Standing on the Suotuo City, Yu Tianheng looked down at the bustling scene below and then at the endless military camps outside the city, gripping the sword at his waist.
Holding onto Suotuo City not only preserved their own foundation but also held the lifeline of the Balak Kingdom in their grasp—without this largest granary, the remaining Barak forces, even if they wanted to put up a last-ditch resistance, wouldn't last long.
For the Heaven Dou army, this ample supply of provisions is undoubtedly their strongest foundation for sweeping across the entire territory of Barak.
In the following two weeks, the Heaven Dou army advanced with unstoppable momentum.
Yu Tianheng adopted a tactic of dividing his forces and encircling the enemy, using his main force to pursue the remaining forces of the Barak royal family while sending a detachment to take over cities in various regions.
The castles and defenses that the Balak Kingdom was so proud of turned out to be as fragile as paper in the face of an army of 100,000.
In just over ten days, from the border to the inland, more than half of the Balak Kingdom's territory had been planted with the flag of the Heaven Dou Empire. The once invincible kingdom was now on the verge of destruction.
The message reached the capital of Heaven Dou. Xue Qinghe looked at the numbers on the battle report, a cold smile curving his lips. Yu Tianheng's execution was even better than he had expected. And this was just the beginning.
Another two weeks passed quickly.
Yu Tianheng conquered cities and territories along the way, while the army of the Balak Kingdom suffered repeated defeats and was no match for Yu Tianheng.
Inside the royal palace.
King Barak's fingers gripped the armrests of the throne so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and it seemed as if he would crush the jewels embedded in the armrests.
In the empty palace hall, the candlelight flickered, illuminating his face, which was etched with despair and resentment, but it could not illuminate the thick, impenetrable despair within the hall.
The faint clanging of armor from the Heaven Dou army could be heard outside the palace, each sound like a heavy hammer striking his heart.
In just one month, his Balak Kingdom was reduced to a lonely palace, with the red flags of the Heaven Dou Army fluttering all around—proof that Yu Tianheng's iron cavalry had trampled mountains and rivers. The fall of the kingdom was merely a matter of Yu Tianheng's command.
"Cough... cough cough..." A series of rapid coughs interrupted his thoughts. He hunched over, coughing as if he were about to vomit his heart and liver, but tears welled up in his eyes. Not from pain, but from regret.
He abruptly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the familiar beams and pillars in the hall, engraved with the achievements of his ancestors Barak, in expanding the territory. But now, he, the successor, was about to personally destroy all of that.
" Xue Qinghe... Xue Qinghe..." he murmured the name, his voice filled with bitter remorse. "If I hadn't been so blinded by greed, relying on Barak's military strength to refuse your imperial decree, I wouldn't be in this predicament today!"
I still remember when Xue Qinghe's envoy entered the palace with an imperial edict, earnestly urging him to submit to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
But looking at his elite army and listening to the courtiers' praise that " Barak has formed his own faction," he only felt that it was a sign of weakness from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and didn't take it to heart at all.
At that time, how could he have imagined that in just a few months, Yu Tianheng's iron cavalry would break through his proud defenses, with cities falling one after another and lands changing hands?
It wasn't until the enemy army was at the gates of the capital that he realized his so-called "strength" was nothing but a clown's trick in the face of the true imperial army.
"Regret... Regret!" He slammed his fist on the throne, the dull thud echoing through the deathly silent palace, yet even the slightest echo seemed so pale and powerless.
Outside the royal city, the bugle calls of the Heaven Dou Army echoed from afar, like a final lament for the kingdom.
Yu Tianheng stood on the high slope, his black cloak billowing in the fierce north wind.
He gazed at the majestic city of Barak ahead, its walls soaring into the clouds, the bluish-gray bricks gleaming coldly in the sunlight, like a crouching behemoth making its final struggle.
"Once we take this city, Barak will cease to be a kingdom." Yu Tianheng's voice was as cold as ice as he glanced at the densely packed defenders on the city walls and the siege equipment they had set up. He raised his hand, his Silver Dragon Spear trembling slightly, the tip pointing directly at the city gate. "Give the order: all troops, attack!"
The sound of horns suddenly rang out, piercing through the clouds.
The Heaven Dou army surged towards the city walls like a tidal wave, ladders were erected, battering rams pounded against the city gates, and the shouts of battle and the clang of metal were deafening.
However, Barak was, after all, a capital city that had been established for many years, with incredibly thick city walls. The chariot soldiers defending the city were determined to die—with no way to retreat, they displayed unprecedented ferocity.
Rolling stones, logs, and arrows rained down, and the Heaven Dou Army charged up the city walls time and time again, only to be stubbornly driven back each time. Blood stained the ground below the city walls, but they could never tear open a breach.
Yu Tianheng frowned slightly, looking at the protracted battle, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
He dismounted, his aura suddenly erupting, a terrifying pressure spreading out, revealing his Martial Saint level cultivation without reservation.
He let out a low shout, and his True Essence frantically condensed, converging entirely on his right fist. A dragon shadow seemed to swirl around the tip of his fist, carrying an overwhelming momentum.
"Break!"
With a furious roar, Yu Tianheng moved like lightning, instantly closing in on the city gate. His fist, imbued with all his True Essence, carried a power that could shake heaven and earth, and slammed fiercely against the heavy city gate!
"Boom--!"
A deafening roar, like thunder exploding in a clear sky.
The city gate, forged from a mixture of refined iron and hardwood and touted as indestructible, shattered like paper under this punch, sending wood chips and iron fragments flying everywhere.
The Barak soldiers on the city wall were shaken so badly that their blood surged and many fell directly off the wall.
Yu Tianheng withdrew his fist, residual energy still swirling within it. He stared coldly at the breached city gate. "Charge in!"
Seeing this, the morale of the Heaven Dou army soared, and like a flood bursting its banks, they surged through the breach, launching a final assault on the soon-to-be-destroyed royal city.
Before the deafening crash of the city gates had even faded completely, the shouts of the Heaven Dou army swept in like a raging torrent.
Like a tidal wave, taxi soldiers poured in through the breach, their gleaming swords and spears flashing menacingly in the sunlight, instantly clashing with the Barak soldiers stubbornly resisting on the city walls.
Blood splattered, screams and the clang of metal clashed, creating a scene of utter devastation. The once impregnable royal city had now become a slaughterhouse.
Yu Tianheng took the lead, his Silver Dragon Spear swirling in his hand, creating countless spear flowers, leaving none who stood in his way.
He didn't linger too long with the remaining soldiers in the streets and alleys; his gaze was fixed on the tallest building deep within the royal city— the Barak Palace.
"Follow me straight to the palace and capture King Barak alive!" His voice, like a dragon's roar, pierced through the chaotic battlefield. The Divine Martial Army cavalry behind him immediately understood and followed closely behind, like a black lightning bolt cleaving through the crowd, charging fiercely towards the palace.