Kays Translations

Chapter 245: Retreat Without a Fight (Part 2)

Murong Feilong led his personal troops in a rapid charge, aiming to buy time for the main army to prepare for battle. Overhead, planes that had left now returned, with machine guns and aerial bombs relentlessly ravaging the ground.

Gritting his teeth, Murong Feilong took the lead in the charge, using the terrain and magic to conceal his presence. Fortunately, his personal troops numbered only two thousand, all of them skilled warriors at the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage or higher, making it possible to remain hidden.

After advancing about two miles at high speed, Murong Feilong suddenly froze in shock. Ahead, about half a mile away, thousands of Foundation Establishment experts surged over a small hill like a tidal wave.

“Foundation Establishment stage!”

“They’re all Foundation Establishment stage!”

“Three thousand… no, five thousand… no, eight thousand… over ten thousand Foundation Establishment experts! This is Anyang’s army!”

“Can we even win?”

“I heard Anyang doesn’t mistreat prisoners!” This seemingly unrelated statement shattered the morale of most of Murong Feilong’s personal troops.

On Anyang’s side, the vanguard general spotted the enemy and roared, “Surrender, and you will not be killed!”

“Surrender, and you will not be killed!” Over ten thousand Foundation Establishment experts shouted in unison, their voices piercing the heavens. The overwhelming pressure bore down on the soldiers of Songzhou County, crushing their will.

Clang… A flying sword slipped from someone’s hand—this wasn’t cowardice; it was just the reality of facing over ten thousand fully armed Foundation Establishment experts with only two thousand Qi Refining stage soldiers. This was suicide! Resisting meant certain death, and it would serve no purpose—so why not take a step back and surrender?

One person dropped their flying sword—whether out of fear or genuine surrender, it didn’t matter. The moment one person led the way, the rest of the two thousand personal troops immediately demonstrated the truth of the saying: “The power of example is limitless.”

Clatter…

Of the two thousand personal troops, at least fifteen to sixteen hundred threw down their swords. The remaining four to five hundred, Murong Feilong’s true loyalists, all turned their eyes to him, waiting for their general’s decision.

Murong Feilong looked at the rapidly approaching Anyang soldiers and finally made his decision: “Retreat!”

Damn it, surrendering is absolutely not an option. At least, Murong Feilong himself could not surrender—his family was still under Gao Bin’s control. He would rather die in battle than surrender, for he had no idea what fate would befall his family otherwise. Xu Ren understood Gao Bin, and Murong Feilong did too. Gao Bin was no kind man.

Murong Feilong led the charge, and the remaining troops suddenly realized—Oh right, we can run too! In an instant, the remaining four to five hundred turned and sprinted. Those who had already thrown away their weapons also snapped back to their senses and fled—some ran backward, while others dived straight into the forest.

In the rear, seeing this unfold, Anyang’s general roared: “Forget about the ones running—charge the Songzhou County military camp! Break through their lines and disrupt their military formation!”

Over ten thousand elite Foundation Establishment warriors surged forward. Many of the fleeing Songzhou County soldiers were quickly caught and instantly cut down—at this point, there was no time to take prisoners.

Only the six to seven hundred who had surrendered at the start and hadn’t tried to escape were spared. Their cultivation was sealed, and they remained on the ground, awaiting the arrival of the main army.

Meanwhile, on Gao Bin’s side, though he was reorganizing his forces, it was not to fight, but to flee! Just as Xu Ren had predicted, Gao Bin had only come to reap benefits. But now, instead of gaining anything, he had become Anyang’s primary target. After just a brief moment of thought, Gao Bin made his decision—I’m out!

Seeing Anyang’s fierce assault and witnessing two hundred planes dive and attack twice already, Gao Bin finally panicked. Without waiting for his army to be fully prepared, he led about ten thousand of his personal troops in a frantic retreat. As for the rest, he left it to the various generals and commanders to flee on their own.

The moment Gao Bin fled, Anyang’s ten thousand Foundation Establishment elites arrived, cutting through everything in their path like a hot knife through butter.

Since even their commander had run away, the fate of the remaining soldiers was obvious—especially when faced with Anyang’s vanguard, which consisted entirely of ten thousand Foundation Establishment experts!

The so-called two hundred thousand-strong Songzhou County army—when in reality it was only a little over a hundred thousand—collapsed without even putting up meaningful resistance. However, this collapse ended up preserving Songzhou County’s military strength, as Anyang had no time to chase down the fleeing soldiers.

According to Xu Ren’s military strategy, the goal was to scatter and repel the Songzhou County troops to prevent Gao Bin from launching a sneak attack from behind. Then, the main army would march south to attack the flank of Nanyang County—that was the true objective of this operation. Still, a few elite forces were sent to pursue the fleeing Songzhou County troops, at least to prevent them from sending warnings.

Thus, with the complete collapse of Songzhou County’s army and Gao Bin leading the retreat, Anyang’s ten thousand Foundation Establishment experts pressed forward without hesitation. Ahead lay a three-hundred-mile sprint to the main forces of Nanyang County.

Three hundred miles—one hundred and fifty kilometers—was nothing to Foundation Establishment experts. They could cover that distance with just a bit of effort.

“Forced march! Charge! Once we win this war, everyone will be promoted to squad leader and receive five bottles of Foundation Establishment Elixir!”

“Roar!” Upon hearing this reward, over ten thousand elite soldiers howled like ferocious tigers descending the mountain, madly sprinting south.

Five bottles of Foundation Establishment Elixir! Even if they didn’t need it themselves, they could save it for their children and descendants. And for those without family, selling it would fetch a great price!

In Anyang, business operates with fixed prices—when the price is set at 100,000 taels of gold, that is exactly what it is. A bottle of Foundation Establishment Elixir costs 100,000 taels—take it or leave it. Regardless of the production cost, 100,000 taels is the wholesale price. A monopoly business is just that proud and willful.

At the front, ten thousand elite Foundation Establishment troops accelerated their charge. At the rear, apart from a few soldiers guarding artillery and locomotives, more than ten thousand infantry abandoned their vehicles and sprinted wildly across the rugged terrain. Though these ten thousand troops were not in the Foundation Establishment stage, they were fully armed with uniform sets of magical artifacts.

At the same time, Anyang’s trains rumbled as they transported another fifty thousand elite soldiers and 150,000 reservists southward, preparing for a decisive battle against the main forces of Nanyang County and the Kong family.

Li Xian fully exploited the industrial advancements in warfare, turning Anyang into a relentlessly operating war machine. Hundreds of thousands of troops departed in the morning and reached the southern front by noon, confronting the Kong family’s army across the border.

A continuous stream of military supplies was dispatched from Anyang and Dingshan City to the front lines.

By that afternoon—shortly after the complete defeat of the Songzhou County army—Anyang and Nanyang County’s forces were locked in a standoff at the border.

Within the Nanyang County camp, Kong Donglai, Kong Yingzhi, Kong Yingcai, and the three great generals of the Kong family—Commander Nangong Zhi, Left General Kong Zhiying, and Right General Chen Jin—along with other subordinate generals, gathered for discussions.

Finally, Kong Yingzhi spoke, “Anyang moves at an incredible speed. Their 200,000-strong army reached the front line in just half a day. Our plan to break through Anyang’s defenses in one swift assault is no longer viable.”

Kong Yingcai stood up and said, “We should order Dongyuan County and Songzhou County to attack Anyang from the flanks. Otherwise, facing Anyang’s 200,000 troops head-on—even if we win—it will come at a devastating cost.

We must inform Songzhou County and Dongyuan County that if we miss this opportunity, eliminating Anyang will only become harder in the future. Anyang will retaliate with madness. If we don’t want to face destruction later, we must unite now and take down Anyang in one decisive strike!”

Kong Donglai remained composed, but even he felt a growing anxiety. If he had heard the phrase, “Fear not a godlike enemy, but a pig-like ally,” he would have wholeheartedly agreed—it resonated deeply with him.

The initial plan had been excellent: everyone would attack Anyang together, with a million troops overwhelming it in one decisive strike. Afterward, they would divide the spoils—each faction copying Anyang’s technology and claiming talents based on their abilities.

This plan had strong feasibility and was widely approved at first. However, problems arose during execution—they had only discussed the outcome, not the process!

Songzhou County and Gao Bin were merely observing the battle, hoping to reap benefits without taking action. That was still somewhat acceptable.

But Dongyuan County and the Yuan family? Their troops had entered Luliang County and then ceased all operations. Even after multiple urgings, there was no response. Their intentions were crystal clear—“You guys fight. While Anyang’s military is stretched thin, we’ll take the chance to swallow Luliang County. As for defeating Anyang? Sorry, we never planned on that!”

Indeed, Dongyuan County was located by the sea and did not dare to completely antagonize Anyang. Anyang’s ironclad warships frequently patrolled their coastal waters.

As for Guangling County and the Wang family, no one expected them to contribute. They were only asked to take a stance and refrain from backstabbing.

Meanwhile, the First Prince, leading Baofeng County and Xin’an County, was now facing his own troubles—Li Yulong had declared himself emperor. The First Prince could not stand idly by.

More importantly, Li Yulong’s ascension signaled the official end of the Xia Dynasty. With this, the Cai Kingdom could invade at any time. The First Prince, caught between Cai Kingdom in the north and Chen Kingdom in the west, dared not act recklessly. He was now trapped in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

However, due to Anyang’s strict information blockade, Kong Donglai had not yet learned of Li Yulong’s ascension. He only knew that the First Prince was too far away to provide effective assistance, and merely containing Li Yulong’s forces in Kaiping County was the best they could hope for.

After careful calculations, Kong Donglai realized there was only one viable option—allying with Jin Kingdom to crush Anyang in one swift strike.

Listening to his son’s suggestions, Kong Donglai decided to send another round of urgent messages to Songzhou County, Gao Bin, Dongyuan County, and the Yuan family. This time, the wording would be harsher, carrying a tone of intimidation: “Stop waiting—the longer you delay, the worse the situation will become. Anyang is developing at an alarming speed. If we miss this opportunity, Anyang will recover, and once it does, it will retaliate, crushing us one by one! We have no room for retreat. The best solution is to take Anyang down in one go!”

After finishing the letters to Songzhou County and Dongyuan County, Kong Donglai still felt uneasy. He picked up his pen again and wrote to Jin Kingdom: “The situation has changed. Deploy troops immediately—we must not give Anyang a chance to breathe!”

Once all the messengers had departed, Kong Donglai exhaled deeply, trying to vent his frustration and unease.

Just then, a scout rushed in with an urgent report: “My Lord! Anyang has mobilized 200,000 troops using trains and is now approaching the border! The situation is extremely critical! We must prepare for battle immediately!”

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