Undying Life

Chapter 291: Chapter 291: The Twelve Cities by the Sea

On the second day, Zhongshan sat at the commander's desk, with the generals standing respectfully on both sides.

In the center of the great hall was a huge three-dimensional map. After all, the Divine Continent was vast, and the map only roughly outlined Zhongshan's upcoming targets.

The Twelve Cities by the Sea!

These so-called Twelve Cities were twelve fortified cities near the sea. These twelve cities were extremely sturdy, even stronger than Wushuang City.

"Are these twelve cities ancient?" Zhongshan asked with a frown.

"Yes, General. These twelve ancient cities were built fifteen thousand years ago," Shui Wuheng explained.

"Fifteen thousand years ago?" Zhongshan furrowed his brow.

"General, do you know about the 'Great Hong Dynasty'?" Shui Wuheng asked.

"Go on," Zhongshan instructed Shui Wuheng to explain in detail.

"The Divine Continent originally had four major dynasties. Among them, the Great Hong Dynasty was the most powerful. Their national beast was the dragon, and their emperor was named 'Haotian.' Six thousand years ago, Haotian defied the Heavenly Will, broke the shackles of mortal fate, reversed his mortal destiny, achieved immortal status, and ascended to become an immortal," Shui Wuheng explained.

"The Great Hong Dynasty?" Zhongshan listened with a furrowed brow.

"Yes, with the dragon race as their national beast, it is now the strongest race in the world. After the ascension of the Great Hong Emperor, the three princes and a regent of the Great Hong Dynasty split apart. They divided the vast Great Hong Dynasty into four great imperial dynasties. Faced with the emperors who could summon the dragon race, the remaining dynasties of the Divine Continent launched wars one after another to suppress them. Until all four of these splintered imperial dynasties were destroyed, the descendants of Haotian were wanted throughout the world. In the past decade, the last descendant of Haotian on Tianlang Island was finally exterminated! The Haotian lineage has been wiped out!" Shui Wuheng narrated.

"These twelve cities were originally part of the Great Hong Dynasty?" Zhongshan asked.

"Yes, the Great Hong Dynasty built these twelve strongholds along the coast!" Shui Wuheng said.

"Do any of the generals have strategies to capture the cities?" Zhongshan asked the others.

However, the generals shook their heads, indicating that they had no feasible strategies.

"General, these twelve strongholds are even more formidable than Wushuang City. It's not easy to capture them. In the past, the city lords surrendered before they fell into the hands of the Da Yu Empire. Unless there are continuous victories from all directions, the city lords of these twelve strongholds will not give up resistance willingly," Shui Wuheng explained.

"Even cities can be conquered. In a few days, we'll go see just how sturdy these so-called Twelve Cities by the Sea are before planning our attack," Zhongshan said.

"Yes!" the generals agreed.

"Oh, by the way, how are the reports from the other directions?" Zhongshan asked.

"The Da Yu Empire and the Da Guang Empire have recaptured the cities they lost to our empire," Shui Wuheng said.

"Oh? They've recaptured them all?" Zhongshan was surprised.

"Yes! However, they have not yet initiated any outward aggression or invaded our territory," Shui Wuheng said.

"Tell me, how did Shui Jing, Qi Tianhou, and Jinchandu capture the cities?" Zhongshan asked.

"Yes, Qi Tianhou had a giant Qi Tian ape under his command. The ape's hide was tough and impervious to arrows. One day, it climbed into a city, opened the city gates directly, engaged in a fierce battle, and finally, after ten thousand soldiers from the First Battalion of the Da Xuan Army were killed or injured, Qi Tianhou slew the enemy's leader. With no one to lead them, the enemy forces were in disarray and were easily captured by Qi Tianhou," Shui Wuheng explained.

"Alright, what about the others?" Zhongshan continued to inquire.

"Jinchandu commanded an army and used so-called Buddhist principles to continuously influence the city lords. They also applied pressure by invoking the name of the Great Weitian Dragon Bodhisattva to forcefully break through the city. In the end, despite the death and injury of thirty thousand people, they managed to capture a city," Shui Wuheng said.

"Hmm, what about Shui Jing?" Zhongshan asked.

Glancing at Zhongshan, Shui Wuheng looked somewhat strange as he replied, "General Shui Jing, perhaps inspired by your actions, followed suit and ultimately managed to capture a city with over twenty thousand casualties."

"Hmm," Zhongshan nodded.

"General, we just received a report!" Shui Wuheng said immediately.

"Oh?" Zhongshan looked puzzled.

"The Da Guang Empire's Grand Commander Xiao Wang has reappeared and is now leading an expedition to the border regions," Shui Wuheng said.

"Xiao Wang?" Zhongshan furrowed his brow in thought.

Last time, due to the Millennium Ghost incident, he had only had a brief encounter with Xiao Wang, but they had not conversed deeply.

"Xiao Wang is very powerful and is known as a military god in the Da Guang Empire. This time, the southwest campaign may be difficult," Shui Wuheng said.

"The southwest? Facing the Da Guang Empire? Who else is facing the Da Guang Empire?" Zhongshan asked.

"Shui Jing and Jinchandu are both facing the Da Guang Empire's forces," Shui Wuheng replied.

"Alright, since it's Shui Jing against Xiao Wang, I want you to keep a close eye on that front and report to me at all times," Zhongshan decided after some thought.

"Understood!" Shui Wuheng immediately replied.

"If the Da Guang Empire is using Xiao Wang again, what about the Da Yu Empire? Has General Yiyuan been mobilized?" Zhongshan pondered.

"There's been no news so far. It seems not," Shui Wuheng replied.

"No news? That's a pity, but it might be for the best!" Zhongshan said thoughtfully.

"General, we've been assigned to the Twelve Cities by the Sea, and others must have been assigned to different cities as well. When should we set out? We can't let others complete the task before us," Shui Wuheng said urgently.

Looking at the excited Shui Wuheng, Zhongshan smiled faintly and asked, "During these days, how many troops have you managed to recruit?"

"Reporting to the General, I have recruited a total of eight hundred thousand troops now. Including the First Battalion of the Da Xuan Army, we already have a million soldiers," Shui Wuheng said excitedly.

"Heh, a million troops, quite ambitious. My quota is also five million, and I can still increase it, but Wuheng, your troops can't be increased anymore. We can't go to war right now," Zhongshan said.

"Huh?" Shui Wuheng looked puzzled.

"Quality over quantity in our troops! Even if you were to take out two hundred thousand troops to compare with the First Battalion of the Da Xuan Army, do you think you could win?" Zhongshan asked.

"Well..." Shui Wuheng furrowed his brow.

"Even if you were to take out half, four hundred thousand troops definitely wouldn't be a match for Zhao Chuan," Zhongshan affirmed.

"General, you're too kind!" Zhao Chuan immediately declined.

"Whether I'm being kind or not, you should know in your heart. I don't even need to see those newly recruited troops. I already know their strength," Zhongshan said.

"But, they're just recruited!" Shui Wuheng looked somewhat innocent.

"New recruits need to be trained extensively. You can seek advice from Zhao Chuan. With your eighty thousand troops, there's too much variance in quality. Some of them are simply not up to par and should be removed," Zhongshan advised.

"Understood!" Shui Wuheng nodded.

"On the battlefield, knowing oneself and knowing the enemy is the key to victory. Right now, we haven't fully grasped our own army, let alone the enemy's Twelve Cities by the Sea. Attacking now would only waste our troops and energy," Zhongshan instructed Shui Wuheng.

"Yes, I understand my mistake!" Shui Wuheng sighed.

"Heh heh, rest assured, we will only fight when necessary, and when we do, victory is assured. We won't be greedy for temporary gains or glory; what we seek is the ultimate triumph!" Zhongshan encouraged.

"Understood!" Shui Wuheng immediately replied.

"Make use of the time to select members. In a few days, I'll inspect the troops and choose those with potential to form the Wolf Cavalry Regiment at Camp Eight!" Zhongshan instructed.

"Yes!" Shui Wuheng nodded.

Da Yu Empire!

Inside the palace, there were only two people.

One sat on the dragon throne, the Emperor of the Da Yu Empire, Nalan Da Emperor!

The other was the former Iron-Blooded General and current Grand Commander of the nation, Tieshao.

"Your Majesty!" Tieshao bowed respectfully to Nalan Da Emperor.

"What's the matter? Everyone has left the court; is there something else?" Nalan Da Emperor frowned.

"Your Majesty, have you seen the recent battle reports? The Great Luo Empire has launched a counterattack, a full-scale one. They've recaptured all the cities we previously took from them. It's only been a few months!" Tieshao expressed concern.

"War is like that, with gains and losses. Besides, our follow-up forces from the Da Yu Empire haven't been mobilized yet," Nalan Da Emperor said solemnly.

"But the results of that battle... the impregnable city of Wushuang, with its formidable defenses, led by Wu'an with a force of one million and five hundred thousand, was actually captured by Zhongshan with only twenty thousand casualties. Twenty thousand against one million and three hundred thousand! Your Majesty, I'm not trying to complain, but this battle was truly chaotic!" Tieshao remonstrated.

"What exactly do you want to say?" Nalan Da Emperor's brow furrowed.

"I want to say that Jilu Wang is incompetent. He has trapped the Great Yu Army in a perilous situation. I beg Your Majesty to reinstate Grand Commander Yiyuan and let him lead the Great Yu Army in a northern campaign," Tieshao pleaded with great respect.

"Did Yiyuan instruct you to say this?" Nalan Da Emperor's face darkened.

"No, the Grand Commander has little time left. He is currently indulging in worldly pleasures and doesn't care about external matters. Even when I consult him, he forbids me from mentioning anything. Your Majesty, for the sake of the Da Yu Empire, please reinstate Yiyuan!" Tieshao bowed at a ninety-degree angle, earnestly pleading.

"Hmph, the Da Yu Empire can survive without Yiyuan. Since he resigned from the post of Grand Commander, he is no longer one. Without him, I can still pacify the Great Luo Empire, and the Da Yu Empire will stand strong," Nalan Da Emperor said angrily.

"But recently, I heard that Grand Commander Yiyuan is about to leave," Tieshao said anxiously.

"Leave? Where to?" Nalan Da Emperor's eyes narrowed.

"He said he wants to travel the world!" Tieshao said immediately.

"Hmph, he's not allowed to leave. Spread my decree: as soon as Yiyuan steps out of the Sky City, he will be charged with treason," Nalan Da Emperor ordered.

"Your Majesty!" Tieshao exclaimed anxiously.

"You may leave!" Nalan Da Emperor dismissed him directly.

"Yes!" Tieshao could only sigh and leave.

At Yiyuan's residence, Yiyuan was still feeding the fish in the pond.

Behind him, Tieshao, now the Grand Commander of the Da Yu Empire, still maintained the etiquette of a junior, recounting all the events of meeting Nalan Da Emperor to Yiyuan.

Watching the fish in the pond, Yiyuan gave a bitter smile. "Nalan Piaoxue? He's waiting. Waiting for good news from the frontlines to mock me in front of the world. If good news comes, he'll ridicule me; if bad news comes, he'll force me to lead the troops."