Chapter 483 - Chapter 483: Hundred Thousand Army Destroyed, Ji Chen Reappears(2)
Chapter 483: Hundred Thousand Army Destroyed, Ji Chen Reappears(2)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
But considering its crucial position in the overall strategy, for caution’s sake, he dispatched soldiers several times the number of the garrison, and had the Eighth Fleet provide a Destroyer Cannon capable of easily demolishing the city walls.
The power of that cannon was something he witnessed before, and no city wall could withstand its bombardment.
Even Feiguang City’s most relied-upon walls could be destroyed, coupled with the fact that Rheinhardt’s fleet was pulled hundreds of miles away from the sea, he couldn’t think of any reason why they would lose this surefire battle, let alone suffer such a degree of defeat.
Shame, it was simply a disgrace!
What the hell was that guy Shalifa doing!?
The officer looked at Marshal Russell, who remained silent, hesitated for a moment, and then bit his lip.
“Marshal, when I returned from the evacuation, I heard some news from the air force of the Eighth Fleet. The failure of the Feiguang City battle was actually caused by the sudden appearance of a foreign army.”
Russell’s expression brightened, and he squinted his eyes, emitting a hint of danger, and said slowly, “Bring them over and have them talk to me personally.”
The officer’s throat rolled, and he replied nervously, “Yes! I’ll bring him to see you right away!”
Watching the officer leave with a somewhat flustered figure, Russell slightly composed himself, took a deep breath, and sat in his chair deep in thought.
The consequences of the defeat in Feiguang City weren’t limited to the loss of a hundred thousand lives and the Eighth Fleet. It also signified that his meticulously planned and personally executed blitzkrieg had reached a halfway point of failure.
Failing to quickly capture this strategically vital city that stood before Tressburg while enemy forces were distracted elsewhere, at a time when they hesitated, made it challenging to achieve coherent phase victories in other regions.
Feiguang City was like a nail firmly driven into their path along the coastal route to Tressburg. As long as this city remained secure, Reinhardt was always able to face any attack with ease.
When Tressburg City realized this and comprehended his entire strategic intent, this war could potentially drag on indefinitely.
Furthermore, it signified the collapse of the attack plan he had personally crafted, leading to potential doubts from nobles in other kingdoms, a challenge to his status, and even an inquiry from the King himself.
Thinking of this, Russell was itching with hatred, wishing to throw that idiot Shalifa into the sea to feed the fish. Fie really wanted to know what kind of enemy could defeat them in half a day.
Time passed, and the officer soon brought in an air combat soldier in runic light armor who had evacuated from Feiguang City.
“Marshal, he is the air combat soldier who evacuated from Feiguang City.”
Russell looked at the pattern of armor on his body, which was indeed equipped for the Air Force, but the light armor on his chest looked like it was struck by lightning, smoldering, and his face was covered in soot, obviously having gone through a fierce battle.
He furrowed his brows slightly.
“Where is your commander?”
The air combat soldier, with a look of fear and dejection in his eyes, said softly, “Our commander was shot down while attempting to regain control of the fleet’s deck.”
Regain control of the fleet’s deck?
Russell’s heart stirred, and he withdrew his gaze, saying in a deep voice, “Tell me everything you saw in Feiguang City.”
Hearing this, the air combat soldier trembled.
“Yes!”
“I belong to the First Squadron of the Eighth Fleet’s air combat unit, and we entered the battle as soon as we attacked Feiguang City…
…As we had anticipated before the battle, the garrison at Feiguang City couldn’t withstand our overwhelming forces and quickly found themselves at a disadvantage without reinforcements…
…After our fleet launched an extremely powerful shell that blasted open the city walls, the balance of the battle shifted completely in our favor.
The ground landing forces surged through the enemy’s defenses, firmly securing control of the breached city wall gap caused by our bombardment. With our coordination, they dealt a severe blow to the wyvern unit.”
Russell nodded when he heard this; it was the strategy he had devised earlier. They used the Destroyer Cannon to breach the city walls and then used pre-prepared anti-air weapons to deal with the only threat to them, the Wyvern unit.
At least for now, Shalifa had faithfully executed his strategy.
At this point, the air combat soldier seemed to recall some unpleasant memories and spoke with a trembling voice.
“But at this time, we suddenly found our fleet under a surprise attack from a powerful and unfamiliar aquatic army that emerged from underwater. They quickly occupied the fleet’s deck…”
“Powerful aquatic army?” Russell inquired.
“Yes, it was a formidable army composed of several types of aquatic beings, including those with serpent tails, catfish, and even knights riding giant lobsters. Their combat prowess was in no way inferior to our main forces, and they were even stronger. It was a nightmare for the unarmed crew members on the ships.
Our air unit tried to help the fleet regain control of the deck, but the anti-air firepower of those aquatic beings exceeded our expectations, and we couldn’t get close.
Then, those aquatic beings used that massive cannon to attack our ground forces. Five entire battalions were turned into ashes on the spot, and thousands of soldiers were sent flying. The battlefield that was sounding the victory horn instantly turned into a hell on earth… We lost control of the breach in the city wall, forcing the ground forces to temporarily retreat.”
The air combat soldier swallowed hard. “At that moment, three terrifying waves, dozens of meters high, rose up on the calm sea. Even in the sky, I could feel the horror of those waves. They instantly swallowed up the retreating ground landing forces in the sea.
Finally, only our air combat unit and a few soldiers remained. Oh, I think I saw a person standing behind those waves before I left!”
Russell, upon hearing this, deeply furrowed his brows, and the layers of wrinkles on his forehead resembled the furrows of a field being plowed.
With narrowed eyes, he said in a stern voice, “Are you saying that it appears that a human, accompanied by a sea tribe army, launched a surprise attack on the Eighth Fleet, used our artillery to defeat the advancing soldiers, and then summoned colossal waves to engulf our forces?”
“Yes, Marshal.”
The air combat soldier nodded vigorously as if beating a drum. “Before we withdrew, we also saw Fleet Commander Lord Shalifa and Revered Envoy lying on the deck, their fates unknown…”
“Phew, you can leave for now.”
As the door closed with a resounding sound in the study that originally belonged to a noble of Reinhardt, it fell into silence once again.
From behind a bookshelf filled with books, a figure emerged, wearing a silver mask with elongated eyes engraved on its forehead.
“Lord Russell, it appears I may know who that human is.”
Russell, who was still contemplating, was momentarily stunned. How did your intelligence become so strong? You already know about the person who was just reported?
He asked eagerly, “You know who he is?”
The deceitful figure in the silver mask nodded, and his voice, just like other Deceivers, was hoarse.
“If the intelligence is correct, he should be called Ji Chen, a Lord of Glory with the power to control water. His followers are all aquatic warriors, and he used to operate around the Maple Principality.
Based on the information provided by your soldiers, it’s likely 80 percent him. I didn’t expect that we haven’t found him yet, and he would show up right in front of us.”
Russell detected a hint of intrigue in the tone of his words.
“Do you have a vendetta with him?”
“Well, you could say that.” The deceitful figure in the silver mask nodded without reservation. As one of the masterminds behind the destruction of the entire Deceiver branch in the Maple Principality, Ji Chen, the Lord of Glory, had long been in the sights of all Deceiver branches across the Northern Continent. His priority for elimination significantly rose. If they could capture or eliminate him here, it would be a significant achievement.
“Regardless, we will seize this opportunity to apprehend him, and you will help us, just as we have aided you.”
Russell gritted his teeth and continued as if he had remembered something.
“I must catch him. He killed so many soldiers and disrupted my plans.
No matter if he’s a man, a ghost, or some Lord of Glory, anyone who crosses paths with the Kingdom of Bass will meet their end!”