Before long, a horn signalled the start of the battle. The Alzar Kingdom's army of two hundred thousand marched for Yongtein; their objective the Imperial Council! The first thing that caught everyone's attention was the Featherwind Sect's flying ship which soared above the capital city and hovered there. Although it did nothing else, it released a menacing air that terrified the soldiers below. Rumors had already spread about the Featherwind Sect and their deeds in Guanhuang. With one strike to rend heaven and earth, they reigned supreme! These poor soldiers quivered at the prospect of fighting them. They were true calamities! Their presence had a tangible effect on the battlefield as they suppressed the empire and empowered the kingdom. Already, the empire's morale took a huge hit.
Once they got into range, the archers and crossbowmen loosed thousands of salvos into the opposing armies. The skies were briefly overshadowed in a million projectiles! Yet, although it looked flashy, it had minimal effect. The Alzar Kingdom had squadrons of Arcanists positioned throughout the battlefield to create large barriers. They negated most of the attack, while the vanguard dealt with the rest. As for the Imperial Council, they hid behind the city walls. Neither side suffered many casualties. In the next stage, the Arcanists changed their target. Their goal was to destroy the city gates and allow the army in! The Imperial Council predicted their strategy and countered with their own. The kingdom's scouts soon reported two large enemy forces approaching from their flanks. It was the council's main force! General Petra's expression flickered because it was well within her expectations. She knew they would resort to a direct confrontation too. In response, her army retreated from the walls in a slow and orderly fashion. The last thing she needed was a three-way pincer!
Bang! The two sides collided in an earthshattering battle. Screams and shouts were complimented by the blood and bones shed. Metal clashed against metal in a brutal bloodbath of madness! People were dying at a meteoric rate! Unsurprisingly, one side began to dominate. The surprising bit was that it was not the Imperial Council, who led with a five-to-two advantage, but the Alzar Kingdom! Their vanguard line held firm against the waves and waves of enemies, fending them off with savage efficiency. Like a band of headless chickens, their enemies lacked coherence and leadership. They barely knew how to wield a sword, much less stand in formation. To the kingdom, they were nothing more than bodies ready to be slaughtered! The blame for their suicidal performance could not be placed on their shoulders alone though. Conscripted soldiers like themselves had a few days of training before they were shoved onto the battlefield. Any other person would suffer much the same. And thanks to the chaos, they were blinded by the reality of it all. They had no way of realizing they were marching towards their own deaths. Everything could be attributed to Prime Minister Pon-Wai's cruel decision to use his own citizens to whittle away at the kingdom's forces.
It was successful too because no matter how disciplined and trained the kingdom's soldiers were, as they say, a trickle can eventually chisel away a mountain! Cracks inevitably began to form as the vanguard began to lose ground. The situation was too chaotic to stabilize! To make matters worse, the Imperial Council wove in random squadrons of trained soldiers into their conscripted army. Whenever the kingdom grew too complacent, these squadrons would attack with monstrous momentum and pressure! There were simply too many enemies. The kingdom began to suffer heavy losses as the tables reversed. The council intended to force them into a corner, to force them to mobilize the Featherwind Sect or the Ten Dawns, to force them into stabilizing the situation. They wanted the kingdom to waste their cards! Once that happens, the council would use their full strength to thoroughly crush them! Naturally, their intentions did not go unnoticed by General Petra. She did not mobilize the Featherwind Sect nor the Ten Dawns as they wished. Instead, she rearranged the vanguard and main offensive lines, switching from convex to a concave formation. It was a strong defensive formation. While the council tried to fully encircle and surround the kingdom's forces, cavalry helped to keep them at bay. The battle was rapidly evolving! That said, both Prime Minister Pon-Wai and General Petra knew that this was not the main stage. The deciding show would be elsewhere!
Away from the battle and in the forest, Commander Christina was quietly receiving reports from her scouts. She turned to the people behind her. "Imperian Qiang, your suspicions were spot on. Of the twelve hidden passageways into the city that you mentioned, nine of them were either destroyed, trapped, or guarded. It seems like the council realized our intentions. Thankfully, the remaining three appear to have gone unnoticed."
Imperian Qiang nodded. For a city with a history as long and rich as Yongtein, it went without saying that there would be many unofficial, secret ways in or out. Many times, they were used for illicit activities, such as drug smuggling, arms dealing, or even human trafficking, but sometimes, they were used for good reasons too. For example, as secret escape routes. Important, high-profile people might come under attack, and this might be the only way to escape the city. Almost every great nobility family had such an insurance and the same went for the Li Family and the Imperial Family. As for these hidden passageways that Commander Christina mentioned, they were not under the Li Family's supervision because the Imperial Council would obviously scout them out and lay a trap. Instead, they were from families or organizations with indirect or obscure ties to either the Li Family or Imperian Qiang. Since he revealed his survival from the Battle of Liguang, he could act more boldly and call upon his resources as the former patriarch of the Li Family!
"Then we'll do as planned. Lady Mingyu, you'll be with me. Xiuying, Ming… are you sure you two want to come with me? It'll be very dangerous."
"How can you say that, uncle?" Xiuying smiled wryly. "We haven't done anything since Liguang."
"My sister is right. We can't keep relying on the kingdom for everything. This is our city, and as princesses, we have a responsibility to do something too," Ming added. Her strong resolve made it hard for him to ignore.
"Besides, we have Protector Chang and Cardinal Hui with us. We'll be fine!"
Indeed, with one of the strongest warriors in the Xingyuu Empire on their side, little posed any real threat. Still, Imperian Qiang felt uncertain. He felt things would not be so simple. This was not the time to second guess himself though. The kingdom's battle was already underway, so they needed to infiltrate Yongtein and capture the Imperial Council as soon as possible!
He returned his attention to Commander Christina and apologized, "Sorry for the delay. We're ready to depart now."
"Very well, please take and wear these robes. You six will join our main infiltration force of three thousand. Once inside, regroup with the other two thousand from the other two tunnels, collaborate with the local powers, and assault the Imperial Court. Your goal will be to capture or kill the Imperial Council. I won't be joining you, so you'll be under my subordinate's command. Please follow his orders."
"We understand. As a precaution, we'll signal to the Featherwind Sect if our attempts fail."
"I wish you good luck then."
The woman mounted a horse, whipped the reins, and galloped away. She had to rejoin the main battlefield as a Brigade Commander. Imperian Qiang and the Imperial Princesses met up with the infiltration force and entered the passageway. Rather than being mined from stone or dug from dirt, these passageways were lined with stone bricks, which gave it a surprisingly sturdy and sleek look. A cave-in was unlikely. The dark and cold hallways were lined with dust, making it months, maybe years, since its last use. This was likely why the Imperial Council failed to account for it. After twenty minutes of uneventful walking, light finally shone at the end of the tunnel. As they got closer, they realized it was not an opening as they envisioned, but a solid brick wall, where light peeked through the gaps. It looked like a dead end. The Imperial Princesses were perplexed, yet Imperian Qiang remained calm.
"Lady Mingyu, break the wall," he ordered.
"Mm," she muttered. She placed her palm on the wall and took a simple stance. Boom! She blasted the bricks with titanic strength, contrasting her petite figure, and rendered the wall to dust. People around her gulped. They almost forgot that this unassuming woman was the leader of the Li Family's Four Dragons! A Perception Realm Master, her power was no less impressive than Cardinal Hui's!