As General Fai left, the prime minister returned his gaze forward. Interestingly, the Imperial Council would feature the unusual strategy of abandoning their walls to take to the field. Their goal would be to force the kingdom into a direct confrontation! This seemed counterintuitive in a defensive battle; however, their side had more than five hundred thousand combatants! It was more than a five-to-two ratio against the Alzar Kingdom. Even though two hundred thousand were normal civilians with a scant bit of training, such a difference in numbers was more than enough to flatten their opponents! Furthermore, the kingdom possessed large-scale strategic weapons in the form of the Featherwind Sect, the Sword King, and the Ten Dawns. If they remained passive and hid behind walls, then it would give their opponents an easy target to focus on. They could not repeat the mistakes of the Quiton Gates or the Shinzhu rivers. The more muddled the battlefield was, the better it would be for them. To defend, they had to attack! With luck, they might win without reinforcements!
There were problems with this strategy though. One was that it hinged on the kingdom accepting their 'request' for a direct confrontation, yet why would they accept? Surely, General Petra would understand the implications and decline. She would attempt to circle around their forces to enter the city instead. This seemed like another counterintuitive idea, to enter the lion's den and engage the enemy forces inside the city, but it was a better idea than it sounded. The kingdom would be losing their deterrents in large-scale strategic weapons, but so would the Imperial Council with their numerical advantage. The terrain of the city was too difficult to leverage a large battle, so it boiled down to a battle of luck. This was the last thing anyone wanted to hear. Unfortunately, the kingdom had multiple winning conditions: one of which was the destruction of the Imperial Council. They did not have to win over five hundred thousand soldiers. If a strong elite force managed to bypass the council's forces inside the city and make it here, then the kingdom would win! That was why the council could not let them enter Yongtein.
The other problem was the mere existence of the Featherwind Sect or the Sword King. Their potential to tip the scales meant the Imperial Council could not afford to move boldly against the Alzar Kingdom. However, this was a double-edged sword because once they loosed that arrow, they could not take it back. Prime Minister Pon-Wai was keenly aware of the limits of Arcania. Every spell came with an appropriate price. They could not be used haphazardly or repeatedly. At most, they could probably be used a handful of times, so once those uses were exhausted, the kingdom would lose that deterrence. Energy interference would play a part too in weakening their potency. Therefore, it was in the kingdom's best interests not to use their large-scale strategic weapons unless absolutely necessary, so as to maintain the illusion of a deterrent. The council thus had a careful line to balance between making the kingdom think it was unnecessary and crushing the kingdom's forces.
The alternative was to bait the kingdom into using their cards early, thereby removing any uncertainties and dramatically increasing the council's odds. This was easier said than done though because General Petra was not a fool. She would not use her cards without due reason. This meant the council had to intentionally create such a situation and the easiest way to do so was to… use sacrifices. At the end of the day, everything became a numbers game. The Alzar Kingdom had to offset a five-to-two disadvantage and quickly too, to prevent the enemy reinforcements from catching up. They had a time limit, so any chance to reduce that five-to-two disadvantage would thus be ideal. It sounded inhumane, but the council could use those freshly conscripted soldiers to make the kingdom waste their trump cards. Their battle effectiveness was low, meaning it did not matter if they lived or died. The fact that Prime Minister Pon-Wai seriously considered sacrificing two hundred thousand people showed how cold and calculating he was. Nothing else mattered as long as they won!
Of course, there was also the chance the kingdom might attempt another decisive strike again like the one in the Quiton Gates. Back then, they were able to decisively win by capturing Unit Commander Haea and the entire army's leadership thanks to the Featherwind Sect. It was the most direct and easiest method to win at once! There was a very high chance the kingdom would try it here. The Imperial Council admittedly lacked a strong counterplay for this strategy. They could not be faulted for this though since the existence of flying sentient birds was already an abnormality. Nothing existed which could adequately protect them. However, this did not mean they were completely out of options either. By spreading their numbers thinly and obscuring their locations, any attempt to seize the Imperial Council would be difficult. Even if, by some chance, they captured him, he had already given instructions in the event of his capture. That was the hallmark of an excellent leader. He had plans in place for every possible outcome! Now, the only question was… how would the Alzar Kingdom resist?
"So, that's the empire's capital city, Yongtein, huh?" Elizabeth remarked from inside her carriage. The sight of the marvelous city left her amazed and stunned. It was no wonder they called Yongtein one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was simply breathtaking!
"Once this concludes, I would be happy to give Your Highness a tour of the city," Ming replied.
"I might take you up on that offer," she said happily.
"It's been years since we've been home." Xiuying felt a surge of emotion. Ever since the Second Great Kingdom War began, they had been swallowed up in a sea of schemes and trickery. They left in the hopes of finding out the truth behind their mother's death and their father's madness. Too much happened since then. Too much to count. To finally lay eyes on their home again was enough to cause a million feelings to overflow. Her thoughts were shared by her sister. It was bittersweet.
"Let's take back our home!" Ming declared.
Elizabeth did not have the heart to tell them that things… were not going to be so simple. No, they probably understood this too. They took longer than expected to reach Yongtein, they failed to eliminate the Jun Family, and the Li Family was rapidly approaching. Although victory seemed to be at their fingertips, there were enemies on all sides. Yongtein had more than five hundred thousand soldiers, the Jun Family had maybe a hundred thousand, while the Li Family had two hundred thousand. If they accounted for the random armies throughout the nearby lands, it was a number that closed in on one million! One million soldiers… versus the kingdom's feeble two hundred thousand. This was a gap that neither the Sword King nor the Featherwind Sect could close! One wrong step here, and it was over!
However, this was the opportunity of a lifetime. If they captured Yongtein and the Imperial Council here, then this would be a major turning point in the war. The Xingyuu Empire would lose their central government, while the Jian Family would take a heavy hit. The remaining Shui and Jun Families would struggle to rally against them, which left the Li Family as the only real threat. Except what could one Li Family do against the entire Alzar Kingdom? Suffice to say, they were woefully insufficient, especially once reinforcements arrived from the kingdom's mainland! The kingdom would have secured their victory in the Second Great Kingdom War! Therefore, this battle was an extremely risky gamble with an extremely high payoff. It was their best chance at ending these five hundred years of war forever!
The army halted short of Yongtein as they began their final preparations. Elizabeth stepped out her carriage to feel a tense, but excited air swirling above the encampment. Everyone likely understood how important this battle would be. Winning meant their names would go down in history while losing meant death! It was that simple. Benedict, Shirley, and Freon greeted her with expressions equally as tense as hers. Next was Sir Winstin, General Petra, Ten Dawn Yvonne, Iris, Rosemary, and the newly arrived Ten Dawn Runenda and Lorth. The latter two was overwhelmed to hear that Elizabeth not only survived the Battle of Liguang but became a Half-Condensed Drop Arcanist as well! Her rate of growth was monstrous! Next was Imperian Qiang, Lady Mingyu, Cardinal Hui, and Protector Chang as they glanced at Yongtein with complicated feelings. Looking up, Elizabeth caught a glimpse of the Featherwind Sect's flying ship where the five elder birds, Elder Argo, Ludin, Crus, Unvo, and Terus stood. Everyone was here. The battle was imminent!