Chapter 12: Border
The title refinement was complete, signifying that Su Xiao had finished all his preparations. He now had the leverage to expand his army. The benefits of expanding the army were threefold: first, to deal with the violators; second, to reap rewards during the war; and third, to rise to a high position in the Flame Sand Kingdom, thereby uncovering the secrets of this world and acquiring rare resources that could be taken out of it.
Profit and development could proceed simultaneously during the war. Once the army reached a certain scale, he could consider dealing with the violators.
With military authority, Su Xiao's status in the Flame Sand Kingdom would rapidly increase. At that point, he could utilize the kingdom's intelligence department to actively search for or track the violators' locations.
The immediate challenge was how to capture Segona City. That would be the starting point of everything. Su Xiao currently had an army of 20,000, but Segona City was garrisoned by over 50,000 Peruvian soldiers. Defending a city and attacking one were entirely different matters.
There were indeed many thorny issues, but fortunately, Su Xiao already had considerable leverage. The [War Lord] title had been upgraded to four stars.
[War Lord]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise
Quality: ★★★★
Title Effect 1: Rapid March (Passive) — Marching speed increased by 35%, soldier stamina consumption slightly increased during marches.
Title Effect 2: All soldier-type units under the Hunter's command will receive one of the following bonuses after the war begins.
Note: If the number of soldiers exceeds 10,000, they will receive a group buff of +5 to all true attributes (excluding Luck attribute) and a 50-point morale boost. If morale exceeds 70 points, allied soldiers will fight fearlessly until their numbers drop below 15%, at which point desertion may occur (only one similar effect can be triggered).
Note: If the number of soldiers exceeds 50,000, they will receive a group buff of +8 to all true attributes (excluding Luck attribute) and a 60-point morale boost. If morale reaches 100 points, the Bloody Battle effect will be triggered (only one similar effect can be triggered).
Bloody Battle: When allied soldier-type units engage in melee combat with cold weapons, each attack has a chance to siphon the enemy's life force, restoring a portion of their own lost health.
Warning: Bloody Battle may cause allied soldiers to become extremely bloodthirsty in a short period, attacking all targets except friendly units.
The [War Lord] title had undergone a qualitative change from three stars to four stars. Although the buffs triggered by 10,000 soldiers and 50,000 soldiers could not stack, they were still incredibly powerful.
When Su Xiao's army reached 50,000, it could be said that even in a head-on confrontation on the plains, an enemy force of equal size would be routed within hours. Even against the most elite troops of the enemy nation, they would have a fighting chance, with a victory rate exceeding 60%.
Su Xiao equipped the [War Lord] title and lay down on the small bed to sleep.
The next morning, dew soaked the tent. A few ground crows flew overhead. These little creatures were essentially the sparrows of the desert, possessing some supernatural traits.
Water droplets slid down. The desert wasn't as water-scarce as imagined; it just couldn't retain water, and wells couldn't be dug, leading to the current situation.
As Su Xiao stepped out of the tent, he saw the soldiers standing in neat formations. After a night of indulgence in Anji City, the soldiers' spirits were completely renewed. They no longer smelled foul, and their ranks were orderly. With 20,000 men, there was not a single sound of conversation.
"Move out."
With Su Xiao's command, the soldiers began packing up tents and other gear. Under the direction of the ten-chiefs, everything proceeded smoothly. Ten minutes later, everything was ready, and over three hundred wooden carts pulled by white-horned beasts were fully loaded.
"Sir, please."
Oss stood beside a metal war chariot pulled by a white-horned beast. The chariot resembled a carriage, with about ten square meters of interior space and two rows of seats.
Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha boarded the metal chariot, and Kaiser sneakily followed along.
Taking advantage of the cool morning weather, the march of the 20,000 soldiers began. For some reason, the soldiers all felt that their bodies seemed lighter today, and the gray soul energy within them was unusually active. They didn't pay much attention to this, attributing it to their wounds healing.
With the boost from the [War Lord] title, the soldiers' marching speed increased significantly. Deputy Commander Oss, who was acting as the charioteer, noticed this and his eyes showed a hint of thought.
Oss touched the ring on his finger, which flickered with a faint light. He hesitated for a moment but then lowered his hand.
Since they were marching within the Flame Sand Kingdom, the journey went smoothly. Enemy forces were impossible to encounter. As for supernatural creatures, none were foolish enough to attack. If any did, the most succulent part of its body would become Su Xiao's dinner that day.
The march was somewhat monotonous, but that monotony soon passed. Three days later, at noon, a scout squad returned with news: they had reached the border. Ahead lay the junction between the Flame Sand Kingdom and Peru, the buffer zone of the battlefield.
Sure enough, after marching for half an hour, the ground began to harden, becoming a mixture of sand and soil. Peru had fertile land and a population double that of the Flame Sand Kingdom. Although the average height of its citizens was around 1.4 meters, they were incredibly sturdy. When their thick arms swung weapons, the sense of power was palpable. While the Flame Sand people were much taller, the combat effectiveness of both sides' soldiers was similar.
For several years, the border front line had been steadily pushing toward the Flame Sand Kingdom. Originally, the war was fought on solid ground, but now the ground beneath their feet had turned to sand and soil. This indicated that the Flame Sand Kingdom was beginning to show signs of defeat, unable even to hold onto its territory.
Upon arriving at the border, Su Xiao's army encountered groups of scouts from other friendly legions. Apart from Su Xiao, there were six other Grand Commanders, whose forces had set up various checkpoints along the border. Numerous fortress cities lined both sides of the border, serving as supply points.
Segona City, located at the other end of the border, was one such fortress city. This meant a prolonged siege was impossible; Segona City had to be captured within an hour, or they would face enemy reinforcements from all directions.
The march that would normally take five days was completed in less than four, including rest and the handover of troops from Uuno. The remaining three days were Su Xiao's leverage for capturing Segona City.
Directly attacking Segona City was too unwise. Su Xiao knew he was leading a defeated army. First, he needed to boost morale, winning at least one or two victories to get the soldiers in high spirits before considering an assault on Segona City.
Moreover, the current number of soldiers was insufficient. Su Xiao had already figured out how to increase their numbers: by absorbing scattered allied soldiers from the battlefield. Although this violated the laws of the Flame Sand Kingdom, he had already offended Uuno and Carros, so why care about the kingdom's laws? He didn't need to worry about the hostility of the other Grand Commanders either, as all six were Uuno's men.
If he lacked soldiers, he would ignore the kingdom's laws and recruit. If he lacked gold coins, he would attack Peru's fortress cities. As long as he won victories, the capital would turn a blind eye to certain matters. With so much territory already lost, any army that could reclaim it would be given leeway in other matters.
...
On an unknown sea, a massive sea beast was swimming rapidly through the water. Amu and Beini were on top of this sea beast.
The sea beast let out a low roar. Beini, who was lying under a small sunshade, looked up at the sound, and a small fish fell from her paw.
Beini froze, because she saw land in the distance. Seeing the scene before her, she almost burst into tears. This land was the northernmost part of the Kingdom of Peru.