Chapter 2389: Chapter 2389 Prioritising Supplies
"So it was you all along!" Wan Weihou and Wyang Wei said as they finally realised the truth. Their eyes widened in shock.
"Yes, it’s me," Ye Liuyun explained quietly. "But you should understand that this is not personal. The Sanctuary Dynasty sent me. You are not the only target. The list also includes Lord Zhenxing. "
Wan Weihou’s expression darkened as the pieces fell into place. "So the Sanctuary Dynasty believes our factional disputes have gone too far."
"Exactly," Ye Liuyun affirmed with a nod.
Wyang Wei scowled in disbelief. "Wait. So, you work for the Sanctuary Dynasty? His voice had a disbelieving tone.
According to his observations, Ye Liuyun’s actions have always appeared to be sabotage against the dynasty.
Instead of responding, Ye Liuyun unsheathed his Demon Slayer with a chilly steel ring. "Enough talking. At least you’ll die knowing the truth."
Wan Weihou sighed heavily, resignation settling over his features. "Very well," he muttered. "Please spare my family." Ye Liuyun responded to his request with a stiff nod.
In one swift motion, the blade flashed, severing the Wan Weihou’s head. Ye Liuyun then stored his remains in his spatial world.
With the his death, the Divine soul contract binding Wyang Wei to him instantly.
Ye Liuyun branded him with a Slaving Seal before he could respond. Ye Liuyun calmly remarked, "You know how I manage my resources. You will now work in my army as a logistics officer."
Wyang Wei gulped hard and bowed his head. "As your command." Surviving this was more than he could hope for. Hence, defiance wasn’t even an option.
For Ye Liuyun, having a capable logistic man for supplies meant one less headache.
As the dust settled, he gave the command for his soldiers to plunder the city for any and all valuable resources they could find.
Meanwhile, his clone raced toward the Stygian Secret Realm to report the mission’s completion as Wan Weihou wasn’t the only high-profile name on the assassination list.
Thus, Ye Liuyun’s level promptly ascended to the fifth tier.
By all accounts, he should have sought out Sero for further training. Yet his cultivation realm hadn’t reached the tenth tier. Going now would be pointless. It was better to seize the opportunity to expand his Shang Wu Legion further.
Based on Ye Liuyun’s and his clone’s cultivation speeds without extra assistance, Sero first estimated it would take two or three years.
In contrast, Ye Liuyun was sure that his schedule would be much more shorter. He and his clone might save a tonne of time in the spatial realm since they both constantly trained there.
Upon emerging the Stygian Secret Realm, Ye Liuyun immediately set about reorganizing his forces and training new recruits. The Shang Wu Legion had captured over ten thousand soldiers in Valorcrest, swelling their ranks once more.
As Ye Liuyun sorted through the looted resources from Valorcrest, Wyang Wei offered his assistance.
"The army could live off of these supplies for a decade!" Wang Wei gave the news.
Ye Liuyun responded, "Ten years isn’t enough," knowing full well that the present equipment of his troops was inadequate compared to that of a genuine imperial army.
He gave the command for the troops to advance towards Lord Zhenxing capital city after local basic training was over, fighting and plundering the whole way. Their raids mostly targeted merchant guilds, city lord manor, and rich households.
There was no doubt that robbing the wealthy was the quickest method to gather resources. "An army marches on its stomach," as the old adage goes. Whatever it took, Ye Liuyun was hell-bent on stockpiling his resources.
In addition to the material goods, he amassed a formidable resource supply team by capturing numerous weapon-refining masters, alchemists, and formation masters.
Ye Liuyun had the weapon-refining masters made the troops new armour even as they advanced.
However, he refrained from using these enhancements just yet, keeping them in reserve. In order to overcome their adversaries, they would need to have an element of surprise.
The blue armour sets were no longer sufficient as his forces had expanded to a hundred thousand.
Yuan Hu had previously provided only fifty thousand sets without anticipating Ye Liuyun’s army would grow at such an explosive rate.
Moreover, these standardised armours were different from those used by the Sanctuary Dynasty. Hence, the dynasty did not keep any additional reserves.
Consequently, Ye Liuyun turned his army into a disorganised jumble of colours by doling out armour stolen from several merchant guilds to his ranks.
Yet, the combat prowess of this ragtag army was nothing to scoff at. Wherever they marched, defending forces fled at the mere rumor of their approach.
Leading the Shang Wu Legion, Ye Liuyun eventually resorted to Conveyor Formation, sweeping through city after city, plundering with almost zero resistance.
It wasn’t until he reached the capital city that he discovered its Conveyor Formation had been sealed off.
Clearly, Lord Zhenxing had also been prepared for an incoming battle.
Recently, Lord Zhenxing had amassed all nearby city garrisons into the capital, even mobilizing stationed troops from across the land to assemble an army of 500,000. Soldiers filled every corner of the capital, inside and out.
However, Lord Zhenxing had deployed his main forces outside the city walls, ready to engage Ye Liuyun in open battle on the plains.
Within the city, the defenders were largely weak combatants who were remnants of fleeing garrisons in neighbouring provinces.
Ye Liuyun’s army had grown to 150,000 strong by this point. The first 100,000 had been tempered in combat, but the other 50,000 had not yet encountered significant battle.
"All soldiers are to change their armour immediately. The 50,000 new recruits will wear blue armour, while the remaining 100,000 will be outfitted with the Santuary Dynasty’s standard gear," Ye Liuyun commanded his army.
Between the original stockpile and recent spoils, he now had enough armour to equip the entire hundred thousand force.
Thus, his core troops were instantly unified in appearance now.
Although, he had each soldier tied a white cloth strip around their right arm to distinguish themselves from the enemy.
Ye Liuyun then stowed the fifty thousand reserve soldiers into his spatial world and departed ahead of the main force.
The clone led an army of one hundred thousand, with the fifty thousand recruits clad in blue armor serving as the vanguard, advancing slowly toward the capital.
Wyang Wei immediately grasped Ye Liuyun’s intention. He knew Ye Liuyun was preparing to sacrifice those fifty thousand new soldiers.
Even for the most ruthless of individuals like Ye Liuyun, the idea of sacrificing 50,000 lives into the conflict as bait was a staggering move.
Yet Ye Liuyun was compelled to do that. Facing an enemy force of five hundred thousand, even if their strength wasn’t overwhelming, sheer numbers gave them an undeniable advantage.
The only option to buy time for his warriors to infiltrate the city and strike from within was to sacrifice some of his troops to stall them.
Inside the capital, the Stygian’s operatives under Ye Liuyun’s control had already gathered all the intelligence he needed.
The City lord manor was guarded by ten thousand praetorian, while the city walls were defended by roughly thirty thousand troops. With fifty thousand of his own elite soldiers, Ye Liuyun was confident he could overpower them.
Once inside the city, Ye Liuyun bided his time, waiting for his clone forces to make their move.
Upon the clone’s army arrival, they didn’t launch an immediate assault. Instead, they fortified their position. The vanguard remained on high alert, poised for battle, while the rear troops set up tents, with soldiers retreating inside to train and recuperate.
The fifty thousand troops deployed by Lord Zhenxing’s forces were left puzzled by this tactic.
One of the opposing commander speculated, "They’re plainly attempting to trap us into attacking!"
“What’s there to fear? We outnumber them five to one. I say we should charge straight at them!”
“Exactly! No strategy can stand against sheer force!”
Some commanders were eager for an immediate fight.
“Let’s wait and see. If they’re not in a hurry, why should we be?” another commander proposed cautiously.
A nervous stalemate ensued for two days as neither was willing to make the first move.
