Chapter 548

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Chapter 548: Meanwhile, on the Other Side

The wild beasts roar, the armies fight.

From the sky came the melodious cry of an eagle, accompanied by a sharp wind. The gray eagle flew across the sky, leaving a fleeting image on the retina. Following closely behind were thunderous booms and explosions.

By this time, dusk was approaching. The sunset was as red as blood, but still not as red as real blood. Blood reflected blood, the city walls were covered in blood, corpses, burning flames, and the storms of explosions. Countless soldiers continuously fought and shouted, their numbers endless.

This is Phoenix Feather City, a magnificent fortress second only to Qingyang City in Bi Fang Country. Even after the fall of Bi Fang, it held out for a whole year before being conquered. It has a history of over 1800 years. Since its construction began, the city and its walls have been constantly reinforced and repaired, with the intention of using it as a wedge to penetrate the northern gateway of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom.

Therefore, in order to restore Bi Fang’s nation, Phoenix Feather City must be taken, and indeed, they have succeeded.

The only thing left to do is to defend this city. As long as they can hold on, they will have the qualifications to discuss restoring the nation.

If they cannot defend it, then they will be destroyed.

Within Phoenix Feather City, there are gathered 30,000 soldiers, and they must face the 100,000 Ba Xia army that has come to besiege the restoration forces.

Lord Ba Xia has an army of 200,000. He sent out 170,000 soldiers, left 30,000 to guard, and sent 70,000 to sweep other cities. There are 100,000 soldiers attacking Phoenix Feather City.

They have already given enough face.

In war, it’s always about attacking more than defending. Defending a city is very difficult. Can you rely solely on defending the city to make the enemy retreat multiple times?

Not to mention, they are also isolated. Unless other armies break the siege and come to reinforce, they can only keep defending.

The art of war is nothing but a spear and a shield. Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have discovered that gunpowder is better to use than just muscles. The balance of contradiction has been broken.

No matter how strong the city walls are, they can’t withstand endless bombings. The speed of building up defenses can never be faster than the enemy’s rapid bombings.

Lord Qiongqi and Lord Ba Xia’s armies are also the elite in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom. They also have heavy weapons. Although the destruction of the walls of Phoenix Feather City is slow, it has always been effective. It’s like slowly peeling off the feathers of a phoenix, revealing its bald body. A phoenix without feathers is not as good as a chicken.

Bi Fang’s army has defended for 36 hours and is already exhausted.

From the moment the battle started, they have been facing the strongest army within the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom, and it is an army of 100,000 attacking the city. Looking at the map, 100,000 people seem endless. Even for experienced players, 100,000 is not a small-scale war.

Countless attacks had destroyed the walls of Phoenix Feather City, but the brave Bi Fang army fought back and reclaimed the walls. With the help of the magical abilities of the Yao tribe, they urgently repaired the walls and held their ground. However, everyone knew that the city’s fall was only a matter of time. Without reinforcements, they would be dragged down. The city’s defenders, with their ill-prepared army of 30,000, stood little chance against the well-armed and fully equipped enemy forces of 100,000.

The reason they had not fallen yet was because the Bi Fang army consisted of soldiers who were willing to die for their cause.

The downfall of neighboring kingdoms would not normally be a big deal, as it wouldn’t directly affect the military. However, King Ran’s wicked plan turned Bi Fang Country into Liu State, resulting in the death of millions of innocent people and leaving behind a desperate army without any hope. They had no choice but to find a way to restore their country.

They claimed to not fear death, and deep down, they truly didn’t. They believed that living like walking corpses was worse than fighting and risking their lives in battle.

They barely managed to hold the city together, but after a day and a half of intense fighting, their strong will to fight started to fade along with their physical and mental strength.

When victory is not the ultimate goal of a war, a rout is only one step away.

Even though the balance of victory had long tipped in favor of Ba Xia, their military camp continued to strive for even more triumph.

The commanders, strategists, and generals of the army gathered here and never truly considered the restoration of Bi Fang as a major concern.

They saw this journey as merely a training exercise. Although the enemy’s resistance was stronger than ever before, what did it matter?

The ants may be crushed by the wheels, but will the mice not be? They are just different kinds of tiny creatures.

The long-lasting civil war in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom has developed the level of warfare to be no less than that of other powerful nations. Despite their isolation, they deplete their national strength, but their inherent talents allow them to quickly build a strong army and air force, especially the air force. There are many demons with natural flying abilities, and the control of the skies undoubtedly means something important.

Controlling the skies means that all ground targets become easy prey in merciless attacks. In the famous blitzkrieg, destroying the enemy’s air force is of utmost importance. With control of the skies, the army can remain safe.

"The attack on the city must not stop, it must continue day and night, and our supplies are still abundant."

"Replace the injured soldiers and report when the casualties exceed one thousand."

"Indeed, the air force needs to be expanded. We need to create at least three new squadrons. Control of the airspace is very useful. Bi Fang Country used to be a powerful air force nation, but now that they have lost control of the skies, they are nothing."

"As long as there is no restricted airspace, there is no fortress that cannot be conquered by joint air and land forces."

The Chief of Staff and the other generals discussed eagerly. Even as it got dark, they still didn’t feel tired. They all had a lively spirit.

The intelligence kept coming in, and they continuously adjusted their strategies in real-time.

The highest-ranking Lord Ba Xia in the main account remained silent. He turned away from the crowd and looked at a larger map hanging on the wall instead of studying the strategic sandbox.

Lord Ba Xia asked the guards, "Has the surrender letter been delivered? Is there a response?"

"Not yet," they replied.

"It seems like they may not have even looked at it. Otherwise, this letter could have pinpointed the location of Bi Fang," Lord Ba Xia said with a serious expression.

"Lord Ba Xia, what are you worried about? This battle will go smoothly," the adviser asked, confused.

"Perhaps it’s just unnecessary worries," Lord Ba Xia shook his head. He currently had no clear information about his son’s death. News couldn’t reach him because not many people in Xiangyang City knew that the Crown Prince Ba Xia was already dead. Chao Lu had managed to wipe out the entire one thousand cavalry.

"The Imperial Court will not mobilize," the adviser reassured.

Lord Ba Xia stated, "Before dawn, I will end this battle. I will use this as the highest standard, even if there are a few more casualties. If the location of Bi Fang is confirmed, I will lead five hundred personal guards to ride flying beasts and capture her."

The orders were passed on through multiple layers of communication.

At the same time, inside Phoenix Feather City, the situation had become extremely bad.

Everyone realized that failure was certain, and within the city, panic, despair, and sadness spread inevitably. Some residents wished for the restoration of their country, praying for no failure. Others cursed the slaves who brought disaster. However, the burning flames, collapsing walls, and soldiers’ tragic deaths one after another made even the slowest person aware that the city was about to fall.

Although the city walls were sealed, they had nowhere to escape. Their only hope was that Ba Xia would win and not take their lives, not destroy the city, or allow soldiers to plunder.

The defiant ones continued to struggle, and the soldiers remained dedicated.

In a secluded and relatively safe corner of the city, Nalan Qingshu sat on a chair, watching the chaotic crowd ahead. In truth, her heart was not greatly moved. She didn’t understand war or battle, couldn’t join in the excitement, and had no way to command.

But she was smart enough to realize that the flame of restoration was about to extinguish.

Perhaps it had always been a dream.

As a result, the royal court stood by, without any intention of action. The secret letters sent in advance were all ignored. Either the Third Princess was too cautious to leave the royal court, or she was too ruthless, willing to let the people of Bi Fang Country perish and wait for the ruins to take action herself. But she was truly confident, believing she could handle Ba Xia alone?

If she had acted at this moment, Ba State would have lost at least half, but it also meant openly opposing the feudal lords, with both good and bad consequences.

Nalan Qingshu propped her chin up, feeling that everyone in the room was thinking too simply and taking things for granted.

To place hope on others is the pitiable aspect of those who lost their country… What if, instead, they relied on themselves? Then the country would not have been destroyed.

She didn’t actually understand, she just didn’t want to get involved. She was merely a symbol, sitting here was enough, why should she exhaust herself with thoughts of the great task of restoring the country?

She really wished she could just sell Bi Fang Country, since these people only wanted a nation so they wouldn’t have to depend on others. But when it came to actually building a house, would they truly be willing to hand over power to her?

She is a mascot now, but could she become a decisive ruler in the future?

She knew it without needing to be said, so she patiently waited for the outcome.

Just as she was thinking this, a group of officials and generals walked out, and the room suddenly became empty.

An elderly man with gray hair bowed his head and presented a wooden box.

Nalan Qingshu, who had been lost in thought, slowly came back to her senses and asked, "What is this?"

The loyal and devoted old minister, known for his integrity, knelt down when his father told him to, "Please, Your Highness, continue."

Suddenly, Nalan Qingshu had a bad feeling. She opened the box and found a short sword inside. It was made from different materials like copper from Shoushan, jade from Kunlun, and cold iron from the East Sea. As she looked at the sword, she felt a chill run down her spine. On it was engraved the words "Longque Kill."

"Do you want me to go to the battlefield?" Nalan Qingshu frowned. "Then at least prepare some armor for me."

"Your Highness, please…" he lifted his eyes. "Be prepared for the fall of the city and sacrifice for the country."

…

The gates of Qingyang City were burning with a green rain of fire.

A gust of wind blew from the gates to the palace gates.

A figure stood in front of the collapsed palace, with their sleeves fluttering.

He stepped forward, gazing at the Bi Fang soul in the sky, and it noticed him too.

The golden light shone, and Bi Fang’s demon awakened like a dream, flapping its wings and singing loudly. The souls of the entire city knelt down and turned into flickering flames, floating up to the sky.

The gates of Fengdu opened, and one hundred thousand lost souls surged into the human world.