In the northwest, Ningxia Commandery.
The Roman army was still fighting fiercely with the Wei army. The Wei army resisted with all their might, and the Roman army also fought to the death without retreating. The long siege and assault had not only exhausted the Wei army to the extreme but also left the Roman army completely drained.
The Roman army, still engaged in combat, suddenly showed signs of impetuousness, their formations beginning to waver.
"What's going on?" Vasily shouted, "Kill anyone who retreats without orders!"
"Marshal, it's not good, the enemy is charging! A large number of Wei troops!" a low-ranking general reported to Vasily.
"What?" Vasily looked up and saw dust flying and the roar of battle in the distance!
"Order the army to hold steady and have the cavalry on the flanks intercept them," Vasily commanded.
But it was too late. Formations were extremely important in the age of cold weapons. Moreover, due to the backwardness of command systems, once a formation was broken, it was difficult to reassemble it. This is why there is the saying that an army routed is like a mountain collapsing.
The Shuofang army, after a long march, finally arrived at Ningxia Commandery. After a period of rest, the Shuofang army took advantage of the Roman army's full assault on the city to launch a surprise attack on them.
Caught off guard, the Roman army was thrown into disarray. Even with the desperate efforts of generals like Vasily to stop them, they could not halt the rout.
Seeing this, the defending Wei troops on the city walls also sallied forth to pursue the Roman army. The defeat of the Romans was now inevitable.
...
In the state of Chu, Yanling.
The army led by Prince Shen was on the march. Yanling was located in a hilly area, making the roads difficult to traverse. The Chu army was also very large, causing them to move in a slow and drawn-out manner.
"Kill!"
Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted on the otherwise peaceful mountain road. A large number of Wei troops rushed out from the roadside, launching a flanking attack on the Chu army. The Chu army had not expected the Wei army to ambush them in this location.
The Chu army had always sent out scouts to patrol, and combined with reports from various regions, the nearest Wei troops were hundreds of miles away. Therefore, the Chu army had become complacent. They never expected to encounter Wei troops here, who should have been a hundred miles away.
Caught in the surprise attack, the Chu army fell into chaos. Furthermore, on these roads, the Chu army was strung out and could not form proper ranks, leaving them vulnerable to slaughter by the Wei army!
The elite army of Chu was thus annihilated, a piece of news that was undoubtedly a thunderclap to the state of Chu!
Originally, all their gambles had been placed on the path to annexing the state of Yue. However, they had not expected Yue to be so tenacious, resisting the Chu army for so long, and delaying until the Wei army began to attack Chu.
Chu found itself in a dilemma. They persisted in attacking Yue, allowing the Wei army to attack and seize territory within Chu. It was not until Chu could no longer endure that Prince Shen was recalled.
Unexpectedly, Prince Shen was ambushed by Lin Fan's army at Yanling, leading to the complete annihilation of his forces. This caused the Chu nobility to lay all the blame on the King of Chu. The internal conflicts within Chu, far from disappearing under external threats, instead intensified.
Amidst Chu's internal strife and external threats, the Wei army smoothly conquered the state of Chu.
Naturally, the hostility of the Chu people towards the Wei state persisted. Lin Fan's policy was to eliminate all Chu nobility, as these were the individuals posing the greatest threat to Wei.
As for the Chu populace, Wei imposed lighter labor taxes and benevolent policies to win them over, aiming for stability in the Chu region.
Although there were still some bumps along the way, the Chu region ultimately stabilized.
After Wei annexed Chu, Wei could truly be considered the foremost power in the realm, possessing the momentum to swallow up the world.
Following this, under the powerful offensive of the Wei army, the state of Yue, already severely weakened, was no longer able to resist. Even with Goujian's myriad strategies, he could only lament his helplessness against absolute power.
The state of Wu, meanwhile, remained inactive as the Wei army successively conquered Chu and Yue. By the time the Wei army began to plan its campaign against Wu, Wu had still not made up its mind.
Lin Fan recognized Wu's weakness and indecisiveness, and subsequently formulated a strategy of coercion supplemented by inducements for surrender.
Subsequently, under the military pressure and political persuasion of the Wei army, the Wu royal family voluntarily relinquished Wu's territories and ancestral temples and surrendered to Wei.
The states of Yan and Zhao, feeling an imminent threat, were compelled to form an alliance to counter Wei. However, this was merely a futile effort, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Lin Fan spent two years and finally annihilated the states of Zhao and Yan completely.
In the process of pacifying the realm, Lin Fan established immense prestige. Finally, supported by his soldiers, he donned the imperial yellow robe, replacing the previous young emperor.
Following this, Lin Fan led his armies on campaigns in all directions, conquering territories far exceeding those of the previous dynasty, and establishing a vast empire!