You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

It's too awful.

This devastation hastened their collapse, especially given Erbala's repeated attempts to break through their lines, and fear swept through the area.

A total of 35000 people declared defeat.

She witnessed the chaos from several first-person perspectives, a scene of flying sand and broken battle flags. The army of over ten thousand was too large; she was overwhelmed and disoriented, yet the banner of the Great Qian Dynasty still pointed resolutely towards the enemy.

The soldiers relentlessly pursued the enemy in the indicated direction, leaving countless corpses along the way.

The army was defeated like a mountain.

Before they could even reach Wangjiang City, most of them were wiped out, either dying on the spot or suffering serious injuries. The vast majority were actually lost in repeated trampling, which is truly lamentable.

Erbala led his army all the way to the city gate before stopping.

"A bunch of trash, nothing special."

After letting out a laugh, he finally relaxed and almost fell off his horse, but fortunately his adjutant beside him caught him in time.

"Sir, your injuries are too severe. If you don't receive treatment soon, I'm afraid..."

“It’s alright, I can feel Him watching. This is not bad as my last battle… Let’s go back, I can hold on until I get back.”

Erbala, covered in blood, gazed at the sky.

old.

My experience and skills are increasing, but unfortunately my body is exhausted and my ability to withstand blows is weakened. In the past, this kind of injury would have been insignificant. Oh well, it probably all had to come to an end eventually, and this battle is just right.

Xia He did indeed witness the departure of the heroic and powerful [Great Khan], who was in a state where his days were numbered.

Another iconic figure of an era is about to exit the stage of history.

This battle is a decent way to conclude the story.

Although many defeated soldiers appeared to have taken refuge within the city walls, they were actually afflicted with negative debuffs such as [Aura of Fear], [Defeatism], and [Lack of Spirit], leaving the impression that the Great Qian Dynasty was invincible.

If the enemy only sent one feudal lord and they were already defeated like this, what about regular troops and generals?

Moreover, this group is unlikely to amount to anything; their morale has been shattered, and even if they were reorganized, they would at best serve as garrison troops or auxiliary soldiers.

They no longer meet the requirements of a regular army, let alone elite troops.

A complete defeat.

Looking around, Xia He saw that the pagan city-state alliance had lost its backbone. In fact, the damage was far more severe than it appeared. It was impossible for them to organize a decent army in two generations. Moreover, the river connecting them to Qingzhou was still blocked and difficult to dredge.

"Now is the window of opportunity, we must seize it."

"...However, for evil spirits like you, this is a window of opportunity, isn't it?"

A pollution warning appeared in sight; the large-scale deaths had finally attracted the attention of the subspace, which was quietly watching.

"Behave yourself."

Xia He's gaze fell on the weak point of the present world, and the other party quickly shrank back, afraid of being attacked.

In truth, she wouldn't do anything proactively; there was no need to interfere with the trials that belonged to the Great Qian Dynasty. It was the subspace that overreacted. Of course, to put it bluntly, it can currently only infiltrate the mortal world with unconscious, hazy malevolent thoughts.

Even if they want to stay quiet, they will instinctively spread pollution.

Due to the frequent wars, the pollution that has accumulated over the past year may cause some changes, so Xia He decided to observe more during this period and also see how the war ends.

Have the believer city-states begun to withdraw their troops voluntarily?

Such a decisive action even surprised her slightly; she was not reluctant to fight and was even unwilling to spend more military funds on stationing troops.

The expenses for the food, drink, and toilet needs of 3 people are considerable, and waste of funds is inevitable.

It was Feng Tianyin who gave the order.

She has already begun the final stages of her work: to use this victory to sow discord and create even greater gains. The first move has already been made: yet another infidel city-state has announced its withdrawal from the war.

He also publicly expressed his desire to join the Great Qian Dynasty, serve the High Priest as his master, and guard the southern border of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Xia He watched as the colors of several city-states rapidly changed, and she knew perfectly well what was going on:

A new order was ushered in on the blessed plains of the south.

Chapter 123 The Eve of the Eighth Festival (6K)

We must pay attention to frontal operations, but we cannot neglect operations behind enemy lines.

After witnessing the heretical city-state change color on the spot, Xia He realized that it was Feng Tianyin's doing behind the scenes. The groundwork had been laid long ago, and all that was needed was a fuse:

victory.

They'll help whoever wins.

It's difficult in theory, requiring early cultivation of powerful figures like merchants and landlords to align themselves with the Great Qian, and then, when necessary, to advocate surrender and seize power. It's also easy in theory, as a single victory can solve everything.

For example, if the conversion rate was previously "70%", now it can be directly "100%" loyalty.

The Great Qian Dynasty is the true home of these city-states, and the High Priest is the only true Heaven.

They were completely subdued.

The war situation was very clear, and Xia He saw it from a cold, hard numerical perspective. In reality, it was even more impactful to the people of the various city-states in the southern region. Everything spoke of defeat.

From the Wangjiang battlefield onwards, corpses littered the ground.

People kept carrying away one corpse after another, and there wasn't enough time to deal with them all. To avoid the spread of the plague, they had to be burned on the spot.

The corpses, piled up like a small hill, reeked of blood, their wounds still congealed, and crows were already gnawing on their eyeballs… Before they could feast for long, dry grass and other flammable materials were stuffed into the mound of corpses, and then a fire was lit. Whoosh!

The heatwave rolled in, black smoke billowed, and in an instant, the smell of smoke and the stench of corpses mingled together and swept over the area.

Human beings' biological instincts alert their companions to leave quickly.

This kind of deep-seated terror is the most intense, but people can only force themselves to continue dealing with it, swallowing it down along with emotions such as sadness and regret.

Some family members who came to claim the deceased's belongings burst into tears.

Both sides sent people out to clean up the battlefield, without any conflict or friction; they ignored each other. It was almost entirely a monotonous, mechanical repetition of procedures, with no one wanting to say a word…

At the same time, a large number of priests came to pray and purify.

Pollution is decreasing.

Xia He felt relieved after seeing the notification, and also helped to clean up some of the pollution that might have caused a chain reaction.

She certainly didn't want anything to go wrong at this crucial juncture of the new round of rotation.

With the attention of the divine, the priests felt that the spiritual energy was working exceptionally well. They continued to chant prayers and blessings, and some family members and soldiers also began to follow suit. Gradually, a missionary atmosphere appeared in Wangjiang.

"Ugh."

Lin Jian, looking down from the main city tower, sighed, his eyes flickering, and he looked several years older.

He had originally hoped to lead the people of the small city-state to a quiet life behind closed doors, but unexpectedly, it backfired. Now he was somewhat confused, wondering whether he should continue to resist or not. What was the point?

The entire city of Wangjiang was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

The enemy's departure actually gave them more time to think.

As for the original allied city-states, their mentality was even simpler: "If the investment fails, I need to get out quickly." They would retreat if they didn't gain anything from their military campaigns.

Failure diminished their authority.

With the instigation of internal forces seeking surrender, they smoothly aligned themselves with the Great Qian Dynasty.

However, most only expressed their intention to join by communicating with the envoys of the Great Qian Dynasty, without actively pursuing it. They seemed to be observing and trying to find a way out. This is human nature and not surprising. Their strategy is simple:

Dawdling.

I don’t really know what I’m procrastinating on. It’s probably because when it comes to such an important life event, I always feel that I should think things through more in order to be worthy of the person’s trust.

"Stop being so fussy, just wait until I give you some special effects this round and you'll behave."

Xia He was getting impatient with the city-states that were stuck in the middle of their progress. With such a hesitant attitude, it was no wonder that they lost to Daqian. It was not unjust at all. Of course, they could not accomplish great things if they could not be decisive.

She stopped paying attention for the time being and waited for the next round.

------

The city-states of Nanyuan were filled with camps, which became the true rear of the allied forces of the believers' city-states and also gathered a large number of regular troops of the Great Qian Dynasty.

They could intervene in the war at any time, but by remaining inactive throughout, their deterrent effect is even greater.

They were a factor that pagan city-states had to consider.

Should we continue playing?

If you can't even beat the enemy's underlings, how can you expect to fight the leader to the death? If you really provoke the Great Qian to personally intervene, you won't have enough lives, and you'll only lose even more miserably.

However, these are not things that the garrison in Nanyuan needs to consider; let them be.

At this time, this rear area was constantly receiving wounded soldiers and large numbers of patients, and the air was thick with the smell of alcohol. Even more chilling was the sound of saws cutting through bone, along with screams of agony.

It's not uncommon to see people missing limbs.

Not to mention, which of the usual procedures like stopping bleeding and suturing wounds doesn't hurt?

Although there are some "primitive anesthetics" made from a mixture of herbs and alcohol, their effects are just so-so; the person will still cry out the same way.

These people are lucky because they have been given a second chance at life and will have a worry-free life for the rest of their days.

The Daqian system stipulated that they would be given a stable job and regular subsidies, and that veterans and wounded soldiers would never be left to sleep on the streets. This was an important bottom line.

In fact, it's not that no one has ever fallen to that level.

But the ones who died were not the homeless retired soldiers; they would have been properly resettled. The real cause of death was the local officials in charge.

Feng Tianyin never showed mercy.

She will punish him strictly according to the law; there is no need to impose the death penalty.

However, the high priest's religious background dictates that punishment extends far beyond the legal realm. Once an order is issued to oversee the operation, it sends a political signal, attracting many who, believing they understand the higher-ups' intentions, will try to take advantage of the situation; the outcome is predictable…

For the unfortunate, seriously wounded, arriving here is practically a deathbed visit; their days are numbered.

Erbala sat on the bed, his body covered in bandages, with medical staff changing his dressings beside him. The gruesome arrow wounds were a shocking sight.

"You should lie down to aid your recovery."