Battle of Encirclement and Annihilation

"This, this, this..."

As he received the massive amount of information from the Jade Slip, Muyunzi's heart was filled with Raging Waves.

How did True Person Great White obtain such detailed information? Just who is he?

"Well? Is the City Lord confident that we can win this battle?" Yang Tianyou asked with a mysterious smile.

Master Muyun snapped out of his reverie, his expression more serious than ever before. "This matter is of utmost importance. How can Fellow Daoist Taibai guarantee that this intelligence is true?"

"I can make a Karma vow, or sign a contract," Yang Tianyou replied without hesitation.

"Oh?" Muyunzi narrowed his eyes. "Then how can you guarantee you're not Zhao Kingdom assassin? Trying to lure me into a trap?"

"City Lord, I am Ascended Cultivator, having ascended only a little over a hundred years ago. I have never even been to the Zhao Kingdom. How could I become their loyal follower?" Yang Tianyou looked at Muyunzi with a strange expression.

"Besides, if you don't believe the intelligence's authenticity, you can test it on the battlefield. However, I must remind you that the battlefield situation changes rapidly, and over time, the usefulness of this intelligence will be greatly reduced. I don't have the ability to get you another piece of intelligence."

Upon hearing this, Muyunzi's expression changed. After a long while, he took out Message Jade Slip and sent out a series of messages.

Yang Tianyou knew that this was to verify the authenticity of the intelligence. It didn't need to be verified completely; as long as some of it matched, Muyunzi would most likely believe him.

Yang Tianyou had taken the time to learn about this City Lord. He was not a cautious person; he was quite adventurous at heart and acted decisively.

Time passed slowly, and as the sun began to set, Muyunzi put away all the Jade Slips, took a deep breath, nodded slightly to Yang Tianyou, and then said loudly, "Someone, prepare for a battle meeting!"

Meanwhile, Ji Chengwu, having returned from the Dragon Palace, went back to his post.

Ji Chengzong ran over excitedly and asked, "Brother, how did it go? Did the old Dragon King agree to our alliance?"

Ji Chengwu shook his head and sighed, "It's the same old story, but fortunately, we managed to get a fair amount of supplies out of him this time."

"Hmph, this old mudfish, he doesn't know what's good for him. I think once we defeat Zhao Kingdom, we'll take him down and install a more obedient Dragon Emperor," Ji Chengzong shouted.

"Things aren't as simple as you think. The Flood Dragon Clan has a deep foundation and a close relationship with the Tianshui Li Household. Ao Bing even married Li Shentong's third daughter. If we want to bring him down, we won't be able to get past Li Shentong!" Ji Chengwu rubbed his temples. The Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty was said to be ruled by the Ji Household, but the common people always said that the Li and Ji families shared the world, with the Li family even preceding the Ji family.

It's possible that the other two great dynasties were behind this, trying to sow discord between the two families. But without solid evidence, how could such rumors arise out of thin air? This demonstrates the formidable power of the Tianshui Li Household.

"Hmph, Li Shentong!" Ji Chengzong stomped his foot angrily, extremely dissatisfied with this Grand Preceptor of the court.

"By the way, brother, Li Shentong returned to the Court a few days ago, and now the military power is completely under your control. So what about our previous plan..." Ji Chengzong rubbed his hands, his eyes filled with excitement. Conquering Jiangbei City was something that the generals of the Great Zhou had been thinking about day and night, but due to various reasons, they had only succeeded once since the founding of the country, and they had to give up quickly because of the heavy casualties. Even so, the general who led that army became one of the most famous generals in the Great Zhou.

If Ji Chengwu could accomplish such a feat again, seizing military power would be a piece of cake.

Thinking of this, a fiery glint flashed in Ji Chengwu's eyes. He turned to his younger brother and said, "Notify the generals to raise the banner!"

As the generals gathered, Ji Chengwu looked around at them and said, "The Zhao traitors have invaded our borders, slaughtered our Great Zhou, and plundered our resources. They are truly abhorrent."

"If the enemy can go, so can I. I, the commander, have decided to personally lead the army to conquer Jiangbei City!!"

After he finished speaking, the generals looked at each other, and finally focused their attention on Wen Qun.

Upon seeing this, a cold glint flashed deep in Ji Chengwu's eyes. Sure enough, in the eyes of these generals, his status was not as high as Wen Qun's.

However, he was extremely shrewd and did not show the slightest dissatisfaction. Instead, he smiled and said, "General Wen, what are your thoughts?"

"Grand Marshal, please forgive my bluntness, but Jiangbei City is impregnable, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, the Zhao rebels have stationed troops on the border, their strength nearly twice that of our Great Zhou. The disparity in strength between us is so vast, this is truly not a good opportunity to attack Jiangbei City. If we suffer a defeat at Jiangbei City, the Zhao army will pursue their victory and march straight to Fushan City, placing our Great Zhou in an absolutely passive position. I urge the Grand Marshal to reconsider!"

Wen Qun was exasperated. "You were doing just fine as a Grand Marshal, why did you have to go to Jiangbei City to make trouble?"

The generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty are mostly skilled in defense, not offense. Besides, what would be the point of taking Jiangbei City? Could we even hold it?

The gap in national strength between the Great Zhou and the Zhao Kingdom is widening. Defending is already a struggle; to launch an attack would be tantamount to suicide.

However, facing the powerful Grand Marshal, Wen Qun, who came from a humble background and had no connections, could only offer kind words of advice and adopt a very humble attitude. He dared not point his finger at Ji Chengwu and curse him like Li Shentong did.

"General, you are mistaken. Although our Great Zhou army is smaller in number, its morale is high, and with a capable commander like General Wen, we are sure to defeat the enemy. Moreover, I have my own methods to break through the defensive Formations of Jiangbei City."

Ji Chengwu appeared very confident. Wen Qun, feeling helpless, wanted to continue persuading him, but Ji Chengwu waved his sleeve and began the appointment process.

"By order of the emperor, Wen Qun is to be the commander of the right flank army, and to attack Bianqing City from Huangzong Mountain..."

"By order of the emperor, Ji Chengzong is appointed commander of the left wing army to cross the river and capture Xilin City..."

"I will personally lead the central army to conquer Jiangbei."

"Gentlemen, the military situation is urgent. Go and prepare immediately. The army will set off precisely at dawn tomorrow. Anyone who delays this mission will be executed without mercy!"

"We will obey the Grand Marshal's orders!!" The generals had no choice but to obey, as they were powerless against the Grand Marshal's authority, and went to prepare.

As Wen Qun stepped out of the main hall, he felt the biting cold wind and was overcome with grief. "Great Zhou..."

After verifying the authenticity of the intelligence, Muyunzi began to deploy troops in Golden Pool City.

He knew that the battlefield situation was ever-changing, opportunities were fleeting, and the value of intelligence would gradually diminish over time.

Muyunzi is highly respected in Golden Pool City and has the highest cultivation level. He has already reached the Great Perfection of the Body Integration Realm. The next step is to overcome the Three Calamities and achieve the status of Tribulation Transcendence Old Ancestor.

Under his coordination, the war machine of Golden Pool City was running at full speed, with teams of cultivators being transferred to different areas, either openly or covertly.

Time passed quickly, and half a month went by in the blink of an eye. On this day, above Golden Pool City, warships hovered in the sky, ready to set sail.

The Formation was fully activated, the Spirit Stones were prepared, and all cultivators were on high alert.

"The army is marching!!"

At Muyunzi's command, the Fleet took to the air and launched a counterattack against the Zhao Kingdom army outside the city.

Upon receiving the message, Zhao Kingdom's commander-in-chief, Lin Ting, was greatly surprised. He looked at his colleagues and said, "Have the people of the Zhou Kingdom gone mad? Such a large-scale counterattack, voluntarily abandoning fortified cities—do they intend to surrender to the Zhao Kingdom?"

"General, the Zhou Kingdom army has been frequently mobilizing these days. They must be plotting something. We must be careful," a trusted confidant cautiously reminded him.

Lin Ting nodded slightly; he shared the same thought. He then ordered, "All troops, be on alert. Let's see what tricks Muyunzi is up to."

Then a strange scene unfolded: the Golden Pool City forces, which had been on full defensive, began to attack, while the Zhao Kingdom Fleet, which had been launching a fierce offensive, began to defend cautiously, and the roles of offense and defense were reversed in an instant.

However, as the fighting progressed, the Zhao Kingdom side realized something was amiss; the Fleet's offensive from Golden Pool City was far too weak.

Lin Ting was filled with suspicion when, just then, a subordinate rushed in, his face filled with urgency. "Reporting to the general, Yun Hai Mountain is under a large-scale attack by the Zhou Kingdom cultivators and is about to fall."

"What?" Lin Ting jumped to his feet, looking surprised and uncertain.

Just as he was about to say something, another subordinate rushed into the hall and reported urgently, "General, Tianhu Mountain has fallen."

Immediately afterwards, letters requesting assistance and urgent documents poured in from all over the war zone like snowflakes, leaving Lin Ting dizzy and disoriented. In a short period of time, the originally favorable war situation seemed to have plunged into a quagmire in an instant.

"That's not right!"

Lin Ting hurriedly went to the battle map, examining the intricate battle lines on it, and muttered to himself in bewilderment, "How did Muyunzi know the true nature of our troop deployment?"

"Look at them, they attacked areas with weak defenses and empty internal forces, while Golden Pool City launched a surprise attack with overwhelming military strength and superior numbers of powerful warriors. That's how they were able to capture so many of our strategic locations in such a short time."

"But where did they get so many troops and powerful individuals? According to intelligence, the main forces in Golden Pool City are the original border defense troops, the entire Blue Dust Prefecture Azure Cloud Prefecture."

"Right now, we've gathered almost 70% of Golden Pool City's forces on our front lines. Where did Muyunzi conjure up so many cultivators from?"

Lin Ting was completely baffled.

"General, do you think this Fleet facing us might be a trap?" the adjutant warned. "If it were truly seventy percent of Golden Pool City's strength, their attack wouldn't be so weak."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ting suddenly realized what was happening, "So, you dare to play the empty city ploy with me!"

"Order the entire army to cease defense and launch an attack. I want to see whether this is a real tiger or a fake one."

At the commander's order, the previously cowering Zhao Kingdom Fleet launched a fierce counterattack.

On the Golden Pool City side, the one tasked with launching a feint attack from the front was Muyunzi's junior brother, Feiyu Zi. This man had a heroic appearance, and his fighting style differed somewhat from Muyunzi's, being more cautious.

Upon noticing the movements of the Zhao Kingdom, he immediately ordered the entire army to retreat at full speed.

"Hmph, it's too late to realize it now."

Feiyu Zi sneered.

The battle plan for Golden Pool City was personally devised by Muyunzi, fully demonstrating the City Lord's adventurous spirit and extremely bold military tactics.

He mobilized most of the Fleet, but only concentrated 30% of the cultivators to form the main force, making an offensive posture to confuse the Zhao Kingdom army.

Lin Ting was a rather cautious general, and before he could ascertain Zhou Kingdom's battle intentions, he indeed ordered a retreat.

This bought Golden Pool City valuable time.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Golden Pool City dispatched a large force, based on the intelligence provided by Yang Tianyou, and in a short period of time, used superior strength to eliminate more than a dozen important strongholds of the Zhao Kingdom, and surrounded the Zhao army.

Zhao Jun's instinctive pursuit only led him into a trap woven by Muyunzi.

Upon approaching the city, the Great Zhou forces relied on their defensive Formations to hold their ground, launching counterattacks and desperately blocking Lin Ting's Fleet.

The other troops gradually tightened the encirclement, and by the time Lin Ting realized what was happening, it was too late.

The Zhao Kingdom army was like a mosquito caught in a spider web, struggling to escape, but to no avail.

"Damn it!!"

On the Flagship, looking at the Zhou Kingdom army that had already surrounded him, Lin Ting was filled with regret.

Originally, our side held a certain advantage, but the Zhou Kingdom side always managed to create situations where they outnumbered their opponents in local battles. It was as if they had a complete grasp of our troop deployment and strength distribution.

"Lin Ting, you are surrounded. Stop making futile resistance. Do you want your soldiers to perish with you? Hundreds or thousands of years of cultivation, all gone in one day. Isn't that a pity?"

"Surrender! The Imperial Lord of my Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty is known for his love of talent. If you are willing to surrender, the court will still be willing to give you an important position..."

Muyunzi stood atop Golden Pool City and addressed the Zhao Kingdom Fleet, his words filled with True Intention.

Some of the Zhao Kingdom soldiers began to waver. If they could live, no one wanted to die. But the decision was not in the hands of these lowly soldiers, but in the hands of Lin Ting. In a war of this magnitude, even those at the Golden Core Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, or even the Sage Manifestation stages could only drift along with the tide, unable to control their own destiny.

Of course, many more Zhao Kingdom soldiers remained resolute. They had been trained by the Zhao Kingdom since childhood, and their loyalty to the imperial court was ingrained in their bones. They would rather die in battle than surrender.

Lin Ting stepped onto the Flagship's deck, looked at the soldiers around him, and said, "We have received the Emperor's favor for generations. Now that we are surrounded, death is the only outcome. Though we die, our names will be recorded in history. Is this not the wish of a true man? To return wrapped in a horse's hide—how magnificent!"

Upon hearing this, a flame seemed to ignite in the eyes of the Zhao Kingdom soldiers. Its brightness was so dazzling that Yang Tianyou on the city wall felt a chill. This was just an insignificant detachment of the Zhao Kingdom's army, yet it possessed such spirit. What would happen if it were an elite force?

Should we just abandon this Great Zhou?

Should we take our wives and flee to the Zhao Kingdom?

This battle was essentially a victory, but Yang Tianyou was not optimistic about the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty.

Lin Ting's words practically signaled the start of the decisive battle. Muyunzi waved his hand and shouted, "Attack!!"

In an instant, banners fluttered and the two sides engaged in an extremely fierce encirclement and annihilation battle.