The next morning, the Xi River tribe made no move to attack the city.
Instead, they split their forces and set up camps in the east, west, south, and north of Poyang County, forming a complete encirclement.
If they couldn't take the city by storm, surrounding it was pointless.
A besieging army must always leave one gap—an escape route. Forcing the enemy into a corner only made them fight like trapped beasts. Yet the barbarians seemed intent on doing just that, tightening their noose.
And at this crucial moment, Poyang's commanding officer, Xiang Tingchun, had vanished.
"Lord Chen, you—you tell me, what on earth happened here?!"
Prefect Ji Guangxian paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back. "A living man of rank, gone just like that—how is that even possible?"
Beside him stood an old servant, his aura steady—a cultivator at the tempering organs stage.
"I do not know," Chen Sanshi replied evenly, though his mind was already turning.
Eight or nine times out of ten, this has to do with that immortal treasure. Lord Xiang's fate… likely sealed.
Still, men like Xiang Tingchun had never cared for others' lives. There was no reason to pity him now.
"Sir! We found something!"
Shan Yuanzhi rushed up the wall, panting. "Last night, around midnight, someone opened the south gate under cover of darkness. Lord Xiang rode out alone to pursue them, but he ran into a barbarian ambush outside the city. Lord Xiang fell in battle. Only Thousand-Household Luo managed to escape with a few surviving riders. They just returned not long ago."
Luo Dongquan?
That snake had been involved—and came back alive?
So it was betrayal, huh?
A cold smile crept onto Chen Sanshi's face.
He clenched his iron-hard fists, already considering how to deal with the man.
With Xiang Tingchun dead, Luo Dongquan had automatically inherited command of the garrison.
As long as he lived, Chen Sanshi wouldn't sleep easy.
But now—with his Archery at Major Achievement and the Body of Vajra forged—he had confidence. If it came to a real fight, he might not lose.
And if things went wrong…
He glanced down at his waist—at the fire arrows in his quiver.
He still had that trump card: the strange fire.
But that was a move not to be used lightly.
Especially not in a crowded city, with so many eyes around.
He'd wait. He'd find his moment.
Suppressing his killing intent for now, Chen Sanshi climbed down from the wall and began his usual routine—counting the men under his command.
Two hundred eighty soldiers.
Before leaving, Wang Zhi had entrusted all his subordinates to Chen Sanshi's care.
Every time a Hundred-Household officer fell, Xiang Tingchun used to redistribute the survivors evenly among the rest. So instead of shrinking, Chen Sanshi's unit had grown.
And every one of those men had been tempered by blood and fire. Their eyes burned red from battle.
Even those whose cultivation was low had become fierce as tigers and wolves—none of them cowards.
Besides them, more than five hundred strong civilians now wished to enlist.
Since they'd have to fight whether the city stood or fell, why not learn martial arts formally? They could earn rations, gain status, and die with purpose if it came to that.
Even better—they all wanted to follow him.
"Everyone, I'm just a Sixth-Rank Hundred-Household. I can't officially take on this many people."
"Lord Chen! We'll be useful—we won't waste grain! Please, take us!"
The crowd shouted together: "Lord Chen, with you, we feel safe!"
"That's right!"
One man called out, and others nodded. "Following Lord Chen means someone will remember our names. Even if we die, it won't be meaningless!"
Rules meant little when the enemy was at the gates.
"Wang Li!" Chen Sanshi commanded, his voice firm. "You'll teach them cultivation basics. Anyone with decent talent—give them full access to blood-tempering herbs."
"Yes, sir!"
In fact, since the siege began, they'd already been using spare moments to teach the townsfolk how to stand and breathe properly. Some had even reached the first level of martial refinement. It wouldn't take long to forge a solid group of formation grunts.
During peacetime, Thousand-Household divisions would've never allowed this. Without payment, a civilian might spend two or three years doing hard labor before learning a breathing technique.
But war changed everything.
"Xu Wencai, Xu Bin," Chen Sanshi continued, "train the cavalry formation immediately. We'll need them soon."
Lately, the Thousand-Household division's cavalry had suffered heavy losses while defending the walls. Many horses were left without riders, and Chen Sanshi had gathered them up to retrain his men.
He modeled the training on the formation used during his time on the northern plains—
the Small Chariot Suspension Formation.
It was a stripped-down version of the full Chariot Suspension Formation—simpler, faster, and designed for smaller units.
The real Chariot Suspension Formation could control thousands of riders at once. Even scaled down proportionally, it still needed at least 200 men to form properly. Fortunately, between men and horses, Chen Sanshi just barely met the requirement.
But every formation required time and discipline.
Especially this one—it wasn't just cavalry; it integrated spear units, swordsmen, and archers, requiring perfect coordination and adaptability.
Given the urgency, Chen Sanshi's order was clear: train only the simplest form, and deploy it as soon as possible.
Xu Wencai immediately set to work.
Not long after, as Chen Sanshi stood atop the city wall, a familiar light shimmered before his eyes.
Recent battles had pushed his Commanding Troops skill rapidly upward.
In the chaos of war and cultivation, he'd nearly forgotten that this ability was also about to advance.
[Skill: Commanding Troops (Mastery)]
[Progress: 0/1000]
[Effect: Backbone of the Army; Skilled in Drilling Troops]
[Skilled in Drilling Troops: All military formations can be mastered swiftly.]
Rapid mastery!
To train an elite army, it normally took far more than silver and medicine—it required time, patience, and relentless discipline.
Especially with large-scale or complex formations. Without day-and-night drilling, it was impossible to coordinate every movement and make it usable in real combat.
But to train one rapidly—that was something entirely different!
"No need to keep practicing the small formation."
Chen Sanshi arrived at the open field below the wall, now serving as a temporary drill ground. "Switch to the Grand Chariot Suspension Formation. If we don't have enough men, then scale it down proportionally!"
"The large formation?"
Xu Wencai hesitated. "My lord, are you sure?"
"I'll take command myself!"
Chen Sanshi mounted his White Swan horse and personally began leading the drills.
Under his command, in just six days, the Chariot Suspension Formation was already running smoothly. Give it another five days, and they would be ready for actual battle.
From among the civilians, another 200 formation grunts and 10 martial soldiers were selected. The rest, though unable to master a cultivation method, had still grown stronger, with arms hard as steel and the will to fight.
With this, even under siege, the defending force of Poyang had become more than sufficient. Against 6,000 barbarians, holding the walls was no longer an issue.
"Salute to Lord Chen!"
Hundreds of soldiers shouted in unison across the drill field.
"Mm."
Chen Sanshi nodded, looking over the uniform ranks before him. For the first time, he felt what it truly meant when people said 'united, a city becomes iron.'
Just then, a flicker ran through his system.
[Effect Unlocked: Blood Oath of the Battlefield — After over a month of bloody combat, leading from the front, your spirit infects all under your command. Every soldier now follows you unto death.]
Follow unto death?!
Chen Sanshi froze for a moment.
He glanced again at the hundreds of determined faces before him—and for once, words failed him.
These men… they were truly ready to die at his command.
The new skill wasn't just the result of system proficiency—it had grown from his own leadership, his shared hardships with them, his example on the battlefield.
And it only applied to this group.
Which meant, from this moment forward, Chen Sanshi had earned his first unit of absolute loyalists.
But instead of joy, a heavy sense of duty filled his chest.
Every one of these men carried a life of their own.
If they were willing to die for him, then every decision he made had to honor that. Every command had to be flawless within his power. Only then could he face them—and his own conscience.
"Xu Wencai, you continue their drills," Chen Sanshi said, handing over command once the foundation was set. Xu Wencai handled the rest effortlessly, proving he was no mere scholar but a man of true talent.
Then Chen Sanshi went to find Sun Li. "Senior Sister Sun, could I borrow your Fire Lotus Blade Technique?"
Now that his tempering bone stage was perfected, he had no cultivation method to advance his tempering organs.
Sun Buqi was still far from that realm—he didn't even know the continuation of Chen Sanshi's Flying Serpent Sweeps the Wind Spear, let alone the Undying Golden Serpent Spear.
And trapped here in the city, who knew when he'd get another chance to obtain a proper technique?
He might as well learn the blade while waiting.
Better to train than sit idle.
"Blade technique? I didn't bring the manual," Sun Li replied, "but I can teach you directly. Though…"
She glanced at him—the bow on his back, the spear in his hand, the sword at his waist—and teased, "You sure you can handle that many weapons?"
"Not like I've got anything else to do," Chen Sanshi sighed helplessly.
Sun Li chuckled softly. "My father was the same once. Practicing all sorts of random arts every single day."
Chen Sanshi raised an eyebrow. "Did the Grand Commander ever say why?"
"No," Sun Buqi answered, joining the conversation. "Back then, we were kids. We just followed him around all day, watching. But that time… it was right before Father was imprisoned in the Imperial Jail."
"Before his imprisonment?"
Which meant—it was before he broke through to Martial Saint!
Chen Sanshi's eyes lit up. "Did you ever ask him why he practiced so many techniques?"
"We did."
Sun Buqi shrugged. "He said he was bored."
"…"
Chen Sanshi could only rub his temples. Still, something in that answer struck him. The deeper one's cultivation, the more likely different techniques intertwined. His curiosity grew stronger, and with renewed focus, he began learning from Sun Li, memorizing every stance and movement before diving straight into practice.
Another period of intense training followed.
After five days, the Fire Lotus Blade Technique reached the level of perfection for the tempering bone stage.
Though it didn't enhance his qi and blood much, it gave him a clearer understanding of weapon arts. If he faced another blade-wielding foe, he'd be twice as dangerous.
That very day, Wang Zhi returned.
His entire body was covered in blood. Of the eight men who had left with him, only two survived. It was clear they'd run into barbarian cavalry on their way back.
"How did it go?"
At the gate, everyone gathered around him.
"The barbarians have reached Hengkang Prefecture—they've already begun their assault," Wang Zhi said hoarsely. He took a water pouch, gulped a mouthful, and continued, "But Commander Ma sent 1,000 troops our way. I took the shortcut back. They'll arrive in five days. In five days, Poyang's siege will be lifted!"
The words sent a wave of relief through the crowd.
Five days.
Chen Sanshi looked out over the barbarians surrounding them from all directions.
Something felt wrong.
They had encircled the city—but didn't attack.
It was as if they were waiting for something.
"Lord Chen."
Han Cheng approached, his face grim. "Prefect Xue requests your presence."