In the blink of an eye, the sky was filled with the glow of sunset.
In the distant horizon, clusters of burning clouds hung high in the sky, layer upon layer, forming a beautiful contrast with the azure sea. A flock of white seagulls flew past the fiery red clouds and disappeared into the distant horizon.
At around five o 'clock, Bai Qi gave the order to retreat.
The Fifth Army, which had been fighting for the entire afternoon, retreated like the tide, leaving behind over 2,000 corpses. Even if the siege was just a test, it was bound to result in heavy casualties.
As the army returned to the satellite city, the afternoon's test came to an end. Night fell quietly, and the hustle and bustle receded. The two warring sides could finally calm down and plan for tomorrow's battle.
This was especially true for Morocco. The sudden war had caught them off guard, and they had to respond hastily. They had no time to think during the day. Naturally, they had to use the rest time at night to make arrangements.
This matter concerned the survival of the country, so they had to be cautious.
Under the night sky, Rabat City was like a wounded beast, silently licking its wounds in the darkness. Smoke rose from the homes of the frightened citizens. Life had to go on, after all.
However, the city lacked the longing and joy of the past, and was filled with anxiety and unease.
Once the beast known as war was released, it would inevitably lead to thousands of miles of red cliffs and countless casualties. Little did the citizens know that today's casualties were just an appetizer.
The real catastrophe was far from arriving.
…
Rabat City, the royal palace.
In the night, the royal palace was still brightly lit. The Imperial Guards were on high alert, and the royal palace was heavily guarded. The usually solemn and dignified palace was now shrouded in a sense of decadence.
In the magnificent hall, the elderly Mohammed VI sat on the throne. The flickering candlelight blurred the King's expression, but his brows were furrowed and his expression was solemn.
At that moment, a civil official, a general, and a player were standing in the hall.
The civil official was the royal clerk, Hisham, the general was the commander of the Imperial Guards, Ismail, and the player was Amidi, the leader of the Golden Mercenary Group, the number one guild in Morocco.
The battle reports from the day had been compiled, and the situation was not optimistic.
Mohammed VI asked, "Ismail, are the Imperial Guards confident in tomorrow's battle?"
Ismail was the only famous historical general in Morocco. He was also from the royal family and was deeply trusted by Mohammed VI. When he appeared in the wilderness, Ismail was just over thirty, the prime of his life.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty." Ismail's voice was sonorous and powerful as he said confidently, "Today's defeat was due to the enemy's shameless sneak attack and the attack launched by the water route, using the enemy's strong points to attack our weak points. After today, the war situation will have stabilized, and the enemy will not have an easy time in the siege battle. "
Amidi echoed, "The general is right. In the afternoon, the enemy's probing did not gain any advantage over us. Instead, they lost a large number of men. This is enough to prove that the chances of victory are only fifty-fifty. "
Hearing this, Mohammed VI's expression relaxed a little.
"When will the army from the territories arrive?" Mohammed VI asked.
The kingdom's clerk, Hisham, stepped forward and said, "Because the three lords are not in the kingdom, the operation is a little delayed. Fortunately, we've received letters from the three territories this afternoon, saying that they've gathered their armies and teleported to Casabianca. They'll arrive at the capital tomorrow. "
Although the letters from the three lords were intercepted by Kalia, they still formed an alliance in the end. At this time, the other high-ranking officials in the territories naturally understood. Although they did not receive the order, they still mobilized the army and teleported to Casabianca.
Tomorrow, the three armies would meet together and rush to the capital, Rabat.
If Kalia had not intercepted the letters, the three armies would have arrived outside Rabat later that day. Kalia's assistance, however, bought Huo Qubing precious time to set up the ambush.
Hisham continued, "Your Majesty, there is another piece of good news. According to the report from Caroline, the Lord of Casabianca, they have persuaded the Spanish Armada to come to our aid. "
"Good!"
The two pieces of good news finally made Mohammed VI feel a little relieved. Then, Mohammed VI's expression became gloomy, and he said, "The Great Xia Dynasty has the ambition of wolves. Since they are heartless, they can't blame us for being unjust. Pass down the order to arrest all the eastern merchants in the city overnight. Those who dare to resist will be killed without mercy! "
Mohammed VI was not a merciful lord, and his hands were also stained with blood. More importantly, Mohammed VI wanted to use this method to rally the people's will to fight and unite them against a common enemy.
"Yes!" Ismail's murderous aura was awe-inspiring. It seemed that he was ready to kill to establish his authority. "Let's use the heads of these merchants as a sacrifice to the imperial guards who died in the battle of Udaya Castle."
Ismail could not let go of the loss of nearly 50,000 elites in one go.
This was what it meant when the city gate caught fire, the fish in the moat suffered.
Before the start of the war, the three major imperial merchants of the Great Xia Dynasty had long received the news. Coupled with the fact that their merchant ships had been requisitioned by the army, they had already left Morocco without a trace.
The other merchants of the dynasty, including those from other parts of China, were not so lucky, and might have to suffer.
Ouyang Shuo was helpless in this regard. All he could do was to compensate these merchants after the war. As for risking the leak of the plan to inform these merchants in advance, Ouyang Shuo was not that great.
Unknown risks were a part of ocean trade.
…
As soon as Ismail left the palace, he immediately mobilized the imperial guards to start a massacre in the city. Hundreds and thousands of eastern merchants who were living or temporarily staying in Labate City were dragged out, and their blood splattered on the spot.
These merchants were already on tenterhooks since the start of the war, but they were unable to leave the city. All of them were anxious and wanted to be cowards. They stopped doing business and hid in the city.
They never expected that they still couldn't escape the misfortune.
The Moroccan commoners were in a fit of anger, so how could the merchants really hide?
Mehmed VI said, "Those who dare to resist will be killed without mercy." Ismail naturally understood it to mean that all eastern merchants would be killed without mercy.
Whether there was resistance or not, it wasn't up to the imperial guards to decide.
In less than an hour, thousands of corpses had been carried away, and it was a horrifying scene.
The imperial guards were in a killing frenzy. At first, they were only killing eastern merchants, but later on, they couldn't escape misfortune as long as they saw an eastern face. Even the Black Snake Guards' spies that were hiding in the city, and two of them were from the kingdom.
Fortunately, the spies trained by the Black Snake Guards were mainly locals. Even if they were from the kingdom, they had a secret stronghold in Labate City, and it was guaranteed that they wouldn't be found by the imperial guards.
Otherwise, it wouldn't just be those two who suffered.
Those two were unlucky to have been carrying out a mission outside and bumped into the muzzle of the gun.
That night, Labate City was filled with blood, and it wasn't peaceful at all.
…
Satellite City, the mayor's residence.
Compared to Labate City's somber and fearful atmosphere, Satellite City was quiet as soon as night fell, as if it was an empty city. The soldiers of the various battalions finished their dinner and stayed in their respective camps to recuperate and build up their strength.
Ouyang Shuo had just returned to the mayor's residence after visiting the wounded soldiers in the barracks. Jia Xu walked over and reported, "Your Majesty, Commander Huo sent a letter saying that everything is ready."
Ouyang Shuo nodded and said, "Should we arrange for Lü Bu's army to provide support?"
Huo Qubing had ambushed the armies of the three Moroccan territories. The total number of soldiers was more than 130,000, which was almost twice the number of the imperial guards' second corps.
Jia Xu thought for a moment and said, "I think it's best not to. Firstly, the Tiger Leopard Cavalry is an elite force, and it shouldn't be too much of a problem for them to plot against us. Arranging for Lü Bu's army to leave the city might instead alert the enemy. Secondly, we still need Lü Bu's army to hold the fort for tomorrow's siege. "
Ouyang Shuo nodded again, agreeing with Jia Xu's judgment.
According to the plan, the main force would still be probing Labate City tomorrow and slowly wear down Moroccan's fighting spirit. The main show tomorrow would still be the ambush led by Huo Qubing.
As long as the Moroccan army was eliminated, Labate City would be an isolated city.
At that time, the expeditionary army would have too many choices. At the very least, they could temporarily retreat to Casabianca or obtain logistical supplies from Casabianca.
Therefore, tomorrow's ambush was crucial, and it was no wonder that Ouyang Shuo would personally ask about it.
"Your Majesty, there's one more thing."
Jia Xu hesitated for a moment, but still told him about the massacre that had taken place in Labate City that night. The Black Snake Guards had immediately sent this information to the command center.
Ouyang Shuo's eyes flashed coldly when he heard this. "Moroccan is digging their own grave." He paused for a moment before asking, "Did their massacre affect the operation to detonate the fuel depots?"
Jia Xu said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. The Black Snake Guards' elite spies have already hidden themselves, and the imperial guards won't be able to find them. Moreover, many of the spies are Westerners, so there's no need to worry about being implicated. Therefore, the operation won't be affected. "
"That's good."
… …
20th of May, Casabianca.
The sun rose as usual at seven in the morning. Bathed in the white morning light, the garden city was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds, refreshing and relaxing.
This morning, however, Casabianca was filled with an austere aura.
At the first glimmer of dawn, the 130,000 troops had already assembled outside the city. Without any delay, they marched majestically toward Labate City.
Behind the army were more than 10,000 adventurers, the combat professional players who had gathered in the city yesterday.
Moroccan didn't produce warhorses, so apart from less than 10,000 cavalry, the rest of the army were infantrymen. There was also a special unit that was entirely black.
In Moroccan history, during the Alaouite dynasty, a well-trained black Muslim army had been formed, and they were invincible in the country at that time.
In the game, this black Muslim army became a special unit. They were most adept at fighting in the scorching desert environment, and they were extremely resilient.
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