Chapter 558: Crushing Defeat—The Player Becomes the Pawn |
Cai Qiuhu's strength escalated in sync with his level of frenzy.
His body radiated a layer of golden light, which then rapidly expanded, transforming him into a thirty-zhang giant in an instant. The green executioner's blade in his hand enlarged proportionally.
The blade, which had been locked with Xia Hong's, surged down like a crashing tidal wave as Cai Qiuhu roared and increased his force, instantly forcing Xia Hong to retreat repeatedly with a loud crash!
"Keep charging! The Xia troops haven't arrived yet! Cross the north bank!"
Cai Qiuhu had not yet been blinded by rage.
After manifesting his thirty-zhang Golden Battle Body, he did not continue hovering in the air. Instead, he stepped directly into the gully at the valley mouth. The intense Fire Tribulation Qi emanating from him released scorching high temperatures, instantly evaporating the little water that was in the gully.
With He Yang's water-manipulation trick blocking it, there truly wasn't much water in the gully.
From the moment Xia Hong appeared, the temperature inside and outside the valley mouth had risen sharply. At the same time, He Yang's trickery techniques had completely failed. Without his obstruction, water naturally began to gush violently into the gully.
However, the artificial channel dug by Xiang Liang and the rebels had taken too little time after all, and its scale was simply too small. It was utterly unrealistic to expect it to completely fill the gully outside the valley mouth in a short time.
His order for the army to speed up and charge out of the gully was enough to show that although Cai Qiuhu's emotions were running wild, his mind was still clear.
While giving orders to the army, Cai Qiuhu did not press his advantage against Xia Hong. Instead, he stood right in the gully, using his Fire Tribulation Qi to resist the water flow while glaring fixedly at Xia Hong, clearly worried that he would interfere with the army's advance.
"Roar..."
However, Xia Hong merely gave a slight, disdainful twitch at the corner of his mouth. He had no intention of going down to tangle with him. With just a light wave of his hand, five Beast Emperor-level puppets—one tiger, two snakes, and two Azure-Eyed Fire Qilins—plummeted from mid-air, heading straight for Cai Qiuhu.
His strength still had a bit of a gap compared to Cai Qiuhu's. In the previous battle with Cai Qianshan, the heavy injuries were feigned, but he had indeed sustained some real wounds. Naturally, he wouldn't engage Cai Qiuhu in a one-on-one fight now.
Five Beast Emperor-level puppets were more than enough to give Cai Qiuhu a serious headache.
With the appearance of the five Beast Emperors, Cai Qiuhu's pressure indeed multiplied. The high-pressure Fire Tribulation Qi he had been maintaining also began to wane. As it weakened, the water level in the gully immediately began to rise at an extremely rapid pace.
"Faster, even faster! The rebels on the north bank have already been beaten back! Once we break out, we'll be safe! Quick, quick, quick!"
Several commanding officers from Caiqiu shouted urgent orders from the north bank. The officers' strength was considerably higher than that of the ordinary soldiers, so they had naturally already charged out of the gully first. They were also well aware that the hundred thousand Xia troops would arrive soon, so every second counted now.
The five thousand elite troops of Caiqiu were undeniably capable. Earlier, with the assistance of Cai Qiuhu and the other experts, most of them had already broken out of the gully. After Cai Qiuhu manifested his Golden Battle Body, they charged forward desperately. Before the water level had even risen past their ankles, they had all broken out of the gully, pushing the rebels back step by step. In less than several dozen breaths, they had firmly secured the north bank.
Cai Qiuhu's Golden Battle Body continuously released Fire Tribulation Qi, madly evaporating the water in the gully, preventing the water level from rising. Subsequently, Caiqiu's main force of one hundred and forty thousand troops also began to pour into the gully in succession, starting to wade across and charge onto the north bank.
Although the main force of one hundred and forty thousand troops was numerous, under the constant urging of the high-ranking officers, their wading speed was astonishingly fast. In less than a quarter of an hour, nearly half had already descended into the gully, and those who had ascended the north bank were even approaching ten thousand.
Logically, once the entire main force had crossed the gully, completely repelled the rebels, and secured the north bank, this gully would transform into Caiqiu's strongest weapon for blocking the hundred thousand Xia troops.
However, seeing this scene of excellent prospects, Cai Qiuhu, who was entangled with the Beast Emperor puppets, showed not a hint of joy on his face. Instead, his pupils were filled with gloom and alarm, clearly having thought of something terrible.
"The Great Xia has fourteen Beast Emperor-level puppets. Why would Xia Hong only release five to deal with me? Is his ability waning, or is it intentional..."
*Clang...*
The green executioner's blade swept through the air, sending an Azure-Eyed Fire Qilin flying. After fending off two other puppets in succession, this thought flashed through Cai Qiuhu's mind. He took a moment to glance up at the sky. Seeing Xia Hong's expressionless face hovering in mid-air, his entire breathing froze.
The answer was actually already quite obvious!
If his father and uncle had not seriously injured Xia Hong, how could Xia Hong's ability be waning?
Him only deploying five puppets was clearly a deliberate move to allow part of Caiqiu's army to charge into the gully. But why do that?
"Loose arrows!"
A high-pitched command sounded from the rear. Cai Qiuhu shuddered violently, turning his head to look behind him. Instantly, his eyes widened with rage to the extreme.
A thick blanket of white mist had, at some unknown time, pressed right up against the very rear of the Caiqiu army. As that command to loose arrows rang out, a sky-blotting curtain of crossbow bolts formed from within the white mist and directly pressed down upon the rear ranks of the Caiqiu army.
The Great Xia's function of suppressing trickery only targeted others. The Xia army side could still use trickery. This sight-blocking dense fog had already appeared once before at Donggu City—it was Luo Yuan's Strange Fog barrier.
The Xia troops had actually been right on their heels all along! Their prolonged absence earlier was entirely deliberate! They were waiting for part of Caiqiu's soldiers to enter the gully. This way, the number of troops remaining inside the valley would be significantly reduced. With a numerical advantage, the charging Xia troops could ensure absolute success!
By the time Cai Qiuhu realized this now, it was already far, far too late...
"Turn and face the enemy! The Xia troops are here!"
"Face the enemy? Nearly half our men are already in the gully! How do we face the enemy? Hurry up and charge down into the gully! Once we're on the north bank, we'll be safe!"
"What about the brothers in the rear ranks? The valley mouth is too narrow! We can't get down that fast!"
………………
As the sky-blotting curtain of arrows from the Xia army descended, the Caiqiu officers immediately panicked. Some thought they should continue descending into the gully and charge to the north bank, while others believed they should turn and face the enemy. They couldn't even reach a consensus.
Under normal circumstances, if opinions couldn't be unified, they could simply discuss it further.
But what kind of critical moment was this right now?
The Xia troops were already pressing against their faces. At such a critical juncture, if opinions weren't unified, would the enemy wait for them?
"Rear army, loose arrows! Shoot the enemy in the pits! Vanguard, charge and attack!"
This time, it was Xia Hong himself who spoke.
His voice carried a thick, murderous intent. Upon hearing it, the hundred thousand Xia troops instantly seemed as if injected with adrenaline. The vanguard surged forward like a tide, while the rear army, whether drawing bows or operating crossbows, began swinging their arms wildly.
In the first half of the night, during the great battle south of the Bone-Erosion Path, although the Xia army achieved a great victory, their casualties were far from light. Looking back at all the past battles of Great Xia, such large-scale casualties had never occurred before.
"The lives of the Xia people are precious"—this was never an empty phrase!
Since the implementation of the Combining Soldiers and Hunters system in Great Xia, soldiers, except during leave periods, had always eaten, lived, and fought together. The bonds between soldiers of the same team or battalion were even stronger than those between blood brothers. Some soldiers who had lost comrades-in-arms in the first half of the night, now having a chance for revenge, their fervor in charging and killing was **imaginable**.
Of course, the most crucial factor was that victory was right before their eyes!
The Southern Foothills were already settled. For the Xia army, this battle was already considered an expedition.
For an army, victory is the best stimulant. The series of consecutive victories in the Southern Foothills, coupled with last night's frontal defeat of Caiqiu at the southern exit, had raised the morale of the Xia army to an incomparably high level at this moment.
Caiqiu's total defeated army of one hundred and fifty thousand had less than twenty thousand who had charged onto the north bank. Nearly half were currently down in the gully. Those remaining inside the valley mouth totaled less than seventy thousand altogether.
Seventy thousand against one hundred thousand—in theory, it was a fight they could put up. Considering that Caiqiu bore the name of a feudal town, in the past, these seventy thousand troops might not have even regarded the hundred thousand Xia troops as a threat.
However, the disastrous defeat at the southern exit had occurred less than half a night ago. While a single defeat wouldn't make all Caiqiu soldiers develop a shadow over the Xia army, it had stripped them of their previous confidence. At the very least, when facing the Xia army now, they held no psychological advantage whatsoever.
With no psychological advantage, the water level in the northern gully was rising higher and higher, already submerging the chests of many soldiers. Commander-in-Chief Cai Qiuhu was firmly trapped in the gully by five Beast Emperor puppets, and many Sun Manifestation Level experts were also entangled by Xia army elites.
Soldiers have eyes. They also judge the prospects based on the battlefield situation. At this moment, Caiqiu clearly presented the appearance of a major defeat. Anyone could see it, and they were no exception.
Instantly, despair reached its peak in the hearts of the Caiqiu soldiers.
With one side waning and the other waxing, the outcome of the clash between the two armies naturally goes without saying.
The Caiqiu army had earlier abandoned their Equipment and Supplies to increase speed, but the Xia troops chasing from behind had not. They had everything—bows, arrows, Divine Machine Crossbows, spirit pills—and had even temporarily swapped their weapons and armor for the least damaged batches.
*Thud...*
Dozens of Xia army flag officers plunged like sharp swords deep into the Caiqiu army formation. Over ten Sun Manifestation Level experts descended from the sky, firmly planting the banners into the ground.
Once the banners were planted, the Xia troops had a direction. Instantly, they charged forward like sharp blades, killing towards the soldiers at the very rear of the Caiqiu ranks.
This was no longer a clash of titans; it almost became a one-sided slaughter and crushing defeat. The Xia troops surged into the valley mouth like starving wolves, forcing the Caiqiu army to scatter continuously towards both sides. The ground was instantly stained red with blood.
The despairing Caiqiu soldiers began to resist desperately, but whether in numbers, strength, or morale, they were far, far behind the Xia troops.
"Roar!"
Six Beast Emperor puppets pounced down fiercely from the mountain slopes on both sides of the valley mouth. They did not head for Cai Qiuhu in the gully, but instead charged towards the Caiqiu army formation inside the valley mouth.
This feast of slaughter was only now truly beginning.
*Splash, splash, splash, splash...*
Cai Qiuhu turned his head and saw soldiers dying continuously. A look of ashen defeat instantly flashed across his face. Whether it was because he was being pressed too hard by the five Beast Emperors, or because his heart had already sunk into complete despair, his expression even began to grow somewhat dazed.
The sound of massive rushing water came from the east, but Cai Qiuhu no longer had the heart to look. While entangled with the five Beast Emperors, his Fire Tribulation Qi had also been sustained for so long that he was already somewhat unable to hold on.
As his Fire Tribulation Qi weakened, the evaporation rate of the water in the pits instantly slowed. Naturally, the water level began to rise rapidly.
Once the water level rose, the fate of the Caiqiu soldiers who hadn't yet managed to charge out of the pits was **imaginable**.
"The water's coming! The water's coming! Get out! Don't block the way!"
"The Xia troops behind are about to kill their way to the bank! Run! Run!"
"The water level is rising so fast! Run! Get out of here now!"
"Don't block the way up front! Hurry!"
"Run..."
………………
In the Ice Abyss, bodies of water were more dangerous than land. This led to the vast majority of people being landlubbers, with an innate fear of water deep in their hearts.
Those at the Warmth Realm could control their skin membrane and flesh, so they wouldn't drown, but when surging water rushed over, instinctual fear was triggered. Soldiers whose formation was already in disarray became even more mentally chaotic.
For a time, despondency, curses, and roars filled the entire pits. Driven by the will to survive, some even began to turn on their own comrades.
"A defeated army is like a collapsing mountain... a collapsing mountain... My Caiqiu army has actually been beaten to this state... beaten to this state... It's over, it's over, it's over..."
*Thud!*
In a moment of distraction, Cai Qiuhu was directly slapped down by an Azure-Eyed Fire Qilin. In his despair, he no longer stayed in the pits. Instead, he flew up and stood in mid-air, looking down at his own soldiers displaying their wretched states in the rushing water. He muttered to himself, his voice filled with pain and despair.
The Little Fang Bo who, just a few days ago, had conversed confidently with Xia Hong, his brow filled with confidence, now only had desolation and despair left.
Thinking of the war in Linchu County, rage surged in Cai Qiuhu's heart. A faint sweetness even rose in his throat; he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Once the war in Linchu County started, he and his father and uncle, Cai Qianshan, had already guessed that the Xia army and Chencang were most likely in collusion.
Chencang's hundred thousand troops had clearly already marched south from the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor, yet Great Xia had only targeted Caiqiu from start to finish. Xia Hong hadn't left Jinyang for a moment either. This could only prove that Chencang's hundred thousand troops either hadn't moved at all, or hadn't seriously attacked Great Xia and were just putting on a show.
It was just a guess before, but upon learning that Chencang had sent troops to Linchu County, that guess was completely confirmed.
Under the current circumstances, Caiqiu had been schemed against by both Great Xia and Chencang!
As one of the Four Feudatories of Mo'ao Chuan, Caiqiu was originally a genuine player on the board. From beginning to end, he and his father and uncle had been thinking about how to better compete with Chencang for interests in the Southern Foothills, to destroy Great Xia and split the Southern Foothills with Chencang. That was the result he and his father and uncle had anticipated.
The scene before him not only slapped him and his father and uncle hard in the face but also turned Caiqiu into a complete laughingstock.
What kind of player was Caiqiu?
It had clearly already become a pawn, to be kneaded and manipulated by Great Xia and Chencang as they pleased!
"Losing Evergreen Valley means our southern gateway is left with only Qinghua City. Losing the Linchu highlands means we've lost our western barrier. Chencang, holding the high ground, can attack whenever they wish. Caiqiu has no more chance to compete for hegemony. From now on, we can only ally with other outer feudatories for self-preservation. Everything is over, everything is over..."
Cai Qiuhu kept muttering 'it's over' under his breath. As his fighting spirit dissipated, he could no longer maintain his Golden Battle Body. His form slowly shrank, and he only defended against the Beast Emperor puppets' attacks in a numb manner.
Since the implementation of the Combining Soldiers and Hunters system in Great Xia, soldiers, except during leave periods, had always eaten, lived, and fought together. The bonds between soldiers of the same team or battalion were even stronger than those between blood brothers. Some soldiers who had lost comrades-in-arms in the first half of the night, now having a chance for revenge, charged and killed with a fervor that was easy to imagine.
"Little Fang Bo, as long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn! The situation is different now! The Xia army is overwhelmingly powerful today. Retreat first! Once we regroup the army in the future, we can fight our way back!"
"My lord, the Fang Bo is currently resisting Chencang in Linchu County! Our Caiqiu still has hundreds of thousands of troops! Why fear Great Xia? We must not lose our fighting spirit!"
"Little Fang Bo, let's go! Evergreen Valley isn't lost yet! Great Xia's troop numbers are far inferior to ours in Caiqiu! The army from Qinghua City will arrive soon! Once we reorganize the army, we can still hold Evergreen Valley!"
……………………
The comforting words from several Caiqiu officers finally pulled Cai Qiuhu's mindset back. His body suddenly jolted. Raising his head to look at Xia Hong in the sky above, a flicker of fighting spirit reignited in his pupils.