You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

The important thing is that they won; not only did they survive, but they also achieved great merit. Based on the military achievements of this battle alone, they could at least provide their families with a comfortable life for several years. They could fight even harder and were determined to capture the capital of Qingzhou.

The people of the Great Qian Dynasty were unaware of the entire manipulation by the will of Heaven, but they still felt a deep sense of gratitude:

"We rely on the blessings bestowed by Heaven."

The priests exchanged glances, sensing something amiss, especially given the rather dramatic annihilation of the enemy's shamans. However, since the high priest hadn't said anything, they refrained from making unfounded speculations.

It is a crime to make arbitrary assumptions about the will of Heaven and His Majesty's affairs.

All you need to do is know that they are in an extremely dangerous situation, and then fight bravely to achieve victory.

Only Feng Tianyin knows the truth.

At this moment, the gray-haired girl was sitting alone by the river, praying for blessings. No one else dared to approach and disturb her, so that His Majesty could have some peace and quiet.

The immediate priority is to quickly clean up the battlefield, bury the corpses, and gather the prisoners.

"Your Majesty."

As the call arose, a wisp of golden auspicious cloud, visible only to Feng Tianyin, descended and even transformed into a hand that touched her head with remarkable agility, making her already gray and fluffy long hair, affected by spiritual energy, even more disheveled.

Xia He chuckled softly, "Feels good, doesn't it?"

"It is my honor to fight alongside you, and we were able to win thanks to the protection of Heaven."

"This was my first time trying it too, but thankfully I passed."

In terms of large-scale micro-management in the beta version, this was indeed the first real-world operation. Compared to the previous small-scale skirmishes, this was a battle involving a total of 35 troops.

It's quite lively.

This battle severely weakened the two major southern powers, making it difficult for them to achieve anything significant again.

Xia He calculated from the population ratio that it would be difficult for the enemy to mobilize such a large number of able-bodied men again. Moreover, in a simulated environment, it's not just about mathematical models; morale is also a factor. Their bones have been broken; there's no way they can select a decent army anymore.

She believes that only the battle for the capital remains.

Qingzhou's central hub is located on the coast, leaving them nowhere to run; it's a do-or-die situation. Add to that the resources of the capital region, and it will undoubtedly cause trouble for the Great Qian Dynasty. The decisive battle at that point will determine the course of the entire war.

"...Your Majesty, I just fought that Blesser and figured out their background. The Sea God is a creation born from the corruption of the Warp."

"Yes, this is what would have happened if the Eternal Heaven had continued to be polluted back then."

"I will eradicate it."

Feng Tianyin wanted to share the burden of Heaven's will and spread His majesty to more distant places; reaching the ocean was the first step.

Qingzhou guards the entrance to the sea and must be controlled. Furthermore, it is a great honor to fight alongside Xia He; I have never been so happy in all my years of life.

"That's settled then, we'll deal with it together later."

As soon as he finished speaking, the wisp of golden auspicious cloud dimmed, but the will still watched.

It's reassuring.

The rest was no longer the creator's concern. Feng Tianyin, who had resumed command, settled the prisoners and ordered them to rest and await reinforcements. She advised against arrogance and rash actions, suggesting that it was better to allow the news of victory to circulate for a while.

Xia He witnessed the complete disbandment of the Southern Allied Forces.

According to the game mechanics, they had already failed, and their control over the surrounding area plummeted, resulting in a new effect:

The "coalition forces collapse" has occurred.

[Deterrence on surrounding areas +15%, Territory conversion efficiency +5%]

really.

As the subsequent forces of the Great Qian Dynasty joined this vanguard, news of the battle gradually spread and could no longer be concealed. Soon, both sides knew the outcome of their respective battles, a truly astonishing event.

The victorious side cheered and jumped for joy.

Such a victory against overwhelming odds made even the Great Qian Dynasty break out in a cold sweat, and they naturally cherished this hard-won achievement.

The streets and alleys were filled with celebratory news of the victory, and the excitement was so great that fireworks were set off throughout Xia County.

The victory laid the foundation for the greatest battle in the history of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The temple's high-ranking officials and clerks breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at each other in disbelief. He Wan, who was directly in charge of military supplies, wiped his forehead and muttered, "As expected of His Highness the High Priest, we've won this."

She felt her blood boiling.

Gegentana said, "I will send more priests to take the south as soon as possible. This battle has been taken seriously by the Heavenly Court."

As one of the recipients of the power of faith, I naturally noticed the psionic fluctuations.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned serious, and they understood the key point.

Holy War.

For the Great Qian Dynasty, this was a holy war that would spread the glory of the Heavenly Dao Sect, no wonder the High Priest attached great importance to it.

In the Imperial Study, only Gegentana still remembers the Battle of the Eternal Heaven, but these young people will create a new history of holy war, which is the great war happening now.

"Have the support from the various vassal states arrived?"

"Lord He Wan, everything is arranged. He will arrive at the front line within three days."

"Alright, increase transport capacity and move all the ships over. The upcoming battle for the capital of Qingzhou will definitely face many obstacles. We need to use our siege equipment to blast open the enemy's city walls."

"I heard the academy has prepared some pretty noisy weapons?" Gergentana asked curiously.

She didn't know much about the college because she disliked those guys who valued academic qualifications, but she had to admit that they had real skills.

"Correction is a very noisy weapon."

"interesting."

The two put aside their worries and continued with their official duties.

The Great Qian Dynasty was vast enough that, despite the fierce fighting on the front lines, there were also various ordinary affairs to handle at the rear. When Feng Tianyin was away, all the work fell on their shoulders, requiring them to work overtime every day.

However, everyone can relax now, as it was a resounding victory after all. It's the enemy who should be worried.

They were certain that the Qingzhou leadership was in a state of utter chaos.

The permanent senior clerks calmly returned to work.

Within the Great Qian territory, everyone remained peaceful and content.

Aside from some celebrations, things were generally stable, and in Xia He's eyes, everything was orderly. It was precisely this stability that reflected their underlying strength; a war wasn't enough to completely disrupt everyone's lives.

In the past, when the population was only a million, a single military expedition would have forced everyone to tighten their belts and even implement rationing.

With the increase in population and productivity, a total troop deployment of 20 is not a problem.

People continued their production and daily lives as usual, with limited impact on the rear areas.

The massive mobilization of supplies was like a series of capillary blood transfusions, silently delivering large quantities of food, supplies, and equipment to the front lines. From an individual's perspective, there was little sense of the smell of gunpowder, and everything seemed normal.

This is true strength.

Xia He used the first-person perspective from several different locations, and there were no significant changes. Everyone only learned about the general situation on the front lines from the announcements.

This is not some "headquarters battle report," but a concrete step towards victory.

For the time being, she is no longer needed to handle micro-management.

The Daqian army is currently resting and reorganizing with the 10 reinforcements that arrived later.

They needed time to gel and, incidentally, to transfer prisoners to labor camps, so the Daqian offensive temporarily slowed down. Commander Feng Tianyin was too cautious and methodical, giving the enemy no opportunity to exploit.

Xia He saw that Nanfang was trying to launch a counterattack and sneak attack, but had no choice but to give up.

----

In the capital of Qingzhou, the royal palace was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

If the city was merely gripped by fear and unease before, now the threat is imminent.

25 Allied troops were annihilated?

What does this mean? Almost everyone is related to each other, filled with sorrow and terrified by the terrifying power of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The Jingji region was engulfed in a frenzy of panic buying, fleeing, and even looting and vandalism, because the vast majority of elite troops and regular soldiers had been deployed to the front lines, while the royal guards were responsible for protecting the palace, leaving only weaklings to handle the garrison and security.

Many soldiers were simply conscripted and had no fighting ability whatsoever.

They already harbored resentment at being forced into this doomed war, and they used their power to oppress the people to vent their anger. Now the opportunity is even better; it's good to make things chaotic.

Since we have the opportunity, let's just rob someone together.

It wasn't just the rank-and-file soldiers; some well-informed officers also began to seek their own way out, and thus directed the soldiers they knew to share the spoils.

The first source of chaos has emerged.

The second group consists of shamans, and for some reason, more and more of them are starting to spout nonsense:

“I saw it. It is the will of Heaven. It is coming. That power is being transmitted.”

"Everything will be destroyed, and we will all be engulfed in war."

The shamans who once spread their faith have now become preachers of doomsday prophecies, causing widespread panic. They are convinced of the impending destruction and feel that everything is over.

why?

No one knows the details of the annihilation battle that just took place; it seems that the shamans over there sent back some kind of contamination.

It must be the wicked Heavenly Dao trying to corrupt Qingzhou.

Unfortunately, they are powerless to do anything about it; all they can do now is feel helpless.

Various voices reached the palace, leaving Hou Yu and the other officials filled with regret, especially since he had lost his brother. He had been furious upon learning of Hou Sheng's death at Feng Tianyin's hands, but now felt mostly sorrow.

"Everyone should calm down."

His calm voice made everyone look up. Although His Majesty's brows were furrowed with worry, his gaze was firm.

He appeared well-prepared, and sure enough, he immediately ordered: "Fortify the city walls and divert water from the moat. Send out the Imperial Guards and gather all the garrison troops from the surrounding areas. We will wage a defensive battle in the capital. Act quickly, without fail."

Yes, sir.

"Furthermore, I've also heard that some people are secretly writing letters to the Great Qian Dynasty?"

The moment Hou Yu spoke, the air in the hall turned icy cold, and no one dared to look directly into his eyes.

He laughed dismissively.

"I'll turn a blind eye as long as you're still useful, after all, it's human nature. But once the siege begins, there's no turning back. I'll be watching if some people think this through."