Chapter 76: No One Would Believe It If I Told Them
In the first engagement with the Vassal Alliance, our side successfully captured 35,628 vassal soldiers. These vassal soldiers were now under strict guard by the Wild Boar warriors.
Among these 35,628 vassal soldiers, over 95% were wounded. If the Vassal Alliance chose to ransom these soldiers back, the subsequent medical treatment and disability compensation would be a massive expense.
The Vassal Alliance had two factions: the bureaucratic faction and the military faction. The bureaucratic faction was led by Alliance Leader Toyn, who, during peacetime, held greater power by controlling the economic, resource, and tax lifelines.
The military faction was led by Alliance Marshal He Condivi. He had once been a rival to Alliance Leader Toyn, but due to a previous defeat, he could only hold a secondary position within the Vassal Alliance.
In terms of contributions to the Vassal Alliance, He Condivi should have logically become their leader after the war. But as they say, he trusted the wrong person.
Currently, Alliance Leader Toyn's side had no intention of ransoming the over 30,000 prisoners from our side. They had contacted us, but their attitude was extremely arrogant, ordering Su Xiao to release all prisoners within two days, or face brutal retaliation from the Vassal Alliance.
That could be taken as empty threats. At this point, a fight to the death with the Vassal Alliance was inevitable.
On the other hand, Alliance Marshal He Condivi was eager to ransom the prisoners. First, this unit called the Warhammer was once his old subordinate, and he should take care of them, otherwise, it would demoralize other allied units.
Second, he wanted to use this matter to make a move, suppress Alliance Leader Toyn's faction, and regain sole control of the military.
Su Xiao struck this deal with the Alliance Marshal. The outcome was both good and bad. The benefit was that it would sharpen the internal contradictions within the Vassal Alliance, making them fight among themselves. The downside was that once Alliance Marshal He Condivi regained military power, this guy, known as the Lone Wolf, would be very difficult to deal with.
After much deliberation, Su Xiao decided to try using the Li Xiniwei line. Li Xiniwei was too comfortable in the Tribunal, even having the leisure to stir up trouble. Since that was the case, he would arrange hell-level difficulty for him.
Like to stir up trouble? Good. Become a double agent and stir up trouble beside the Lone Wolf. Beside a wolf, a fox will inevitably behave itself. Li Xiniwei was that fox.
The current situation was very clear. Su Xiao was the "Hunter," Alliance Marshal He Condivi was the "Alpha Wolf," the two were evenly matched, and Li Xiniwei was the "Fox" hovering between them.
Su Xiao hung up the communicator. The negotiation with the Alliance Marshal went more smoothly than expected. The reason was that Su Xiao didn't exchange the prisoners for weapons, combat suits, Living Ore, or the like.
If he demanded these war materials, even if the Alliance Marshal agreed, Alliance Leader Toyn would stop him and accuse the Marshal of aiding the enemy.
Although this was the result Su Xiao wanted, he wouldn't treat the Alliance Marshal as an idiot. The other party couldn't possibly agree to hand over war materials.
What Su Xiao demanded was [Active Crystals]. So far, he had only obtained one [Active Crystal], and it was mined by his own side. Mining this required both time and a certain amount of luck.
Su Xiao's offer was 10 [Active Crystals] in exchange for over 30,000 prisoners. The Alliance Marshal hesitated for a while at this price. [Active Crystals] were too rare, mostly taken by the "Watchtower" side. They were essential for cultivating the core of a fortress.
It could be said that without [Active Crystals], a T5-level mobile fortress couldn't be cultivated. Although T5-level mobile fortresses weren't great in all aspects, all T0-level fortresses were upgraded step by step.
The deal was set for tonight, at the defense line on the west side of the Border Region.
Su Xiao had three goals this time: 1. Rapidly develop the Sun Faction and use this to upgrade the War Lord title. 2. After development, gain more benefits and [Active Crystals]. 3. Find [Dark Haze].
[Dark Haze] was the key to winning this battle. Previously, Sacred Hymn and Orlandi had been locked in a deathmatch with his side and hadn't gone to find [Dark Haze].
On the other hand, Golden Earl hadn't even come to the war zone during the last offensive and defensive battle. He was clearly searching for [Dark Haze]. Given his abilities, at this point, there was a 70% or more chance he had already obtained [Dark Haze].
Assuming this, the situation between the enemy and us was now a draw. Our side had half a World Core, and the enemy had [Dark Haze]. Only by merging the two would there be a final victor.
From this perspective, the situation where the enemy was being beaten into a major disadvantage had been quietly turned around by Golden Earl. There were still at least 600 contractors from the Apocalypse Paradise side, and they were now tied to the Vassal Faction, united in their hatred.
Su Xiao understood Golden Earl's style. He wasn't someone particularly high-profile or ostentatious, but he was always doing important things. He was a one-man carry with a bunch of dead weight. Unlike Xi, who walked at the forefront as a leader, Golden Earl seemed to do nothing, yet had already turned the tide twice.
Because Golden Earl had pulled the nearly collapsing situation back, Sacred Hymn, who had been beaten almost into a state of autism, regained her fighting spirit. Orlandi's side was even more so.
No wonder the enemy contractors were like this. The Vassal Faction, as the strongest overlord in this world, was united with them in hatred. They successfully borrowed their momentum. It would be hard not to regain confidence.
Su Xiao's current strategy was, aside from leaving 50,000 Wild Boar warriors to guard the base camp fortress, to send all other Wild Boar warriors towards the west of the Border Region, i.e., towards the Vassal territory.
They weren't going to attack the Vassal territory. Instead, they would form an M-shaped defense line a few kilometers in front of the base camp fortress to prevent the enemy's main army from approaching the fortress.
According to reports from scouts at the border, the enemy was gathering at the "Border Settlement" as a focal point. The original T3-level fortress in the center of that town had been upgraded to T0.
To deal with the chaotic battle in the Border Region, the Watchtower had gone all out. The Vassal families, who originally had one T0-level fortress each, now had an extra one, just to ensure a stable victory in the upcoming Border Region melee.
The T0-level fortress upgraded by the Watchtower was fundamentally different from the one Su Xiao had upgraded. Su Xiao had almost turned the Sun Fortress into a living barracks, gaining the ability to spawn troops. The Watchtower's T0-level fortress only had one characteristic: it was huge, just too huge.
The Watchtower's Free City was the expanded T0-level fortress. It could accommodate a city's population. One could imagine how exaggerated its size was.
The newly promoted T0-level fortress was named the Dusk Fortress. The meaning was obvious. Since Su Xiao's side was the Sun Fortress, theirs was Dusk, implying that Su Xiao's side was nearing its end.
This seemed a bit childish, like two families fighting, but the reality was exactly like this. Naming was just naming. If it could boost morale and annoy the enemy a bit, it was a good name.
The name Dusk Fortress genuinely pissed off the Wild Boar warriors. They were praising the sun, the blazing sun was high in the sky, and the other side was already at dusk. Very annoying.
However, our side wasn't idle either. Sun Priestess Octavia named our defense line the "Tuo Ge Defense Line."
The reason was that, over a decade ago, the Human Race had made a massive flanking maneuver by sea, landing from the Border Region and stabbing the Vassals in the ass. This stab almost came out of the Vassals' mouths, it was so thorough. That surprise attack was called the "Tuo Ge Border Region Defense Line Raid."
Now, when the Vassal officers at Dusk Fortress heard the name "Tuo Ge Defense Line," not only did their asses ache, but their hearts were also stifled.
The battle hadn't even started yet, but the two sides were increasingly exchanging pleasantries. The core idea was: 'The other side is an idiot.'
The Vassal Faction's contempt had long been thrown away. The reason they chose to annoy the Sun Faction in various ways was to mess with our side's mentality.
Only when facing an evenly matched strong enemy would one choose to mess with the other's mentality. Otherwise, they would have just directly pressed the attack like before.
This situation led to the border area between the Border Region and the Vassal territory becoming a frequent haunt for personnel from both sides. When patrol squads from both sides met, it was common for them to stand on opposite sides and curse at each other. The foolish Wild Boar warriors were always at a disadvantage, their anger rising steadily. Their eyes clearly said, 'Just wait until the battle starts.'
Under this seemingly somewhat cheerful but actually turbulent situation, time passed to the afternoon of the next day.
The fully expanded Dusk Fortress was slightly smaller than Free City but still magnificent. What met the eye were rows upon rows of collective dormitories, stretching endlessly. The Vassal side was determined this time to eradicate the Sun Fortress.
At this moment, on a large open area east of Dusk Fortress, a Vassal colonel standing on a podium was giving an impassioned pre-battle speech through a megaphone.
Below, the Vassal soldiers, formed into square formations, all had tense faces, and a murderous aura filled the air.
Beside the podium were Vassal officers standing casually, some with their hands behind their backs, chatting and laughing in low voices.
In their view, this battle wasn't hard to fight. The reason was that General Reiz, commanding the Warhammer unit, had beaten the Sun Faction so badly that nearly a third of their Wild Boar warriors had died.
No matter how quickly the Sun Fortress recovered its vitality, it had only been a little over a day. This was equivalent to an enemy force whose defenses had already been broken by General Reiz being handed over to them. If they still couldn't win, they would be unworthy of General Reiz, who had been sent to the Tribunal, and these generals couldn't afford the shame.
"General Reiz was really unlucky this time. If any other unit had taken on this tough nut in the first battle, it wouldn't have been just a matter of losing a few teeth."
"Mr. Reiz has been sent to the Tribunal. Those bureaucrats in the Alliance accused him of delaying the battle. Hmph."
"Truly absurd. If I had fought the first battle, I might not have even made it back."
"Who can say about the Alliance's affairs? It's not surprising those bureaucrats are like that. The Alliance Leader and the Alliance Marshal have been fighting each other for so many years. The two factions checking each other has long been the norm."
"Sometimes I envy you people from the Aurora Council."
"Envy us? Last year, when the coastal ring city was renovating its underground drainage system, the local councilors met for six months and still couldn't decide how to handle it. The ring city was flooded into a fish pond. Civilians could only live on rooftops and city walls. When they got hungry, they sat on their roofs and fished to eat."
"Cough! Don't just say anything. It's embarrassing."
The officers of the three major Vassal forces teased and discussed among themselves. As the saying goes, every family has its own troubles. At first glance, the three major Vassal forces all seemed glamorous, but in reality, they had many internal problems.
The overall commander of the Vassal side this time was named Whitely, holding the rank of Lieutenant General. As a ruthless person who was promoted to Lieutenant General at the age of 37 in the Watchtower, Lieutenant General Whitely was more than qualified to be the overall commander in terms of connections, seniority, and achievements.
On the already expanded Dusk Fortress, 330,000 of the expected 420,000 soldiers had arrived. The subsequent troops were rushing in as quickly as possible.
With the troops gathered to this extent, Lieutenant General Whitely, located in the general headquarters, immediately ordered that they would no longer wait for the subsequent troops to arrive. The longer they delayed, the more enemy troops there would be. Although they had banned the trade of pig-headed people, they couldn't stop the Human Race side.
In Lieutenant General Whitely's view, the previous defeat of the Warhammer unit was understandable. Facing a numerous enemy that was strong in all aspects and even countered the Vassal soldiers, fighting to that extent was already good. Moreover, the Warhammer unit hadn't been approved for "Heavy Cannon-level Weapons" last time due to various reasons. This time, they would use these war weapons.
This afternoon, dark clouds covered the sky. The Vassal army set out from Dusk Fortress and entered the Border Region. The Border Region wasn't too large; it was a buffer zone left by the Vassals to fight the Aberrant Beasts. Less than an hour after the 300,000 Vassal troops advanced in over 50 batches, they saw the defense line held by our Wild Boar warriors.
Viewed from above, our entire defense line was M-shaped. Su Xiao had deliberately set it up this way to maximize the power of the "Gang-Bang Tactic."
Among the enemy army were Golden Earl, Sacred Hymn, Orlandi, and others. The three of them had already planned privately that if the battle situation was unfavorable, they would use Golden Earl's trump card. After that, the three of them, along with the other strong members on their side, would assassinate Su Xiao in the form of a sneak attack.
"If things come to a head, this is the only way."
Golden Earl looked at the endless sea of Wild Boar warriors opposite him, his mood somewhat complicated. He had seen people develop army flows before, but developing this fast, with such high-quality soldier-type units, was indeed his first time. Fighting to this extent, he always felt it was somewhat unbelievable.
Actually, compared to Golden Earl and the others, Hao Mei, who was further back, had an even more complicated mood. Her current situation was that she was getting a prompt almost every second.
[Prompt: As you are on the battlefield, your faction reputation +1 point (This is enhanced by ??? ability).]
[As you are on the battlefield, your faction reputation +2 points (This is enhanced by ??? ability).]
[As you are on the battlefield, your faction reputation +1 point.]
...
Since just now, Hao Mei had noticed that she was standing here doing nothing, yet her faction reputation was increasing on its own. This made Hao Mei feel a secret panic. She looked around and, after seeing someone, asked:
"Brother Deer, has your faction reputation increased?"
"What?"
Brother Deer looked at Hao Mei with a puzzled sideways glance.
"Haven't you heard of it? A buff that increases faction reputation just by being on the battlefield. It's said that if you can trigger a hidden mission, you can..."
"You're sick, aren't you? Completing any hidden mission won't increase reputation just by standing on the battlefield. You're a grown adult, saying such childish things."
As Brother Deer spoke, he took two steps sideways, meaning to distance himself from Hao Mei, suspecting that Hao Mei had drunk so much that her brain was malfunctioning.
Hearing Brother Deer's words, Hao Mei's mood was indescribable. The thing she was experiencing right now, when she told others, no one believed her. That was the most unbelievable part.
At this moment, Hao Mei's inner thought was that she had been standing in the same spot without moving a single step, even holding her breath, yet her faction reputation was increasing faster and faster, faster than her heartbeat. What should she do? Online waiting, very urgent.
PS: (Two updates, 7000 words. A bit short today.)