After multiple successful expeditions across the lands, the finances and equipment of the Little Empire were rapidly replenished. King Doanh Thuong Hoang shifted from the preparation phase to the mobilization phase. Recruitment orders appeared everywhere within the Little Empire, attracting a vast number of young people to military camps. There, they received training for six months to a year; participation was entirely voluntary, and everyone was paid in full before their service began. The army was divided into five major branches:

  

  
1. Infantry: Consisting of Shield-bearers and Spearmen.


  
2. Cavalry: Including Light Cavalry, Armored Cavalry, and the Earth Dragon Riders—the elite force personally trained by Doanh Thuong Quan.


  
3. Archers: The Archer corps, featuring Magic Archers (using arrows imbued with explosive or frost talismans).


  
4. Mages: This unit took full advantage of the Elemental Temples, which simplified the process of learning magic. Instead of complex cultivation, one only needed to undergo the Temple's challenge to be granted a Sigil, unlocking a specific type of spell. Those with long-range offensive spells joined the Mage unit, those with defensive spells joined the Infantry, and those with haste spells were assigned to the Cavalry.


  
5. Special Unit: Known as the Flying Wood-Bird Corps, a creation of the Gong Clan. These wooden bird constructs allowed two people to fly at low altitudes. One person piloted the craft while the other rained down arrows or spells. This technology was based on the Immortal Race’s flying ships and required energy stones to operate. They were under the direct command of King Doanh Thuong Hoang.


  

  Once preparations were complete, two-thirds of the military set out. The King himself personally commanded the vanguard. Meanwhile, Doanh Thuong Quan held the border firmly to prevent the Western Lang Kingdom from attacking the rear. The invading army moved with the momentum of a hot knife through butter, attacking so fiercely that no one could stand in their way. One city after another surrendered or retreated. The entire army was intoxicated by the joy of victory, believing they would soon return home laden with countless spoils of war.

  General Kieu Anh Phong was not among the vanguard, as his responsibility was to protect the border. Trung Hau also did not participate because he had stayed with the group for too long; he left the unit but continued to observe silently from a distance. He secretly sent word to Han Thuong whenever danger appeared, which saved Han Thuong's life many times and allowed him to avoid sudden ambushes.

  In the camp’s dining area, where the high-ranking commanders of the King were seated, Han Thuong sat near White Beard—a towering man with snow-white hair and beard, yet possessing a healthy, ruddy complexion. Beside him leaned a massive, gleaming Greatsword engraved with a Spined Tyrannosaurus.

  Han Thuong asked, "Lord White Beard, in your opinion, when will we return?"

  White Beard frowned and replied, "If anyone else had asked that, I would have ordered them flogged. In the army, one must not speak words that dampen the soldiers' morale."

  Han Thuong scratched his head and said, "My apologies, I was speaking quietly—only you and I can hear. It’s just that I feel a bit uneasy."

  "Uneasy about what?" White Beard asked. "We have won continuous victories. Those cowardly Western Lang dogs don't even dare to come out and fight; they only engage in tiny skirmishes that waste our time. There hasn't been a single battle where I could fight to my heart's content."

  Han Thuong smiled and said, "As far as I know, the Western Lang Kingdom has a total of ten Great Generals. The Fire Wolf General is dead, and the Black Protector General is temporarily out of the fight. That leaves eight, all of whom are at the Core Formation Stage. In our army, we only have two generals at the Core Formation Stage: you and the King himself. If all eight Great Generals join the battle at once, we are surely dead."

  Hearing this, other commanders standing nearby began to listen in. All of them, like Han Thuong, were at the Foundation Establishment or Body Refining stages (equivalent to Foundation Establishment). They were also worried: if they happened to encounter a Great General on the battlefield, should they fight or retreat? They had no strategy to counter such power.

  White Beard said, "That makes sense. Throughout this journey, I have always had the feeling of being watched, yet I haven't detected the breath or aura of any powerful being." The other commanders also began to speak up about their anxieties.

  A commander from the Fa Clan named Fa Chinh Quan, standing nearby, was displeased by the commotion. Such anxiety would surely affect the morale of the soldiers. He immediately went to see the King and requested a meeting of the commanders in the King's presence. Fa Chinh Quan stood up and criticized the commanders' lack of discipline and suggested a punishment of ten strokes of the military cane for each person. However, the commanders refused, explaining that their concerns were justified—why should they be punished?

  Fa Chinh Quan stated, "This punishment is not because of your worry, but because you spoke in the wrong place. Why did you not discuss and deliberate right here? Instead, you spoke in the dining hall, where soldiers can freely enter and exit."

  The argument did not stop there until King Doanh Thuong Hoang spoke up: "Enough, this is the first time, so it can be forgiven. Besides, this is my fault. I have been too strict and have never sat down to listen to everyone's concerns. Fa Chinh Quan, can we let this matter end here?"

  Fa Chinh Quan replied, "Since you have taken all the blame upon yourself, and none of us are higher than you to punish you, we can set this matter aside and reconsider it later."

  The King organized a small banquet but banned alcohol at Fa Chinh Quan's request. He allowed everyone to speak of their difficulties, doubts, or fears. Afterward, the King asked the other commanders if there were any ways to resolve these issues. If a suggestion was good, the King applied it immediately.

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  Fa Chinh Quan was the most prominent figure that day, providing many solutions that put everyone's minds at ease. Specifically, regarding battle formations to counter the enemy: he showed how a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators could hold off or even defeat a Core Formation expert.

  Fa Chinh Quan explained, "Humans are born with inherent flaws. By using our strengths to strike at their weaknesses, we can grasp victory—this is the foundation of Formation Arts."

  "Odd-numbered formations, such as the Three-Star, Five-Element, Seven-Star, or Nine-Star Linked Formations, are offensive but weak in defense. They must be deployed quickly, from a distance, or within a protected area to remain safe."

  "Even-numbered formations balance offense and defense. Like the Dual-Polarity (Luoeng Nghi) Formation, which uses a 'fast' and a 'slow' element to support each other. The 'slow' element must be sturdy, able to take hits, and have the ability to pin down or weaken the opponent. The 'fast' element must have high attack power and be agile enough to strike and retreat. This is a common tactic known as Infantry and Cavalry, or the Anvil and Hammer."

  "The Four-Square and Six-Harmony Formations require participants to share a similar principle and philosophy to execute. However, looking at our commanders, there is no commonality in thought or culture, so we cannot form these. This is understandable, as complex formations require a group of people who have been familiar with each other for a long time."

  After that sincere discussion, the King realized his own shortcomings. He said, "Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will be victorious in a hundred battles; know yourself but not the enemy, and for every victory, there is a defeat; know neither the enemy nor yourself, and you will lose every battle. This is a line from the Military Books I once read. Our recent victories were merely luck. In truth, we do not even understand our own capabilities and mobilized too hastily. Except for White Beard, whose full power is known and can be countered by the enemy, we will surely lose if we continue. Therefore, I have decided to retreat slowly and in formation, protecting one another to avoid a surprise attack."

  The commanders were overjoyed to hear this order. As they began their slow retreat, they finally felt a bone-chilling fear creeping in. It was no longer the vague anxiety from a meeting, but a tangible horror. They began to see what had previously been hidden by arrogance and lack of experience: countless ambush points along the retreat path and traps laid everywhere. Every step the army took was like treading on an invisible blade. Just a moment of chaos, a scream of terror, or a small mistake, and the entire army would have been annihilated instantly. The suffocating realization that they had nearly fallen into a life-or-death abyss made them tremble, but it also woke them up to the true dangers of the battlefield. Their retreat was so unexpected that the enemy could not predict it; thus, they quickly wiped out the Lang Kingdom's ambush squads and gained much useful information.

  The Commander-in-Chief of the Western Lang Kingdom was Great General Iron Wolf, leading an army of men and dogs clad in heavy iron armor, riding armored horses—known as the Iron Wolf Legion. Alongside him was Great General Earth Wolf, whose army of men and dogs excelled at digging tunnels and setting hidden traps. Both had laid layer upon layer of traps; entering was easy, but leaving was nearly impossible. They had allowed the Little Empire to win repeatedly, assuming the "prey" would certainly fall into the trap once intoxicated by success.

  However, reality defied their theories. The Little Empire retreated slowly, causing the plan to be exposed. Both Great Generals did not want their elaborate plans to go to waste, so they immediately led their fastest units in pursuit to prevent the Empire's return. Because they moved in such haste while wearing heavy armor, their elite troops quickly became exhausted, reducing their combat effectiveness.

  Meanwhile, the Little Empire's troops moved at a measured pace. Their equipment—wooden shields and wooden armor—was light, waterproof, and yet as sturdy as iron, thanks to the skilled hands of the cultivation clans, most notably the Wood Clan. This wooden gear only feared fire, but with the support of fire mages, they were not at a disadvantage.

  Great General Iron Wolf used his power to transform a small woodland into a Metallic Forest. All the metal within that forest fell under his control. Every blade of grass and branch became razor-sharp; the slightest touch would cause a wound. He could make leaves fall like a rain of knives and turn the grass beneath their feet into a moving bed of spikes. Fortunately, this spell was not well-prepared, so it did not last long. The trees eventually returned to normal, but it was enough to give the entire army nightmares for months to come.

  Great General Earth Wolf turned the ground beneath their feet into a swamp, slowly swallowing everyone. Had a volley of arrows arrived at that moment, the entire army would have perished. Similar to the Iron Wolf General, the swamp's duration was short, so the damage was limited. As the mud hardened, those trapped were buried neck-deep in the earth, requiring White Beard and the Earth Mages to rescue them.

  King Doanh Thuong Hoang, after regaining his composure from the two attacks, was furious. He mounted his Flying Wood-Dragon Golem. Similar to the wooden birds, it could fly for three days but was much larger, carrying up to ten people. The King channeled his Black Fire Meteor spell into an amplification component on the Wood-Dragon. The crystals on the golem's back were instantly drained by half. Immediately, the Wood-Dragon opened its mouth and spat a stream of black fire onto the Western Lang troops and generals.

  The Flying Wood-Bird units, seeing their King take flight, also took to the skies—each with one pilot and one person firing arrows or spells. White Beard lifted a massive boulder and hurled it toward the Western Lang army before charging forward to protect the King. Other commanders also turned back to attack. Han Thuong summoned ten massive Ice Elementals and joined the fray. A rain of arrows, fire, ice, stones, and hundreds of lightning bolts—along with various other spells—descended upon the battlefield.

  When Trung Hau realized the situation was dire, he returned alone to report. General Kieu Anh Phong and his mobile unit of Earth Dragon Riders immediately left the border, breaking all traps along the way and arriving just in time to rescue the King's army. At the end of the battle, both sides were wounded and slowly retreated, agreeing to a ceasefire to collect their dead for burial. Sharing a similar tradition, they refused to leave the dead exposed in the fields, not wanting their loved ones to turn into the walking dead or Jiangshi.

  King Doanh Thuong Hoang, though seriously injured, did not forget to reward everyone, especially General Kieu Anh Phong. He also placed great importance on the Fa Clan, bringing them into the state apparatus. He built a comprehensive set of laws—not as harsh as military law, but clear and easy to understand: those who deserved rewards were rewarded, and those who deserved punishment were punished. From then on, the Little Empire developed even faster, attracting an uncountable number of talented people to the country.