Chapter 588

Chapter 588: Pyrrhic Victory

Outside Qing Qiu Mansion

The sounds of fighting within a radius of over a hundred miles could be heard for dozens of miles. When the regular Demon Human army joined the battlefield, the fighting intensified, and more of Datong Army’s camps were breached.

"Torches, use torches to lure them."

Among the staff of the Datong Army, someone thought of how to lure the Demon Humans into traps, which was to use torches.

Although most Demon Humans could see in the dark, they were definitely not as effective as during the day. The light of the torches could serve as a psychological cue for them.

The action started quickly. Some advisors made plans right away. They put torches where the pathways were clear of traps, allowing Demon Humans to pass through. For paths with traps, they stood ready to attack. Following their instincts to seek gain and avoid harm, the approaching Demon Humans would go in the direction they planned.

In reality, a trap camp quickly attracted many Demon Humans. They charged into the camp but found no enemies. When they realized something was wrong and tried to leave, the way out was blocked by debris. Arrows flew in from all directions, shooting them down.

Arrows were just one of the traps. There were also pitfalls, fire attacks, poisonous smoke, and more. With many tactics in play, dozens of trap camps killed countless Demon Humans.

The battle went on from day to night and from night to day. Neither side dared to slack off, fighting desperately. There was no talk of casualties. As long as they were alive, they kept fighting, pressing forward, with reinforcements waiting, although the elite forces didn’t need them most of the time.

As dawn broke, the situation became clear. On the Demon Human side, more than half of the 100,000 regular soldiers were gone, unable to regroup. Across the Datong Army, about half of the camps had fallen, with fewer sounds of fighting but the battle still ongoing.

"Your Majesty, the Demon Humans won’t send more reinforcements."

"I understand. The Demon Humans have changed their strategy. We can’t wait any longer. I will lead the army into battle."

Lin Jiang nodded. The Demon Humans weren’t foolish. After a whole day, they adjusted their tactics. Their attack on the Datong Army’s camps aimed to push the advantage to the fullest, causing them to suffer losses.

Lin Jiang led the charge, with his personal guards and other reserve troops. They circled out from the camp and moved closer to the Demon Human camp. Lin Jiang played his cards as the emperor, quickly grabbing the attention of the Demon Human leaders.

"Huang Ji, is this the Emperor of the human race?"

"Yes, this is the Emperor of the human race. Our northern tribes have always wanted to establish a Demon Human Emperor to rule over all of us Demon Humans."

"Demon Humans are free and don’t accept the rule of an emperor."

Yun Ji said lightly, "There are hundreds or even thousands of different races among the Demon Humans, not something that one emperor can govern, unless this emperor has powers surpassing all Demon Humans, but unfortunately, there isn’t."

"If we kill this emperor, the battle will be over, right?"

"Yes, if the Emperor of the human race dies, it will be a big blow to them. However, these humans are despicable and shameless. I fear it might be a trap, like last night."

Yun Ji said, realizing that they had been deceived by the cunning humans, after listening to the cries of the Demon Humans all night last night.

"This time is different. There’s nothing to obstruct our view. They are just a few people. Huang Ji, let’s attack. Kill the human race Emperor. I want to taste his blood and flesh, see if there’s anything different from other humans."

"They are all the same. Many years ago, I tasted the Emperor and princes of the Chen Kingdom, they were all the same."

"You should try it too."

"Killing him, it’s all yours."

Yun Ji yelled and immediately started organizing the team with Demon Human’s elite forces turning towards Lin Jiang without needing to say more.

"When brave hearts meet in a narrow path, follow me and charge."

Lin Jiang kept getting closer to Demon Human’s formation, and when they were about 200 to 300 meters apart, Lin Jiang directly increased his horse’s speed and charged towards Demon Human.

At this moment, any tactics are meaningless, it’s all about sheer strength.

Lin Jiang charged, and Yun Ji led the team to charge as well. The two sides collided head-on, and in a blink of an eye, Yun Ji was defeated because he encountered Lin Jiang using the Burning Life Secret Method.

After more than ten years of awakening this time, Lin Jiang used the daily check-in system to gain an additional three to four thousand years of lifespan which he couldn’t even use up.

So, Lin Jiang didn’t even consider saving any, just use it.

The thirty-meter sword was too weak, so they burned their lifespan to increase it to forty meters.

And so, Lin Jiang led one to two thousand people and broke through the elite Demon Human forces, numbering around thirty to forty thousand. When they reached the end, Lin Jiang turned back and started slaughtering them all over again.

Despite their leaders dying in battle one by one, the Demon Human army didn’t collapse. However, within the camp, Xia Liang saw how fierce Lin Jiang was and felt overjoyed. He immediately ordered the entire army to attack, pushing back on all fronts.

As they fought on, Lin Jiang found that there were more of his own people surrounding him than enemies, making him feel restricted and afraid of accidentally hurting his own. So, Lin Jiang ran straight to the gates of Qingqiu City, broke them down with a single blow, and charged into the city.

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Three days later, outside Qingqiu City, thousands of Demon Human servants were digging holes. After digging each big hole, they would sprinkle lime inside, then throw in the Demon Human bodies, layering them with lime and soil until the holes were filled and level with the ground.

On a beautiful hillside on the other side, there were also many Demon Human servants working. They dug out shallow pits about one meter deep and carefully laid the fallen Datong Army soldiers inside, burying them and placing a tombstone on top.

"We’ll have some wounded veterans guard this cemetery where our fallen brothers rest. In the future, we will gather their bones, provide them with proper coffins, change the tombstones to stone carvings, and ensure that as long as Datong Country thrives, someone will come here to pay respects every year."

Looking at the scene before them, Lin Jiang addressed all the senior officials, declaring their victory in this battle. However, despite the victory, it was a tragic one, with over two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers falling in battle. The numbers were so great that even cutting down all the nearby trees wouldn’t be enough to make coffins for all. Therefore, they decided to forgo coffins altogether.

Even so, the soldiers who died in battle were enough to cover three or four hills, densely packed and looking very sad and magnificent, achieving great success at the cost of many lives.

"Your Majesty, the northern wind is strong today, it will surely snow in two days. We can leave someone to guard this place and we should immediately capture Qianzhou State."

"Alright, also make Mizhou State and other places speed up the transportation of food supplies. We don’t know how much we will gain from Qianzhou State yet, we will send as much as we can from the rear."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"This winter, we not only need to reclaim the lost eighteen provinces but also exterminate all Demon Humans on these lands. General Xia, I will lead 200,000 men to Qianzhou State, capturing the former capital of Chen Kingdom. Su Yu will lead his men to eliminate the remaining Demon Humans in the provinces. Qin Yong will lead a team to the original province area, monitoring the Demon Humans in the territory of Immortal Kingdom. If they head south, resist them step by step. If they remain quiet, try to repair some defenses. Veteran General Xia Liang will stay in Qing State to guard our rear."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Get ready and we will set off in two days."

Lin Jiang waved his hand, having paid a heavy price, and finally, the time for harvest had arrived.

Two days later, Lin Jiang led his team straight into Qianzhou State. At that time, the Demon Humans in Qianzhou State were feeling anxious and restless. Despite the fierce battles at Qingqiu Mansion, a few Demon Humans managed to escape and bring back news of their defeat.

In Qianzhou State, most of the Demon Humans left were elderly, weak, women, and children. There were very few young and strong Demon Humans left. With no leader in charge, chaos ensued. Some wanted to escape to the north, some wanted to flee to the nearby mountains, and others were ready to fight to the end.

Lin Jiang didn’t hesitate. The group of elderly, weak, women, and children posed no threat compared to the regular Demon Human army. They were easily defeated, just like autumn leaves being swept away by the wind. By the time Lin Jiang set foot in the palace of Jingdu City, the whole area was already covered in thick snow.