422: Chapter 409 Coward, Hypocrite. Return to Blue Star.

Outside the Naqi Royal Capital.

The Second, Sixth, and Seventh legions stationed in cities near the capital set out immediately. Traveling day and night, it took them only half a month to successfully rendezvous with the Third and Fifth legions.

With their forces reinforced, the two Legion Commanders of the Third and Fifth legions were overjoyed. They quickly tightened the encirclement, surrounding the royal capital so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.

After maintaining this for three days, Zhang Mu arrived on the scene. He ordered a round of shelling on all four city walls simultaneously. Afterward, he went to the palace to find Novak and mock him to his face, while several Legion Commanders each took charge of attacking one side of the wall.

A total of five Legion Commanders were gathered here; with one for each of the four walls, there was one extra.

After some discussion, they felt that the two Legion Commanders of the Third and Fifth had cooperated for months and shared a certain rapport, so they simply voted for the two of them to team up.

The two had no objections. They casually picked a wall and rushed over to command the artillery to fire.

After one round, the Third Legion Commander gazed at the intact walls of the royal capital, which was encased in a massive hemispherical magic dome, and cursed, "Magic Arrays are truly annoying. Every time we besiege a city, we can't even dream of breaking that layer of shield without shelling it for a whole day!"

The Fifth Legion Commander agreed, "It was the same with the cities I attacked before. Tsk, if only the howitzers were a bit more powerful."

"Or if they were improved to increase the damage against Magic Shields."

"That makes sense. I think we could take inspiration from armor-piercing shells and develop a type of..."

Zhang Mu's order was to stand by after one round of shelling. The two were temporarily idle and began a spirited discussion until they were interrupted by a sudden interjection.

"Good idea. I'll suggest it to the Research Institute when I get back."

The two hurriedly turned around. "Lord Marshal!"

"Mm." Nodding in response, Zhang Mu looked toward the translucent light-blue Magic Shield. "Launch the general offensive."

"Yes!"

"Oh, right.

Use loudspeakers to broadcast into the city. In three days, Lake will completely destroy the royal capital. During this time, anyone willing to leave the city and surrender will be spared."

The Third Legion Commander showed hesitation. "Uh, Lord Marshal, the upper echelons of the Allied Forces will surely block them."

"Then shell the walls into rubble first and eliminate all resisting Soldiers so they can't stop anyone."

"Yes!"

"Remember, only three days. Once time is up, don't worry about whether there are still people in the city—level it to the ground."

The Fifth Legion Commander was stunned. He opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated. Only after a long while did he say, "There might be civilians unwilling to leave their homeland."

"The opportunity has been given to them. If they don't seize it... Heh, if they don't care about their own lives, who do they expect to care? Am I, an enemy, supposed to care?"

After hearing this, the two stood at attention and saluted. "Understood!"

The instruction was passed through the two to the other three Legion Commanders. They immediately commanded the artillery to fire. Countless shells shot into the air, pelting the surface of the Magic Shield like raindrops. The seemingly solid surface rippled like water under the rain as circles of ripples spread out.

The shelling continued until the following morning.

The morning sun rose from behind the mountains, casting soft light over the grassland. Dewdrops on the tips of the grass reflected a golden hue.

"Boom—"

Shells glided through the air, their vibrations traveling through the atmosphere to the ground. The round, translucent dewdrops trembled slightly before being crushed into the mud along with the weeds by the sole of a military boot.

The Third Legion Commander jogged over to the Fifth Legion Commander, who was gazing at the royal capital. "It's about time."

"Mm."

Their prediction was validated as soon as it left their mouths. A shell blasted a crack in a certain spot on the Magic Shield, which rapidly spread outward like a spiderweb until it covered the entire surface.

"Crack—" Reaching its limit, the Magic Shield finally shattered. Fragments of various sizes tumbled and drifted down, dissipating due to depleted mana before they even hit the ground.

The artillery did not stop. They continued for over a dozen rounds toward the base of the wall. Only after the wall was completely demolished did they pant and step back from the howitzers.

The towering wall tilted outward, and flying brick fragments injured a few unlucky Lake Soldiers.

The two Legion Commanders were lucky. Several bricks flew toward them but whistled past their shoulders without a direct hit.

"Cough—" The dust caused by the collapse was overwhelming, sweeping toward the Lake positions with the wind. The Third Legion Commander choked and quickly covered his nose and mouth.

About an hour later, the thick cloud of dust mostly dissipated. The Third Legion Commander called for his adjutant and instructed him to arrange for people to broadcast the message.

The adjutant turned and ran toward the main camp. Shortly after, a military off-road vehicle drove out of the gate and began circling the royal capital. An electronic loudspeaker fixed to the roof continuously looped Zhang Mu's instruction throughout the day: Our legion will shell the Naqi Royal Capital in three days. Those who take the initiative to leave the city and surrender during this period will be spared.

The off-road vehicle circled the capital for three days. Except for a few returns to the camp to refuel, it didn't stop for a moment.

No one left the city on the morning of the first day. In the afternoon, a few citizens walked out alone. They moved with timid steps, approaching Lake's infantry positions. The five Legion Commanders said little, providing food, water, and tents for rest according to the rules.

Perhaps encouraged by those few brave souls and Lake's kind attitude, citizens began trickling out of the royal capital on the second morning, with a scattering of Soldiers mixed in.

These Soldiers did not disguise themselves; they still wore Naqi's standard armor. The Legion Commanders merely glanced at them, told the few Soldiers with uneasy eyes to strip off their armor and change into civilian clothes, and then let them into the camp to go to the designated prisoner area.

Seeing that Lake wasn't lying and indeed treated those who surrendered well, the number of people leaving the city surged on the third day. It grew so large that a long, winding line formed on the grass between Lake's infantry positions and the royal capital.

Zhang Mu stood by the main camp gate, watching the long, snaking line, and asked the Third Legion Commander beside him, "By the end of today, how many people do you estimate will be left in the city?"

"According to intelligence, the population of the Naqi Royal Capital is around eight million. Based on the current rate of surrender..."

The Third Legion Commander's brain wasn't quite up to such complex calculations. He pulled out a pen and paper from his trouser pocket, scribbled for a while, and then looked up confidently. "Half will be left."

Zhang Mu raised an eyebrow. "That many?"

"It can't be helped. Too many people are coming out. We have to record their names, identities, and professions one by one so it's easier to process their... their..."

"Household registration."

"Oh, right, household registration." Blaming himself for being so forgetful and making a fool of himself in front of the Lord Marshal, the Third Legion Commander slapped his forehead in frustration. He then said troubledly, "Recording all this takes a lot of time, which slows down the rate of taking in prisoners. Look, the line has backed up into the royal capital."

Zhang Mu understood. "So when you say half are left, it's not that only half are willing to surrender, but that you can only accommodate half?"

"Uh, yes, Lord Marshal."

"Are you stupid? Be flexible."

"How... how should we be flexible?"

Zhang Mu couldn't bear to look at the Third Legion Commander's confused expression and turned his head away. "Notify them with the loudspeaker. Those willing to surrender should leave the city first and gather at..."

His gaze scanned the distant grassland for a moment. "Gather at that open space over there. We'll do the statistics slowly after the attack is over."

"The Lord Marshal is brilliant!"

"Go, go, go. Who did you learn this flattery from? Get to work."

"Yes!"

He ran to the camp tent and contacted the off-road vehicle via radio. After a while, the loudspeaker broadcasted the new announcement.

Those at the end of the line who were feeling anxious immediately breathed a sigh of relief. They left the queue and hurried in groups toward the open space designated by Lake.

More and more people gathered until it became a sea of heads. Zhang Mu figured it would take at least two days before it was their turn to register, so he ordered the Legion Commanders to send over food, water, and moisture-proof sleeping bags for the night. He then sent people to maintain order and set them aside for the time being.

Time passed slowly, and in a flash, it was the next morning.

The sun shone on the land. The citizens and Soldiers gathered in the open space, huddled in their sleeping bags, were awakened by a flurry of messy footsteps. They rubbed their bleary eyes and sat up.

Their consciousness was still foggy, and their eyes instinctively scanned left and right, looking for the source of the sound.

It wasn't hard to find; only Lake's legions were around them.

Everyone saw Lake's Soldiers in groups of several people, operating a strange and unfamiliar magic item. The Professionals in the crowd knew very well that it wasn't a magic item because they couldn't sense any mana fluctuations at all.

Those were weapons, manufactured by humans themselves, weapons similar to the Magic Crystal Cannons.

As the Lake Soldiers busied themselves, the gun barrels slowly rose. The end of the direction the muzzles were aimed at was the Naqi Royal Capital.

Combined with the loudspeaker that had been broadcasting the announcement non-stop for three days, they seemed to understand something. They stood up one after another, silently gazing at the distant royal capital—their home.

Their home was about to be gone.

But could they hate Lake?

They knew very well that Lake had already been merciful enough. The opponent had no necessity to give them three days to evacuate the city and provide them with water and food.

"Look." A father crouched down and picked up his child, his arm supporting the child's bottom while his free hand pointed toward the capital. "Take one last look at our home."

"Hmm? Can we not look at it anymore? Are we going somewhere very far away?"

The father looked into the child's innocent eyes, not knowing how to explain. He pointed at the capital and emphasized over and over, "Look."

Zhang Mu stayed behind the artillery positions and didn't know the mood of the crowd. Of course, even if he did, he wouldn't care.

This was war, not playing house. War could accept a certain degree of kindness, but it absolutely did not allow for excessive kindness; otherwise, that would be cruelty to oneself.

"Lord Marshal, all howitzers are ready and can be fired at any time," the Third Legion Commander reported as he walked to Zhang Mu's side.

Zhang Mu was in no hurry to order the attack. With a smile, he asked, "Tell me, why didn't Novak stop the civilians from fleeing?"

The Third Legion Commander frowned in thought. "Who is Novak?"

"The Marshal of the Allied Forces."

"Oh." A look of realization dawned on his face, and then he scratched his head. "I don't know."

Zhang Mu looked at the ruins of the collapsed city wall and then at the buildings behind the ruins. "He's probably a coward."

"Huh?"

"Send someone into the city to ask where Novak is."

Would the enemy tell us?

The Third Legion Commander was a bit dazed, thinking it would surely be a fruitless trip.

After a while, Zhang Mu noticed he wasn't moving. He looked back and saw him dazing. "What are you standing there for? Go quickly."

"Yes!" He snapped out of it and hurriedly turned to run toward the main camp.

He had just taken two steps when Zhang Mu called him back. "No need."

"Why?"

"There, he's coming himself." Zhang Mu jerked his chin toward the royal capital.

The Third Legion Commander looked over. A burly man wearing armor, carrying a cloth bundle, was stepping over the rubble and slowly walking toward the main camp.

When he reached the Lake defense line, the infantry raised their guns and stepped forward warily, the dark muzzles pointed at the man's face.

His footsteps paused. He held out his arm, showing the cloth bundle in his hand. "I'm here to surrender. Didn't you say surrenderers won't be killed?"

The white cloth bundle was spherical, as if it contained fruit. However, from the fabric soaked in red liquid at the bottom and the faint smell of blood drifting in the air, it could be deduced that the object inside was clearly not any kind of fruit.

The Soldiers looked at each other. One of them pointed his finger toward the open space where the citizens were gathered. "Go over there first to surrender. Someone will arrange for you to stay in a tent later."

The adjutant was somewhat speechless. Could they not guess his intention with this posture?

"I want to see your Marshal."

"Nonsense! The Marshal is—"

"Let him come over." Zhang Mu's voice came from far behind.

The Soldiers were stunned for a moment. After coming to their senses, they stepped back to both sides to make a path. The adjutant walked through the position along the path, his Mental Energy sensing the Soldiers along the way until he reached Zhang Mu.

Zhang Mu glanced at the blood-dripping cloth bundle in his hand. "Novak?"

"Yes."

"He really is a coward.

Mm, and quite hypocritical."

The adjutant lowered his head in silence.

Zhang Mu waved his hand listlessly. "Handle it yourself."

"Thank you." The adjutant's gratitude did not seem fake. He assumed a proper posture and gave a knight's salute, then turned and left the position along the original path, heading toward the distant woods.

The Third Legion Commander watched the adjutant's receding back and then looked at the silent Zhang Mu. "Lord Marshal, when do we attack the city?"

"The siege was just for him to see. Now that the people are gone, what's the point of attacking? Do shells not cost gold coins to manufacture?"

"Oh." Nodding half-comprehendingly, another question popped into the Third Legion Commander's mind. "Lord Marshal, what did you mean by... coward and hypocritical?"

"Literally."

After saying that, seeing he still had a blank face, Zhang Mu explained patiently, "His suicide wasn't because he was unafraid of death, but because he didn't dare face the outcome of the city falling and the reality of the kingdom's destruction. That's why I called him a coward.

As for hypocrisy, he must have instructed his adjutant before he died to hand over his head to me for disposal, only asking that I don't harm the people of Naqi.

Heh, where was this concern before?

He didn't think about the people of the capital being retaliated against when he was plotting against me, but he remembered after he failed? Who is he putting on a show for?"

The Third Legion Commander seemed to have an epiphany. After a while, he asked again, "Right, who is he putting on a show for?"

"Who else but himself?" Zhang Mu put his hands behind his back and looked at the royal capital with a cold smile. "'I am the hero of Naqi, willing to give up resistance and sacrifice my life for the safety of the people. I have done my best.'

Hmph, he's just moving himself to tears."

Probably understanding now, the Third Legion Commander nodded. "Deceiving even himself—he really is quite hypocritical."

"The Allied Forces either surrendered or fled, and he was the only one who stayed to persist in resistance. Originally, I somewhat admired him." Zhang Mu shook his head and summoned the 'World' light gate. As he walked inside, he instructed, "Don't shell the city anymore; otherwise, it'll be a hassle to move these citizens to other places.

After you eliminate the remaining enemy forces, let them go back. The Soldiers must be strictly supervised for a while. Although they can't cause much trouble, if they really start acting up, it would still be quite annoying."

As his voice fell, Zhang Mu stepped into the light gate. The Third Legion Commander stood straight and said to the light gate that was shrinking from both sides toward the center, "Yes!"