Each Fighting Their Own Battle

A dawn without morning sunlight was profoundly quiet. The bone-chilling wind whistled past, kicking up billows of snow mist from the drifts on the ground. With the blizzard's veil gone, the barbarian encampments twenty li away, linked together into an unbroken expanse, confronted Beifeng City across the open distance. Yet this hard-won stillness was soon shattered by the shrill cry of a fire phoenix bird. Standing atop the gate tower, Xu Yuan instinctively looked up, his gaze abruptly sharpening. One. Two... Ten... A hundred... The shrieks of flying demonic beasts merged into a continuous din across the sky. Countless massive avian beasts roared as they swept over the towering ramparts, winging out toward every quarter beyond the walls. Xu Yuan watched the flock of avian demonic beasts in silence for a long moment, then asked in a quiet voice, "Shouldn't that Barbarian Heterodox King be able to anticipate the princess's raid on their camp?" The man Xu Yuan asked was none other than Li Qingyan's subordinate, Vice General Cang. Going all-in was an art, but going all-in without a backup plan was a quick way to sudden death. Vice General Cang had been left at the East Gate with a battalion of the Feather Forest Guards, ready at any moment to reinforce Li Qingyan during her raid. Vice General Cang glanced up at the departing beasts, his voice low. "After fighting for so many years, that Barbarian King understands the princess's mind very well. Last night, at the first sign of the blizzard easing, the barbarians immediately sounded the retreat and pulled back their front lines." The most fundamental quality of an exceptional commander was the ability to scent the direction of the battle. Xu Yuan frowned slightly. "If they're prepared, how are they going to cross those twenty li of open plain?" Advancing in formation slowed movement; across twenty li, even the elites of the Feather Forest Guards would need nearly a quarter of an hour. And while they crossed that distance, the barbarians could do a great many things. Vice General Cang glanced at the heavy, snow-laden clouds in the sky. "Young Master Xu, laying siege stretches the barbarians' lines very thin. Even if he's prepared, the Barbarian King cannot possibly be certain where our main assault will strike. "As for how we cross those twenty li..." At this point, Vice General Cang pointed toward the beasts skimming over the ramparts. Following the direction of his finger, Xu Yuan noticed with mild puzzlement that before even covering half the distance, that flock of demonic beasts had already begun to slow down. Compared to the straightforward ground warfare of his previous life's ancient history, the Great Yan Dynasty's methods of war were far more intricate and three-dimensional. Xu Yuan had already seen the role flying demonic beasts played in battle back in Wanxiang City, and he had assumed this time would be similar: send flying demonic beasts to bomb and carve open a path at the cost of their lives to sow chaos, rush in the demonic cavalry to massacre the disarrayed foes, and bring in heavy infantry to mop up—a complete, standard operational procedure. Yet looking at it now, this flock of beasts did not seem to be heading for the barbarian camps at all. With keen eyes, Xu Yuan suddenly noticed that seven or eight li from the barbarian encampments, the beasts began dropping what looked like cloth bundles. Yet these cloth bundles did not fall immediately to the ground; instead, they hovered suspended in midair. Watching this unfold, Xu Yuan murmured softly, "Is that..." No sooner had the words left his mouth than those cloth bundles burst apart right in the air. Dense white smoke gushed forth in an instant! And every single thing carried by this flight of beasts appeared to be these cloth bundles. In mere moments, a chasm of smoke formed between Beifeng City and the barbarian camps. Witnessing this, the corner of Xu Yuan's eye twitched uncontrollably. "Smoke grenades..." "Smoke grenades?" Vice General Cang shot Xu Yuan an intrigued glance and chuckled. "Young Master Xu, that description is rather apt. But this thing is called the 'Sun-Blotter.' It blocks the intent-soul sweeps of powerful cultivators. I hear they're quite expensive to make." Great, so these smoke grenades even blocked radar and electromagnetic sweeps. Xu Yuan realized he had still underestimated the variety of Great Yan's military ordnance. Then again, it made sense; everything was prioritized for military use. To adapt to all kinds of scenarios, a dynasty that had reigned for thirteen hundred years having such a vast array of weaponry was only natural. Back when materials for teleportation arrays had not yet gone extinct, warfare had been even more absurd. Still, looking at the effect of the Sun-Blotters, why did it feel a bit like the Illusory Mist Grand Array back in Shengshan County? It couldn't... it couldn't have been cooked up by his Fourth Sister again, could it? Offering a silent moment of mourning for his Fourth Sister, Xu Yuan looked up at the expanding chasm of smoke and asked, "General Cang, can't high-level barbarian experts disperse this stuff with their attacks?" Vice General Cang smiled faintly. "They can, but it is difficult. The barbarians probably wouldn't dare dispatch high-rank experts to do so." "Why?" Xu Yuan asked instinctively. Up until now, he had felt that high-rank cultivators on the battlefield served little purpose other than carrying Sumeru rings as glorified pack mules. Vice General Cang was quite patient, explaining, "First, because the smoke blocks intent-soul detection, as long as the Sun-Blotter's core isn't struck, the smoke screen will keep releasing. Second, because that area falls within the range of our city defense weaponry, which can lock onto high-rank experts. Furthermore, by the time they finish destroying this batch of Sun-Blotters, our army will likely have closed the distance. When that happens, those experts will be buried right there." Xu Yuan fell into thought. "So there's no counter to this?" "Of course there is, but it depends on whether the Barbarian King has the guts." Vice General Cang chuckled, staring at the vast chasm of smoke. "If the barbarian army breaks camp and gathers their totem power, they can clear out this entire batch of Sun-Blotters." As the two spoke, a rumbling din of clattering gears echoed from the city gates. Like a surging tide, the Feather Forest iron cavalry galloped out of the city. Demonic beasts trod upon the snow, shaking the earth and sending snow mist spiraling into the air. At the same time, a second wave of flying demonic beasts swept over the walls once more. This flock was several times larger than the last, pressing toward the barbarian camp like a black cloud blotting out the sky... Twenty li south of Beifeng City, at the outpost of a makeshift encampment, several burly barbarians, each several meters tall, stood in silence. The deep-blue pupils of the Barbarian Heterodox King gleamed with an uncanny light. Suddenly, a hulking figure descended from the sky, landing before the group and dropping to one knee. "King, that woman Wuyuan has indeed left the city. On the eastern side." Looking into the distance at the smoke obscuring all sight, the Barbarian Heterodox King sighed softly. His harsh barbarian tongue came out low and rumbling: "Zhaye, the fourteen provinces of Great Yan truly are a fine land." Zhaye looked up in surprise upon hearing this. "What?" He could not comprehend the Barbarian King's words. With the military situation so critical, how could he have the mind to discuss such things? The Barbarian Heterodox King gazed at the chasm of smoke with his deep-blue eyes, a hint of envy showing within them. "Their resources are actually abundant enough to develop such superfluous weaponry." Zhaye grew slightly anxious upon hearing this. "King, this is no time for lamenting. The tribes in the eastern camp need you to dispatch reinforcements." "Reinforcements?" The Barbarian Heterodox King curbed his envious look and cast a cool glance at Zhaye. "The Ku'e Tribe and the Zhashun Tribe total one hundred thousand men between them. Right now, Wuyuan has no more than thirty thousand troops that could be called elite. Yet Guchen actually dares to demand reinforcements from this king?" Pausing, the Barbarian Heterodox King raised his eyes. His gaze seemed to pierce through the chasm of smoke to look upon the massive fortress of Beifeng City. "This smoke can conceal Great Yan's soldiers, but naturally, it can also conceal the people of our Sacred Race. If Wuyuan wants to ride out and raid our camp, let her. This king will fight his battle, and she will fight hers. "Zhaye, go tell Guchen there will be no reinforcements. This king will personally lead troops to assault the south wall. Right now, morale inside Beifeng City is crumbling. As soon as the South Gate falls, Beifeng City will be in our Sacred Race's grasp!"