Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1387 - 1380: Change of Opponent

Chapter 1387: Chapter 1380: Change of Opponent

The news of victory on the front lines reached the far rear, and Linglan and others were greatly energized. Because of this battle’s victory, it essentially marked the Dongsheng military’s complete strategic failure in West Outer Heaven.

By this time, the Demon Clan’s military had already taken control of two-thirds of South West Outer Heaven territory, and next, they would have to face the Dongsheng aristocratic families occupying the remaining third, as well as their private Nine Thousand Battalion.

Of course, although the Dongsheng military forces had taken a severe hit, it didn’t mean they were completely without the means to resist. Together with the aristocratic families’ Nine Thousand Battalion, they still posed a very significant threat to the Demon Clan’s military forces.

That’s exactly why, after taking office, Linglan began to actively maneuver. She first visited two major Demon Clans of Thousand Peaks Cloud Top, though she failed to gain any actual support from them. However, she managed to open up a passage from West Outer Heaven to the northwestern plains of the Continent.

So the envoys of the Demon Clan passed through Thousand Peaks Cloud Top and came to the plains in the northwest of the Continent, where they met with the Yipa, referred to as the Western Barbarians by the Dongsheng Empire, to conduct friendly exchanges and present them with various situations within Kyushu.

The Demon Clan had a very clear purpose in doing this: they hoped that the Yipa would take the initiative to harass the borders of the Dongsheng Empire, putting pressure on Dongsheng and forcing them to withdraw their troops from West Outer Heaven early, to counter the threat from the northwest.

As previously mentioned, the surroundings of the Dongsheng Empire were anything but peaceful and serene; the Beichang Empire to the northeast, waving the flag of revival, has always wanted to dominate Kyushu and restore the glory of the Chang Empire. While the Yipa in the northwest, due to failed trade negotiations, began to continuously raid the Empire’s borders.

In such circumstances, the Dongsheng Empire’s expedition seemed somewhat irrational. There were constant internal advisements to withdraw the troops deployed in West Outer Heaven, focusing solely on defending the empire’s northwest and northeast borders.

It wasn’t just the Imperial Court’s Civil Officials voicing these opinions; the aristocratic families from the border states were also continually pressuring the Imperial Court to evacuate the troops from West Outer Heaven, to help them defend the borders; otherwise, relying solely on their strength was utterly insufficient.

Of course, these Nobility had vast wealth and powerful warriors, so claiming they were insufficient was definitely nonsense. But regardless, if they could avoid using their own forces they would, since waging war was both costly and manpower intensive, which simply wasn’t worth it for these aristocratic families.

Originally, the invasion into West Outer Heaven was instigated by several large Nobility, and the Civil Officials could only voice their disapproval; they were unable to recall the military units straight away. But now other aristocratic families had also begun to sing the opposite tune, prompting the Imperial Court to take action.

Despite the previous conflict, where the Dongsheng military forces halted the Demon Clan’s counterattack, the Imperial Court nevertheless decided to withdraw half of its troops back to the country, responsible for defending the borders.

Now, as news of the defeat in the war reached the nation, the Dongsheng Court could no longer hold on and resolved to officially withdraw the troops. All forces deployed in West Outer Heaven were ordered to be evacuated.

This resolution was still opposed by some aristocratic families, as their family clans were reclaiming land in West Outer Heaven, and with the withdrawal of the Dongsheng military, they would be directly exposed to the threat of the Demon Clan’s military.

But the overall situation had changed, and the voices of dissent from these few aristocratic families could not sway the uniform decision of the Imperial Court. Thus, three months after the disastrous defeat, the Dongsheng Empire officially announced the withdrawal from West Outer Heaven, abandoning all occupied towns and strongholds.

After the message arrived, the Dongsheng aristocratic families occupying West Outer Heaven responded even faster than the Demon Clan, immediately taking over the towns and strongholds abandoned by the Dongsheng military, while also beginning to recruit brave soldiers to expand their Nine Thousand Battalion.

It is worth noting that, up until the Dongsheng Empire’s withdrawal, they were still in a state of war with Abisien and had not signed any ceasefire agreements.

In fact, it was obvious that the Demon Clan would not sign any ceasefire agreement with the Dongsheng Empire, because the Southern Yao Race was still occupying the last of the land in South West Outer Heaven, and without dealing with them, even Linglan wouldn’t have the audacity to declare peace.

The reason why the aristocratic families’ Nine Thousand Battalion was called so was because the Dongsheng Empire explicitly decreed that private soldiers fewer than ten thousand were exempt. However, in this special situation, the Dongsheng Court tacitly approved the practices of these aristocratic families entrenched in West Outer Heaven, allowing them to recruit brave soldiers and expand their military strength.

The aristocratic families from Dongsheng that were entrenched in West Outer Heaven totaled three, and one month after the Dongsheng Empire announced its troop withdrawal, these three families had already recruited an army exceeding fifty thousand men. Together with their original forces, they were nearly reaching a hundred thousand.

Among them were no few Dongsheng soldiers who had stealthily come to enlist, as well as conscripted peasants seeking a bite to eat. Of course, the main force was composed of immigrants from Kyushu and the Shanyue people from the neighboring Fengyu.

At the same time, the Demon Clan’s military forces were also actively drawing in half-breeds from the Demon Clan in Fengyu, and with the absolute military control of the Dongsheng Empire gone, a severe power vacuum was readily apparent in the southwestern outer regions.

The news of the Demon Clan’s crushing defeat of the Dongsheng military had spread throughout the Continent, giving the half-breeds of Fengyu a sense of pride, and from that day on, an increasing number were attempting to cross through the controlled zones of the Dongsheng military to flee to West Outer Heaven, preparing to join the Demon Clan.

From the end of that battle to the withdrawal of the Dongsheng military, and then to the expansion of the Dongsheng aristocratic families, over the course of four long months, more than a hundred thousand half-breeds had escaped to West Outer Heaven and successfully joined the Southern Yao Race.

The influx of new blood greatly improved the Demon Clan’s predicament. Meanwhile, the Demon Clan’s military forces were also expanding actively. They recruited a large number of people from Kyushu to join the army, at one point expanding their forces to around fifty thousand. Although they couldn’t compare with the three great aristocratic families, it was already a significantly large scale compared to before.

More importantly, the armies of the three great aristocratic families were standard cold-weapon forces, and aside from those Dongsheng soldiers who had joined them, hardly anyone had experience dealing with the Demon Clan’s firearms-equipped troops, so they seemed still unaware of the Demon Clan’s military strength.

After consecutive battles, the Demon Clan’s Kyushu line infantry had become an elite force, equipped with advanced flintlock smoothbore guns. Whether it was firing in volleys or engaging in cautious combat, they maintained a robust combat capability, far surpassing any force comprised of peasants and routed soldiers.

Even though they were actively preparing for battle, the leaders of the three great Dongsheng aristocratic families were well aware of the Demon Clan’s military strength, so they took the initiative to make contact with the Demon Clan.

The terms they offered were for them to relinquish all the cities and strongholds previously occupied by the Dongsheng military, retreating to their own territories. In return, the Demon Clan would sign an armistice, putting down their weapons for good.

In the face of such terms, Linglan didn’t even consider it, immediately sending the envoys packing. It appeared that these aristocratic family heads thought their offer was quite generous, but for Linglan and the entire Demon Clan Cabinet, the terms were undoubtedly humiliating.

Not to mention that the cities and strongholds occupied by the aristocratic families were originally the Demon Clan’s, and should be taken over by the Demon Clan if at all, not a matter for these aristocratic families to interfere. Just mentioning the peace terms of these aristocratic families was utterly delusional.

Linglan’s reason for refusal was simple. If they wanted peace, they would withdraw completely from West Outer Heaven. She warned the representatives of the three great aristocratic families, either withdraw from West Outer Heaven on their own or be expelled by them.

Clearly, the differences between the two parties were irreconcilable, and so the war could only continue. A month after the negotiations fell through, the Demon Clan’s military formally deployed, confronting the private soldiers of the three aristocratic families, and once again the clouds of war loomed over the skies of West Outer Heaven.

This time the Demon Clan’s administrative center moved again, from Ziye Ning to Big South East Peace City. Clearly, Linglan planned to be stationed in Big South East Peace, personally leading the war.

Although both sides seemed prepared for battle, neither chose to take the initiative to attack, but instead stood facing each other.

The Demon Clan’s army was very clear about what kind of enemy they were facing. As the actual elite troops of the Dongsheng Empire, these soldiers from the Nine Thousand Battalion were supported by the nobility, and many were Cultivators.

And, most fatally, the Nine Thousand Battalion lacked the complex rivalry of commanders that plagued the Dongsheng military. Their generals were also leaders, their leaders were also generals. Most of these commanders were from within their own ranks, able to fight on the battlefield as well as manage strategy, so they could not be taken lightly.

To confront such an army, one had to be fully prepared in order to leverage the Demon Clan army’s strengths stably; otherwise, a slight oversight could easily result in a crushing defeat.

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