1166 Southwestern Strategies Part 2 (1/2)

It was not until the sixth day, when Saleen finished crafting a set of equipment for Qin, that the demons brought some substantial news back. Pompeii City mobilized a 50,000-soldier army and they were heading east for New Demon City.

An army consisting of 50,000 soldiers was only considered a small force if one talked about Qin and the Holy See, but in a place as small as the southwest, a 50,000-soldier army was already considered grand.

Saleen did not bother leaving his tower when he heard the news, and said to the commanding officer of the allied forces instead, ”Tell Nailisi to take care of any support you'd need. This would be little more than to gauge what we can do. They would send no more than two to three thousand soldiers here.”

The military officers of the allied forces were hardly fettered. New Demon City was built too strong after all.

If a 50,000-soldier army was to attack a city like that, they would have to pay a hefty price even if they managed to take it, unless the city had little more than 2000 soldiers stationed.

The allied forces consisted of about 24,000 soldiers and there were many demon forces going in and out of the city, which amounted to an additional 10,000 soldiers.

Morale was strong and Saleen's orders were quickly relayed. Nailisi took charge as the supreme commander of the Kingdom of Metatrin and mobilized the demons, preparing them for a fight.

Nailisi had initially been versed in hit-and-run tactics. She learned a lot about large scale battles in the battles fought in Ceylon City. What she did not lack was veteran generals and commanders who were versed in battles.

She did not even kill enemy generals and simply retained them by her side, learning about war.

Nailisi had become capable enough to handle most battles with just several months of training.

None of the generals and commanders in the southwestern forces were idiots. While few battles were fought in the southwest throughout the years, most of the generals and commanders actually left the southwest to participate in battles.

Most mercenaries outside of Sikeqinya came from regular armies. The Qin people dared not get rusty in battle. There were even times where scuffles at the borders were fought by generals and commanders who longed for a fight.

The 50,000-soldier enemy force marched for the southwest. However, due to them having to march from flatlands into difficult terrain, the Pompeii City's convoy had to stop about 200 miles away from New Demon City. They had to switch horses or continue by foot.

The demons gained thorough intelligence about the army while watching from high above in the sky, reporting back to Nailisi. The ratio of mages was rather high in the army, as they were about 500 mages in their ranks.

From Nailisi's perspective, the mages were little more than scraps, as there was only one level nine mage in their midst. Most mages were below level six.

In contemporary battles, an army without a powerful professional taking charge was a joke. There had been eight level ten professionals near Daliang City, both sides having four.

If there had not been for level ten professionals on the Holy See's or Daliang City's sides, the battle would have been over.

Saleen continued to bolster his territory's power in the tower. With Sika at Saleen's side, Nailisi, who was left in charge, grew rather boisterous and full of herself. There was no use for Sika knocking sense into her, as it was how just Nailisi behaved.

She was having a good time chatting with the generals and commanders in the war room. When her demons reported back, Nailisi pointed at the magic map. ”Everyone, Pompeii City's forces will arrive tomorrow. Who among you are willing to go out and fight with me!”

The generals looked at each other and one of them said, ”Madam, we have the city to lean on and even if the enemy forces are twice the size of what they are now, we will be able to hold the city without incurring many casualties.”

What that general meant was it was stupid to go out of the city and fight.

Nailisi snickered. ”You're telling me you're afraid of a 50,000-soldier enemy force? I held back over a million-soldier one back in Ceylon City.”

”Madam, even if you intend to crush the enemy's morale, there's no need to fight head on. We know the terrain and the enemy is not moving fast enough. We have more than enough time to lay out traps behind the river. There is only one level nine sorcerer in the enemy's ranks, and they won't be able to break the traps...”

Nailisi cut them off. ”Are you Qin a bunch of cowards? I'd bring the demons onto the battlefield. You can stay at the rear if you want to. I don't mind you picking off any remaining scraps.”

The generals and commanders were pissed off, but given how Nailisi was a collaborator and she had actually asked to lead the charge, taking the most dangerous job on herself, there was no point for them to lash out at her.

”We'll proceed per your plans then, madam.”

”Hmph, I'm simply reminding you that there will be more and more powerful ones joining the fray in future battles. I'll set an example and show you what true battles are like. Leave 5000 to garrison the city and the rest follow me outside the city!”

The generals and commanders mobilized the army according to Nailisi's orders. Some went to the Magical Element Tower and discreetly asked to meet Saleen, but he did not bother entertaining them, intending to have them listen to Nailisi for once.

Saleen knew that all of the Qin troops were elite and would not lose even if they had to clash with the enemy head on. Unless there were a level 11 professional in the enemy's ranks, nothing could go wrong with Nailisi's plan.