The troops under Zhao Jundu’s command entered White City, and once again, the city found itself surrounded by the forces of the dark races. Among the survivors in the city, there were only around two thousand mercenaries left. Qian Ye and Song Zining had brought in an army of thirty thousand, and now, only a small number remained.
None of them, including Song Zining himself, had anticipated the ferocity of the battle for White City. The dark races had left nearly a hundred thousand corpses both inside and outside the city, as if they had sacrificed two entire legions.
Now, with the addition of Zhao Jundu’s troops, there were just over three thousand soldiers within White City. Meanwhile, the dark races’ forces outside the city numbered more than thirty thousand. Despite the ten-to-one numerical disadvantage and the presence of a duke, the warriors inside the city remained fearless and full of confidence.
The only difference was that Zhao Jundu had arrived in White City.
As Zhao Jundu had said, even if Doyle’s strength far exceeded theirs, he might not dare to enter the city for a decisive battle.
Zhao Jundu had grown at an astonishing pace during the protracted war on the floating continent. His cultivation was now only a step away from becoming a divine general. Besides his cultivation, what was more noticeable was the change in his once pure and flawless aura, which was now tinged with the intense scent of blood and fire. Amidst the coldness, there was a sense of nobility. No one could tell the extent of his true combat power, but it was clear that his killing prowess had greatly increased, far surpassing the beginning of the war.
Qian Ye’s upgraded Primordial Gun was extremely powerful and almost impossible to dodge; once hit, the victim would suffer severe injuries. Song Zining excelled in strategic planning and containment. Together, the three of them, even if faced with a duke like Doyle, would likely prevail.
Outside White City, Doyle stood with his hands behind his back, facing a row of kneeling nobles. These were the Eternight nobles who could not escape with Rommel and Pratt. As soon as Doyle’s army arrived, they naturally took them under their command.
Doyle’s gaze swept over the assembled nobles, his expression unreadable, and no one could guess what he was thinking.
A werewolf count, kneeling on the ground, gathered his courage and said, “Sir, although we have the city surrounded, it may not be of much use unless… unless you personally enter the city for a decisive battle, is that correct?”
Doyle continued, “Yes, unless I personally enter the city for a decisive battle, is that what you mean?”
The werewolf count lowered his head and whispered, “I fear that is the only way, sir.”
“Do you come from the Wind-Swallow Tribe?” Doyle suddenly asked.
“Wind-Swallow Tribe.”
“Do you have any thoughts about our Peak of the Cliffs?” Doyle sneered.
The werewolf count hurriedly replied, “Not at all, sir. But, sir, the battlefield surroundings are not peaceful, and many human strongmen are lurking around. If we want to secure a retreat route, now is the time. If the humans in the city rebuild their defenses, the situation might become dire.”
Just as Doyle was about to speak, his face suddenly turned pale for a moment. Although he quickly suppressed it, this detail was noticed by many. They understood that Doyle was likely injured.
An injured duke, right in front of them, was a significant temptation for many dark race nobles.
Doyle scanned the entire area and suddenly released his full aura without reservation. The overwhelming pressure from a duke instantly forced all the nobles below the rank of count to the ground, while even the counts struggled to maintain a decent kneeling posture.
He snorted and slowly retracted his aura.
After this incident, no one dared to oppose any of Doyle’s decisions. However, due to the unique terrain of White City, it was difficult to completely surround it with just tens of thousands of troops. Therefore, after counting and reorganizing the surrounding forces, Doyle deployed the main force between the eastern line, where the Haimi reinforcements might arrive, and White City, to prevent being outflanked by imperial reinforcements mid-battle.
With this rare opportunity, the people inside White City were not idle. Song Zining quickly tended to the wounded, inspected the battlefield, and reorganized the defenses. Many of the dark race soldiers had actually provided a large amount of equipment and supplies, so the mercenaries’ military supplies were not yet scarce despite the ongoing battle.
While White City enjoyed a brief respite, the rest of the floating continent was embroiled in fierce fighting.
The central army was massive, rolling toward White City. Above the central army, the flagship moved slowly with the troops. On the bridge, a stern-faced middle-aged man and a lavishly dressed young man were playing chess.
The young man placed a piece and said, “Your Grace’s chess skills are truly getting better and better. It seems next time, I will need you to let me some pieces.”
Just as the middle-aged man was about to respond, he was seized by a fit of coughing. The young man quickly came to support him, gently patting his back, and asked, “Are you alright?”
The middle-aged man, Duke Weiguo, calmed his breathing and smiled, “This injury is nothing serious. That werewolf is more gravely wounded than I am. Prince Fourteen, you need not worry.”
Prince Fourteen sighed, “Your old injury from last time hasn’t fully healed, and now you’re back on the battlefield. Sigh, if it weren’t for the lack of capable individuals in the empire, how could this have been arranged? I am too useless.”
Duke Weiguo said, “At your age, you can already use the Emperor, and your future is limitless. However, you should be careful with such words, as they might erode the confidence of some wavering ones.”
There was a subtle hint of guidance for the succession in these words. Prince Fourteen’s expression became solemn, and he nodded in agreement.
Both men lost interest in the game, and Prince Fourteen asked, “Is it really safe for Jundu to go deep into the enemy territory alone?”
Duke Weiguo replied, “Although Jundu is not yet a divine general, he is only a step away. The dukes and marquises commanding on the ground are no match for him. With Qian Ye and Song Zining by his side, they have both valor and strategy. As long as they remain calm and defend, there should be no problem. We will sweep through the surroundings, leaving no chance for the dark races. When our main force arrives, it will be the end for the black-blooded hybrids on the floating continent.”
Prince Fourteen praised, “That is the way of kings!”
Duke Weiguo gave a faint smile and said, “I have led armies for many years; this is nothing. The next few days will be tough for Jundu and the others. But with us in the center, Princess Longzhu in the east, and the steady advance in the west, the black-blooded hybrids should realize that the tide has turned and make early preparations. By choosing White City as the landing site, we left a sliver of hope for the dark races to retreat. Otherwise, if we had directly occupied the airport, the dark races would have launched a full-scale attack on the landing zone, and Qian Ye and Zining would have been in grave danger.”
Prince Fourteen nodded, “Indeed, the original landing site was too extreme, leaving no room for error. Qian Ye and Song Zining, though brilliant, have a relatively weak overall military force. Conquering the landing site is easy, but defending it would be extremely difficult. If the original plan had been followed, Song Zining might not have agreed.”
“Not afraid of him refusing, just pick another general. But if he agrees and then sees things going wrong, he might withdraw immediately.”
“Exactly.”
Duke Weiguo said, “It’s like a water bag with a small hole. Only a little water can flow out. With this glimmer of hope, the dark races won’t just think of fighting to the death.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and an elderly, fair-skinned, and plump man entered. Though he wore ordinary attire, his face clearly showed that he was a veteran eunuch in the palace.
In a high-pitched, delicate voice, he said, “Prince Fourteen, the Emperor has been readied and is ready for use at any time.”
Prince Fourteen replied, “Thank you, Eunuch Duan.”
Eunuch Duan said, “Prince Fourteen, I cannot bear such honorifics.”
After Eunuch Duan left, Duke Weiguo picked up a chess piece and said, “Let’s continue.”
But Prince Fourteen had no interest in continuing the game. With a worried expression, he said, “Will Jundu and the others be in danger over there? If something happens to him, I won’t be able to explain it to Aunt Gao Yi.”
Duke Weiguo smiled slightly and said, “If something happens to you, I wouldn’t be able to explain it to the Emperor either.”
Prince Fourteen hurriedly said, “You are too kind.”
Duke Weiguo put down the chess piece and said, “Prince, on the floating continent, there is Haimi in the east, and you in the center. To my knowledge, the Nineteenth Imperial Princess is also in White City. With the addition of several princes, the imperial family has made a substantial investment. After the imperial family, the next is the Zhao Clan, which has committed its full strength. As you may not know, because of her concern for Jundu and Junhong, Princess Gao Yi has also come to the floating continent.”
Hearing the name of the Nineteenth Princess, Prince Fourteen’s expression changed, as if he wanted to ask something. But the last name startled him, “Aunt is here too?”
Duke Weiguo nodded and said, “The Yan-Cloud Zhao Clan has often intermarried with the imperial family, producing many queens, and there are also many imperial princesses and clan members who have married into the Zhao Clan. In truth, they share the blood of the Emperor.”
Prince Fourteen had not considered this aspect and was now pondering deeply, breaking out in a cold sweat. After a moment, he asked, “What should we do now?”
Duke Weiguo said, “This game is too big. We don’t know who set it up or why. Let’s wait and see what happens next.”
Prince Fourteen slowly nodded.
At this point, neither of them had the heart to continue the game. Duke Weiguo, who was still injured, retired to a quiet room for rest, while Prince Fourteen went to the command room to monitor the troop movements.
The main force of the central army consisted of fifty thousand soldiers, with the imperial main corps as the backbone, mixed with elite units and private armies from various clans and noble families, with the Zhao Clan’s private army forming the core.
The fifty-thousand-strong army, along with heavy equipment, engineers, and logistics, formed a long and extended column. The vanguard was a complete mixed unit, equipped with several gunships for ground attacks. The path ahead had been cleared by Zhao Jundu, but his forces were insufficient to secure the surrounding areas, and vigilance was needed to prevent sudden attacks from the dark races.
As Prince Fourteen observed the traces of battle left by Zhao Jundu’s vanguard, he was inwardly shocked. Each battle had been a hard-fought one. From Prince Fourteen’s perspective, if he were in Zhao Jundu’s place and did not use the Emperor, he would struggle to win even one battle. Yet Zhao Jundu had won every battle, advancing with unstoppable momentum, leaving the central army far behind.
Standing on the bridge, lost in thought, Prince Fourteen was suddenly jolted by a streak of fire descending from the sky, drawing an arc and striking the bow of the flagship, exploding and causing the ship to lurch!
Clearly, this was the blast from a warship’s main cannon. Before Prince Fourteen could give an order, the alarm blared, and the captain issued a series of commands. The ship began to accelerate, evading the subsequent attacks.
Prince Fourteen rushed to the bridge window and looked out, seeing Eternight warships emerging from the clouds and swooping down towards the central army. There were at least a dozen warships of various sizes, with two cruiser-class ships leading the charge. More ships continued to emerge from the clouds, as if there was no end to them.
In that instant, Prince Fourteen felt his hands and feet turn ice-cold, and the only thought in his mind was, “How could there be so many! Didn’t we say we had control of the outer space?”
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