CHAPTER 463: CHAPTER 247: DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS_1

"We pay our respects to the General!"

Over eight thousand soldiers of the Great Desert Army knelt in reverence, visibly moved. Their General had returned!

A closer look revealed a shimmer of tears in their eyes.

"Is this all that’s left of you?"

Huo Qubing lowered his head, looking at the scant number of soldiers remaining. His sturdy body quivered as a mournful, pained aura emanated from him. He had expected the Great Desert Army to suffer heavy casualties after he fell unconscious, but he had not imagined that fewer than ten thousand of them would survive.

Nearly three million of his brothers were gone forever!

The soldiers of the Great Desert Army remained silent, each clenching their fists. They were comrades in arms, brothers in life and death.

Before setting off for war, they had pledged at the mobilization feast that they would return alive and get thoroughly drunk together at a famous tavern in the Imperial Capital.

With each battle, familiar faces grew fewer.

The pain in their hearts mounted.

"KILL!"

Someone suddenly shouted.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

All the soldiers of the Great Desert Army waved their fists, their eyes bloodthirsty, their expressions demonic as they emanated an endless killing intent.

Within a hundred *li*, the temperature plummeted!

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, releasing flurries of snowflakes that adorned the desolate, grief-stricken land.

"Rest assured, my brothers. I, your General, swear that no matter the cost, even if it takes my entire life, I will annihilate the Qionghua Saint’s Court and the Thousand Monster Saint’s Court to avenge our fallen!"

Huo Qubing raised his right hand and swore an oath to the heavens.

Thunder rumbled in the sky as a streak of profound light descended, landing on Huo Qubing’s glabella and forming an Oath of the Great Dao.

"Fear not, Brother Huo. The Great Qin will support you with all its strength!"

Li Yuanba chimed in at the right moment, his Rumble Drum Golden Hammer never leaving his side, making him appear extraordinarily Shenwu.

"Thank you!"

Huo Qubing looked at Li Yuanba, his voice filled with heartfelt gratitude.

One thank you was for Li Yuanba’s timely arrival, rescuing the Great Desert Army from crisis!

Another thank you was for Li Yuanba giving him the Attribute-less Law, allowing him to avert disaster and successfully break through!

"HAHA!"

"Why stand on ceremony between brothers like us?"

Li Yuanba waved his hand and said with a laugh. As long as Huo Qubing could live, things like the Miracle Grand Recovery Pill or the Attribute-less Law were all worth it.

It was because they served the same dynasty as officials!

And even more so because they held each other in high esteem!

After chatting for a while, they landed on the ground and began to discuss the upcoming battles.

"For the past two months, the Great Desert Army has pinned down the main forces of the Qionghua Saint’s Court and the Thousand Monster Saint’s Court. The situation on the Northern Front is complex; the fighting may not be over yet. However, the battle on the Southern Front should have concluded by now!"

Huo Qubing speculated, seated on a rock.

"Even if General Guan is leading reinforcements, we don’t know their current location!"

After refining the ’Thunder Origin,’ Li Yuanba’s intellect had clearly risen, and he immediately grasped the root of the problem.

"General Guan is skilled in warfare. Once he learns of our plight, he will surely lead his forces to attack the main armies of the Qionghua Saint’s Court and the Thousand Monster Saint’s Court. If we covertly follow their main forces, we should be able to rendezvous with him!"

Huo Qubing mused, a keen glint in his serious eyes.

"That makes sense!" Li Yuanba paused before nodding in complete agreement.

「」

In the Wutong Dao Domain, a Deputy General stood behind Guan Yu, reporting respectfully, "General, according to Kang Baohua, the Great Desert Army’s situation is extremely dire. General Huo might even be in mortal danger..."

The expressions of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, and the others shifted slightly. If Kang Baohua’s intelligence was accurate, the Great Desert Army might have already been annihilated.

With Huo Qubing unconscious, it would have been impossible for the Great Desert Army to escape their predicament!

The thought of three million brave warriors potentially lost in battle weighed heavily on their hearts, as if a stone was lodged in their chests, suffocating them.

"Zheng Guiqiong! Xiong Lie!"

Guan Yu hissed, his face like frost, his eyes as cold as ice, radiating boundless killing intent.

"KILL THEM!"

Zhang Fei gritted his teeth, his face contorted with hatred, as an incredibly violent aura surged skyward.

Ma Chao and Huang Zhong remained silent, wreathed in Evil Qi, their eyes fixed on Guan Yu with anticipation, awaiting his command.

"Relay my order! The entire army will advance north! Find the armies of the Qionghua Saint’s Court and the Thousand Monster Saint’s Court, and kill them without mercy!"

Guan Yu took a deep breath and roared the command, his voice, saturated with killing intent, thundering across the land and ringing in every soldier’s ears.

His brother-army had been slaughtered; how could he remain indifferent? Let the blood of the enemy serve as a tribute to his fallen brothers!

The grand army set off, spirits soaring. The surging Evil Qi shook the heavens and earth, cleansing Changkong.

Four terrifying spearheads advanced, sweeping across the land with unstoppable momentum!

「」

In the Dingchuan Dao Domain, within the sprawling Qin encampment, Yue Fei stood at the camp gate, his resolute gaze fixed westward, a deep worry in his eyes.

Tomorrow is New Year’s Day! General Huo, if there’s still no word from you by tomorrow, I will lead the army into battle!

Initially, the Hidden Guard and the Abyss Guard were still able to send battle reports. However, as time passed, the Qionghua Saint’s Court and the Thousand Monster Saint’s Court sealed off all channels, preventing any information from getting through.

After lingering at the camp gate for a while, Yue Fei returned to the central command tent, contemplating the battle plan for the morrow.

On the Central Front, the Qionghua Saint’s Court and Zixiao Sacred Land had amassed vast forces, numbering as many as a billion. In a direct confrontation, the Bei Wei Army and the Tyrant Cavalry would be no match.

A quantitative change can indeed lead to a qualitative one! When numbers are great enough, the power of a human wave strategy is immense.

Yue Fei pondered for the entire day. By dawn the next morning, clad in armor, he ascended the command platform and personally beat the war drum to summon the troops.

DONG! DONG! DONG!

DONG! DONG! DONG!

The war drums thundered, scattering the dark clouds.

Unit after unit of soldiers poured out from their tents, assembling on the vast training ground. Their faces were grim, and an overwhelming Evil Qi emanated from them, as if they were death warriors from the Netherworld, devoid of any emotion.

Xiang Yu, astride his Black Zebra and wielding his Overlord Spear, stood at the vanguard of the army. A somber wind howled, stirring their battle intent.

"Soldiers! Today is the first day of the New Year. We ought to be reuniting with our families. Yet, the Qionghua Saint’s Court and the Thousand Monster Saint’s Court are still besieging our brothers! Tell me, what should we do?"

Yue Fei thundered from the command platform.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

Roars demanding slaughter erupted from the soldiers of the Bei Wei Army and the Tyrant Cavalry, their cries like the roar of a landslide and the crash of a tsunami.

"Relay my order! Westward offensive!"

Yue Fei roared, his battle-hardened, imposing aura soaring to the heavens, his black hair whipping wildly in the wind.

「Ghost Desert Corridor!」

The Void above was thick with layers of ominous Evil Qi clouds.

As far as the eye could see, the terrain was teeming with the countless, orderly formations of the Qionghua Saint’s Court and the Thousand Monster Saint’s Court’s armies.

"Relay my order! The entire army will launch an eastern expedition to counterattack the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court!"

Zheng Guiqiong commanded, her voice resonant, clad in her phoenix armor.

She looked down at the boundless sea of soldiers, her confidence rekindled.

She would use a human wave strategy to wear down the Qin Dynasty’s forces and achieve ultimate victory. If a billion soldiers weren’t enough, she would conscript two billion, then three billion... Even if it left the East Border utterly desolate, she would have no regrets!

"BATTLE! BATTLE! BATTLE!"

The armies of the Qionghua Saint’s Court and the Thousand Monster Saint’s Court roared, advancing eastward. Their banners blotted out the sky, their momentum unstoppable.

A battle of epic proportions was imminent!

The Bei Wei Army and the Tyrant Cavalry, advancing westward!

The armies of the Qionghua Saint’s Court and the Thousand Monster Saint’s Court, marching eastward!

The Fan Prison Army, Long Plank Army, Ding Yang Army, and Blood Fight Army, pushing northward!

And the Great Desert Army, lurking in the shadows!

What fierce clashes would erupt when these forces converged? Would the tides of war in the East Border turn as a result?