Chapter 428: The Kingdom Army Is Surrounded!

"What do you mean?" The Commander-in-Chief's heart sank, a dark premonition creeping in.

"Hah! Commander-in-Chief, look—you're afraid, aren't you?"

"But fear won't help—facts won't change just because you worry!"

"I originally sent my troops on a detour toward Red Stone City merely to guard against any stragglers!"

"But now, using them to sever your link to Red Stone City? Perfect. Hah! Commander-in-Chief, do you still think your grain supplies are sufficient?"

Sensing the Commander-in-Chief's shifting expression, the Beast King laughed triumphantly.

To be honest, he never expected the flanking force to play such a crucial role.

But now it was clear—his foresight had compensated for the setback inside Lindongcheng.

Whoa!

"What did the Beast King say? He stationed troops behind us to cut us off?"

"It seems so! Does that mean we're completely surrounded by the beast tribes—and our rear communications are severed?"

"Exactly. If the southern road is truly blocked by the beastmen, all contact with Red Stone City is cut—no request for reinforcements possible!"

"Requesting reinforcements is secondary—the real problem is food. Without grain, we'll be starved to death inside Lindongcheng!"

The Beast King's words dropped like bombs into the hearts of nobles and soldiers alike.

Just moments ago, each noble had been rejoicing over having foiled the beastmen's plot last night.

Yet the reversal came faster than anyone imagined.

"Beast King, do you think I'd believe you? Your lie won't work on us." Hearing the gasps around him, the Commander-in-Chief knew he couldn't let panic spread.

"Hah! Commander-in-Chief, useless. I told you—the truth can't be hidden, even if you try to cover it up now."

"But when your messengers return, you'll taste despair! Hah!"

The Commander-in-Chief had intended to crush the beastmen's morale—but it backfired completely.

The beastmen resumed their assault, forcing the Commander-in-Chief to order full-scale defense.

"Dukes, do you think the Beast King's claim might be true?"

Inside the war council hall, only the Commander-in-Chief and the two Dukes remained.

Duke Shatterstone and Duke Hernade said nothing immediately—they couldn't be certain.

After a long pause, Duke Hernade finally spoke slowly, "Whether true or false, we'll know for certain by evening. All speculation and worry now are useless!"

The Commander-in-Chief nodded. "There's no other choice."

Thus, time passed until evening.

When several messengers who had set out at dawn returned in disarray from the south, the Commander-in-Chief and the two Dukes' spirits plummeted.

It meant the Beast King had spoken the truth.

Otherwise, these messengers would never have turned back.

"Commander-in-Chief, the number of Beastmen on the southern road is at least twenty thousand, and there are at least five hundred Wolf Riders."

"If we hadn't run fast, we wouldn't have made it back to report!"

"Twenty thousand Beastmen? Five hundred Wolf Riders?" The Commander-in-Chief's face darkened instantly.

He had assumed five or six thousand beastmen behind them was already the worst-case scenario.

Now he learned there were twenty thousand—this completely sealed off the Kingdom Army's retreat.

Duke Hernade and Duke Shatterstone finally frowned. The situation was truly dire.

"Commander-in-Chief, we saw clearly—the enemy's numbers are accurate. And they're advancing toward Lindongcheng!"

"Good. Rest for now. Remember—this information must not leak to anyone!" The Commander-in-Chief nodded grimly and dismissed the messengers.

Then, with a face full of worry, he turned to Duke Hernade.

"We have no choice now—we must hold the city. Wait until those twenty thousand beastmen reach the walls, then respond as circumstances demand!"

"By the way, Commander-in-Chief, to prepare for a prolonged siege, food rations must be allocated immediately. All nobles' grain stores must be surrendered!" Duke Hernade had no better solution.

The Commander-in-Chief hesitated, then finally nodded.

Issuing such an order now felt like an admission of defeat.

But food control had to begin at once.

Otherwise, if the army remained trapped long-term without enough food, the consequences would be terrifying.

The Commander-in-Chief's order to seize grain was swiftly issued.

Though the decree framed it as precautionary—foresight against worst-case scenarios.

Yet combined with the Beast King's words that morning, the lesser nobles already knew the truth.

Suddenly, every noble in Lindongcheng lived in fear.

Though ordered to surrender grain, nobles still secretly hoarded some.

The Commander-in-Chief knew he couldn't push too hard—otherwise it would backfire.

So he turned a blind eye, content with what he'd already seized.

At least, if distributed properly, the collected food could sustain the army twice as long.

…

"My lord, when will Lindongcheng crush the beastmen?"

"That's unlikely."

"What? How? Our Kingdom Army has over a hundred thousand men inside, and towering walls—can't we defeat them?"

"And if we can't defeat them, what's the point of us being here?" Migen stared in shock.

"Migen, our purpose here is that Duke Shatterstone doesn't want us to claim glory in Lindongcheng."

"As for why Lindongcheng can't defeat the beastmen—according to Moonchaser's scouts, last night the city was attacked by a beastmen raid!"

"The beastmen had secretly hidden elite warriors inside Lindongcheng. Had the army not discovered them in time, the gates would have fallen—and Lindongcheng would have been lost."

"Though the city held, part of its grain stores were burned. So the Kingdom Army inside Lindongcheng is now in dire straits."

"Also, rumors say twenty thousand beastmen have circled around from Red Stone City—now the Kingdom Army is completely surrounded!"

"What? How? We've only been away from Lindongcheng one day!" Migen felt his mind go blank.

Even Lei Meng, the Knight Captain beside him, looked stunned. "My lord… does this mean our removal from Lindongcheng was actually a blessing?"

"Correct. In a way, being sent to Baron Kalle's fortress has temporarily removed us from the center of the storm."

"But if the army is crushed, the beastmen will march straight through, seize Red Stone City, even Black Dragon City."

"Then our current position will become the enemy's rear—our fate won't be good."

"So our safety is only temporary."

"My lord, what should we do now?" Migen panicked.

Why does every campaign bring so much turmoil?

Just yesterday, everything had gone smoothly.