Chapter 320 – What Kind of Strange Strategy Requires Money?
Night Fragrance wielded a small knife, continuing to battle within the midst of a million-strong army!
He moved like the wind, appearing as elusive as a ghost!
Even a dozen Innate experts couldn’t overcome him!
As time passed, casualties escalated within the Wuxi and Dayue armies, and the million-strong force turned into chaos.
Wuxi Duke and General Gongsun were infuriated beyond belief!
“Damn little thief! What’s the point of attacking the small fries? If you have the guts, come challenge me!” Wuxi Duke exclaimed.
“If you don’t stop, I won’t hold back any longer!”
…
Yet, Night Fragrance burst into laughter: “What a thrilling experience! Today’s killings are truly exhilarating! Lord Lin had a great line of poetry: killing one is a crime, killing thousands is heroic! To kill nine million, that’s the true heroism! Let’s wipe out every last person and claim dominance and honor!”
Wuxi Duke and General Gongsun spat blood once again!
You want to wipe out everyone? Is that even possible?
“Night Fragrance, you little thief, don’t get too proud! Even if I have to risk my life today, I’ll make sure to keep you here!” General Gongsun yelled, releasing an astonishing surge of true qi, horrifying beyond measure.
“Come at me!” Wuxi Duke’s fierce aura erupted from him, pushing away everything in his path.
Provoked by both of them, Night Fragrance grew even more arrogant: “Come on! All of you, come on! Let’s see whose strength is greater, yours or the sharpness of my blade?”
The battle escalated, becoming even more intense!
On the tower of the Phoenix Fortress in the distance:
Lin Beifan and the others watched this scene, their faces filled with amusement.
“Night Fragrance’s killings are impressive! Single-handedly fighting against a dozen Innate experts, causing chaos in a million-strong army. It’s so exciting that even an old man like me wants to join in the fun! Haha…” General Zhu laughed heartily.
“Yes, I wish I could go too. A true man should be like this!” Guo Shaoshuai exclaimed, filled with excitement and yearning.
The other Innate-level generals nodded in agreement.
Just then, Mo Rushuang called out, “Look over there!”
They saw five masked Innate experts suddenly flying into the midst of the Wuxi and Dayue armies, creating a massacre.
They charged forward, leaving a trail of blood and violence in their wake.
Wuxi Duke’s eyes widened in fury. “Who are you? How dare you disrupt my army? Do you want to die?”
General Gongsun was equally furious. “You’d better leave immediately, or I won’t be polite!”
But they showed no mercy, continuing their killing spree.
“Wuxi Duke, for the sake of your ambition, you’ve actually opened the door to thieves and invited trouble. You are a disloyal, unjust, unrighteous, and unfilial person! Scum like you should be eradicated by all! Today, I shall act on behalf of heaven!”
“Gongsun the Invincible, instead of staying peacefully in Dayue, you dare to stir up chaos here? Today, I will shatter your legendary status as the War God and show you how deep the earth is and how high the sky is!”
…
“It turns out to be honorable heroes. My apologies for not recognizing you earlier!” Night Fragrance laughed as he fought, “Let us wreak havoc among this million-strong army, ensuring that the troops of these two treacherous villains won’t return!”
“Absolutely!” The five Innate experts responded in unison, their killing spree intensifying.
“Darn it!” Wuxi Duke and General Gongsun’s faces turned ashen. They had to send a few Innate experts to intervene.
Within the Phoenix Fortress tower:
Mo Rushuang asked in confusion, “Who are they? How can they not fear Wuxi Duke and Gongsun the Invincible? They’ve plunged into the midst of a million-strong army, causing utter chaos!”
“No matter who they are, those who aid us at this moment are our friends!” General Zhu laughed heartily.
“Yes, I really wish I could go!” Guo Shaoshuai exclaimed excitedly.
Lin Beifan chuckled softly; he recognized this group quite well. Weren’t they the old members of Slanted Moon’s group?
Watching Night Fragrance wreak havoc, turning the million-strong army upside down, Lin Beifan couldn’t help but join in and reap the numbers himself.
Lin Beifan said, “General Zhu and all the other commanders, with the enemy distracted, now’s the time to strike and weaken their forces. It’s a rare opportunity! Keep in mind, chances like this are hard to come by!”
General Zhu was intrigued, “Lord Lin, this is the fortress…”
Lin Beifan exclaimed loudly, “I will guard it, ensuring nothing goes wrong. You can go have some fun!”
General Zhu thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
As Lin Beifan said, this was a rare chance.
If they didn’t take strong action now, they might not get another chance later.
Thus, he led eight Innate experts, their momentum overwhelming, and charged forward.
“Wuxi Duke, Gongsun the Invincible, come at me!”
“Today, you won’t leave without consequences!”
…
Wuxi Duke, General Gongsun, and the others had their faces change dramatically.
“Not good! Imperial experts are coming!”
“These old thieves! Intercept them quickly, don’t let them penetrate our forces!”
“Hurry!”
…
Before long, the Innate experts from both sides clashed, darkness engulfing the sky, obscuring the sun and moon.
Meanwhile, Lin Beifan’s gaze returned to the fortress.
At this moment, the troops from Wuxi and Dayue were still attacking the fortress recklessly.
Beneath the city walls lay a sea of bodies, forming mountains of corpses.
Countless limbs were severed, and fresh blood stained the ground crimson.
Although the imperial troops held the advantage of higher ground and geographical position as the defenders, their sacrifices were not few.
Yet, their deaths, their sacrifices, were but trivial matters to those driven by ambition.
Lin Beifan couldn’t help but sigh, “In this world, human lives are like weeds.”
The sky was growing dark; it was time to intervene.
With a wave of his hand, Lin Beifan manipulated the humidity in the air, causing the sunlight to refract and focus onto the battlefield.
Simultaneously, Lin Beifan also controlled the rapid heat dissipation of the earth’s surface, causing the ground temperature to rise quickly.
As a result, the temperature on the battlefield increased by several degrees.
The weather was already scorching enough, making everyone sweat profusely even without any action. But after Lin Beifan’s manipulation, the temperature rose even higher, causing dizziness and stars before the eyes due to the extreme heat.
Coupled with the lack of water and fighting in such sweltering conditions, it became even more unbearable.
In a matter of moments, the soldiers on the battlefield collapsed one by one with a thud.
They weren’t dead, they were suffering from heatstroke and had fainted!
Several hundred thousand soldiers fell unconscious on the ground!
The scene was spectacular!
Wuxi Duke and General Gongsun were so angered by this sight that they spat blood!
They weren’t defeated by enemies but were felled by the weather, how could they continue to fight?
It was impossible to fight like this!
They couldn’t even move, lying on the ground like targets!
They could only look at the sky and curse, “This damn weather!”
As the temperature continued to rise, more and more soldiers couldn’t endure it. The situation was becoming a certain defeat. Wuxi Duke and General Gongsun exchanged glances and finally unwillingly shouted, “We retreat!”
The armies of Wuxi and Dayue began to retreat.
Meanwhile, Night Fragrance had also enjoyed his killing spree. After taking down another Innate expert with his small knife, he patted his rear and left.
Leaving behind an arrogant remark, “I’ve had my fun today, we’ll continue another day!”
Other Innate experts also began to withdraw one after another.
“Wuxi Duke, old man Gongsun, we’re taking our leave as well!”
“Until next time, we’ll fight again, haha!”
“Our paths may cross again, let’s wait and see!”
…
Wuxi Duke and his companion watched their departing figures and the soldiers’ bodies scattered on the ground, their faces turning ashen.
With the major battle temporarily concluded, Lin Beifan welcomed back General Zhu and the others, celebrating their significant victory.
However, within the camps of Wuxi and Dayue, a sense of gloom pervaded the air.
In the main camp, Wuxi Duke sighed, his voice filled with lament, “Today’s battle was truly pathetic! Several Innate experts disrupted our plans and led to heavy losses on our side! The hot and dry weather caused our forces to suffer heatstroke and collapse. We no longer have the strength to continue fighting!”
Wuxi Duke sighed again, “At present, we’re left with only 700,000 soldiers, and merely 10 Innate experts. Lacking water and morale, our fighting capacity has drastically decreased. What can we do?”
General Gongsun’s expression turned gloomy as well, “Indeed, what can we do?”
With a force of 500,000 troops, he had set out on this expedition to achieve greatness and glory for himself.
Yet, today’s initial battle resulted in a complete defeat, with 100,000 soldiers from Dayue dead in action!
…
It was the most humiliating defeat he had ever experienced in his life!
Adding up the previous casualties, the death toll likely reached 150,000!
It had only been a short time since the war began, yet so many had already perished. How could they continue fighting future battles?
Just thinking about it was giving him a tremendous headache!
“Although our losses are severe, we must fight again!”
Determination flickered in Wuxi Duke’s eyes, “If in the next two days, we still can’t break through the Phoenix Fortress and penetrate the heartland of the Central Plains, then we won’t have the strength to fight anymore. The consequences of that are unimaginable!”
General Gongsun nodded, “Your Highness, you’re absolutely right. Whether we want to fight or not, we have no choice! So, let’s quickly discuss our strategy. Time is running short!”
Wuxi Duke hesitated for a moment, “Actually, there might be a way…”
General Gongsun’s excitement surged, “Your Highness, have you come up with a clever plan? Please, share it!”
Wuxi Duke shook his head, “It’s not exactly a clever plan! Whether it will work or not, I don’t have much confidence…”
General Gongsun urged, “Your Highness, please share the plan with us. Let’s strategize together!”
With a bitter smile, Wuxi Duke shook his head, “This plan isn’t easy to explain. It involves a secret move that I’ve been keeping, and I can only use it as a last resort.”
General Gongsun grew anxious, “Isn’t it a last resort by now? If we don’t use it, all of us are done for!”
Wuxi Duke pondered, “Here’s the deal, give me half a day to try it out! Whether it succeeds or not, I will be accountable to everyone, how about that?”
“Alright then, Your Highness, please act quickly, time waits for no one!” General Gongsun said.
“Of course, I understand!” Wuxi Duke nodded.
Two hours later, Wuxi Duke returned with a pleased expression, “Good news! General Gongsun, good news! My secret move can now be utilized! There’s hope to break through the Phoenix Fortress and penetrate the heartland of the Central Plains!”
General Gongsun was ecstatic, “Really? That’s fantastic news! What preparations do we need?”
Wuxi Duke cleared his throat and awkwardly stated, “We need to prepare some money, the more the better! I’m sorry, General Gongsun, and also to the generals of Dayue, I’ll need you to surrender all the money and valuable possessions you have!”
General Gongsun was dumbfounded in the wind!
What kind of strange strategy required money?
