Chapter 605

Chapter 605: The Bearing of a Veteran

They retreated all the way back into the city after having just gone through a brutal clash with the Arab army.

There was no doubt that both Luo Ji’s forces and Huo Qiguang’s troops needed time to recover.

However, Huo Qiguang was clearly starting to lose his composure.

After all, time was no longer as plentiful as it had been at the start.

On top of that, the Arab player had just brought in another extremely powerful batch of reinforcements.

Every one of these factors kept piling pressure onto him.

Almost as soon as the next morning arrived, Huo Qiguang summoned Luo Ji to the military camp to discuss their next course of action.

Luo Ji’s thinking was very straightforward.

“I think we should fight a defensive battle.”

After suffering a setback, shifting from offense to defense and then waiting for the right moment to strike back—
without a doubt, Luo Ji’s choice was seasoned and steady, neither arrogant nor impatient, clearly showing the composure of a veteran.

But Huo Qiguang, at this moment, was visibly anxious.

“But what if the enemy doesn’t come to attack the city? You need to understand—we only have a little over a week left!”

Glancing at Huo Qiguang’s tense expression, Luo Ji spoke calmly.

“You should go splash some cold water on your face. Clear your head a bit.”

Hearing that, Huo Qiguang drained the water in front of him in one go, then rubbed his temples hard.

Alright—he knew his emotions were running hot, but there was no helping it.

This battle involved far too many resources and interests.

What he felt right now was exactly like leaving the beginner zone and suddenly realizing just how comfortable life there had been.

If the system hadn’t kicked him out by force, he really would’ve liked to stay in the Bronze tier a while longer.

Seeing that some of the anxiety had faded from Huo Qiguang’s face, Luo Ji finally continued.

“Relax. That Arab player poured in a huge amount of resources to pull in all those reinforcements.”

“After fighting to this point and losing so many war elephants and soldiers, there’s no way he’ll be satisfied with just grabbing two of your cities and leaving.”

“And besides, their war elephants excel at attacking cities, while my beastman army isn’t well-suited for defending them. With that advantage on the table, at most by the day after tomorrow, that Arab player will almost certainly lead his troops straight at us.”

Luo Ji’s reasoning made sense.

It also successfully convinced Huo Qiguang.

Just as Huo Qiguang was about to discuss further arrangements with Luo Ji, he noticed Luo Ji suddenly frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“A player has invaded my civilization. Nothing serious.”

Luo Ji answered calmly.

During this support campaign, although he had mobilized most of his beastman forces, he had left all of his human troops behind in his Myriad Worlds Civilization to defend the homeland.

The garrison there was more than sufficient.

And with Guo Jia holding down the fort in the imperial capital, in theory, it would be very difficult for an ordinary player to pose any real threat.

So when the system notification came, Luo Ji wasn’t particularly alarmed.

Hearing this, Huo Qiguang wisely chose not to ask any further questions.

Their discussion quickly shifted to the concrete tactics of a defensive city battle.

According to Luo Ji, his beastman army clearly wasn’t suitable for clinging to the city walls.

Instead, they should take the initiative and sally out to meet the enemy.

Based on that strategy, the space freed up along the walls would be perfect for installing all fifteen triple-bow ballistae.

That way, the defensive weapons could rain down fire from the walls without interruption.

While the two of them were refining their plans, a battle had already broken out within Luo Ji’s Myriad Worlds Civilization.

Watching the signal smoke rising from the west, Guo Jia—currently acting as the administrator of military and civil affairs in Mirror City—slightly furrowed his brows.

He decisively issued an order, instructing Luo Cheng to lead five hundred cavalry to reinforce the western border at Gaoling City.

At this very moment, outside Gaoling City, the attacking force had already assembled.

Standing atop the city walls, Du Yuanzhi wore an expression that was both grave and excited.

He had pledged allegiance to the Myriad Worlds Civilization for quite some time now.

Yet ever since then, the western border had remained completely peaceful.

Aside from drilling formations with the garrison troops, he had almost nothing to do.

Nor was he responsible for handling the city’s civil or military administration.

Although he himself was patient by nature, as a recently surrendered official, he still wanted to make achievements as soon as possible.

Only then could life truly feel secure.

Now, at last, the opportunity had arrived.

With just a quick glance, someone experienced like him could roughly estimate the enemy’s numbers based on the size of their formation.

About a thousand troops.

Judging by the scale, this was likely just a probing attack.

With a clear understanding of the situation, Du Yuanzhi ordered several rounds of bombardment from the defensive weapons.

After destroying the enemy’s large siege equipment, he decisively signaled Guo Zhen to lead the troops out of the city and engage.

Guo Zhen was the type who loved charging headfirst into battle.

Naturally, he had no intention of refusing Du Yuanzhi’s proposal.

The army marched out, and in truth, the two sides weren’t that far apart in numbers.

Gaoling City’s defenders numbered only about thirteen hundred.

A frontal clash would likely be a hard fight.

But next, Du Yuanzhi—the brilliant tactician—began to show his true skill.

Standing atop the walls and overlooking the entire battlefield, his grasp of the situation was clearer than anyone else’s.

He issued commands through different horn signals.

On the battlefield, the soldiers of Gaoling City continuously shifted formations in response to the horns.

This made the invading player feel utterly miserable.

It felt as if he was being targeted at every turn.

Meanwhile, his own troops kept dying for no apparent reason, steadily falling into a disadvantage.

“Damn it! Break out—break through now!!”

As panic set in, the player attempted to force a breakout.

Seeing this from the city wall, a confident smile appeared on Du Yuanzhi’s face.

“Wild Goose Formation—encircle them!”

The command was given, the horn sounded.

The formations shifted once more.

From above, the scene was almost pleasing to the eye.

At the same time, a wave of emotion rose in Du Yuanzhi’s heart.

Such fluid formation changes were the result of his strict training.

But it also couldn’t be denied that the soldiers of the Myriad Worlds Civilization were exceptionally well-trained.

Strict discipline with solid fundamentals.

Only with these two foundations had his later formation drills achieved such remarkable results.

On the battlefield, the Wild Goose Formation transitioned swiftly.

Faced with such maneuvering and encirclement, the invading player found it impossible to break free.

His troops grew more chaotic with every exchange.

And on a battlefield, blades had no mercy.

One moment of carelessness—and the invading player was run through by a spear.

Blades followed, and he was slain on the spot.

The battle came to a swift end.

Far away on the other side, Luo Ji received another system notification shortly afterward, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

He waved his hand at the puzzled-looking Huo Qiguang.

“It’s nothing. The invasion on my end is already over.”