Building a new army

When the elves were halfway through their call, Preston realized something was wrong.

He shouted sharply, "Loose the arrows! Attack!"

However, in an instant, unable to command the war machines to fire, and unable to relay the orders quickly, the archers and garrison mages hastily launched an attack from this section of the wall. The elven emissaries parried and intercepted their attacks one by one, calmly turning back and shouting, "Valentan! You still have a choice!"

The next moment, amidst the deafening clang of machinery, the massive body used the city wall for leverage, soaring into the sky and leaping over the city walls. The Autobots landed in a somersault, kneeling on one knee, raising its right arm to reform into a long cannon barrel. Sparks flew, and scorching shells roared out, "But you didn't!"

A semi-transparent shield enveloped the cavalry, and the blazing bullets exploded immediately. Visible shockwaves and intense flames raged and churned, shattering the shield. Several mages manipulated the wind to construct an atmospheric shield, which was partially blocked by the extremely compressed air. However, the residual force still turned more than a dozen elves into bloody gourds, and their mounts stumbled and fell to their deaths.

"Scatter! Scatter!"

These were seasoned veterans, and the officers of the squad immediately gave orders. They drew their arrows and turned to counterattack while simultaneously retreating in all directions. The Autobots raised their large shields to block the barrage of arrows and spells while firing cannons in return. At the same time, the elven army's banners waved as long-range spells were launched in succession.

More sand and dust billowed up, and the cavalry, stretching as far as the eye could see, galloped toward this place.

The wind howled atop the city wall. Kang De, carrying a bundle of Javelin, swooped down and landed on Iron Son's massive, towering hand. He activated time acceleration, grabbed the javelins, and hurled them repeatedly. The javelins flashed crimson light and whistled through the air, even faster than the elves' rapid-fire arrows. Some javelins were deflected by the elves' intercepting arrows, while others plunged straight in, pinning fleeing elves to the ground.

A powerful large-scale spell swept across the sky for miles.

The Autobots immediately transformed back into Humvee, carrying Kang De as they charged around the city wall to the other side. A series of large-scale spells, which had been brewing for a long time, were unleashed, landing near the left side of the city wall. The sky collapsed and the earth cracked, Flame filled the sky, and new stars spread out.

The two groups of mages clashed again. The city's defenders switched to defensive mode, while the war machines continued to fire fiercely, pursuing the fleeing elves. Another battle was about to Veil.

The Humvee rolled down its window, Kang De sat in the driver's seat. The intense explosion, flames, and aftershocks were irrelevant to him. He turned his head and looked through the other window toward the direction of the elven army, his eyes eerily calm.

"We'll be right back, Father," Iron Son asked. "Are you alright?"

Kang De remained silent for a moment before saying, "Sooner or later, I will wipe out this entire elf colony, not a single one will be left."

The Autobots didn't reply, only saying, "Yes."

The mechanical giant flipped and transformed, leaping into the air, grabbing and kicking with its hands and feet, and then vaulting straight into the city. Although the city guards on this side of the wall had been informed in advance, they still gasped in surprise when they saw the enormous mechanical giant leap into the city at close range.

They turned around and looked back, but the giant had disappeared, replaced by a carriage-like vehicle that could run on its own, moving along the street.

However, the Cathay husband of Princess Tina, who had saved Valentan, was nowhere to be seen.

One of the soldiers murmured, "The elf just said..."

Before he could finish speaking, the captain beside him slapped him hard across the face. "Shut up! If Prince Kang De hadn't been there, would we have been able to hold out during the last siege? Would the elves have been so lenient and offer so many conditions back then? Would there have been any bullshit negotiations or exchanges? What do you think would have happened after the city fell?"

He pressed the young soldier's head against the battlement, lowered his voice, and hissed, "Use your brain and think it through. Besides, are you out of your mind spouting this nonsense?"

The young soldier was held down, but he didn't struggle.

He simply turned his head with all his might, his eyes bloodshot, his face numb, staring at his captain, and said expressionlessly, "Captain, yesterday, both of my brothers died, and only my mother is left at home. I didn't dare go home yesterday, and could only ask an unsuspecting neighbor to go back and let her know I was safe... because I can't lie to her."

"Captain, I don't understand any of what you're saying. You want me to use my brain to think, but I can't. All I can think about is how to tell my mother, whether I can survive to go back and tell her. You're asking me if I want to live? Of course I want to live, but staying here to defend the city, can I really save my life?"

After the soldier finished speaking, he relaxed, closed his eyes, and lay there like a salted fish.

A profound sense of despair, a feeling of utter despair beyond measure, began to grow within him.

Unsettling the morale of the troops and spouting nonsense—in any army, this would warrant immediate execution. The captain knew what this meant and what he had to do, but he stared at the soldier, his face twisted in a grimace. After a moment, he released him and shouted sternly, "What are you all looking at! Back to your positions!"

On the city wall, Preston also shouted angrily, "This is a despicable trick by the elves! They want to cause infighting among us! It is the elves who have betrayed us, not Prince Kang De! They want to use this method to make Valentan collapse on its own. Don't fall for their trick! Anyone who undermines morale or criticizes Prince Kang De will be punished for treason. This will involve their families. Think about who you are fighting for here!"

As the Humvee drove on, Iron Son's voice rang out again. "Father, I recorded the call."

Kang De snapped out of his reverie, smiled, took out his phone from his chest pocket, tossed it onto the passenger seat, and said nonchalantly, "I even recorded the whole thing."

The Autobots slowed down and said, "That's great! As expected of you, now make it public!"

Kang De gave a cold laugh and shook his head.

"It makes no sense."

He said slowly, "What's the use? If Valentan would rather die than surrender and is determined to fight to the last man, then even without recordings, even if the elves slander and bribe him in every way, the people will remain unmoved."

"But..."

"If they harbor other intentions, even with VR panoramic coverage, they will ignore it... Human hearts are complex, fragile, and fickle, unable to withstand trials," Kang De said calmly. "The elves have taken advantage of this. Even if the city is united, they can continue their offensive, further increasing casualties. Valentan's will to resist will eventually crumble... And then, perhaps, something will happen."

"What the elf handed over was a knife, a knife masquerading as morality but in reality, selfishness. If something like that really happened, even if we produced the video, it wouldn't be of any use."

"Because when it doesn't concern them personally, people can always be righteous and have a clear sense of right and wrong. But when it comes to their own interests or even matters of life and death, they become foolish, ignorant, and unreasonable. That's why you see so many despicable people and bastards in history books."

"Guess what I'll become now, since they used to see me as the hero who turned the tide?"

The Autobots remained silent.

This is something he cannot comprehend at present... the complexity of human nature, the complexity of humanity.

After a moment, he asked, "So, what are you going to do?"

"This is just my guess. It hasn't happened yet, so it's hard to say what to do. Life is unpredictable and ever-changing; who can say what the future holds?"

Kang De said slowly, "I only hope that reinforcements will arrive soon, lift the siege of Valentan, and allow humanity to remain in a good state, so that people don't have to go through cruel choices, and the city doesn't have to face an ugly end."

He reached out and pressed his hand to his chest, to where the Crimson Scroll was kept.

When he was stranded on a deserted island, he longed to go home. He prayed to all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens, but to no avail. Now, facing this situation, although he secretly made up his mind, he couldn't help but speak to the gods of another world.

"Akatum, King of the Gods of another world, I do not worship you, but I have a slight connection with you. You are regarded by people as a god of justice and mercy. If you can hear my voice, please look upon this land and spare the innocent humans ravaged by war from experiencing even more cruel consequences..."

"Unless you believe that weakness is a sin, and that the strong can plunder and commit evil with impunity."

"If that's the case..."

Kang De opened his eyes and murmured softly, "Then I'll just have to show the elves something even worse..."

The Humvee returned to the western city wall, honked its horn, and a moment later, Hong San nimbly flipped down.

He opened the car door, placed his phone on the passenger side, and then got in, looking somewhat uneasy. Hong San looked at Kang De and said seriously, "Sir, the situation is not good."

Kang De rolled his eyes at him. "Do you need to tell me?"

"If you leave now, the elves won't massacre the city, but they will certainly slaughter some and leave others to ruin your reputation... Besides, you won't be willing to leave in such a disgrace."

Hong San said, "But if we stay, the days will only get harder. The best-case scenario is to hold out for a few more days until the Gladiolus Legion arrives and the siege of Valentan is lifted... But in military operations, taking chances is a major taboo; we must always consider all the worst-case scenarios..."

Kang De, growing impatient, said, "Just get to the point."

Hong San glanced around, gritted his teeth, and lowered his head, saying, "You absolutely cannot perish with the city, nor can you allow the elves to use this as an excuse to tarnish your reputation. Therefore, the people of this city..."

"Holy crap, you're pretty ruthless."

Kang De raised his hand to interrupt him, "Alright, let's leave it at that. There's no need to mention it again. If Valentan doesn't betray me, I won't betray them. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain myself to someone."

Hong San said urgently, "But..."

"Give it your all, and let fate decide."

Kang De said calmly, "I'll hold out for a few more days. If the Gladiolus Legion doesn't arrive, I'll abandon the city and leave with you. I'll send you to another place to stay, and then I'll settle accounts with the Dusk Warband."

Hong San said worriedly, "But your reputation..."

"Actually, it doesn't matter. I don't really care. Once the news of Valentan's affair spreads, the truth will be known to all. Those who criticize me are idiots [beep--]. I'll kill those who criticize me to my face, and let them criticize me behind my back. In the end, I don't care about other people's opinions, as long as Tina understands."

Kang De paused here, then smiled faintly, "It's better that she doesn't understand."

If I really piss him off, I won't care about anything else. Damn it, I don't know how to detonate a nuclear bomb, but I do know what a nuclear power plant leak is like. I may not understand high technology, but surely I can smash something.

Then your Dusk Moon Dynasty will be able to open Fallout dungeon in no time, you bastards.

Just as Hong San was about to speak, he suddenly turned his head and saw a group of people walking towards him. The leader gently knocked on the car window, which rolled down, revealing Mayor Nick's face.

"Your Highness Kang De."

He said solemnly, "I have heard about what happened. Please rest assured, at this moment, resisting the enemy is the only objective. There will be no dissenting voices in Valentan. We fought alongside our fallen soldiers to protect this city, and we will not tolerate the nonsense spouted by mindless and heartless people."

Kang De nodded and asked, "Is there any movement from the Elven army? Are they going to attack the city?"

Nick shook his head and said, "No."

"Hold the line. If we hold the city, there won't be any problems," Kang De said calmly. "Since the elves haven't made any moves yet, I'll go back and make some more arrows and ammunition. With a major battle imminent, we need to be well-prepared."

Watching the Humvee slowly drive away, Nick stood tall and straight. After a moment, he turned and ordered, "Isolate the city walls. Order the soldiers not to spread the word about the elves. Control all communication throughout the city. Also, if any elf messengers approach, do not listen to what they have to say. Kill them on sight."

"Yes."

Inside the car, Hong San said, "Master, Mayor Nick has a very strong grip on this city. With him here, there's no need to worry about any unrest in the short term. He's a sensible man; he knows the elves' despicable and untrustworthy nature, and he also knows your importance to this city. He will definitely stand on our side. Besides, he has already exhausted all other options; he has no other way out but to hold out and defend the city to the very end."

Kang De remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and then suddenly raised his hand as if to smash it.

Hong San was so frightened that he shrank back.

But Kang De didn't smash his fist on the steering wheel. He gently lowered his hand, looked ahead, and said calmly, "We need an army."

Hong San, still with his head in his hands, secretly glanced at him. "Huh?"

Kang De said in a deep voice, "I don't want to suffer this kind of passive beating and letting the enemy do whatever they want again. No matter how Valentan ends this time, after it's over, even if we have to squeeze out time, we must organize the army, plan its deployment, collect equipment... and build a new army."

Hong San asked, "Are you recruiting orcs?"

"I've said it before, I won't use my status as the Child of Prophecy to make orcs bleed and die without cause, but being a mercenary is acceptable, but rules must be set before recruitment."

Kang De said calmly, "Besides, in my opinion, humans are stronger than orcs."

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PS1: Holy crap, that was really tough. Time for bed.