Under General Petra's guidance, Yin-Yang Arrow and Mirage Valley made their second climactic appearance on the battlefield. A humongous shockwave ripped through the air and ground, sending tremors throughout the capital city and surrounding area. One could imagine the destructive power behind these two spells from a glance! Elizabeth and her friends were particularly somber witnessing them from the general's tent. It was beautiful yet terrifying beyond description; however, it was not enough. The Tiger and Dragon Divisions' momentum might have stopped, but they only accounted from a small fraction of the total offensive. The Imperial Council had five hundred thousand soldiers, more than double that of the Alzar Kingdom's two hundred thousand. Two spells were not enough to tip the scales in their favor! In reality, the kingdom was being pushed back on almost every front. They were completely on the defensive! General Petra and the other generals were stretched thin in holding their positions, much less launching an attack on the capital city. In this strange turn of events, the role of attacker and defender flipped. And thus, the first day of battle ended.
That night, the mood in the kingdom's camp was depressing. They had come with high hopes, thinking that they would easily siege and capture the empire's capital. After all, their momentum through the last three provinces was unbelievable. They basically plowed their way through every single obstacle as they travelled to Yongtein. They encountered little to no resistance. One would assume that the last step of their journey would be just as easy. Of course, that was because they had no idea this was Prime Minister Pon-Wai and Minister Keigon saving up their strength. Consequently, today's battle was a grim reminder to everyone. One look beside them and they would see many open seats. Many people that they called brothers or sisters-in-arms had left today. The kingdom had tabulated that twenty thousand had died and twenty thousand more were injured… A fifth of the kingdom's forces were removed from play in a single day, which showed how fierce the battle really was. It was unclear what the next day looked like.
The mood was somehow worse inside the capital's walls. They might have boasted greater numbers and seized the initiative, except they did not emerge unscathed. The vanguard divisions, formed from the conscripted citizens or city's garrison, took particularly heavy losses. They had scant training to begin with, and when subjected to a nightmarish battlefield like today, everyone wore the same abject face. No matter how they closed their eyes, they only saw the same scene repeated again and again. The deeper the trauma, the more it lingered. Powerful traumatic memories could drown out even happy ones! The mental trauma was so great that breaking into tears would have been preferrable. The more mentally weak crumbled under the pressure and died in spirit! People naturally voiced their complaints towards the Imperial Council. They were not stupid. They could figure out that they were the sacrificial lambs to the slaughter. It was outrageous that their own government would do something so amoral! However, the Imperial Council remained steadfast and silenced any complaints. This created many deserters who left in the middle of the night. From the battle alone, forty thousand were killed, twenty thousand were injured, and another five thousand deserted! It was a big loss compared to the kingdom.
At Liutianhe Pagoda, Prime Minister Pon-Wai conversed with General Fai Moklan, the commander-in-charge of their defense. Before them was an expansive map detailing the exact positions and numbers of every force in the region.
The prime minister traced his finger along the map and coldly said, "The result was as expected."
"Yes, Your Excellency, the vanguard is playing their role well. We should be able to whittle down the kingdom's forces with them. However…" General Fai hesitated. "I do wonder if this will pose a long-term risk to the Imperial Council's reputation. I recommend retracting our conscripted citizens in favor of our army now."
"Dismiss any citizens that fought today and compensate them accordingly. Create a record of everyone who died today and send their due compensation to their families. The remainder will participate tomorrow."
"As you wish," he replied, surprised by the prime minister's magnanimity.
"How are the Tiger and Dragon Divisions?"
"They've sustained heavy casualties from the Ten Dawns' large-scale tactical spells. We believe that close to three thousand may have died in today's battle alone."
Prime Minister Pon-Wai nodded. "Good. Continue to draw the Ten Dawns out."
"Your Excellency, if I may… I believe this is a waste of our military. The Tiger and Dragon Divisions are all either Half or full-fledged Perception Realms with Martial Energy. It took a lot of time and effort to nurture that many of our finest soldiers. They're likely the strongest military force anywhere in the world. To use them in baiting out the Ten Dawns, who spells can replenish endlessly, seems like an error."
"A person's value lies not in their life, but in their achievements. How did they help themselves, their friends, their family, and ultimately their state? So, what if the Tiger or Dragon Divisions die? They would have exhausted the Ten Dawns and removed a precious piece from play. We can always rebuild if we win. Even my own life is no consequence. I would happily give it up as long as the Xingyuu Empire wins. Do you understand?"
Shivers ran down General Fai's back. In his mind, the man grew to the size of a giant, towering above the world, with the weight of the empire on his back. He alone shouldered the world! This was the true resolve of the man known as the second most powerful person in the empire, Prime Minister Pon-Wai Jian! He was inscrutable!
"Their lives were cut short from their training, so this is the least they can do to help us. Meanwhile, the conscripted soldiers will only be a problem if they continue to act up. Letting them leave now is for the best," he continued. "Have we discovered the whereabouts of the Imperial Princesses or Imperian Qiang yet?"
"No, but we know they haven't left Yongtein. I've tripled the sentries and security checkpoints in the city and identified areas where they're most likely to be hiding after their escape from Liutianhe Pagoda. The operation to corner them will begin early tomorrow morning."
"Remember, I want them unharmed."
"That might be asking for too much," General Fai smiled bitterly. "They're protected by Cardinal Hui, Lady Mingyu, and Protector Chang, all of whom are formidable Perception Realms. The Imperial Princesses are also Half-Perception Realm and Fundamental Realm Master themselves. Together, they could even fend off a hundred Perception Realms. We can't afford to hold back."
"Very well, I'll leave it to your discretion then."
"Understood. However, there is one more thing that I'm worried about…"
"The Featherwind Sect, right?" Prime Minister Pon-Wai deduced without a second thought.
"Yes… Their ship has been stationed in our sky the entire time, but we haven't seen any activity from the five elder birds. This should be a good opportunity to attack us though."
"I agree. The best time to attack would've been at the start of the battle or when the Tiger and Dragon Divisions made their appearance to reduce our numbers as fast as possible, but as it stands right now, the Alzar Kingdom lost a significant fraction of their army. Unless the Featherwind Sect or the Sword King intervenes soon, their odds will continue to shrink. I don't know what they're waiting for."
"Is it possible they can't act for some reason?"
"No, they must have something else in mind. I don't see how the Alzar Kingdom would make a miscalculation at this stage of the war…" the prime minister pondered. "Either way, we should continue as planned. Any word from our reinforcements?"
"Yes, the Jian Family's army of twenty thousand, led by Lord Fuwu, have mobilized faster than they expected. We should anticipate their arrival in three days. Similarly, the Shui Family's army of thirty thousand, led by General Songlin, and the Jun Family's army of fifty thousand, led by Minister Keigon, have said the same thing. The three armies should converge on Yongtein in roughly three days, assuming we haven't won by that point."
"You shouldn't underestimate General Petra or Princess Elizabeth. Without their interference, we would've stopped them at the Quiton Gates, much less at the Samfeng Province. They're the ones who created this situation. This battle won't be that easy to win," Prime Minister Pon-Wai said with narrowed eyes.