Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1442 - 1435: The Day of the Final Battle

Chapter 1442: Chapter 1435: The Day of the Final Battle

In less than five days, the very thing Cheng Ziang had feared most still came to pass, as the Yichuan Clan’s Nine Thousand Battalion took the initiative to attack the Demon Clan’s troops, intending to break the standoff.

As the Dongsheng troops were routed, the three major aristocratic families incessantly gathered forces, amassing an army over a hundred thousand strong. Of these hundred thousand, the Yichuan Clan accounted for nearly half, that is, fifty thousand men, while the remaining fifty thousand were divided between the other two major families.

Despite being cobbled together on short notice, the majority of the army consisted of veterans from the defeat and some conscripts who hadn’t managed to flee, all of whom were ideal soldiers.

Furthermore, Yichuan Long was renowned not only for his literary and martial prowess but more importantly for his understanding of troop training. Under his transforming influence, the army of fifty thousand regained their morale and organizational structure, preparing themselves to face the Demon Clan’s troops.

The Demon Clan’s troops had previously tried to test their attacks, but retreated with their tails between their legs. This made them realize the strength of the local militia and led the Yichuan Clan to consider that the Demon Clan’s troops might not be as powerful as they had imagined.

Indeed, Yichuan Clan’s speculation was correct, for the Demon Clan’s army was able to counterkill from a hopeless position, relying not only on their own efforts but also on the active or passive cooperation of the Dongsheng troops.

It had been emphasized before that the Demon Clan always launched their attacks during the strategic withdrawal phases of the Dongsheng forces.

Moreover, during this counterattack, there appeared to be traitors within the Dongsheng ranks, nearly wiping out the generals brought by the Dongsheng army.

Without their generals, the Dongsheng army’s combat effectiveness was severely weakened, unlike the Nine Thousand Battalion. Meanwhile, the Demon Clan kept upgrading their weapons and tactics with help from the Western Continent, defeating the once-unbeatable Dongsheng forces with advanced weaponry and smart battle tactics.

Yichuan Long summarized the combat experience between the Dongsheng and the Demon Clan’s forces and discovered that although the Demon Clan appeared strong, they had a critical weakness – they were susceptible to shock assaults.

Earlier, the Demon Clan had launched an offensive but were completely crushed by the Dongsheng’s Cavalry outside the walls of Big South East Peace City, forcing the Demon Clan to start conscripting civilians from Kyushu as military resources.

Yichuan Long also noted that, in subsequent battles, this vulnerability to shock was never properly addressed. Instead, the Dongsheng Empire had to face threats from the northwest and northeast and had to recall most of its Cavalry, losing the ability to deliver a fatal blow to the Demon Clan.

Yichuan Long was well aware that the Dongsheng Empire internally had little interest in the campaign in West Outer Heaven. His relatives in Yin State had previously sent him a message, indicating that if he would return to the Yichuan Clan, the Imperial Court would help stabilize the Yichuan Clan’s position in West Outer Heaven.

Yet, Yichuan Long had ignored the message, and as expected, the Imperial Court really did pull back their troops, leaving the three major families to struggle desperately.

The reason Yichuan Long disregarded the family in Yin State was that he knew the Dongsheng troops would retreat regardless, and him joining the family and entering the court was merely a pretext. After his departure, the Dongsheng forces would still diminish their presence in West Outer Heaven until they withdrew entirely and without him, the Yichuan Clan in Jiangzhou would be in danger.

Thus, weighing his options, Yichuan Long gave up such an opportunity and willingly stayed in West Outer Heaven. Of course, if Yin State called upon him now, he might actually agree since his most cared-for sister was already entrusted to another, and he had no more reasons to keep holding on stubbornly. It might even be a choice to bring his family and combine clans.

Yichuan Long led an elite Cavalry force of around three hundred, commencing attacks on several of the Demon Clan’s army outposts. The result was a slaughter on the Demon Clan’s side, an almost complete annihilation, with the outposts falling thereafter.

One should know that these three hundred were not ordinary people but all Cultivators. A Cavalry composed of Cultivators was, as one can imagine, very difficult to deal with.

Generally speaking, the Royal Dao is fatal, while the Ba Path is tough to handle. Because the Royal Dao emphasizes releasing energy, able to inflict potent damages on the enemy, hence, it is fatal. Whereas the Ba Path is tough because it emphasizes reinforcing oneself, enhancing personal abilities, making it hard to be harmed and thereby, tough to handle.

Yichuan Long, a master of the Dual Dao, was not only deadly but also exceptionally difficult to deal with. The cavalry under his command were almost all masters of the Ba Path, making them very tough opponents indeed. It was quite normal for the Demon Clan army, despite being well-equipped, to be at a disadvantage in battle.

What needs to be emphasized repeatedly is that in the Otherworld, in the Magic World, technological progress does not equate to an increase in power. How one channels and utilizes magic is the key to increasing strength.

Thus, even if the Demon Clan army replaced their muskets with automatic rifles, they would still be no match for the Nine Thousand Battalion blessed by magic. Only magic can defeat magic, and the best approach to dealing with the Nine Thousand Battalion would be to develop Source river technology.

As a primary representative of Source river technology, Yuanzi weapons were undoubtedly some of the deadliest weapons around. Those from the Advance Team who were equipped with Yuanzi weapons were virtually invincible in the Otherworld.

However, it should be noted that Source river technology isn’t something that can be had just by wishing for it. Source river technology must be built on one’s own advanced technology and a profound understanding of magic.

Therefore, looking at both worlds, the only ones truly capable of leading Source river technology were the Otherworld Research Center under headquarters and the High-peak people’s research institutions.

For an army like the Demon Clan’s, which had just taken its first step out of the feudal era, Source river technology was naturally out of reach. Rather than placing their hopes on Source river technology, it would be better to think of some unconventional methods.

A series of defeats had left Yunji’s complexion grim, so she began to regroup her troops, ready to seek out and engage the main force of the Nine Thousand Battalion in a decisive battle to resolve the war once and for all.

Although the Light Cavalry led by Yichuan Long moved around like ghosts, the signal from the Demon Clan army to gather for an offensive forced him to temporarily give up on harassing the enemy and to mobilize his superior forces for a decisive engagement against the Demon Clan army.

A decisive battle didn’t necessarily mean a large-scale fight, nor did it guarantee significant casualties. Its greatest allure lay in its decisiveness; in such warfare, both sides would put everything on the line.

Whether it was the Demon Clan army or the Yichuan’s Nine Thousand Battalion, the only goal of engaging in a decisive battle was to completely end this round of confrontations.

A decisive battle marked the end of one campaign and the beginning of another. If the Demon Clan army were to lose this decisive battle, it would undoubtedly greatly delay their timeline for unifying West Outer Heaven. Conversely, if the Yichuan’s were to lose, it would mean that the Yichuan Clan from Jiangzhou would have to completely withdraw from West Outer Heaven, either merging with the Yin State or becoming an obscure and nameless small clan forever.

Thus, on the tenth day of the war, both armies faced off on a hilly terrain, ready for a decisive engagement.

Although the Demon Clan army outnumbered the Nine Thousand Battalion, the latter’s elite core was especially difficult to overcome.

Yichuan Long naturally became the commander of this battle, while his father hid away in Linshui City, waiting for good news from his son.

Cheng Ziang and others, as part of the military observation group, were fully involved in this battle. It was a reunion with old friends but not in a situation they would have wished for. Looking through his telescope at the opposing army formation and Yichuan Long clad in armor, Cheng Ziang couldn’t help but feel somewhat melancholic.

Like he had learned from the standoffs between the Dongsheng army and the Demon Clan army, Yichuan Long did not set up his main camp within sight. Instead, he positioned it more than a kilometer away and deployed his vanguard to maintain a distance from the Demon Clan army.

He seemed to know that within sight was where the Demon Clan army would target their long-range firepower, setting up camp at that distance was like telling the Demon Clan army exactly where to bombard.

Unlike the opposing Dongsheng army, the temporarily recruited troops of the Yichuan’s Nine Thousand Battalion appeared rather disorganized, with even their armor and uniforms unable to be standardized. This was, of course, understandable, given that one was a violent organization of a national machine, while the other was just a hastily assembled motley crew by the Yichuan Clan.

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