108: The temptation from the water

Duoduo was busy receiving the fleeing Barbarians, while Hua Mulan began reorganizing the Barbarian army to prepare for the Great Qian Dynasty's attack.

Han Huohuo was busy restoring Ke City's economy and commerce.

Jin Biao, the manager of the Tulip Merchant Guild, came to the Barbarian King's palace with a smile, congratulating Han Huohuo repeatedly.

He was genuinely happy; who became the Barbarian King was originally irrelevant to the Tulip Merchant Group.

But Han Huohuo had always had a good relationship with Tulip, so he was clearly the best candidate.

Han Huohuo was also very polite and received Jin Biao in the reception room.

"King, the smell of blood here is too strong."

"There's no helping it. I had people wash it several times, but too many people died here. The smell can't be washed away. You'll get used to it after staying for a few days."

The smell of blood is actually easy to get used to, Han Huohuo thought.

"Sardin is still alive. This is a huge hidden danger. He definitely won't accept this, and war will break out again sooner or later!"

"Haha, it's fine. Now we have the great cause of the Barbarians on our side, he can't win. Moreover, even if Sardin doesn't rebel, I won't spare him. I'll deal with Sardin after I resolve the border issue."

Both of them were silent for a moment.

The border issue, of course, was the border with the Great Qian Dynasty.

However, the Barbarian King had caused such immense destruction to the Great Qian Dynasty; it was impossible for the Great Qian Dynasty to let it go easily.

Han Huohuo could, of course, push all the responsibility onto the previous Barbarian King, but ceding territory and paying reparations would be unavoidable.

This was the price of defeat.

The biggest problem was Tongtian City!

Han Huohuo wasn't that concerned about the Barbarian issue. He occupied Ke City for only one purpose: to protect Tongtian City!

His lowest goal was to ensure that Tongtian City only faced pressure from one side.

He had integrated the remaining Barbarian forces!

Han Huohuo hadn't even caught his breath when someone came to report.

"Report! Sardin does not recognize your rule. He is already recruiting soldiers and buying horses in the north, claiming he will fight you to the death on the battlefield!"

"Report! The Great Qian Dynasty has retaken Wanqing City and sent a large number of scouts to investigate Tongtian City!"

"Damn!"

Han Huohuo cursed. Both sides were moving quite fast.

They won't let me rest!

Hua Mulan and Duoduo came over, asking Han Huohuo what to do.

"Continue scouting, and hold your ground!"

The biggest loss for the Barbarians in this attack on the Great Qian Dynasty was their demigod-level Cyclops troops. Because these behemoths were too conspicuous, they were prioritized and annihilated by Li Dingbei using his Temple Cavalry and Griffons army.

Outside Ke City, on Giant Mountain, only a few old, weak, sick, and disabled ones remained, meaning they hadn't gone extinct.

The advantage was that the consumption of food also significantly decreased.

Hua Mulan and Duoduo both listened to Han Huohuo; they had long been completely convinced by him.

Seeing that Hua Mulan didn't even have a decent piece of armor, Han Huohuo directly gave her the Giant Armor.

Hua Mulan was not at all polite and put it on immediately.

The situation was not optimistic.

To the north, Sardin was eyeing them covetously.

To the south, the Great Qian Dynasty's military might was directed precisely at Tongtian City.

In Wanqing City!

The eighteen feudal lords gathered, with Li Dingbei at the head.

Everyone bowed to Li Dingbei, formally acknowledging his status as the alliance leader.

This battle had showcased Li Dingbei's prestige.

At this moment, Li Dingbei was full of vigor and ambition!

"We cannot let the Barbarians attack our Great Qian Dynasty without paying any price. Our alliance will continue north!"

North!

Everyone was eager to show off their skills.

Everyone was thinking about getting more benefits back. The Barbarians also had many good things. Although their basic resources were scarce, their rare mineral deposits were richer than those in the Great Qian Dynasty.

To go north, one had to pass through the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Within the Ten Thousand Mountains.

There was a city called Tongtian City!

This was the Fire Barbarian God's city!

To the south, Li Dingbei had already begun sending small detachments to test the waters in the Ten Thousand Mountains, with their target directly at Tongtian City!

Han Xin tightly locked the city gates, shut down all transportation and communication, and relied entirely on the Tongtian River for external material exchange.

No one expected that the first battle would actually take place on the water.

Li Dingbei finally discovered that the giant pythons in the Tongtian River were gone.

He immediately dispatched a reconnaissance fleet to advance towards Tongtian City.

The Great Qian Dynasty was not known for its navy. Their pitiful naval forces couldn't even defeat Pirates and could only rely on the support of land-based artillery to barely defend the ports of coastal cities.

But dealing with a bandits from the mountains, Li Dingbei was very confident. Even his single reconnaissance fleet could possibly wipe out the opponent's entire navy.

The scale of the reconnaissance fleet was also considerable, with over twenty small warships sailing up the Tongtian River.

Han Xin was at the dock. His command style was vastly different from Hua Mulan's. This guy was ten thousand times more cunning.

First, he sent out an even smaller fishing boat to meet them.

As soon as they saw the Great Qian Dynasty's fleet, they quickly went up to harass them, then turned and fled. The Great Qian Dynasty's fleet was already arrogant, and seeing such a weak opponent, their blood immediately boiled, and they swarmed after them.

Seeing that they were about to reach the riverbank of Tongtian City, the shore was filled with sounds of weeping and fleeing, a scene of utter misery and desperation.

The commanding officer leading the fleet was overjoyed: "They're finished! Everyone, charge forward and burn the dock! Our troop transports can land here and avoid Yanmen Pass!"

It turned out that even after reconnaissance, Li Dingbei felt that Yanmen Pass was difficult to attack, the terrain was too treacherous. This small city really knew how to choose a location.

That's why he set his sights on the waterway.

Over twenty warships rushed towards the vicinity of the dock.

The residents who were acting scattered and all shouted together: "Lord Han Xin, those fools took the bait! We're running first! The rest is none of our business!"

The Chief was a bit confused. What was going on?

Suddenly, war drums sounded!

The cloth covering the fortifications was lifted, revealing Plasma Cannons inside.

A hundred cannons roared!

Huge firelight flashed on the Tongtian River, like the call of the Grim Reaper.

"A trap, this is a trap!"

"Retreat quickly!"

Over twenty ships turned around, wanting to escape, but their retreat was blocked by several steel warships that appeared out of nowhere.

Countless warplanes flew out from them, launching powerful missiles.

The battle had no suspense.

All over twenty warships were sunk in the Tongtian River; not a single one escaped.

It turned out that Han Xin had ordered a hidden military port dug next door, where the warships were hidden. As soon as the enemy ships came, they immediately blocked the retreat.

Han Xin didn't just want to defeat these fleets; he wanted to ensure everything was foolproof, not letting a single ship escape, cutting off all news.

He wanted to create an information blackout.

Li Dingbei was puzzled.

Why were the dispatched fleets completely silent? Even if they lost, they should have returned to report, right?

Unwilling to give up, he sent out several more waves.

The result was the same as the first time, all disappeared without a sound or response.

This was too terrifying.

The naval general beside him couldn't help it.

"Grand Commandant, stop probing. Let's send thousands of ships and our army will directly flatten that place. Let's strike while the iron is hot and stop being defeated piecemeal by them!"