Chapter 453: Extreme Cold Weather Suddenly Arrives, The Seven-Nation Alliance Is Stunned!
Slanted Moon Empire, the study room.
The Ziyue Empress, who was reviewing reports, was very surprised when she learned of this: “Great Wu is actually focusing on extreme cold weather and ignoring Great Yan?” The last time Great Wu mobilized like this was last year, as if it were just yesterday. At that time, everyone was mocking Great Wu for making a big deal out of nothing, wasting resources.
But then, once-in-a-century ice disaster struck, affecting people all over the world, with a high death toll. Every country suffered heavy losses, and they still haven’t fully recovered. In the end, only Great Wu managed to survive the bitter ice disaster unscathed.
And then, they surpassed all other nations, becoming a rare haven in the hearts of the people. She thought seriously about it and felt that this matter was not to be taken lightly. She needed to understand what was on Great Wu’s mind.
So, she wrote a letter to contact the Empress.
Not long after, she received a reply from the Empress.
After reading it, the Empress’s brow furrowed: “Even though it’s not an ice disaster, extreme cold weather is coming, and we must prepare for it!”
It’s important to note that last year’s ice disaster froze a quarter of their population to death, and nearly every family lost someone.
Though a year had passed, they still hadn’t fully recovered from the pain of last year.
Slanted Moon had just established itself as a nation, and its foundation was not yet stable. They lacked many resources for dealing with the cold.
If they were to experience a severe winter and lose millions of people again, it would be… The Empress didn’t dare to think further and immediately summoned her ministers, issuing a strict order.
“Extreme cold weather is approaching. From now on, the entire nation must prepare for the cold! Provide low-cost firewood, charcoal, blankets, and more to keep everyone warm. Additionally, build some shelters for warmth!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The Emperor of Great Xia, who was also closely monitoring Great Wu’s actions, noticed this as well.
He frowned, “What is Great Wu doing? They’re mobilizing heating resources and activating shelters for centralized warmth… Could it be another ice disaster this year?”
Last year’s ice disaster, due to the lack of preparedness, claimed nearly 30 million lives in Great Xia, along with countless other losses, pushing their nation to the brink, causing a year-long period of turmoil and decline in national power.
His father, the former emperor, fell seriously ill due to that ice disaster, and his health never fully recovered, leading to his desperate pursuit of longevity elixirs, which ultimately backfired and harmed not only himself but also Great Xia.
The lesson was deeply ingrained in him, so he dared not be careless and decided to investigate the situation later in the evening.
The information he obtained was limited and not very useful. However, one piece of news caught his attention.
This cold preparedness operation was proposed and led by Lin Beifan. Regarding Lin Beifan, he had mixed feelings, both love and hate.
Love is because this person is learned and capable, able to govern and fight, unrivaled in the world. It’s under his efforts that Great Wu has managed to reverse its declining fortunes and become strong and prosperous.
He desires to have someone like Lin Beifan at his service. But hatred arises because he cannot escape the fact that Great Xia has ended up in its current state because of him.
But whether it’s love or hatred, this person is meticulous and has never missed or failed in anything. His personal involvement in this matter indicates its utmost importance. Even if it’s not an ice disaster, it’s likely extreme cold weather that will result in casualties.
Great Xia cannot afford to be complacent! It’s better to be prepared than caught unprepared!
The Emperor of Great Xia’s expression grew serious as he commanded, “Spread my orders, the entire nation must prepare for the cold!”
At this moment, other countries also learned of Great Wu’s actions. However, most of them didn’t believe that another ice disaster would occur. Such large-scale ice disasters have been frequent in recent years, but it’s unlikely to happen two years in a row. Besides, they have more pressing matters to attend to.
For example, the princes and heirs of the Great Yan Dynasty are busy vying for power, attacking each other, with no thoughts on preparing for the cold. They are only concerned with whether they can seize supreme power. The smaller neighboring countries of the Great Yan Dynasty are currently focused on attacking Great Yan, seizing territory and resources, with no interest in other matters.
However, despite the internal chaos, Great Yan’s military strength remains formidable. They firmly guard their borders, resisting the invasions of neighboring countries.
So, these smaller countries, imitating the Coalition against Great Xia from years ago, have formed a formidable army of 2 million soldiers and more than 50 innate experts to attack Great Yan.
This force is formidable, and Great Yan’s borders couldn’t hold. In less than a day, Great Yan’s borders were breached, and the 2 million army entered Great Yan’s territory.
This event attracted the attention of people all over the world. “Great Yan has been breached by the Seven-Nation Alliance?”
“Great Yan might be in trouble!”
Concerns about Great Wu’s preparations for the cold gradually faded. Due to the Great Yan Dynasty’s military forces being scattered, each prince governed independently and was reluctant to deplete their own troops. Therefore, the Seven-Nation Alliance easily captured cities one after another. They practically took down one city every day.
The pace seemed slow, but if it weren’t for the time spent on marching and resting, it could have been even faster.
At this moment, the various commanders of the Seven-Nation Alliance were delighted and a bit arrogant.
“Is this the strength of Great Yan? It’s so feeble!”
“Yes, indeed. We thought Great Yan could hold on longer, but they turned out to be so weak! As an empire, it’s truly disappointing!”
“Have you all noticed that without Great Wu, we can still succeed?”
“That’s right, as long as we unite, the empire can still be conquered!”
“I bet Great Wu is regretting it now, haha! Well, it’s even better for us; we can claim more territory!”
They chatted and laughed while making progress. Little did they know that an extremely cold air mass was brewing in the far north and was soon going to sweep southward, bringing frigid weather, ice, and snow with it. Many countries woke up to a drastically changed landscape, covered in silver.
Great Wu, Great Xia, and Slanted Moon had prepared for the cold, so they remained calm when the cold front arrived.
But other countries were in shock! This cold air came suddenly and was a month earlier than usual! The strong winds howled, heavy snowfall blanketed the land, catching them off guard, and it was incredibly cold.
Could there be another ice disaster on the horizon?
The most bewildered were the Coalition Against Great Yan’s armies. They were close to reaching the heartland of Great Yan!
Yet, a heavy snowfall trapped them in a city, rendering them immobile and exhausted.
What made matters worse was the extreme cold. Their supplies for cold weather were limited, and they couldn’t provide for the two million soldiers. Moreover, it was a small city with scarce resources, so there wasn’t much cold weather gear available.
They were in a dire situation.
“What should we do now?”
“We are in the middle of nowhere. Where can we gather cold weather supplies?”
