Chapter 40: Wrath of the Sun
The battlefield expanded from one location to two, and eventually to seven, as the other two Grand Commanders in the central battlefield joined in the fray.
At 9 PM that night, before the city of Segona, over 400,000 soldiers were locked in chaotic combat.
"Hold the line! Don't let them break through!"
"Who saw where my hand flew off to?"
On the chaotic battlefield, shouts of killing and screams of agony continued without end. A battle axe slammed into a shield, sparks flying everywhere. The dwarf wielding the axe tried to lean forward, but a heavy blade swung in, cleanly severing his head. Blood sprayed.
Blood soaked the earth. A burst oil barrel burned, illuminating the nearby battlefield. Looking out, the battlefield stretched beyond sight.
At 7 AM the next morning, before the city of Segona, both sides temporarily ceased fighting, each having suffered casualties.
A wisp of black smoke rose straight into the sky from the battlefield. Soldiers on one side, their pupils bloodshot, stared down the dwarf soldiers before them.
"Sand Flame scum."
A dwarf officer made a fist and pointed it downward. In dwarf customs, this was absolute contempt.
"Shorty."
A thousand-man commander on their side raised his middle finger, a gesture he learned from Baha.
After a brief cleanup of the battlefield, both sides retreated.
Under the blazing sun, by 9 AM, a full ceasefire was declared. The fighting had become too chaotic. Not only could Spring Iron Sheep not continue, but the other two Grand Commanders on their side also couldn't hold out. They had been beaten black and blue by the Ram Cavalry.
Grand Commander Niboso, who had been observing from the rear, was completely baffled. In all his years of leading troops, he had never seen fighting like this.
There were two reasons for the ceasefire. First, Su Xiao had withdrawn his troops back to Segona City. Second, the Sand Flame Emperor and the Secret Lu King had simultaneously ordered a halt to the central battlefield. They couldn't keep fighting. If they did, the millions of soldiers stationed in the central battlefield on both sides might all be drawn into a chaotic melee. That would be a full-scale war, and within six months, both nations would be crippled by the conflict.
Su Xiao's strategy was to stretch the front lines. If Spring Iron Sheep launched a general offensive, he would immediately retreat, even if it meant giving up Segona City. The enemy didn't dare charge into the central battlefield. Beyond Segona City, the surrounding area was entirely Sand Flame Kingdom's territory.
The front lines stalemated near Segona City. Su Xiao couldn't push through, and Spring Iron Sheep didn't dare attack.
The fact that Secret Lu had been able to suppress the Sand Flame Kingdom for so many years showed its formidable strength. More importantly, Secret Lu had completely contracted its defenses, shifting from a V-shape to a straight line, achieving the strongest border defense in history.
Now, attacking the border defenses from any direction would put Su Xiao under considerable pressure. Spring Iron Sheep, stationed directly ahead, was eager to drive his forces out of Segona City.
The battle situation returned to the stalemate of the previous day. Su Xiao stood on the city wall, looking down at the battlefield below. The chaotic fighting from yesterday to this morning hadn't been without gain. Due to coordinating with other allied forces, he had only obtained 11 war-type Epic Chests.
Compared to chests, he had gained more battle merits, especially from attacking the fortress city. After causing a certain level of destruction, he received a large amount of battle merits. Su Xiao checked the notification records.
[You have gained 2955 Battle Merits.]
[You have gained 1082 Battle Merits.]
[You have gained 5273 Battle Merits.]
[You have gained 4207 Battle Merits.]
...
After the chaotic fighting yesterday, he had gained 13,517 Battle Merits, still far from the required amount.
"Os, how many soldiers have died from yesterday until now?"
"Total... over 80,000."
After Os said this number, he couldn't help but clench his fist. Compared to losing territory after defeat, the current number of soldiers dying was high, but being slowly devoured by the enemy was even more painful. The Sand Flame and Secret Lu were different races. When Secret Lu completely occupied Sand Flame, the best outcome would be the Sand Flame people being exiled to the Ancient Civilization Continent, barely surviving there until extinction.
Secret Lu's ambition was great. They wanted to become the absolute rulers of this continent, completely eliminating external threats.
As for peaceful coexistence, it was impossible. Once the war stopped, Sand Flame's population would grow rapidly. Resources were limited. The next war would only be more brutal. Moreover, dwarves lived about twice as long as Sand Flame people, while in terms of reproductive ability, Sand Flame people were stronger.
Secret Lu feared Sand Flame's growth, and Sand Flame worried about Secret Lu's ambition. A complete ceasefire was impossible.
"Over 80,000 soldiers..."
Su Xiao walked down the steep steps behind the city wall, heading toward the stone building where he was staying.
Back inside the stone building, Su Xiao sat in a chair, deep in thought. The enemy had suffered more casualties, but their own losses were also severe.
Fighting like this, there would eventually come a day when they couldn't mobilize any more soldiers. He had to make substantial progress quickly. Otherwise, whether it was the Sand Capital or his officers, they would begin to harbor resentment.
Su Xiao knew that whether soldiers or officers, they were willing to follow his orders not only to defend Sand Flame Kingdom's territory but also to hope for a bright future.
Su Xiao currently had a total of 27,294 Battle Merits. This wasn't enough. He needed another 22,000 Battle Merits to be secure. If he relied on brute force warfare, he would have to sacrifice over 150,000 soldiers to earn those merits.
Fighting all the way to now, too many soldiers had died. Just last night, the Sand Flame Emperor had indicated that it would be difficult to transfer more soldiers from other Grand Commanders. At most, he could transfer 120,000 soldiers. Any more, and other regional defenses might be breached by Secret Lu.
Counting these yet-to-be-transferred soldiers, Su Xiao had a total of 340,000 soldiers. If he exchanged them for Battle Merits, even if he upgraded his War Lord to a five-star title, he would only have a little over 100,000 soldiers left.
Su Xiao had to ensure he had enough soldiers. Invading Secret Lu's territory was one thing, but he also had to deal with Fei Shi.
It was quiet outside the window. Most of the soldiers were resting. Su Xiao leaned back in his chair, taking a short nap. He was waiting for nightfall. Success or failure would be decided tonight.
When the sky was completely dark, in the pitch-black room, Su Xiao opened his eyes.
"Baha, contact Bubu."
Su Xiao was about to do something. Although it was very dangerous, he wasn't just a Grand Commander who sat in the rear. He had experienced too many dangerous things.
"Bubu is fine on his end."
Baha ended his communication with Bubu Wang and nodded to Su Xiao.
"Are all the positions of Secret Lu's border fortresses confirmed?"
"Confirmed during the day. All memorized."
"Good."
Su Xiao was about to implement his follow-up plan. To solve the current predicament, directly confronting Spring Iron Sheep was unwise. It would be best to deal with him after upgrading [War Lord] to a five-star title.
Under the cover of night, Su Xiao quietly left Segona City. Only Baha and the Black Dragon, Midis, accompanied him.
Outside the city, under the bright moon, the Black Dragon Midis, following behind Su Xiao, snorted. It hadn't flown out of Segona City; it had dug a tunnel and emerged from underground.
After traveling three kilometers, Su Xiao sat on a boulder in the wasteland to wait. Soon, Bubu Wang sent word that Spring Iron Sheep in the enemy's rear hadn't issued any orders.
Confirming this, Su Xiao leaped onto the Black Dragon Midis's back. The Black Dragon spread its wings and took off, heading straight for the East Valley Fortress, dozens of kilometers away.
The East Valley Fortress had also seen battle during the day, resulting in a great victory. When Su Xiao arrived near the East Valley Fortress on the Black Dragon Midis, he saw, by the moonlight, bodies impaled on spears hanging from the city wall. These were their fallen soldiers.
According to battle reports, the East Valley Fortress housed 60,000 soldiers, with another 30,000 dwarf troops stationed within a few kilometers.
The Black Dragon Midis flew high into the sky, stopping only when it was just below the clouds.
Standing on the dragon's back, Su Xiao took an Apollo from his storage space. Everything he had done from yesterday to tonight was both a setup and a way to earn Battle Merits.
He still needed over 22,000 Battle Merits. Where would they come from? Continuing large-scale warfare with his soldiers? That would be unwise. With so many casualties, the Sand Capital wouldn't continue to provide Su Xiao with soldiers.
Su Xiao's solution was a night raid on Secret Lu's border fortress cities, thereby gaining a large amount of Battle Merits. Once he completed the upgrade of his War Lord title, barring any surprises, he could overwhelm and invade Secret Lu's territory.
If it turned into a prolonged war, taking months or even half a year to win, it wouldn't be enough to intimidate the Secret Lu Kingdom. Su Xiao needed to push Secret Lu to despair in a short time. Only then might they hand over Mao Sheng's God.
A cool night breeze blew, stirring Su Xiao's black hair. A crystal layer climbed up his right hand. He activated the Apollo in his hand and began a mental countdown. The Apollo was one step away from its third successful modification. Returning to Reincarnation Paradise this time, he would likely succeed. In the last modification, he had been very close.
'25, 24, 23...'
When the mental countdown reached 6 seconds, Su Xiao assumed a throwing posture. When the Apollo had 5 seconds left before detonation, he threw it downward.
Bang!
The blazing red Apollo broke through a wave of air, looking both conspicuous and possessing a unique beauty in the night.
The Apollo left a trail of blazing red light, heading straight for the East Valley Fortress below.
"Enemy attack!!"
Clang, clang, clang...
The already distorted shout, along with the sound of shields being struck, came simultaneously. The blazing red light plunged into the East Valley Fortress.
Boom!
A golden fireball erupted within the East Valley Fortress, instantly expanding to 2,000 meters in size. From a distance, it looked like a small sun had fallen into the East Valley Fortress city—both spectacular and deadly.