Protect Our Patriarch

...

As the Wang's Clan militia successfully took down the Chao Clan's Demon Falcon Battle Group with minimal losses, the Liang Kingdom's army, led by Prince Zhenyang, Jiang Chengyang, received secret orders from Emperor Qingyu of Liang. Following a late-night meeting with the corps commanders, they launched a full-scale attack on the Yan Kingdom's army the next day.

This was a well-prepared battle for both sides, with multiple plans for offense and defense, and numerous simulations of battlefield scenarios. Unlike previous small skirmishes, this was a large-scale campaign meant to be decisive, where the victor would be crowned king and the loser condemned as a bandit.

Among the five major corps of Liang, the Haode Corps, led by Prince Haode, served as the vanguard. This corps had long been stationed around the Victory Garrison, a large port town on the banks of the Huai River, where numerous warships and ferries had been built over the years.

The Haode Corps included three well-trained naval units, which swiftly crossed the river and headed south, reaching the outskirts of Yan's Huai Jin Garrison in less than an hour. Large ferries followed, carrying entire battalions in support of the warships.

The mission of the Haode Corps was to secure a beachhead within a day, creating space for the main army to land.

Before the warships could engage, aerial scout units clashed in the skies. These elite air cavalry units, each consisting of over a hundred Celestial Realm cultivators, rode a variety of flying beasts, from winged horses to large spiritual birds, and even flying tigers.

While Celestial Realm cultivators could fly, riding flying spiritual beasts conserved profound energy and increased speed. This demonstrated that both the Haode Corps and the Yan's Fen Yue Corps were among the main forces of their respective armies.

The battle erupted instantly, with profound energy bursts, flying swords, and exploding talismans. Celestial Realm cultivators and their mounts fell from the sky into the Huai River.

The air cavalry then coordinated with the warships to launch a fierce assault on Yan's Huai Jin Garrison, tearing open a path for the main forces to land.

The sudden outbreak of war gave Liang's army a significant advantage.

As Liang's sudden attack unfolded, news of the battle was quickly relayed to Yan's army commander, Prince Huaiyin, through precious communication talismans.

Prince Huaiyin was not angry but pleased, having anticipated that Liang would adopt an offensive stance. He was surprised by Prince Zhenyang's "swift decision" and lack of hesitation.

Although the front line suffered a minor setback, it was inconsequential to the overall strategy. As long as Liang's army dared to launch a full-scale attack, they would fall into his trap. Immediately, Commander Prince Huaiyin ordered the entire army to act according to the established plan.

He personally led the Huaiyin Corps to support the Fen Yue Corps at Huai Jin Garrison, aiming to firmly hold back Liang's Haode and Zhenyang Corps.

Meanwhile, battle reports and orders were swiftly dispatched to all units.

The two armies clashed instantly.

On the left flank of Yan's army, the Anhai Corps, led by Prince Anhai, convened a combat meeting immediately.

He hadn't expected that the decisive battle between the two nations would begin just after returning from a meeting at army headquarters, before he even had a chance to settle in.

The Anhai Corps, excluding the personal guard, consisted of eight direct battalions.

They were responsible for the left flank's operations, currently defending a line covering three garrison towns along the Huai River, spanning over three hundred miles of waterfront, with their own naval and aerial scout units.

A large map of Huaiyang and Huaiyin Commanderies hung on the wall of the operations room, occupying an entire wall, detailing mountains, rivers, and fortresses.

In the center of the room was a large sand table of the Anhai Corps' and Qingfeng Corps' defense areas. Different colored flags and markers indicated the marching routes of both sides, making it clear at a glance.

These were the results of continuous reconnaissance by aerial scouts.

Prince Anhai scanned the eight battalion commanders, his voice clear and bright: "Gentlemen, Liang's sudden full-scale attack has been confirmed by our aerial scouts. Our old adversary, the Qingfeng Corps, has begun mobilizing, attempting a comprehensive assault on our defensive line."

"According to the established plan, we will first adopt defensive sniping tactics. Each battalion will hold their designated key landing areas, especially the 'Qiansha Crossing' and 'Beian Crossing' defended by the First and Third Battalions. If the Qingfeng Corps seizes these, they can use them as bases to penetrate deep into our defensive line, so we must hold them."

"Yes, Your Highness," the battalion commanders responded in unison.

"The focus of this battle..."

Prince Anhai paused, his gaze involuntarily shifting to the "ninth battalion commander" beside him.

This was a tall, thin figure in a dark robe, wearing a menacing demon mask, with long white hair draped over his shoulders, exuding a chilling, sinister aura.

Facing him, Prince Anhai's expression softened, becoming amiable and respectful: "Of course, the key lies with the 'Nine Yin Corpse Real Person.'"

Upon hearing this, the commanders' eyes fell on the masked figure, a hint of fear in their eyes.

Even though Yan was a nation aligned with the Demon Dynasty, with many clans practicing sinister arts, their level was nothing compared to the Nine Yin Corpse Real Person.

It was said that this Corpse Real Person was originally a corpse refining expert from the Nine Yin Demon Hall of the True Demon Hall. However, after committing a grave mistake hundreds of years ago, he was spared punishment thanks to the Chao Clan's protection and became a retainer, helping the Chao Clan of Red Moon build a [Demon Corpse Battle Group].

This Demon Corpse Battle Group was unlike ordinary battalions, with only two to three thousand living members, each a carefully trained expert in corpse refining, primarily fighting by controlling corpse puppets.

These corpse puppets stood over ten feet tall, impervious to blades and spears, immensely powerful, tireless, and like moving iron giants on the battlefield, excelling in siege and field battles.

They were even among the few capable of directly confronting the outer region demon armies on the battlefield.

In response to Prince Anhai's flattery, the Nine Yin Corpse Real Person didn't even lift an eyelid, coldly replying, "This Real Person is here by the Little Demon Lord's command to assist. If Prince Anhai has any orders, just say so, no need for pleasantries. After this battle, we won't have any further dealings."

Prince Anhai's expression froze momentarily, but he quickly smiled as if nothing had happened, saying, "The Little Demon Lord's assistance is another matter, which my Qiu Clan will repay. But your personal aid, Real Person, is also appreciated by Yan, and the proper gratitude will not be lacking."

He then pointed to the sand table, explaining to the Nine Yin Corpse Real Person: "Our plan is this: once we engage the Qingfeng Corps, please have your Demon Corpse Battle Group secretly cross the river on our flank and launch a surprise attack to eliminate the 'Yingning Fort' on the opposite side."

[Yingning Fort] was a strategic point outside Huaiyang Commandery, located on the main route into Huaiyang, making its geographical position crucial.

To penetrate Huaiyang Commandery, [Yingning Fort] was an unavoidable obstacle.

As he spoke, Prince Anhai replaced the flag on the sand table at [Yingning Fort] with a green flag representing their side, continuing, "Afterward, your forces will advance from Yingning Fort, striking the rear of the Qingfeng Corps. Kill as many as possible and cause chaos."

"Simultaneously, our forces will launch a full-scale attack on the Qingfeng Corps. With a pincer movement, the Qingfeng Corps' morale will crumble, and it won't be long before they collapse entirely."

Prince Anhai marked the marching routes of both sides on the sand table, demonstrating the strategic tactics to the Corpse Real Person: "Once we join forces and defeat the Qingfeng Corps, we'll regroup and target the Jianze Corps at the rear of the Zhenyang Army. Meanwhile, our right flank's Heiyang Corps and Black Eagle Battle Group will use the same tactics to deal with the Anping Corps, joining us in encircling and attacking the Jianze Corps."

Listening to Prince Anhai's deployment, the eight battalion commanders of the Anhai Corps grew increasingly excited.

"Brilliant, Commander!" one commander exclaimed, "The [Jianze Corps] is already ranked low among Liang's corps. Being encircled like this, they won't last long before being routed. Once the rear is in chaos, Liang's central army will be in disarray!"

"Enough with the boasting of your strategic insight," Prince Anhai glanced at him, exasperated, "I'm just executing Commander Prince Huaiyin's strategic plan."

With that, he ignored the commander and turned to the Nine Yin Corpse Real Person, cautiously inquiring, "Real Person, what do you think?"

"Understood," the Nine Yin Corpse Real Person nodded calmly, "My Demon Corpse Battle Group will fully cooperate with Your Highness's deployment. If there's nothing else, this Real Person will take his leave."

With that, he left the operations room without looking back.

"Thank you, Real Person," Prince Anhai, seemingly unfazed by the rudeness, politely escorted him to the door.

After the Nine Yin Corpse Real Person left, the remaining battalion commanders were disgruntled, dissatisfied with his attitude.

Prince Anhai reassured them, calming them down before continuing the meeting to discuss how to intercept Liang's Qingfeng Corps.

This battle concerned Yan's national fate, and Prince Anhai only hoped for victory. As for himself, enduring some grievances was a small price to pay.

...

As Liang's army launched a full-scale attack, they initially gained an advantage due to the element of surprise. However, the battlefield soon reached a stalemate.

After all, Liang was the aggressor, while Yan was the "defender."

Once Yan's forces, occupying defensive positions, regained their composure, they naturally gained significant geographical advantages.

This was why the two armies had been at a stalemate for so many years, unable to determine a victor. With relatively equal overall military strength, the aggressor always faced considerable disadvantages.

That night.

The deep night shrouded the land, with no moon in the sky, only a myriad of twinkling stars.

The mighty river, turbulent by day, seemed gentle and calm under the night sky. Even the reed marshes by the shore, noisy during the day, became peaceful and serene.

On the north bank of the Huai River.

In a dense reed marsh less than a hundred miles from [Yingning Fort], a dozen or so third-tier red-bellied herons huddled together, resting. Two of them occasionally stretched their necks to look around, clearly on guard.

In the dim starlight, everything seemed peaceful and beautiful.

Suddenly, the reeds at the edge of the marsh began to sway, and ripples spread across the water.

The ripples expanded, reaching closer to the shore.

Abruptly.

The sound of rushing water shattered the night's tranquility as dark figures emerged from the water.

The red-bellied herons on guard were startled, stretching their necks to sound the alarm.

However, before they could cry out, a thick gray-black mist spread under the cover of night, silently engulfing the herons.

The riverbank remained as tranquil as ever, as if nothing had happened, with even the insect chirps disappearing without a trace.

In the enveloping black mist, the dark figures waded through the water, slowly making their way to the shore.

In the dim starlight, obscured by the mist, these "people" appeared blurry, but it was still possible to make out that they were heavily armored, with robust builds, resembling human-shaped iron towers.

However, their movements were somewhat stiff, lacking the agility of Basalt cultivators, and each step left a deep imprint in the wet mud.

Because they were not living humans, but "corpse puppets" of the Demon Corpse Battle Group.

These corpse puppets had been lurking from the bottom of the Huai River.

The Huai River was vast, with even the narrowest points spanning over thirty miles. Crossing the river's surface would create too much commotion, inevitably alerting the other side, but lurking underwater allowed them to remain undetected, even by the aerial scouts patrolling above.

Behind the corpse puppets followed a group of figures cloaked in black robes, their faces obscured.

Their robes were embroidered with uniform runes, exuding a sinister aura distinct from ordinary demonic energy, cold and decayed, clearly indicating they practiced some form of corpse-controlling magic.

Each held a black banner, and as the banners fluttered, black mist spread, enveloping the entire Demon Corpse Battle Group.

The combination of night and mist erased all sound and trace, making the entire Demon Corpse Battle Group appear to enter "stealth mode."

Under the cover of night, the Demon Corpse Battle Group steadily advanced toward Yingning Fort.

[Yingning Fort] was a crucial checkpoint on the route into Huaiyang Commandery, and one of the key defenses on the north bank of the Huai River.

The Demon Corpse Battle Group was not highly mobile, and if they failed to capture Yingning Fort, they would have to traverse the rugged mountains, severely slowing their advance and missing the opportunity.

However, they had landed close to Yingning Fort, and with the cover of night, they could approach undetected. With the Demon Corpse Battle Group's strength, capturing Yingning Fort swiftly was no problem.

Unbeknownst to the Demon Corpse Battle Group, as they silently marched, a swarm of tiny insects had quietly attached themselves to their rear.

These insects, no larger than a thumb, were slender and resembled a cross between mosquitoes and bees, appearing unremarkable and blending into the multitude of insects by the water's edge. Even the cautious Demon Corpse Battle Group noticed nothing amiss.

After the Demon Corpse Group moved on.

In the deep night, a light mist drifted in, forming into a humanoid shape.

This figure was short, bald, and clad in a dark robe that blended seamlessly with the night, with only the sinister insect patterns on the robe faintly visible.

This was none other than Wa Bake, the Gu Master of the Barbarian Gu Tribe, who had not been seen for a long time.

After being captured by Wang Shouzhe, Wa Bake "saw the light" and, following the downfall of the traitor Prince Dexin, became the right-hand man of the Barbarian Gu Tribe's Saintess, Wang Luojing, serving as a bridge of friendship between the Wang Clan and the Barbarian Gu Tribe, actively working to strengthen their relationship.

He knew well that it was more beneficial to curry favor with Wang Shouzhe than with Saintess Wang Luojing, as she listened to everything her Fourth Brother said.

This time, Wang Shouzhe had him accompany the army, and Wa Bake, without hesitation, brought a group of elite Barbarian Gu Tribe members to follow the Wang's Clan militia to the Liang battlefield.

"Ke ke ke, the Young Master truly has divine foresight," Wa Bake's tattooed face broke into a grin, looking extremely sinister, "Once this elder follows the Young Master to achieve great merit, how could the newly established Divine Realm inheritance grounds by the Saintess exclude me?"

He knew that his bloodline aptitude was not much inferior to the former Saintess Dai, but due to the lack of subsequent true inheritance, his cultivation progress had been slow since entering the Purple Mansion Realm. If not for the fortuitous contract with an ancient bloodline Red-tailed Centipede, nurturing it as his life spirit gu to the peak of the eighth rank, he wouldn't have been able to advance to the pinnacle-level Purple Mansion Realm with incomplete cultivation techniques.

But to advance further, relying on the Red-tailed Centipede was no longer sufficient.

Now, his cultivation was long ready, the missing cultivation methods had been supplemented, and all he lacked was some enlightenment. He only needed to enter the Divine Realm inheritance grounds to quickly break through to the Divine Realm.

This expedition with the Wang's Clan militia was his opportunity.

Whether he could break through to the Divine Realm depended on how much merit he could achieve this time!

Just thinking about the nearly completed second inheritance grounds in the clan made Wa Bake's heart burn with anticipation, eager to start the battle and establish his achievements.

After one last glance at the direction where the Demon Corpse Battle Group disappeared, his figure flickered and vanished into the night like a wisp of smoke.

The night deepened.

In Yingning Fort.

Wang Fugui was studying the sand table map with the leaders of the [United Volunteer Battle Group].

The so-called United Volunteer Battle Group was actually a hastily assembled force. Typically, such a patchwork group would be called a "rabble."

However, this United Volunteer Battle Group was anything but a rabble...

The reason was that the personnel configuration of this battle group far exceeded that of a regular battle group.

Among the thirteen battalions, the super-grade Wu Clan alone contributed three battalions, led by a Divine Realm battalion commander, Wu Zhide.

Yes, this was a member of the Wu Clan's "Zhi" generation, the same generation as Wu Zhixing of the Great Qian Wu Clan and Wu Zhiyu of the Immortal Dynasty.

Therefore, this white-bearded, thousand-year-old Wu Zhide shamelessly addressed Wang Fugui as: "Brother Fugui, instead of waiting here, why not take the initiative? With our combined strength, eliminating that Demon Corpse Battle Group should be a piece of cake."

Wang Fugui's face twitched.

Every time he heard "Brother Fugui," he felt an urge to punch someone. Old man, you're older than my ancestor's ancestor, how can you shamelessly utter those words?

But Wu Zhide's reasoning was sound. From the Great Qian Wu Clan's perspective, one of Fugui's grandmothers, Wu Xue'ning, was of the "Zhi" generation, making her a grandmother...

Even without considering the Great Qian Wu Clan, from the perspective of the Han Yue Wu Clan's direct descendant, great prodigy Wu Zhiyu, who was a sworn brother to Fugui, Wu Zhide should indeed call Fugui "Brother."

Of course, the reason he shamelessly ingratiated himself with Wang Fugui was that in the Immortal Dynasty, Wang Fugui was a rising star, rumored to have been privately praised by the Immortal Emperor for his limitless potential.

"Well, Brother Zhide..." Wang Fugui hesitated, ultimately giving up on correcting the address, shaking his head, "The river is wide, and while many places are difficult to land, they won't hinder the Demon Corpse Battle Group. Moreover, our position at Yingning Fort is strategically advantageous, being easy to defend and hard to attack. With the garrison's support, we can significantly reduce our battle losses."

Everyone worked hard to train their clan members and soldiers, and those were living lives. Within his capabilities, he naturally wanted to minimize sacrifices.

"My dear Fugui Ancestor is truly compassionate and considerate of his soldiers," another Divine Realm powerhouse, Wang Yuxuan, sighed with satisfaction, "It's a blessing to fight alongside Fugui Ancestor."

In the Changning Wang's Clan, the "Yu" generation were elders.

But this "Yu" generation from the Han Yue Wang's Clan had already been "looped in," and after comparing genealogies, Wang Yuxuan naturally and willingly called Fugui "Ancestor."

Joking aside, who was Fugui Ancestor?

He was a super-rich magnate who could stir up the Immortal Dynasty's market with a mere thought, earning fortunes, and was the future Mansion Master of the Chunnan Princess Mansion. Such a figure, even a little favor from him, could make a "small Divine Realm junior" like him feel full.

Of course, the most important thing was that he didn't dare consider himself Fugui's elder. He couldn't afford the meeting money.

This time, the Han Yue Wang's Clan fully supported, contributing two elite battalions, along with a Divine Realm powerhouse and six or seven Purple Mansion Realm experts, to show their enthusiastic response to Wang Fugui's call for a battle group.

Wang Fugui looked at the group of "big shots" around him, feeling immense pressure.

He hadn't wanted to come, after all, he was only fourteen, and who goes to war at that age? But if he didn't personally lead this "rabble," no, United Battle Group, none of the clans would truly submit, and the battle group would become a real rabble.

After discussions, since it was his battle group, it was naturally best for him to lead it personally.

Sigh~ Being the direct descendant of the Wang Clan wasn't easy.

Wang Fugui sighed inwardly.

At just fourteen, he was forced to shoulder the family's burdens, not only helping the family earn money, expanding social circles, and gathering connections, but also leading a battle group to the front lines.

When would this end?

When could he return to the Wang's Clan School to attend higher clan education?

"Yiya yiya~~"

The Fortune Tree, Wang Bao Cai, shared a mental connection with Wang Fugui, sensing his melancholy, and immediately comforted him.

Fugui, Fugui, don't worry. After we finish this battle, we'll happily return to the clan school together~~

Fugui loves the clan school so much, it must be an interesting place.

Then, we can happily learn together~

...