noffsinger Chapter 349 Half a Year of Conflict, Heading to the Enemy Camp
Chapter 349 Half a Year of Conflict, Heading to the Enemy Camp
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the courtyard.
Hua Lingxing burst in from outside, looking even more panicked than she had been in the Illusionary Spirit Garden last time.
"Liu Lingzhen has already ordered a large army to be dispatched to Jiaxian City and Fengming City!"
Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.
Daya stood up and asked, "How is the Empress now?"
Hua Lingxing explained to them, "The Empress is temporarily fine and is recuperating in the Illusionary Spirit Garden!"
Inside the palace of Phantom City, candles burned all night long.
Liu Lingzhen stood before the sand table, her fingertips tracing the flags representing the Si Dynasty and the Gu Xuan Dynasty, her eyes surging with a chilling fighting spirit.
He suddenly spoke, his voice piercing the silence of the hall.
"Issue my order! Effective immediately, all Ling Kingdom troops will launch a full-scale attack to confront Si Chao and Gu Xuanchao!"
The general standing to the side was taken aback upon hearing this.
In the end, the general hesitated and said, "King Ling, our country fought wars with the Qin and Gu Xuan dynasties a few years ago, resulting in countless casualties."
Last year, an earthquake caused people across the country to flee.
If we were to engage in a two-front war with both Si Chao and Gu Xuan Chao at this time, I fear…
"What are you afraid of?"
Liu Lingzhen interrupted him, her fingertips slamming heavily into the center of the sand table.
"How can the land of Ling Kingdom be coveted by others? Si Chao wants to use the pretext of 'patricide' to invade Ling Kingdom."
Gu Xuanchao wants to take advantage of the chaos and annex Jia County. Then let them taste the power of the Ling Kingdom!
He grabbed a quarter of the military tally and threw it to the general.
"Anyone who acts according to orders and misses a crucial opportunity will be executed!"
The general accepted the small piece of military tally that flew through the air.
Looking at the military tally in his hand, he dared not offer any further advice and could only accept the order, bow, and retreat.
Liu Lingzhen gazed at the flag representing the Ling Kingdom on the sand table, a cold, hard smile curving her lips.
What he wanted was not to remain in a corner of the world, but to use this war to completely rebuild the foundation of the Ling Kingdom, and even expand it.
The moment the battle order was given, the entire Ling Kingdom was in an uproar.
The surviving soldiers were urgently conscripted and rushed to the front lines with their weapons.
The common people were forcibly conscripted for labor and transporting grain and fodder.
The once peaceful land has become a battlefield filled with the smoke of gunpowder.
When the news reached the Illusionary Spirit Garden, the Empress was resting by the window.
Upon hearing the news brought by Qin Lingxing, the teacup in her hand shook violently, and she didn't even notice the scalding tea spilling onto her hand.
Her voice trembled: "What is Brother Wang trying to do!"
Doesn't he know what state Ling Kingdom is in now?
A two-front war—is this going to drag the Spirit Kingdom completely into the abyss?
Qin Lingxing lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The Spirit King said that only by going all out can we force out the Spirit Kingdom's fighting spirit."
"Sharpness?"
The Empress laughed self-deprecatingly.
"All he wants is to feed his ambition with the blood of these tens of thousands of soldiers!"
She stood up, intending to go to the palace to stop them, but was stopped by several spirit stars.
"Empress, your injuries have not yet healed, and the Spirit King has sent people to guard the Illusionary Spirit Garden. Apart from your subordinates, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave at all!"
Qin Lingxing's eyes were filled with worry: "You've been getting angry every time you hear about the war lately, and your wounds keep reopening. If this continues..."
The Empress felt her bandaged back.
She now realized that Liu Lingzhen's sword strike was not intended to kill her.
Instead, it prevents itself from going to stop him from doing various things.
She snorted and sat back on the couch, gazing at the dark sky outside the window, feeling utterly powerless.
She, the nominal Spirit King, is now powerless even to stop an absurd war.
The next six months became the darkest period for the people of Ling Kingdom.
Battle reports from the front lines poured into the palace like snowflakes, and were also secretly transmitted to the Illusionary Spirit Garden via the Spirit Star.
Every battle report was filled with shocking figures.
"The entire garrison of Jiaxian County is fighting to the death!"
"A key border town was attacked by the Si Dynasty, resulting in the loss of 5,000 soldiers."
"Gu Xuanchao's reinforcements arrived, and our army was forced to retreat more than a hundred miles..."
"The soldiers of Fengming City are no match for the overwhelming army of the Si Dynasty!"
Letters arrived one after another, including one that read, "Prefect Wang Qinian of Fengming City has fled!"
The Empress gripped these battle reports tightly in her hands, her knuckles cracking with each clench.
She knew that her brother was waging a war of attrition against the enemy in the most brutal and domineering way.
But behind every number are the lives of people in the Ling Kingdom who have struggled to survive for over a hundred years.
When the Ling Kingdom suffered 30,000 casualties, Si Chao and Gu Xuan Chao finally suspended their attack.
When news came that both sides had entered a period of rest and recuperation.
She could no longer contain herself and smashed the table in front of her to pieces with one slap.
She looked at the few remaining papers on the ground and murmured, "Thirty thousand... Can he really just abandon the blood and flesh of the Ling Kingdom so carelessly?!"
The Empress's injuries could have healed much faster in the past six months.
However, her condition worsened repeatedly due to her daily worries about the war and her frequent outbursts of anger.
All these messages made it difficult for her to calm down and recuperate.
Physical wounds heal easily, but the torment in her heart gnaws at her day and night.
She knew this was only a temporary truce.
Her brother will certainly not give up so easily.
Fortunately, both sides have now ceased hostilities, allowing her to catch her breath.
After resting for half a month,
She no longer wanted to tolerate it and planned to go to the palace in person to see her brother, Liu Lingzhen.
Even if they are no match for him, we cannot allow the soldiers of the Ling Kingdom to lose their lives so needlessly.
However, as soon as she and the seven spirit stars reached the entrance of the garden, they were stopped by the guards and soldiers stationed there.
"Empress, the spirit has decreed that you must rest quietly in the garden and are not allowed to go out."
The garrison commander spoke respectfully, yet refused to yield an inch.
Without saying a word, the Empress immediately sent the soldiers at the courtyard gate flying.
Half an hour later, the empress arrived at the palace.
The garrison commander looked troubled upon seeing the Empress's arrival.
The Empress asked, "Where is my brother?"
The garrison commander stammered, "King Ling... went to the Gu Xuan Dynasty in person half a month ago."
The Empress was shocked upon hearing this: "What? What is he doing in Gu Xuan Dynasty?"
"I don't know, I only know that King Ling said he wanted to meet with King Yingtian of the Gu Xuan Dynasty."
The Empress wondered: What is my brother planning to do by going to the enemy camp alone?
Gu Xuanchao, inside the Heavenly King's Palace.
The atmosphere inside the main hall was solemn. King Yingtian, Wu Baihan, sat on his throne, looking down at the person below who exuded an aura that could not be underestimated.
Although the man was standing at the bottom, his eyes held only a condescending and scrutinizing look.
"Liu Lingzhen, how dare you come to my Gu Xuan court alone?"
Liu Lingzhen stood with her hands behind her back, her expression calm and undisturbed.
"Why should I ask a question I already know the answer to?"
Wu Baihan asked in an icy tone, "Then why did you come here?"
Liu Lingzhen said in a calm tone: "I'm here to discuss a deal with you."
Wu Baihan sneered: "A deal! Your Ling Kingdom is about to be destroyed, it's at its last gasp, what right do you have to talk to me about a deal?"
"qualifications?"
Liu Lingzhen raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as a knife.
"With me here, you will not be able to invade the territory of the Spirit Kingdom."