In Lingnan, the steel wall stood like a giant in the autumn wind. In the distance, the red maple trees were like fire. The maple leaves fluttered in the wind, reaching dozens of meters high. It was a beautiful sight, but also a bit bleak.
On top of the wall, Qin Yi, the commander-in-chief of Yihe Country, was wearing a dragon robe. He narrowed his eyes at the endless maple leaves and said, "Have you decided, General Long?"
"Yes!"
Beside him, Long Qianlin, who was wearing a marshal's military uniform, pointed at the steel wall and said, "The craftsmen of Lingnan have forged these armored vehicles. Each of them weighs several thousand pounds and is propelled by ten people hiding inside. The armored vehicles are surrounded by steel thorns. As long as we are on flat ground, the Armor Demons will never be able to compete with us."
"How many of these armored vehicles do you have?"
"We need too much iron, so we only have three hundred for now. But there will be more and more. I plan to counterattack three days later. We will use the cavalry to lure the main force of the Demon Race to a decisive battle, and then use the armored vehicles to defend against the enemy. We will kill all the demons south of the Qinling Mountains and recapture the territory of Yihe Country in the north of the steel wall.
"Yes." Qin Yi nodded and said, "Since I have already handed over the military power of the Yihe Nation to Commander Long, then you will have the final say in the military matters. However, isn't it a little too hasty to start the attack in three days?"
Long Qianlin cupped his hands and said respectfully, "General, the First Corps of the Demon Race fought against the Empire in Cangnan Province. Twenty thousand of them were beheaded by Feng Jixing with the Qiankun Battle Formation, and sixty thousand Armor Demons were drowned by Lin Muyu. Now the First Corps of the Demon Race has been completely destroyed. Lei Chong has also led the main force of the Second Corps back to Lingdong Province. At this time, there are no more than twenty thousand Demon Race troops left in Yihe Country's territory. If we don't take advantage of the situation to counterattack, I'm afraid we will lose the opportunity."
"I understand."
Qin Yi smiled faintly and said, "White Drill Arrow … How's the research going?"
Long Qianlin furrowed his brows, and said, "It's said that most of the white diamond arrowheads in the Yihe Nation were forged by Lin Muyu using a mysterious method. The arrowheads are extremely sharp and can pierce through battle armor. Even though we obtained a lot of white diamond arrowheads during the war, the craftsmen of the Southridge region have never been able to match Lin Muyu's forging standards. However... the white diamond arrowheads we forged using the fire refinement method are also quite good. They can pierce through steel armor and the hard armor of the Armored Demons. We now have over 500,000 white diamond arrowheads, and the iron ore in the Southridge region is abundant, so I'm sure it won't be too much of a problem for us to repel the demons with these arrows."
"Alright!" Qin Yi smiled and said, "Also, the arrow box … those sharp weapons that can shoot arrows quickly, can we forge them?"
Long Qianlin said with some difficulty, "Commander, the arrow chests are manufactured by the Imperial Armament Department of the Ministry of Works. We can't find the blueprints at all. Moreover, the people we sent to Lanyan City to search for information also didn't bring back enough information. I'm afraid it'll be very difficult for Lingnan to develop the arrow chests in a short time."
"Mm, got it." Qin Yi stroked his beard and said, "I heard that … Zeng Yifan has returned to Lanyan City."
"Hmph, that little old man …"
Qin Yi's eyes were cold as he looked in the direction of Lanyan City and said, "Zeng Yifan, the so-called Empire's God of War … Heh, back then, we made a secret agreement to work together. But now, because of … because of Qin Jin, he betrayed me. How hateful!"
"Because of Qin Jin?" Long Qianlin was surprised.
Qin Yi said calmly, "That's right. Before the Yihe Nation was founded, a lot of the information about Lanyan City was given to me by Zeng Yifan. Moreover, I made a secret agreement with him that once the Yihe Nation was founded, I would confer him the title of King. Unfortunately … when I was determined to kill Qin Jin, Zeng Yifan, that two-faced villain, vehemently opposed it. After I killed Qin Jin, Zeng Yifan never contacted the Yihe Nation again."
"Perhaps, in Zeng Yifan's heart, Qin Jin is still a saint …" Long Qianlin said with a sigh.
"A saint?"
Qin Yi couldn't help but sneer, "If Qin Jin was a saint, he wouldn't have lost half of his empire so easily, and he definitely wouldn't have allowed himself to die at the Fairy Lake."
Long Qianlin said calmly, "The transportation between Lingnan and Lingbei is inconvenient. The division between the two regions was already very obvious more than a hundred years ago. The Lingnan vassals are all resentful towards the Lingbei Imperial Family, and this resentment has been passed down from generation to generation. It has already been like this since Qin Jin ascended to the throne. I'm afraid this isn't something he can control. However, this general believes that … an emperor who can be protected by someone like Zeng Yifan should be considered a wise emperor, right? You've seen it for yourself. After Lanyan City was breached, Qu Chu, Lei Hong, Yao Yuan, Du Hai, and the others protected Qin Yin with their lives, not to mention the famous Four Generals of Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning. These people were all people that Qin Jin won over. Although Qin Jin is dead, he left behind so many loyal generals and ministers for his daughter. Do you still think that Qin Jin is a fatuous emperor? "
"There's no need to say anything more!"
Qin Yi was a little angry. He stared coldly at Long Qianlin and said, "General Long, don't forget that Qin Jin is the murderer who killed your parents. Are you still going to speak up for him?"
Long Qianlin took several steps back respectfully and cupped his fists. "Please have faith in Qianlin, Great Commander. I'm only standing here because you've given me a chance to kill my enemy with my own hands!"
"Then …" Qin Yi narrowed his eyes and asked meaningfully, "Now that your enemy, Qin Jin, is dead, are you no longer loyal to me?"
"Of course not!" Long Qianlin said calmly, "Before the Demon Race is exterminated, Long Qianlin will pledge his loyalty to the Yihe Kingdom."
"Then … what happens after the Demon Race is exterminated?"
"After that …" Long Qianlin's white cloak swayed gently as he murmured, "My hands are already stained with the blood of the people of the Empire. I've long grown tired of the civil war between humans. After the Demon Race is defeated, Qianlin will naturally disarm and return to the countryside. I only wish to live out my life in peace. I also hope that you can grant this general's request, Great Commander."
"Disarm and return to the countryside?"
Qin Yi glanced at him and couldn't help but laugh. "Qianlin, oh Qianlin, you've always been smart, but you've been muddle-headed for a moment … Back then, you led the army to surround Lanyan City, annihilated the Flying Mount Camp, killed Chu Huaiyin, forced Zhenxiang to her death, and indirectly caused Qin Lei's death. Do you think Lin Muyu, Feng Jixing, and Qin Yan will let you go? Do you think Zhenyifan and Zhenfang will let you go? Disarming and returning to the countryside is easy to say but difficult to do. "
"Great Commander …" Long Qianlin hesitated to speak.
Qin Yi waved his sleeve slightly and said, "Let's talk about the future in the future … If the Empire really wants to find trouble with you for a personal grudge, the million-strong army of the Yihe Kingdom will be at your disposal at any time. As for you … you can stay in the Seven World Palaces and enjoy your life like Senior Celestial Luolan."
"Luolan …"
Long Qianlin murmured, "How long has it been since Senior Celestial Luolan has appeared?"
"After the battle of Lanyan City, Senior Celestial Luolan has never seen me again. She has been staying in the Seven World Palaces to cultivate on her own and only sent her disciples to assist in the battle … However, Senior Celestial Luolan's disciples have been killed by Lin Muyu one after another. I'm afraid Senior Celestial Luolan is already furious."
"But Lanyan City is guarded by Qin Han, who has the strength of a Senior Celestial. Qin Han possesses the God Binding Chains and the Eight Desolations Sword, two first-grade martial souls. In a battle of peak strength, the Yihe Kingdom is already at a disadvantage."
"That's right!" Qin Yi nodded and said, "Fortunately, as a Divine Capital, he doesn't care about worldly affairs. That Qin Han is staying in Lanyan City only so that Qin Yin can cultivate. He won't directly attack the Yihe Kingdom, so we don't have to worry too much."
"There's one more thing, Great Commander."
"What is it?"
"This year, it has rained continuously in Lingnan, causing quite a lot of floods. Many counties have not harvested a single grain. On top of that, after we collected a large amount of military rations, many of the commoners have run out of rations. At this time, we still have to collect autumn rations in exchange for Jinin Coins to supply to the Seven World Palaces. The commoners are already complaining.
Great Commander, please understand, we can't lose the people's hearts! "Qin Yi frowned." It's not that I haven't considered this matter, but … this is the agreement I made with Senior Celestial Luolan. I can't go back on it. How about this … pass down my order, halve the supplies for the Marquises, Earls, Marshals, and Generals' residences in the Yihe Kingdom, and take half of the Jinin Coins from my residence. We can live a hard life, but we can't break our promise to the Seven World Palaces. "
"Yes, I understand!"
… …
On the 15th day of the tenth lunar month in the year 7735 of the Empire, the Yihe Kingdom opened the gates of the steel protective wall. Nearly 300,000 troops poured out in full force. Using the advantage of armored vehicles and white drill arrows, they easily defeated the 20,000 demon guards and regained control of the Qinling Mountains in Lingnan Province and Lingkong Province. At this point, half of the sovereignty of the Qinling Mountains was in the hands of the Empire, while the other half was in the hands of the Yihe Kingdom.
Several days later, Long Qianlin was conferred the title of Marquis Zhennan by Qin Yi for his meritorious service in the Qinling Mountains. At this point, Long Qianlin's status in the Yihe Kingdom had already surpassed Ji Yao, Man Ning, and Ding Xi. He had become the most powerful person in the military and political power.
In the battle of the Wildfire Plains, Lin Muyu killed 60,000 armored demons. This merit not only gave the Empire a chance to breathe, but also improved Long Qianlin's status in the Yihe Kingdom. Just as Feng Jixing had said, the battle of the Wildfire Plains was a crucial battle in the several years of tug-of-war between humans and demons. Without the battle of the Wildfire Plains, the fate of the continent would have been rewritten.
… …
"Pitter patter patter …"
In the late autumn, the heavy rain passed through the forest and hit the leaves, making pitter patter sounds. Under a lush bamboo forest, Lin Muyu, Qin Yin, and Tang Xiaoxi galloped past. They were all wearing straw raincoats. Even so, the rain still splashed on their faces. Originally, Lin Muyu could use the wall of the calabash as an umbrella, but he didn't do so. After all, he was going out for cultivation this time, and he had to preserve his physical strength. This jungle was full of spirit beasts, bandits, and mercenaries. Only by preserving his physical strength could he survive better.
Suddenly, Tang Xiaoxi raised her hand and pointed to the distance in the rain curtain, saying, "Look, there's an inn over there. Let's rest there for a night and continue our journey tomorrow when the rain stops. How about it?"
"Okay."
Lin Muyu felt sorry for Qin Yin and Tang Xiaoxi, so he turned around and urged the horse to gallop away.
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