The war had gradually turned into a battle of wills.
Whoever was the first to show fatigue, even if there was a trace of timidity, would lose.
Luckily, the Eastern Army had an experienced God General who could adjust the battle strategy according to the situation on the battlefield. After Zheng He made some minor adjustments to the cannons and other units, he gave an order, "Deputy General Pei!"
"Here!"
"Take the personal guards, reserve units, and two thousand sword and shield troops and suddenly attack from the flanks. You must hit the target in one strike and completely crush the enemy's will to fight. Do you understand?" Zheng He gathered all the troops he could use and took the initiative to attack.
"Yes, Sir!"
Pei Donglai had complete trust in Governor Zheng He.
"Remember, you only have half an hour." Zheng He's expression was not relaxed at all. The entire Eastern Army was like a taut string that could snap at any time.
"Understood!" Pei Donglai turned and left.
Five minutes later, all the units were assembled. Like two sharp arrows, they suddenly shot out of the formation and stabbed into the flanks of the Mutant Army from the left and right sides.
Because of the limited time, Pei Donglai led the troops and fought fiercely and resolutely. Zheng He, who was in command, commanded the archers, cannons, and gunners to cooperate and cover for the enemy.
Facing the sudden attack from the flanks, the Mutant Army was indeed in chaos. At the end of the day, they were just a group of adventurers. It was basically their first time on the battlefield. They were only able to last until now because of their passion.
In terms of tactical execution, the Mutant Army couldn't even compare to a group of new soldiers.
Both flanks were attacked, and the attack from the middle was blocked. The enemy's formation was like a demon, constantly devouring the lives of its comrades, but it didn't show any signs of fatigue and stood firm.
Pessimism and despair started to spread in the army, and the number of casualties increased exponentially.
Thus, the morale dropped to the freezing point.
"Let's retreat!" someone suggested.
If they continued to resist, they would only make more unnecessary sacrifices.
"Retreat!"
The players cried and slowly retreated from the battlefield.
This time, they didn't leave the battlefield because they were afraid. They weren't deserters. They just couldn't see the light of victory and could only retreat strategically to Fengshan County.
No one could criticize such an army.
"You've done well enough!"
"Welcome back, our heroes!"
Countless women applauded, praised, and hugged the retreating soldiers.
The will of the Star State was far from being destroyed.
However, the two consecutive defeats were a serious blow to the confidence of the Star Nation players. At the end of the war, nearly half of the combat professional players in the Star State were completely buried on the battlefield.
Of the forty thousand mutants, less than ten thousand returned alive.
A solemn and stirring feeling lingered in the sky above Fengshan County, lingering for a long time.
As a result, the players' resentment toward the Temasek Mercenary Group increased. The criticism of the Temasek Mercenary Group on the forum was even stronger than the criticism of Shanhai City.
Fengshan County was filled with anxiety, anger, sadness, and all sorts of other negative emotions. Chen Guang led the elite group of the Temasek Mercenary Group to Fengshan County with such emotions.
The entire city was in an uproar when they heard the news!
[Temasek Mercenary Group] had sent out all their elites this time. There were 50,000 combat-class players and more than 10,000 life class players. This lineup was more than the total number of players from the previous two times.
There were less than three thousand reserve troops guarding Lion City.
In this way, the rumors would naturally fall apart.
No one could blame the Temasek Mercenary Group anymore.
Fengshan County was once again filled with enthusiasm, and the pessimistic mood from before was swept away.
As the empire in the hearts of the Star Nation players, the Temasek Mercenary Group was invincible in the eyes of the Star Nation players. Even the lord of Fengshan County had to bow before Chen Guang.
Without any obstacles, Chen Guang successfully took over the command of the mutant army.
However, Chen Guang didn't feel the slightest bit proud.
From the lord of Fengshan County, Chen Guang received a detailed report of the frontline battle. After listening to it, he was completely silent. The strength and tenacity of the enemy had completely exceeded his expectations.
Chen Guang climbed up the city wall and looked at the black mass of enemy troops outside the city. His face twitched. In less than an hour, the eastern route's position had been completely transformed.
The entire position was surrounded in a huge arc.
Along the high ground, a hundred cannons were lined up, and the cold muzzles of the cannons were terrifying. Most importantly, there were people constantly working on the position, continuing to strengthen the fortress.
Chen Guang wasn't an ordinary player, and he wouldn't act impulsively. Rushing out of the city to attack such a position was simply suicide. The huge arc was like a giant mouth that could devour all the enemies.
It was as if the enemy had dug a hole and was waiting for the Star Nation players to jump in.
Therefore, Chen Guang decided to defend the city and not take the initiative to attack. In this way, the Star Nation would be invincible. Once the enemy's supplies ran out, they would naturally collapse.
One had to admit that Chen Guang had made a good plan.
At noon, the eastern route's position.
"Phew!"
Seeing the enemy retreat, Zheng He's pale face showed a hint of relief. This was a battle of wills. Under his ingenious arrangements, the Eastern Army had won a complete victory.
As a result, the eastern route got a rare chance to breathe.
The hot cannons got a rest, and the new cannons could be placed on the high ground in time.
When the battle ended, it was already two o 'clock in the afternoon.
As the winner, Zheng He ordered the sailors to rush to the battlefield and retrieve all the weapons and armor left behind by the mutant army. More importantly, they were to retrieve as many arrows as possible.
As for the soldiers, they seized the time to rest, adjust, and replenish some energy.
The position destroyed by the mutant army was repaired at an astonishing speed. The Star Nation players on the city wall could only watch as the enemy recovered step by step.
When Chen Guang arrived with his troops, everything was already over.
"Damn it!" Some people were filled with hatred, but there was nothing they could do.
In fact, the eastern route didn't just stop there.
Using this opportunity, the eastern route led by Zheng He not only successfully built a stronger defense, but also sent troops to the villages outside the city to search for food and supplies.
Some of the able-bodied people in the villages were also sent to the battlefield to assist the army. They continued to strengthen the defense, such as digging trenches and making barricades.
The entire defense became more and more complete.
Some of the able-bodied people were even asked by Zheng He to put on the armor collected from the battlefield and pick up spears to form a servant army.
To the farmers, there was no difference between a war between nations and a war between overlords. Their goal was to survive, and they could compromise on anything for survival.
After all, they weren't soldiers.
Therefore, the formation of the servant army was extremely smooth. However, its combat ability was worrying. It probably couldn't even compare to the mutant army.
Naturally, Zheng He didn't expect the servant army to kill the enemy. He had another goal in mind when he formed the servant army.
Apart from that, there were also some adventure-type players from Star Nation mixed in with the able-bodied people. These players were either fighting monsters in the wilderness or doing quests in the villages. They were all brought back to the camp by the eastern route.
It could be said that they had suffered an unexpected disaster.
Among the players, there were both combat and life professions.
For the entire afternoon, the eastern route moved between the villages. Just like that, they recruited more than 3,000 laborers, formed a servant army of more than 2,000, and captured more than 200 players.
It was a bountiful harvest.
Apart from Fengshan County, the entire territory became the eastern route's territory.
The players in Fengshan County were enraged by the "atrocities" of the Eastern Army. If it wasn't for Chen Guang, they would have charged out of the city and fought the eastern route again.
Chen Guang was also furious. Rationally, he knew that the enemy's goal was to lure them out for a decisive battle. However, emotionally, he was still very angry.
He couldn't bear to see his Star Nation compatriots, especially the players, being chased into the captive camp and tortured.
The hatred between the two sides grew deeper and deeper.
…
The Star Nation players were angry, but Zheng He wasn't having a good time either.
Zheng He didn't expect the new Mutant Army to be so calm. No matter how he tried to provoke them, they didn't make a move and were determined to defend to the end. Zheng He wasn't confident that he could win by attacking Fengshan County. If that was the case, his mission of restraining the Mutant Army would probably fail.
Thinking about how the Marquis was still waiting for news of his victory, Zheng He was extremely worried. Seeing that the sun was setting in the west and the first day was about to end, Zheng He couldn't stay calm anymore.
"Commander, I have a plan," Pei Donglai suddenly said, "but it's against the will of the heavens."
"Speak!" Zheng He said anxiously.
"Didn't we capture a group of Mutants? I'm thinking, if we bring all of them to the front of the camp and execute them one by one, we'll threaten the enemy. We'll execute one person every ten minutes, "Pei Donglai said coldly." I don't believe that the enemy can keep their cool. "
"…"
Hearing this, Zheng He's face twitched and he was speechless. Fundamentally speaking, Zheng He wasn't a qualified general because he wasn't ruthless enough.
In history, Zheng He was a messenger of peace.
If the commander was Bai Qi or even Han Xin, they would have accepted Pei Donglai's suggestion without hesitation.
But Zheng He couldn't.
If it wasn't for the attack on Annan, Ouyang Shuo had given Zheng He a vivid lesson on war. Even Zheng He would have a psychological barrier if he were to attack Xing Nation now.
But now, he had to give the order to execute the prisoners of war one by one. It was really too much.
"Let me think about it," Zheng He said with difficulty.
"Commander, we can't delay any longer!" Pei Donglai looked anxious. "If we delay any longer, it will affect the direction of the entire war. How are we going to explain this to the Marquis?! "
Pei Donglai's words made Zheng He's heart tremble.
After a while, Zheng He said bitterly, "If that's the case, I'll leave this matter to you, General!"
"Yes, General!" Pei Donglai was decisive.
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