Chapter 2201: The Tragedy of Yaguo

Just seven days later, a startling piece of news broke, shocking everyone:

Mu Nation quietly launched ships from Yangquan Pass, splitting its army into three divisions: one attacked the secondary capital, another assaulted the southern garrison camp, and the most crucial central division directly targeted Ya Nation's capital! The central army comprised Mu Nation's elite soldiers and formidable generals, with even immortals reportedly among them!

It was well-known that for months, Beijia had ceased all pretense, overtly providing Ya Nation with troops, provisions, weapons, and numerous high-level combatants. Otherwise, Ya Nation could not have lasted so long. Yet, in these pivotal battles, Mu Nation's army suddenly unleashed terrifying combat power, startling even He Lingchuan when he reviewed the intelligence. This revealed Mu Nation's true strength to the world, which it had previously kept hidden. By the final battle, there was no longer any need for concealment; they could finally justify themselves with a resounding and exhilarating victory!

The central army captured the capital of Ya in one fell swoop!

Ya Nation's capital, built on a vast plain, lacked the defensive strength of formidable passes like Panlong City and had little experience in city defense. While intelligence on this pivotal battle was not yet available, He Lingchuan, extrapolating from his own experience, surmised that the best method of attack would involve coordination from both inside and outside the city. Ya Nation had been tormented by this prolonged war for over a year, leaving it exhausted and rife with internal grievances. Various tribes attacked each other, and King Ya could no longer maintain internal control. Before the final battle, several tribes had already seceded from the royal family and relocated independently, unwilling to share its fate if it fell. A nation formed by a conglomeration of tribes was ultimately less stable than Cangyan or Mu Nation. At a time of widespread internal chaos, inserting spies and moles into the capital was incredibly easy. In this campaign, the capital fell, and King Ya committed suicide. Ya Nation's second prince led the remnants of his forces to flee into the eastern mountains.

Ya Nation, once powerful and unrivaled on this land, thus disintegrated. It had been less than thirty years since its founding, and it was unclear if it had succumbed to the curse of its neighbor, Shanjin. Mu Nation had finally removed this thorn from its back. The world was stunned, as Mu Nation's war of annihilation was overly sudden. Outwardly, they made elaborate preparations for peace talks to lull Ya Nation into complacency, while secretly amassing a large army to strike directly at the heart with overwhelming force, demonstrating decisive and swift methods. Even Beijia didn't have time to intervene.

After destroying Ya's capital, the Mu army pressed its advantage, continually driving Ya Nation's tribes eastward. Following this territorial conquest, Mu Nation occupied nearly seventy percent of Ya Nation's land area. Ya Nation's area was already considerable, and the gains Mu Nation made from the war against Ya amounted to an increase of twenty percent in its own territory. However, looking at the price Mu Nation paid, He Lingchuan did not envy it in the slightest.

The Ya-Mu war lasted nearly two years. Although both sides tried their best to conceal their own losses and exaggerate the enemy's, He Lingchuan could still roughly deduce from the intelligence that Mu Nation suffered over 270,000 casualties, while Ya Nation sustained no fewer than 440,000! Just in the battles at Yangquan Pass and Ya's capital, Ya Nation lost 50,000 and 70,000 elite troops respectively. This war cost nearly 700,000 lives, all of whom were elite forces from both sides. In comparison, the Battle of Baiqiuyuan was truly insignificant.

He Lingchuan asked himself, which side's losses could the less-than-two-year-old Cangyan Nation possibly withstand? The combined elite forces of the Black Armored Army and the Dragon God Army totaled less than 400,000. If they were all lost in a war like this, Cangyan's combat capability would decline by more than just one level. A bloody example was Ya Nation, whose total population was only twenty percent of Mu Nation's. Over the past year and a half, the arrogant men who once dominated the great plains had become casualties on the battlefield. After deducting over 400,000 elite casualties, how much combat power could Ya Nation possibly have left? Ya Nation had undergone round after round of internal conscription. Before the battle for Ya's capital, it was said that the Kurin clan's assault troops couldn't even muster enough numbers. The army openly seized people on the capital's main streets in broad daylight, and even some women and children were taken away. These new recruits entered the camp and had to go to battle after only two or three days of weapons training. How could they possess any real combat strength?

In He Lingchuan's view, the Mu-Ya war was a struggle between a tiger and a wolf, resulting in one wounded and the other perished. Ya Nation's end was tragic, and Mu Nation was also severely damaged. The Yangshan Archipelago provided data stating that over the past year, the number of Mu Nation's merchant fleets passing through the Golden Sea Route had decreased by twenty percent. From this, it could be seen that even though it was a good time for the recovery of spiritual energy and the growth of all things, and prosperity should have flourished everywhere, Mu Nation's civilian economy had actually shrunk considerably. Nations and regions capable of effectively managing a wartime economy were truly rare.

Regarding this suddenly concluded war, no one was more shocked than Beijia, because it had underestimated Mu Nation's ambition and misjudged its true strength, leading to a significant strategic miscalculation. Ya Nation was the most important thorn Beijia had planted on Mu Nation's eastern flank, often echoing Beijia militarily and giving Mu Nation the painful sensation of being attacked from both sides. Now, Mu Nation had forcefully removed it, regardless of its own bleeding and injuries. From now on, as long as Cangyan did not turn hostile towards Mu Nation, Mu Nation's strategic security to the east would be considerably assured. Ya Nation's demise was also a resounding slap in Beijia's face. Right under its nose, and despite its myriad obstructions, Mu Nation still completely devoured Ya Nation, taking it directly into its belly. Everyone knew that Beijia was supporting Ya Nation, providing money when needed and people when requested. Yet, Ya Nation still failed to live up to expectations. If Beijia had no response, how would it carry itself in the future?

In fact, over the past year and a half, the calls within Beijia's court to severely punish Mu Nation and further aid Ya Nation had grown increasingly loud. Even Grand Preceptor Frostleaf made a personal plea. The war faction stood behind him, but the Demon Emperor was always cautious about deploying troops. Like Mu Nation in the past, Beijia was protective of its reputation and preferred to meddle in the affairs of smaller nations and factions, but rarely deployed troops against major powers.

This time, having made a major strategic error, Beijia had been played by Mu Nation's Grand Chancellor You Huan for the past year and had painfully lost its most crucial support point behind enemy lines. The Demon Emperor was forced to overhaul his think tank, severely reprimand a group of intelligence personnel, and also face widespread complaints from Lingxu City and the Vassal Demon Nations: "How could a perfectly good war turn out like this!" Public opinion was agitated, the war faction was enraged, and several high-ranking officials successively offered their resignations, but still failed to appease the public's fury. In Lingxu City's court, there were daily verbal battles.

Coincidentally, at this very moment, another major event occurred in the south!

Late at night, Grand Preceptor Frostleaf was summoned and entered the Celestial Palace on Mount Xu. Behind the Celestial Palace stood a giant Flat Peach Tree, nearly a thousand years old, its trunk so thick that six people holding hands could barely encircle it, with lush branches and leaves. Standing beneath the tree and looking up, one could not even see the starry sky. Chief Envoy Duyun was seated beneath the tree, observing Grand Preceptor Frostleaf's graceful arrival.

Beijia once had two Grand Preceptors, neither of whom was troubled by age. However, Grand Preceptor Qingyang was still human, merely using secret methods to preserve youth and vitality. Although his appearance was youthful, the weariness in his eyes could not be concealed. Grand Preceptor Frostleaf, however, was different.