"Report! Urgent report from the border! Urgent report from the border!"
In the Hengtian Immortal Dynasty's Hengtian Palace, the Immortal Emperor Hengtian was convening his ministers to discuss the situation on the northern and southern battlefields. Suddenly, a soldier holding a military report shouted in distress.
"What matter causes such panic?"
Crown Prince Miao Yang first glanced at the grim-faced Immortal Emperor, then looked at the ministers below the hall and raised an eyebrow.
"Reporting to the Immortal Emperor! And Crown Prince! The Great Han Divine Dynasty has openly torn up the armistice treaty. Yesterday, the Great Han's Er Zhu Rong, Tian Dan, Fu Cun Shen, and Wei Xiao Kuan led four legions to invade our Immortal Dynasty's border. Within a single night, they conquered over three hundred cities, and the four armies are heading straight for our Shuiyue Pass!"
The soldier knelt on the ground, trembling, his voice quivering, sweat soaking his back.
"What?"
The officials of the Hengtian Immortal Dynasty were astonished. The Great Han Divine Dynasty, a mere ant-like force, could be crushed with a flip of the hand. The armistice treaty was merely a pretext to free their hands to completely annihilate the Qingxuan Immortal Dynasty and the Zhulu Immortal Dynasty. Now, they had openly torn up the treaty and were marching their armies towards them!
"Report! Urgent report from the northern border!"
As the officials in the hall were still meticulously analyzing, another soldier hurried into the hall from outside.
The officials raised their heads and looked at the soldier who entered the hall and knelt on the ground.
"Reporting to the Immortal Emperor! And Crown Prince! Yesterday, the Qingxuan Immortal Dynasty's King Sheng Xiao, Qing Han, and Grand General Qing Hao Cang led five million troops to attack our Beixia Pass at midnight. King Sheng Rong, Miao Zimo, and Grand Censor Guan Chong led troops to intercept. The two sides fought for several hours. King Sheng Rong, Miao Zimo, died in battle, while the enemy's King Sheng Xiao, Qing Han, was severely wounded and his life is unknown. Grand Censor Guan Chong, leading less than a million surviving soldiers, retreated south!"
Boom!
This military report shook the hall like thunder. Countless officials turned pale. The death of a main general was far more terrifying than losing a city. No one had imagined that the entire Western frontier would tacitly join forces to attack Hengtian.
Cold sweat broke out on the forehead of the Hengtian Immortal Emperor. The death of King Sheng Rong, Miao Zimo, was of immense importance to the army. He was from the Imperial Bloodline and the commander of the northern front!
With his death! The northern front would collapse, morale would plummet, and it would be difficult to march north to resist Qingxuan.
"Report! Urgent report from the border! Urgent report from the border!"
Before all the beings in the hall could recover, a soldier, his face bloodless and panicked, rushed in again.
"Read it."
The Hengtian Immortal Emperor suppressed the anger in his heart. He could not panic; he had to be like a pillar of heaven.
"Reporting to the Immortal Emperor! And Crown Prince! The Qingxuan Immortal Dynasty's Grand Marshal Lan Yu, leading a million troops, swept across the northern border. All twenty-five Daozhou prefectures in the north have fallen. At Mao Shi today, Lan Yu led his army to garrison at Beixia Pass!"
The north completely fallen!!
Silence descended upon the hall.
No one had anticipated the situation escalating to this point. The commander of the northern front had died on the battlefield, the north had successively fallen and become Qingxuan territory, and in the west, the Great Han Divine Dynasty, that insignificant force, had openly torn up the armistice treaty, resulting in the loss of three hundred cities in the west. This series of blows had greatly shocked the officials in the hall!
With the north fallen and the Qingxuan Immortal Dynasty's army converging, their next step would be to march towards the northern gate of Hengtian Palace. If this city were lost, the Qingxuan army could march south and directly into Hengtian Palace.
"Report! Great victory on the southern border! Great victory on the southern border!"
"Reporting to the Immortal Emperor! And Crown Prince! Grand General Yin Ze led the army and annihilated three million elite soldiers of the Zhulu Immortal Dynasty at Fengyue City. The Zhulu Immortal Dynasty's Grand Tutor, Zuo Yun Heng, was slain by the Grand General. The enemy army retreated, and King Sheng Shuo pursued the victory, recovering five Daozhou prefectures!"
"Excellent!"
The Hengtian Immortal Emperor was overjoyed and slammed the table. It was truly excellent! The successive military reports had cast a dark shadow over the entire hall. Now, the great victory in the south could compensate for the losses in the north.
"Immortal Emperor!"
"King Sheng Rong has died, the northern front has collapsed, and we have retreated a thousand miles. A million Qingxuan troops are pressing towards the northern gate. Your humble servant believes that the current situation requires a heavy blow with both fists!" Chancellor Gongsun spoke calmly and indifferently.
"What do you mean by a heavy blow with both fists?"
The Hengtian Immortal Emperor asked softly.
"I request to lead the northern front, gather another million troops, and block the Qingxuan army. The south is secured by King Sheng Shuo and the Grand General, so there should be no worries. As for the west, I believe that most of the generals at the Small Heavenly Venerable realm have already perished. We need a capable general to command that region to suppress the Great Han!"
Gongsun said loudly, kneeling on both knees, presenting his plea to the Emperor.
"Immortal Emperor, I second this!"
The officials looked serious and stepped forward, kneeling on both knees, agreeing with Chancellor Gongsun.
"The Great Han in the west are mere trifles, only needing a general to suppress them? Chancellor, my esteemed officials, do you have any suitable candidates?"
The Hengtian Immortal Emperor swept his gaze across the officials. There were truly few beings capable of commanding an entire region. The war had continued to this point, not only affecting Hengtian but also Qingxuan and Zhulu, who had suffered heavy losses. Now, they were all desperately depleting their resources, waiting to see who would collapse first.
Gongsun lowered his head, his expression solemn. At this point, who was left to bear such a heavy responsibility? The Grand Tutor and King Sheng Rong had both died, and the Grand General, Grand Censor, and King Sheng Shuo could not be moved.
"Immortal Emperor, this son is willing to go!"
Crown Prince Miao Yang stepped forward, kneeling on both knees. No one else in the court could be dispatched; all were tied down by Qingxuan and Zhulu.
"All officials, hear my decree!"
The Hengtian Immortal Emperor had no choice. At this juncture, he could not avoid the blame from the Hong family. He could only send troops to attack continuously. Only through offense might there be a way to survive.
"I decree that Chancellor Gongsun shall lead three million elites of Hengtian Palace to immediately proceed to the northern border, take command of the northern defense forces, guard the northern gate, and resist the Qingxuan Immortal Dynasty's southward advance!"
"I decree that Crown Prince Miao Yang shall lead two million Imperial Guards to immediately proceed to the western border, assume overall command of the western frontier troops, and shatter the Great Han Divine Dynasty's eastward expansion!"
As the Hengtian Immortal Emperor's voice echoed, two military tokens fell onto the table, into the hands of Chancellor Gongsun and Crown Prince Miao Yang.
These two decrees caused the civil and military officials in the hall to hold their breath. The Hengtian Immortal Dynasty, having grown strong under the favor of the Hong family, had long harbored the ambition to annex the Western frontier. Before the opening of Undying City, they had frequently mobilized troops, intending to sweep across the Qingxuan Immortal Dynasty and the Zhulu Immortal Dynasty.
No one had foreseen that the Great Han Divine Dynasty, a nation they had overlooked, was so powerful!
Their strength far surpassed their imagination!
The loss of the western frontier had thrown the entire Immortal Dynasty into panic. To stabilize the western border, they had continuously deployed troops and generals, resulting in the frenzied invasion by the Qingxuan and Zhulu Dynasties in the north and south. In just over ten days, they had lost forty Daozhou prefectures.
One wrong move!
The entire chessboard situation had become extremely passive! Sudancn.com
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"
Chancellor Gongsun and Crown Prince Miao Yang stepped forward, holding the military tokens in their hands, their faces solemn. Their missions were crucial to the future and destiny of the entire Hengtian.