Chapter 84 - Valley of Magical Beasts Part 1

"General! General! I bring word from Great General Meng Ce!" a soldier said as he burst into the war council tent an hour before dawn. Lu Shu, his two lieutenants, and his two advisors were talking about how to fight the magical beast in the valley.

"Report!" Lu Shu said, leaning back on his chair at the end of a long, rectangular table.

"Great General Meng Ce authorizes your advancement into the valley. He has confirmed that there are only two paths to enter. The mountains cannot be scaled and scouts are easily ambushed if they try to fly over it on their magical beasts. Thus, he will send his forces to take care of the leader guarding the hidden exit of the valley where the Rabbit Army was annihilated. Tiger Army and Jade Sword Army will attack the valley as the rest of the army surrounds the island to prevent any type of reinforcement or Hyperion ambush," the soldier cried, kneeling on one knee as he made his report.

"When will the Jade Sword Army arrive?" Lu Shu asked.

"General, the Jade Sword Army is expected to arrive within the hour. The Great General suggests attacking at dawn so the sun rises from your backs. The enemy will be blinded as they gaze uphill. Your first engagement, the Great General said, should have less casualties while killing more of the enemy than they expected," the soldier answered.

"Good. You've worked hard. Rest," Lu Shu said as the soldier thanked him and left.

"Have the men ready to march into the valley. I want cavalry up front," Lu Shu said. "Make some room in the event the Jade Sword Army has cavalry forces of their own.

"Yes, general," Lu Gong said and left to tell his forces.

"Lieutenant General Cao Wei, I understand mages have something called enchantments," Lu Shu said, as he learned more about magic from Jiro and what they were normally capable of.

"Yes, general," Cao Wei nodded.

"Good. I understand mage apprentices can only cast temporary enchantments. I want all the cavalry soldiers covered in defensive enchantments. As for their swords, enchant them with light magic. It will add to the blinding effect of the sun as their spears and halberds might appear invisible. As they charge, cast the enchantments on the shields of the soldiers with lightning. It will serve to paralyze those they hit with their shields. After that, the priority of the mages is to assist the foot soldiers after the cavalry leave. I want the archers to cover the retreat of the cavalry. I want to lose as little forces as possible before we head to the main island," Lu Shu ordered.

"Yes, general. Cao Wei hears and obeys," Cao Wei said, surprised and impressed Lu Shu thought to such an extent.

"Jiro, can you lead the Jade Amry officers to the war council tent?" Lu Shu asked.

"Sure. I'll be back with them shortly," Jiro nodded.

As Jiro left, Lu Shu asked, "What are our chances of encountering Hyperion this far inland?"

"None. Not even the Hyperion venture onto the islands. They don't wish to weaken their own forces and that of the magical beasts as we need to conquer the islands to get to Hyperion territory," Ken said. "Magical beasts hate the Hyperion and prefer not to engage them also."

"General Han Jian greets Second Prince Lu Shu," a man over six feet tall, a scar down his neck partly covered by his black hair, cried. "I am here to assist the second prince in destroying all the magical beasts in the valley. If possible, may I suggest we attempt to capture some of them as they are very powerful magical beasts that could serve the army well?"

"If it is unconscious and no soldiers will die in the process of capture, very well," Lu Shu nodded. "How many cavalry soldiers do you have?"

"Only a thousand, Your Majesty," the general said. "Half of my Ten Thousand Man Army is comprised of foot soldiers. Two thousand consists of soldiers who do things behind the scenes, such as smiths, cooks, prostitutes to relieve sexual frustrations, and other duties the remaining two thousand are mages. My cavalry soldiers are not Practitioners but mages who specialize in close combat and utilize various enchantments on their weapons and armor. All five thousand of my soldiers are Practitioners of the eighth and ninth stage."

"Mages as cavalrymen," Lu Shu paused and said, "Good. They will ride down the hill and into the valley as the sun rises along with my own cavalry forces. As we secure the area around the hill, the mages of our armies will focus on long range spells."

"Understood," the general said. "I will take charge of the mages. I am a mage after all,"

"I thought you were a Practitioner?" Lu Shu frowned.

"I am the only mage general. I recently replaced my father two years ago, but never changed the name of the army. I wield an enchanted jade sword that never breaks, in honor of my late father," the general answered.

"Very well. I will take charge of the Practitioners and lead the cavalry charge," Lu Shu nodded, happy with the plan. In ths way, both general ordered soldiers and knew their capabilities while avoiding giving conflicting orders.

"General, you have a guest," a soldier reported.

"What guest?" Lu Shu frowned, everyone turning to the entrance of the war tent.

"Hello!" a young woman smiled as she appeared.

"Shao Ivy?" Lu Shu said, incredulous as he did not expect her here.

Lu Shu had first met Ivy when he first took over the body he now inhabited. He had also been classmates with her back at Black Lotus Academy. He noticed she was at the late tenth stage of the Spirit Shaman tier. Lu Shu was also at the late tenth stage, but her cultivation seemed to near the peak. It wouldn't be long before she challenged the bottleneck and became a beginning stage Archon Phoenix. His foundations were deeper so it took him longer to cultivate and progress.

"Hello Shu. I'm glad you remember me," Ivy smiled as she walked up to him. "I came on business from the emperor. It would be best to talk in private."

"Ivy," Ken nodded his head as the Matsuda and Shao clans had good relations.

"Nice to see you, Ken. You too, Jiro. Still hate the Li Clan?" Ivy asked.

"Except for my uncle and his son," Jiro nodded. "We'll leave you two alone as it is Yan imperial business."

"I will see you on the battlefield, Second Prince Lu Shu," General Han Jian bowed and left.