The Second Elder of our Martial Arts Hall is in charge of the north city.

In the east city, there are two envoys in charge of external affairs from our Martial Arts Hall, but since there's a lack of an elder's presence, the higher-ups hope to reinforce the area with more strength, to strengthen the city's defenses."

"What about Pearl Mountain Taoist Temple?"

Pearl Mountain Taoist Temple hasn't shown up."

Song Cheng pondered for a moment and then said, "I'm coming now."

The disciple hurriedly took his leave.

Song Cheng thought about it, then directly called for Madam Tong, Miss An, Ying, Zhao Hua, and Ling.

Among these people, there's no need to say much about the first three women.

Zhao Hua was his sworn brother.

Ling, he was just used to having her around.

If it came to a critical moment and he could only take a few people with him, he would definitely take these five.

Now, he couldn't understand the severity of the situation ahead, whether the city would be breached or not, so naturally, he wanted to have a few people ready in case of emergency.

Among the five, Miss An and Zhao Hua were the first to reach his side.

Both were extremely intelligent, capable of deducing the full picture of a situation from the slightest hint of evidence.

Because his sister-in-law was there, Zhao Hua did not speak.

Miss An said directly, "Husband, it's the barbarians attacking the city, isn't it?"

Song Cheng nodded.

Miss An asked, "Is it serious?"

Song Cheng shook his head and said, "I don't know, but I want to take you with me. If the situation turns dire, I'll take you and make a break for it."

Zhao Hua showed a touched look, and he said, "Big brother, we can't all leave the house. Everyone knows we're the closest to you. If we all disappear at the same time, not only will the entire An Residence be in chaos, but even the neighbors and influential families around us will start to create trouble once they get wind of this."

What he meant by "we" was actually referring to An Chenyu, Tong Jia, and himself.

"I'll stay behind," Zhao Hua said directly.

Song Cheng patted his shoulder, shook his head, and then said, "Hua... who told you to go through the main gate? Ying and I will first take a ride out, then circle around to the side of the wall, and you can climb over the wall to join us."

Zhao Hua:...

He hesitated for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Song Cheng asked.

Zhao Hua gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and then said, "Big brother, on the outside, I'm also a big brother to some people... You taking me is a matter of loyalty. Me staying is also a matter of loyalty. Otherwise, how can I lead others?"

An Chenyu softly said, "Husband, I... can't abandon the An Family either. If chaos erupts here, I need to be here to steady people's hearts. Just take Jia with you. I'll have Ying ride the carriage. If something really happens, you take Ying with you."

Song Cheng:...

He let out a roar, waved his hand, and said, "Nobody's coming! Nobody! I'll go alone, and I'll be right back."

...

...

Half an hour later.

The disciples from Shanhe Martial Arts Hall drove a carriage and brought Song Cheng to East City Pass.

The young man gripped the "Mechanical Shield" hidden in his sleeve, his right hand resting on the hilt of Fine Blade, and stepped into the wind as he ascended the city wall.

The city walls were like mountains, the Armored Warriors gripping their weapons, gazing curiously yet skeptically at this young blindfolded boy.

But no one whispered in discussion.

Here, apart from the orderly footsteps, the clashing of Iron Armor, the sound of flames burning, and the sound of wind, there was nothing else.

"Iron Arm Gray Bear" Hong Juguang was the first to come down to greet him, and then he pulled Song Cheng aside to introduce the other External Affairs Envoy.

"This is Shi Zhongjian, our Envoy of External Affairs Shi."

"This is the young brother I've mentioned to you, Song Cheng. Old Shi, don't be fooled by his appearance, he can really fight."

The man known as Shi Zhongjian was a middle-aged man with a buzz cut and muscles as tough as armor.

The man sized up Song Cheng and said, "Not much different from my son."

Hong Juguang said, "Old Shi, that's not very nice of you."

Shi Zhongjian said, "My son doesn't even have half his skills, why shouldn't I be impressed?"

With that, the envoy walked away.

Hong Juguang said, "Brother Song, don't mind him, that's just how he is."

Having said that, he led Song Cheng onto the city wall.

In the distance, the Barbarian Soldiers had already assembled, along with about a thousand Demon Beasts, but they hadn't launched an attack and were merely camping outside.

Song Cheng scanned the scene and then was taken aback.

To his surprise, he saw data tinged with a blood-red hue among the barbarians...

It meant that there were Ghost Servants among the barbarians.

Ghost Servants were intelligent, and although the Ghost Tide had dissipated, Ghost Servants were still active outside.

Apart from this, he was also seeing Demon Beasts for the first time.

What was odd to him was that the Demon Beasts even had an affection level...

The Demon Beasts in the front row actually locked eyes with him, and the feedback was numbers like 20, 30, and so on.

As for the strength data...

It was very strange; they were numerous "bubble-like" numbers constantly gathering and dissipating, "wave-like" rising and falling.

When the numbers dissipated, Song Cheng could see data in the teens or twenties.

When they came together, the data became incredibly odd, fluctuating from dozens to a few hundred, whether small or large, like water, shapeless.

As for the data of the blood-tinged Ghost Servants, it didn't partake in this variance, being separate... and significantly higher than normal barbarians, the value was more than doubled.

Song Cheng casually asked, "Brother Hong, regardless of the Barbarian Soldiers' strength, they can't compare to a Form Realm Expert, right? Why not launch an attack?"

Hong Juguang stood beside him and said, "Individually, they indeed aren't much.

But once armies go to war, there's such a thing as morale.

Those who command troops call this morale 'momentum.'

This momentum can arise and vanish in an instant on the battlefield. If it develops, ordinary Barbarian Soldiers mixed within can potentially unleash strength far beyond their own. Even we might not gain an advantage, and rashly charging out could even lead to being slain.

To create and break this momentum is not something we have been taught; it's for those generals who study military strategy.

When a skilled commander faces an inept one, even three thousand Armored Warriors can break an army of ten thousand."

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