Chapter 1284: One Battle Secures the Southwest (Part 21) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
The spider general's smile had barely reached its halfway point when his pupils dilated rapidly, as if he couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes.
The moment the cold arrow pierced through Lü Jue, his gaze passed through the half of Lü Jue's destroyed chest cavity and saw another Lü Jue standing on the eaves of the towering ship, tightly gripping a large, black bow as tall as a man!
Is the one behind Lü Jue?
So, who is this person who is harassing him?
The arrow gave him no time to think, nor any chance to escape or dodge; it pierced his heart mercilessly.
The arrow pinned him firmly to the tattered mast and banner.
The arrowheads burst into red and blue flames.
Fueled by spider silk and eggs, the fire spread across the entire deck with lightning speed. A nauseating stench filled the air, and countless screams, some sharp and some shrill, were carried away by the river wind. Lü Jue's left hand, gripping the great bow, trembled uncontrollably.
His chest heaved uncontrollably.
This arrow is infused with ninety percent of martial energy, intended to kill with a single shot.
Since these spider eggs can spontaneously combust and explode by absorbing the energy of heaven and earth and using martial energy as nourishment, it means that the condition of these little spiders is not stable and that external impacts can cause them to explode out of control.
If that's the case, it's better to burn it all down.
Lü Jue couldn't stand idly by and watch these spiders spread to the next level. If they were to infest the army unchecked, countless soldiers would fall victim and die. In a flash, Lü Jue made a desperate, daring decision. Heaven seemed to favor him, and it succeeded.
He seized the time to recover his martial arts skills and physical strength.
Lu Jue sheathed his greatsword and transformed it into a longsword. He leaped off the deck, and the cabins below became a scene of carnage. The rowers of the Southwestern Allied Forces were not a rabble; realizing that the ship had been forcibly blocked and hearing the sounds of fighting coming from above the cabins, they began to charge out in an organized manner. However, all the key passageways were blocked by the Kang Kingdom's navy, and fierce fighting broke out between the two sides in the cabin passageways.
Before long, all the cabins were reduced to ruins and inferno.
After seeing Lü Jue leave, Chen Wuyou Tang gracefully landed and slowly walked to the "corpse" that had been engulfed by the fire.
The spider warrior remained pinned to the mast by the giant arrow. His upper human body was motionless, while his lower spider abdomen was noticeably shrunken.
She chuckled softly, "Shousheng is careless too."
The upper half is the human body, but that doesn't mean the vital heart is also located there.
If one were to closely observe the flames, a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer of life would be detected. The other party was also a master of feigning death; realizing his imminent demise, he immediately devised a plan to escape. Seeing his body being consumed by the fire and soon reduced to ashes, Lü Jue naturally wouldn't linger there.
If Lü Jue leaves, he will be able to find an opportunity to escape.
The damage from the serious injury was nothing; as long as he was alive, he could recover with time. His move fooled Lü Jue, who was rushing to join the battle, but it didn't fool the avatar Wu You watching from above. The spider-like general could see her through the firelight and vaguely hear what she said, and was horrified—was Zhongli Fu of Qi Kingdom acquainted with the brute general of Kang Kingdom?
His will to survive kept him from moving.
He tried to get away with it, but the imposter wouldn't allow it.
Not only did she refuse, she also kicked the spider's abdomen, pulling an oval-shaped "stone" out of its charred shell.
The "stone," about the size of a three- or four-year-old child, was kicked and rolled a considerable distance onto the deck. As it rolled, the "stone" cracked open, and a peculiar spider crawled out. The spider was entirely pink, with translucent pink skin on its abdomen, and a baby was vaguely curled up inside.
At first glance, it looks like a pink mochi.
The pink mochi sprouted eight spider legs and crawled and rolled.
A crisp snap of the fingers.
The pink mochi burst open, its spider legs scattering everywhere.
"We still need to nip it in the bud."
Next to the bursting mochi, the baby loosens its curled-up position.
The baby's skin was so delicate it seemed like it could be broken with a touch, but on its neck grew the head of a seventy or eighty-year-old man, which looked extremely bizarre.
"You, you are—"
The other person, clinging to their last breath, intermittently questioned him.
Did the Qi state betray the southwestern allies?
Or did Kang Guo deceive Qi Guo?
The disappearance offered no answer; the dragging sword swiftly severed his neck. As his consciousness faded into darkness, he perished in the inferno of the ship. The wind fanned the flames, illuminating each deck.
In order to survive, Allied soldiers jumped off the warship one after another.
What awaited them was not the river that would embrace them and grant them a way out, but rather a hard, frozen surface and a ferocious army that wanted their lives as a means of military merit. Initially, they harbored resentment at being left behind, but with their main force deployed, the enemy, attempting a flanking maneuver, couldn't avoid scouts, making it unlikely the Allied forces would take such a risk.
But then the wind picked up and the fog thickened; the enemy had truly arrived.
They then had to admire the intelligence gathered by their own scouts.
With such accurate intelligence, the enemy couldn't even manage to raid our base.
Considering the enemy's diverse fleet, their downstream navigation, and their well-preparedness, conventional methods of obstruction would likely be ineffective. Therefore, Lü Jue opted for the most ruthless and aggressive tactic. He capitalized on his strengths and avoided his weaknesses, turning the naval battle into a land-based siege!
As long as you don't care about the loss of the ship, you won't be hesitant to act.
With a one-for-one trade, Lü Jue used his warships to restrict the enemy navy's maneuverability, and then used the warships as a "base" to freeze a certain area of the river, thereby limiting the enemy's small and medium-sized warships. From then on, Lü Jue successfully found the feeling of fighting on home ground on the river.
As the two warships engulfed in flames, charred wood and tiles began to fall, followed by the collapse of each cabin and attic. The figure of Wuyou, leading his troops, escaped in the chaos, feigning defeat and preparing to give the Southwest Allied Forces a grand surprise.
Stealing from someone's home was an old tradition in Kangguo.
Cui Mi was so nervous that her heart was about to jump out of her throat.
For the first time, he felt a deep weariness at the uncertainty of the future; he couldn't foresee the success or failure of their army. Success was possible, but so was being discovered and killed by the Southwest Allied Forces. Most importantly, his identity as the second young master of the Cui family was no secret; once—
Cui Mi nervously grabbed his lord's sleeve.
With bloodshot eyes, he asked, "Is my lord confident?"
"grasp?"
"Since I've decided to reveal my identity, I'll kill them with one strike, eliminating them completely. I won't give my prey any chance to struggle or linger! When I strike, it's dead!" Cui Mi could easily foresee the future of others, so life seemed utterly meaningless to him, but that didn't mean he was truly heartless. He didn't want his family to suffer annihilation because of him…
Once you've revealed your hand, don't give your opponent a chance to turn the tables!
"Alright, just you wait and see!"
Dozens of battered, narrow warships carried them, cutting through the river like arrows released from a bow, heading towards the thick fog. After an unknown amount of time, they could vaguely see the tracks of several large warships. These warships bore the insignia of the Southwest Allied Forces. The soldiers of the Vanished Order sent out a distress signal, and the two sides exchanged flags and coded messages to verify their identities before being allowed to board the warships.
Judging from the marks on the ship, this army had briefly clashed with the Kang Kingdom, but the outcome of the battle and the whereabouts of the Kang Kingdom's navy were unknown. The figure of Wuyou blinked as he watched Mei Meng approach rapidly, thinking to himself that he was lucky to have run into an old acquaintance.
"You said you lost?" Looking at the charred and disheveled Hua Shenwu, Mei Meng's first reaction was disbelief. According to intelligence obtained by the Allied Navy, Kangguo had deployed all its elite troops, leaving its camp defenses weak; it was impossible for them to withstand the Allied attack.
"This humble general begs for forgiveness."
Wu, looking terrified, recounted the general details.
Despite her attempts to conceal it, Mei Meng still sensed Zhong Lifu's cowardly behavior, his fear of death. He was afraid to die, lacked the courage to confront Kang Guo directly, and only managed to escape with his life because he was quick to flee. Mei Meng suppressed the urge to reprimand him, her face remaining impassive, while the turmoil within her surged violently.
Is this the kind of person that Cui recommended?
Even more absurdly, the king himself degraded himself by using such a person!
Mei Meng does not want to have an attack now.
He casually found an excuse to send "Zhong Lifu" to the sidelines, but in his heart he had already planned how to use someone else to do his dirty work and eliminate this black sheep in a legitimate way. The avatar was unaware that Mei Meng had murderous intent, and even if he knew, he wouldn't care; it would be strange if he didn't.
If I knew that one of my generals was a coward, slacking off while watching his comrades die in battle, and then shamelessly returning to act as if nothing had happened, and I didn't immediately punish him according to military law, then I was only being kind. Tolerating such a troublemaker who tries to take advantage of the situation and flaunts his power in the army would ruin everything.
Mei Meng's methods were relatively mild; she merely used someone else to do her dirty work, giving them the posthumous title of "dying for their country," rather than ruining their reputation while they were alive. Hua Shenwu had no doubt about Mei Meng's arrangement and went down to inquire about the battle situation.
This naval force belonged to the Allied Left Army.
Its primary role is to support the main force of the central army in encircling and suppressing enemy troops.
However, the fighting style of Kangguo was shockingly brutal. They directly used their warships as mobile skirmishers, employing their hulls to cut through the Allied naval formations. Underwater ambushes cut through the hulls of the Allied ships, and the two sides clashed in their very first encounter.
The main force of the central army was lured away, while Mei Meng's side was delayed.
Kangguo abandoned seven or eight shipwrecks and fled.
Mei Meng directed communications with nearby naval forces from the ship.
She has found a trail of the Kangguo navy.
In the very first engagement, the Kang Kingdom's main force overused its warships, resulting in a series of sinkings. These warships were the primary vessels for the navy; the loss of seven or eight meant at least 20,000 soldiers were without ships. Creating a new warship required immense morale, time, and effort, and it was impossible to quickly replace them. The Kang Kingdom's navy was forced to choose smaller, less precise warships. These smaller ships were easier to deal with.
Without the protection of large ships, these main forces were weak in combat and defense, making it the perfect opportunity to strike while they were weakened. With the command to "raise the sails" given, the rowers below deck exerted all their strength to adjust the angle and speed of the ship, carrying the Southwest Allied Navy towards the target... At this moment, Hua Shen Wuyou clutched his heart.
Liao Qian asked worriedly, "Is my lord unwell?"
"No, I'm just a little excited."
As an avatar of the original, Wuyou shares a subtle connection with the original. Previously separated by vast distances, they could only vaguely discern each other's location; now, situated on the same river, they are drawing ever closer. Which path of the original has Meimeng found?
Oh dear, what bad luck!
In terms of the immediacy of battlefield intelligence, no matter how powerful the Southwest Allied scouts were, they couldn't compare to Qin Gongsu. Connecting the clues, it's speculated that the real Qin Gongsu might have realized Mei Meng's whereabouts and simply set up a sting operation, deliberately waiting there.
A smile played on her lips: "You'll be excited too."
Liao Qian and Cui Mi had never seen the real person's appearance.
"After being under my command for several years, it's time to see him."
Liao Qian was puzzled, while Cui Mi closed his eyes to rest.
Another chaotic battle is about to break out. If we don't seize the opportunity to recover our strength and accidentally die in the melee, we'll be at a huge loss.
Mei Meng was on edge, and Shen Tang was also on guard.
She first received real-time intelligence from Qin Gongsu, learning that a main force of the allied army was nearby, and then received a warning from the avatar Wuyou. She thought her opponent was a stranger, but it turned out to be an old acquaintance.
"Since they're acquaintances, let's meet them."
It is impolite not to reciprocate.
The vanguard of the Southwestern Allied forces arrived first. They found no trace of the remaining Kang soldiers, let alone any of them on the river; even their vanguard, skilled in tracking by scent, returned empty-handed.
The remnants of the Kang Kingdom's army were quite large, and having just suffered a setback in battle, their warships were in short supply. It was highly likely that they left personal traces on the river. Even if the scent didn't linger on the river for long, if enemy troops had indeed passed through this area, there should have been some residual scent in such a short time.
The result was that nothing was gained!
"Send men into the water!"
Mei Meng received the feedback, and her eyes gleamed.
"We've already checked underwater, and there's no one there!" They had to be wary of the enemy hiding underwater and secretly breaching the bottom of their ship, so it was impossible for them not to have someone go underwater to keep watch. Mei Meng had them check several times, but it was the same.
"Has the riverbed been screened?"
Either the scouts gave us the wrong information, or there really was a Kang Kingdom navy here, but they were hiding very well.
"I'll do it right away!"
The military officer disagreed in his heart, but still did as he was told.
The first group of skilled swimmers went into the water and stopped less than half a meter from the riverbed. After searching the area, they found no trace of the enemy. Just as they were about to return with the message, the once calm river surface suddenly boiled, and countless water plants lashed out and entangled themselves on the surface.
Shen Tang: "Do it!"
Unable to break free, the Allied soldiers were dragged by the water plants and buried in the riverbed silt. Before their consciousness faded, they vaguely saw what appeared to be a thick wall growing towards the surface. Among them, a martial artist unleashed astonishing strength to break free of his bonds and issued a warning in his final moments!
On the ship, Mei Meng suddenly became alert.
He shouted sharply, "Underwater!"
Allied soldiers launched an attack on the river almost simultaneously.
A barrage of explosions followed, but after a fierce assault, the expected scene did not unfold; the enemy was not blasted out. Vanguard soldiers went into the water to investigate, but found no trace of the enemy underwater. Instead, they discovered city walls emerging from the depths.
Mei Meng almost had a brain fart: "City wall?"
Underwater casting works?
This operation completely baffled Mei Meng.
On land, fortifications can defend against enemy charges, but what's the point of building underwater fortifications in naval warfare? Despite the mystery surrounding the operation, Mei Meng dared not let her guard down. Kang Guo had always acted unpredictably and wouldn't do anything meaningless…
A fine layer of cold sweat had appeared on her forehead without her noticing.
Look up and gaze at the sky.
At a glance, one could tell that something seemed off about the battle flag on the mast.
The battle flag is falling?
No!
It wasn't a battle flag, it was the entire warship descending!
(ω)
Kangguo was extremely persistent in fighting on land.
The Southwest Allied Forces have been severely weakened in this battle. They have consolidated their forces in the Southwest and joined forces with Zhai Le to launch a war in Central China (in the current timeline, this war has already begun, and there will likely be many victims in this part of the story, whose tunics are in the hands of Ji Moqiu and his group _(:з」∠)_).
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