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Chapter 277: Chapter 277: Blossoming on All Sides

"General Wu An, long time no see!" Zhong Shan greeted with a smile.

"Mr. Zhong Shan, it has indeed been a long time!" Wu An responded with a smile as well.

Observing Zhong Shan\'s cultivation, Wu An couldn\'t help but feel uncomfortable. Jindan stage? How could someone at the Jindan stage be on an equal footing with him? No, this man was even accompanied by a Huangji stage expert as his bodyguard. This person was far from ordinary.

"It has been several years since we parted in Sky City. I have prepared some tea in my humble abode. Please come in, General, so we may discuss some private matters," Zhong Shan said.

"Please," Wu An agreed promptly.

Wu An had already scanned everything inside with his spiritual sense, seeing it all clearly, so he had no objections.

Inside, there were two long tables facing each other. Zhong Shan and Wu An took their seats, and Ah Da poured tea for both of them. After serving the tea, Ah Da stood behind Zhong Shan.

Zhong Shan deliberately glanced outside, particularly at the Daxuan Army\'s First Camp behind him. Then he furrowed his brow slightly and said, "General Wu An, do you think our conversation should be kept from outsiders?"

"Of course," Wu An nodded immediately, looking at Zhong Shan with some excitement. Was Zhong Shan really planning to defect?

Zhong Shan gave Ah Da a signal, and with a wave of his hand, Ah Da activated the flag array outside. Suddenly, a large amount of black mist surged, covering the house on the floating island. It blocked out sound and isolated any spiritual sense from entering or exiting.

Wu An felt a twinge of unease since his spiritual sense couldn\'t penetrate the array. However, recognizing it as a low-level array, he suppressed his discomfort.

"Mr. Zhong Shan, on behalf of the Dayu Empire, I sincerely invite you to join us," Wu An said immediately.

Zhong Shan frowned slightly, appearing hesitant.

"What\'s wrong?" Wu An asked, puzzled.

"But, the King of Julu...," Zhong Shan said with a troubled expression.

"Oh, Mr. Zhong Shan, you need not worry about that. The prince has already let go of the past. He only sought you out back then because he was concerned you might take the position of Grand Marshal ahead of him. Now that he himself is a Grand Marshal, those old grudges have vanished," Wu An reassured him with a smile.

"Oh? The prince has become a Grand Marshal? One of them?" Zhong Shan asked, puzzled.

"Yes, this time for the campaign against the Daluo Dynasty, the Dayu Empire appointed two Grand Marshals: the Prince of Julu as the Northern Expedition Grand Marshal and Tie Xue as the National Defense Grand Marshal. So, Mr. Zhong Shan, you can rest assured," Wu An explained.

Zhong Shan paused slightly, thinking, "What is Nalan Piaoxue up to? Two Grand Marshals?"

From Wu An\'s words, Zhong Shan gleaned a lot of information. At the very least, the appointment of two Grand Marshals carried significant implications.

"But I am deeply indebted to the princess. This...," Zhong Shan continued to procrastinate.

"Once we conquer the Daluo Dynasty, the princess will be yours, Mr. Zhong Shan. Besides, didn\'t this Ah Da used to follow the princess? Now he follows you, doesn\'t he?" Wu An said with a smile.

Meanwhile, at the Southern City

While Zhong Shan and Wu An continued their verbal sparring, a different scene was unfolding in the south of the city.

Shui Wuhen had sent out a large number of scouts. They suddenly noticed the thick black mist billowing from the north of the city. This was the result of the flag array being activated on the floating island where Zhong Shan was, blocking external spiritual sense and serving as a signal to Shui Wuhen.

The signal was quickly relayed several times by the scouts until it finally reached Shui Wuhen. He stood before more than a dozen men.

"General, an hour has already passed. We only have 24 hours in total, and we need to account for the time it takes to siege the city and deal with the Dayu forces. There\'s not much time left. You need to give the order now," one man said anxiously.

Shui Wuhen had just seen the black light signal from the scouts in the distance.

"Alright, we won\'t delay any longer. However, you must all act with one concerted effort. Any hesitation and everything will be for naught. Open the city gates. Remember, your task is to open the gates," Shui Wuhen ordered.

"Yes, General, you can count on us!" the men responded excitedly before quickly flying off in all directions.

On the Southern City Wall

On the southern city wall, Mo Baili was in charge. He was the one who had once competed with Shui Tianya for the position of the Wushuang City Lord.

"Something\'s not right, my lord," a general said to Mo Baili.

"What\'s wrong?" Mo Baili asked, puzzled.

"Just now, I clearly saw someone in that direction, but now they\'re suddenly gone. It\'s strange, very strange!" the general reported.

"Then send scouts to check it out," Mo Baili suggested.

"I did, but when they got there, they found no one. Did I see it wrong?" the general frowned.

"Relax, you know the defenses of Wushuang City. There\'s nothing to worry about," Mo Baili reassured him.

"Hmm," the general nodded, though still feeling uneasy.

"The southern city wall is the most fortified. That\'s why we only need 200,000 troops here. And now that everyone is fully deployed, what is there to worry about?" Mo Baili said.

"You\'re right, my lord," the general conceded.

Just as the general finished speaking, a lookout suddenly shouted, "Enemy attack!"

Mo Baili turned his head and, to his astonishment, saw countless figures emerging in the distance. No, they weren\'t far off; they were right there, suddenly appearing in massive numbers.

How could this be? How did so many people suddenly appear? Did they fall from the sky? Impossible! How could there suddenly be so many troops?

Even if organized, it would take half a day to gather so many people.

"My lord, they dug tunnels! Look over there! The mountains have been hollowed out. They were hiding inside all this time. I wasn\'t seeing things earlier; there really were people nearby!" the general shouted.

"Quickly, notify the commander that we\'re under attack! The rest of you, prepare to defend and resist immediately!" Mo Baili shouted.

After giving the orders, Mo Baili turned and fled. He was good at governance, but fighting was not his strength.

The Southern City Under Siege

"Aaaahhhhhhhhh!"

"Attack! Attack!"

The city\'s southern side was quickly surrounded by a massive throng of enemies, their cries echoing to the sky. In an instant, the southern part of the city was densely packed with invaders.

"Shoot! Shoot!" the soldiers shouted urgently.

As the enemy surged forward, some were quickly killed, but in the overwhelming tide of people, their deaths were like small ripples in the vast ocean, hardly making any impact.

In the blink of an eye, the enemy was close. Those capable of flight quickly gathered and began flying towards the city wall.

"Shoot! Shoot! Stop shooting at those below and aim at the ones flying!" the general yelled.

How could this happen? How could this be? So many people?

Looking at the sea of black heads, the general felt his scalp tingle. One million, two million, three million—no! There were nearly four million of them here.

How Did So Many People Suddenly Appear?

How did so many people suddenly appear? What is this? Reinforcements from the Daluo Dynasty?

No, it\'s not reinforcements; they\'re commoners, the lowest of the low. What madness has possessed them? What are they doing? Have they lost their minds? Do they not value their lives?

What did their commander Zhong Shan give them? These people are like crazed bulls, relentlessly charging forward.

"Shoot, shoot quickly!" the general shouted.

But there were too many people, and those who could fly were gathering in the air. The outer ranks used magical treasures to block the powerful arrows until they reached a height level with the city walls. Then they abandoned their defenses and descended into the city.

"Shoot, shoot, shoot!" the general kept yelling.

"Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh..."

The screams were unending. War is cruel, even with such a well-executed plan, it remains brutal. In the blink of an eye, many had died, but ultimately, some had landed inside the city.

"Not good! Someone\'s in the city!" a junior officer shouted.

"First Battalion, Second Battalion, get down there and kill them!" the general bellowed.

Once on the ground, using the powerful arrows again was impractical. As long as they landed inside the city, they were no longer bound by the sky array and could use their magic to continue resisting the arrows.

The First and Second Battalions went down to deal with the intruding civilians, leaving fewer archers on the walls, which allowed even more people to fly in.

The first thing those who flew in did was rush towards the city gates. Opening the gates would mean victory.

The First and Second Battalions also had the task of guarding the gates. Organized armies are strong, but how does that help when more and more people keep coming in? The ones who could fly carried those who couldn\'t and threw them into the city, quickly filling it up.

More and more people entered the city, filling the general\'s heart with dread.

"Break down the gates!" the intruders shouted as they rushed towards the gates.

At the gates, only the First and Second Battalions stood, a mere 20,000 soldiers. Meanwhile, the number of people entering the city kept increasing. Although many were being cut down, people continued to surge towards the gates, getting closer and closer. They just needed to open the gates.

The general on the wall was filled with anxiety. This was happening too fast. How could things change so drastically in an instant? Why weren\'t these civilians afraid of dying? What had driven them to such fearlessness? I need reinforcements!

Reinforcements?

At the east and west gates, large numbers of troops also appeared. Shui Wuhen\'s 450,000-strong army had divided, sending 150,000 to each gate, not to breach them but to tie down the soldiers on those walls.

East Gate City Wall

"Report, a large number of civilians are attacking the southern wall. General Ma requests urgent reinforcements," a soldier reported, kneeling.

"Nonsense! Civilians attacking the city? We\'re facing regular troops here. We haven\'t asked for reinforcements. What does General Ma think he\'s doing?" the officer on the wall glared angrily.

North Gate

Half an hour later, at the north gate.

"Report, a large number of civilians are attacking the southern wall. General Ma requests urgent reinforcements," a soldier reported, kneeling.

The officers on the wall exchanged worried glances.

"The commander is still negotiating on the floating island. Civilians attacking the city?" one general frowned.

"Something\'s wrong. This is Zhong Shan\'s trap. We\'ve fallen for it," another general said.

"Take 200,000 troops and support them immediately. We will keep 400,000 here to hold back the 200,000 enemy soldiers in front," the general ordered promptly.

"Yes!" Given the urgency, the soldier accepted the command without hesitation.

"Quick, notify the commander," the general said anxiously.