Lord of the Desert

Chapter 568 Suspended Fortress

People's impression of northern Xinjiang is ice and snow, but ice and snow are not eternal in northern Xinjiang.

Starting in February, temperatures along the Linghe River rise, ice cracks like thunder, and ice jams are fierce; in March, the snow melts at the beacon towers, migratory birds return north, and seedlings turn green; in April, the beginning of summer arrives, rain showers come and go quickly, and sunshine gradually increases.

By the end of spring, all of Gu Diao's remains had been sold off, and Hong Fan exchanged them for thousands of new-style muskets, six 33mm cannons, training subsidies for five thousand people, and eggs, milk, fish, and meat for the entire army to enjoy daily.

During the first two months of summer, Xu Yuntao trained new recruits without regard for ammunition consumption, familiarizing them with new equipment and tactics. By May, many young soldiers had even undergone a second growth spurt due to the high-intensity training and ample nutrition, and had to buy new clothes.

On the 21st day of the fifth lunar month, the handle of the Big Dipper points south, marking the summer solstice.

In the early morning, a brief shower dissipated the leaden clouds that had been obscuring the sky.

Four thousand elite troops gathered inside the beacon tower and, smelling the faint scent of mud after the rain, went out of the city for a drill.

This kind of live-fire training exercise had happened many times before, and neither soldiers nor civilians were particularly interested in it; however, no one expected that after marching eastward for two hours, the higher command would suddenly order the exercise to be turned into a real battle, and to immediately launch a surprise attack on Xuandanbao to the north.

Once the arrow has been shot, discussing whether it was accurate or not is superfluous.

Three days later, in the evening.

Wangqingqiu is located 30 li south of Xuandanbao.

Hong Fan stood atop the hill and nodded to Wang Xiaodan and Song Qiwu, who arrived shortly after him.

Nearly ten thousand allied troops from the three cities of Zuowei met amidst the endless green grass and marched northwards towards the indigo blue sky, their steps piercing the fiery sunset.

Before nightfall, the scout teams, including martial artists, dispersed to provide final cover on the battlefield and minimize the enemy's reaction time.

After advancing another twenty li north, the entire army set up camp at night, prepared food at dawn, and set out at the beginning of Chenshi (7:00 AM).

The sunlight was dazzling, and the atmosphere was clear and bright.

Xuandanbao is situated against a mountain and is named after the mountain. The open-air area is about a mile square and is several tens of meters higher than the plain at the foot of the mountain.

Unlike typical human fortresses, the giants do not build walls or houses—they are impervious to wind and rain and have no need for such things—only open, sheltered areas are filled with temporary tents where stone slave workers live.

"A total of 7,231 people. Considering those left behind at the camp and those scouts scattered elsewhere, the total number should be over 9,000."

Standing at a high vantage point, Shatterlight scans the enemy lines with its unique, high-precision optical observation capabilities.

"The fact that we didn't receive any advance notice of such a large-scale military mobilization suggests that there might be a problem with our intelligence network."

"I can confirm that the intelligence network in Wolfspine City was still operating normally last month, so it may not be due to negligence on Lord Chen's side."

The Beehive Corridor is responsible for external liaison.

"With four thousand men equipped with firearms, they must be the Crimson Sand Army of Fengsui City. The general in the gold and red cloak is undoubtedly the most famous martial arts genius of the human race in this era—Blazing Star Hong Fan."

"They truly lived up to their reputation, delivering an excellent surprise attack right from their arrival."

Shuoshui strode over and stood alongside his colleagues, praising them.

It was late last night that Xuandanbao realized something was wrong—at that time, Shuoshui, the military commander, discovered that four scout teams on routine patrols had not returned on time—by the time the enemy situation was confirmed and the message was sent out, it was almost dawn.

But the giants were not alarmed.

“Song Qiwu and Wang Xiaodan are old acquaintances; according to the news from Snowman City, Hong Fan once fought Huo Wei to a draw and has the combat power of a Yuan Magnet level martial artist.”

The honeycomb pattern was explained.

"If that's all there is to it, they won't be able to win this battle."

Shuoshui confidently replied, while simultaneously using the light screen to command over a hundred giant spirits to disperse and defend inside and outside the fortress.

"Of course it's not just that, otherwise they wouldn't have come."

The shattered light returned.

"The enemy must have something to rely on, which must be firearms."

"Like the one in Zhanzhou? I heard that in humid weather, half of them won't even fire."

Shuoshui disdains it.

"No, I've gathered and compiled information from Liangzhou. It's said that various firearms, though of different calibers, are all extremely powerful, disrupting the balance of power in the battle against the snake people."

The bee pattern corrected. "That's perfect. Before the sacrificial war, we should try out the latest human tactics."

Shuoshui's gaze swept over the twelve heavy cannons in the Chisha army, and he issued the final battle preparation order.

The spiritual energy circuits within the Suspended Gallbladder Fortress briefly lit up, and the surrounding innate spiritual energy suddenly thinned out.

Guided and coordinated by dozens of giant spirits, six layers of earthen walls, each three to five meters high, rose up on the mountain path, their outer surfaces then covered with dense, sharp thorns.

Crevice in the ground, rock spikes, and heavy crossbows pushed into position by mortal stone slaves...

Three miles away, in front of the attacking army's formation.

Hong Fan gazed at the dazzling spectrum emitted by the giant spirit on the mountaintop, regretting that his side could not decipher this "language".

Fortunately, the intelligence work of Zhenbeiwei was no less effective.

When the allied forces of the three cities appeared at the foot of Xuandan Mountain, four spies had already escaped by various means, and they were now compiling intelligence.

"There are over two hundred giants in total, including three 'Ancient Ones'."

The "Ancient Ones" are a tier above the Great Awakeners among the Giants, representing those who have lived through a long lifespan and have developed highly specialized body circuits.

Although it is difficult to directly compare with human warriors, it at least has the combat power of the innate level.

"The total number of stone slaves is about 2,600, of which more than 400 are warriors."

"There's also the Three-Headed Beast King, who manages a herd of over a thousand moose, providing food for the stone slaves while also undertaking heavy physical labor..."

As information from within Xuandan Fortress was gradually gathered, the generals from Duanhong and Zongjun cities on the temporary command platform grew increasingly solemn.

Compared to the Red Sand Army, they received the secret order later, and therefore fewer of them ultimately went into battle.

At this time, the allied forces included two star lords, Hong Fan and Song Qiwu, with a total of eight warriors of innate or higher strength and more than 7,000 soldiers. Although they were all elites, their total combat strength was no match for the enemy.

Considering that the enemy is on the defensive while we are on the offensive, this battle is likely to end in more defeats than victories.

"More than two hundred giant spirits...?"

Song Qiwu gritted his teeth and muttered to himself.

In the silence, the officers couldn't help but glance at Hong Fan.

Clearly, the General's Mansion had no reason to order everyone to fight a battle they were destined to lose, and upon reflection, the only variable at this point was the personal combat strength of the Allied Commander.

Wang Xiaodan had witnessed firsthand just how strong Hong Fan was—not counting flying, he could easily take on three of him at the same time.

But there were only three.

"The pressure of a strong attack will be immense."

Song Qiwu spoke with a stern tone.

"Now that the snow has melted, the garrison inside the fort must fetch water from the snowmelt river at the foot of the mountain. We can surround them without attacking and wear them down for a while."

"I'm afraid the news of the battle at Xuandan Fortress has already spread last night."

Xu Yuntao said.

"We'd better take it within three days, or reinforcements could arrive at any time."

What he said was certainly true—the many fortresses of the Giant Spirit were scattered along the line of Hezhou, Qingzhou, and Hejian Kingdom, watching out for and helping each other, and a change in one would affect the whole.

But how could Song Qiwu not know these "common sense" facts?

His plan was simply to wait for enemy reinforcements to arrive, and then use that as a pretext to retreat.

"So you mean we have to resort to force?"

Song Qiwu looked at Xu Yuntao.

"Do you Liangzhou people fight like this when you encounter snake people?"

His questioning already revealed anger.

(End of this chapter)