You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

You're the only one left.

Initially, Wangjiang City-State was fighting alone, but unexpectedly, the Great Qian Dynasty's control over newly surrendered city-states was so strong that it could mobilize troops. Strange, aren't you afraid of rebellion?

There was no time to hesitate, for the enemy was at the gates of the city, and Lin Jian was in a state of utter panic.

The war in the south will begin in the small city-states below Thamo.

That's quite an honor.

The heavy burden fell on Du Shaoqian's shoulders.

However, he did not feel any pressure. Instead, he smiled as he watched the dust and smoke rising from all sides.

He was the first to scale the walls during the siege of Nanyuan and was appreciated by the high priest. He then built up his merits and became a general. There were other senior generals like Zhang Zhongsi back then, and today he has become the one who carries the weight of the empire.

"What a formidable and fierce army!"

The army formations stretched out majestically amidst billowing smoke and dust, their armor gleaming, and their weapons forming a forest.

Du Shaoqian was filled with excitement. He exhaled a breath of stale air as his chest heaved, and his spiritual energy increased. He was ready.

He has adjusted himself over the past few days and everything is ready.

"At your command—"

A thunderous roar swept across the surrounding area, echoing beneath the city walls of Nanyuan. Everyone looked up, gazing at the heavily armored general atop the main city tower. Just his mere presence inspired awe.

"In accordance with the will of Heaven, we shall punish those who disobey. The entire army shall set out and conquer Wangjiang."

The entire incident had already spread throughout the south. It was Lin Jian who took the initiative to receive the forces from Qingzhou and enter this land, oppressing the locals and provoking war.

Such resentful and troublesome matters did not exist under the rule of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The hearts and minds of the people.

Just as the Wangjiang leadership had hoped, the surrounding city-states possessed a strong sense of local identity and a natural ability to unite. However, they were not united under the Qingzhou army, but rather advanced together under the guidance of the Great Qian banner, determined to liberate the last remaining stubborn resisters.

Du Shaoqian mobilized a force of 5, making it one of the largest armies ever deployed in the southern wars.

It's an incredible number.

This dispatch was made possible by the continuous construction of roads, shipping, farmland and warehouses in Daqian. Otherwise, the army would not have been able to move smoothly. It was Feng Tianyin's benevolent cultivation that yielded fruit.

Who is good to me? The people of the southern Great Plains know this very well.

The high priest would not have worked so diligently on the project if he had any suspicions.

The results of it?

Even when city-states surrendered halfway, I provided them with generous assistance, which surprised them, who were always cautious. Am I worth it?

I have no way to repay you except to serve the nation.

Feng Tianyin genuinely supports the development of this land; there are no hidden agendas, just a straightforward approach.

In any case, it's better than Qingzhou; in terms of determination, resources, and wisdom, it surpasses all other states under her rule. Therefore, the choices of the various city-states are not hard to understand: once they've chosen you, they'll charge headlong down this chariot.

The 5-strong army, with its morale soaring, quickly marched toward its destination.

Most of them were locals, familiar with the roads, so their efficiency was quite high. With full logistical support, they marched at breakneck speed to Wangjiang City, the eye of the storm.

Why so fast?

The group from the city lord's mansion who received the news were shocked and could not believe it.

Lin Jian was still busy with fire relief and disaster recovery efforts, while also cleaning up the mess caused by the security issues resulting from the Qingzhou army. He was extremely busy.

"And then you tell me the enemy has come knocking!"

too fast.

In just five days, they managed to assemble so quickly, which shows they had been preparing for battle all along.

Regardless, he had no choice but to personally lead the defense of the city.

Both sides were racing against time. If Qingzhou reacted and reinforced Wangjiang City, the terrain there would make it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Similarly, the Southern Army, which had been preparing for a long time, also hoped to take down the enemy in one fell swoop.

Both sides are at their peak performance.

Both Lin Jian and Du Shaoqian, as commanders, were well aware that the overall situation was changing, and that the key lay in the local battles.

With no other choice, the two armies immediately went to war. There were no formalities or provocations; only the determination to defeat the other side remained. Amidst the thunderous war drums, catapults rose up one after another.

call!

With a whooshing sound, enormous boulders crashed down.

In an instant, a small section of the city wall collapsed, and blood filled the smoke and dust. It was easy to imagine that the unfortunate souls who were hit head-on died without a complete corpse.

"How can it be so powerful?"

"We can't hit their catapults; those guys have a pretty long range."

"Get out of the way first."

The technological advancements of the Great Qian Dynasty over the years are beyond the comprehension of ordinary city-states. With precise processing, mathematical calculations, and more robust materials, siege weapons have undergone a complete evolution, becoming the pinnacle of the classical era and possessing immense power.

They are also modularly constructed, disassembled, assembled, and easy to transport, which is why they can keep up with the military.

The effects of Feng Tianyin's financial support for the college are beginning to take hold.

Thump, thump!

The walls collapsed under the heavy bombing, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and countless pieces of rubble fell. The whole city was filled with a rumbling sound, some children couldn't help but cry loudly, and the adults were also panicked.

The intensity of Daqian's siege was beyond imagination, and it was far from over.

With a wave of Du Shaoqian's command flag, the siege tower slowly advanced towards the enemy's city wall, but the Wangjiang defenders were unable to stop it.

He was beaten so badly he couldn't lift his head.

Whether it was the local army or the so-called elite Qingzhou army, they were all equal flesh and blood under the intense bombardment of catapults; even a slight scratch could cause serious injury.

Seeing that the effect of the large boulders was diminishing, he immediately adjusted his strategy and switched to using smaller, scattered stones.

In an instant, stones rained down from the city walls, injuring countless people...

Splash!

The dense barrage of bombardments left them no time to stop the siege towers. With the precise coordination of the Southern Front Army of Daqian, these behemoths had efficiently adhered to the surface of the city wall.

Every command from Du Shaoqian was perfectly timed to the attack rhythm; he was a professional when it came to siege warfare.

"Don't rush up, maintain high pressure."

Based on a calm assessment, more firepower was used to bombard the city walls, and even powerful crossbows were deployed, with some spear-like arrows piercing directly into the walls.

The siege engines have arrived.

It was attached to the city wall along with the siege ladders, each with an elite squad responsible for its own section, never retreating, its formation impregnable. In contrast, the enemy was thrown into disarray during their initial fierce attack; they had never seen such a saturation attack before.

“Wangjiang is too lax; he hasn’t even expanded the city walls. Well then, we shouldn’t be polite.”

Du Shaoqian sneered and ordered a fierce attack.

He knew that part of the reason was the lack of funds due to the trade cut-off by the Great Qian Dynasty, but he accepted this weakness regardless.

"All-out attack!"

The most elite Daqian warriors charged towards the city wall at the sound of the bugle.

The defenders of Wangjiang refused to back down, stubbornly resisting the barrage of fire and relentlessly hindering the siege towers and ladders, but their efforts were insufficient. Meanwhile, the main city gate was also on the verge of collapse under the fierce attack, with the force so great that stones were knocked off the surrounding walls.

Indeed, Daqian's tactics went beyond simply attacking the city gates; they also put pressure on the surrounding walls.

Multiple offensives combined were like waves crashing against a city.

Standing on the main city tower, Lin Jian, who was personally directing the operation, looked out at the battlefield with a furrowed brow. Smoke billowed everywhere, and the enemy was retreating step by step. He never expected that the Great Qian's long-suppressed attack would be so terrifying and unstoppable.

It was a misjudgment.

"Gentlemen, we must all prepare for battle within the city. I will fight to the very last moment."

---

Xia He received a series of war warnings.

The logs are constantly being refreshed.

The bustling scene startled her slightly; she hadn't expected such a large-scale battle to erupt so soon after the Heavenly Dao Festival. They really couldn't stay still. As far as the eye could see, flames of war raged around the Wangjiang River.

This small city-state has once again become a point of conflict, because of its crucial location.

"Progressing so quickly? Well, that makes sense, considering all the buffs we've stacked up."

Xia He saw that the Daqian army was advancing like a whirlwind, and had already stormed the city walls, fighting bravely with the soldiers of Wangjiang and Qingzhou.

First come, first served!

Once the first one appears, a second and a third follow, eventually leading an entire formation to the city wall. Without the protection of the city wall, once the enemy is engaged in direct combat, they will be attacked unilaterally.

After all, the Southern Army has countless status buffs:

[Enhanced Cohesion], [Boosted Morale], [Religious Trial], [Training Advantage], and other buffs...

The difference is huge.

The most difficult part is the siege. When it comes to face-to-face combat, even three people may not be able to defeat a single Daqian soldier, because they are strong, have thick armor, and if they have great skills, they can even defeat several people without taking any damage.

Xia He clearly knew their fighting strength, while the enemy knew it firsthand.

It often takes several people on our side to hold off the Daqian soldiers on the city wall, but once the enemy starts to form a formation, they can sweep away a large number of them.

The more people who climb the city wall, the more stable the formation.

They are individually powerful fighters, but they don't fight in a scattered manner. Instead, they are constantly adjusting, coordinating, and working together, switching seamlessly between offense and defense as if it were ingrained in their instincts.

too strong.

What kind of training can solidify skills to this extent?

The Daqian army stormed the city walls, growing stronger with each battle. In this close-quarters combat phase, they were invincible, their advance more like a forced retreat than a true battle.

"The organization is quite resilient."

Xia He's guards were capable even before they collapsed; the commander was good at managing his troops.

It's a pity they were facing a monster of the highest caliber, like the Great Qian Dynasty. Otherwise, by their standards, holding out would have inflicted several times the losses on the attacking side, unlike now where they swiftly and decisively broke through.