Chapter 440: War in the East
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yun Yang was indeed overwrought with the current situation but he could do nothing about it.
Facing such a formidable foe, it was already tough enough to see if he could save himself and whether he could remain hidden lest he be killed. Escaping or even winning the battle? Well, those were merely wild wishes.
What should he do now?
"We won't bear the massive responsibility of a dynasty's rise and fall, but trapping you here is enough to ensure that will happen."
It was still Mr. Nian's voice, but he was chortling triumphantly this time as if everything was within his grasp. That wasn't very far from the truth, all things considered.
Yun Yang could only endure it without moving, endure it perennially until his energy was all used up, until he could no longer keep going.
There was no solution to his current plight.
Yun Yang was already feeling pins and needles, but he had no way out!
…
On the battlefield at the eastern border, the army Han Sanhe had planted stretched dozens of miles long, like a black tide that swept everything away, wherever they went.
The Empire of Dongxua's main troop was moving very slowly.
All the water sources along their way fell into their control; they did not miss a single one. The ground near the battleground had been cleaned up to ensure that all the trees and plants within the field of vision were removed; even some of the higher hills were forcefull leveled out by the ace cultivators on Han Sanhe's instructions.
Dongxuan's base was arranged into a large fan shape, with a concave formed in the middle. The troop moved forward while maintaining such a formation. In addition, all the nozzle areas along their journey were enlarged.
Although the conspiracies were a collaboration among the four countries to trap Supreme Cloud in Ziyou, Han Sanhe would never grow careless as Dayuan's marshal. The formation he had set up now was specifically to target as well as defend against the Nine Supremes!
Whether it was wind, cloud, thunder, water, or flame, no one could hope to breach a gap here. If Supreme Cloud were to meet his demise in Ziyou, that would be great; otherwise, there would be no place for him to strike even if he made it to the battlefield.
At least, there was hardly a chance he could deal as much massive damage as he had in the past.
Those who had arrived and were formally fighting with Fu Baoguo on the official battlefield were only Zhan Ge's two-hundred-thousand-man army!
Both sides had been at a standstill for a long, long time.
…
Fu Baoguo remained calm and collected throughout the entire ordeal; he had been stable and efficient, steady like a mountain.
He would pick a certain period every day to gather his generals together and have a light-hearted conversation with them. He looked completely at ease, not at all concerned about his opponent or this war.
Still, his expression would turn into a tight frown when he was alone, filled with worry and misgivings.
Dongxuan's Zhan Ge was only his warm-up exercise; the real test was yet to come. That being said, the current state was already heated and exceptionally fervent!
Zhan Ge's troops had never entered the main battlefield, only deploying a small portion of their manpower to cause mischief and disruption. However, he would send the army for an aggressive battle every other day, but they would draw back immediately after some time, without reluctance.
Fu Baoguo knew that Zhan Ge was but expending his available force bit by bit, causing his troops to tire out and making the situation a favorable one when Han Sanhe's army finally got here. Understanding it was one thing, but it was another thing to retaliate; there was nothing he could do except to react passively and play into the enemy's hands.
As for Han Sanhe's delayed arrival, he must be exhausting all sort of tricks to prevent and counter the Nine Supremes' ambushes along his way.
Fu Baoguo had employed a similar tactic as well!
The mountains on the left and right of the Fortress of Resilience had all been cleared by Fu Baoguo. Even the stones had been moved into the fort as a reserve supply.
The mountains nearby had been deforested as well, but the forests beyond that had not been cleared. Instead, he had sent his soldiers to whittle them into sharp trunks half a man tall. They were jam-packed with traps within the mountains, making sure that the geography would not assist Dongxuan's attack.
For thousands of miles, Fu Baoguo had embedded no less than a hundred thousand traps. The land and forest had basically become a beehive of deadly pitfalls, bristling with death.
The east side of Yutang faced the Empire of Dongxuan directly while Dongxuan's military strength was at the peak of the current time; they even had the first-ranked marshal of the continent, Han Sanhe, as their main driving force. The east border had always been Yutang's most concentrated side, in terms of military disposition.
Now, both sides of the battlefield were guarded heavily by armored soldiers. Yutang's three hundred and fifty thousand man army was arranged into a wing-shaped formation by Fu Baoguo, the defenses were thick like a steel bucket from all around; it could be said that it was impossible to penetrate and flawless.
However, the formation was only suitable under normal circumstances or common situations. Once Han Sanhe's main battalion arrived, a head-on war would destroy most of Fu Baoguo's traps and setups!
While waiting for Han Sanhe's arrival, Yutang had relief troops filtering in every day. They were sent officially by the Empire of Yutang, there were also practitioners among the people who volunteered. They were martial artists coming in scattered groups, they were assistance sent in squads by schools and sects… All in all, the relief came in endless droves, adding about ten thousand to the headcount each day.
Even then, Fu Baoguo did not truly feel relieved.
The skilled martial artists were far more superior than ordinary soldiers in terms of individual combat power, but once they entered the war formation or the battleground, their value might not be truly apparent.
The most important aspect in the battlefield had always been discipline and cooperation. It had never been about individual heroism or solitary brute force!
These people who came to help had to undergo a certain amount of training before they could step foot into the battleground. Otherwise, their help might be of adverse effect instead! In comparison, those who came from schools or sects could easily be put to use. After all, they had discipline and cooperation among each other, equipped with a tacit understanding of how things worked in battle.
Unfortunately, they could not immediately blend into the army and be used as approved soldiers. These people who came as additional help would never be able to obey words like they were law and prohibitions!
Standing on the Fortress of Resilience and overlooking the smog rising from the far east, the flags fluttering in the sky, and seeing another troop arriving at the fort from Dongxuan, Fu Baoguo's frown grew deeper. Looking over, he could easily tell that another two hundred thousand men had arrived to augment his opponent's forces.
Even then, Han Sanhe's main army was still lagging behind, advancing slowly without the need to rush.
It was not only Yutang that had relief troops arriving within these few days. Dongxuan had an endless stream of manpower making their way as well. Large amounts of men came from almost every direction within the Empire of Dongxuan.
Zhan Ge's location like an ocean with intersected rivers, attracting the water from all the lakes in Dongxuan to flow and assemble here – uniting the army in a single spot to attack in a concerted effort!
If the assembly was smooth, then their morale would be boosted infinitely; his own men would feel the mounting pressure. It was most detrimental to his military motivation!
"Wang Dingguo!" Fu Baoguo was decided at once, yelling coldly to summon his best general.
"Here!"
"Thirty thousand Steel Cavalry are yours. Go forth to fight!"
"Yes!"
"The enemy's relief troop has just arrived, boosting their momentum. We must destroy that momentum." Fu Baoguo's eyes were gleaming, his voice cold as the grave, "I'm giving you thirty thousand men from the Steel Cavalry. I ask for complete victory, but on this basis, I have an additional request. After attacking, you have to bring back at least twenty-five thousand people!"
"This subordinate…"
"If you bring even one person less, I'll have you sentenced to military law!"
Fu Baoguo said coldly, "The current state has us at a disadvantage. Only by infringing the enemy's formation to dampen their spirits with minimal casualties can they be shaken. If I let you bring thirty thousand Steel Cavalry only to let you die there, what's there to be shocked about, even if you die tragically? They can die, but our side cannot afford such casualties!"
"This subordinate understands. I will do all I can, not stopping until I die!"
"The crux of this battle falls upon the new arrival of the enemy. Their morale is boosted, but their men and horses are exhausted. You can filter into the connecting spaces between Zhan Ge's troop and the newcomer's troop, then slaughter everyone on your way back! As long as you move quickly, it's not hard to achieve that objective."
Fu Baoguo watched the two troops that were approaching each other rapidly from far away and said coldly, "They want to meet and ignite their military motivations. Even if it's a military coward, such an affair will bring them sudden brute courage and boldness…"
"What I want you to do is to wipe out that brute boldness completely!"
"Even if Dongxuan's morale can't be destroyed thoroughly, at least the passion ignited by two troops assembling must not appear!"
"Go!"
Wang Dingguo roared, receiving the arrow of an order, and turned to leave with big strides, wearing the color of determination on his face,
Fu Baoguo watched him leave stoically.
He knew that their enemy's morale was escalating during this period of time and now, at this moment, it was the best time to muffle that imposing manner of theirs – when you've built your momentum to a certain level and I stifle it in one go, it will only give rise to a more intense sense of defeat.
As long as this was accomplished smoothly, the prospect of the army growing before them would not be much of a threat – at least until Han Sanhe himself arrived.
Zhan Ge was receiving the latest arrival of their relief troops while the Shadow Cavalry was still recuperating in the frontline base. Fu Baoguo believed that the enemy's Shadow Cavalry would not be able to react in time to help if he made a detour and stabbed straight into the enemy's side.
When the Shadow Cavalry finally took action, the distance would allow adequate time for Wang Dingguo to bring his men back.
He believed that when his Steel Cavalry came back, the enemy's Shadow Cavalry would still be picking up speed. There would be no chance for them to even meet…
"The chance to see if we can try to get some recuperation time before Han Sanhe's main army arrives lies within this battle!"