Fierce Battle at the Frontline, Zichuan Mingri in Peril!

The Badan Highlands had become a living hell. Corpses carpeted the mountains and fields, and blood flowed like rivers.

Relying on the advantage of the terrain, Zichuan Shengxing had repelled the demon army's attacks several times, but his own losses had also been devastating. Of the fifty thousand officers and soldiers, more than half had fallen in just seven days. Now, barely over twenty thousand remained, desperately holding the line, while more than sixty thousand demon troops still watched them like tigers eyeing their prey.

"Father, the men are exhausted, and the demon army has been attacking relentlessly. They haven't given us any chance to rest. If reinforcements don't arrive within two more days, I'm afraid we'll be in grave danger!"

Zichuan Mingri had just led a thousand-man cavalry unit back from a charge. After several rounds of assault, they had disrupted the enemy formation and finally bought the main army a moment to catch its breath. However, the situation on the battlefield remained extremely critical.

Against ordinary demon troops, the battle might not have been so difficult. But this demon army consisted entirely of elites. Their fighting spirit and ability were no weaker than the Zichuan elite force trained by Zichuan Shengxing, making the battle especially arduous.

Looking at his son, who had just withdrawn from the battlefield with blood all over his armor, Zichuan Shengxing frowned deeply. How could he, as commander, not understand the situation? But there was nothing he could do. Though the Badan Highlands were treacherous terrain, the enemy's fearless, death-defying tactics had greatly weakened that advantage. If they continued to wear each other down, the demons—who outnumbered them two to one—would undoubtedly win in the end.

"Still no word from Prince Lin?"

"No. The soldiers sent to deliver the message are still missing."

"A hundred thousand troops openly launching a surprise attack on Jiashan Fortress... I'm worried something may have happened on Prince Lin's side!"

Zichuan Shengxing was filled with worry. If nothing had gone wrong over there, Prince Lin should have been able to stop this demon army easily. Yet no message had arrived from that side. Even the news of the demon army's surprise attack had come only from scouts Zichuan Shengxing had sent out beforehand.

No news was the worst news. Now, they could only place their hopes on Far Capital and pray that the Empire would send reinforcements as quickly as possible.

Once this isolated force of theirs was swallowed by the demon army, nothing would stand in the enemy's way of seizing the still-unfinished Jiashan Fortress.

"Still no word from your elder brother?"

"Not yet. But I believe in him. He'll definitely bring reinforcements to help us."

"Let's hope so!"

At first, when Zichuan Shengxing heard that the Third Prince had come to the frontlines, he had paid it no mind. When he later learned that his son had begun associating with him, he harshly reprimanded his son and explicitly forbade him from doing so. After all, the Zichuan family had long since pledged itself to the First Prince.

But afterward, the Third Prince had caused quite a stir. He had introduced numbered slave management, divided the fortress construction into multiple zones, assigned each zone one thousand slaves and fifty overseers, refined the responsibilities of every section, and implemented an assembly-line system. The construction speed had increased enormously. In just over two years, the fortress was nearly complete. Beyond that, he had also trained an eight-hundred-man cavalry force.

Zichuan Shengxing had secretly observed that force. Every one of them was a warrior of exceptional combat quality, surpassing even his own soldiers. At the very least, if their numbers were equal, he would certainly lose.

He had racked his brains but still could not understand why the Third Prince, whom everyone in the imperial capital called worthless, possessed such remarkable talent for administration, troop training, and command.

He admitted that he had misjudged him. But he had already sworn loyalty to the First Prince. Even if the Third Prince was talented, the forces behind him were not as strong as those behind the First Prince. Besides, Zichuan Shengxing had no desire to change allegiances. That would be disloyalty. Thus, he did not regret his choice. For the past two years, he had kept his doors shut and refused to meet Lin Junyu in order to avoid suspicion.

Still, his views and attitude had gradually changed. He no longer stopped his son from associating with Lin Junyu. After all, a great family could not put all its eggs in one basket.

A new wave of demon attacks began. Demon soldiers clad in black armor and wearing horned helmets shouted, "Sem Heilin!" as they charged toward the ranks of the Luminous Empire's Zichuan army.

The two great torrents of troops collided, erupting into a brutal bloodbath. People died every moment, banners fell one after another, yet they continued to fight without yielding.

On a command chariot behind the demon army, a man clad in silver-black armor stared fixedly at the deadlocked battlefield with his blue eyes. He was Kabu Lin, commander of this assault legion.

Seven days. He had never expected to be held here for a full seven days. If this mission failed, his imperial father would certainly hold him accountable upon his return.

The kingdom had paid an enormous price for this plan. Therefore, no matter how fierce the resistance, he had to pay any cost necessary to swiftly break through this human army's defenses and seize Jiashan!

At the frontline, blood was being spilled in battle. At the Empire's Jiashan Fortress, Lin Junyu had just arrived with the vanguard of a hundred thousand troops.

Seeing that Jiashan Fortress was still intact, Lin Junyu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Looks like Mingri held the pressure. I finally made it in time!"

It would still take some time for the hundred-thousand-strong army to gather. Most of them were infantry, while the cavalry, delayed by their horses, were still behind and would be the last to assemble.

But Lin Junyu could not wait that long. Thus, he led his own eight hundred Imperial Guards toward the highlands first.

As for the hundred thousand troops here, he had Old General Qu secretly coordinate their assembly from behind the scenes. Once they were gathered, they were to rush to the frontlines at once, while he headed to the Badan Highlands first to assess the situation.

Even if the Badan Highlands' defenses had already been breached, Jiashan Fortress would be safe as long as the hundred-thousand-strong army finished assembling.

Eight hundred cavalrymen galloped down the main road beneath fluttering Imperial Guard banners, kicking up clouds of dust.

All of them wore black armor and faceplates that exposed only their cold, gleaming eyes. Each carried a powerful bow on his back and a quiver packed with arrows, while gripping a standard-issue horse-cleaving saber.

Even while riding at full speed, their formation remained perfectly orderly. This was an elite force with strict discipline, one that obeyed every command without fail.

Lin Junyu wore golden armor and a silver helmet, with a silver faceplate covering all but his eyes. He rode at the very front of the formation. He already knew the route to the Badan Highlands well.

When he had first come to the fortress, Zichuan Mingri had often taken him around to play. They had gone to the Badan Highlands alone no fewer than five times.

On the Badan Highlands battlefield, the battle had reached its most intense point. Both sides had gone mad with killing.

"Kill!"

Zichuan Mingri led his thousand-man cavalry unit in a wild rampage through the demon army.

Watching that troublesome cavalry force charge back and forth through the heart of his army, Kabu Lin realized that if he allowed it to continue, his army would repeat its earlier fate.

"You dare put yourselves in danger? I won't fall for the same trick twice. Personal Guard, charge with me and kill that cavalry unit's commander! Gu Teming, you command here. Surround that cavalry unit! I want them wiped out!"

"Yes!"

The deputy legion commander beside him took the legion's command banner from Kabu Lin.

"Personal Guard, charge!"

"Sem Heilin!"

Led by their legion commander, this two-thousand-man demon personal guard cavalry thundered forward like a sharp sword, cutting through the crowd as they charged toward Zichuan Mingri's thousand light cavalry.

After cutting down a demon soldier who had approached him, Zichuan Mingri looked up across the battlefield and discovered that the situation had changed completely. In the distance, two thousand heavily armored cavalrymen were charging straight toward him.

Demon soldiers were continuously closing in around them. His keen battlefield instincts instantly told him that his charging force had pushed into the middle of the demon army. If he could not break out before the encirclement closed, his unit would become an isolated force and be surrounded and annihilated.

"All cavalry, assemble at once! Form a triangular wedge with me as the point! I'll lead you out!"

Zichuan Mingri charged toward a weak gap in the encirclement that had yet to close. The scattered cavalry quickly regrouped and fell in behind him on both sides.

Kabu Lin casually killed a human cavalryman who had charged too fast and strayed too far from his unit. Watching Zichuan Mingri race toward the gap in the encirclement, he immediately realized that he intended to break out and issued an order to his subordinate.

"Rong Hou, lead a thousand Imperial Guards and seal that gap immediately! Tie them down—don't let them break out!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Seeing through Zichuan Mingri's intention to break out, Kabu Lin immediately ordered his favored general Rong Hou to leave the formation and rush toward the gap, arriving before the enemy could escape.

The endless stream of demon soldiers charging in from all sides severely hindered Zichuan Mingri's breakout. The enemy cavalry behind them was closing in fast.

Just as Zichuan Mingri took the lead in tearing open a gap and allowed the cavalry under his command to charge through—

Rong Hou led a thousand Imperial Guards through the demon ranks by a shortcut and finally caught up.

Without wasting words, he led his men straight into the attack.

"Zichuan Ye, take five hundred family cavalry and leave first! I'll take over a hundred cavalrymen to hold them off!"

More than three hundred of the thousand cavalrymen had already died in the charge and melee. Zichuan Mingri was now taking only a hundred cavalrymen to face two thousand demon Imperial Guards. It was undoubtedly a path to death.

"Young Patriarch!"

"Enough. Go back and tell my father that his son will always be his pride!"

With that, he led a hundred cavalrymen drenched head to toe in blood and charged back. Seeing that there was no way to change his mind, Zichuan Ye swiftly led five hundred cavalrymen out of the encirclement.

The moment they broke out, the gap in the demon army's encirclement closed at once, becoming even tighter than before!

The hundred cavalrymen led by Zichuan Mingri would now be trapped in a heavy encirclement, surrounded and slaughtered at will by the demon Imperial Guard army!

Watching the densely packed demon soldiers rush at him from every direction, Zichuan Mingri realized that he might truly die here. Yet at that moment, his heart became calm. Only that single lingering obsession remained within him.

Big Brother, I may not be able to bring you to meet my father. Please forgive me!

And also, although my sister is as beautiful as a fairy, she really isn't as smart as me!