CHAPTER 550: CHAPTER 550. THE WEIRD ARMY

While Jiang Tong and Liu Xun observed the situation, more figures jumped out from the city and landed outside the city wall. They formed a line along the wall.

"They are all wearing the same helmet-backpack contraption," Liu Xun informed Jiang Tong.

"Hmph! Whatever their equipment, they won’t stand a chance against the might of our army," Jiang Tong declared. "Prepare the army to charge!"

While Echos Army made their preparation, Jiang Tong noticed more and more people jumped down from the city wall.

"What the..."

He was flabbergasted by the number of enemies crowding outside the city wall. The number continued to grow as more and more enemies emerged from the city.

"I can’t believe it. Did they truly bring so many troops?" Liu Xun uttered. He was similarly astonished by the sight.

The army they brought was fifty thousand strong. Yet, the enemies that kept emerging from the city seemed to almost rival their number.

The army that guarded the border between Echos and Khode was a force of seven thousand soldiers. It was far fewer than Huang Zhan’s troop that guarded the border between Echos and Kazhan because, unlike Kazhan, they never faced an incursion from Khode, until now.

For Khode to defeat the border army meant they had a larger force. Hence, Jiang Tong marched with a force around seven times the size of the border army. Additionally, his army comprised of many high-level cultivators from the Grand Barrack. He was confident he could easily vanquish the enemy force.

Now, however, his confidence was slowly ebbing as the enemy force continued to grow.

Finally, enemies stopped emerging from the city. However, judging from the sea of humans crowding outside the city, they estimated the enemy force to be at least twice their number.

"Impossible... They brought so many soldiers? It seems their intention to invade us is serious," Liu Xun said.

"Hmph! Do not be discouraged by their number," Jiang Tong harrumphed. "If you noticed how they jumped from the city wall, you will know none of them can fly. This means that the entire force is comprised of only Human Realm cultivators. They will not win against our elite army even with their larger number."

"Should we advance?" Liu Xun asked.

"Since the enemy came out, I don’t believe they will just stand there. They will come for us. Let them," Jiang Tong said.

Liu Xun agreed. While they had many Mystic Stage cultivators in their army, around two-thirds were Human Realm cultivators who could not fly. These Human Realm cultivators would be at a disadvantage if they had to fight their opponents uphill.

While they waited for the enemy to make their moves, several flying figures came out of the city. These figures floated above the massive enemy army.

Liu Xun used his Eagle Eye art to check these flying enemies. "It seems the intel is right. Most of those flying enemies wear Khode military uniforms. Something is strange, though."

"What?" Jiang Tong asked.

"These flying enemies don’t wear the weird helmet and backpack contraption like the ones on the ground," Liu Xun answered.

"Khode is known as a nation filled with expert smiths but overall weak cultivators," Jiang Tong said. "The weird equipment must be something to boost their power to offset their disadvantage. It doesn’t matter. No matter what their trick is, it won’t equal the true power of cultivation."

More and more Martial Realm cultivators who could fly exited the city. They seemed to be organizing the army below them. Not long after, the huge army started to advance.

As the army left the city, its gate started to open. Out of the gate, more people came out. Following them were a score of battle puppets and several strange-looking wagons. This group followed behind the advancing army.

"Strange," Liu Xun remarked. "The enemies that came out of the gate also wore Khode military uniforms. If they are not afraid of people identifying their origin, why didn’t the bulk of their army wear the same uniforms?"

"Those non-uniform troops are probably expendable. Hmph! Very well. We will help them by thinning their nonessential combatants." Jiang Tong turned back and addressed his army, "Battle station! Ready your weapons! Today, we will teach these assholes what happens when they intrude on our kingdom. Show no mercy! Kill every last one of them!!"

The army answered Jiang Tong’s rallying call with a roar. Some banged their weapons against their armor to make more noise.

The morale was high. Everyone was ready for a battle, but the frown on Liu Xun’s head remained. He noticed the enemy soldiers with the uniforms at the back also didn’t wear the strange helmet-backpack contraption. He didn’t know what this mean, though, so he didn’t say anything.

Jiang Tong had the Echos Army spread out so every soldier in his army could engage the enemy. While the enemy’s number surprised him, he remained confident that the quality of his soldiers surpassed the enemy.

The large number of Mystic Stage cultivators in his army took to the sky. The number of the fliers in his army outnumbered the enemy at least five to one. This showed that they were superior in terms of the number of high-level cultivators. This fact bolstered Jiang Tong’s confidence.

Once the first line of enemy hit the foot of the hill, Jiang Tong issued his command, "ATTAACCKKK...!!!"

Echos Army moved forward with a disciplined advance. Everyone ran at the same speed. No one moved ahead of the others even when they could run faster. Above, the Martial Realm cultivators adjusted their flying speed to keep with the pace of the advancing army.

In contrast to the Echos Army, the massive force of Khode Army advanced haphazardly. The Khode Army even went full throttle once they saw the opponents coming to them. Everyone ran at full speed. The result was their line broke into chaos, because those who had faster movements arts got ahead while the slower ones were left behind.

Jiang Tong snickered at the enemy’s charge. What did they teach in Khode’s military? They deserved to be a laughingstock if this was all they had to show from their military prowess.

Jiang Tong shouted for the bow-wielding soldiers at the back of the line to prepare to shoot. These soldiers nocked their arrows and waited for his signal.

Jiang Tong waited for the enemy to get closer before giving the signal. But as they did, his condescending face turned into confusion. His confusion stemmed from the enemy’s appearance. While it was not strange for some soldiers not to wear uniforms, they at least still wore proper clothes. The troops that charged at them, however, wore an assortment of outfits that made them look more like civilians visiting a market rather than soldiers who were about to have a life and death battle. There were even a few bare-chested men with short pants and several people in sleeping garments.

"What the...," Jiang Tong uttered the same words as before.

"General... I don’t think these people are Khode soldiers," Liu Xun said. He continued to use Eagle Eye to observe the incoming enemies. "I saw some wear Echos uniforms for city guards and soldiers!"

"What do you mean...?" Jiang Tong didn’t quite understand what Liu Xun tried to convey.

"Their eyes!" Liu Xun exclaimed.

"What about their eyes?" Jiang Tong asked.

"They have the eyes of unconscious people!" Liu Xun said. "They are not aware of what they are doing. Someone is controlling them!"

"Make sense, Goddamnit!" Jiang Tong scolded.

"General! The incoming enemies are our people! Echos citizens! They are being controlled by the enemy!!" Liu Xun exclaimed.

Jiang Tong’s eyes turned wide. As difficult as it was to believe the claim, the appearance and behavior of the enemies supported Liu Xun’s theory. He was at a loss for what to do. It was too late. The two opposing forces were advancing at one another and was already too close to stop. The two forces collided with each other.

The soldiers at the back were confused. They were still waiting for Jiang Tong’s signal before releasing their arrows. Normally, they should have done that before the front line clashed. But from the sound of it, the fighting already started. Why hadn’t their commander issued the order?

In his confusion, Jiang Tong had forgotten to issue the signal. He watched the front line clash with the enemy. His soldiers at the front line seemed to be plagued with the same uncertainty. They had the clearest view of the enemies. They immediately registered that the opponents they were facing were not Khode soldiers. They were not even soldiers. These were civilian cultivators who didn’t seem to know what they were doing.

This caused their movements and reactions to slow. They went into a passive state as the enemies pounced on them. The enemies fought like rabid animals. Though most were weak and used bare hands, they had a superior number and fought as if they didn’t care whether they lived or died. This put the Echos Army on the back foot. The front line even started to take a step back because they couldn’t endure the pressure.

This loss of momentum was fatal to the army. Immediately, Jiang Tong noticed several Echos soldiers, who were late in taking a step back, got overwhelmed and drowned by the enemy mob.