Chapter 229: Four Marching Before the Empress—Does She Want Me to Join In Too? (1)
Of course, his current strength was merely at the Prenatal stage—there was no way he could truly accomplish that.
The reason he seemed like Zhao Yun possessed, or Lu Bu reborn, was entirely because his aunt doted on him.
His entire body was inscribed with the supreme martial techniques of the Demonic Sect, boosting both his strength and speed to double-S rank—comparable to a Grandmaster.
He might not be able to single-handedly kill six thousand troops, but it was more than enough to establish dominance.
An army's might was undoubtedly terrifying.
If they had time to form ranks and deploy heavy weaponry, no one would dare confront them head-on.
But now, in the chaos of a night raid, they had no chance to form up.
Though few had issued commands, none of the soldiers fled.
Each of them burned with fury in their eyes, surrounding the youth in a tight circle.
More soldiers rushed in from afar, joining the encirclement.
Clearly, they intended to trap him right here.
"First time meeting, pardon the intrusion—I'm your new commanding officer."
Su Qing stretched his slightly sore body and said with a smile.
Even surrounded so tightly, he remained calm and aloof, exuding dominance.
As soon as he spoke, the soldiers who had planned to rush him all froze.
The previous roars of battle cries faded, replaced by expressions of shock.
"They're not dead!"
One soldier at the perimeter checked a fallen comrade and exclaimed.
Most of those knocked aside by Su Qing had simply fainted.
Even those still conscious were only groaning and clutching at bruised spots.
It was clear they wouldn't be regaining combat strength anytime soon.
This realization spread among the still-aggressive troops. They looked at each other, confusion in their eyes and killing intent fading.
If this wasn't the enemy but their officer... what the hell were they supposed to do?
"Not bad, not bad. Your reaction and adaptability are impressive."
"Worthy of elite soldiers—able to coordinate an encirclement even against a master."
Su Qing looked around in satisfaction as he spoke.
Though he had broken through like a hot knife through butter, had he truly been an enemy, getting out wouldn't have been so easy.
Individually they weren't that strong, but in terms of coordinated slaughter, they excelled.
No doubt, they deserved to be called elite.
The soldiers were clearly pleased by the praise.
But before pride could rise to their faces, his next words hit like a whip.
"But that's not enough! You think stopping just me is worth feeling proud?!"
"The ones you'll face on this mission are the peak powerhouses of the sects—at worst, each one is as strong as I am!"
"What if there were more? Could you still stop them?! You'd be wiped out!"
"Why didn't the formation get organized the moment danger appeared? Did you think the numbers too small to bother?!"
"This kind of slackness won't get you killed in open battle—it'll get you butchered in a surprise attack!"
Su Qing's icy tone rang out across the entire field.
Moments ago, pride had lingered on some faces—but now, shame replaced it.
They silently lowered their weapons, heads bowed, not daring to make a sound.
Because what he said was undeniably true.
This was a critical region adjacent to the capital.
Even the battle-hardened Black Tortoise Army had unconsciously let their guard down.
Especially since only a single person had approached.
At first, they hadn't taken him seriously. But once they realized their mistake, there was no time to recover.
One misstep led to another.
And this was just one man!
What if there had been more?
While they focused on one, several more could've stormed through.
With no formation in place, they would've been completely overwhelmed.
Silence settled around them. No one dared speak.
Only the sound of heavy breathing remained, faces reddening under flickering torchlight.
They might not be military strategists, but they were elite soldiers.
They didn't all study tactics, but they had fought countless battles.
As Su Qing laid out the scenario, they could already see the outcome.
If it were army versus army, sheer numbers could fuel confidence.
But against true experts? Arrogance would get them killed.
"I know you're all seasoned veterans. I believe you'll learn from this."
"Yes, this mission is dangerous—but we have the overwhelming advantage. The actual risk is low."
"Our goal is to ride across the martial world and shake it to its core."
"These sect types think they live above the dust of the world, superior and untouchable..."
As the silence thickened, Su Qing began his speech.
The intimidation was done. Now it was time for a spoonful of honey.
This mission wasn't about fighting other armies, but about domination through momentum.
No one wanted to face off against a professional army—not even sect elites.
They might not behave behind the scenes, but openly? They wouldn't dare.
Whether they could win wasn't the point. They simply didn't have the guts.
Because once the fighting started, they'd be branded with an ugly title—traitors.
No one wanted that label. That much was obvious.
Su Qing wasn't exactly a masterful orator.
But in his past life, he'd been bombarded with all kinds of manipulative lingo—cpu, ppu, pua... whatever.
He could pull inspiration from all of it.
He raised his hand and ladled out motivational soup by the bucketful, enough to fill everyone's bellies.
No actual benefits were needed. It was all about vibes.
The more they listened, the brighter the soldiers' eyes became.
They stared at Su Qing, their gazes filled with fanatical anticipation.
Who didn't have a dream of roaming the martial world?
To trample through it on horseback, forcing the sects to cower in fear...
Just imagining it was enough to get the blood pumping!
The torchlight flickered, and in its glow, every soldier looked at Su Qing with reverence and obedience in their eyes.
It was clear that many had already grown impatient and were eager to face the enemy.
Of course, the soldiers had also adjusted their mindset and no longer underestimated their foes.
One could imagine that in the coming deployments and battles, they would remain on the highest alert.
With this move, Su Qing had effortlessly subdued a military unit that had initially been hostile to him.
Not only that, but he had also gained a considerable amount of admiration.
This happened because he first intimidated them with force.
Had he not done so, no amount of talking would have convinced them.
Su Qing didn't feel particularly proud of the outcome.
He knew full well that this kind of worship could fade by the next day. It was just a temporary buff.
But so what?
He wasn't going to remain in the army long-term, nor did he need to maintain high esteem—just enough to get the job done.
Once their blood cooled, they might still harbor some unspoken criticism.
No matter how well he spoke, he could never surpass the generals they truly admired.
But that wasn't a real problem.
Any complaints would stay buried and wouldn't be acted upon.
As long as they followed orders and completed their missions, that was good enough.