Capítulo 463: Skirmish at the Shinzhu River
Things were progressing smoothly on the Imperial Princesses' side, while Elizabeth's side faced some unexpected challenges. As they approached the Shinzhu Lake and rivers, the thick stench of burning entered their nostrils. Huge plumes of smoke entered sight and blotted out the suns. An ominous orange glow dominated the heavens as though the world was on fire. Day turned to night! The army continued cautiously, wary of any trap or trick. Getting caught in a sudden blaze would be bad. Thankfully, the scouts were thorough as they combed through the lands. They mapped out the terrain in excruciating detail. The army thus learned the source of this burning. Entire lands around the Shinzhu Lake were purposefully burnt down by the retreating Jun Family! As for why, the reason was quite simple.
The Shinzhu rivers were too wide, too deep, and too rapid for anyone to traverse on foot, making the only two ways across being a bridge or a boat. There were three bridges that crossed the river from the Zhujin Province to the capital: one large and two small. These bridges were famous as extraordinarily beautiful and intricate pieces of architecture. One had to note that the Alzar Kingdom's sense of aesthetics were monotone and dull by design. That was not to say it was ugly, but it lacked the flare and vibrance of the Xingyuu Empire. The empire weighed form as heavily as function as they designed elaborate structures! Naturally, Elizabeth and many others wanted to see these iconic places for themselves. It was rare enough to come to the Xingyuu Empire, so everything was a novel experience to them. Despite their enthusiasm though, the scouts soon reported that all three bridges were mined out and then burned down! The Jun Family would not give them such a convenient way across.
This left a boat being the only way, but transporting one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers was… difficult to say the least. This was why entire swaths of land around the rivers were burnt down, to destroy the existing boats and incinerate any good lumber remaining. The Jun Family was equally merciless with the cities and towns hugging the bridges and destroyed them too, thus ensuring no supplies made it to the kingdom's hands. Of course, Minister Keigon was not cold-hearted enough to kill his own people. He made sure that everyone was appropriately evacuated before razing everything to the ground. It was a desperate attempt to gain time against the kingdom's impending invasion. That said, General Petra had the foresight to bring bamboo and lumber from the forests they passed by, having predicted the minister's actions. It delayed their advance by half a day, but they had plenty of lumber to fashion into boats. While the shipwrights went to work, the scouts continued to glide around the bank.
A division of five thousand belonging to the Jun Family was nearby, holding down the fort while reinforcements converged. The Jun Family's armies were initially spread out across the Shinzhu rivers in anticipation for the kingdom's invasion since they did not know the kingdom's final destination. Now that they knew, they converged here, spearheaded by Minister Keigon Jun himself. Their defensive strategy was predictable and ordinary. Barricades were erected on the bridge with a line of spearmen at the ready. Should the kingdom attempt to rebuild and cross the bridges, they would be met with harsh resistance. Furthermore, by funnelling onto a narrow bridge, they would be giving up their main advantage of numbers. It was not a smart strategy. Conversely, if they decided to use boats, then the archers on the riverbanks would quickly transform them into pincushions. The Jun Family might not win overall, but any delays would be detrimental to the kingdom's plans. The longer they took, the more dangerous it became! However dire it appeared though; the Jun Family failed to account for one outlier: the Featherwind Sect!
According to conventional theory, the rivers were too large for any magic to affect it or cross it. Any interference in the world's laws required energy, whether it be Magic or Martial. The greater the interference, the greater the price. Much like trying to buy something, the cost to affect the rivers would be too great for any Arcanist to afford currently. Even the Ten Dawns with their Low Condensed Drop Cores would fall short here. But with the Featherwind Sect's flying ship… they could very easily circumvent these problems! They could fly above the enemy's camp and bombard them endlessly! Such a strategy broke free of the normal paradigms of war and completely changed the landscape of war. It was almost unfair! Everything went to show how massive of a tidal wave the Featherwind Sect created upon arrival. Even without them personally acting, their ship alone was a strategic weapon! An entire fleet of them would be invincible!
Mirroring a scene from the Quiton Gates, Elizabeth, Freon, the Ten Dawns, and other powerful Arcanists boarded the ship and took to the skies again. Benedict, Shirley, and many others felt inadequate here, knowing that there was nothing they could do. That could not be helped because Martial Energy was fundamentally an internally acting energy, while Magic Energy was externally acting. Individuals like the Sword King and his disciples or the Featherwind Sect could rise above these limits, but they were Perception Realm Masters or above. Meanwhile, Benedict and Shirley had yet to properly externalize their energy and step into Perception Realms. They could only watch Elizabeth and Freon with a renewed resolve. They needed to get stronger!
Eclipsing Theatre, Infernal Dragon, Yin-Yang Arrow, and all kinds of destructive spells descended upon the enemy forces. Tremendous explosions blasted the battlefield, sending dust, earth, and water into the heavens as the land shook from the tremendous power unleashed. It resembled the apocalypse! At the same time, an elite vanguard unit disembarked in their newly crafted vessels. They would take advantage of the chaos to land on the other shoreline and secure the bridge! One had to admit the kingdom's speed and efficiency were unbelievable. In less than half a day, they assembled a small fleet of ships to launch an assault. It was unthinkable! Half the credit belonged to General Petra for her meticulous arrangements, but the other half belonged to the late Lord Korogin, who devised the entire strategy years ago. He made waves even after passing!
To counter the kingdom's strategy, Minister Keigon ordered his armies to spread out. Every spell might be a destructive tactical weapon, and they had no way to defend themselves, but this could not last forever. The Arcanists would eventually run out of energy attacking a few people at a time. To counter that strategy, the kingdom chose to prioritize the area around the bridge. The bridge was their main target and had to be defended, so this was an obvious choice. Hundreds to thousands of brave soldiers fell in an instant! In response, Minister Keigon pulled his soldiers back and ordered his archers to loose arrows on the kingdom's ships. Since they had little to no defense, he would fight offense with offense! An intense and brutal exchange occurred with mounting losses on either side. Regardless, the kingdom made steady progress, whether it be in securing the bridge or rebuilding it. The Jun Family was helpless against them. When Elizabeth, Freon, and the others finally ran out of steam, they had already captured the bridge. The kingdom's invasion looked inevitable until…
Clang! A fierce battle erupted in the kingdom's rearguard. A small elite force from the Jun Family had remained on this side of the river, waiting for the right moment to strike. Their concealment was perfect as they had hidden themselves under the smoldering underbrush. No one would suspect an enemy force would hide there! The second the bridge was lost, that was their signal to attack! Their momentum slammed into the unprepared defenders, trampling them underfoot. Chaos reigned! Their target was General Petra or Princess Elizabeth. Eliminating either would have a huge impact on the enemy's morale. It was one of the easiest ways to prevail over a superior force! The kingdom did the same at the Quiton Gates with Unit Commander Haea, and now Minister Keigon was trying it too. They encroached on the general's position with surprising speed and ferocity, requiring the intervention of the Royal Guards and Grand Knights. Even Benedict and Shirley had their hands full with the attackers. While the kingdom was distracted, the Jun Family's main army advanced to recapture the bridge. It had yet to be fully repaired, so the kingdom suffered from a difficult position. They seemed to be on the losing foot!
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder