Chapter 3610: Strike Without Delay

The Demon Lion specializes in killing the enemy Leader with bone‑piercing spikes. Fei Yan and Mountain Cat also specifically target Leaders.

Tang Xinyao's Wind‑Thunder Fan, Lei Ming's Thunder God Hammer, also combine wind and thunder, and together with the Blood Mist Formation Flag, they attack soldiers over a wide area.

Qiong Qi continuously draws formations out of thin air, slapping them toward the enemy troops; a single blast kills an entire group of soldiers.

"How did their raid this time cause such a huge commotion?" Song Qing was still puzzled.

Du Hansong didn't initially realize it was a massive offensive. The newcomers were the usual troublemakers. But when he heard the earth‑shaking shouts and the Demon Race army suddenly launched a full‑scale assault on the mountains, he finally realized the danger.

But by the time he reacted, it was already too late. Ye Liuyun and his men had already cut a breach; behind them, the Tiger‑Head Beast King, leading the Demon Race army, followed up, tearing their defensive line open and continuously widening the gap.

When Du Hansong saw the situation outside, he knew they could no longer hold the defense.

"Retreat, everyone retreat into the city!"

Du Hansong let out a long sigh, ordering the front army to continue holding, while the rear forces withdrew to fortify inside Pingyang Guan.

"If we retreat into the city, who will reinforce us?" Song Qing asked the question he cared about. Even he was already here; once they were besieged, no reinforcements would come to save them.

"Ask the Central Dynasty for aid; Pingyang Guan can't be held!"

Du Hansong tossed out a remark and, without looking back, led his troops to withdraw.

As the Grand Leader, he understood the situation perfectly. Once the heavenly pass was breached, they would be even less able to hold, and eventual total annihilation was inevitable.

Moreover, they could not withdraw all at once; a full retreat would be chased down by the Demon Race army, leading to an even worse fate. Thus he could only sacrifice part of the army, have them hold their ground, and create an evacuation chance for the rest.

He also realized that Ye Liuyun's command ability was no weaker than his, and he was even more patient.

Their subordinates had long recognized Ye Liuyun, but could do nothing about him. They all thought Ye Liuyun was retaliating against Song Qing and Du Hansong, so they defected to the Demon Race to attack him.

"How about we send some resources to Ye Liuyun, negotiate a truce, and invite him back? At this critical moment, bowing a little to him isn't a problem!" Song Qing suggested to Du Hansong.

Du Hansong frowned at the suggestion but did not voice opposition, effectively giving tacit consent.

So after they retreated into Pingyang Guan, Song Qing began arranging resources and negotiators, preparing to meet Ye Liuyun, while also petitioning the Central Dynasty for aid.

At this moment, Ye Liuyun was leading the Demon Race army to encircle the remaining defenders. When the enemy's main force withdrew, he realized they were not prepared to make a last stand.

The left‑behind defenders also knew they had been sacrificed and could only fight to the death. About two hundred thousand troops remained, once the main garrison. Now the mountains are littered with corpses, blood streaming down the slopes.

The Demon Race, at a relatively low cost, recaptured Pingyang Guan. Moreover, this time the defenders had no reinforcements left; even the Heavenly King Song Qing was trapped inside the city.

Ye Liuyun led his army, calmly clearing the battlefield, then stationed his forces in front of the city without encircling it.

Thereafter, the Demon Race army trained ten thousand troops daily around the area, while another forty thousand held their base, still not assaulting the city.

If Ye Liuyun were to besiege the city to death, the soldiers inside would have to fight to the end, having no retreat. Yet now he neither besieges nor attacks; he merely trains his troops daily, letting the city's soldiers watch.

Under this pressure, the city's soldiers are terrified each day. Coupled with Ye Liuyun's prior surprise attacks, they treat every rustle as an enemy.

Some soldiers with poor morale quickly could not help but flee.

After receiving reports, Du Hansong dispatched additional patrols; any deserters caught were executed, causing those who tried to flee

the soldiers, each time they encountered a patrol, fought to the death, further destabilizing morale.

Song Qing

Those sent to deliver gifts and negotiate were all slain directly by Ye Liuyun, yet he kept the resources, not sparing any.

His intention was clear: to tell Song Qing that surrender was the only option.

Ye Liuyun monitored the city's situation daily. One night, bored, he ordered war drums in his army. The city's soldiers thought he was about to launch another surprise attack and fled tens of thousands at once.

"Hahaha, this bunch of cowardly idiots!" Lei Ming couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The Monster Beasts didn't understand psychological warfare; they just found the soldiers' cowardice amusing.

Song Qing, Du Hansong and other Leaders were tense inside the city all night. The next day, the military report said that tens of thousands of soldiers had fled in a single night.

"The situation is lost. Ye Liuyun is a master of commanding troops; we have no chance to turn the tide! If there's no reinforcement, we should just surrender!" Du Hansong let out a long sigh, never expecting to be defeated by a Mercenary.

But the facts were in front of them; refusing was impossible. Better to surrender than let tens of thousands die following him.

"Yes, reinforcements!" Song Qing immediately said, fearing Du Hansong would now surrender with his troops.

"Lord Chang Yunhou of the Central Dynasty will bring three hundred thousand troops to reinforce us!" Song Qing declared resolutely.

In fact, he was merely discussing terms with Chang Yunhou. However, he had already decided to accept all of the latter's conditions in exchange for the reinforcement.

"Then we'll just wait and see!" Du Hansong thought, noting that three hundred thousand troops weren't enough.

But considering it's the Central Dynasty's army, its strength would surely surpass theirs, so he waited expectantly. He hoped Ye Liuyun wouldn't dare fight the Central Dynasty, giving them some leeway.

Song Qing immediately agreed to Chang Yunhou's terms, handing over one‑third of the Southern Region's taxes to him.

Chang Yunhou promptly petitioned the Zhongxing Wangchao, leading three hundred thousand troops to reinforce Song Qing.

The Zhongxing Wangchao was already considering sending someone to intimidate Ye Liuyun, to see if they could subdue him, so they readily agreed.

Chang Yunhou also dispatched troops immediately. He feared that if Song Qing were wiped out, he wouldn't receive his reward.

Chang Yunhou's army rushed to Pingyang Guan via a Teleportation Array, traveling from the major Southern Region cities, and Ye Liuyun learned of it instantly from the Mercenaries.

However, for the final leg to Pingyang Guan they still had to board Warships. No Teleportation Array was set up at Pingyang Guan, to prevent Demon Race exploitation.

"Only three hundred thousand? Seems the Central Dynasty is just testing us!" Ye Liuyun immediately calculated the numbers.

"We'll keep hitting without delay!" He made his decision at once. Recently the transcoding has been severe, giving us more motivation, faster updates; please click to exit reading mode. Thank you.