NOVPUBHan Xiang finally understood.
Over the years, no matter how great the victories he won, he never felt excitement again.
It was not because of the loneliness of not encountering a match.
But rather, while focusing on "playing chess," he had lost something..
"village chief..."
Han Xiang's pupils began to dilate, vacantly staring at the Heavenly Dome, he uttered the last sentence of his life, "Little Xiangzi, has truly become a grandmaster of military tactics."
With those words.
Life ceased.
Chen Sansi stepped forward, beheaded him, and then without the slightest delay, returned to the battlefield. On his way back, he didn't forget to decapitate Zou Hu as well, leaped to the top of another intact section of the city wall, overlooking the chaotic battlefield he raised the two heads on his long spear, his voice resounding through heaven and earth.
"Han Xiang, Zou Hu are dead!"
"Those who do not surrender, will be shown no mercy——"
In fact.
After the city wall collapsed.
The frenzied soldiers from Hongze Camp had long since entered the city!
The West Qi Garrison inside the city was already on the verge of complete defeat.
Upon seeing the two heads, nothing could stop their collapse.
Just two hours later.
Wu City was declared captured.
Out of twenty thousand defenders, over ten thousand were either killed or wounded, eight thousand surrendered, and the remaining two thousand scattered and fled.
Military Immortal Mo Xuepeng was captured alive.
The remaining cultivators who could fly escaped, while those who could not fly were all slain.
The only exception was that female cultivator.
Which was Zou Hu's Dao companion.
After fighting until her Mana was exhausted, Lan Immortal, next to Zou Hu, took her own life.
Thus.
The battle for Wu City came to an end.
...
Gengyang Prefecture.
The fierce battle continued.
After several rounds of the army's assaults on the city.
Both sides suffered heavy losses.
Even lacking a Cultivator in Qi Refining Perfection, the constant press of those in the Middle Stage and later stages of Foundation Establishment, along with the rotation strategy, caused Wang Jun's Mana to rapidly deplete.
"Junior Brother, let's retreat!"
Qu Yuan looked at his flying sword which now showed cracks, "Han went to Wu City, Chen Sansi must be dead by now! If we don't leave now, we won't be able to escape."
"Wait a little longer!"
Wang Jun clenched his teeth in persistence.
It was the same old saying.
The chance for a Foundation Establishment Pill comes only once, and he would absolutely not give up unless it was absolutely necessary.
After a few more rounds of magical combat.
West Qi cultivator Zhu Gui temporarily increased the distance, while popping Elixir Pills and clutching Spirit Stones, he tried to recover his Mana as quickly as possible.
In the ordinary world, war costs tens of thousands in Gold a day.
For cultivators waging war, the consumption of Spirit Stones is equally dreadful.
"My fellow sect members!"
Zhu Gui encouraged them, "If we can hold on for at most half a day more, Senior Brother Han will return with Chen Sansi's head, and then the defenders within the city will inevitably crumble!"
"Good!"
The many cultivators and Transcendent Warriors all nodded firmly.
But it was at this moment.
A Cultivator who was seriously injured stumbled and flew above the military camp, then losing his ability to maintain his flight, he fell to the ground, vomiting blood, his voice trembling, "Brother Zhu, it's, it's bad! Senior Brother Han, has been killed!"
"What are you saying? You must have fallen for an Illusion Technique!"
Zhu Gui was shocked and alarmed, "There is only Chen Sansi and a few Transcendents in Wu City, both Senior Brother Han and Zou Hu are there, how could anyone be killed?!"
"It's true!"
The Cultivator's voice was filled with terror, "Chen Sansi made a breakthrough just before the battle, entering the Martial Arts True Power Realm, first killing Zou Hu, then beheading Senior Brother Han! Wu City by now, must have been captured!"
"Wu City is taken?"
Zhu Gui's heart sank.
That was where the provisions for three hundred thousand troops lay.
Three hundred thousand men!
Without provisions, how could the battle be fought? Without food, the starving civilians of West Qi would revolt within three to five days!
"Brother Zhu!"
The Cultivator spoke, "After Chen Sansi entered the True Power Realm, no one was his match, and they might come to kill us at any moment. If we don't leave now, we will perish here!"
The many Cultivators were in utter chaos.
"Retreat first!"
In the end.
Zhu Gui made the decision, "Retreat to the nearby cities for now!"
"Retreat——"
The Vanguard Army that was still attacking the city was directly abandoned, the Central Army became the rear, and the rear became the vanguard, as the West Qi forces retreated in a massive exodus.
Atop the city walls.
"If you don't leave, I'm going to!"
Qu Yuan shouted out, then saw the West Qi Army suddenly starting to beat the retreat.
Shortly afterwards, they received the news.
Han Xiang.
Was dead!
That Chen Sansi had indeed captured Wu City!
"Send a troop to pursue them out of the city!"
The two groups lying in wait outside and the forces inside Gengyang Prefecture City pincer-attacked from both sides, smashing the enemy forces and inflicting tens of thousands of casualties. Only after Han Xiang's contingency plan from before his death was heeded, did they stabilize the situation and took refuge inside a few nearby cities.
...
Wu City.
After the battle ended.
A perfectly fine city had been reduced to ruins.
"My lord!"
Chu Shixiong, who was severely injured, hastily came forward, looking at the White Robe with reverence, as if beholding a deity, "My lord, what should we do next?"
"Burn half of the grain and take the other half away,"
Chen Sansi ordered, "Then the entire army will return to Gengyang Prefecture, waiting to chase down the crumbling West Qi Army."
Such large-scale warfare.
Naturally could not end in a single night.
Of course.
With the grain gone.
The follow-up was essentially just sweeping across everything without any setbacks, and within about two months, it was possible to push forward to the vicinity of Mang Mountain for a final cleanup.
The army took the grain back into Gengyang Prefecture City.
For several consecutive days, it sank into temporary tranquility.
...
Capital City.
Zhongjue Hall.
Based on the calculations of time.
The provisions at Guan Du had been exhausted for half a month, the one hundred fifty thousand-strong army would either be completely annihilated or surrender to West Qi. With the Heavenly Mountains as the boundary, the entire western region had fallen into the hands of West Qi.
