Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
News from Ankang City spread rapidly throughout the Tang Dynasty, reaching every corner of the realm. Almost all Tang People began preparing for war, not out of fear, but with a subtle sense of anticipation for the impending conflict.
The sword that had been sealed for a century was drawn once more, and arrows covered in thick dust were placed on longbows. The countless Tang People west of Eternal Peace were ready to defend against the enemy, prepared to rush into battle at any moment.
No one was unwilling; no one was unhappy. Almost everyone accepted this fate with enthusiasm, as if it were their destiny. The Tang Kingdom was established in an era of war, and it could not end in peace, for there was no nation more familiar with warfare than the Tang.
Neither the Dragon Court's army nor the forces of the Orcs and Giants could capture a single city. The soldiers defending the walls seemed fearless, continuously launching counterattacks, which only increased their own casualties.
As the official decree was issued and the battle-ready arrows from Eternal Peace arrived in various states and counties, the invading forces felt their advance becoming increasingly difficult. The Tang People were no longer content with merely defending; elite troops began patrolling along state roads, often surrounding the invading forces upon discovering their presence.
The invaders did not understand how the Tang Kingdom could mobilize such a formidable force in such a short time, causing their plans to falter before they even began.
Of course, there are no secrets that cannot be uncovered. Just as the invading army prepared to withdraw, someone informed the high command of the Dragon Court about the true situation in the Tang Kingdom. The armies of the Dragon Court, Giants, and Orcs merged into one and swiftly advanced toward Eternal Peace.
The mobilized troops from various states attempted to organize against the invaders' movements, but the enemy was not inclined to engage in prolonged battles. They quickly altered their routes when encountering resistance. Although this delayed them somewhat, the Three Races Alliance preserved its final elite forces.
Five days later...
The Three Races Alliance appeared beneath Yongyang City!
"Enemy forces sighted! Alert the defending troops!" The sentinels on the city walls spotted the approaching army from the west and immediately rang the alarm bell, causing chaos to erupt throughout Yongyang City.
Located sixty miles west of Yongan City, Yongyang served as a secondary capital for the Tang Dynasty and held a prominent position in terms of economy and population, ranking among the top three cities in Tang. Thus, its residents did not share the same spirit of martyrdom as those in other states; upon learning of the enemy's approach, their first instinct was to flee with their families toward Eternal Peace.
"General Wang!" Upon seeing General Wang Wei ascend to the battlements, nearby soldiers hurriedly saluted him.
"No need for formalities; focus on tracking enemy movements!" Wang Wei's voice was low and heavy, reflecting his dissatisfaction with the situation within the city.
"Immediately close Ximen, North Gate, and South Gate. Arrange for all residents to retreat to Eternal Peace. Send out the Scouting Unit to observe the enemy's movements and report back every fifteen minutes! Also, send someone urgently to Eternal Peace for assistance!"
"Understood!" The deputy general cupped his fists in salute and quickly descended from the city wall.
Wang Wei stood atop the West City Wall, watching the clouds of dust rising on the distant horizon, knowing that this city could not be held. After all, the people of Yongyang City could not fight as desperately as those from the surrounding counties, and even if they did, it would be ineffective.
The defending forces of Yongyang numbered only Thousands. Faced with the Three Races Alliance, Wang Wei’s greatest hope was that they could hold out until all the residents had retreated into Eternal Peace, at least thirty miles away from the city!
"Send the order!" Wang Wei shouted. "All those under twenty-four years old, without wives or children, are to guard the evacuation of residents!"
"General!"
"Execute the order!" Wang Wei roared. This battle would surely end in death for many; he could not bear to leave any family behind. He could only send off those young men who had yet to enjoy marital bliss, preserving the most elite fighting force.
"Yes!"
There were approximately seven hundred thousand residents inside and outside Yongyang City. Evacuating seventy Thousands was a daunting task, especially since some elderly refused to leave and others insisted on bringing their possessions, all of which would slow down the overall evacuation.
"Deploy two thousand soldiers to hold bows and arrows from the walls of South Gate and North Gate to obstruct the enemy crossing through Yongyang City!"
General Wang did everything he could to prolong the evacuation time. The walls of Yongyang City were extremely high; even the elite troops of the Dragon Court could not break through quickly. Therefore, rather than fully defending a city that was destined to fall, it was better to allow more people to escape from this impending hell.
Looking at the dust clouds on the distant horizon becoming more pronounced, Wang Wei sighed, "I hope it's not too late."
Ministry of Military Affairs of Yong'an
"Report—" The sound of hooves accompanied the scout's shout as he galloped towards the emperor, who frowned slightly at the sight.
"Your Majesty!"
The scout knelt on the ground, panting heavily. "I report to Your Majesty! Enemy troops have been spotted to the west of Yongyang City, and it is suspected that they are about to launch an attack on Yongyang City!"
"How many?"
"All the forces of the Three Races!"
As soon as the scout finished speaking, the entire Ministry of War erupted into chaos. All the generals and clerks began to speak over one another, hitting a nerve with the emperor.
"What!" "This is too fast!" "Eternal Peace currently has only ten thousand Imperial Guards; we might as well abandon Yongyang."
"Shut your mouth!" The Emperor angrily retorted, "Eternal Peace is a Tang city; is Yongyang not a Tang city? Are the lives of Eternal Peace's residents more precious than those of Yongyang's? Do you believe I won't send you all to the front lines of Yongyang as an example?"
The Ministry of War fell silent, as if a spell had been cast. No one dared to speak out again, and many who had just expressed their excitement were now sweating nervously.
"Your Majesty, please calm down," Chen Rui said calmly from the side. "What we need to do now is evacuate the residents of Yongyang. After all, they are similar to those in Eternal Peace and lack superior physical fitness and combat skills. Sending them to the front lines would be pointless."
The emperor shot a furious glance at the officials in the Ministry of War, as if questioning why no one among them could be more useful than this elf!
"Continue!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Chen Rui smiled lightly. "General Wang Wei, the commander of Yongyang, must share my thoughts, so the evacuation efforts should have already begun."
At this point, the scout nodded affirmatively. "Reporting to Your Majesty, the residents of Yongyang have indeed started to evacuate, but..."
"But what?" Your Majesty the Emperor inquired.
Chen Rui explained with a smile, "But because there are simply too many residents in Yongyang, it is impossible to evacuate them all in a short time. General Wang must be troubled by this as well. I believe we should immediately dispatch a suicide squad to ensure the complete evacuation of the residents of Yongyang!"
"A suicide squad? What does that mean?" This term was still quite new in this era, so Your Majesty the Emperor looked puzzled.
"A team willing to face death, that is a suicide squad!" Chen Rui narrowed his eyes slightly. "If we want all the residents of Yongyang to evacuate, we need a certain number of soldiers willing to sacrifice themselves to block the advance of the Three Races Alliance with their flesh and blood!"
In other states or counties, it wouldn't be difficult to gather a certain number of people willing to fight to the death. However, asking the residents of Eternal Peace to do so was simply impossible.
Mobilizing the Imperial Guards would surely face opposition from all sides, and at this point, where could they find so many willing martyrs?
"What do you need?"
Your Majesty the Emperor was astute enough to realize that recruiting such a large number of trained martyrs in a short time would require a significant cost—at least high rewards or something similar.
However, could mere rewards truly summon warriors willing to march into hell? Your Majesty the Emperor felt uncertain; this mission was essentially one with no chance of survival. Regardless of success or failure, there would be no hope for them. How many would truly be willing to accept such a task?
"No need for anything else; participants will be directly granted the title of Founding County Marquis and lower ranks, but without inheritance rights to prevent future troubles."
The emperor was somewhat surprised. The title of Founding County Marquis was a male sixth-rank nobility, with ranks starting from third rank downwards including Founding County Earl, Founding County Viscount, and Founding County Baron, which corresponded to upper fourth rank, upper fifth rank, and lower fifth rank respectively.
However, even with a noble title, all that was granted was a parcel of land, after all, Chen Rui had nullified their rights to inherit the title.
"Is it really possible?"
"Are you worried, Your Majesty? Then let me explain further. These rewards are for those who come to participate in the Lower Martial Arts Tournament. Most of them take pride in their official ranks, titles, and nobility, willing to risk their lives for these honors. Most importantly, their combat abilities are not inferior to the Imperial Guards!"
However, the reality was not as Chen Rui described. In the Dream Game World, each account's data and assets were independent and could not be interchanged. However, there was one shared data point: Honor Points.
Simply put, Honor Points were a means to incentivize players to guide the game world towards certain outcomes, effectively encouraging player activity. For instance, inventing something new in the game world, defeating a master, or reaching a certain political status would earn corresponding Honor Points as rewards.
Honor Points could be exchanged for rare materials and were also one of the most competitive metrics because a character's nickname would change color with an increase in Honor Points. This seemingly low-key way of showing off was quite popular among players.
Thus, Chen Rui dared to assure that as long as the emperor granted numerous noble titles, there would definitely be people willing to risk their lives. After all, for players, a character was just a character; if they had to die anyway, it was better to die for something worthwhile.
"Alright."
The emperor nodded and had the Four Treasures of the Study brought forth. He immediately issued a decree for the Ministry of War to spread the word throughout every corner of Yong'an City.
Most players participating in the Lower Martial Arts Tournament were still lingering in Eternal Peace since there were indeed many attractions in that city. Once the announcement was made, the vast majority of players rushed to the First Arena of the Ministry of War.
No matter how this battle ended, it was destined to be recorded in history.
Comment 0 Comment Count