Chapter 2129: Emperor Desires to Withdraw, Must Advance First

The Coiling Dragon Wilderness was also a vast, boundless plain. When Coiling Dragon City's strength was still insufficient, the Great Wind Army, the Coiling Dragon Army, and the armies of Baling and Xianyou had been entangled in conflict on the wilderness for over a decade, long developing a wide variety of tactics.

Although some of these tactics the Dragon God Army couldn't yet execute due to issues with coordination and intensity, He Lingchuan first chose simpler, quick-to-master ones for training, and they would be proficient within two to three months.

This was the Ya Army's first major setback.

The second major setback, needless to say, was the debut of special weaponry.

The Dragon God Army carried such devastating weapons into the country but chose not to use them during the preceding eight days of fighting. They deliberately unveiled them during the Battle of Hundred Hills Source, aiming for a decisive and immediate victory!

This was a place Ya Kingdom had to defend and reclaim. If they were to dispatch troops, they would undoubtedly send their best elites.

To prevent the Dragon God Army from desecrating their holy land, Ya Kingdom dispatched nine major generals leading 120,000 elite soldiers to intercept them.

He Lingchuan meticulously planned, dividing Hundred Hills Source into five battle zones. He assigned his twelve major generals to sequentially lure and cut off the enemy forces, allowing each to engage in their own separate battles.

He himself donned his armor and entered the largest main battlefield, and consecutively slew the renowned Ya Kingdom generals, the Ge brothers!

The Ya Army, long known for its tenacity, crumbled immediately after the death of their commanding general.

The rout on the main battlefield quickly spread across the entire front.

That night, the Ya Army suffered a devastating defeat, with heavy casualties, and was forced to retreat from Hundred Hills Source.

Four Ya Army major generals, including the Ge brothers, were killed on the spot. Their opponents were no longer the disorganized local militias of the past, but a portion of the Black Armored Army and the well-trained Dragon God Army, who had participated in the Battle to Destroy Yao.

The grudges from the battlefield were finally settled on the battlefield.

Another general from the Kelin tribe was wounded and captured.

The Dragon God Army successfully captured the Kelin tribe's holy land. By the evening of the next day, the Hundred Hills Source battlefield had still not been fully cleared.

After the military council, Dong Rui came to He Lingchuan, seeking commendation: "Your brother has been settled."

He Lingchuan was reading a battle report and didn't even look up: "Thank you."

Dong Rui also noticed the battlefield simulation on the table, and pointed casually: "Hey, aren't you going to attack this place?"

He Lingchuan glanced at it: "No."

"I thought you were going to conquer the entire Ya Kingdom and rename it Yazhou." The Great Emperor Jiuyou had done things like that plenty of times.

Wasn't that how he swept across the Shanjing Plains?

He Lingchuan smiled: "If even you think so, then Ya Kingdom will believe it even more."

"So, what's next?" The Dragon God Army had advanced aggressively this far, even occupying the main tribe's holy land. If Dong Rui were the Ya King, he'd be flustered at this point.

"Wait, and take a few days to rest and reorganize." The army had been on the offensive for so long, fighting all the way. Now that they'd finally reached a good place like Hundred Hills Source, shouldn't they recover their strength?

It would also give external powers time to think and react.

At this point, He Lingchuan changed the subject: "By the way, what kind of souvenirs should we bring back when we return to Cangyan?"

"Souvenirs?" Dong Rui was taken aback and blurted out: "Ya Kingdom has nothing else, but the yellow sheep are delicious, especially the lamb spine hotpot stewed with hawthorn – that flavor is truly tantalizing!"

He Lingchuan was amused and exasperated: "Is all you think about food? What I mean is, we can't leave Hundred Hills Source empty-handed; we need to take something to prove we were here!"

This time, Dong Rui understood and let out a long "Oh": "Right, it's a tourist holy site. Hmm, let me think..."

His eyes darted around, then he suddenly snapped his fingers: "Aha! The white sacred stone in the lake!"

Sacred Spring Valley was the center of Hundred Hills Source, and the white lake stone in the pond was a key landmark of the sacred spring!

"If we take that white sacred stone, Ya Kingdom will be absolutely furious!"

He Lingchuan also clapped his hands and said: "You are truly devious. I just asked the generals, and they all gave different answers, but only you and Lu Qiuwei thought of the lake stone."

Dong Rui rolled his eyes.

He Lingchuan spoke very plainly, indicating an intention to withdraw troops.

"Hey, if you're planning to withdraw, why not do it now? In a few days, Ya Kingdom's army will grow stronger, and we'll have to fight our way back home."

They were on enemy territory. Ya Army reinforcements would surely converge from all directions.

"Five days." He Lingchuan held up five fingers. "If my message doesn't arrive within seven days, we'll carry the sacred stone back and place it in my Chixiao Golden Palace!"

"A message?" Dong Rui looked at him suspiciously. "What mischief are you planning now?"

"If the message doesn't come, we'll return home immediately, without delay!" He Lingchuan smiled mysteriously. "If the message does arrive, we'll have a chance to expand our gains!"

"Expand our gains?" Dong Rui stroked his chin. "Attacking further towards Ya Kingdom's capital would be very difficult, and you don't plan to do that anyway, so... are you just trying to scare Ya Kingdom?"

Planning a bluff?

He Lingchuan shrugged.

Dong Rui naturally didn't believe him: "Ya Kingdom is famous for its fierceness; shouldn't they fight to the bitter end and resist stubbornly?"

He Lingchuan chuckled, scolding him: "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"There's also that possibility, right?"

He Lingchuan put down his pen: "If Ya Kingdom could truly fight to the bitter end, why did they compromise during the previous two Mou Army invasions? The Mou Army's previous two offensives didn't even penetrate as deeply as we have this time."

"Uh..." Dong Rui thought for a moment: "Ya Kingdom might compromise with Mou Kingdom, but they might not bow to us."

Mou Kingdom's status allowed it to contend with Beijia, so how could it be an ordinary nation?

Cangyan had only recently been established. Ya Kingdom had also gained a slight psychological advantage during its recent invasion of western Shanjing. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been boasting everywhere that one Ya Kingdom soldier could take on seven Dragon God Army soldiers.

For their own side to subdue Ya Kingdom, the difficulty would certainly be high.

"Did Mou Kingdom ever kill four Ya Kingdom major generals and capture another in a single battle?"

"Hmm..." Dong Rui wasn't very good at local history, but he thought, "Probably not?"

"Did Mou Kingdom ever occupy Ya Kingdom's source holy land?"

"Probably not either."

"Then why would Ya Kingdom fear Mou Kingdom more than us?"

Dong Rui was speechless.

"During the pacification of Shanjing, I've encountered countless so-called fierce armies and opponents who claimed to resist to the bitter end. In the end, they weren't as resilient as they thought they were."

How much bloodshed and turmoil were hidden within that single sentence?

Only the truly resilient were able to laugh last; only the truly resilient were qualified to sit here!

"Don't worry, the Ya King is far more flexible than you imagine."

A truly responsible monarch is always adaptable, and shouldn't stubbornly refuse to admit defeat.

***

Mou Capital, Royal Palace.

Emperor Mou was holding another small meeting. The battle report from Hundred Hills Source, Ya Kingdom's holy land, had just been circulated among the ministers, and everyone's expression was grave.

Such a major affair wouldn't be directly presented to the full court assembly for all officials to comment on, as that would be too slow and inefficient. Therefore, it was left to the influential ministers in the small meeting to quickly discuss and reach a conclusion.