The forces of Asphodel waged war against Lynx to take their only port. Commander Yuuka led the charge, successfully pushing the Lynx's army back. Despite this victory, the battle was far from over.
Asphodel's ships set the port ablaze, but strong winds nearly extinguished the flames.
"Sir, all the cannons are ready to fire."
"Okay, wait until I give the command."
The commander walked out of his room, binoculars in hand, observing small groups of enemy soldiers positioning themselves at the port.
"1, 2, 3, FIRE!"
On the Lynx side, the army discussed their plans. The claws of Asphodel were slowly choking them.
The commanding officer of the second army, Haruki Ikegami, sat with a single-star embellishment on his uniform.
"Prepare to fight; get the cannons ready. The fire will go out in a few minutes."
"Yes, sir."
"SIR!"
BOOM!
The loud noise startled every soldier on both sides. It was too early to attack given the fog, but Yuuka used this as a surprise element.
"What happened?" Haruki asked, caught off guard.
"Asphodel is firing on us."
"WHAT?!"
The sudden attack threw the unprepared Lynx into chaos.
"Load up the cannons again. They must be panicking."
In the heat of battle, Yuuka missed an environmental change.
"Sir, the rain is already falling."
The rain posed a threat to Asphodel's forces, with lightning strikes and winds pushing the fog towards them, giving the enemy time to regroup.
"Everyone, take your ships near the port. We need to close the distance and capture it. Keep firing to push them back as much as we can."
"Yes, sir."
Despite the rain, Asphodel's forces kept pushing towards the port. However, many soldiers were moving the boats, putting them at a disadvantage.
"Everyone, get back on your ships and fire on the troops."
The fog moved towards the incoming ships, and the Asphodel soldiers thought it would be to their advantage. As the fog cleared, they saw the enemy's positions and continued their assault.
"How many forces have we lost?"
"SIR! 300 men are already dead."
"We need to retreat. Asphodel is firing volley after volley of artillery."
"Sir, we can't."
"The Yangzo River has flooded, and the flow of water is too high to carry the cannons. The bridge is destroyed."
"What? Already broken? Is there an imposter among us?!"
"Sir, I highly suspect so."
"Regardless, we need to retreat at any cost. Take what you can and head to the riverbank, minimising casualties."
The Lynx army ran through the attacking cannons, desperate to survive. They reached the Yangzo River's bank but couldn't cross.
"Their artillery can't reach us here. We are safe."
The Lynx army continued to lose ground. The captain could only watch as his comrades fell.
"Sir, we are near the port, and our artillery can't reach them. Shall we make landings?"
"Yes, make landings on the port. Tell the troops to take all the resources stored in the metal containers and wrap up the bodies."
Levi, standing beside Yuuka, raised his opinion.
"Sir, I think we should attack the Lynx army."
"They are too scared to fight us. It won't be advantageous to chase them. Take the cargo and load it onto the ships."
The port was in Asphodel's hands. The first blow of the battle came from them.
During the rain, soldiers moved the cargo, extinguished fires, and covered the bodies of the dead.
"Enemy ambush!!!"
"?!!"
As the rain subsided and sunlight broke through the clouds, more than 25 ships appeared on the horizon.
"What the hell?!"
Asphodel never expected this development. Scouts and Yuuka used their binoculars to identify the approaching fleet.
"It's Britannia..."
Upon seeing the flag and the three stars, Yuuka realized Britannia had arrived.
"The forces of Britannia are here. PREPARE FOR BATTLE."
Panic spread through Asphodel's ranks, believing Britannia was Lynx's ally.
Soldiers ran back to their ships, and Yuuka schemed to win.
"!!!?"
A loud bang heralded a large green flare in the sky, changing the mood entirely.
"They're not here to attack us?"
A small boat with five men approached Asphodel's ships.
"Everybody hold your positions. They are here to talk."
Yuuka ordered his soldiers to be ready but not show malicious intent. His soldiers were surprised by the order.
Britannia declared they had no intent to fight.
The small boat landed, and five men walked proudly among the enemy soldiers. Yuuka recognized two of them: Commander Alexandar Aubry and Captain Edith Clarke.
Edith approached Yuuka with a smile.
"Commander Yuuka Sakaguchi, we are not here to fight you," he said. "However, we are here to take this port and the entire kingdom. How about we discuss our plans over drinks tonight?"
Edith leaned closer to Yuuka, whispering,
"Your army doesn't stand a single chance against us. I hope you understand that."
Britannia's forces advanced their port-capturing mission.
Negotiations began between Asphodel and Britannia. They allied, creating a massive army of 10,000 armed men and women in white and green uniforms, with three-star collars.
Britannia brought ground artillery, ammo, and food, forming a grand plan during the meeting.
"We plan to push and conquer all of Lynx in this attack."
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