The stellar energy projectile, carrying the weight of destruction, struck precisely between the northern defense line and the Third Legion's formation!
"boom----!!!!!"
A gigantic, pale blue energy mushroom cloud suddenly rose up and shot straight into the sky!
The deafening explosion silenced all other sounds in the world, far more terrifying than a thousand thunderbolts exploding simultaneously.
The devastating shockwave spread wildly in all directions from the point of explosion, like a tsunami.
The painstakingly built and protected northern defenses were torn apart and vaporized like paper in the face of absolute power, as if they had never existed.
Large numbers of Third Legion soldiers were instantly swallowed by the energy wave before they even had time to scream, and were evaporated in the extreme light and heat.
Even the Northern Iron Cavalry, who had already charged to the outermost edge, were still affected by the explosion. The violent energy turbulence swept them and their warhorses into the blast, instantly turning them into charred remains!
Although Xiao Zhan plunged his silver spear into the ground the moment the explosion occurred, and used all his strength to raise the largest possible defensive ice barrier, he could only barely protect the few dozen iron cavalrymen around him.
Even at the Ninja Alliance command post further away, all the Japanese people inside were violently thrown back by this shockwave.
Tanaka crashed heavily to the ground, while Matsuyama was pushed by the blast wave into a boulder behind him. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Despite the excruciating pain, Matsuyama struggled to his feet quickly.
Before he could wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, he immediately looked up at the distant ruins enveloped and swallowed by energy, his voice trembling:
"Star Orbit Class... This is a Star Orbit Class energy weapon! This is a national treasure used to fight against world-destroying alien beasts! It is strictly forbidden to use it in internal human warfare! Zhongzhou... How could Zhongzhou use such a thing on its own people?!"
Even the chief of staff, Matsuyama, who was always skilled in intrigue and surprise attacks, was utterly shocked by this crazy scene.
It should be understood that the energy consumption of activating a single Star Orbit Cannon is astronomical; even a single cannonball is enough to drain the wealth accumulated by the Japanese tribe over many years.
If Zhongzhou were truly determined to use such deadly weapons against them, there would be no need to go through the trouble of sending the Third Legion to retake them. They could simply launch a long-range star-orbit attack and annihilate their entire ninja alliance!
High in the sky.
Jiang Feng was violently thrown away by the aftershock of the explosion.
He forced himself to steady himself, and despite the pain in his eyes from the blinding light, he stared intently at the scorched earth at the center of the explosion below.
"Calculation error?"
"accidental injury?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Jiang Feng's voice was filled with heart-wrenching pain and disbelief:
"The military's firing accuracy has always been flawless; there is absolutely no chance of error!"
The Central Plains Military Command predicted the Third Legion's support route, arrival time, and even the timing of the battle with perfect accuracy. How could they possibly have misjudged the target and made such a huge deviation when launching the orbital cannon?!
The soldiers of the Third Legion had just completed a long march and hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath before becoming the victims of Central Continent's own star-orbiting energy cannons. How could he accept this?!
The river wind, suspended high in the sky, was heartbroken and utterly bewildered, almost driven to madness.
Meanwhile, at the Allied Shinobi Forces headquarters below, Matsuyama, still bewildered, barely managed to regain his senses.
But then he saw Captain Tanaka beside him, calmly rising from the ground with a faint smile on his lips, as if he had anticipated all of this and was already waiting to see this good show:
"Brilliant! As expected of the General of Zhongzhou, ruthless enough! Not only can he mobilize such a weapon capable of destroying a country, but he can also precisely control its trajectory and blast radius. Such power is truly enviable."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Matsuyama abruptly turned to look at Tanaka, staring at the confident, all-knowing smile on Tanaka's lips. His face drained of color instantly, cold sweat broke out on his back, and even his voice trembled.
"You mean...this wasn't an accident?"
"Is Zhongzhou attacking its own people? Is this also part of your plan?!"
It was only at this moment that Matsuyama learned the truth and was shocked to realize the truth.
Captain-Commander Tanaka had already laid out a grand scheme, not only treating the Central Plains Army as pawns, but also keeping himself completely in the dark from beginning to end.
"You...you've been colluding with the higher-ups in Zhongzhou for a long time?" Songshan unconsciously used polite language.
Tanaka slowly patted the rain off his clothes, his tone extremely indifferent:
"Collusion? That's too harsh a word. It's just a matter of each getting what they want."
“Zhou Zhenbei wants the Third Legion to disappear completely, and incidentally eliminate the Northern Prince, a major threat. I will help him create a perfect ‘accidental injury’ scene; in return, he will help me open the gates of the Central Plains defense line. It’s a very fair trade.”
"Fair?" Songshan stared wide-eyed, looking up at the distant ruins with shock.
The magnetic storm following the energy explosion raged in the distance, and the horrific sight of countless Zhongzhou soldiers instantly vaporized even made him, as the enemy, feel a sense of physical discomfort and cruelty.
Songshan was deeply perplexed, unable to understand what price the Japanese would have to pay to make Zhongzhou pay such a heavy price, using weapons of annihilation to kill their own people.
Seeing the pity in Matsuyama's eyes, Tanaka finally turned to look at him, his gaze icy and devoid of any emotion, and shouted:
"Matsuyama!"
Songshan's body stiffened, and his expression quickly returned to seriousness.
"Don't forget why we came here! It's for survival, to seize this land. As for the lives of the people of Zhongzhou, what do we care?"
“Yes! I understand.” Songshan hurriedly bowed in response.
Tanaka nodded in satisfaction after seeing Matsuyama's changed attitude.
After a pause, he suddenly pulled out a token engraved with the character "Zhou" from his pocket and waved it in front of Songshan:
"Do you think the Central Plains defense line is so easy to breach? If Zhou Zhenbei hadn't given me the highest-level pass long ago, how could the Ninja Alliance have so easily advanced and launched a sneak attack from inside the defense line, thus attracting everyone's attention?"
The moment Songshan saw the Zhou-character token, he understood completely that this war was a deception, a bloody trap targeting the people of Zhongzhou.
The soldiers of the Central Plains defense line, the Northern Iron Cavalry, and the Third Legion were all merely sacrifices already marked in this conspiracy.
Even the Japanese are probably just prey to be used to achieve their goals.
“A madman! General Zhongzhou is a complete madman!” Songshan muttered to himself, feeling a chill run down his spine.
"That's right!"
Tanaka surprisingly nodded in agreement, his gaze drifting towards the Central Plains within the border region, a hint of approval in his eyes.
"Only such crazy people are worthy of cooperating with us, and dare to cooperate with us."
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