Tiandou and Star Luo Unite, Inner Heart Unmoved!

Chapter 26: Heaven Dou and Star Luo Unite, Yet Not a Ripple in His Heart!

Xu Nian'an issued the order for the Great Snow Dragon Riders and Xu Yi to slowly trap and slaughter the thirty-five thousand besieged enemy troops with minimal cost.

Perhaps, by keeping these thirty-five thousand enemy soldiers to use as bargaining chips with the Heaven Dou Empire, Xu Nian'an could easily secure a massive amount of military funding, which would cover the pensions for the one hundred thousand soldiers lost in this campaign.

It would even provide the funds for a second war in the future.

However, Xu Nian'an chose not to do so.

First, he was not short on money.

The annexation of the Gulei Kingdom and the Galloping Wolf Kingdom, the recovery of Xingyao, and the wealth seized from the corrupt officials he had executed had long since filled Xu Nian'an's coffers.

His total wealth had surpassed twenty million and was nearing thirty million.

Of course, this sum could not compare to the two great empires; perhaps ten thousand years later, it wouldn't even be enough to buy a few decent spirit bones.

But Xu Nian'an wanted to emphasize that this was the era of Douluo I, a time when a single gold soul coin was enough for an ordinary family to live on for a year.

Furthermore, aside from those summoned by the system, the salaries for other soldiers were not high, with the only significant expense being the death benefits.

Even so, the annual military expenditure would reach three million at most.

Xu Nian'an barely needed to pay this out of his own pocket, as the annual tax revenue from the territories currently held by the Great Ming Empire exceeded that amount.

Not to mention, the imperial family of the Great Ming Empire owned numerous businesses.

He was in a position where he had both the money and the manpower he needed.

Rather than letting them go and giving them another chance to attack him, Xu Nian'an preferred to kill them all and eliminate the threat once and for all!

Mingdou Canyon.

"Keep your eyes peeled! Don't let a single Heaven Dou soldier escape, damn it."

"Freeze them to death! Freeze those bastards to death!"

"Damn it all! You wiped out my Imperial Guard, so don't even think about getting out of here alive!"

Xu Yi looked at the Heaven Dou soldiers in the canyon—shivering, cold, hungry, and demoralized—his eyes burning with undiminished killing intent.

He currently had three arrows embedded in his body, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony deep within his heart.

One hundred thousand Imperial Guards—this was the very first army he had commanded when he entered the imperial court. Now they were gone, slaughtered by this bunch of scum.

Xu Yi was the one who wanted to massacre the Heaven Dou army more than anyone else.

Within the Heaven Dou ranks:

"Marshal, it's bad... it's terrible. Thousands of soldiers have already frozen to death. It won't be long before this happens on a massive scale."

"Without fire, food, hot water, and trapped in this extreme, harsh cold, most of us won't last three days!"

A middle-aged man wearing Bright Light Armor and a red cloak felt his pupils constrict sharply upon hearing this.

"Could it be... could it really be that we have to surrender?"

For the main force of the Heaven Dou Empire, over three hundred thousand men, to surrender—this was the shame of the empire.

If this news reached the capital, the resulting collapse in morale would mean that if the Heaven Dou Empire launched a second offensive against the Great Ming Empire, they could simply declare their military campaign a failure without even thinking about it.

An empire that had existed for thousands of years with immense strength had actually lost to a kingdom that had only just thought of declaring itself an empire. It was simply... laughable.

Yet, the reality was right before his eyes.

"Bring me a brush!"

Swish, swish, swish!

Before long, the letter of surrender was written. Ten minutes later, it was delivered into Xu Yi's hands.

Looking at the surrender letter, a flicker of light passed through Xu Yi's eyes, but in the end, he set it aside.

"Report! An imperial decree from His Majesty!"

Xu Yi received the decree, opened it, and a single sentence caught his eye.

"Coordinate with the Great Snow Dragon Riders to trap and slaughter the entire Heaven Dou army!"

The Great Snow Dragon Riders?

Hearing the name of this army, Xu Yi was momentarily stunned.

But he quickly realized who they were—the troops currently assisting them in the encirclement of the Heaven Dou army.

They also carried the banners of the Great Ming; they must be the Great Snow Dragon Riders His Majesty spoke of.

Glancing at the surrender letter nearby, Xu Yi did not hesitate. He picked it up, threw it onto the ground, and trampled it repeatedly.

Surrender?

Why had he waited in this snow for a day and a night?

Just because he said "surrender," they were supposed to stop fighting?

Had all his Imperial Guards died in vain?

Impossible!!!

Time ticked away, second by second.

The marshal of the Heaven Dou army sensed that something was wrong.

The letter of surrender he had written had vanished like a stone cast into the sea. His heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding surged within him.

"It's bad, it's bad, Marshal! The number of wounded soldiers who have frozen to death has now exceeded ten thousand!"

"Even the regular soldiers are suffering; many have developed frostbite and are breaking out in pus-filled sores!"

Upon hearing this news, the marshal's face turned deathly pale.

"Brothers, do we still have the strength to fight!"

On the other side.

The Heaven Dou Empire's half-million-strong army had lost contact, and the entire empire was in chaos.

"How is this possible? How could this be!"

"Five hundred thousand—a full five hundred thousand men—how could they just vanish into thin air?"

"Fifty thousand against the mere four hundred thousand of the Ming, the advantage was ours!"

"Not to mention, the Ming's four hundred thousand troops had to be split to defend the Galloping Wolf Kingdom against the Star Luo Empire's surprise attacks!"

As countless scouts from the Heaven Dou Empire patrolled and investigated, they found nothing—absolutely nothing.

Gulei City, the target they had intended to attack and "liberate," had long since become a dilapidated, desolate ruin, empty of life and littered with corpses.

Only now did the Heaven Dou Empire begin to panic.

The neighboring Haagen-Dazs Kingdom fell into a deathly silence upon hearing the news. King Haagen-Dazs tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, feeling a chilling sensation against his throat.

Early the next morning, he personally led a delegation to the Ming Imperial Palace.

He only prayed that, in light of the fact that he had spared them in the past and had never truly marched an army across the Ming border, they would spare the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom.

Five hundred thousand... five hundred thousand soldiers had mysteriously vanished while attacking the Ming border.

That was a full five hundred thousand men, a force capable of sweeping through every kingdom.

It was also nearly half of the Heaven Dou Empire's total military strength.

Now, Haagen-Dazs understood why Xu Nian'an had the confidence to declare independence and proclaim himself Emperor!

The following day, the Heaven Dou Empire's delegation also arrived at the Ming Empire.

When the Heaven Dou delegation and the Haagen-Dazs delegation met at the Ming Imperial Palace, the atmosphere was exceptionally awkward.

However, on their first day in the Ming Empire, both were met with a cold shoulder; Xu Nian'an refused to see anyone.

At dawn on the third day.

Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the main quest: Launch the Empire's first battle and slaughter 500,000 enemies!

The next day, the Heaven Dou delegation finally got their wish and met with Xu Nian'an.

"Oh? So you'll recognize the Ming Empire's sovereignty only if I return your soldiers?"

"No, my dear envoy, have you still not grasped the situation?"

"Since when does the Ming need anyone else's permission or recognition to do as it pleases?"

"If you aren't satisfied, then come and fight again. I, Xu Nian'an, will accompany you to the very end!"

Upon hearing Xu Nian'an's words, the Heaven Dou delegation's expressions turned grim.

"We certainly cannot interfere with the choices and decisions of the Ming Emperor, but we would like to know... why our Heaven Dou army disappeared at the Ming border."

"If Your Majesty knows the reason, please enlighten us. We of Heaven Dou are willing to withdraw our troops."

Hearing this, a slow smile curled the corners of Xu Nian'an's mouth.

"What? The Heaven Dou army? I'm sorry, if you had come yesterday, I might have been able to leave you a hundred thousand or so, but now..."

Hearing Xu Nian'an's words, the pupils of the Heaven Dou delegation constricted violently.

By noon, they had scurried back in defeat.

The next day, earth-shattering news spread from the two great empires.

The Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire had signed a non-aggression pact!

When this news reached Xu Nian'an's ears, he merely smiled, his heart remaining completely unmoved!

There will be no more recommendations for this book from here on out. Sigh, it didn't pass the trial period and was forced onto the shelves, leaving me with no motivation at all.