CHAPTER 456: CHAPTER 450: DIFFICULT SITUATION_1

Deep into the night, the Desert Legion camped on a hillside. Soldiers leaned on each other, sleeping in their clothes, and the sound of their snores echoed around. This was a rare respite after the great battle. The high-ranking officers took turns keeping watch.

My injuries have worsened again! Huo Qubing sat on a rock, his brow deeply furrowed. Ever since the battle began, he had invoked the Army Spirit multiple times. The ferocious power had already damaged his meridians; beneath his heavy armor, his inner shirt was soaked with blood that had seeped from his pores.

Are we going to fail? Huo Qubing gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with deep worry. In the pitch-black night, the chilling wind howled, roiling the clouds, which seemed to conceal countless demons and ghouls.

He wasn’t worried about himself, but about the more than two million soldiers of the Desert Legion. If they couldn’t hold on until reinforcements arrived, all the soldiers of the Desert Legion would die in this foreign land, their souls finding no rest. To die for one’s country is a soldier’s honor. But as the general of an army, failing to lead his men to victory and bring them back alive would be his dereliction of duty—more than that, his incompetence.

"West of the Great Wall, battles rage endlessly; from fields of blood and iron, how many return?"

As of today, 873,051 of our brothers are gone...

Under the cover of night, Huo Qubing sighed. His somber voice drifted on the cold wind, as if confiding in the heavens and the earth.

「...」

"Hurry! All of you, pick up the pace!"

While the Desert Legion rested, three hundred thousand miles away, a massive army was force-marching. Like a colossal dragon, it stretched for hundreds of miles, its momentum vast and imposing. A general of the Ice Emperor Bear Tribe hovered low in the air, shouting urgently. Sixty million foreign clan soldiers, grouped by their respective peoples, formed over a hundred tactical formations. The largest of these comprised millions of soldiers, while even the smallest numbered over one hundred thousand. Dense Evil Qi erupted from their bodies, staining even the pure, white moonlight crimson. And their line of march led directly toward the Desert Legion.

It wasn’t just them. Throughout a dozen surrounding domains, in an area spanning millions of miles, armies of the Qionghua Holy Land and the Thousand Demon Saint’s Court could be seen everywhere, speeding through mountains and rivers, forming a vast encirclement. Waves of blood-red light surged; the days to come were destined to be anything but peaceful!

「Qionghua Road Domain.」

In a magnificent building, Guan Yu sat in the seat of honor. A formidable aura emanated from him, like a fierce tiger poised to strike at any moment. Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, and the principal generals of the four great army corps were seated on either side. A map lay spread out in their midst.

"General Guan," Huang Zhong said, his voice resonant and strong as he cupped his hands in a salute, "we have already conquered more than half of the Qionghua Holy Land’s territory. I propose we send reinforcements to the central line!" Huang Zhong, who spoke, sat at the foremost seat on the right. He was lean of frame, his hair and beard entirely white, appearing quite aged. Without his armor, he might have passed for an ordinary elderly man from a common family. Only those who knew him understood the true meaning of "old but vigorous."

"Agreed!" Guan Yu inclined his head, his tiger-like eyes sweeping over the assembly. He declared in a focused tone, "I summoned you here precisely to discuss reinforcing the central line."

"I’ve just received intelligence: the armies of the Qionghua Holy Land and the Thousand Demon Saint’s Court are all converging on the central battlefield. I deduce that General Huo’s situation is extremely perilous!"

Zhang Fei’s dark brows furrowed deeply. He grumbled, "Then we must dispatch troops at once!"

"Dispatching troops is a certainty," Guan Yu said, stroking his magnificent beard, his voice solemn. "But who will remain to guard the Qionghua Road Domain?"

Since leaving the Great Wall, they had overcome every obstacle, occupying over a hundred of the Qionghua Holy Land’s domains. Such a vast territory naturally needed to be garrisoned. He worried that if they went to reinforce the central battlefield, the Qionghua Holy Land would send troops to counter-attack.

"This..." The generals exchanged glances; none wished to stay behind. What general did not yearn to command on the battlefield and achieve great merit? Although heading to the central battlefield involved certain risks, everyone present had waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They had long since disregarded life and death, so who would care about a little danger?

After a moment of contemplation, Ma Chao proposed, "How about each of our four great army corps leaves one hundred thousand men to garrison?"

"Very well! Then we shall decide by drawing lots!" Guan Yu knew all his generals were eager for battle, especially Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, and Ma Chao, who would be most unwilling to stay. Leaving a hundred thousand troops from each corps, totaling four hundred thousand, would be sufficient to handle small-scale incursions. Besides, with Huo Qubing’s fate unknown and the central battlefield so volatile, sending more men would increase their chances of victory, however slightly.

In the end, after the commanders of the four great army corps drew lots, the assignments for garrison duty were decided. That night, Guan Yu led the main army north to reinforce the central battlefield.

「Meanwhile, on the central battlefield!」

The Desert Legion faced its greatest crisis. After a desperate advance of over two hundred thousand miles, they had still failed to break out of the encirclement and were now trapped in the Ghost Desert Corridor. The Ghost Desert Corridor, a battleground from the Ancient Times, was a sunken, narrow passage. It stretched for roughly three thousand miles from east to west and was rumored to have been cloven by a single sword strike from an ancient powerhouse. Within the corridor, the Desert Legion was caught in an impossible situation, unable to advance or retreat.

To the east, over twenty million soldiers of the Qionghua Legion pursued them relentlessly. To the west, sixty million troops of the Thousand Demon Saint’s Court had blocked the corridor’s exit, erecting fortifications and standing in stern readiness.

"General, we are surrounded!" a Scout officer reported, his tone calm as if relaying a trivial matter. His body was caked with dried blood, rendering his face unrecognizable; only his eyes showed a glint of unwavering resolve. A closer look revealed he held his weapon in his left hand; his right sleeve hung empty, bound with a red cloth through which fresh, dark blood seeped.

"Relay my command!" Huo Qubing ordered, his face stern with authority. "The First through Thirtieth Corps will form the rearguard! The Fortieth through Sixtieth Corps will clear the path and break through the Thousand Demon Saint’s Court’s blockade!" Just then, noticing the Scout officer’s severed arm, he added another command: "All wounded soldiers are to gather behind the lines! Do not engage in combat!"

The order was relayed, and the corps moved to comply. Only the wounded remained where they stood—most with severed arms, others with lost legs—numbering over two hundred thousand in all.

"Are you not going to obey the order?" Huo Qubing pressed loudly.

"General, we cannot drag the army down any longer!" the Scout officer declared resolutely, placing his left hand over his heart and dropping to one knee. "If there is a next life, I, your humble subordinate, vow to follow you again!"

The more than two hundred thousand wounded soldiers all dropped to one knee in salute. This was a military salute! The most solemn rite a soldier observed!

"What do you think you are doing? Carry out your orders!" Huo Qubing was stunned for a moment. As if realizing something, his throat went dry, and he roared.

"General, forgive this subordinate for disobeying a direct order!" the Scout officer finished, then abruptly rose to his feet. He brandished his weapon in his left hand and cried out in a clear, resonant voice, "Brothers! Fight with me! Cover the army’s retreat!"

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

The over two hundred thousand wounded soldiers rose as one. Disregarding Huo Qubing’s furious gaze, they charged towards the enemy at their rear.

"WIND! GREAT WIND!"

"VALIANT SONS OF OLD QIN, TOGETHER WE FACE THE NATION’S PERIL!"

"VALIANT SONS OF OLD QIN, RECLAIM OUR LANDS AND RIVERS!"

"UNTIL OUR BLOOD RUNS DRY, OUR BATTLE KNOWS NO END!"

The heroic battle song thundered through the Ghost Desert Corridor, echoing in the ears of all who remained.

Brothers, live on for me! After breaking from the main formation, the Scout officer glanced back one last time, as if to etch the familiar faces of his comrades into his memory. Then, with a wave of his left hand, he turned and never looked back.

At that moment, Huo Qubing’s eyes reddened.

At that moment, the eyes of every soldier in the Desert Legion reddened.