In the Empire, the title Weiyuan carries a special significance, symbolizing prestige and honor, with the implication of spreading one’s might beyond the borders. Bestowing this title upon Qian Ye was, on one hand, a manifestation of high expectations for him, hoping that he could scale even greater heights in the future, possibly obtaining titles such as Zhenyuan or Dingyuan, or even ascending from a noble to a prince.
The rank of Marshal with Staff is also a half-grade higher than ordinary marshals, granting authority to command other marshals on the joint battlefield. It was necessary to bestow this rank upon Qian Ye to ensure his command in the Black Sun Valley was both legitimate and without any doubt. Without such authority, commanding a large number of noble generals would always be troublesome.
One was about honor, and the other about real power; the two together reflected the Empire’s utmost sincerity. In the Black Sun Valley, Qian Ye was to have total control over everything.
However, viewed from another angle, this also meant that the Empire had reached an impasse, with no one else to send, and thus all hope rested on Qian Ye, even turning a blind eye to his vampire identity.
The ceremony of conferring the rank was brief yet solemn. Apart from Zhao Xuanji, no other noble marshal was present, but this was to avoid any awkwardness, as the previous relationship between the military and Qian Ye had already deteriorated to a point far beyond mere displeasure, almost becoming a deadly feud.
After the ceremony, all the generals with authority remained to finalize the handover with Qian Ye.
“How many troops do we have in the Black Sun Valley? Who are the commanders? Where are our outposts? How often can we receive supplies, and what is the supply quantity? What is the current enemy strength, and what is their deployment?”
Qian Ye fired off a series of questions in one breath.
The generals laid out the battle map and answered one by one. Once all the questions were answered, Qian Ye let out a long sigh. The situation was worse than he had anticipated. Currently, the Empire only had less than fifty thousand troops in the Black Sun Valley, supported by a few secret outposts of limited size. In comparison, the Evernight had nearly half a million soldiers.
After Song Zining’s severe injury, the Empire suffered a series of defeats on the battlefield, with casualties skyrocketing, far exceeding those of the Evernight. It was only then that the upper echelons of the Empire truly realized how remarkable the casualty ratio of one to four achieved by Song Zining and Zhao Jundu in their time really was.
The ground defeats affected the air as well, with the Empire’s transport fleet suffering heavy losses, significantly reducing its transport capacity. Although the Evernight did not gain an advantage in air combat, the one-to-one exchange was something the Empire could not afford.
In such a situation, no one in the Empire dared or was willing to take on the task. Those who could, the Empire would never let them go to the front. This was the reason why Zhao Xuanji appeared in the military.
After all, the New World was still unknown. Even though everyone understood that if the dark races obtained it, it would surely be detrimental to the human race’s future, no one could say exactly when that time would come. But if the defensive forces on the Empire’s homeland were to waver, millions of civilians would be slaughtered, returning to a state of being at the mercy of others.
An officer presented a calendar, saying, “Sir, would you like to pick an auspicious day to take up your post?”
Qian Ye pushed the calendar aside, saying, “No need to pick. Arrange an airship immediately; I am going to the Black Sun Valley now.”
“Yes, sir!”
A moment later, an airship ascended, heading toward the Gate of the New World.
It was not until Qian Ye arrived in the Black Sun Valley and met with the Imperial troops that he realized how desperate they had become.
The remaining Imperial troops were stationed in a secret base. The so-called secret base was actually just a hidden valley, with caves winding around, barely able to conceal the troops.
When Qian Ye’s airship arrived, the soldiers showed neither excitement nor curiosity. Some sat together chatting, while most either lay down or sat, their faces blank, showing no interest in anything.
The ones who came to greet him were just a few low-ranking officers. The three divine generals in the army were nowhere to be seen.
“Where are Lord Wen Yuan, Lord Ming Hai, and General Liu?” Qian Ye recalled the unfamiliar names.
“The three lords are exhausted from long battles and are injured, and they are currently resting. Lord Qian Ye’s arrival was sudden, and they could not come to welcome you, please forgive them.”
“Take me to see them.”
Several officers led the way, taking Qian Ye to a cave. The three divine generals each occupied a corner, meditating. When Qian Ye arrived, they only lifted their eyelids slightly, recognizing the accompanying military staff, and reluctantly stood up.
Qian Ye surveyed the surroundings. The cave was only a bit larger, and clean. The furnishings were extremely simple, with each of the three divine generals having only a field bed, revealing their extreme distress.
The general who accompanied Qian Ye announced the edict and briefly introduced him. From that moment on, Qian Ye became the supreme commander of the force and the head of the Empire in the New World.
Taking advantage of the presence of the military staff, Qian Ye immediately summoned all the officers for the first strategy meeting.
“Why are there so few people?” This was the first question Qian Ye asked.
Lord Ming Hai was already advanced in years, with white hair, and stroked his beard as he replied, “Lord Qian Ye may not know, it is not that the Empire has been lacking in support, but we do not need too many soldiers. The current number is already somewhat excessive, making relocation and concealment very difficult. We managed to shake off the pursuit of the dark races and find this place, but how long it can last is hard to say.”
Lord Wen Yuan also said, “The former commander, after only seven days in office, lost five battles, losing thirty thousand soldiers, and was seriously injured, returning to the Empire for treatment. We have only been maintaining the situation here, and privately think that it is already quite good to protect these soldiers and the base.”
Qian Ye looked at the general, who shrugged, indicating helplessness.
Suddenly, Qian Ye understood. These three were either disgraced or, like Lord Ming Hai, were in their twilight years, risking death to fight for their families’ military honors. In short, they were all marginal figures, with no one caring about their fate. The former commander, badly injured, could return to the Empire for treatment, but they could not. Either they would be injured to the point of weakening their foundations, or they would die in the Black Sun Valley, with no other choice.
If they volunteered to fill this void, it would be strange if their morale and spirits were high.
Qian Ye’s gaze swept over the three, this time more carefully, while recalling their backgrounds.
Lord Ming Hai, surnamed Zhou, came from a lower-class aristocratic family, and was a rare genius in the family. He successfully broke through to the Divine General level. However, due to insufficient resources in his youth, his foundation was not solid, and advancing to Divine General was already his limit.
For many years, he worked diligently to elevate his family to a higher class. Yet, he lacked the talent of Lin Xitan, and despite his lifelong efforts, he could only make his family stand out among the lower-class aristocrats.
This time, he risked his life before his twilight years to accumulate military merit to secure his family’s position.
Even someone as capable as Lin Xitan, with the Emperor’s favor, once dead, left his family unable to hold the fief. Lord Ming Hai was in a similar situation. Even if no one plotted against his family, the descendants still needed to prove their worth through solid military achievements. Some would envy the legacy of their peers, while others would resent the sacrifices made by their ancestors, leading to the plight of the descendants. The glory of a nobleman could last for generations, but it was not easily defined, and no policy could achieve perfect fairness.
Lord Wen Yuan, Chen Tongqi, was another story. He had been a confidant of the Longevity King and was involved in the Longevity King’s rebellion. According to law, his entire family should have been exterminated, but as a Divine General, he was allowed to atone for his crimes through meritorious service, thereby sparing his family from disaster.
Liu Chengyun, a retired marshal, was in a similar situation to Lord Ming Hai, both risking their lives in their old age for their families.
These three were all lower-tier Divine Generals, and to Qian Ye, their aura was weak, not worthy of much attention. However, they were still Divine Generals and could be useful allies.
Qian Ye inquired about their specialties and abilities, gaining a rough understanding. Just as they were about to discuss the next strategy, a soldier rushed in, shouting, “Dark race activity detected in the distance!”
Lord Wen Yuan leaped to his feet, exclaiming, “They came so fast?”
Qian Ye rose calmly, saying, “It’s better that they have come. Let’s go and see.”
The Empire had only built simple defensive works outside the valley base, which were barely better than nothing. There was no time to reinforce them, nor were there enough supplies. In repeated retreats, the cumbersome mobile defenses had long been abandoned.
The pursuing dark warriors numbered only around ten thousand, but the three Divine Generals had serious expressions, showing signs of wanting to retreat.
Qian Ye glanced around, unperturbed, and said, “There aren’t many of them. We can certainly fight them.”
Liu Chengyun, having served in the military for a long time, explained, “My lord, you may not know, but these mobile units of about ten thousand, although not large, are the most elite. They are double-strength, and all led by Dukes of Honor. If they entangle us, it won’t take long for multiple units to converge from all directions. Avoiding them is the best course of action.”
Qian Ye mused, “Isn’t this the strategy Zining used before?”
“Yes, it seems so,” Liu Chengyun replied.
Song Zining had also deployed multiple units to be remotely controlled, and the dark races, if they divided their forces, would be swiftly annihilated by the concentrated units. Now, the Evernight was using the same tactic against the Empire, which was rather ironic.
The difference in the rise and fall of the two sides was in the mastery of the Way of Heaven. Song Zining relied on his proficiency in the Way of Heaven to anticipate the enemy’s moves, achieving early victories.
After Nighteye’s counterattack severely wounded Song Zining, she lacked the advantage of the Way of Heaven but had enough troops and a vast number of strong warriors. As long as she continuously sought out the main force of the Imperial army for decisive battles, the Empire would repeatedly suffer bitter defeats. In a war of attrition, the Empire was the one that could not afford to lose.
Looking at the approaching dark army, Qian Ye said, “Sound the horn! All troops, attack!”
“What?” The three Divine Generals could hardly believe their ears.
“All troops, attack! Did you not hear clearly, or do you wish to disobey orders?”
The military general was still present, watching from the side. The three, Zhou, Chen, and Liu, were all marginal figures in the Empire and naturally dared not openly defy orders, nor could they show cowardice in front of a younger man. Reluctantly, they returned to mobilize their troops and move forward to meet the enemy.
Soon, the two armies were within range of each other.
Although the Imperial army had the numerical advantage, the dark race’s unit initiated the attack first, pushing forward with artillery fire falling on the Imperial troops.
Scattered heavy artillery bombardment caused some panic in the Imperial ranks. In reality, most shells were intercepted mid-air, and the explosions were sparse. However, many soldiers were not looking forward but backward, waiting for the order to retreat.
Their past experiences told them that once engaged with the enemy, the outcome would likely be grim. In recent battles, a pattern of retreating at the first sign of engagement had developed.
Under the watchful eyes of thousands, Qian Ye stood firm, saying, “What about our heavy artillery? Why haven’t they fired yet?”
Once the heavy artillery was deployed, it couldn’t be easily retracted. The three Divine Generals exchanged glances, realizing Qian Ye was determined to fight the dark races here.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage