Chapter 39: The Shield of the Ram
On a charred plain, vultures circled overhead. From the surrounding patches of forest and low hills, it was clear that this place had once been beautiful, but after becoming a battlefield, its natural beauty had been replaced by a sense of slaughter.
Central Battlefield, Segona City.
The flag representing the Flame Sand Kingdom fluttered in the breeze. Soldiers stood guard on the city walls. If all fortresses were ranked, the current Segona City would undoubtedly be one of the three hardest to attack, with only Sand Capital and Highland City (capital of the Peru Kingdom) ahead of it.
The layout of the central battlefield had changed due to Segona City. It had become the border between Flame Sand and Peru. Within Segona City was the territory of the Flame Sand Kingdom; beyond it was the border of the Peru Kingdom.
Six hundred thousand dwarf soldiers of the Peru Kingdom were stationed here, commanded by Spring Iron Ram, known as the Kingdom's Shield.
It was worth noting that the surname Spring did not represent royalty. The current Peru King was named Spring Steel Ram, and his younger brother was Spring Iron Ram. One brother was the king, the other the supreme commander of the central battlefield.
Beyond these two brothers, their cousin, Leyton Red Beard, was also a formidable figure. It was no exaggeration to say that this dwarf family produced talents in abundance.
Leyton Red Beard had lost Segona City, and then suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of the Peru Gate, where he was captured alive. To this day, his fate remained unknown. Such were the rumors about Leyton Red Beard.
Rumors, of course, were unreliable. The fall of Segona City had little to do with Leyton Red Beard. He had only been recuperating within the city at the time. The dwarf officer responsible for defending the city died in battle, and after the city fell, that officer fought to the death. Heroes appeared not only among one's own ranks but also among the enemy.
Regardless, the fact remained that the dwarf officer had lost Segona City. To protect the Divine Maiden's escape, Leyton Red Beard chose to lead the remaining few thousand soldiers in surrender, willingly shouldering the blame for losing Segona City.
Later, in the Battle of the Peru Gate, originally commanded by Spring Iron Ram, defeat was inevitable. Just released from Segona City, Leyton Red Beard decided to take the blame again. Peru still needed Spring Iron Ram.
Spring Iron Ram was not an ungrateful man. He had repeatedly sent envoys to negotiate with Su Xiao, willing to pay a certain price to ransom Leyton Red Beard.
Su Xiao naturally refused. The reason was simple: Red Beard was too good at taking the blame. If released, he might end up shouldering someone else's burden again.
How difficult Spring Iron Ram was to deal with, Su Xiao had experienced during the "Battle of the Peru Gate." He had thought he had defeated multiple forces, but who knew that with Leyton Red Beard's help in taking the blame, the Kingdom's Shield, Spring Iron Ram, had risen again.
A total of 600,000 dwarf soldiers separated Segona City from the Peru Kingdom. This time, Spring Iron Ram commanded a full 100,000 Ram Cavalry, plus the remaining 500,000 dwarf soldiers. Their combat power was self-evident.
On Su Xiao's side, counting newly transferred troops, he had 320,000 soldiers under his command. Comparing individual combat power, his soldiers were weaker than the Ram Cavalry but stronger than ordinary dwarf soldiers.
Su Xiao's advantage was that if the battle turned against him, he could retreat at any time. Behind him was the army of Grand Commander Niboso.
For Spring Iron Ram, it was different. The farther he retreated, the more territory the Peru Kingdom lost.
Inside a three-story stone building in Segona City.
Su Xiao looked at the map on the table. Based on the intelligence he had, if he went to war with Spring Iron Ram now, his probability of defeat was over 80%.
Not to mention anything else, the 100,000 Ram Cavalry alone were a headache. Coupled with Spring Iron Ram's command ability, once a full-scale decisive battle began, not only would he fail to invade the Peru Kingdom, but Segona City itself might fall.
Spring Iron Ram was blocking the way here. If Su Xiao could crush him, the risk of invading Peru would be much lower.
Su Xiao's invasion of the Peru Kingdom wasn't just for plunder. His main mission was to capture the God of Abundant Life alive. As the deity of the Peru Kingdom, if he didn't first defeat the kingdom, rashly trying to capture its neutral god would trigger all sorts of chain reactions.
It was fortunate that Su Xiao had never led an army before. He could infiltrate Peru's territory and secretly search for the God of Abundant Life. But now, the high-ranking officials of the Peru Kingdom had likely all seen his portrait. Infiltrating the kingdom carried extremely high risks.
Setting aside the map on the table, Su Xiao began to think about how to deal with Spring Iron Ram. A direct confrontation was unwise for now. The key was to find a way to upgrade the [War Lord] title.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao decided to start the war immediately. Only when battle raged could he earn battle merits, which were crucial for exchanging titles.
Summoning Vice Commander Oss, Su Xiao conveyed his orders. The soldiers in the city were mobilized.
Hmm~
A long horn sounded. A total of 200,000 soldiers assembled outside the city, leaving 120,000 inside to defend.
Knowing he couldn't win and still charging at Spring Iron Ram would be foolish. Su Xiao decided not to fight Spring Iron Ram directly for now.
The march began. As soon as Su Xiao left the city, Spring Iron Ram received the news. With so many troops moving, it was impossible to hide from each other's spies.
Learning that Su Xiao hadn't advanced toward the Peru border but instead turned back into the central battlefield, Spring Iron Ram sensed trouble.
He now had two choices. First, while Su Xiao was away from Segona City, lead an attack on the city. If he captured Segona City, Peru's disadvantage would vanish.
Second, station 500,000 dwarf soldiers in place and send 100,000 Ram Cavalry to march within Peru's territory, always keeping parallel to Su Xiao's forces to prevent him from attacking other fortress cities.
If other fortress cities fell, capturing Segona City would be meaningless. It would only shift the main battlefield. Once the border fortress cities of Peru were lost, they would become a second Segona City.
Weighing the pros and cons, Spring Iron Ram decided to dispatch 100,000 Ram Cavalry to march within Peru's territory, staying parallel to Su Xiao's forces across the border to prevent attacks on other fortress cities.
Two hours later, Spring Iron Ram received news that the "Vanguard Fortress," far from Segona City, was under attack. A black dragon appeared on the battlefield, and a total of 200,000 troops were assaulting the fortress.
Hearing this, Spring Iron Ram remained calm. He had prepared a countermeasure. The 100,000 Ram Cavalry were nearby.
Unfortunately, the Ram Cavalry unit reported that upon arrival, they only saw corpses everywhere and the Vanguard Fortress burning with black flames.
Ten minutes later, Spring Iron Ram received another battle report. The 120,000 enemy soldiers stationed in Segona City were advancing.
Spring Iron Ram, who had been guarding the border, decisively engaged. But once the fighting started, he realized something was wrong. His old opponent, Kukulin Bai Ye, was right across from him. He hadn't led troops to raid the Vanguard Fortress at all.
This feint to the east and attack to the west gave Spring Iron Ram a headache. The Ram Cavalry couldn't return to defend. If they did, the Vanguard Fortress would fall. The combination of 200,000 enemy troops and a black dragon was hard to handle.
Inside a tent of several dozen square meters, Spring Iron Ram stared at the map on the table, frowning deeply. He felt a strange sensation. He was completely being led by the nose by the enemy. Every decision and secret order he issued seemed to be known in advance by the enemy.
A series of booms came from outside the tent. After a moment of contemplation, Spring Iron Ram said, "Replace the batch of messengers."
Spring Iron Ram's words startled the adjutant beside him. This order meant there was a traitor among them.
Not far from Spring Iron Ram, Bubu Wang yawned. He had been watching here for half a day.
Intelligence was power. Knowing what Spring Iron Ram would do next made the war less difficult than imagined.
As a result, the border defense line guarded by Spring Iron Ram remained as solid as iron, while the other fortress cities nearby were beaten to the point of questioning their existence. They weren't afraid of soldiers attacking the city, but a black dragon spewing black flames from above was something they couldn't handle.
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