December 11th, Forest of No Return, Heavy Snow.
The roads in the Forest of No Return were rugged. Only one of the mountain roads was relatively flat and could still be used to transport supplies. This road was called the Coiled Snake Road and was extremely winding. At this time, the Coiled Snake Road was covered by heavy snow, but from afar, one could see that the Celestial Empire's grain transport team had a lot of people. There were at least five thousand of them. A large group of people at the front swept the snow and cleared the road. At the back, there were cavalry on war horses helping to drag the grain carts that were stuck in the mud.
At the same time, there were two Dragon Knights hovering in the air. Sending two Dragon Knights to protect the grain route was enough to show how cautious Chen Yu was in using his troops. However, this time, he was destined to fail.
On the mountain ridge behind the Coiled Snake Road, the densely packed cavalry and archers were already ready. Banners fluttered in the cold wind. Liu Buyi, Si Kongyao, and the others stared at the two Dragon Knights in the air.
"Is there no problem?"
Liu Buyi frowned and said, "Are these two Dragon Knights blind? We are so close, but they actually turned a blind eye to the ten thousand strong army?"
Lin Muyu said, "Don't talk nonsense. Her Majesty the Female Slayer has set up a blinding enchantment in our entire area. Even the Dragon Knights can't see it."
The female slayer wore a white cloak and glared at Liu Buyi. Liu Buyi's heart almost stopped.
Qin Yin smiled and said, "Then when do we make our move?"
"Don't rush. Wait until all the grain carts arrive at the Coiled Snake Road." Lin Muyu's eyes were cold and said, "There are at least five hundred thousand dans of grain. This is at least ten days' worth of rations for Chen Yu's one million troops. As long as we cut off their rations, Chen Yu will be begging for death."
Si Kongyao chuckled and said, "How do we make our move?"
"Let's get rid of these two Dragon Knights first."
Lin Muyu squinted at the sky and said, "In a while, Xiao Yin and I will go up together. Each of us will kill one of them before they release the wolf falcons. Xiao Xi will lead Buyi and Yao to attack from the ground. Remember, leave some alive and try to ensure that their armor is intact."
"Why?" Liu Buyi asked.
Lin Muyu looked at him as if he was an idiot and said, "Tell me, what are we doing now?"
"Intercept their rations!"
"But?"
"There's nothing else …"
Lin Muyu facepalmed. "Buyi, you idiot, you're thinking of killing two birds with one stone. Don't forget that Chen Yu has at least one million dans of grain in Lanhe County, ten miles east of Eastcalm City. If we don't burn down the Lanhe County granary, I'm afraid Chen Yu will be able to hold on for a while. We'll change into the Celestial Empire's grain carts here and sneak into Lanhe County's granary. Only then can we burn down Chen Yu's last hope."
"I understand …"
Liu Buyi cupped his fists and said, "Lin General is truly smart!"
"This is just the basic strategy for marching troops. Read more when you have time."
"Yes!"
… …
Thirty minutes later, the operation began. The drums on the mountain sounded in unison.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two beams of light shot into the sky. Lin Muyu's Xuan-Yuan Sword had already been unsheathed, and the blade slashed straight at the Dragon Knight on the left. Chaotic Light!
"Ah?!"
The Dragon Knight hurriedly pulled out his sword to block, but how could he block it? Lin Muyu's sword borrowed the power of the mountains and broke the Dragon Knight's sword with great force. The Xuanyuan Sword cut into the Dragon Knight's armor with unstoppable force, and blood splattered everywhere. In just an instant, the Dragon Knight, who had the cultivation of the fifteenth level of Grotto-Heaven, was killed.
In another direction, Qin Yin's Stellar Sword had also killed another Dragon Knight. The first strike of Xi Yan's Seven Slashes, Split, was extremely lethal!
On the ground, the sounds of killing rang out. Tang Xiaoxi turned into a fiery light and shuttled through the crowd of the grain carts. She held the Diggs Spear in her hand, and the tip of the spear turned into fiery light as it flew out continuously. This allowed the Bai Ze Mercenaries to seize absolute dominance on the battlefield with almost no losses.
In less than ten minutes, more than half of the five thousand grain carts of the Celestial Empire were killed. The remaining one thousand or so surrendered. Their fighting spirit didn't seem to be very strong.
Under Lin Muyu's orders, the Bai Ze Mercenaries imprisoned these one thousand cavalrymen, and Liu Buyi selected one thousand elites. They put on the clothes of the grain carts and escorted the grain carts to Lanhe County.
Watching the grain carts leave, Liu Buyi sighed. "I taught these one thousand people personally. Lin General, do you think they can come back alive?"
"Most of them can't." Lin Muyu said.
Liu Buyi's heart turned cold. "But Lin General … You told them that as long as they burn the granary, they can enter the stables, steal the war horses, and escape …"
"If I didn't say that, they definitely wouldn't be willing to go."
Lin Muyu exhaled a breath of hot air and rubbed her cold palms. "I can only give them hope and let them complete this impossible task. What kind of person is Chen Yu? He's good at scheming. His granary will definitely be heavily guarded. Even if they go in, it will be very difficult to get out. "
"But …"
Liu Buyi was stunned.
Sikong Yao, who was at the side, patted his shoulder and said, "Commoner, you should also understand the principle of not being merciful in commanding an army. You can't bear to let the officers and soldiers throw away their lives, this is the reason why you are qualified to be a General, but Big Brother Ah-Yu can do this, this is the reason why he is qualified to be a Marshal. If even he is as indecisive as you, then this battle has already been lost."
Lin Muyu was silent. She quietly turned around and sat on a rock. She didn't even sweep away the snow on the rock.
"Are you alright?"
Qin Yin quietly accompanied her.
"I'm fine."
Lin Muyu raised her head to look at her and smiled. "I can overcome this mentality. Over the years, tens of thousands of people have died for me, but I know that what I'm doing is right. Only by doing this can fewer people die. Only by doing this can the world be unified."
The female murderer nodded her head in approval.
Liu Buyi seemed to think for a long time. "Then what do we do now?"
"Continue to seal off the Celestial Empire's grain routes, mine stones, and build fortresses along their retreat routes." Lin Muyu stood up and said, "Since we've already formed an alliance with the Demonic Spirit Race, we can't lead the Celestial Empire's army into the Forest of No Return. I want Chen Yu's defeated army to return through the Blackstone Empire and have them fight the Blackstone Empire again."
Liu Buyi stood there in a daze. At this moment, he finally understood what war was. War was death and slaughter. It was all about schemes and strategies regardless of the cost.
"Yes, this subordinate understands."
When he looked at Lin Muyu again, there was more respect in his eyes. Perhaps it was as Si Kongyao had said, he had too many things to learn from Lin Muyu.
… …
On the fifteenth day, the Lanhe County's granary caught fire. Chen Yu immediately led 30,000 soldiers to extinguish the fire.
After a day and a night, the fire was extinguished. However, the granary had turned into ruins in the middle of the night. Dust from the burning of the grains fell from the sky, covering every corner of the Lanhe County. It made people feel despair.
Rustle, rustle, rustle …
Chen Yu's battle boots stepped on the muddy ground. He was dressed in a golden military uniform. His expression was extremely ugly as he lightly said, "Where are the supplies?"
A general cupped his fists. "This official is here."
"How much rations do we have left? How many days will it last?"
"The rations in the various camps are enough for three days. The remaining rations in the Lanhe County can support the entire army for another two days. In other words, even if we reduce the rations every day, we can only last for ten days."
"Only ten days?"
Chen Yu's gaze was cold. "What the hell are you all doing? When will the rations transport team arrive? Send my imperial edict back to Scorching Han City. Order the Minister of the Interior to immediately supervise the rations! "
"Your Majesty …" The logistics officer frowned and said, "Our rations route has been cut off by a group of mercenaries. Even if we send people to supervise the rations, the rations won't reach Eastcalm Province."
"What a bastard!"
Chen Yu roared angrily. "What is the Demon Spirit Race trying to do?"
At the side, Liao Yang cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, the Demon Spirit Race's army withdrew five days ago. Most of them returned to the Forest of No Return. It seems that … the Demon Empress has given up on cooperating with us."
"Fickle!"
Chen Yu's palm landed on the wall, leaving a clear palm print. He frowned and said, "Is there no other way?"
"Yes, we can send a small army to the surrounding cities to collect and purchase rations, but the amount won't be too much. The only way is to break into Eastcalm City. There are more than 50 granaries in Eastcalm City. Once they are breached, we will have an endless supply of rations. Furthermore, the defending general, Gong Shangming, is just a weak scholar. "
"Gong Shangming? He's just a defeated opponent of Lin Muyu … "
Chen Yu took a deep breath and said, "Order the army to attack the city quickly. We must take down Eastcalm City within ten days and cut off Gong Shangming's head! Also, send a small army to collect rations. Even if it's looting, they must get rations for me. Don't reduce the army's rations. I can't let the soldiers go hungry while fighting. "
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
…
A day later, the 500,000-strong army of the Celestial Empire attacked the city. The entire Eastcalm City was engulfed in the flames of war.
Although Eastcalm City was an isolated city, it was rich in resources and sturdy. The ones who were even more anxious were the Celestial Empire's army, which had lost their rations.
After three days of attacking, both sides suffered heavy losses. The city was covered in corpses. The Celestial Empire's advantage was the number of Dragon Knights. More than 300 Dragon Knights circled above the city, slaughtering soldiers and burning the granaries. They were unscrupulous. In the blink of an eye, the ancient city of Eastcalm was reduced to ruins. Smoke rose into the sky from within the city, and the people were in dire straits.
"Urgent report!"
A messenger rushed into the tent, panting. "Marshal, we just received news that Bai Ze's mercenaries have set off. They have entered the Forest of No Return and have cut off the Celestial Empire's rations."
"Oh?"
Gong Shangming pressed his hand on the map on the table and said, "No wonder Chen Yu attacked the city like a madman. So their rations have been exhausted. Hahaha, that's great! Have you found out who's commanding the Bai Ze's mercenaries? "
"Liu Buyi and Si Kongyao."
"That's … impossible, right?" Gong Shangming frowned. "Liu Buyi is just a peasant, while Si Kongyao is the beloved daughter of the Celestial Bliss Sect's Sikong Ming. How could they hit the nail on the head? Investigate further. The Bai Ze's mercenaries must have an expert commanding them. Otherwise, they wouldn't have used such bold and brilliant tactics. "
"Yes!"
Gong Shangming racked his brains as he sat there, muttering to himself, "Who is it … Who is so powerful?"
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