"How many men has the Flame Clan sent? Who's leading them?"
Xue Li asked, looking at the soldier.
"The Flame Army has six hundred thousand men. According to our scouts, the Flame King, Huo Yi, is leading them in person. They've already taken Border City and are less than ten kilometers from Frost Flower City."
The soldier replied.
"I understand. You may go."
Xue Li said.
"The Flame Army is attacking. Does anyone have a plan?"
Xue Li asked, looking at Snow Wolf and the others.
"My king, I'm willing to lead our troops and drive the Flame Army back."
Snow Wolf said.
"My king, we mustn't. Our land and air forces number only three hundred thousand combined, while the Flame Army has twice as many troops. We can't fight them head-on."
A man dressed in blue said.
"Xuezhi, I think the Flame Army has scared you witless! Our entire clan can muster six hundred thousand troops."
Snow Tiger said.
"The Flame Clan has eight hundred thousand troops in total. If they mobilize their entire clan, they can raise an army of one million six hundred thousand. Even if we defeat the Flame Army, they can still muster another million troops. Can we raise another hundred thousand to hold back their million-man army?"
Xuezhi said.
"Big brother, how should we deal with the Flame Army?"
Xue Li asked Leige.
"Xuezhi, how many rifles, heavy weapons, and aircraft do we have?"
Leige asked Xuezhi.
"Your Grace, we have two hundred thousand rifles, thirty thousand machine guns, ten thousand heavy machine guns, fifty thousand mortars, thirty thousand howitzers, ten thousand heavy cannons, fifty thousand tanks, ten thousand fighter planes, and ten thousand bombers."
Xuezhi said.
Leige had helped Xue Li ascend to the throne. To thank him, Xue Li had made him a duke of the Ice Clan, second only to the Ice King.
"Xue Li, do you trust your big brother?"
Leige asked, looking at Xue Li.
"I do. I trust you, big brother. You helped me ascend to the throne, and I'm not an ungrateful man. How do you plan to deal with the Flame Army?"
Xue Li said.
"Xuezhi, pick three thousand men from our army of three hundred thousand. Each of them must be able to take on ten men at once."
Leige said.
"Yes."
Xuezhi went to the barracks to select soldiers after getting Xue Li's approval.
"Big brother, are you planning to lead those three thousand men in a sneak attack on the Flame Army?"
Xue Li asked.
"That's right."
Leige said.
"That's far too dangerous, big brother. The Flame Army has six hundred thousand men, and you'll have only three thousand. They outnumber you two hundred to one!"
Xue Li said.
Xue Li feared that the Ice Clan would be doomed if anything happened to Leige, but he still hoped Leige's surprise attack would succeed and he would kill the Flame King, Huo Yi.
"Don't worry. I'll be careful."
Leige said.
"I have decided to personally lead our three hundred thousand land and air troops to reinforce Frost Flower City. This battle will ensure the Flame Clan won't dare wage war against our country again for a hundred years."
Xue Li said.
Frost Flower City, North Gate.
"Xuegao, how many times have we driven back the Flame Army's attacks?"
A white-haired man in military uniform, holding a machine gun, asked his deputy.
"Thirteen times, General."
Xuegao said.
"How many men do we have left?"
The general asked.
"Fewer than three thousand. We're also running low on ammunition."
Xuegao said.
"R-report, General! An urgent telegram from Ice City!"
A soldier ran up to the general.
"Read it."
The general said.
"February 15, 4 p.m. Xue Li proclaimed himself king in the prison and led the rebels in taking Ice City. The king was killed."
The soldier said.
"Xue Li, you traitor! I'll tear you limb from limb!"
The general said.
"Soldiers of the Ice Army in the city, your king is dead! My king has long admired General Xue Yin. If you surrender to the Flame Kingdom, my king is willing to offer you the post of marshal. General, surrender to our country!"
A Flame Army soldier shouted through a megaphone.
"Rat-a-tat."
Xue Yin fired his machine gun at the ground in front of the soldier.
"It's customary not to kill envoys during a war. Go back and tell Huo Yi that I'd rather die in battle than surrender to him!"
Xue Yin replied through a megaphone.
"General, do we really have to keep fighting the Flame Army?"
His deputy asked.
"What do you mean by that? Are you thinking of defecting?"
Xue Yin asked, looking at his deputy.
"General, why don't we pretend to surrender, lure the Flame Army into the city, then shut the gates and wipe them out?"
The deputy said.
"Huo Yi isn't an ordinary man. There's no way he'd fall for that trick. If the Flame Army gets into the city, we may not be able to drive them out again."
Xue Yin said.
"R-report, General! An urgent telegram from Ice City!"
Another soldier ran up to Xue Yin.
"Read it. Let's hear what other bad news there is!"
Xue Yin said.
"February 16, 8 a.m. Xue Li, as the new king, has made you a general and granted you the title of Earl. He's personally leading three hundred thousand land and air troops to reinforce Frost Flower City."
The soldier said.
"Xue Li, you traitor and rebel! I don't need that traitor to grant me a title! If he dares come to Frost Flower City, I'll kill him and avenge the king!"
Xue Yin said.
"General, you've fought for the king for years, yet he never granted you a title. You've remained a general all this time, while men inferior to you have become generals and marshals. I feel it's unjust. Why don't we serve Xue Li instead?"
Xuegao said.
"Rat-a-tat."
Xue Yin riddled Xuegao with bullets.
"Listen up! Deputy General Xuegao urged me to surrender to the rebels, so I executed him. Anyone else who urges me to surrender to the rebels or the enemy will meet the same fate as Xuegao. Do you hear me?"
Xue Yin said.
"Yes!"
The soldiers and officers around Xue Yin shouted.
Xue Yin didn't notice that one of the officers had quietly slipped away.
Barracks, company commander's tent.
"Company Commander Xue Xing, I have something important to tell you. Could you ask the others to leave?"
An officer came into the barracks and addressed a man in a company commander's uniform.
"You all may leave."
Xue Xing said.
"Yes, sir."
The officers said.
They left the company commander's tent.
"Xue Hua, what happened? Is something wrong with my big brother?"
Xue Xing said.
For some reason, his heart had suddenly ached, as if something bad had happened.
"Company Commander Xue Xing, you must stay calm when you hear what I'm about to tell you. You have to stay calm."
Xue Hua said.
"Go ahead."
Xue Xing said.
"Xue Li proclaimed himself king in the prison at Ice City and led the rebels in killing the king. But Xue Li made Xue Yin a general and granted him the title of Earl. He's also personally leading two hundred thousand troops to reinforce Frost Flower City. The general urged Xue Yin to surrender to Xue Li, but Xue Yin shot the general dead with his machine gun! He said anyone else who urged him to surrender to the rebels would meet the same fate as General Xuegao. General Xuegao once showed me great kindness. I couldn't bear to see him die in vain, so I came to tell you."
Xue Hua said.
"The ungrateful bastard! My big brother tried to reason with him, and he shot him dead with a machine gun! Xue Yin, I'll kill you and avenge my big brother!"
Xue Xing said.
"You plan to kill Xue Yin?"
Xue Hua said.
"You just said Xue Li is personally leading an army to reinforce Frost Flower City."
Xue Xing said.
"At the earliest, his army will reach Frost Flower City in five days. At the latest, it'll take eight."
Xue Hua said.
"Xue Hua, do you think we should surrender to the Flame King or to Xue Li?"
Xue Xing asked.
"The Flame Clan is a foreign people to us. Xue Li may be a rebel, but he's one of our own, a member of the Ice Clan. Surrendering to him is the best choice."
Xue Hua said.
"Good. Then we'll show our loyalty to the new king with Xue Yin's head."
Xue Xing said.
"How are you going to kill Xue Yin?"
Xue Hua asked.
"Just wait. We have fewer than three thousand men left. The officers will urge Xue Yin to surrender to the Flame Clan or to Xue Li just to save their own lives. When Xue Yin kills a few more officers, that's when we'll make our move."
Xue Xing said.
Flame Army camp, the Flame King's tent.
"A mere Frost Flower City has held off my six hundred thousand troops through thirteen fierce attacks. It's a disgrace to me, and to all of you!"
The Flame King, Huo Yi, said to the Flame Clan generals in the tent.
"My king, our heavy weapons are running low on ammunition. A fortress like Frost Flower City is hard to take without enough heavy-weapon ammunition."
A Flame Clan general said.
"Those merchants refuse to sell us more ammunition for our heavy weapons. Otherwise, we'd have taken Frost Flower City already."
Huo Yi said.
"My king, after our first thirteen attacks, I've noticed that although Frost Flower City is extremely well fortified, not all its walls are equally strong. The stretch from the east gate to the north gate isn't as sturdy as the other walls. If we concentrate all our heavy cannons there, we can surely blast it down!"
A Flame Clan general said.
"By my order, gather all our heavy cannons and bombard that stretch of wall. We must blast it down!"
Huo Yi said.
"Yes!"
The Flame Clan generals shouted.
Twenty minutes later, at Frost Flower City.
"Ready! Fire!"
The Flame Army artillery captain shouted.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
More than a hundred heavy cannons bombarded the walls of Frost Flower City.
"Boom!"
A thunderous blast tore a huge hole in the stretch of wall between Frost Flower City's north and east gates.
"Soldiers! Once we take Frost Flower City, you'll get three days' leave! Take all the gold and women you want! Charge!"
Huo Yi shouted.
Huo Yi led the charge toward the breach blasted open by the heavy cannons.
"General, this is bad! The Flame Army's heavy cannons have blasted a hole in the wall between the north and east gates!"
A soldier ran to Xue Yin's command post and reported to him.
"What! Xue Ji, take two companies to the breach and hold it at all costs. Don't let the Flame Army break through!"
Xue Yin said to the officer beside him.
"Yes, sir."
Xue Ji replied.
After speaking, Xue Ji led two companies of soldiers to the breach.
"Boom! Aagh!"
Huo Yi fired a fireball from his hand, killing several Ice Clan soldiers.
"Take Frost Flower City!"
Huo Yi shouted.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
"Aagh!"
Xue Ji soon arrived with his soldiers to reinforce them. The north gate wasn't far from the breach.
"You're asking for death!"
Huo Yi said.
"Boom!"
Huo Yi fired a fireball from his hand at several Ice Clan machine gunners.
"Boom!"
Xue Ji also fired a blue energy bolt from his hand, trying to stop Huo Yi.
"Aagh!"
Xue Ji had overestimated his own strength. The fireball scattered the energy bolt and kept flying toward the Ice Clan machine gunners, killing them all.
"Chain Fireball!"
Huo Yi fired dozens of fireballs from his hand at the Ice Clan soldiers.
"Scatter!"
Xue Ji shouted.
At his command, the Ice Clan soldiers immediately scattered, then continued fighting the Flame Army from behind cover. A few unlucky soldiers were hit by fireballs and killed.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
"Aagh!"
The Ice Clan soldiers began attacking the Flame Army with grenade launchers and mortars.
"My king, the Ice Army's firepower is too intense. Our troops can't break through."
A Flame Clan general reported to Huo Yi.
"Blazing Prairie Fire!"
Huo Yi flew into the air and fired a red energy wave at the Ice Clan soldiers.
"Aagh!"
The Ice Clan's mortars and grenade launchers immediately fell silent.
"Charge through!"
Huo Yi shouted.
"I'll take you down with me!"
An Ice Clan soldier shouted.
After shouting, he pulled the pin on his grenade and charged at Huo Yi.
"Boom!"
Huo Yi fired a fireball from his hand, killing the soldier outright.
"Brothers, let's attack together! Kill Huo Yi and we win! Charge with me!"
Xue Ji said.
After speaking, Xue Ji led his soldiers in a charge toward Huo Yi. If they killed Huo Yi, they would win. He was the Flame Clan's strongest fighter.
"Protect the king!"
The Flame Clan general shouted.
"No need. Blazing Prairie Fire!"
Huo Yi said.
Huo Yi unleashed Blazing Prairie Fire again, killing Xue Ji and all the Ice Clan soldiers.
"Long live the king!"
The Flame Clan general shouted.
"Long live the king!"
The Flame Clan soldiers joined in.
"Take Frost Flower City! Kill them!"
Huo Yi shouted.
"General, Captain Xue Ji has fallen. The Flame Army is less than a kilometer from the command post. You need to leave now!"
A soldier ran into the command post and reported to Xue Yin.
"Bang!"
"Pfft!"
Xue Yin shot the soldier dead with his pistol.
"Anyone else who dares urge me to retreat will meet the same fate. Send Xue Li and the others a message that Frost Flower City has fallen, but I will never surrender to him. Today, I'll die fighting the Flame Clan! After sending the message, destroy the radio and codebook. Brothers, grab your weapons. We're going to fight the Flame Army!"
Xue Yin shouted.
After shouting, Xue Yin grabbed a machine gun and led his guard company out of the command post.
"Tat-tat."
Xue Yin hadn't gone far when he ran into more than a dozen Flame Clan soldiers. He and his guards immediately shot them dead.
Five minutes later.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
"Tat-tat-tat!"
Xue Yin and his men encountered the Flame Army led by Huo Yi, and the two sides began a fierce battle.
"Ice Army ahead, my troops have taken Frost Flower City. If you surrender, I'll spare your lives."
Huo Yi shouted.
"Anyone who dares surrender, I'll shoot him!"
Xue Yin shouted to the soldiers beside him.
"Bang!"
"Aagh!"
As soon as Xue Yin finished speaking, someone shot him dead. No one knew who had killed him.
"Big brother, I've avenged you."
Xue Xing said from a window in a distant building.
He had hidden inside the building and killed Xue Yin with a single shot from his sniper rifle.
"Captain, Frost Flower City has fallen. What should we do?"
An officer beside Xue Xing asked.
"Yes, Captain, what should we do? Should we surrender to the Flame Clan?"
Another officer asked.
"Brothers, as members of the Ice Clan, we must never surrender to the Flame Clan. Follow me and fight our way out!"
Xue Xing shouted.
The soldiers and officers around him were all his trusted followers. There weren't many of them, but there were still several hundred.
An hour later.
"My king, our troops have taken Frost Flower City. Most of the Ice Army have been killed, and only a small number broke through and escaped."
A Flame Clan general reported to Huo Yi.
"Huo Shi!"
Huo Yi shouted.
"Your son is here!"
A Flame Clan man wearing a regimental commander's uniform saluted Huo Yi.
"Take two battalions and make sure you wipe out every Ice Army soldier who broke through!"
Huo Yi said.
"Your son obeys!"
Huo Shi replied.
After speaking, Huo Shi led his soldiers in pursuit of the Ice Army troops who had broken through.
"My king, this is bad! Xue Yin sent a telegram saying Frost Flower City has fallen."
A soldier ran over to Xue Li and reported.
"My king, we should immediately send a message to the air force and have them bomb Frost Flower City."
Snow Tiger said.
"Snow Wolf, what do you think?"
Xue Li asked, looking at Snow Wolf.
"My king, I also recommend bombing Frost Flower City."
Snow Wolf said.
"My king, you mustn't bomb Frost Flower City. There are still Ice Clan civilians who haven't evacuated. What will happen to them if the air force bombs the city?"
An Ice Clan general said.
"Xuexiang, even if the air force doesn't bomb Frost Flower City, do you think the Flame Clan will spare the civilians inside?"
Snow Tiger said.
"To destroy as many Flame Army troops as possible, we can only apologize to the civilians in Frost Flower City. Send a message to the air force. Bomb Frost Flower City!"
Xue Li said.
Three hours later, above Frost Flower City.
Before you continue