You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

"Let me see what's going on?"

Further examination of the map details revealed that a pagan city-state had actually submitted to the Great Qian Dynasty.

This defection itself was not the main issue; the real issue was that it launched a surprise attack from behind, breaching the banks of the Wangqing River, a tributary connecting Qingzhou to Wangjiang. This caused widespread flooding, landslides, and, combined with the high water season, made the river turbulent and blocked, rendering it unnavigable.

The supplies that could have been transported quickly were forced to stop, and cannot be supplied in the short term.

The tube has been removed.

Although Wangjiang City-State is one of the largest cities in the world, how can its resource endowment compare to that of a true great power? It was dumbfounded once its supply lines were cut off.

They have run out of food and the pressure is mounting.

"...Maybe they just picked this exact moment?"

Xia He saw it clearly: this city-state could have been won over much earlier, but instead, it chose to make a heavy bet after a long and drawn-out war had exhausted everyone. Wasn't that a form of internal attrition within the city-state?

It takes a lot of effort.

The hatred, conflicts, and contradictions left behind are countless and will become the arbitration space for the Great Qian Dynasty in the future.

The suzerain state just needs to act as a mediator and reconcile the conflict, giving a reward for each attack.

The Great Qian Dynasty is not afraid of their conflicts, but of them working together in harmony.

Feng Tianyin has plenty of time to wear down any potential centrifugal forces they might have in the future, and she will devour them sooner or later. The problem is that she needs to keep them in conflict in the early stages so that she can intervene as an external force.

She's beautiful but ruthless.

She had already planned the post-war arrangements before the war even began: the various city-states would scheme against each other while the Great Qian Dynasty would firmly maintain its position as the suzerain state.

"Therefore, from beginning to end, the city-state people destroyed their own city-state territory, so it was necessary to send officers, and the Great Qian Army was not used in the final battle."

The implication is that you should resolve the hatred internally.

The key point is to avoid getting involved in cause and effect.

Therefore, sending only a corps of officers led by Erbala was sufficient.

Xia He understood the obvious truth; surely the city-state could too? But it was meaningless. The pressure from the Great Qian Dynasty was undeniable; the only option left was to get on board, to get on the big ship.

The temple's higher-ups had them all under their control.

The people in the Imperial Study were all ruthless and rational political creatures; they had calculated everything, and their overwhelming force was simply unstoppable. They could only obey orders, just as Erbala had now organized a coalition army of 3 city-states.

They've massed their troops.

Xia He glanced over and saw entries like "Conscript" and "Imperial Soldier" accompanied by low status...

It's passable.

Of course, the opponents weren't much better, as they had 35000 people and were of even lower quality.

"This is the excellent matching mechanism in the southern part of the plains."

In a sense, she understood why Feng Tianyin didn't send Daqian generals anymore. On the one hand, they were too politically driven, and on the other hand, they were suited to high-quality soldiers.

What would happen if the Great Qian General came?

That would turn into something like, "I thought you would understand," "Didn't anyone teach you this?" or "Why can't you do this or that?"

They couldn't coordinate at all, but Erbala, who was used to leading barbarian soldiers, was more compatible and could understand each other's thought processes.

Xia He put aside her thoughts and began to focus on the battlefield.

rumble.

War drums thundered, and dust billowed across the plains in front of Wangjiang City, where armies crisscrossed. The two sides were locked in a stalemate, poised for battle. The key to this battle was simple: annihilate the enemy's manpower.

The main force of the heretical city-state alliance is located here, led by Lin Jian, also known as the "Wandering Python".

The elite personal guards served as the front ranks, while the recruits served as the rear ranks.

As expected, when Xia He looked at both sides, they were about the same. Given the insufficient quality of the soldiers, this was the only way to deploy them. Otherwise, if the front line scattered, it would bring down the entire army.

The allied forces of the believer city-states were naturally commanded by the Great Khan.

Leading so many soldiers for the first time, he was filled with high spirits and excitement, and vaguely sensed a glimmer of spiritual energy...

Is He watching?

I don't know, but Erbala already understands that this is the battle that will be the pinnacle of his life.

He raised his command flag high: "Charge!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the formation of thousands of troops roared and thundered. The archers on both sides were the first to attack. However, the crossbows sent by Daqian were superior in all aspects, with high-angle parabolic shots and fast firing rates. In the blink of an eye, they formed a dark cloud.

The believer city-state army charged through a hail of enemy arrows, but returned the attack with even greater precision and ferocity.

Click!

The sight of people falling one after another around Lin Jian caused him to frown slightly.

No, these weapons are different. It's probably the Great Qian Dynasty pulling the strings again, just like how they recently turned a city-state against its will. There's no going back now, so we have to fight.

"Prepare to meet the enemy and move closer to me."

Hearing his voice, everyone felt a little relieved, suppressed their fear, gripped their weapons tightly, and felt the rumbling earth beneath their feet.

"Raise your spear—"

However, unexpectedly, the enemy's first wave of cavalry charges immediately dispersed, and the situation of the frontal charge suddenly changed as they attacked from the flanks in two separate directions.

For a moment, it was puzzling, and there was a feeling that something had been plotted against them.

From God's perspective, Xia He was fully visible, but in reality, a cavalry unit was approaching from behind.

Moreover, there were also ships carrying another batch of reinforcements on the river... This was a systematic operation, with multiple branches of the armed forces working together, reaching a consensus on the timetable, and pressing forward as quickly as possible.

From beginning to end, they have been at odds with the entire transportation system that Daqian has cultivated.

boom!

The infidel coalition, whose flanks were being harassed, had their formation loosened and finally developed a gap under the strain.

The believers on the front lines mobilized upon hearing the news.

They charged forward in a swarm, fearless even as they were engulfed by spears. It was less a battle and more a matter of overwhelming the front ranks with sheer numbers. The soldiers in the back ranks clearly witnessed the "sea of ​​people" surging towards them.

Similarly, this offensive also resulted in the loss of a large number of veterans.

"Now both sides' front lines are severely weakened, and we've entered the most brutal stage of comparing new recruits. Whoever has the lowest floor will lose."

Xia He witnessed it with great interest.

If the entire war in the southern part of the Great Plains was full of intrigue and open schemes, with strategic deployments, cognitive warfare, and operations behind enemy lines... then this is now the most open and aboveboard cavalry battle.

In tactical confrontations, no means are spared, relying solely on direct strength.

But reality is never fair.

Soon, reinforcements, a new cavalry corps, arrived downstream, becoming the most significant factor in their attack. The thunderous roar of their horses shook the very souls of the infidel city-state coalition, filling them with dread.

Xia He watched helplessly as the enemy's morale plummeted: "The outcome is already decided."

The situation in the field has become clear.

Since it was the home ground of the relatively pagan city-state alliance, they could retreat back into the Wangjiang city walls, so they had already begun to retreat.

The side with a way out tends to fall into disarray faster; it's better to be the one that goes all in.

Xia He clearly saw the [Morale -20%] status.

It's a testament to Lin Jian's skill that the army didn't collapse on the spot. Expecting an offensive is impossible now; all they can do is defend with all their might. If they expose any weaknesses, they might even face annihilation.

boom!

Suddenly, another group of infidels appeared at the front of the army, the result of the subsequent cavalry charge.

They couldn't withstand the pressure.

It wasn't just this cavalry unit; the left and right flanks that had split off earlier were also fighting fiercely. Erbala, who was charging at the forefront, had several arrows stuck in his body, his armor was torn and tattered from being hacked, and he was covered in blood. It seemed that he had even changed his horse...

Thanks to his valiant charge, the believers' cavalry performed exceptionally well.

"A bunch of cowards, haha."

Erbala charged headlong into the center of the formation, only to be met by Lin Jian, who thrust out a spear in response. The two passed each other in an instant, their weapons clashing several times.

The resulting shockwave briefly cleared the space within a ten-meter radius.

Even Xia He, who was watching the game, was impressed.

The two were fighting at a pace almost as fast as if they were using their own combat modules. They were undoubtedly at the pinnacle of their era, exchanging dozens of blows in the blink of an eye. Their stamina alone was practically superhuman. Truly renowned powerhouses, worthy of being called legends.

pity.

On one side was the battered and bruised Great Khan, and on the other was the River Python, who was considering retreating. They could not fight to the death.

Some people have already disobeyed Lin Jian's orders and retreated towards Wangjiang City.

For the allied forces of the believers' city-states, this also added an additional task:

Pursuit.

The current results are not enough; we must expand them and not let this main force go easily.

Lin Jian, who also understood the principle, turned his horse around and began to gather his troops. If he did not personally take command, it could easily cause a stampede, resulting in a large number of non-combat casualties.

"Damn it, they got away!"

"Your Majesty, do not pursue. Let's bandage your wound first."

"There's no time for that. Continue fighting and pursuing."

Having made up his mind, Erbala led his cavalry to a full assembly with a death-defying will, and charged headlong into the direction the enemy was retreating, causing the earth to shake.

The entire army was terrified.

Terrified by the believers' army's terrifying willpower, they fled in even greater disarray, abandoning their armor and weapons.

Xia He also saw that the enemy's morale had reached the critical point of -51%, which directly meant that they were beginning to collapse and flee. Indeed, the originally dense and tightly packed army immediately dispersed.

Even with her micro-management skills, it's difficult to stop a fight that's gone this far.

Moreover, the infidel city-state alliance was not under the control of the Heavenly Dao, so the rout spread rapidly, and the situation that Lin Jian least wanted to see still occurred. Large-scale trampling was spreading rapidly.

Some unfortunate people who fell were trampled to death, their bodies crushed into mud.