Chapter 71

Li Xian looked over and saw that the car's roof was equipped with four round-bellied buckets, inside which was a slightly smaller semi-circular floating block. At the bottom of the floating block was an iron block, inspired by the design of a roly-poly toy.

Four large spirit-gathering arrays powered a 20-horsepower engine, allowing the vehicle to reach speeds of about 100 kilometers per hour on flat ground and 50 kilometers per hour on bumpy terrain—ground unevenness would affect the stability of the spirit-gathering arrays.

Moreover, because of the use of mystic iron wire as conductors, the cost of a three-wheeled vehicle was kept within 20 gold pieces; if sea soul silk was used, the cost of a vehicle would exceed 1,000 gold pieces—mainly due to the high cost of sea soul silk.

Upon hearing this assessment, Li Xian proudly announced to Xu Ren, "As long as we control the conductors, we control the industry!"

Xu Ren nodded in agreement. "In matters of industry, I am not as capable as Young Master."

Li Xian immediately became arrogant, his nose in the air.

But the next moment, Xu Ren poured cold water on him, "However, Young Master, if you were just an ordinary worker, you should be proud. But you are not. The survival of the entire Brilliant Starlight Group and tens of thousands of people rests on your shoulders. What you need to do is to be steady and have a long-term vision.

I have heard that true leaders should not show their preferences, for only then do they possess authority."

"Ah... Mr. Xu, you are right." Li Xian conceded.

After a long while, Li Xian said to Liu Bin, "Put aside other matters for now and focus on producing the three-wheeled vehicles. I want to see five vehicles by tomorrow morning. Don't worry about the power situation; just move the textile mill's engine to the vehicles.

The current speed of the vehicles is not sufficient, but they can be used to transport the injured, for emergency rescue, and to transport supplies.

The greatest use of the vehicles will be in conjunction with firearms. However, it's too late for this battle, but you can draft a plan and discuss it with Yang Qianjiang."

"Understood." Liu Bin, excited, continued his work.

After leaving the factory with Li Xian, Xu Ren suddenly said, "Young Master, we now have over a thousand spirit stones. We should try to advance the cultivation of the factory managers to the Foundation Establishment stage. If they cannot, they must be replaced."

Li Xian was slightly taken aback but had to nod; the environment of the Immortal Realm dictated that he had to do this; if a factory manager's cultivation lagged behind, it would be difficult to command respect.

However, it was not the right time to announce this information; he would wait until after the battle.

The next morning, Xia Qingqing leaned on Li Xian's chest, her tone soft, "Husband, during the battle, you must not rush to the front."

"Okay."

"I'll wait for you to return." Xia Qingqing got up to help Li Xian get ready.

After a quick breakfast, Li Xian led the team out.

At the forefront was Wang Jian leading 5,000 elite soldiers, their shiny armor and weapons making them look like heavenly soldiers, marching proudly and confidently.

The most eye-catching were the five three-wheeled vehicles. The moment the three-wheeled vehicles appeared, they stunned countless soldiers—what strange things were these? Could they be some kind of magical artifact? Weren't large magical artifacts supposed to fly? Moving on the ground seemed too undignified.

The three-wheeled vehicles carried nothing but five tons of ammunition! All the ammunition was for firearms.

In recent days, the armory had been working overtime, and several times they had almost caused accidents.

Li Xian rode at the front, looked back at the 5,000 elite soldiers, and suddenly a question came to mind, "Mr. Xu, why not form a cavalry? I don't seem to see any cavalry units."

Xu Ren chuckled, "Young Master, you really are oblivious to the outside world. There is a spell called 'Intimidation' that can威慑 ordinary beasts."

At that moment, a Foundation Establishment expert flew over, "Third Young Master, the First Young Master has sent a message. At the front border, they have indeed detected the movements of Cai Kingdom's army, reportedly 50,000 strong."

"Received!"

After the messenger left, Xu Ren said, "It seems Cai Kingdom has secretly bought off Yao Jianye of Kaiping County, otherwise they wouldn't have launched an attack. What a swift move!

Young Master, accelerate forward. We must be in ambush in Yellow Rock Valley by noon."

"Okay!" Li Xian led the way forward.

Yellow Rock Valley was one of the many passable routes between Kaiping County and Anyang. This route had two characteristics. First, it was a mountain road, not easy to travel, but relatively wide, making it unsuitable for regular trade but perfect for military movement! Second, the northern part of the valley was gentle, making it very convenient for Cai Kingdom's elite troops to launch a surprise attack.

The team immediately accelerated. Halfway through, Xu Ren suddenly said again, "Young Master, the initial battle won't be too intense. You should at least stand in a more visible place to boost morale. If you have the confidence, it's best to lead from the front."

Li Xian: ...

In the morning, Xia Qingqing had told him not to rush to the front, but now Xu Ren was telling him to do just that.

Of course, Li Xian understood the two perspectives; Xu Ren was considering the military and leadership aspects. Even if it was just for show, Li Xian had to lead from the front.

Li Xian was very self-aware. He had just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and his cultivation was not yet fully consolidated. He had not practiced the relevant spells or honed his combat skills. Rushing to the front of the elite troops now would make him nothing more than a thick-skinned meat bun—still a meat bun. So he had to regretfully say that he would stand in the most visible place and use a sniper rifle!

Before noon, the team arrived at Yellow Rock Valley. Beichen Yuxing was responsible for arranging the ambush and concealment. Beichen Yuxing's ambush strategy earned Li Xian's high praise; he had set up the ambush in the most open area of Yellow Rock Valley!

Generally, ambushes are set in the most dangerous spots, but Beichen Yuxing had placed the ambush in the least likely place.

In response to Li Xian's praise, Beichen Yuxing explained seriously, "Because we have firearms and a numerical advantage, we can do this. If we were outnumbered, we would have to set the ambush in a dangerous spot."

When Li Xian had set up the ambush, on the northern border, over 4,000 elite soldiers were slowly approaching.

Cai Kingdom's General Wang Qisheng floated in the air, gazing into the distance, "The territory of the Southern Kingdom, General has arrived. One day, I will personally lead a million troops to expand our territory!"

A figure flew over from a distance, a man in a green robe and a headband, Wang Qisheng's military advisor, Lu Yan. He came to Wang Qisheng, "General, Yao Jianye has confirmed he will not renege. At midnight, the border will change guards, giving us two hours to cross.

Moreover, Yao Jianye has guaranteed that by tomorrow afternoon, the border will be manned by the elderly, the sick, and the weak, allowing us to pass through smoothly."

"The elderly, the sick, and the weak?" Wang Qisheng sneered, "Yao Jianye may be short-sighted, but he's not a fool to have reached the position of governor. The elderly, the sick, and the weak? They might be elite soldiers.

But since he's treating us like fools, we'll play the fool. Pass the order to rest here. At 9 PM, assemble the troops; at 10 PM, set out! By early morning, we will be at Green Cloud Valley!"

"Yes!" Lu Yan accepted the order, and the troops hurried to rest, as they might face three days of non-stop battle.

Time passed, and by evening, the Anyang County border was under siege by over 50,000 Cai Kingdom troops!

"Enemy attack!"

...