The Imperial Council's army regrouped here after their pitiful defeat in the Samfeng Province. They originally marched out in high spirits, believing they could annihilate the Alzar Kingdom, only to return with their tail between their legs. It was beyond humiliating! Everyone was too dejected to raise their heads, especially the leaders of the army. Unit Commander Duan had a darkened face as he went through the camp. As the general of the northern front, this failure fell solely on his shoulders alone. It would be a giant stain on his reputation and legacy, and any chance at advancing his military career would vanish. Still, he took it maturely. He was determined to redeem himself!
Likewise, General Goumeng was frustrated that their side ended in retreat. They never encountered a single enemy because of the conveniently placed avalanches that staggered their marches. Every time, they spent considerable manpower and time to clear the way forward before meeting the next blockade. Everything was over by the time they knew it! He understood now that it was the kingdom's trick which aggravated him further. After all, Arcania was the kingdom's strong suit. He should have known better!
General Tang was also in a bad mood. If this were a minor setback, then he would have had no problems in gloating this failure over General Goumeng's head. This, however, was the very opposite of a 'minor' setback. They were outsmarted in spectacular fashion! He had to report his embarrassing defeat to the Jian Family, along with a detailed account of how it happened. Naturally, they were furious! He would not escape punishment for this blunder.
General Songlin's behavior was unsurprisingly the same as usual. He had secretly theorized it was the kingdom's scheme from the very beginning, but he had kept his thoughts to himself. Why? Because it was not in his interests to fight! The Shui Family's elder council sent him here, on account of their patriarch being detained in Yongtein, but it was more of a formality. They did not explicitly give him orders to support the Imperial Council, giving him free reign to do as he pleased. Therefore, the current situation was anything but stressful to him. He was quite satisfied!
The four generals made their way to the central building where the rest of the officers and Unit Commander Haea stayed. This was their main military headquarters for their operations in the north. They entered the tense room with contrasting emotions and sat down. Unit Commander Haea started the meeting by ordering, "Report the aftermath of the battles." She glanced at General Goumeng first.
"The Jun Family's army suffered no casualties in the southern front. We retain our full strength of fifty thousand."
"The Jian Family is the same. We have our thirty thousand," General Tang added.
"As does the Shui Family with our twenty thousand," General Songlin completed.
Everyone looked at Unit Commander Duan who accepted their disdain calmly. "The northern army suffered heavy casualties in the battle. We have around thirty thousand casualties of which twenty thousand are deceased, and ten thousand are injured. That leaves us with under seventy thousand."
Unit Commander Haea replied with a cold, "Thank you for your report… The central front also had some difficulties. Thanks to the Featherwind Sect and the Sword King's battle, we've suffered three thousand casualties and our retreat from Guanhuang added another two thousand, leaving us with forty-five thousand. Including the western army of forty thousand, that would mean that we lost thirty-five thousand in total from the battle. We still have two hundred and sixty-five thousand soldiers stationed here. For now, I will be placing the western army under Unit Commander Duan's command. Do not let me down."
"I promise to live up to your expectations," he answered solemnly.
"Unit Commander Haea, if I may ask… is it true that Guanhuang was destroyed by the Featherwind Sect's battle with the Sword King? I'm having a hard time believing it myself," General Tang said. Liguang was one thing, but the entire provincial capital? It was an entire magnitude of difference!
"That's right. Those reports were not exaggerated."
"But… that would mean the Sword King could destroy us at any time." General Tang's face twisted. What was the point in this war when one man could decide it all? They might as well surrender!
"I won't deny the possibility," she said quietly. After seeing what the Sword King could do first-hand, especially with his final earth-shattering attack that sent shockwaves throughout the province, it was hard not to feel demoralized. No mortal could face that type of power and prevail!
"Where are they now?" General Goumeng asked.
"We don't know," someone else replied. "After the battle, they disappeared."
"Does the kingdom know?"
"We don't know that either."
"I see…"
"Is it true that they're sentient birds?" General Songlin wondered. He, like everyone else, heard that the Imperial Council cooperated with the Featherwind Sect, but that was it. They never spoke with them, never laid eyes on them, and never knew where they came from. The Featherwind Sect was wrapped in countless mysteries! The only one who knew more was Unit Commander Haea since she outranked everyone here, except she kept her lips sealed. She never told them more than necessary.
The woman drummed her fingers on the table and contemplated. It was supposed to be a closely guarded secret, but at this point, everyone in the central front saw them. There was no way she could lie her way out of this. Therefore, she decided to admit it directly. "That's right. The Featherwind Sect is composed of five large sentient birds that can use both Martial and Magic Energy. We established contact with them almost a year prior."
"And the flying ship is…?"
"It exists, although we don't understand the principle behind it."
The room went quiet as they processed the information. Sentient birds? That could use Martial and Magic Energy? That had flying ships? It sounded too ridiculous to believe! Had they not heard the same story from countless others, they would have thought she created a story to hide the truth. However, that simply added to their astonishment! The fact that everything was true was a crazier idea than had it been a lie! They were struck with curiosity, dread, and wariness all at the same time. On one hand, they feared the unknown, whether it be because the Featherwind Sect was a group of sentient and intelligent birds, or because they could use means far beyond what humanity knew currently. On the other hand though, these generals were keen to turn this into an opportunity to strengthen their armies. Their military prowess could soar through the heavens with power like that! They had a good chance of defeating the Alzar Kingdom and winning the Second Great Kingdom War!
Their conflicting emotions were observed by Unit Commander Haea, who felt a faint sense of familiarity. When she first reported the Featherwind Sect's arrival at the Xi Wall to the Imperial Council, the ministers probably had the same reaction. Everyone wanted to know how they could use the birds. Unfortunately, ever since the Battle of Liguang, she mocked the idea, even with their timely 'assistance' in Guanhuang. To trust those birds was to court disaster. There was nothing good to be gained from it!
She raised her voice and said, "The Featherwind Sect is not the focus of this conversation. We're discussing what to do with the Alzar Kingdom instead. From the last battle, we believe that their casualties range from ten to twenty thousand, leaving their combat-capable numbers at one hundred and seventy thousand. I have contacted the Li Family's matriarch and grand elder, and they have promised me their participation in the upcoming battles. They claim to have two hundred thousand ready by March."
"We don't need the Li Family's help! If both the Featherwind Sect and the Sword King are absent, then we should rally our forces and attack the kingdom ourselves!" General Goumeng fiercely suggested.
"I agree! We can't let them fortify their positions. We've retained most of our fighting strength, and we're numerically superior. I say we ride out posthaste!" Unit Commander Duan shouted, much to the agreement of the hotheaded generals.
"I'm not finished yet." Unit Commander Haea glared at them sharply, shrivelling their spirits. "Things are more complicated now. I've received multiple reports of the kingdom's fleets preparing throughout their territory. We suspect they're planning a large-scale simultaneous invasion on our territory in coordination with the forces here already. While the admirals have been alerted, the Imperial Council remains concerned. We've also noticed increased covert activity throughout the empire. The kingdom is planning something big, but we don't know what, so we can't afford to act hastily, especially now that our informants have been compromised. We should err on the side of caution this time."
"Understood."