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Chapter 180: Casualties at Dragon Hall
Long before Ye Huan's time, in the ancient world, crossbows had once shone brightly in history. Their immense destructive power and range of over a kilometer made them a nightmare for all enemies. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the technology to manufacture crossbows gradually faded away over the years. Little did Ye Huan dream that in this world, on the land of Beiyuan City, which was being invaded by the Southern Xiongnu Empire, crossbows still existed. Moreover, the number of crossbows deployed by the soldiers was surprisingly substantial!
"Not good! Everyone get back into the Military Hummer!"
With deep concern, Ye Huan let out a furious roar, clenching his fists tightly until his nails dug into his flesh. Just as he shouted this warning, under the flag of the Southern Xiongnu Empire in Beiyuan City, numerous Southern Xiongnu soldiers launched a volley of crossbow bolts!
Like a swarm of locusts, each bolt shot from the crossbows measured about two meters in length. An unsuspecting observer might mistake them for long spears. Coupled with their tremendous power, many members of Dragon Hall who had not yet heard Ye Huan's shout were caught off guard and suffered varying degrees of injury. Fortunately, they were all Ninth-Level Practitioners, inherently tough; after a rain of arrows, there were no fatalities among them.
However, before anyone could catch their breath, another barrage of arrows rained down upon Ye Huan and his companions from the city walls. After two consecutive attacks, even the windshield of the Military Hummer began to show signs of strain.
"Ah!!!"
A scream echoed through the earpiece. Ye Huan knew all too well that one of the Dragon Hall members had likely met with disaster...
As if to confirm Ye Huan's fears, Yang Guangyao's voice suddenly came through the military Bluetooth headset: "Young Master, their attack power seems too strong. One of our Military Hummer's windows has been pierced by those long arrows, and even those inside..." "Ah!!"
Before Yang Guangyao could finish his sentence, another scream erupted from the earpiece. It was evident just how devastating these crossbows were to the members of Dragon Hall. After all, while Professionals could play a crucial role on the battlefield, they were still human and not invulnerable. If they were Summoners, perhaps they could use their summons to block some attacks; but as martial artists, it was not surprising that members of Dragon Hall faced fatalities in such circumstances.
Hearing those heart-wrenching cries made Ye Huan's eyes redden with urgency. Yet he managed to maintain his composure and immediately took action by pulling out the 2012 Arms Compendium.
Flipping quickly to the page on ballistic shields, he focused his mind and was delighted to see military shields materialize before them, providing significant protection against incoming attacks. However, he understood that while they could block frontal assaults, they would not necessarily shield against aerial threats. Realizing this limitation, Ye Huan summoned several Type 99 main battle tanks to leverage their thick armor—over a meter—to withstand the damage inflicted by the crossbows on Dragon Hall members.
Watching many Dragon Hall members scramble into the Type 99 tanks brought him a momentary sense of relief. But just as he thought he could breathe easier, more screams erupted from the earpiece, tightening Ye Huan's nerves once again as he turned his gaze toward where the Dragon Hall members were stationed.
Before entering the Type 99 main battle tank, many members of Dragon Hall had to stand on top of the tank to lift the hatch. However, this exposed them to a barrage of arrows from the enemy, and in an instant, several members were struck. Some even stumbled and fell off the tank, landing heavily on the ground, which made Ye Huan's heart ache with regret.
"If I had known, I should have let the members of Dragon Hall drive the Type 99 main battle tank..."
Blaming himself, Ye Huan perhaps forgot that the road from Guyu Town to Beiyuan City was not very smooth. Using the Type 99 main battle tank for travel was simply unrealistic!
Taking all the responsibility upon himself, he raised his head again to look at the Southern Xiongnu soldiers in Beiyuan City, who seemed as lifeless as corpses. In front of everyone, he summoned the Dongfeng III.
He opened the driver's door and quickly aimed at Beiyuan City without hesitation. Ye Huan pressed the launch button on the Dongfeng III. With a mechanical sound, it slowly aimed at the sky and shot upward with a burst of fire!
Witnessing this scene from atop the city walls of Beiyuan City, almost all the Beiyuan soldiers paused momentarily. Even the crossbow bolts being fired seemed to decrease in number compared to before...
"Quick! It's a good opportunity! Get into the tank now!"
Issuing commands through his Bluetooth headset, many Dragon Hall members reacted to Ye Huan's words and hurriedly scrambled into the tank. They made sure to close the hatch tightly behind them. Unfortunately, in that brief moment, two more Dragon Hall members were struck by crossbow bolts—one in the eye, a vulnerable spot on the body, and another in his lower body.
Under normal circumstances, getting hit in such a way would invite ridicule. But on this battlefield, such incidents became all too common; no one could predict what would happen next.
After all members of Dragon Hall had entered the Type 99 main battle tank, the Dongfeng III crashed heavily against the southern wall of Beiyuan City, instantly obliterating countless Southern Xiongnu soldiers. Watching this unfold up close and feeling the shockwave from the explosion eased Ye Huan's heart considerably. He summoned another Type 99 main battle tank and ordered his comrades to attack.
Thus, hundreds of Type 99 tanks charged toward Beiyuan City, with cannon fire echoing in unison...
The battle raged on. Once inside their tanks, Dragon Hall members turned the tide of war almost instantly. The situation in Beiyuan City was dire; surrounded by numerous soldiers at close range, the sturdy armor of their tanks became Dragon Hall's sharpest weapon. With every advance they made, countless Southern Xiongnu soldiers were crushed underfoot.
The saying "the best offense is a good defense" seemed to hold true; however, for Ye Huan and his team, it transformed into "the best defense is a good offense." Underneath the protection of their tanks, Dragon Hall members suffered no harm whatsoever!
As Ye Huan and his comrades drove their Type 99 tanks into Beiyuan City, waves of Southern Xiongnu soldiers rushed toward them relentlessly. For every soldier that fell, another took their place to block their advance. Their ferocity far surpassed that of Japan's so-called death warriors. Yet no matter how fearless they were, casualties continued to rise exponentially. In contrast to their previous battles against Eastern Japan Fusang, this fight was far more intense.
Two full hours passed. Perhaps even those surviving members of Dragon Hall were unaware of how many they had killed or crushed while driving their Type 99 tanks. Beiyuan City fell completely silent, leaving only blood-soaked ground and corpses behind; even the air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood.
Slowly stepping out of the Type 99 main battle tank, Ye Huan, who had been a relatively good student in the Twenty-First Century, found himself wanting to light a cigarette to ease the strange feelings swirling in his heart. Unfortunately, in this world, cigarettes were destined to be nonexistent, making Ye Huan's desire seem like a luxury.
After Ye Huan exited the tank, many members of Dragon Hall also crawled out, their faces pale. If they had felt a thirst for war due to their invincible record before arriving at Beiyuan City, now they were left with nothing but fear. The reason was simple: war meant death.
Perhaps even the members of Dragon Hall did not realize that after experiencing such a damaging battle, their once restless hearts had quieted significantly. They were gradually maturing and no longer carried the arrogance they once had. This might be a good thing for them.
After resting for a while and conducting a thorough count that lasted about half an hour, the members of Dragon Hall quickly deduced that the Guard stationed in Beiyuan City numbered around twenty thousand. Yet, despite facing this force of twenty thousand, the three hundred members of Dragon Hall had paid a heavy price—losing nearly one-tenth of their lives, with over ninety injured. This was the first time Dragon Hall had suffered casualties on the battlefield, and the numbers were staggering.
It was indeed remarkable that among just three hundred members of Dragon Hall, so many had survived amidst a hail of arrows and crossbow bolts. However, for Ye Huan, there was an underlying worry. If attacking a city with twenty thousand defenders required such a heavy toll, what would it cost to assault the four cities of the Southern Xiongnu Empire?
After a long silence, Ye Huan made a decision: he would lead Dragon Hall to rest and recuperate in Beiyuan City for a short while. Otherwise, even if they rushed to the next city now, the casualties among his three hundred members would only increase. For Ye Huan, who could not afford such losses, this was crucial.
Meanwhile, in the palace of the Southern Xiongnu Empire, upon receiving news from his subordinates about Beiyuan City, Xuan Ziming couldn't be bothered to show any concern for its current state. His face remained calm, betraying none of his inner thoughts. He simply asked one question: "Tell me, how many casualties did Dragon Hall suffer?"
"It seems... it seems that deaths accounted for only one-tenth of their total number... nearly a hundred are injured..."
The messenger reported with a look of shock, fearing to upset Xuan Ziming but knowing he had to speak honestly. He carefully observed Xuan Ziming for any signs of anger since if any battle resulted in over five thousand casualties, given Xuan Ziming's temperament, he might explode in fury.
To this person's surprise, upon hearing the news he delivered, Xuan Ziming not only remained calm but appeared quite pleased. A slight smile crept onto his lips as he softly remarked, "One-tenth dead? That means thirty people. Dragon Hall has only three hundred in total. Good! Ye Huan, I want to see how long you can remain arrogant..."
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