Chapter 1678: Chapter 1595: Who Will Command

The Dwarves did not want to waste their precious forces, but their living space had become extremely narrow. In a situation akin to a cornered beast fighting for survival, Moss hoped to reclaim part of the port area through counterattacks.

If the Dwarves continued fighting near the port, it would slow down the Tang Army’s repair of the docks, which was also Moss’s final struggle.

What he did not know was that the Tang Army had already begun repair work on the docks. After all, there was almost no more harassing fire from the Dwarves, so the Tang Country’s engineers had no reason to waste valuable time.

With quick-drying cement and various construction machinery, the Tang Country’s engineers worked at a miraculous speed, quickly clearing the docks and using explosives to blast away obstructive parts underwater.

This kind of work made the port docks very lively, as if the battle had not ended. Every now and then, towering water columns would rise skyward, and the spectacular scene left many Tang Army soldiers entering the area dumbfounded.

After all, landlubbers rarely have the chance to see such massive explosions at sea. They had seen small black mushroom clouds but never water columns as high as dozens of stories.

The Dwarf troops, having lost the port, fought very tenaciously because they had finally received some mental solace—The Great Tang Empire declared war on the Poplar Empire, and they finally gained an ally!

The day after the Tang Army seized the port area, the Poplar Empire declared war on the Great Tang Empire, and subsequently, the Suthers Empire also declared war on the Great Tang Empire. This surprised many within the Tang Army slightly.

The Suthers Empire had always had no significant conflict with the Great Tang Empire, and they did not share a border with the Ice Cold Empire; there was a Poplar Empire in between. Logically speaking, they should not have rushed to declare war on Tang at this time.

Yet, this abrupt event occurred: the Suthers Empire declared war on the Great Tang Empire and announced externally that it would immediately dispatch troops to participate in the war within the Ice Cold Empire’s territory.

Interestingly, Emperor Sussas the First of the Suthers Empire defined this war as the “Gun of Justice” fired by countries of the Eastern Continent in pursuit of freedom and resistance against aggression. The Third Anti-Tang War started officially on this day.

Although only three countries were participating in the war, the other nations on the Eastern Continent knew this might be their last chance.

Unlike some empires further south, the Suthers Empire had always been placed in a relatively higher position by the Great Tang Empire, with more openness in terms of exports.

The Suthers Empire ordered exclusively designed Mirage 3 fighters from the Great Tang Empire, and they have their own matching production lines.

Compared to the outdated gadgets of the Dwarves, the Elf’s 104 and the Suthers Empire’s Mirage 3 fighters are evidently more formidable in battle.

Thinking of the prospect of over 300 104s and Mirage 3 fighters entering the fray, the frontline air force commanders of Tang Country felt exhilarated: their military achievements seemed poised to grow again.

Those unfamiliar with the ruthless nature of the Datang Empire Air Force, unlike the Dwarves’ Air Force commanders, would probably not be as cowardly and refrain from taking off to confront the numerically inferior Datang Empire Air Force… surely not?

Subsequently, the Emperor of the Dorne Empire delivered a speech, calling for all countries of the Eastern Continent to unite and drive out the Tang Empire as invaders.

He also promised that the Dorne Empire would spare no effort to support the Dwarves in their anti-invasion war, and should it be necessary, he could send troops north, staining the land of the Ice Cold Empire with the blood of the Tang Army.

If street cursing could win a victory, the Dorne Empire might have defeated the Tang Empire countless times already. Unfortunately, they were too far away, and their troops would have to traverse the Laines Empire before entering the Ice Cold Empire to fight. By then, the Furnace Fortress might already be captured by the Tang Army.

Nevertheless, the speech by the Dorne Empire greatly boosted the morale of the Anti-Tang Alliance: their forces looked strong, with an unprecedented display of power.

Three hours after the Suthers Empire declared war on the Great Tang Empire, the Great Tang Empire declared war on the Suthers Empire, and the Third Anti-Tang War fully erupted.

Another day passed, and the Great Tang Empire finally loaded another corps onto ships, preparing to be transported to the distant battlefield of the Eastern Continent.

This new unit, with relatively few heavy weapons, met the current needs of the Eastern Continent battlefield: they consumed relatively less ammunition and could act as a gap-filling unit, protecting the flanks of the main forces.

The Qin Country subordinate Ying An was responsible for commanding this unit, identified as the Datang Empire’s 11th Corps. This unit primarily consisted of light infantry, making it relatively weaker in combat among the Datang Empire’s corps.

However, this unit also had its advantages. The first advantage was that the 11th Corps was built around a backbone of the old People of Qin. Many of these Qin people had witnessed bloody battlefields and had rich experience of being “overcome.”

The combat effectiveness of the People of Qin was very reliable. If it weren’t for the superior equipment overpowering these fierce soldiers, the Tang Army might not have easily gained the upper hand against them. Therefore, there were no concerns regarding the combat capabilities of a unit formed by the Qin people.

On the other hand, this unit was eager to prove itself: being formed later, they had a strong desire for achievements, including Ying An, this commander’s need for a victory to support their growing voice within the Great Tang Empire’s court.

However, the 11th Corps would require some time to arrive, so the frontline troops of the Great Tang Empire could only rely on themselves for the time being.

The 9th Group Army and the 1st Corps needed to face the Dwarves’ 4th Group Army within the encirclement, as well as the Dwarves’ 5th and 6th Corps outside the encirclement.

Along with the incoming 8th and 9th Corps and the various countries’ supportive Air Force arriving in position, the Dwarves still retained some manpower advantage at the front line.

As long as these units were in place, coupled with the northbound Poplar Empire’s 2nd Corps, the Dwarves seized the opportunity of the Tang Army coming from afar and the 11th Corps’ reinforcement not yet arrived, achieving a fateful counterattack was still possible.

This was also why Moss persisted at Eternal Winter Port: they still had hope. As long as they held on, there seemed to be a chance for the situation to reverse.

But just at this moment, an unexpected problem exploded within the Anti-Tang Alliance: ultimately, who should command this nearly one million strong army at the front line?

From the Ice Cold Empire’s perspective, the qualified General Moss was still stuck in the encirclement, and the Dwarves were reluctant to hand over their hundreds of thousands of troops to the Elves…

The Elves were even less willing to take orders from the Dwarves, and the Suthers Empire’s hard-earned elite Mirage 3 Air Force wanted to avoid being carelessly commanded and wasted.

In short, determining who the Marshal should be required careful consideration.

——

There are only two updates today.