sbdcsierra Chapter 48 War begins
Chapter 48 War begins
The Spirit Kingdom, the Illusionary Spirit Palace.
King Ling was handling state affairs in his palace when a subordinate rushed in, looking anxious, and reported:
"King Ling, something terrible has happened! The Gu Xuan Dynasty has a massive army of ten thousand men approaching our borders."
Upon hearing this, King Ling felt a surge of anger and worry.
She stood up abruptly, her eyes wide with anger, and shouted, "How dare Gu Xuanchao provoke us like this! What exactly do they want?"
The subordinate hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I am not yet clear about Gu Xuanchao's specific intentions."
But this army is large and aggressive; we should be prepared to respond.
King Ling took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
She knew that as the ruler of a country, she had to remain calm and decisive at this time.
After a moment of contemplation, she said to her subordinates:
"Immediately summon the ministers to discuss countermeasures, and at the same time send a message by carrier pigeon, instructing them to strengthen border defenses and closely monitor the movements of Gu Xuanchao's army."
"Yes."
His subordinates obeyed and left, while King Ling paced back and forth in his mansion, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
She feared that the arrival of this army would bring disaster to the Ling Kingdom, and was also angry at Gu Xuanchao's provocative behavior.
Just days after Qin assassins came to kill officials, Gu Xuanchao has now sent a large army to press on the border.
She secretly vowed to protect her spiritual kingdom and its people.
Soon, the ministers rushed to the palace, and King Ling immediately began an emergency meeting with them.
During the discussion, King Ling listened to the opinions of all parties and finally formulated a series of countermeasures.
She decided to first send envoys to Gu Xuanchao in an attempt to resolve the dispute through diplomatic means; at the same time, she also ordered the country to strengthen military preparations in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
After the discussion, the Empress once again instructed her subordinates:
"Closely monitor the situation and report to me at any time. We must be fully prepared to deal with any potential crises in the future."
The subordinates responded in unison, "We will obey the King's decree!"
As the Empress watched their departing figures, she silently prayed that the crisis would be resolved soon and that the Spirit Kingdom could return to peace and tranquility.
Then another person sat there thinking of a solution, but was still completely confused.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but she still felt it was more appropriate to send her two most capable men with 2000 troops to Jiaxian County.
Currently, Ling Kingdom's military strength and soldiers number only 30,000 and 5,000, while its population is just over 80,000.
This is just the average population of the entire Ling Kingdom, over 80,000 plus 5,000 soldiers, which is only about 120,000 people.
The allocation of troops to five cities was only enough to provide 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers for defense, and the allocation to border towns within the territory was also severely insufficient.
"Guards, summon Poet Spirit Star and Wine Spirit Star to see me."
A soldier ran in from outside the door, knelt on one knee, and said, "Yes, sir."
Then he hurriedly ran out again.
Soon after, Poetry Spirit Star and Wine Spirit Star arrived, and both knelt on one knee at the same time: "Your subordinates greet the Spirit King."
King Ling (disguised as a man): "Poetry Spirit Star, Wine Spirit Star, Gu Xuan Dynasty has an army of about 10,000 men that has reached the borders of our country."
Although my ministers have devised a plan, I am still uneasy. I hereby give you two men two thousand soldiers, five hundred horses, and provisions. Go immediately to Jiaxian County to defend the city and ensure the safety of the border.
Poet Spirit Star: "Rest assured, King Spirit, we will certainly not fail in our mission!"
Jiu Lingxing: "Jiaxian County is strategically located, easy to defend and difficult to attack. We are confident that we can hold it."
King Ling: "Alright, depart immediately and report any developments promptly."
Poet Spirit Star and Wine Spirit Star: "Yes!"
Poet Spirit Star and Wine Spirit Star led a group of people to Jiaxian County.
The entire team was rushing, and what usually takes half a month was covered in nine and a half days.
Upon arriving in Jiaxian County, they presented their tokens and were able to enter the county without any problems.
The garrison commander of Jiaxian County: "Greetings, Generals!"
Poet Spirit Star: "No need for formalities. How is the battle going?"
The commander of Chiayi County said, "Gu Xuanchao's army has not yet launched an attack, but has been camping outside the city, seemingly waiting for an opportunity."
Jiu Lingxing: "Yes, we must strengthen our defenses and not let our guard down. We cannot give them any opportunity to take advantage of us."
Poet Spirit Star: "Pass on my orders to strengthen city defenses, increase patrols, and closely monitor enemy movements."
The garrison commander of Jiaxian County felt much more at ease when he saw the arrival of the two big shots.
He knew that the Spirit Kingdom had nine Spirit Stars, and as long as one of them could be mobilized, they would be invincible.
(Except for one of the female civil officials who was relatively weak in martial arts)
The two sides remained deadlocked for four days.
On the morning of the fifth day, while Shi Lingxing and Jiu Lingxing were still discussing matters with the garrison commander of Jia County.
Hurried footsteps sounded outside.
"Report——!"
A soldier from Jiaxian rushed in, knelt on one knee, and said nervously, "Reporting to the general, Gu Xuanchao's vanguard army has arrived and is less than twenty miles from here."
"So fast?" Everyone's expression changed.
Gu Xuanchao's army attacked much faster than they had imagined.
Upon hearing this, the garrison commander of Jiaxian County's eyes sharpened, and he picked up the long spear leaning against the side. "Go, soldiers, follow me and prepare for battle!"
dong dong dong...
As soon as Shi Lingxing and the others stepped out of the mansion, they heard urgent drumbeats coming from the city wall. The war drums were continuous and extremely heavy.
The group reached the top of the city wall.
Poet Spirit Star, Wine Spirit Star, and several county generals stood in front of the battlements, gazing into the distance.
Ahead, billowing smoke and dust billowed as Gu Xuanchao's army rapidly approached.
If you were to witness such a scene in person, it would truly be like dark clouds pressing down on the city, threatening to destroy it, or lightning striking a thatched hut, inevitably destroying it.
Everyone present felt a strong sense of oppression.
Even the two spirit stars, Poetry and Wine, could feel their blood boiling.
The soldiers' hands, gripping their weapons, began to tremble involuntarily, whether from fear, excitement, or a combination of both.
Faced with such a large army, the strength of an individual would seem insignificant.
The enemy, Gu Xuanchao, has an army of 10,000, which is probably an understatement.
If it weren't for the three thousand soldiers brought by the two spirit stars, Shi and Jiu, Jiaxian County might not have been able to hold out for five days.
The two sides were already vastly different in strength, with only half the number of their own troops.
Before long, Wu Bailie, riding a tall horse, led Gu Xuanchao's vanguard army of ten thousand men and appeared outside the city gate.
Gu Xuanchao's flag was raised high and fluttered in the wind.
Jiu Lingxing looked at the garrison commander of Jia County, "Now, what do you intend to do?"
"Should we scramble out of the city to engage in battle, or hold out to the death?"
Seeing that the garrison commander of Jiaxian County did not reply, Shi Lingxing said, "Alright, you guys keep an eye on things for now."
Then he picked up his gun, jumped into the city, mounted his horse, and headed towards the city gate.
Soon, the city gates were opened.
Shi Lingxing rode a swift horse and arrived at the enemy's front line all by herself.
When Wu Bailie saw a female general riding over, he did not underestimate her.
"Who are you."
"The Spirit of the Poetry Kingdom".
When Wu Bailie heard the other party mention Shi Lingxing, it was as if he had seen his great-grandmother, and his head went numb.
But she held back, "Oh, does the Ling Kingdom have no one left? Sending out a young woman to fight is a waste, it would be a pity if she were to die in battle."
Shi Lingxing remained expressionless upon hearing the other party's words, simply saying calmly, "You can try, all of you come at me together, don't waste your time."
"Just what I wanted! Soldiers of the Gu Xuan Dynasty, charge!" Wu Bailie drew his long sword and shouted.
hum-
A muffled bugle call sounded, and with his command, Gu Xuan launched an attack on the army, with iron cavalry charging at the forefront and spearmen following closely behind.
The two sides engaged in fierce fighting, which shook the earth and was a massive, overwhelming battle.
"Kill!" The shouts of battle were deafening.
The defender is on the wall, and the attacker is on the ground.
Shi Lingxing was surrounded by Gu Xuanchao's soldiers; the crowd was so huge that she couldn't be seen at all.
(Even if you call 110 (the police) to rescue them, they're unlikely to come.)
Just as the soldiers of Jiaxian were about to be exhausted and unable to hold on, a streak of light, seemingly formed from pale blue sword energy, streaked down like a meteor.
It struck like a bolt of lightning, crashing straight into Gu Xuanchao's army formation.
In an instant, hundreds of soldiers were annihilated like dust before they even had time to utter a scream.
(Reader: Author, are you sure this is a wuxia story???)
(Author's note: Yes, what I'm depicting is indeed a martial arts world, but I've exaggerated it slightly in my presentation. In reality, Shi Lingxing has already used nearly 80% of her internal energy.)
Immediately afterwards, Shi Lingxing, light as a swallow, leaped up with the lightness skill of a bird and sped towards the county town.
The soldiers of the Spirit Kingdom worked together to hold off the battle for the Spirit Star, which made the Spirit Star feel a little more relaxed.
Jiaxian City is strategically located, easy to defend and difficult to attack. When Jiu Lingxing saw Shi Lingxing return, he raised his arms and shouted: "Soldiers, for the people of Ling Kingdom, for the King of Ling, kill!"
The same icy voice of Jiu Lingxing also rang out.
"kill."
She activated the 'Illusionary Spirit Technique' and led her soldiers forward like tigers descending a mountain.
With a sharp "whoosh," the sword emerged from its sheath like a dragon rising from the abyss!
'Phantom Spirit Sword Technique'
A sword aura, like a rainbow piercing the sun, rushed straight towards the enemy's battlefield.
The spirit of wine exuded a terrifying aura that sent chills down one's spine.
On the sword, internal energy surged like a turbulent wave, continuously emanating a terrifying aura that chilled people to the bone.
After a brief rest, Shi Lingxing threw herself back into the fray.
After a thrilling and fierce battle, the Ling Kingdom army finally succeeded in repelling the Gu Xuan Dynasty army.
As Gu Xuanchao's army retreated, a voice followed.
"we won!"
Then one of the soldiers from the Spirit Kingdom shouted.
The rest of the people raised their weapons and shouted, "We've won! The Ling Kingdom will prevail!"
"The Kingdom of Ling will surely prevail."
Poet Spirit Star: "Clean up the battlefield immediately and do everything you can to treat the wounded."
Jiu Lingxing: "Quickly send someone to inspect all the soldiers and report the battle situation."
The group returned to the city to rest, take stock of the casualties, and clean up the battlefield. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
In the prefectural city.
Jiaxian County Garrison Commander:
"With only 5,000 men, they defeated Gu Xuanchao's 10,000-strong vanguard. The two generals truly deserve great credit."
Jiu Lingxing: "General, you are too kind. Protecting the Ling Kingdom is our responsibility. I believe that after this battle, the Ling Kingdom should be able to have some peace for a while."
This battle made everyone realize that Ling Kingdom is still a tough nut to crack.