Chapter 813 - Surrender, or Die!
“Shua!”
After I logged on, my character appeared in the middle of a field. When I woke up, I startled two sleeping bees. They buzzed near my ear and then flew off into the distance. Looking out, I saw Han Yuan and Xiao Lie leading an uncountable number of Royal Army soldiers concealed behind the tall crops. Under these extraordinary conditions, we had no choice but to step into the fields. If we could root out the Dragonling Army, then sacrificing this entire field of military crops would be well worth it. Not to mention that all 50,000 of the Royal Army soldiers were gathered in one place. We wouldn’t be trampling too much of the field.
Han Yuan led his horse over to me with his blade in hand. The horse’s muzzle had been tied shut so that it wouldn’t make a sound. Despite the muzzle, the horse instinctively reached for the crops, trying to bite at them. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but feel pity for it. Han Yuan wryly smiled, “General, we’ve been lying in wait for almost an entire day and we haven’t seen even a single hair of those Dragonling soldiers. Do you suppose those morons are actually not coming?”
I furrowed my brows, “They should be. We haven’t let any news out. Besides, now that the Royal Army has declared war on them, if I were the Dragonling Army commander, I would conduct one last raid before disappearing into the wind.”
Xiao Lie nodded, “My lord is correct, let’s just patiently wait for news!”
About ten minutes later, one of the disguised cavalrymen ran over to us and quietly reported, “Lord Commander, some Dragonling warships have appeared on the War God’s River!”
“How many?” Han Yuan asked.
“Twenty-one!”
“Only twenty-one?” Han Yuan was puzzled.
I replied, “Wait a little longer!”
After a while, another scout reported back, “General, fifty-four total Dragonling warships have appeared on the river!”
I asked, “How far up is the water displaced by the boat?”
“Fairly far, the ships seem to be carrying a lot of weight!”
“Good…”
After seven to eight minutes, a third scout excitedly reported back, “General, eighty-one ships have appeared on the river!”
Hearing this, Ha Yuan’s spirits were considerably higher, “Great. Looks like the entire hive has come out. General, this was a good gamble!”
Long Xing was sharpening his blade on the side and smiled, “When should we set out? My sword is feeling thirsty…”
I replied, “Wait a little longer. We’ll set out after all of them have landed!”
“Yes sir!”
A group of lieutenants was hidden in the crops, waiting for orders from us. Not long after, another scout came back with a report, “General, five of the warships have landed on the beach. Around two thousand cavalrymen have disembarked and are heading straight for Greene Town!”
I nodded, “Continue observing!”
Han Yuan quietly asked, “These two thousand cavalrymen must be there to ambush the town. The other eight thousand foot soldiers are for escorting the loot back, right?”
I smiled, “Yup. Let’s wait for the eight thousand to land. That’s when we’ll begin our move.”
Long Xing said, “General, we await your orders!”
I slid down my horse and smiled with my hand on my hilt, “I will give orders in a moment. Han Yuan, you will lead the Royal Army cavalrymen to cut off the Dragonling Army from retreating. Xia Ye will then lead ten thousand men out to take their ships. Best case scenario, we’ll be able to take all eighty-one of them. If they resist too much, then we’ll burn the remaining ships. Xiao Lie and Long Xing will then lead thirty thousand men to surround the town. We cannot let a single rat out!”
All of the generals nodded, “Understood!”
Not long after, another scout reported back, “All eighty-one ships have landed, however, each ship has a unit of people have been left behind to guard them. They have a total of thirty Dragon Crystal Cannons and they’re all ready to fire!”
I pondered for a moment. After five minutes, I shouted orders, “Royal Army, advance!”
“Yes sir!”
Han Yuan and I led a group of cavalrymen and charged out of the fields. The horses trampled over the crops. Once we rushed out, we could see the numerous Dragonling warships along the shores. Most of their men had disembarked and were moving towards Greene Town. The Royal Army cavalry dashed out and cut into the space between them and their ships like lightning.
“D*mm*t!”
One of the pirates paled, “We’ve been tricked! Those d*mn*d Royal Army soldiers are ambushing us! This time we’re done for. Messengers, let Lord Dragonscale know!”
Unfortunately for them, the Royal Army was faster. All of our soldiers pulled out their weapons and charged ahead. On land, the pirates didn’t even have half the speed or battle prowess of Lucen’s men. Our arrival was enough to completely break their morale. Our men hacked through their rear while the front of their army was thrown into chaos. Half of them tried to fight back while the other half ran to Greene Town to recruit help.
I led a group of heavy cavalrymen and charged towards Greene Town. When I glanced back, I saw a mass of Star Rifle Camp soldiers already launching their attack against the ships. Like a tide, they flooded the ships and took control of them one by one. After this battle, it was without a doubt that the Royal Army navy would become the strongest in all of Tian Ling City. Even the Flame Dragon Army and the Xia Yu Army navies wouldn’t be on par with us!
In the distance, Greene Town came into view over the horizon. The town walls were only three meters high, and it looked almost like a toy. Countless Dragonling pirates had already taken control of the town and were in the midst of battle against the Xia Yu Army. The Royal Army foot soldiers had already surrounded the small town. This time, the Dragonling Army was doomed.
“Hua!”
My horse disappeared from underneath me and I flew into the air. I led the cavalrymen straight towards the masses of enemy soldiers. At the same time, I could see a general swinging his blade and charging through the crowds of people. It was the commander of the Dragonling Army, Dragonscale. He was the legendary chief of the bandits. Our strategy this time was to hit hard and fast, otherwise our losses would become too great!
Dragonscale spotted me from a distance and was immediately inflamed, “The commander of the Royal Army, Li Xiao Yao? That motherf*cker, fight me!”
Without another word, I mustered my strength and shot forward, right at Dragonscale. With my blade raised above my head, I focused on the strength in my arms, slashing straight down at the enemy!
“Keng!”
Our two attacks clashed, creating a small shockwave. All the Dragonling soldiers around us were pushed out. Dragonscale himself was thrown back against the city wall. The Dragonling soldiers were stunned by the scene. One of them gaped, “Heavens above,... Lord Dragonscale was actually pushed back. Just how fearsome is the General of the South….”
I smiled and activated my [Ice Wings]. I rushed forward at full speed, preparing another attack. If I couldn’t push back Dragonscale with all of these conditions, then I don’t deserve to muddle my way through Tian Ling City!
I raised my left palm towards the sky. Storm clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, creating bolts of lightning. The earth around us began to shudder and a bolt of lightning shot down. Countless lightning dragons snaked through the crowd of people, unleashing their wrath. These Dragonling soldiers were nothing but phonies. How could they stand up against the power of a real dragon!
In the blink of an eye, everybody in the area was dead except for Dragonscale!
With my sword in hand, I leapt up into the sky and came to a standing point around a hundred meters in the air. The silver wings on my back flapped. I looked down at the Dragonling Army and shouted, “All men who surrender will be spared! Otherwise, kill all enemy combatants!”
My powerful voice resounded across the battlefield, shocking the Dragonling soldiers into a standstill. Despair filled their eyes. Even Dragonscale was stunned.
“Bang….”
One of the Dragonling officers’ blades fell to the ground. Closely following that, many others clanked. Han Yuan and the others didn’t stop their massacre, they killed a couple hundred more soldiers before I stopped them.
Dragonscale laughed bitterly at the sky, “Brothers, nevermind…. Looks like our Dragonling Army has finally met its end. We walked right into a trap. I apologize, everyone. If you become prisoners, you have a chance of surviving. I hope to meet you all again in the next life!”
As he said that, Dragonscale raised his blade and swiped it right across his throat. Blood burst forward, and just like that, this Demon Harvest tier BOSS committed suicide!
I was speechless. I walked over, picked up Dragonscale’s head, and put it into my bag. This was proof of the completion of my mission. I wouldn’t let anybody else touch it, or else I wouldn’t get my reward.
At the foot of the city walls, around five thousand of the remaining Dragonling soldiers were captured. Han Yuan and Xiao Lie captured each and every one of them. Right then, a unit of horsemen suddenly thundered towards us from a distance. It was the Xia Yu Army cavalry, led by second prince Owen. When he saw the situation at Greene Town, he couldn't help but exclaim, “General Li Xiao Yao, you… you’ve already defeated the Dragonling Army?”
I shook my head, “No, not yet, I will be taking these prisoners back to the Tian Ling Empire and I will await the king’s decision.”
“Alright!”
Owen glanced at the bloodshed on the ground and suddenly glared at me, “Did you receive news of this beforehand?”
I nodded, “Yes sir!”
“Then why did you not contact the Xia Yu Army beforehand so that my army wouldn’t have taken such great losses?” Owen was clearly enraged.
I raised my Dragon Reservoir Sword and softly said, “I deeply apologize, your highness. I didn’t receive news until the last minute, and had no choice but to deploy troops before I could contact you. I hope that your highness would understand.”
Owen coldly laughed, “I understand. Li Xiao Yao, you are truly a natural strategist!”
I didn’t respond.
Han Yuan probably couldn’t stand the fact that I was being ridiculed like this and stepped forward, “Your highness, our general rushed over to root out the Dragonling Army. This should be considered a great achievement. After all, the Royal Army has completed a task that the Xia Yu Army and the Flame Dragon Army together have not been able to complete. Your highness, it is just as you say, General Li Xiao Yao is a true strategist!”
Owen scoffed, “Han Yuan, is this the place for you to speak?”
I didn’t let him say anymore and ordered, “Royal Army, escort the prisoners back to the capital!”
This time, we didn’t take the Bridge of Fate. Instead, we rode on the eighty-one warships that Xia Ye had captured. After three trips, we shipped sixty thousand men to the other side of the riverbank.
In this battle, the Royal Army lost a total of a thousand men. It was truly a grand victory! This was also my ultimate goal: training soldiers while not taking losses. Otherwise, if we kept participating in battles like the Sea of No Return, then only half of our soldiers would level up, while the other half would die. The Royal Army would never grow stronger at that rate.