【The Divine Eagle Empire】(Volume 5, Chapter 99)

Chapter 99 A Stormy Era Begins

In late January 1677, a storm brewed across the continent. Smoke billowed in the sky as a massive, dark army of Asuras appeared in

the Heavenly Canyon west of Xitian City. Their primary target was Tangtu City, located at the canyon's exit.

Despite warnings and extensive preparations by the local garrison, the 200,000-strong Asura

army proved an overwhelming force.

After a three-day, three-night siege, and with reinforcements failing to arrive, Tangtu City fell. Fifteen thousand defenders

perished , and the city's lord, Fan Long, committed suicide.

Following the fall of Tangtu, the cities of Xiaojing and Sishui also fell to the Asura army. Hundreds of thousands of refugees fled

the war flocking to Tianjing and territories east of it, the roads teeming with people day and night.

Most of these refugees had never witnessed the Asuras firsthand, but this did not prevent them from

considering themselves the most authoritative experts on the Asura issue.

The streets of the capital were filled with refugees, their faces ashen and clothes tattered,

their expressions etched with terror as they recounted their harrowing escapes to passersby. The citizens of the capital, untouched by war for years, gasped

in astonishment.

Naturally, the main theme of their stories was how they had cleverly and bravely escaped the clutches of the ruthless Asuras,

but the overall impression was that the Asuras were incredibly powerful and invincible.

Faced with these fierce Asuras, the Divine Eagle People had only two choices: flee in disarray or

accept their fate. It seemed that no force in the world could stop the advance of these nomadic steppe barbarians.

Despite their immense fear, despair did not linger in the capital; the people still held onto a final hope.

In this time of dread, the name of a hero spread throughout the city's streets and alleys; even

the .

The foremost general of the Divine Eagle Empire, the world's greatest martial artist, and a renowned imperial general, twenty years ago,

he achieved a decisive victory against the overwhelming Shura army at Xitian City, annihilating hundreds of thousands of enemies and

striking fear into the .

His dazzling figure was the focus of everyone's attention, and people unanimously declared, "Prince Wu! Only he can withstand the Shura!"

"Prince Wu is still alive! The Empire's elite Central Legion remains intact!" "Back then at Xitian City,

he repelled the Shura army! Now, he will surely create another miracle and repel the Shura invaders!" But no one

expected that Wu Wudi, the Prince of Jinyang, on whom the people and the Empire placed such high hopes, was hiding in the Feixue

Tower castrating himself. To avoid enduring endless pain and torment, Wu Wudi ultimately heeded the old camel

's advice and chose self-castration.

As a man, choosing self-castration required extraordinary courage. However, castration was a matter of great importance to Wu

Wudi 's reputation. To prevent the news of his castration from leaking out, Wu Wudi temporarily placed Old Camel under house arrest at Feixue

Tower.

He didn't kill Old Camel because he needed his medical care after castration, and also

because he needed Old Camel to refine elixirs to completely transform him into a woman. Wu Wudi didn't know why he

didn't feel aversion to castration; in fact, he felt a longing to become a woman.

Wu Wudi had no time to deal with the chaos outside the country, relinquishing all military affairs to his son, Wu Tianhu

. Although Wu Tianhu was a treacherous and cunning man, he deeply understood

the principle of mutual dependence in the face of national crisis. He knew that if the Asuras invaded Tianjing, the empire would be finished, the court would be finished, the Wu family would be

finished , and he would be finished too—all glory and power would be gone.

For the sake of the Wu family, and for his own sake, Wu Tianhu shouldered the mission entrusted to him by Wu Wudi, taking on the

heavy responsibility of protecting his homeland and defending the capital. He was originally the Commander of the Nine Gates, but now he has risen to a high position, becoming the garrison commander in charge of all military

power .

This shows that the Wu family's power in the court is absolute. Although Prime Minister Xiao and Emperor Tianshou convened

a meeting of ministers to discuss the matter, the final result was: to move the capital.

Almost all officials were pessimistic, believing that the western barrier of Xitian City had fallen, and with the Shura army

continuously entering the pass, Tianjing could not be defended. Rather than waiting for the Shura army to breach Tianjing, it was better to

move .

Nominally, it was a relocation of the capital, but in reality, it was a matter of cowardice and a hasty escape. Of course, the relocation of the capital was also a last resort,

an inevitable necessity. With the fall of Xitian City, Tianjing was like a naked girl, facing

the fate of being raped by the Shura. Therefore, the imperial officials unanimously advocated moving the capital to

Tiandu, the capital of Tiandu County in the southern border.

Once the decision to move the capital was made, the entire capital was thrown into chaos. Upon hearing that the Asura army was approaching,

officials , nobles, and wealthy merchants alike packed their belongings, taking all valuables they could carry, and rushed

to flee the capital.

Wu Tianhu, the commander-in-chief of the three armies, did not flee with the many officials but remained to defend the capital

and resist the Asura army. Knowing his own limitations, Wu Tianhu wisely

appointed his master, Zhuge Qingyun, as strategist and Lu Chong, the son of the Lu family, as deputy commander,

mobilizing all the troops in the capital region.

The Asura army advanced rapidly, and intelligence flooded in from the front lines,

repeatedly using disheartening phrases: "They've fallen," "They're surrounded," "They've been defeated," "They've lost contact." Because

the Asura army's advance detachments were constantly on the move, the Divine Eagle scouts could only bring back vague intelligence. For the commander to

deduce the enemy's next move from this information was no less difficult than finding a needle in a dark room.

Along a front stretching over a thousand miles, the Asuras seemed to possess limitless manpower and inexhaustible energy. They launched

simultaneous attacks on five towns, while also besieging twelve well-defended cities.

The battle lines were as complex as an Impressionist painting, with red and black arrows tangled

together jumble of friend and foe. What particularly puzzled Zhuge Qingyun was:

how could the Asura army launch attacks on all four fronts in such a manner? What were their intentions? Which was the main direction of their attack? Did they have enough manpower to support five fronts of attack?

The senior strategists of the command headquarters were summoned to discuss and analyze the situation. They racked their brains, poring over all

military classics and past battle examples, but they could not find a single explanation for the Asuras' frantic attacks

on all four fronts , unless their forces were ten times larger than they estimated.

A strategist, his head throbbing from deep thought, exclaimed, "I'm going crazy thinking about this!" Zhuge Qingyun jolted,

raising his weary head thoughtfully. "I think we've found the reason—the Asuras have gone mad

!" In truth, using the word "mad" to describe the Asura army's current state was an understatement.

In Xitian City, the Asura Empire's legion commanders parted ways with the Asura Azure Dragon. After leaving the fortress

, another debate erupted among them.

The Ninth Legion, primarily composed of Celestial Clan soldiers, advocated for a direct attack on the southeastern cities of Yuyu, Gangjiang, and Shiyan, with the Celestial

Clan commander hoping to seize control of these areas quickly.

Meanwhile, the Night Flying King of the Seventh Legion, driven by a strong desire for glory, and whose recent victories had led him to

underestimate the resistance of the Divine Eagle Clan, believed that the Asura Empire's main force was unnecessary; a few vanguard

legions would be enough to sweep across the entire continent. He urged continued eastward advance, aiming to seize

Tianjing, the capital of the Divine Eagle Empire, before His Majesty the Asura Emperor's arrival, as a tribute to his arrival.

However, Tianjue showed little interest in this glorious mission; like a real estate developer, he was only interested in acquiring land.

In a fit of anger, Yefei led the Seventh Legion alone.

Although Yefei was alone, he had the massive army of the Asura Empire behind him, giving him confidence. Furthermore, the encounter with

the Asura army caused the Divine Eagle people to react with unusual panic: civilians screamed and cried out in terror, the army hid in cities

, afraid to engage in open battle, and on one occasion, a few stray Asura soldiers from the Seventh Legion

terrified the entire population of a small city, causing them to abandon the city and flee.

Those hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians couldn't believe that there was any

other .

All of this fueled Yefei's arrogance; he was even already worrying about how to

address the surrendered officials of the Eagle Kingdom upon entering Tianjing.

Should they offer kind words of comfort, or sternly intimidate them? Or simply wipe them all

out? If all the courtiers of the Eagle Kingdom were killed, who would the Empire negotiate with? Who would lead the remaining

territory of to surrender to the Shura Empire?

"This is truly a thorny issue!" Ye Fei sighed dramatically, like a nouveau riche worrying about whether to eat bear's paw or shark fin

for lunch.

Zhuge Qingyun judged that the Shura people would take the shortest route straight to Tianjing, so their next

main attack would definitely be on Mianyang City.

Therefore, the command prepared for battle.

On January 21st, the Empire's most elite 100,000 Imperial Guards set out, with Deputy Commander Lu Chong stationed in Mianyang City. He was

like a giant spider coiled in the center of its web, carefully and cautiously observing the approaching enemy.

Large numbers of troops were dispatched to scout the movements of the Shura army, and messengers swiftly issued orders to various counties. On wide

, flat roads, on rugged mountain paths, and in little-known secret jungles,

troops , like streams and rivers flowing into the sea. Countless armies

began converging on Mianyang City from all directions. The Divine Eagle Empire's first counterattack against the invading enemy was about to begin!

On January 23rd, just as Zhuge Qingyun had predicted, the Shura Empire's Yaksha Legion of 93,000

men entered the Mianyang region.

This was a magnificent army, its ranks stretching for miles, swords like mountains, spears like forests, men like the sea,

their killing intent neighed wildly, and cavalry spread out in a vast, overwhelming formation.

Seeing the Shura army's overwhelming might, the garrison of Leiming City, southeast of Mianyang, was terrified and fled the city.

Ye Fei laughed arrogantly, waving his hand: "Today we've taken Thunder City, tomorrow we'll take

Mianyang City, and the day after, warriors, we'll spend the night in Tianjing! Fine wine, delicacies, beauties, gold and silver—there's

plenty there!" Thinking of that legendary, most prosperous city on the continent, with mountains of gold, silver, and fine wine, the entire

army rallied. Thousands upon thousands of Shura soldiers roared excitedly, their voices like a tsunami: "Tianjing!

Tianjing! Take Tianjing! Take Tianjing!" Without even sending out scouts, the Shura army advanced in a massive, impassioned advance. Ye Fei

wasn't worried about falling into an ambush—ambushes and ambushes were impossible on plains; this was

basic common sense.

But when one side possessed virtually unlimited logistical and human resources, conventional military common sense became irrelevant.

In just a few days, the Divine Eagle Army mobilized 500,000 troops and a million civilians. This astonishing number of soldiers and civilians worked

day and night across the vast plains, digging trenches and setting up barbed wire positions, constructing layer upon layer of

defensive lines. The Mianyang Plain was crisscrossed with ditches, fragmented and broken, so much so that farmers clearing land after the war

didn't even need to dig irrigation canals.

These fortifications relied on the numerous cities scattered across the plains, with layers upon layers of trenches and earthen walls extending to

the ends of the earth, forming a massive defensive line.

When the Shura Army first saw the boundless defensive fortifications, the soldiers were stunned: "Wow, wow, wow,

it's truly magnificent!" No one realized that a massive trap, almost leading to the annihilation of the Seventh Army, had

appeared .

Initially, Ye Fei wanted to bypass the Divine Eagle Army's defensive positions to attack, but air force scouts reported that similar continuous defensive positions and walls had appeared on

both sides . The Divine Eagle Army's defenses were so tight that they couldn't find

any opening to leave.

By this time, even the most foolish person would have sensed a conspiracy. Ye Fei, though arrogant, was not stupid.

Setting up such a massive, deep defensive line required astronomical manpower and resources; it was beyond the capabilities of

any single location. Clearly, the enemy had mobilized their entire nation, attempting to

confront the entire Divine Eagle Dynasty with a single legion—Ye Fei's strength was insufficient.

From realizing the trap to making the decision to withdraw, less than an hour had passed; Ye Fei's reaction was undeniably swift,

but Lu Zhong's actions were even faster.

On the night of January 23rd, the Divine Eagle infantry appeared like ghosts behind the Asura army, unexpectedly capturing Thunder City, which was defended by

only a small number of Asura Yaksha soldiers. The garrison had already devised a scheme during their withdrawal, with tunnels secretly

leading directly into the city. A suicide squad emerged from the tunnels at night, wiping out the defending Asura soldiers and retaking the city; the encirclement

was now complete!

Upon learning of the fall of Thunder City, Ye Fei sensed impending doom. He immediately dispatched an air courier back to the rear, requesting reinforcements from Shura

Qinglong and other legion commanders. Simultaneously, he redirected his troops, attempting a breakthrough from Hamamatsu City on the right flank, but Lu...

Chong had anticipated this, deploying a formidable reserve force on the outer lines to quickly reinforce Hamamatsu Castle. He then

launched a counterattack from both flanks, further solidifying the encirclement.

After a fierce battle, the Yaksha army not only failed to break through, but the encirclement actually shrank.

In the following days, the Yaksha army attacked several points on the left flank and rear of the Divine Eagle lines, but failed to achieve a breakthrough.

No matter which point the Yaksha army attacked, mobile cavalry units quickly reinforced the defenders at that point, while

other units attacked from the flanks and rear to contain them. Simultaneously, engineers worked day and night to dig trenches and erect barbed wire, gradually closing in on the Divine Eagle positions. 　　Ye Fei found this utterly absurd: "An entire army surrounded by the Divine Eagles on a plain? How is this possible!" But relying on layers of trenches and fortifications, coupled with rapidly mobile cavalry, the Divine Eagles had actually accomplished this "impossible" feat, managing to encircle the 7th Army's more than 90,000 Yaksha soldiers on a plain. 　　After three consecutive days of unsuccessful breakout attempts, the Yaksha army was exhausted. 　　On the fourth day, the Yaksha legion was forced to switch to a defensive posture. 　　The two armies clashed and fought relentlessly, with the Divine Eagle army taking turns engaging the Yaksha forces, treating this renowned army as a training exercise. 　　Nighttime was usually the domain of the Yaksha, skilled in night combat, but now their advantage had vanished . The Divine Eagle army was simply too overwhelming; flags and sheer numbers filled the air from all sides, and their majestic . The Yaksha soldiers were terrified: how many soldiers were there! They no longer even dared to launch a 　　night raid. All along, Ye Fei had only witnessed the Divine Eagle people fleeing in panic before the Asuras. Only now did he finally realize: as individuals, the Divine Eagle people were small, weak, and easily frightened; but if these weak and fragile Divine Eagle people were to organize, they would be transformed, unleashing unparalleled power. 　　Ten thousand Asuras are merely the sum of ten thousand warriors, but when ten thousand loosely organized Divine Eagles unite , a qualitative change occurs. They can divide labor, each fulfilling their role, inventing sharp weapons, forging sturdy armor, and devising meticulous plans, causing their combat power to rise at a terrifying rate. 　　The Divine Eagle Empire is a vast nation with a disciplined army, and this high degree of organization and cohesion is unattainable for the unruly Asuras. 　　Individually, a member of the Eagle Kingdom is a worm, but organized, they are a dragon. 　　The Asura army lacks a concept of large-scale logistics; their food is obtained through plunder. After several days of intense fighting and marching, the Yaksha Legion's food supplies are nearly exhausted. Ye Fei had planned to send out only a thousand air force griffin riders to transport some food, but the Divine Eagle Army was prepared, deploying its own air force griffin riders to intercept them from the air. This resulted in heavy losses for the Yaksha air force, preventing them from bringing in a single grain of food. 　　Seven days later, the Yaksha army was forced to ration food. The Yaksha soldiers were starving, their eyes practically glowing green. 　　Despite orders forbidding it, some cavalrymen secretly began slaughtering their horses. 　　Terrifying rumors circulated throughout the army: some soldiers had left their barracks one night and never returned; two days later, their bodies were found somewhere in the camp, gnawed clean, skin and all, leaving only skeletons. 　　Others said that certain detachments had collectively degenerated, spending their nights kidnapping lone soldiers , taking them back to cook and make soup. 　　During the day, the Yaksha soldiers stared at each other with wide, green eyes, like two emaciated, hungry wolves meeting in the forest, drooling and filled with both fear and craving. 　　At night, the camp was deserted. The sentries on night watch huddled together, not afraid of afraid of being captured by their comrades who haunted the camp like ghosts in search of food. 　　Everyone was on edge, fearing a nighttime raid by other units. No one dared sleep soundly in their tents or detachments. Panic and despair gripped the entire legion. At this time, deserters began to appear in twos and threes, surrendering to the Divine Eagle army. 　　Surrendering to the Divine Eagle offered a chance of survival; falling into the hands of their comrades meant certain death! 　　Ye Fei was deeply worried. The Divine Eagle army had heavily surrounded them, and the Seventh Army's morale and discipline had crumbled, teetering on the brink of . Now, his only hope was that other imperial legions outside the encirclement would come to their rescue. 　　He wondered, "The plea for help has been sent for many days; why haven't reinforcements arrived yet?" He didn't know that Shura Qinglong and Shura Teng had already led their legions, rushing day and night. Since January 26th, they had been engaged in fierce fighting with the Divine Eagle Empire's blocking forces on the outskirts. 　　The Asura Clan's Second and Tenth Armies launched a fierce attack for several days, suffering heavy casualties, while the Celestial Clan's Tenth Legion simply watched from the sidelines—since it was another race's army that was being besieged, Tian Jue wasn't worried at all. 　　At the end of January 1677, the Battle of Mianyang, a major battle historically known as the Battle of Mianyang, was raging. 　　The battle had two main battlefields. The first was on the plains near Mianyang, where the Asura Empire's Seventh Army of over 90,000 men was divided into several groups and surrounded by the Divine Eagle Army. Lacking food and medicine, they were making their last stand. 　　The second main battlefield was on the outskirts, where two legions of the Asura Empire, nearly 300,000 Asura soldiers, were trying to relieve their besieged comrades. Deputy Commander Lu Chong personally led the main force of the Imperial Guard to block Asura reinforcements on the outer perimeter. Facing him was the Asura Crown Prince, Asura Qinglong. 　　This was Lu Chong's first large-scale direct confrontation with Asura Qinglong; both armies were evenly matched, both were renowned generals of their respective nations, and both were equally skilled in tactics. 　　Shura Qinglong was single-mindedly seeking an opportunity to engage the main force of the Divine Eagle Army in a decisive battle, aiming to win in one fell swoop and relieve the besieged troops. 　　In contrast, Lu Chong, though young, was more cunning and calculating. He did not aspire to crush Shura Qinglong 's army in one fell swoop; his goal was merely to snipe and restrain the enemy's movements, buying time for his allies to eliminate the enemy within the encirclement. 　　Facing the powerful Shura reinforcements, he skillfully maneuvered, relying on multi-layered and overlapping defensive positions. His blocking forces took turns attacking, wearing down the Shura defenders' morale, and often launching sudden counterattacks at the enemy's unexpected weaknesses, forcing them to retreat.

Hundreds of thousands of troops clashed in a small area of less than 300 square kilometers. The opposing armies

crisscrossed, advancing and retreating, charging and attacking from all sides.

The Divine Eagle Army never engaged in direct combat, yet appeared from all directions, floating like the wind, advancing and retreating unpredictably.

Some remained hidden in fortified castles, while others fiercely attacked their own flanks and rear, and still others

lagged far behind their own ranks.

The Asura army was under attack day and night, some genuine attacks, but most feints.

The Divine Eagle cavalry boldly maneuvered and penetrated, striking directly at the Asura army's rear, keeping the Asura soldiers constantly on edge, fearing their supply lines would be

cut off.

The Divine Eagle's ever-changing tactics and skillful maneuvers dazzled the Asura, leaving them overwhelmed. The two armies clashed

daily , but the Asura always suffered losses.

The Asura generals generally lacked experience in handling complex battles, even the Asura Azure Dragon, hailed as the most outstanding general of the Asura race

.

On this unfamiliar land, enemies were everywhere, yet nowhere to be found. It was like

fighting thin air; every punch missed its mark, while every blow from the enemy inflicted

excruciating .

It wasn't just the enemy troops in uniform; every hill, every river, every inch of land seemed to be

working against them, and every living resident glared at them with rage.

They possessed a formidable army of 300,000, but felt like drowning men, powerless to wield their strength.

In contrast to the Shura's predicament, the Divine Eagles were thriving.

Lu Chong was a rising star among the Divine Eagle generals, possessing exceptional strategic control and a stable mindset

. He remembered the exact troop strength and location of every Shura battalion, and his "micro-management"

skills in commanding troops were unparalleled among the Divine Eagle generals.

Throughout the Mianyang campaign, he was like a tireless strategic thinking machine, sleeping only one

or two , yet always maintaining peak mental condition, clear thinking, quick reflexes, and decisive decision-making.

The entire battle's rhythm was completely under his control. Each infantry and cavalry unit was

a pawn in his hands, moving freely according to his commands. His command possessed a wondrous rhythm,

flowing smoothly and clearly layered.

Under his command, the entire war resembled a grand symphony, and he was the conductor.

Every tiny tremor of his baton was a melodious tune; he could attend to

the smallest note uttered by each instrument.

Despite equal military strength, the Shura army was overwhelmingly crushed by the Divine Eagle army. Before the main forces even clashed, the Shura army

was already in chaos.

Shura Qinglong had to acknowledge a fact: in terms of commanding large-scale battles, the Shura were

far inferior to the Divine Eagles.

He had to admit that war command was a true art, and in this respect, the Divine Eagles were far more

advanced .

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