Chapter 2112

General Lu had only washed half his face when he heard this, and was so shocked he stopped washing, snatching the slip to read it himself.

The exact number of the Dragon God Army is temporarily unknown, but estimated to be over thirty thousand; they entered Bailie from Tongzi Pass and flanked Ya Army east and west with Lu Feiyan.

Ya Army was caught off guard and retreated fifty li.

"Steam Yan Country actually sent troops?" General Lu never expected this either, "Its own foundations are unstable—how could it support Bailie? What does it gain?"

Steam Yan Country had just been founded, many policies not yet issued, many relations needing sorting, many old scores unsettled, let alone its vast territory and barbaric, backward populace—this meant governance was hellishly difficult.

At this time, the Nine Abysses Great Emperor should be swamped with domestic affairs, heels kicking the back of his head—how could he have leisure or spare strength to send troops to Bailie?

"Brush and ink!"

Major military news from the front—of course he must report to the capital immediately!

By coincidence, General Lu's and He Zhensheng's flying messages arrived at Moudu almost simultaneously.

Emperor Mou looked at them and said only:

"Your reach is truly long."

Then, there was no more.

These two urgent reports vanished like stones in the sea; Mou Wang Ting made no public reaction, as if unaware of the incident.

General Lu received no orders from the capital, thus realizing:

Mou Country intended to wait and see.

Since it could not spare hands to deal with Ya Country's mad-dog aggression, let Steam Yan Country volunteer to take the vanguard.

If Steam Yan Country repels Ya Army, what harm to Mou Country? The siege of Bailie lifts itself.

If Steam Yan Country also fails to repel the enemy, objectively it at least helps Mou Country stall Ya Army's advance, buying more time.

Mou Country sees no loss either way, only a slight loss of face.

As for He Zhensheng's report in the letter—that the Nine Abysses Great Emperor demands Bailie shift tribute to him after repelling Ya Army—those are matters for after the victory; discussing them later is not too late.

After this battle, the Brave Army surely won't keep loitering in Bailie?

By then, battlefield conditions will have shifted, and Mou Country will naturally have countermeasures.

General Lu, thinking this through, also understood Mou Wang Ting's calculations.

However, at the outset of Ya Army's invasion of Bailie, Mou Country could actually have requested Steam Yan Country to send troops and support Bailie.

When He Xiaoyao besieged Ya Country earlier, Ya Army invaded the Flash Gold Plains, and Mou Country sent troops to deter them—this favor, why doesn't Mou Emperor call in Steam Yan Country to repay it?

General Lu pondered and could only conclude two points:

One, Bailie is too small—Steam Yan Country might even welcome sending troops, this favor is too easy; for Mou Country to waste such a precious opportunity is not worth it.

Two, Mou Emperor actually distrusts Steam Yan Country and initially did not want it involved.

But a few days later, the Dragon God Army's unexpected move left everyone gaping.

General Lu, closely monitoring the situation, was greatly startled and hurriedly reported again to Moudu.

This time, Mou Emperor's feedback came very promptly:

Station troops at Afu Hai border, await orders!

Afu Hai lies within Ya Country's borders, adjacent to Bailie, originally the territory of the Bailong Clan; Ya Country's multiple invasions of Bailie all passed through this long corridor, truly like walking down one's own hallway.

Mou Emperor ordered General Lu to garrison the Afu Hai border line—next step, need we say?

Upon reaching Bailie's border, General Lu learned the forces mobilized by Moudu were far more than just his unit!

Because, within Ya Country's borders, earth-shaking changes had occurred!

……

Bailie.

Ya Army used to occasionally cross the border to raid in autumn, but never before had it been this fierce—burning, killing, looting, abducting; not only driving people back like cattle and horses to Ya Country, but also setting fire to over a dozen villages and towns, reducing them to flat ground!

The elderly and infirm unable to move were burned alive to ashes.

Wherever the war passed, refugees were displaced, families torn apart—all are the great horror of the human world.

This is the true essence of war.

After several days of nearly one-sided warfare, when the people suffered and the armies were powerless, reinforcements descended from heaven!

The people of Bailie cheered, believing Mou Country's army had finally changed its mind.

But when the reinforcements drew near, they realized they were not wearing Mou Country's uniforms.

The fame of the Dragon God Army spread throughout Bailie with each battlefield advance.

Before this, Bailie people only knew that beside them, the Flash Gold Plains had given rise to a vast new country, but felt no connection to themselves.

This neighbor was especially poor.

The relatively prosperous Bailie people feared deep down that this was just another bullying, impoverished neighbor.

But now, they would not think so.

As Ya Country's iron hooves trampled Bailie and Mou Country's army withdrew entirely, it was the Dragon God Army that unexpectedly extended aid!

Those who bled and sweated to repel the strong enemy were actually strangers from a neighboring land!

Ordinary folk do not care about the twists and turns—who saved their lives, who defended their homes, who repelled their enemies—they simply feel gratitude toward whoever did.

Moreover, the Dragon God Army maintains strict discipline, encamping only near town outskirts, personnel not entering streets, their supplies transported entirely from the Flash Gold Plains, avoiding any disturbance to Bailie civilians from start to finish.

This is exceedingly rare—know that Mou Country's army, while it had helped Bailie repel Ya Country's invading forces, also often caused trouble locally, extortion, deception, and even harassment and killings occurring.

Bailie people could only endure, after all, only Mou Country's army could deal with the strong enemy; and as Bailie is Mou Country's vassal, its status is naturally one rank lower—this is nearly the consensus of all Bailie people.

Yet the Dragon God Army opened their eyes in a wholly new way.

Wherever the Dragon God Army went, people laughed and chatted, even children ran into its main camp to play, only to be dragged out by their own adults and beaten half to death.

Turns out one need not cower and grovel, need not swallow anger in silence, and still receive aid from the strong?

The Bailie people were momentarily bewildered, not understanding why the Dragon God Army treated them so well—so well it seemed unreal.

The Bailie army under Lu Qingbin and Miao Anzhu also fought side by side with the Dragon God army.

This world-watched war quickly shifted to a new battlefield.

……

In the capital of Ya State, Ducheng, a sea eagle descended upon the palace's highest point.

Palace attendants took the message from its talons and reported it to their superiors. In five days, this was the twentieth urgent frontline report.

Half an hour later, the Ya king once again urgently convened a military council before the throne.

He slapped the message onto the table; the generals took it and examined each one, all with shocked expressions.

Five days earlier, Ya Capital had received news from the north that Cangyan had actually dispatched troops to Bailie and launched a surprise attack on Ya forces!

The enemy's treacherous rear attack, lacking martial virtue, caught the Ya army—then plundering Bailie—completely off guard. Under the frenzied pincer assault of the Dragon God army and the Bailie army, they could not organize an effective counterattack and were finally forced to withdraw resentfully back into Ya territory.

When the Ya court received this news, though angry and though they disliked Cangyan's meddling, they knew they had a grudge with Cangyan, so it was no surprise that the enemy seized the opportunity for revenge.