The sun and moon turned, and daylight shone.
The Human Race generals shook their heads from atop the walls from time to time.
A broad, deep, waterless riverbed was spreading toward the Human Race walls.
"The Demon Race has gone mad."
"I thought they were only digging a canal. Who knew they were building a Grand Canal?"
"A riverbed over thirty zhang wide—are they raising dragons?"
"Some of our previous countermeasures may be useless now."
"But what are the Demon Race selling from their gourd? Are they trying to excavate the Jingguan Grand Canal?"
"The intelligence reports said the Demon Race wanted to learn from the Human Race: build fortified camps and fight dull battles."
"Marquis Li still has no countermeasure?"
"The Marquis said to let them dig. There are plenty of ways to deal with them."
"We needn't rush. While they're at it, let's build more mechanisms."
"They really don't seem like the Demon Race."
"If we lost more than a hundred thousand in one battle, we wouldn't seem human either. Just wait."
Thus, amid a strange atmosphere, time flashed by for both sides.
The canal drew closer and closer. When it reached five li beyond the city, the mechanisms atop the walls began firing one after another, only to be blocked by the Demon Race.
The Demon Race tacitly stopped construction. After inspecting themselves and resting, they formally let water into the canal.
Five kilometers outside Taigu City, an extra stretch of canal now ran straight to the Great River, glittering white and dazzling the eyes.
Great numbers of Water Demons poured into the Great River, packed densely together. From afar, they resembled fish in a drained pond.
Ground forces advanced along both banks of the Great River, while bird demons took to the skies once more.
The