This was an enhanced version of a timed explosive, requiring only the release of a certain amount of spiritual energy to detonate directly.
The detonation times varied, some thirty seconds, some ten, some twenty, but without exception, all were within one minute.
After charging a certain distance, Wei Qing and the others stopped immediately, and each took out another fist-sized object.
These were grenades. They had plenty of these, but Wei Qing didn't plan to use too many, merely to enrage the enemy and make them pursue them.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
A series of explosions sounded. Xiong Yuan's military formation suffered a heavy blow. Their formation was disrupted, their defensive shields destroyed. Following a mushroom cloud, they were thrown backward, a leopard flying into the air, its eyes wide with terror.
Wei Qing was taken aback and asked, "Which one of you threw the Super Yuan Qi Bomb?"
"Uh, General, I accidentally grabbed the wrong one, but I didn't expect it to be so powerful, capable of launching even the opponent's mount into the sky."
Cao Ren replied sheepishly.
"That thing costs two million spirit coins each. We can't use it carelessly. Battles of this level don't require it," Wei Qing said.
Each legion now had two separate "treasuries": one for their equipment and supplies, and one for their spoils of war.
Each legion possessed a multitude of various items, including many technological ones. However, the territory generally did not rely too heavily on these. While technological items were powerful, over-reliance made it difficult to enhance their inherent combat capabilities.
If the enemy numbers hadn't been so overwhelming, Wei Qing wouldn't have planned to use these items.
"Throw!"
Seeing that the enemy's formation had been completely destroyed, Wei Qing threw the bomb in his hand.
Just as the enemy finished their bombardment, more grenades landed among their ranks and exploded, causing thousands more casualties.
This enraged Xiong Yuan to the extreme, and he shouted, "Chase them! Kill them!"
Soldiers with stronger abilities or defensive skills could naturally deploy defensive shields to protect themselves. Those without such skills suffered greatly.
These two rounds of attacks inflicted five thousand casualties on the enemy.
The remaining twenty thousand-plus enemy soldiers continued to pursue Wei Qing.
At this point, Wei Qing deliberately slowed down, making the enemy believe they were about to catch up, but always just a little bit short.
The enemy, furious, pursued Wei Qing without hesitation, entering the ambush.
Wei Qing and his men sped up their departure, and then, countless arrows, poisonous smoke, bombs, and falling rocks appeared from both sides, launching an attack on the enemy.
"Boom!"
The enemy suffered heavy casualties again, completely taken by surprise by the ambush.
"Haha, Old Qin is waiting for you!" Qin Qiong, fully armed in heavy armor, charged into the enemy from behind.
The enemy cavalry had already halted upon being attacked.
At this moment, the rear ranks suffered a heavy impact, and with the added arrow attack from the sides, the enemy's morale plummeted, making effective counterattacks impossible.
"Rally! Form an impact formation and break out!" Xiong Yuan shouted urgently.
A missile the size of a person fell from the hillside, landing directly beside Xiong Yuan.
Xiong Yuan: ヾ(｡ꏿ﹏ꏿ)ﾉﾞ
"Rumble!"
The earth shook, dust billowed, and a terrified head flew up, eventually landing on the ground, only to be crushed by a leopard's paw.
"Kill!" Wei Qing charged out from another direction. By now, they had switched back to heavy armor. Combined with their charging speed, they began to annihilate the cavalry in a pincer movement with Qin Qiong.
The enemy's main general was dead. Although the remaining soldiers resisted stubbornly, facing the charge of the heavy-armored soldiers and with their low morale, they were unable to mount an effective defense, only able to hold on miserably.
These enemies did not surrender and continued to resist, but in the end, they were overwhelmed by superior numbers and completely wiped out by Qin Qiong and Wei Qing.
"Clean up the battlefield quickly!" the two ordered.
Qin Qiong grinningly picked up his double maces and came before Wei Qing, saying, "These guys fell for it so easily. I thought they wouldn't be so easily fooled."
"As long as the hatred is well stoked, they won't be able to resist chasing us. The key is in the timing," Wei Qing replied.
"How about you go lure them again? Let's cooperate one more time!" Qin Qiong suggested.
Shaking his head, Wei Qing said, "Do you think their commander is a fool? This kind of trick can only succeed once. The chance of success the second time is too slim, not worth it. Don't underestimate the opponent."
"Then let's report back to the Marshal," Qin Qiong said.
"No, actually, we can cooperate one more time. Do you dare?" Wei Qing asked.
Qin Qiong's eyes widened in surprise, and then he happily said, "Tell me your idea."
"From the reconnaissance aircraft, the enemy's fast-moving troops are in the front, to pursue us. However, their rear guard is far behind."
"Most of those are infantry. We can actually take a detour to attack the enemy's infantry."
"Of course, the enemy's infantry will definitely have many special units, including those targeting cavalry. Therefore, we need to choose the right time to strike the right target."
"However, if we are discovered by the enemy beforehand and surrounded, our fate will be certain death. So, this is a dangerous undertaking."
Wei Qing laid out his plan. This was entirely Wei Qing's own idea, not something he had informed Sun Wu about. It was up to Qin Qiong whether he dared to proceed.
"Will the Marshal agree?" Qin Qiong thought about it. This could be done, but he was a little worried.
"I've thought carefully. Our main army will enter the forest later, which will significantly diminish our cavalry advantage."
"We don't need to inform the Marshal. As soon as we act, the Marshal will surely learn of our movements through the reconnaissance aircraft."
"With the Marshal's intelligence, he will definitely understand my intentions. I believe the Marshal will absolutely not blame us."
Wei Qing was very confident about this. Of course, if they failed, both of them would inevitably face punishment.
"Then let's do it. If this succeeds, I believe others will look at us with new eyes," Qin Qiong decided to go along with Wei Qing.
The territory had many heroes and generals, and there was bound to be comparison among them as to who was more capable. This was healthy competition, so they all hoped to achieve something that would make others admire them.
Just like Huo Qubing, who had made a name for himself in the previous few engagements, earning the envy of others.