To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

The north wind howled, and banners fluttered fiercely.

"Hoo!"

"Move!"

The banner bearers waved their flags, commanding the cavalry to run back and forth through the ranks as loud shouts erupted under their direction.

With the orders given and implemented, rows of soldiers quickly adjusted their positions.

As a mighty army that had fought for decades, the Chu army had forged a resolute military spirit during its rise and had continued that tradition to the present day.

"The Chu army is coming again."

Atop the battlements of the great Liang city, a large crowd emerged, including Liang nobility and ministers dressed in luxurious green and purple, who looked out at the formidable Chu army in the distance. Some were so scared their faces turned pale.

"The Chu army seems even more elite and fearsome than last year…" someone murmured, their voice quivering.

Those who heard frowned and glanced reproachfully at the speaker.

They wanted to object, but upon looking at the Chu army, they found it to be true.

Words stuck in their throats.

This year’s Chu army was indeed somewhat more elite than last year.

Last year, although Lu Yuan led three million troops on a Northern Expedition against Liang, their numbers reverberated like thunder.

But at that time, out of the three million Chu troops, two million were civilian workers. Only one million were professional soldiers, and most of those were new recruits.

In other words, within the entire Northern Expeditionary force of Chu, aside from a large number of civilian workers, among the remaining six million professional soldiers, including those who had reenlisted after retirement, new soldiers were mainstream, making up nearly four million.

So many civilian workers and new soldiers naturally resulted in uneven quality among the Chu army. Many troops were weak in combat, with the main fighting force hardly better than the local prefecture and county soldiers.

The early stage of the Northern Expedition’s Chu army was just like this.

The spectacular victory they initially achieved owed more to the shockingly large numbers of the Chu army and the quality and quantity of the Inborn Grandmasters who overwhelmed their opponents.

These two factors were the magical treasures ensuring victory for the Chu Northern Expedition.

But that was just at the beginning.

With the passing of a year and the outbreak of several major battles, the once naive Chu army was also tempered by war.

Within the nearly four million new soldiers, those veteran soldiers returning to service found their old instincts in combat. Pure new recruits also honed their skills and experience in life-and-death situations.

The six million soldiers grew rapidly and in the process, continuously synergized, forming a mutual understanding amongst each other.

The civilian workers who had been conscripted weren’t involved in any significant battles, but they sometimes maintained local security and acted as cannon fodder for sieges, which improved their strength to some extent.

They might have been slightly lacking compared to soldier’s requirements, but when compared with the prefectures and counties’ troops, the difference was negligible.

Therefore, after a year’s trials and tribulations, from soldiers to civilian workers, the Chu army’s combat effectiveness had been forged in the fires of deadly combat.

This time, in the attack on Liang, Lu Yuan divided his forces into four.

Although he had allocated the bulk to Mengshan Pass and other Liang prefecture defenses, he had mainly sent civilian workers there.

Dominantly formed from civilian workers, with a small contingent of main forces, these made up the four divisions of troops.

The main force from his own central military camp, which was composed of elite soldiers, was still firmly in his hand.

The one million-strong force currently leading the charge to the foot of Liang’s city was comprised entirely of soldiers, who, after a year of iron and fire, had changed their aura. The impression they gave was naturally distinct.

That is why the nobility and ministers of Liang on the city walls had the feeling they were facing an army of tigers and wolves upon looking out.

Because that was indeed the case.

"What does it matter if the Chu army is elite? There aren’t many Chu people outside the city," spoke up a minister of Chu on the city walls, unable to bear the decline in morale, "According to our scouts, all told, they only amount to about one million."

"Within the great walls of our Liang city, we have seven hundred thousand troops stationed, both inside and out, plus ten Inborn Grandmasters. We aren’t much inferior to those Chu bandits.

With just this number of their people, not to mention taking down Liang, even breaking through our outer defenses is a challenge."

As the once Supreme Dominator, Liang still had substantial strengths.

After a year of rebuilding, they not only reassembled a four-million-strong army, but they also retained thirty-seven Inborn Grandmasters.

Ah, this is after already deducting the five Inborn who were lost at Mengshan Pass.

With the Chu army advancing to the Imperial Capital, coupled with propaganda, it was naturally known throughout Liang that Mengshan Pass’s defenders had been utterly defeated and not a single one of the five Inborn at the pass had escaped.

This news certainly discouraged and dismayed everyone in Chu.

As the Chu army neared the Imperial Capital, a sense of panic was added to the mix.

But however panicked, Liang still had some confidence.

After all, they had the foundation of being the former Supreme Dominator, which was not something any other dominant country could easily infringe upon.

Even if they had fallen from grace, it wasn’t something that Zhao, Xu, and Zheng could match, as they couldn’t produce thirty-seven Inborn Grandmasters.

Tang and Xu might be able to do so, but not necessarily more than Liang.

With this foundation, Liang was able to maintain its morale and not flee at the mention of Chu.

The old Liang was prosperous once after all.

A year before, they were the dominator of the world, boasting more than fifty Inborn and three million soldiers at their peak.

Their downfall had lasted only a year.

The pride of once being number one in the world endured in their hearts; even if they had been struck down, their dignity was not so easily crushed.

Upon hearing this, many Liang ministers recalled last year’s glory, buoying their spirits; smiles returned to their faces, and they had not completely lost heart.