Perhaps it was a warning, or perhaps it was meant to reassure them to rush to the aid. The letter requesting reinforcements made no secret of the remaining forces in Tiannan Pass. Of the 15,000 soldiers who had been sent out and blessed by the gods, less than 6,000 remained in Tiannan Pass. With the addition of 400,000 auxiliary troops and the towering magical walls of Tiannan Pass, they were barely holding off the attack from Jiangnan.
Azi Kingdom has 3,000 blessed soldiers, and the six other kingdoms have 2,000 blessed soldiers who are barely capable of fighting. If they gather 5,000, they have a 90% chance of holding Tiannan Pass. However, if they choose to betray their allies, and the 6,000 elite troops of Tiannan Pass return to reinforce them, Azi Kingdom will face annihilation!
Even the most hawkish faction, who have always advocated for war, could not muster the courage to support the king at this moment.
"You have the capability to completely annihilate Tiannan Pass, so why haven't you taken it yet?" The leading general looked at the other side with a sneer.
If the enemy can truly annihilate everyone at Tiannan Pass, then the king's expansion plans will indeed have a chance. After all, the six kingdoms don't have many remaining blessed soldiers, and if they suddenly launch an attack, the six kingdoms simply cannot unite to fight them.
Moreover, the two countries bordering their lands are not as powerful as the Wutu Kingdom. If none of the elite troops from Tiannan Pass can return, it is not impossible for them to take advantage of the situation and seize most of the territory of these two countries.
But the prerequisite is complete annihilation!
Throughout history, defeating an enemy is relatively easy, but annihilating them completely is incredibly difficult.
When two armies are locked in a stalemate, a loss of less than 30% usually results in the complete collapse of the army. This is for elite troops. If the commander can escape, he can usually recover 50% to 60% of the remaining troops. Complete annihilation is either due to being trapped in an isolated city or an absolute crushing defeat!
Neither of these two scenarios has occurred in the current match.
Behind Tiannan Pass lies the vast Southern Wilderness. If it cannot be held, the enemy could easily retreat. The terrain makes it impossible for the enemy to encircle them. As for overwhelming force, well, if Jiangnan truly has that ability, would they even have a chance to receive a plea for help?
Faced with this problem, Yuchi Feihu was somewhat at a loss. To persuade the other party, he had to reveal the plan to Tiannan Pass, but once the plan was revealed, there was a risk of it being leaked!
As the Lord had predicted, the negotiations would eventually come to this point.
"How about this?" Yuchi Feihu looked up and smiled, "You proceed with the reinforcements as planned, just a day or two later than the scheduled time!"
"What do you mean?" The general frowned. "What are you planning?"
"Isn't this the safest method?" Yuchi Feihu continued, "If we delay our reinforcements by a day or two, at most we'll be blamed. There are many excuses we can use, such as the weather or natural disasters. If they can still hold Tiannan Pass at that time, it means that Jiangnan cannot break through and will have to give up the land in the southeast. At that time, the more they lose, the more influence you will have, and the more benefits you can gain. Why not do it?"
The general and the surrounding officers were all taken aback.
That does sound pretty good.
Since it's only a day or two late, as long as Tiannan Pass remains unbroken, even if they are late, the enemy won't dare to do anything to them in the current situation. On the contrary, they will rely more on the reinforcements from the Azi Kingdom. If Jiangnan can break through Tiannan Pass just because of this two-day delay, it means that Jiangnan does indeed have the strength.
It would be unwise to make an enemy of Jiangnan at this time. After all, the Azi Kingdom has already caused widespread resentment in order to raise these three thousand elite troops. If they were to lose more troops in the defense of the city, it would be a loss that would not outweigh the gains!
Seeing the generals remain silent, the prince hesitated for a moment before asking, "General, what do you think?"
The general thought for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist and asked, "What does Your Majesty think?"
The King of the Azi Kingdom glanced at his son with a wistful look. Although he was the only son, this silly boy seemed to be too dependent on Grand General Long.
He knew all of this, of course, but there was nothing he could do before. After all, he was an only son, Long Household held a very important position, so he couldn't easily take action against them. But now...
Seeing the respectful question from the general he had personally promoted, the old king smiled and nodded, "This plan is excellent. It avoids risks while creating opportunities. I think it's very good. What do you think?"
When he was at the height of his authority, who would dare to oppose him?
Now that they're old, even the fiercest tiger can no longer bite, and that makes people lose their fear.
He missed his former strong and healthy self terribly, but now he had a chance to return to that time. The spirits of the main temple had promised him that if he could build more than four hundred Ghost Temple for him and sacrifice one hundred thousand young virgins, he would be given a new body and power that surpassed that of anyone in the world.
Such promises are often boasted by many evil gods in the Southern Wilderness, and he wouldn't normally believe them. But recently, the power displayed by this Ghost and God Temple has been so miraculous that it has given this elderly man a new idea.
He knew, of course, that he was gambling with the fate of the nation, and that if he lost, the country risked destruction. But if he died, what did the fate of the nation matter to him?
"I think this is an opportunity. After all, no one would refuse the chance to have more land, right?" The king looked at the crowd with a smile.
The generals fell silent upon hearing this. More land meant more Ghost and God Temple to build, more people to offer as sacrifices, and they themselves would gain more power. If it was just a small risk, why not?
" General Yuchi, is that right?" Grand General Long looked at the other party. "What do you want us to do?"
Is that all?
Yuchi Feihu was slightly taken aback, and suddenly felt that diplomacy wasn't so difficult after all.
"Well, what we mean is that you replied saying you would arrive within three days, creating the illusion that you would arrive within three days, while in reality your people would be delayed by one or two days. As long as this condition is met, the alliance will take effect."
--
"The deal is done with the Feihu."
Standing beneath Tiannan Pass, Chen Qing looked at the imposing fortress and said, "Go and prepare."
Tian Heng nodded upon hearing this. "Yes, my lord."
Shen Qi, standing to the side, frowned slightly. "This is too smooth. Could it be a trap set on purpose?"
Tian Heng also looked at Chen Qing. This time, the main force was his West Sea Army. In the past few days, the losses had been quite heavy. If they fell into any trap, it would be a real blow to their strength. Especially his direct troops, these people were his loyal sons whom he had trained for many years. That's why he dared to pour a lot of Power of Faith into them without reservation. Once they were lost, the Power of Faith he got from Ao Zhen would probably take many years to win back.
Currently, Xu Hu holds the highest position in the faction and is catching up with me the fastest. The newly appointed Battle God, Yuchi Feihong, is also no ordinary person. He is willing to go to the north to fight for his own power. There is also the mysterious Thunder Division Battle God. The competition in Jiangnan will be extraordinary in the future. Once I fall behind, my resources will only become less and less.
If we can capture the Southeast, the losses this time will be acceptable. But if we fail, the losses will be even greater, which would be troublesome.
Seeing Tian Heng looking over, Chen Qing shook his head and said, "It's unlikely to be a conspiracy, because it's pointless. There's no benefit in scheming against us for the Azi Kingdom. Whether they agree or not, we will do our best to take this place. Under a high-intensity offensive, the Southern Barbarians garrison will still be unable to resist using the Second Blessing. Even if they arrive on time, our soldiers can evacuate immediately. At most, we'll suffer some more losses. What good would that do for the Azi Kingdom?"
"On the contrary, if Az could cooperate with us, it is highly likely that the Azi Kingdom could break free from its centuries-old predicament and escape from the Great Western Basin. Moreover, I am quite certain that the object he worships in his Ghost and God Temple will also tempt him to do so!"
" The Ghost and God Temple?" Everyone was taken aback. Tian Heng hesitated for a moment and asked curiously, "My lord, isn't the Ghost and God Temple and Gods a powerful force behind it?"
They all now believe that the Ghost and God Temple established in the Southern Wilderness are all part of the ancient power supported by the Xiao Household emperor in the capital. They are all part of the same power, so logically they shouldn't be encouraging their subordinates to split up, but rather encouraging cooperation.
Their biggest worry was the ghosts and spirits in the Azi Kingdom Ghost Temple, who might cause trouble. But according to Chen Qing, the other side would actually help them?
What exactly is going on?
Two more updates