In winter, darkness always falls quickly. The sun has already reached the western horizon and will soon set completely. But just before it sets, the islands of the stars have already become dim.

The sounds of artillery fire and gunfire were fading, but the occasional shouts of anger still made Sasha, who was fleeing, feel panicked.

On such an evening, the 28th Division under his command almost suffered annihilation, while the 86th Division was completely wiped out.

His plan to hold out on the Star Islands for five days and wait for reinforcements became an unattainable dream. In fact, before the day was even over, the Star Islands, which were of great importance to the empire, were about to fall into his hands.

Sasha, riding his warhorse and fleeing with a group of remnants of his army, was devastated. The huge disparity in combat strength between the enemy and himself destroyed his fighting spirit and shook his determination to hold his ground, causing him to lower his bottom line again and again.

He could only tell himself that this futile defense was pointless and would only turn him into a worthless corpse. If he evacuated the Star Islands, he might be able to play a role in the future.

Currently, the prerequisite is that they can successfully reach the south bank dock, board the ships left there, and escape back to the Brando Strait.

At this moment, the roars of the pursuers behind him made him panic, but fortunately they were not fast, and the two-legged enemy could not catch up with the four-legged warhorse no matter what.

During previous training on the island, several hundred warhorses were specially transported from China. These warhorses were usually only used for communication, but now they are considered the most valuable items. However, this number also means that there won't be many escapees, and most people will still die in the pursuit.

Finally, the sun set completely.

But the island did not fall into darkness; the flames of war were still burning, the sounds of gunfire and artillery were still heard, and some remnants of the army were still putting up a last-ditch resistance.

Sasha, fleeing for their lives, led their cavalry along trails through several terrains, gradually moving away from the heart of the war, with the southern coastline now not far from them.

Unlike during the day, the temperature dropped sharply after the sun set. Sasha, who was exhausted from running for his life, was also in the coldest winter, both physically and mentally. In the previous intense battle, he had no time to think too much, but now, after running all the way, he gradually calmed down and thought about the current situation of the other four islands.

Judging from this battle, the enemy's naval power was almost unmatched, and their army was exceptionally brave. Such a terrifying army made Sasha almost unable to believe that they came from Yan Kingdom.

When did the Yan Kingdom, which had always been perceived as weak and backward, become so powerful that it could even bring its fleet across the ocean and attack this place? This made Sasha feel like a fish on a chopping board that had suddenly jumped up and bit her hard.

Now that this inexplicably jumping "fish" is almost conquering the Star Islands, what are they going to do next? Are they planning to advance into the Brando Strait?

That's obvious, but they will have to rest and wait for reinforcements to arrive before they can go to the Brando Strait.

Sasha shook her head, shaking off the cold mist that had gathered between her brows, not daring to think about an even more terrifying future.

"Stop! Stop!"

Just then, a tense shout came from beside me.

"Sir! Our retreat... has been cut off!"

Sasha's heart skipped a beat. He blinked quickly to ease the heaviness in his eyelids, then stared intently at the coastline ahead.

Dozens of brightly lit warships stood out in the darkness. Although only their outlines could be vaguely discerned, they were definitely not our own warships.

"Yan Kingdom's warships!! It's them!"

"They've already circled around?! Then what about the other islands...?" The officer on horseback exclaimed, but stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence. He realized that speaking too loudly might attract the attention of the people ahead. After all, with warships at sea, the docks must have been occupied by the Yan people as well.

He wasn't wrong. If he could ascend to a high altitude, he would see that the Star Islands had been completely surrounded by Yan Kingdom warships. Except for the fleet that fled back to the Brando Strait shortly after the start of the war, all the other warships had been intercepted.

Meanwhile, small-scale battles were also taking place on the other islands. Most of the Golt soldiers had been killed in the afternoon's fighting, with only a few fleeing soldiers still running for their lives.

"It's over."

Sasha's face turned deathly pale, and he almost fell off his horse.

As the commander, Sasha had already deduced the course of the entire battle when he saw the warships appear in this sea.

Clearly, all defenses have been completely breached, and the Yan Kingdom has seized control of the entire Star Islands with overwhelming force.

The Empire’s most important naval base has fallen into enemy hands today!

A dizzying sensation swept over her, and Sasha, her face drained of color, swayed precariously.

"Bang!"

A sudden gunshot rang out.

Sasha fell from his horse to the ground, his bloodshot eyes wide open and his gaping mouth full of blood, looking bloody and terrifying. The pistol slowly slipped from his hand, and the surrounding officers shouted in panic.

The commotion attracted the attention of the Yan soldiers who had taken over the coast. They approached cautiously, weapons in hand, with grim faces.

Gradually, the neighing of horses and the sound of gunfire began to grow louder.

——

Near the southwesternmost island, the main naval force of the Yan Army had arrived. Qin Ze, who was on board, did not disembark; he was gazing at the opposite shore in the darkness.

Although he couldn't see anything, he knew that with the fleet sailing at full speed, it would only take one day and night to enter the Brando Strait.

Qin Ze has ordered the complete annihilation of the defeated soldiers on the island, leaving no survivors. This is certainly a ruthless approach, but in the early stages of the war, there is no need for easing measures.

It will take some time for the war on the island to be completely over. The defeated soldiers can hide in various places, and it may take several days to clear them out. However, Qin Ze decided to stay for only one day before heading to the Brando Strait.

Qin Ze had no idea how many enemy fleets were in the strait, but he figured there must be quite a few. After all, Golte had already sent three fleets, and there should be even more warships on their home turf.

Regardless of the number, Qin Ze was determined to defeat them all. Only by completely crushing the Goths' naval power could he create the conditions for the upcoming full-scale landing operation.

Von Palen, who was worshipped as a god by the Goths, launched a war with his entire nation based on his personal will. He was in the so-called "holy city" of Salibia, and he could not have imagined that he had already brought his fleet to his territory and was about to set foot on land to attack Salibia.

"Fong Palen, does the word 'surrender' even exist in your dictionary?" Qin Ze muttered to himself, stroking his chin as he gazed at the distant sea.