Chapter 480 - Chapter 480: Battle Damage, Interrogation
Chapter 480: Battle Damage, Interrogation
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The nearly hundred thousand soldiers besieging Feiguang City from the Bass Kingdom had suffered heavy casualties in less than two days, with only a small number surviving.
Or rather, they had lost seventy to eighty percent of their soldiers in just two or three hours.
Among them, apart from the one or two percent lost in the intense early stages of the siege, the rest of the casualties were directly or indirectly caused by the Ocean Crown.
Some were blasted into bits by the treacherous Defenders’ cannons, while others, though not directly hit, had their internal organs shattered by the shockwaves. Some were sent flying over ten meters and turned into unrecognizable mosaics upon impact with the ground.
Moreover, more than thirty percent of the soldiers lost their lives while retreating, swept away by the three colossal waves. Thanks to Ji Chen’s precise command, the waves capsized hundreds of landing boats, but miraculously disappeared just before reaching the muddy shore. They didn’t even come close to the city walls of Feiguang City, let alone causing any harm to our own forces.
After all the losses, there were less than twenty thousand surviving soldiers.
Some were crew members of the Eighth Fleet who chose to surrender, some were from the airborne troops who returned in an attempt to rescue the fleet after it was ambushed but were driven away by long-range attackers like the Dragon Horn Catfish and Water Nymph Archers, suffering the loss of several hundred-person squads before reluctantly retreating.
The last group were soldiers who hadn’t had time to board the boats and survived the waves.
However, they had lost their will to continue fighting, with most choosing to disarm and surrender, while a few fled in panic into the mountains and jungles, heading towards the border.
When the last enemy airborne unit disappeared from the northwest horizon, this multi-day urban defense battle quietly came to an end.
This time, the Bass Kingdom not only couldn’t swiftly seize the vital coastal city of Feiguang, resulting in the loss of nearly a hundred thousand soldiers but also saw almost thirty steel warships from the Eighth Fleet captured in pristine condition. This essentially handed over an entire fleet’s power and firepower to the enemy.
It was estimated that Russell, the overall commander of this war, would be fuming upon hearing this news.
A hundred thousand versus thirty thousand, and they got counterattacked, plus losing an entire intact fleet. Were they even capable of waging war?
Regardless, this could be considered the Bass Kingdom’s most significant loss since the start of the war, one that would impact the overall strategic situation and direction of the entire conflict.
While nearly a hundred thousand soldiers might not be the entirety of the Bass Kingdom’s current military forces, they constituted an essential auxiliary force in this war.
Besides the sheer numerical loss, it was also a declaration of the failure of their blitzkrieg tactics. Failing to capture Feiguang City swiftly gave Tressburg time to react, making the task of taking this city much more challenging.
It could be imagined that the Bass Kingdom would not set its sights on this city again in the short term.
At least, Feiguang City, which was severely battered, now had some breathing room.
The instigator of all this, Ji Chen, was slowly making his way onto the land while being watched by the soldiers of Feiguang City with a mix of awe and gratitude.
Awe, reverence, admiration, and various other emotions played across their faces.
Many soldiers had vividly witnessed this man unleashing those catastrophic waves that had engulfed the enemy.
In their impression, only deities could wield such power, right?
Perhaps due to this almost divine reverence, the soldiers dared not approach him. They simply watched him with eyes filled with awe, leaving Ji Chen, who walked onto the mudflat with his hands behind his back, feeling slightly awkward as he awaited their cheers and welcome.
“Why are you all just standing there and watching? Won’t anyone come and greet me?” Ji Chen thought to himself.
Just as Ji Chen was pondering what to say as an opening remark, a native of the city approached him briskly.
The one leading them wore military attire and exuded an imposing aura, likely a noble of the indigenous people.
He came up to Ji Chen and spoke with an expression of reverence, “Respected powerful one, 1 am the Lord of Feiguang City, Sylvansai.
Thank you for extending a helping hand to us in our time of peril, for crushing those detestable invaders, and allowing countless people to survive.
On behalf of the entire city’s military and civilians, we express our profound gratitude. We will surely remember this debt of kindness in our hearts.”
Ji Chen nodded and replied, “Hello, I am Ji Chen, the Lord of the Ocean Crown, and 1 have come from the distant seas.”
The Ocean Crown?
Sylvansai’s heart stirred; he seemed to have heard that name somewhere before.
Oh, right, not long ago, a shipment of weapons and equipment had arrived, and it seemed to have originated from a territory called the Ocean Crown.
“Lord Ji Chen, if 1 may be so bold as to ask, does your territory produce weapons and equipment?”
Ji Chen paused for a moment and then replied, “Yes, the Ocean Crown does indeed produce weapons and equipment, but our primary market is the Principality of Maple.”
“That’s right,” Sylvansai chuckled and said, “In the time before the war erupted, there was a merchant named Gilder who came here and sold a batch of weapons and equipment to Feiguang City. I believe it was purchased from your territory.”
Well, Gilder managed to sell weapons and equipment from the Ocean Crown all the way to Feiguang City, which was thousands of miles away from the Principality of Maple. He truly lived up to his reputation as a merchant.
“How are our weapons and equipment?”
“They are excellent. Many soldiers find them quite handy, and the quality is impressive.” Sylvansai glanced around. “But this is not the place for discussion.. If it’s possible, why don’t we continue our conversation in the city?”