Chapter 54: Sand Table Simulation

“The terrain you see before you on the sand table is the Red Dragon Gorge, the border where the Haotian Empire meets the Blue Moon Empire and the Chishui Kingdom. Today, our main topic is the famous battle—the Battle of Red Dragon Gorge!”

“The Battle of Red Dragon Gorge is a renowned conflict studied in military academies across the world—a classic example of the few triumphing over the many, where advantageous terrain and a modest force overcame a much stronger enemy!”

“In this battle, the Haotian Empire was led by the venerable General Du Fengzhong! It was also this very battle that General Du considered his greatest triumph!”

A wave of exclamations and murmured discussions erupted from the students. Many who knew the name Du Fengzhong immediately turned their eyes to the new student, Du Long—for it was no secret that Du Fengzhong was his grandfather.

Du Long couldn’t help but touch his nose, feeling slightly awkward. From childhood, he’d heard his grandfather boast endlessly about the Battle of Red Dragon Gorge. Having heard it so often, he’d always assumed the old man was exaggerating his exploits. Never did he expect the battle to be so famous, studied as a prime example in military academies across the entire continent of the Stars!

The military instructor, interrupted by the sudden commotion, followed the students’ gazes and naturally caught sight of the embarrassed Du Long. He happened to be familiar with this well-known young master from the capital.

With a chuckle, the instructor said, “Indeed! I’ve recounted the Battle of Red Dragon Gorge countless times, but who would have thought? Among this year’s incoming martial students, we have General Du Fengzhong’s very own grandson—Du Long!” He gestured toward Du Long, a note of sentiment in his voice.

With Du Long identified so publicly, the entire class finally understood—their classmate was the famous general’s direct descendant. All the freshmen who hadn’t known before now gazed at him with newfound admiration.

Of course, not everyone was pleased. Those with grudges against Du Long, such as Fan Wei and Park Junjie, wore sour expressions. For reasons unknown, Park Junjie’s face was especially dark, his reaction unusually intense.

“All right, everyone settle down for now,” the instructor continued. “Let us proceed with our reenactment. We’ll use the sand table to replay the events of the Battle of Red Dragon Gorge. By the end, I believe you’ll all have a deeper understanding of the rules and strategies of sand table military simulations.”

To be honest, this kind of lesson—using props and visual aids—was far more engaging than dry theory. It was almost like a game, bringing the drama of battle vividly to life for everyone!

Red Dragon Gorge sits at the convergence of three nations: to the southeast lies the Blue Moon Empire, to the northeast the Haotian Empire, and to the west, the Chishui Kingdom.

Its unique geography granted it immense strategic importance. Whomever controlled Red Dragon Gorge held the key to passage between the three realms—an ideal position for both attack and defense.

Decades ago, when Red Dragon Gorge was still unclaimed, all three neighboring powers coveted it. The Blue Moon Empire acted first, dispatching a hundred thousand cavalry to secure this critical stronghold.

Had their massive force occupied the gorge, both the Haotian Empire and the Chishui Kingdom would have lost any chance of contesting it. Once seized, it would have become yet another formidable frontier for the Blue Moon Empire.

Upon receiving urgent intelligence, the Haotian Empire immediately mobilized its forces, hoping to reach Red Dragon Gorge before the Blue Moon troops could occupy it.

Alas, the Blue Moon Empire’s move was well-prepared, and Haotian’s hastily assembled army stood little chance of arriving in time.

At this crucial moment, General Du Fengzhong happened to be drilling his ten thousand Loyal Martial Troops at the edge of the Beast Forest, not far from the gorge. Receiving the empire’s emergency order, he gathered his men and marched straight for Red Dragon Gorge.

Like divine soldiers descending from the heavens, the ten thousand Haotian troops arrived ahead of the Blue Moon forces, occupied the gorge, and immediately established outposts facing the Blue Moon direction. They announced to the oncoming hundred thousand Blue Moon soldiers that Red Dragon Gorge was Haotian territory, demanding their withdrawal or face war.

Commander Park Xianglong, leading the Blue Moon army, soon learned that Haotian had only just managed to seize the gorge—deploying a mere ten thousand men. The audacity of such a small force holding the gorge against his own hundred thousand was almost laughable.

Incensed, Park Xianglong ordered the destruction of Haotian’s outpost at the gorge’s mouth and led his host into Red Dragon Gorge, determined to crush the Loyal Martial Troops before they could solidify their position.

Having arrived half a day earlier, General Du Fengzhong had already anticipated such a move. He prepared a variety of defenses as soon as he reached the gorge.

The terrain to the Blue Moon side of the gorge consisted of the vast Qingyun Grasslands, ideal for cavalry. Thus, the Blue Moon Empire had sent an elite force of a hundred thousand horsemen.

Armed with this intelligence, General Du spent half a day setting up layered traps to counter the cavalry, exploiting the gorge’s unique terrain. He dispatched five thousand soldiers to feign weakness at the entrance, luring the enemy to advance.

Meanwhile, he stationed three thousand ambushers on the peaks flanking the gorge. At its far end, his men hastily erected barricades of triangular wooden chevaux-de-frise, depriving the Blue Moon cavalry of their speed and maneuverability.

Then, the five thousand troops who had feigned retreat, along with two thousand archers lying in wait, and the ambushers atop the peaks, unleashed a devastating assault—rolling stones and logs, raining arrows, and bottling up the Blue Moon cavalry in the narrow gorge.

In the end, barely half of the hundred thousand horsemen escaped; more than fifty thousand were lost in a single engagement.

Afterward, the Blue Moon Empire lodged a formal protest with Haotian, claiming that their troops had been ambushed during routine maneuvers and demanding reparations.

However, the outpost General Du had set up at the gorge’s entrance proved decisive. Haotian refuted the protest outright, pointing out that their sentries had already warned the Blue Moon army to withdraw, and that it was Blue Moon forces who attacked their outpost, killing sentinels—thus, it was the Blue Moon Empire who owed compensation.

By any reckoning, it was the Blue Moon Empire who had initiated hostilities; Haotian was, technically, the aggrieved party—though it emerged the victor.

Realizing their position was indefensible, the Blue Moon Empire made only a token protest before quietly withdrawing. Having suffered such a heavy blow, they had no choice but to accept defeat. With more than half their army lost in the gorge and Haotian now fully prepared, sending further troops would have been futile—a bitter pill to swallow.

Thus, the Haotian Empire gained control of Red Dragon Gorge, at the price of only two or three thousand casualties—most incurred during the feigned retreat and initial skirmishes. With this victory, Haotian secured a powerful new stronghold on its northwestern border with the Blue Moon Empire.

The strategic significance was immense. The balance of power between the two empires was restored, and the once-ambitious Blue Moon Empire, forced to reconsider its position, ushered in decades of peace between the two realms.

It could be said that the Battle of Red Dragon Gorge bought the Haotian Empire several generations of peace and stability.

Thanks to this victory, Old Master Du was honored by the emperor. The Du family was granted fiefdom near the edge of the Beast Forest, and the Loyal Martial Corps was expanded from fifty thousand to a hundred thousand men—becoming the Loyal Martial Red Dragon Corps, permanently stationed on the forest’s frontier, ever vigilant against another Blue Moon incursion.

Within the military academy, as the instructor narrated, two aides manipulated the sand table, reenacting the battle’s every development: planting flags, dispatching scouts, ordering troops to fell trees and build barricades, sending men up the mountains for ambushes, and so on.

Commands were issued, strategies enacted—all perfectly brought to life on the sand table, opening the eyes of the first-year students and deepening their understanding of tactical simulations.

The Haotian Empire’s students listened with pride and excitement, while those from the Blue Moon Empire could hardly hide their discomfort. But this was the Royal Academy of Haotian—naturally, their own victories would be celebrated as textbook examples. Outsiders had little choice but to accept it—after all, they had chosen to study here.

Of all the Blue Moon students, Park Junjie looked especially grim. It turned out that the Blue Moon commander, Park Xianglong, was his own grandfather.

Because of this defeat, the Park family had been widely criticized and ostracized back home. Fortunately, his great-uncle was one of Blue Moon’s few spiritual masters, so the family’s foundation remained unshaken despite the blow.

Watching Du Long surrounded by admiring classmates, the sight stung Park Junjie all the more. Remembering that he had recently lost a challenge to Du Long, he couldn’t help but wonder—was history repeating itself?

“Is the Du family destined to be the nemesis of my family?” At that moment, such a thought surfaced in Park Junjie’s mind. He quickly made a decision: “No! I must find a way to rally more allies and strike back hard. I can’t let him continue to flourish so unchallenged!”