Chapter 2129

The Bailong tribe had once been a discarded clan hunted by the Ya Kingdom, originally forbidden from setting foot in Ya territory again. Now, however, this uncle-nephew pair returned with a great army to take revenge, marching straight to the ancestral holy land of the Kelin tribe.

The main tribe of Ya Kingdom could not tolerate this; they immediately flared with rage, each and every one demanding to fight. At this point, even if the Ya King wanted to slow the pace of attack and fight more leisurely, he could not withstand the furious public sentiment.

It was said that on that day, the Ya King's long table was slapped who knows how many times.

This reaction immediately raised the war's intensity, and it was exactly what He Lingchuan had hoped for.

He most did not want Ya Kingdom to send out small cavalry units to repeatedly harass him, because Ya Kingdom held the advantage of terrain and popular support when fighting on its home soil.

The Dragon God Army, deep in enemy territory, faced certain difficulties in personnel and logistical resupply, and was further harassed by Ya forces, causing operations to drag on too long, which was highly disadvantageous to their side.

He Lingchuan laughed: "Before I set out on campaign, I checked the almanac—this expedition favors swift battle and swift decision."

His primary plan was entirely centered around those four words "swift battle and swift decision." In fact, the enemy might not be unaware of his calculations, and He Lingchuan did not fear the enemy knowing—

Knowing is one thing; having strategic resolve is quite another.

From the past data He Lingchuan had gathered, Ya Kingdom's wars had always been fierce and wild, favoring overwhelming force, seeming to have nothing to do with old scheming deep calculation or planning before acting.

Strategic resolve is not something everyone possesses.

As long as the enemy forces did not contain figures like Qingyang or Bai Ziqi, He Lingchuan believed his lightning assault plan was still well worth a try.

He then asked He Yue: "Hmm, do you have any other matters afterward?"

"No, this time the departure schedule is generous; Father King gave me no additional assignment." He Chunhua's task for He Yue was simply to tour the Jinjin Plains thoroughly.

"Then stay a few more days in Ya Kingdom with me, and afterward return triumphantly to Cangyan."

"Good!" He Yue felt full of anticipation. Actually, even without He Chunhua assigning him tasks, he also wanted to see how the Nine Abyssal Grand Emperor wages war, and also wanted to walk through the capital city of Cangyan Kingdom.

A new country, a new capital—there would surely be a new atmosphere.

At this moment, a report came from outside with the latest military news; He Yue only heard the three words "General Lu," and saw his elder brother's face darken.

He immediately sensed the cue to withdraw, and his personal guards led him to the main camp to find a tent for rest and changing clothes.

……

The main commander's tent.

When He Lingchuan and the generals walked back into the tent, their faces were all solemn.

Just now, a Black Armor Army soldier came to report that Lu Yaofei had been found.

He had originally been wounded, and then while intercepting the Ya Kingdom general Madonghan at Shaoshan, his war horse's hind hoof slipped on a weathered rock, causing imbalance; Lu Yaofei's chest was left exposed, and the opponent thrust a spear into his sternum, sending him tumbling down the cliff.

The Black Armor Army searched for a long time before finally finding Lu Yaofei's remains in a mountain ravine.

One of the generals who had fought alongside He Lingchuan in the Dragon God War had now been reduced by one.

After bidding farewell to this loyal subordinate, He Lingchuan issued a sorrowful order: "Cremate the remains; we will bring him back to our country."

Qiuhu's eye sockets were all red: "Grand Emperor, may I send someone to return his ashes to Ying Mountain? He made a promise with us in life; even in death, he must cross the ocean to return to his homeland."

He Lingchuan silently sighed and agreed.

Qiuhu then asked: "Is Laoqi dying for Cangyan, then?"

Back then, he came from Ying Mountain to join He Lingchuan, bringing ten fellow disciples from his sect. To this day, only five remain.

The general who died in a hundred battles—how many heroes' lives have been taken by that one brutal war after another?

He Lingchuan's gaze slowly swept over their faces, word by word: "The war against Ya Kingdom is not for Does Bailie, but to open a broad and smooth road for my Cangyan's future!"

Yesterday they were still sitting together drinking wine as living men; today they gave their lives for the state/city. Such partings in life and death, he has endured too many, whether in the Panlong World or in reality.

He Lingchuan is not truly from the Nine Abyssal, cannot resurrect the dead, and can only bestow solemn meaning upon sacrifice.

The generals all shouted in unison: "Yes!"

He Lingchuan calmed his state of mind and resumed the military council.

This war, launched under the pretext of supporting Does Bailie while actually attacking Ya Kingdom, truly caught Ya Kingdom off guard.

Since Does Bailie pursued the defeated army into Ya territory until now, only nine days have passed. As He Lingchuan told his younger brother, the essence of this campaign lies in a single character:

"Fast!"

Ya Kingdom never imagined that the Dragon God Army, after completing its support for Does Bailie, would still fiercely pursue the fleeing enemy and directly raid the Ya King's old nest.

The Dragon God Army advanced like a bamboo splitter, taking only three days to reach the strategic stronghold of Zhigan City in Ya Kingdom's central-north region, and there opened the gateway for further southward advance.

In the following days, the entanglement of battle formally began.

Although the battlefield lay on Ya Kingdom's vast plains, the fighting was far from as smooth as the Ya people had imagined.

Though swift and mobile like the wind, flexible and changeable—this should have been the Ya cavalry's strength—but the Dragon God Army employed aerial reconnaissance by demon-bird scouts combined with ground patrols by skirmishers to anticipate enemy attacks, and their tactics were myriad: whether flanking and detouring or vertical and horizontal slicing, whether valley-embracing tactics or wolf-driving style, everything was present.

Ya Kingdom was also dazed: Are these really the Dragon God Army? The opponents they encountered when attacking western Jinjin a few months ago simply did not fight this well!

Never mind one versus seven—now even one versus one is exhausting.

In this battle, Wanqi Song again made a name for himself thoroughly, as around him hundreds of eyes witnessed him personally slay Ya King's paternal nephew, who was also one of the commanders who had pursued the Bailong tribe back then, and on the battlefield he held aloft the severed head and let out a long cry to the heavens!

The Bailong tribe had returned with the Nine Abyssal Grand Emperor to take revenge! This news quickly spread throughout Ya Kingdom.

Although the Dragon God Army fought on enemy territory, losing the advantage of terrain and popular support, it possessed a hidden advantage the enemy never knew.

That was tactical intelligence.

The Bailong tribe had originally also been one of Ya Kingdom's warlike tribes; Wanqi Song had once followed the main tribe in battle over ten times, knowing Ya military tactics like the back of his hand. He Lingchuan and the generals had long since rehearsed countless times with them on the sand table, discovering that Ya Kingdom's fighting style was relatively simple, still mainly relying on mounts and light-heavy loads for strong mobility, as well as the soldiers' own ferocity.

Why so simple? Because Ya Kingdom's surroundings originally had no strong opponents; to the west were Does Bailie and Qing Kingdom, to the east were the small states on the Jinjin Plains. Although Mu Kingdom had also fought a few battles with them, it did not come often, not being a regular enemy of Ya forces.

Ya Kingdom did not need complex tactics and skills to dominate this land and water.

Which unit would this fighting style resemble?

The Great Wind Army.

So the weaknesses of the Great Wind Army were also present in Ya Kingdom—neither lacking nor excessive.

He Lingchuan himself had served in the Great Wind Army for so long, and in the Panlong World he often led troops to train and practice against the Great Wind Army; he clearly knew that to deal with such an army, the most effective method was to disrupt their attack rhythm.

Speaking of tactics, Panlong City was truly rich in them.