Chapter 233: Inexorable Restraints (1/2)

[Volume 4 – Perpetual Conflict]

Qianye calmly admitted, “My mind is indeed a mess these days. That’s why I came to see you, General, and ask you about future war plans.”

Wei Bainian was somewhat surprised. He smiled faintly and said, “This doesn’t sound like you at all. What’s the matter? Are you anxious to fight? Quite a few people have come to visit me already, some from the expeditionary army headquarters and others from among the hot-blooded youths of the city.”

The situation outside was changing as time went on. Wei Bainian’s withdrawal tactic was once again being questioned both from outside and within. There were quite a number of hot-blooded youngsters in Blackflow City who wanted to fight to the death against the dark races.

However, Wei Bainian’s administration was extremely strict. Neither regular nor conscripted warriors of the 7th division were allowed to move out alone. The commotion became so big that a number of them had to be handled on the spot before the opposing voices died down.

Wei Bainian gave it some thought and said, “I don’t mind telling you some things since it’s you asking me about this.” He stood up, pulled out a map from the bookshelf, and spread it out upon the table.

Qianye saw a small seal at the corner of this map—it was the ancient character for “Wei”. He had seen this seal on many of Wei Bainian and Wei Potian’s equipment. Apparently, this map didn’t come from the expeditionary army but through the Wei clan’s channels.

Wei Bainian lightly patted the map and said, “This is the true situation of the war on Evernight Continent. It comes from the imperial military, given only to the clans and upper-class nobility taking part in this war. Even in the expeditionary army headquarters, only a few have seen this.”

Qianye walked over to the table and looked over attentively. There were, indeed, much more details here than the one on the wall. Apart from the distribution of the dark race army, there were also various numbers and predictions of enemy troop movement. On the empire’s side, there were several additional symbols on the current locations of the expeditionary army and the various reinforcement units. Apparently, there were important characters among them.

Looking further, all the dark race armies were tagged as mechanized corps.This signified that the strength of each unit was comparable to an imperial regular mechanized corps—this was absolutely shocking news. One had to know that each army normally had only two regular mechanized corps.

There were over 20 such dark race units!

Qianye couldn’t help being startled. “How is the expeditionary army going to block all this?”

Wei Bainian nodded and said, “In truth, the expeditionary army has already lost over a third of its military strength and half the territories. However, the current situation can still be maintained, albeit barely. Currently, two regular armies from the empire have arrived in Evernight Continent and more reinforcements are on the way. A large number of experts from both Bai and Zhao clans have also been mobilized and are arriving in succession.”

Qianye studied the map in front of him and suddenly said, “The movements of the dark race army are a bit odd. Why are these armies moving toward this direction?”

Qianye’s fingers traced along the several troop movement prediction lines. The direction of these dark race armies was inconceivable. They deviated from the cities and headed toward the wilderness whereupon they stationed themselves without further movement. It was as if they were waiting for the imperial army to attack them.

Wei Bainian also said, “This area is indeed quite odd. I can’t make heads or tails of it, either. From their movements, it seems that the dark races have chosen those areas for the final confrontation. But, most of them are indefensible.”

When two sides engaged in a great battle, the party choosing the location would normally gain a significant initial advantage, provided they could use various methods to force the other side to enter. However, those with the initiative would usually choose strategic locations. Here in these flat plains, the two parties could only engage in a head-on battle. What benefits would it give to either party?

Qianye suddenly recalled what Nighteye told him last night, that this battle wasn’t what the humans thought it was.

Wei Bainian patted several points on the map and said, “Currently, the imperial army has reached an initial consensus. They will meet the dark race army in combat at these locations. As for troop strength, they will only dispatch enough troops to gain a small advantage.”

Qianye felt even more suspicious. “It sounds very much like one of those knight duels greatly revered by the vampires. When did those great characters become so honorable?” Humans and dark races had fought countless battles over thousands of years. Humans had always held the advantage in tactics, while the dark races were superior in military power. If the two were to meet in a head-on clash like so, it was almost certain that the casualties on the empire’s side would be greater.

Wei Bainian laughed wryly and said, “You misunderstood. It’s not that they don’t want to raid and take out a number of enemy units first, but it’s just that they simply don’t dare.”

“Don’t dare?”

“The dark race military power currently amassed in Evernight Continent is far superior to the empire’s side. Since they’ve already taken such an obvious stance, the military is concerned that the situation will deteriorate rapidly if we don’t play by their rules. The dark race army has been fully assembled. If they were to launch an all-out attack immediately, almost all territories apart from the major cities in the interior would be lost.” This also meant that it was only a matter of time before isolated cities were taken down.

Qianye immediately understood Wei Bainian’s intention. Since the empire and the dark races were about to meet in an open battle, it made little difference to the general situation whether or not Blackflow City would go to battle. Entrenchment wasn’t without its merits—their location at the rear was like a chokepoint—they could easily block off the enemy path of retreat once their frontlines had taken too much damage.

“So, we just have to wait for the battles to end?”

“Correct,” Wei Bainian said with a nod, “but we can’t relax our city defenses in the slightest. Otherwise, the dark races certainly won’t mind uprooting us in passing.”

Qianye deliberated in silence before saying, “Since that’s the case, I want to go out and look for some opportunities. Maybe I can kill some of those dark-blooded bastards.”

Wei Bainian gazed deeply at Qianye and said, “Qianye, you’re a dear friend of Young Master Qiyang, so let me give you a veteran’s advice. How can hunting solo compare to leading soldiers into battle? Just look at Black Clay Town. How many accomplishments did you amass? This isn’t something you can do alone. The young should learn patience and restraint. You have to look at the bigger picture.”

Qianye nodded and replied sincerely, “Thank you, general, for the advice. However, my individual strength needs more tempering. That’s why I hope to fight and practice more.”