460: Chapter 460 Great Victory

As the fifty city guards stationed in the Left Strategy Military Camp at the city gates charged out like arrows released from a bowstring, this pivotal battle—which would determine whether the King and Di Pingjian could swiftly unify the various dynasties in the future—finally and officially began.

To boost morale and inspire the soldiers' determination to defend their home to the death, the King and the State Preceptor, Di Pingjian, decided to personally lead an army of five hundred thousand to proactively meet the Alliance Army, which had been attacking the Palace City Gates for three consecutive days.

"Kill! Soldiers, for our families, for our homes, and for our Dynasty, give it your all and fight to the death!" The King's voice was like a thunderclap, soaring into the clouds and echoing in the ears of the five hundred thousand soldiers.

This command was like a torch, igniting the fighting spirit in every soldier's heart. They gripped their war spears tightly, lining up in neat formations like a Great Wall of steel, and charged out of the city gates one after another like surging waves to bravely slay the enemy.

The besieging Alliance Army had not expected the soldiers of the Chaotian Dynasty to be so courageous as to dare open the city gates and take the initiative to fight. Faced with this sudden attack, the front-line siege ranks instantly fell into chaos, being slaughtered until flesh and blood flew everywhere in a gruesome, unbearable scene with countless casualties.

"Soldiers, kill! This is our chance to slay the enemy and be granted titles and positions!"

Di Pingjian's hair flared with rage as she shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice resonating through the sky like a crack of thunder. The Flying Horse beneath her was like a bolt of lightning, galloping past with hoofbeats as dense as drum rolls, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The precious sword in Di Pingjian's hand shimmered with a cold light, each swing bringing a gust of sharp wind that made people shudder. Her swordsmanship was like a violent gale and torrential rain, airtight and impenetrable; wherever she went, enemies fell one after another, blood splattering everywhere.

"Kill!" Di Pingjian's war cry was like a battle drum, inspiring the Chaotian Dynasty's army to fight bravely. Heartened by her, the soldiers' morale soared, and they all shouted "Kill!" as they charged toward the Alliance Army like a pack of fierce beasts.

The cries of slaughter rose and fell, deafeningly loud, as if they would tear the entire battlefield apart. The Alliance Army's morale was already low, and they had no will to fight; now, they were scared out of their wits, their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering from the terrifying shouts.

Furthermore, the overall combat strength of the Alliance Army coming to besiege the city this time was quite mediocre. Most of the soldiers came from small to medium-sized dynasties, and their training and equipment were far inferior to those of the Chaotian Dynasty. While the soldiers from the two Great Dynasties were slightly stronger, their numbers were few.

Under Di Pingjian's fierce assault, the Alliance Army's front-line charge was quickly routed. Soldiers fell in swathes like mowed wheat, their blood staining the earth red. More than half of the Alliance's front-line siege force was cut down from their horses by the Chaotian Dynasty's army in a short time, leaving the battlefield littered with severed limbs and corpses lying in every direction.

The remaining Alliance soldiers were terrified and began to scatter and flee. They had completely lost the courage to fight and only wanted to escape this horrific battlefield as quickly as possible.

Even the more than three hundred thousand Alliance troops waiting in the rear as reinforcements for the siege began to panic. Seeing their comrades ahead defeated so easily, fear spread through their hearts like a plague.

The commanding generals of the rear reinforcement army gathered with solemn expressions to discuss how to handle the crisis. Some generals watched the thousands of troops pouring out of the city gates like a tide with great worry; believing the situation was already very unfavorable, they suggested immediately ordering the Alliance Army to retreat to preserve their strength.

However, other generals held a different opinion. They believed their task was to exhaust the strength of the Chaotian Dynasty's city guards, and even in the face of difficulties and risks, they absolutely could not retreat easily. Particularly the generals from the two Great Dynasties were exceptionally firm in their stance; they were convinced this was the perfect opportunity to annihilate the opponent and break through Chaotian City, so they could not miss this chance—how could they possibly withdraw?

Both sides held to their arguments, debating endlessly, and the atmosphere on-site became extremely tense. Ultimately, because the generals from the two Great Dynasties held higher status within the Alliance and their views were supported by some other generals, the rest had no choice but to helplessly follow their orders—to engage the enemy forces coming out of the city.

Just as this Alliance force was preparing to deploy its entire army to meet the enemy, a messenger suddenly galloped over with shocking news. It turned out the general currently leading the siege had sent word that the King and State Preceptor of the Chaotian Dynasty had personally led troops out of the city gates, and that the Chaotian Dynasty's guards were exceptionally powerful. Their ten thousand siege soldiers were nearly wiped out, the situation was critical, and they urgently needed support from the main commander.

The main commander of this Alliance force had been preparing for the upcoming fierce battle, but when he received the report from the soldier, a sense of unease welled up in his heart. He realized that the Chaotian Dynasty's move to come out and fight might not be as simple as it appeared on the surface, as even the King had personally taken to the battlefield.

Faced with this situation, the main commander knew he couldn't afford to be careless. He immediately decided that before engaging, he would transmit the vital intelligence of the Chaotian King personally joining the battle to the encampment of the ten-million-strong Alliance Army at the highest speed. He quickly dispatched a trusted messenger, ordering him to reach the encampment as fast as possible and accurately convey this news to the other generals of the army.

At the same time, the main commander realized that the army he led might not be able to handle the Chaotian King's personal expedition alone. Therefore, while sending the messenger, he also sent an urgent request for the main army to reinforce him. He hoped that by doing so, he could bolster his army's strength to deal with the potentially difficult situation.

The battle on the side of the King and Di Pingjian progressed exceptionally smoothly, one could even say they were like a hot knife through butter. The Alliance Army's combat strength was simply too weak, and they had no will to fight at all; thus, in the face of the powerful offensive of the Chaotian Dynasty's five hundred thousand troops, the Alliance siege units were completely fragile.

Before long, the nearly forty thousand Alliance siege troops in the front row had been slaughtered to the last man. These front-line units didn't have any decent battle formations to begin with and were essentially a disorganized rabble that only knew how to crash blindly toward the city, so killing them took no effort at all.

Immediately following that, Di Pingjian and the King encountered the Alliance Army's backup siege force. This army numbered around sixty thousand, and they were arranged in a powerful military formation, with combat strength clearly much higher than the soldiers who had been eliminated previously.

However, faced with the absolute numerical advantage of the Chaotian Dynasty's five hundred thousand troops and the fact that the Chaotian City guards were several times stronger in combat power, the Alliance's sixty thousand backup troops also quickly had their formation broken and suffered heavy losses.

Seeing that the enemy showed signs of wanting to flee, Di Pingjian and the King unhesitatingly dispatched their cavalry, quickly cutting off the retreat path of the Alliance backup troops. In the end, only a mere few hundred people managed to escape a step ahead, while everyone else was firmly surrounded on the battlefield by the Chaotian Dynasty's army.

Before the absolute number of soldiers and overwhelming combat power, the army led by Di Pingjian and the King was like a violent storm, quickly drowning the surrounded Alliance soldiers. Under such a powerful offensive, these Alliance soldiers simply couldn't resist and were soon completely wiped out.

However, just as the battle was about to conclude, several thousand Alliance soldiers realized the situation was hopeless and laid down their weapons, attempting to surrender to save their lives. Faced with these surrendering soldiers, Di Pingjian and the King did not hesitate in the slightest and directly ordered them to be executed.

This decision seemed cruel, but it was actually a result of careful consideration. Because the Chaotian Dynasty's own military strength was very limited, accepting these surrendering soldiers would not only require diverting part of their forces to guard them but also risk a sudden rebellion. After all, in war, human hearts are unpredictable, and no one could guarantee these surrendering soldiers wouldn't suddenly change their minds and coordinate with the enemy from within at a critical moment.

Furthermore, Di Pingjian and the King knew clearly that the upcoming battles might be even more intense. They needed to concentrate all their forces to deal with the potential return of the enemy. If their forces were thinned out because of these prisoners, they might fall into a passive position at a critical moment, potentially leading to the loss of the entire campaign.

Therefore, although the decision was somewhat cold-blooded, it was the wisest choice under the circumstances. Only in this way could they ensure the Chaotian Dynasty maintained enough strength for the subsequent battles and wouldn't have their grand plans ruined by these surrendering soldiers.

"Pingjian, what should we do next? Continue to strike toward the Alliance Army's encampment, or return to the city and lock the gates to defend to the death?"

The King's face was filled with Killing Intent, and the King's Sword in his hand was still dripping with the blood of enemy soldiers, that dark red blood appearing particularly jarring under the sunlight.

Di Pingjian looked back at the five hundred thousand soldiers whose morale had reached its Peak; every one of them was high-spirited and brimming with Killing Intent, as if they couldn't wait to continue the charge.

However, Di Pingjian still suppressed the desire for battle in her heart, knowing that now was not the time for impulsiveness.

"Your Majesty, we should wait a few more hours," Di Pingjian analyzed calmly.

"If the five thousand Martial Artists we dispatched can successfully intercept and kill the Alliance reinforcements, or if the thirty thousand Shadow Kill Squad members we sent out can successfully burn down the Alliance Army's granaries, then we will continue to strike at the Alliance Army and crush them in one fell swoop.

But if both fail, we can only return to the city to defend. After all, our military strength is limited; we cannot take risks."

The King listened to Di Pingjian's words, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

He knew Di Pingjian's judgment was correct. Although the army's morale was high right now, without subsequent support and security, a reckless attack on the Alliance Army's encampment could lead to heavy losses.

"Fine. Pass down the order for the entire army to reorganize on the spot!"

The King decisively issued the military order. With the transmission of the command, the five hundred thousand soldiers quickly halted their advance and began to rest and reorganize where they were, replenishing their strength and adjusting their equipment.

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we must dispatch several more groups of Secret Scouts to strictly monitor the Alliance Army's encampment!"

Di Pingjian said with a grave expression, "If the Alliance Army suddenly dispatches a large force to attack again and our army fails to detect it and respond in time, I fear the consequences will be unimaginable!"

After properly settling the soldiers injured in this battle, Di Pingjian came up with this temporary suggestion to ensure the army's safety.

She knew that intelligence was vital in war, and even a slight oversight could lead to total defeat.

The King pondered for a moment and felt that what Di Pingjian said was not without reason.

Originally, the Secret Scouts sent out earlier were enough to track the Alliance Army's movements, but to be safe and ensure nothing went wrong, the King ultimately decided to adopt Di Pingjian's suggestion.

At this moment, Di Pingjian proposed a bold suggestion:

She suggested the King issue a decree to mobilize one million of the soldiers remaining in the city to come out, using this to increase the chances of victory against the Alliance Army.

After all, the Alliance Army's scale was massive, nearly ten million strong. Even if the Chaotian Dynasty's soldiers were extremely powerful in combat, fifty thousand soldiers would certainly find it difficult to contend with them.

After deep consideration, the King finally agreed to this suggestion from Di Pingjian.

However, mobilizing a million-strong army out of the city was no easy task; it required time for organization and deployment.

Furthermore, these soldiers could at most serve as reinforcements and could not all reach the battlefield to fight alongside them in a short time.

Fortunately, Di Pingjian and the King had already prepared for a rainy day, having all the soldiers ready for battle at any time.

This way, when they attacked the Alliance Army, these soldiers might be able to reinforce them in time, adding a layer of security for victory.

However, by doing this, the defensive strength within the city would be greatly weakened, with less than five hundred thousand soldiers remaining.

These soldiers were the baseline and absolutely could not be moved further; otherwise, the city interior would become empty and prone to riots.

One must know that those nobles and civil officials had long harbored dissatisfaction with the King's excessive warfare over the years. If turmoil appeared inside the city, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Moreover, besides those restless people in the imperial court, the Vicious Beast Tide was also an issue that absolutely could not be taken lightly. Although the frequency of beast tides was extremely low, even someone like Di Pingjian, who had lived for over thirty years, had only encountered a beast tide once.

Back then, she was just an obscure little cook, yet that one time had caused the Chaotian Dynasty's soldiers to pay a heavy price—losing a full several tens of thousands of men! Since then, there had been no news of a beast tide breaking out.

Nevertheless, the court still needed to retain a certain number of troops, just in case these Vicious Beast Tides suddenly struck again. After all, no one could predict when such a natural disaster would descend once more.

However, unexpectedly, only half a day had passed when a Secret Scout rushed in to report:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, according to the scouts, an army as large as three hundred thousand is aggressively charging toward us, and they are already a mere few hundred kilometers from our current position!"

This sudden news gave both Di Pingjian and the King a shock.

They had been wondering earlier why the Alliance Army besieging the city had suddenly decreased so much.

Now, the answer was finally revealed—it turned out the other side, in order to fight a war of attrition, had actually established a separate camp in a more hidden location further from the city gates to serve as their strategic stronghold.