Charred marks still linger everywhere. Returning once more to the central pass, Phoenix Yu felt a surge of emotion. He stood before a half-destroyed house, gazing at a wooden table still left inside—this had once been his home.
The enemy seemed clever. They understood the speed of the cavalry and had already halted the advance of personnel coming from Yingdi and Xidi. Defenses were being set up at the foot of the mountain, and the scouts reported seeing vast numbers of enemy troops—over a hundred thousand. Actual soldiers numbered only ten or twenty thousand; the rest were laborers and reserves.
"This is as far as we go! Looks like it's impossible to push our advantage any further."
Sebastian Zhao stood atop the charred earthen wall, looking into the distance. They were preparing to withdraw as well; once the enemy recovered, they would be surrounded with no escape. Now, they had to return to the grassland stronghold to regroup.
"Looks like the Zou Clan is finished."
At that moment, Phoenix Yu muttered to himself. Yesterday at dusk, they saw thick smoke rising in the eastern sky. Though far away, it was clear enough—the entire Zou City must be burning for the smoke to be so visible.
Sebastian Zhao, who had once visited Zou City, knew well the buildings there—if a fire broke out, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"There's nothing we can do! The enemy barely exerted any effort before capturing Zou City. They burned it to the ground, then turned the ruins into farmland—a win-win for them!"
Phoenix Yu muttered with a bitter smile.
"Stop thinking about it. This war is over. The enemy can't attack in the short term, and we've gained a chance to train our soldiers and set up defenses in the western forests. The enemy won't move until autumn. Let's hurry back."
It was already midday. Tonight, they would have to hurry to the crossroads, rest until midnight, and then push on, regrouping near the stronghold.
"Report to Commander-in-Chief Bella Liang: the enemy cavalry has left the pass."
A messenger rushed into the shelter, shouting. Bella Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, the enemy still had over ten thousand cavalry. If they charged, the losses among her own soldiers and reserves would be disastrous.
"Had we known, there was no need to leave the stronghold. If we had fought the enemy head-on, they'd have lost everything."
Henry Lien spoke leisurely. Bella Liang glanced at him, seeing the joking expression on his face. She couldn't help but smile bitterly—she had never been so desperate. She had been fleeing for days, evading the enemy cavalry in pursuit.
"Our minds are clear. We're not fools like Edward Grant, who insists on going against the odds even when it's impossible."
A general laughed as he spoke, while Lydia Lien glanced at him quietly.
"Perhaps things aren't so simple. If the Grant forces had withdrawn from the pass, and we hadn't wasted so much time, we could've entered the grasslands and advanced directly. The outcome might've been entirely different, instead of this predicament we're in now."
Bella Liang said, looking at the map on the table.
"The worst outcome is that we won't be able to attack for the next two or three years."
The facts were laid bare. Because of the heavy snow, the problems with the Zou Clan, and the defeat in the south, all these factors had accumulated, leaving them unable to move. There would be no more transfer stations on the grasslands; to march on Grant City, they would have to cross vast distances. If they didn't keep attacking, the enemy would not sit idle—they could emerge from the west and harass the central, southern, and even eastern regions.
"King Wynn has given the order—we must take Grant City this year, no matter what. We can't wait any longer. Once the southern sowing is done, we'll march."
Bella Liang looked at Lydia Lien in confusion. If they marched now, they could mobilize fewer than a hundred thousand troops, but would face three or four thousand enemy cavalry and over a hundred thousand soldiers head-on. There was no chance of victory.
Lydia Lien smiled as she came to stand beside Bella Liang, pointing to the western mountains.
"If we have no strongholds, then let's seize as many as we can for transfer stations—ten or twenty, linked together. We'll slowly amass soldiers. There's always a way, isn't there?"
Bella Liang nodded.
"It's dangerous, but worth a try. Otherwise, who knows what major changes might come by autumn."
Black smoke still rose in many places. Gus Bull watched the captured Zou Clan members in silence. The once-prosperous Zou City was now half-destroyed; Mark Zou and the generals were nowhere to be found, and nearly thirty thousand Zou Clan soldiers had fled into the eastern mountain forests.
The steep and harsh eastern mountain forests were a severe test for those who escaped into them. Gus Bull stationed three thousand soldiers at the entrance to the mountains, then set about having his men force the Zou Clan captives to continue sowing.
In just two days, the Zou Clan collapsed completely. Gus Bull felt conflicted—on one hand, it was thanks to the Zou Clan's betrayal that they had seized two-thirds of Grant Territory in half a year, but on the other, the problems with the Zou Clan now meant they were stuck, and attacking Grant City before autumn was nearly impossible.
Gus Bull looked toward the southwest, still waiting for a reply. The cave, which provided quick access to the southern and central grasslands, would force them to take a much longer route if blocked by the enemy—more than double the distance.
"The enemy won't let this opportunity slip by, will they?"
Gus Bull sighed helplessly. By dusk, his scouts finally returned, urgently reporting that the cave had been blocked with rocks and sand by the enemy.
"Can it be cleared?"
Gus Bull asked, glancing at the soldiers in front of him, who exchanged uneasy looks.
"There's wood mixed in with the sand. The enemy was thorough—it'll be hard to clear, especially with the sand packed solid..."
The worst-case scenario Gus Bull dreaded was now reality. He waved the soldiers off to rest, then gathered his generals. There were still over 300,000 Zou Clan captives, but only 100,000 soldiers on his side. He ordered some trusted generals to stay behind, while he planned to lead over 20,000 troops south.
This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click the next page to continue reading!
Joseph Qiao looked at the cave, now almost unrecognizable, and nodded in satisfaction. Over ten thousand men had worked day and night for two days to seal it.
"Are we still heading south, Qiao?"