At the northern foothills of Sunrise Mountain, King Dong Sheng's forces had already encircled the Seven Stars Army layer upon layer.
Although the latter occupied every high point on the mountain, the disparity in numbers was simply too great. The forces gathered on the northern side numbered no more than three thousand. At most, they could use the terrain to defend; taking the initiative to attack was undoubtedly a fantasy as distant as the sky.
In Dong Sheng Xiangri's eyes, thirty thousand against three thousand meant this battle was already his for the taking.
"Heh heh, those outsiders probably never expected me to arrive so quickly." Seated atop his warhorse, he gazed into the Sunrise Mountains not far away. Through the lush forest, he could vaguely make out enemy banners and a handful of soldiers preparing earthen ramparts and rolling logs. "Your deduction was indeed correct, Mage Zhang."
"In truth, there was no need to draw upon the power of the World Chess Game for any of this." The young sorcerer, whose brass mask revealed only half his face, smiled modestly. "Though the Mainland Bureau of Military Affairs is powerful, having only just arrived on Yama Island, they could not possibly cover every angle—especially in intelligence gathering. In this unfamiliar land, the area they could see extended only a few miles around them. So long as Your Majesty had the feudal lords lead their troops separately, they would appear to have simply 'vanished' in the enemy's eyes. With that, the initiative would already be entirely in Your Majesty's hands."
But the price was Red Mountain City, the An Clan's territory...
Anshi Ming thought bitterly to himself.
Although the clan had received advance warning and most of its direct members had already withdrawn, the family estate was not something that could