As the stars wheeled and the sun rose in the east, news traveled throughout the Great Wei Empire at an unprecedented pace. Last night, Peng City had fallen. The Great Wei army had suffered devastating casualties; of its two million soldiers, less than one-tenth survived.
"Incompetents! You are all incompetents!" In the imperial palace, the Emperor of Wei roared in anger. His terrifying presence spread fear among the many ministers, causing them to tremble.
"Your Majesty, I deserve death!" Wang Kui knelt in the center of the palace, his body covered in scars. His helmet was nowhere to be found, revealing his disheveled hair, and he cut a pathetic figure.
He was formidable and, under the protection of his subordinates, had managed to survive. He had initially intended to fight to the death against the Qin army, but the thought of his family made him lead the remnants of his defeated army back to Ye City. Pang Juan had died in battle, unable to protect his family, which led to the execution of his entire clan. Wang Kui did not want to repeat that fate; after all, only by staying alive is there hope.
"You indeed deserve to die! You lost the city and caused the deaths of two million troops! Guards, drag him out and behead him in public!" the tyrannical Wei Emperor ordered. In his view, defeat in war necessitated someone bearing responsibility, and the army's commander was the best choice.
Two squads of soldiers walked in and dragged Wang Kui out. Throughout the process, Wang Kui did not beg for mercy, and none of the civil or military officials in the court spoke.
"My beloved ministers, what should we do next?" After assigning blame, the Wei Emperor became anxious. Peng City was only a little over two hundred *li* from the imperial capital; the Qin army could set out in the morning and arrive by evening, laying siege to Ye City. Ye City was the capital, a matter of national pride, and its loss was intolerable.
"Your Majesty, following the defeats at Anyi Pass and Peng City, we have suffered heavy losses and are now seriously short on troops. Our top priority is to recruit soldiers, strengthen our city defenses, and withstand the Qin army's attack!" Faced with this national peril, Gongsun Yan stepped forward, his expression solemn, and spoke with a clasped-fist salute.
"How many soldiers do we have left?" the Wei Emperor asked gravely. He knew well that the Wei army had lost the ability to launch offensives and could only defend passively. Over four million soldiers had died in battle, exhausting more than half the nation's strength.
"Replying to Your Majesty, apart from the Imperial Guards, Ye City has only half a million garrison troops. Although I have ordered reinforcements from the Southeastern Four Commanderies, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst!" There was a hint of helplessness in Gongsun Yan's voice. What a joke, the ruler of a country not even knowing how many troops it possesses! But he could do nothing; the Imperial family was the strongest, with several Heavenly Realm Martial Artists supporting them.
"What? Is that all we have left?" The Wei Emperor was so startled that he stood up. His face turned pale, then a resentful expression appeared. He blamed Pang Juan and Wang Kui; because of them, the Great Wei Empire, which once boasted millions of soldiers, was now left with a meager half a million.
"Issue an order! Confiscate Wang Kui's property and exterminate his clan! All the wealth obtained will be used to recruit soldiers and bolster our forces!" The resentful Wei Emperor issued another command.
Upon hearing this, the ministers' lips twitched, especially the military officials. Fear swept over them, and calculating glints flickered in the eyes of many as they began to seek ways out. With the Qin army attacking from the front and the Wei Emperor ordering clan exterminations and property confiscations from the rear, the generals of the Great Wei Empire felt their situation was becoming impossible.
"Prime Minister, you are in charge of recruitment. All Martial Artists in Ye City must be conscripted into the army. I will personally command this battle!" the Wei Emperor said solemnly. He no longer trusted the capabilities of his generals and decided to rely on himself.
But could he truly be relied upon? Everyone knew that the Wei Emperor was fond of worldly pleasures and had never led troops in battle. An inexperienced man leading the charge against the fierce, wolf-like Qin army...
"Greetings, Great General!"
Ten *li* outside Peng City, Qin Wudao led his generals to welcome the arriving Bai Qi. All of them, including Wang Jian, greeted him with the deference due to a senior. Although Bai Qi and Wang Jian both held the title of Great General, there was a generational gap between them. Three thousand years ago, Bai Qi had led armies, slaughtered tens of thousands of enemies, and his might shook the East Ancient Domain; Wang Jian had not even been born then.
"Your Highness is too polite!" Bai Qi quickly helped Qin Wudao up. Sensing that the latter's strength had reached the peak of the Fasang Realm, he laughed and said, "Your Highness's talent truly puts this old one to shame. In half a year at most, you will break through again, won't you!"
Generals like Wang Jian, Zhang Gan, and Meng Tian all gasped in astonishment. Half a year later, Qin Wudao, barely sixteen, would break through to the Nirvana Realm.
Such talent!
It's simply heaven-defying!
Qin Wudao instantly sensed a hint of jealousy in the air. His eyes flickered, and he said humbly, "Even if I do break through, I will only reach the Nirvana Realm. I'll still be far behind you, honored Generals!"
Bai Qi was speechless.
Wang Jian was speechless.
The others were speechless.
"Your Highness, let us enter the city first and finalize the plan to attack Ye City. Time waits for no one. Moreover, the reinforcements from the other five kingdoms have already set off!" As he continued, Bai Qi's tone grew more solemn. "If the armies of the six kingdoms converge, capturing Ye City will become much harder, and all our previous efforts could be for naught. When our Qin army attacks, the Great Wei Empire has no natural strategic defenses. Conversely, if the six kingdoms attack from Ye City, our Qin Empire will not possess a geographical advantage either, and we would eventually be forced to retreat to Hangu Pass."
"Alright!" Qin Wudao nodded and led the way.
The army led by Bai Qi also entered Peng City in a vast, imposing procession. Numbering 1.5 million, all soldiers held their weapons and exuded an overwhelming Evil Qi; they were the elite of the elites. Among them, the troops personally formed by Bai Qi were the strongest, in no way inferior to the famed Qin iron cavalry.
In the City Lord's mansion, Bai Qi sat in the main seat, with Qin Wudao seated beside him. The other generals stood ramrod straight, their faces alight with eagerness at the thought of attacking Ye City.
"Hear my orders! Wang Jian, you are the vanguard! Lead the Hangu Pass army and sweep clear the cities surrounding Ye City!"
"Qin Wudao, you will lead your personal guards, bypass Ye City from the rear, and intercept the vanguard forces of the five kingdoms coming as reinforcements!"
"The rest of you generals, follow me to attack Ye City! We must capture it within half a month!"
Bai Qi had formulated the battle strategy before his arrival. Without hesitation, he issued his commands, his cold voice filled with a heaven-shattering killing intent that resonated in the ears of all present.
"As you command!" The generals saluted with clasped fists, fanatical expressions on their faces. Waves of killing intent involuntarily erupted from them, merging and transforming the moderately sized City Lord's mansion into a terrifying, hellish domain.
WAR!
WAR! WAR!
This surging aura spread, igniting the morale of the Qin soldiers in the city. Their battle intent erupted, soaring into the sky, scattering clouds for tens of *li*. The very heavens and earth seemed to tremble, and the world itself appeared to lose its color.
That day, the Qin forces garrisoned in Peng City divided into three groups and set out sequentially. Wang Jian led 800,000 soldiers, advancing with irresistible force. Before the Great Wei court could even react, he had occupied the cities surrounding Ye City, cutting off its contact with the outside world. During this time, the Great Wei court had been actively recruiting in these very cities; all these new recruits were captured by the Qin army in one fell swoop.
"We move out as well!"
From an inconspicuous small town, Qin Wudao gave the order. He led the Yan Yun Eighteen Horsemen and the Qin Iron Cavalry, moving out from one of the recently captured cities. They bypassed the main routes, maneuvered to the rear of Ye City, and stationed themselves on a small hill, awaiting the arrival of the five kingdoms' reinforcements.
Two days later, Qin Wudao received news that Bai Qi had commenced the attack on Ye City. They had already captured a city gate and were advancing into the inner city. Ye City was vast, large enough to be divided into several battlefronts. But judging from the pace of Bai Qi's assault, its complete fall was inevitable.
It was only a matter of time.