Lingchuan to clarify his doubts.

He Lingchuan didn't mince words, pointing out the intention behind each of Lu Wushuang's commands and identifying Xin Yi's mistakes. After explaining in detail for over half an hour, he tapped the sandbox and chuckled, "Lu Wushuang's elaborate trap was worth it; you still walked right into it in the end!"

Xin Yi rubbed the back of his head and sighed deeply:

"General He sees everything so clearly. I was the one commanding on the battlefield, yet only after hearing your explanation do I realize how many mistakes I just made! Alas, I lost fair and square."

"Mr. Xin, you've made rapid progress," He Lingchuan stated frankly. "It's just that Lu Wushuang is a natural prodigy, unconventional on the battlefield. It's very difficult for you to keep up with her pace."

Battles require rhythm.

He Lingchuan could clearly feel that while Lu Wushuang had some experience leading troops before this, her experience commanding large-scale campaigns was practically zero.

Yet she dared to take over Baimoji's mess; Lu Wushuang was truly bold and confident.

Of course, later events also proved that she had the capital for her confidence and indeed grew rapidly through battle.

If she was two steps ahead of Xin Yi at the start, she had now left Xin Yi far behind.

He Lingchuan certainly wished to find an opportunity to kill her, but Lu Wushuang was extremely vigilant, always accompanied by two Green Palace guard units, all top-tier experts.

These two guard units did nothing else but ensure her safety, and on multiple occasions, they protected her as she escaped dangers set by He Lingchuan.

She initially loved taking risks, but after being caught twice by He Lingchuan while venturing deep alone and suffering heavy casualties, she learned her lesson and adjusted her strategy promptly.

Xin Yi looked at the sandbox, at the small flags marking Lu Wushuang's movements, and after a long period of reflection, he gently exhaled:

"Every generation produces new talents; the new waves truly push the old."

The words carried a profound sense of world-weariness.

"Mr. Xin, why do you say that?" He Lingchuan asked, though he knew the answer. "You're in the prime of your life, a time for ambition and fulfilling your aspirations."

Xin Yi appeared to be only in his early thirties.

"Being by General He's side, observing and participating in battles, I've gained a lot," Xin Yi said, crossing his hands on the table. "Making that request to Commander Zhong back then was absolutely the right decision! But the more I personally participated, the more I realized: the path of a general is even more demanding than cultivation, and relies even more on natural talent."

What is talent? It's when you grasp something after just one look, something others can't do well even after ten tries.

Talent is when others are painstakingly imitating and believing that diligence can compensate for clumsiness, while you finish in two strokes, as if divinely inspired.

Talent is when you can't even explain why, but you're simply good at something and remarkably confident. If others can't do it, that's their problem; it doesn't mean you can't.

Others are others; you are you.

"Whether it's Lu Wushuang or General He, the talent they display on the battlefield far surpasses mine," Xin Yi spoke with deep emotion. "Being caught between you two commanders is quite uncomfortable for me."

He Lingchuan chuckled, "Mr. Xin, you've already made rapid progress. Most people can't even hope to reach your level."

This was also the truth. Who could say Xin Yi wasn't talented? It was just unfortunate that he encountered He Lingchuan and Lu Wushuang.

Disparities are only apparent through comparison.

"Compared to you two, I'm clumsy to the point of being negligible," Xin Yi said with great self-awareness. "Lu Wushuang's strategies are brilliant, and General He's tactics are like an antelope hanging its horns—impossible to trace."

After He Lingchuan explained Lu Wushuang's tactics, Xin Yi could still grasp the logic;

But with He Lingchuan's combat, especially his immediate reactions and on-the-spot decisions, Xin Yi simply couldn't figure out how his mind worked. Yet, He Lingchuan repeatedly proved himself right through his actions!

In that moment, on that battlefield, with that sudden unforeseen event, at that critical juncture, only He Lingchuan's approach could have overcome it!

Xin Yi was greatly impressed, realizing that "troop deployment" truly had no fixed rules to follow.

Sometimes, there was simply no logic to battles.

Seeing his face filled with sighs, He Lingchuan thought he was about to give up and felt quite surprised, but Xin Yi stroked his chin and said:

"It seems this path is not my strength, and I shouldn't waste my efforts here."

Hearing this, He Lingchuan looked at him with new respect.

Given his status, his ability to frankly say "I'm not good enough" showed his practicality and calmness.

"Mr. Xin, what brilliant idea do you have?"

There was no hint of sarcasm in his words, only genuine inquiry.

Xin Yi messed up the sandbox, brushed off the fine sand from his hands, and chuckled, "No brilliant ideas, just a lazy method I thought of. Why bother mastering everything? If I'm not good at fighting, then I'll just find someone who is good at it to fight for me, won't that be fine?"

He Lingchuan chuckled, "That's why I often eat out."

Both men laughed heartily.