Yu Xiaoyao said, "Things on the battlefield can change in an instant, and we absolutely cannot afford to be careless. Miao King, are your troops all ready?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, everything is being done according to Your Majesty's orders. The vanguard general has already reviewed the troops, and the army can proceed immediately upon Your Majesty's command."
Yu Xiaoyao said solemnly, "If my Miao region is to join forces with the Da Gan Army, we must first cross the Da Hong River. The Great Zhou originally set up checkpoints here, which will be the most difficult obstacle to overcome. Once we take this place, everything else will be much easier to resolve."
"Yes, ten thousand archers have been dispatched to accompany the envoy. The Holy King's plan for this trip is meticulous and will surely succeed."
"You may leave now. I'll think about it some more." Yu Xiaoyao waved his hand, and the Miao King stepped out of the tent. But the moment he left, his eyes flashed rapidly, and then he carried out Yu Xiaoyao's every command with seriousness.
A month later, led by Da Gan, the Miao people, the Black Teeth Kingdom, and the nomadic tribes all sounded the battle horn at the border. In the first battle, Da Gan's side used an absolute advantage to force the troops of the Great Zhou Dynasty to retreat to a city. The soldiers of Da Gan's side were greatly encouraged and their morale was invincible.
Meanwhile, Da Gan Yi Fang, eager to seize the city, discovered that most of the people of Da Zhou had been rapidly migrating in the past six months, fearing they would be affected by the flames of war. They won the first major battle, and in the second and third battles, Da Gan Yi Fang, with its astonishing combat power and military strength, swept through the four cities of Da Zhou with overwhelming force. They had already captured the territory of Linzhou Prefecture and entered the territory of Qizhou Prefecture. On the other hand, the Black Teeth Kingdom attacked from the southwest, losing two cities on one side and entering the territory of Yuezhou Prefecture.
These three consecutive battles were a great success, and the army's momentum was so strong that it was as if a war god had descended. They were virtually invincible. With an army of over one million, they could easily defeat the more than six hundred thousand soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty. In the end, the Great Zhou Dynasty was theirs for the taking.
Looking at the battle report that had been delivered, Yu Xiaoyao couldn't help but frown: "Is the Great Zhou Dynasty really so vulnerable?"
After reading the battle report, the Miao King laughed heartily: "Excellent! We've captured two more cities. Although the Holy King Zhou Dynasty is a powerful nation with a strong military, when we send twice the number of troops to fight, even if their soldiers are brave enough to fight two or three against one, they can only be defeated."
Although Yu Xiaoyao felt that the battle was won too easily, he thought about it and realized that it made sense, so he nodded slightly.
However, during the fourth battle, an unexpected change occurred. As the Da Gan forces prepared to capture the next city of Da Zhou, the cities, which had previously been almost empty, suddenly swelled with people, numbering over 400,000. Although the Da Gan forces had an army of 900,000, they still lost nearly 100,000 soldiers despite their smooth victories on the battlefield. Moreover, Da Zhou, which was defending the city, already held a favorable position. This was arguably the most difficult battle of all. In the end, the Da Gan forces decided to use fire to attack the city, first supporting the attacking forces, then sending the vanguard to assault the city, while the rest would detour to the left and right flanks of the city for a pincer attack.
The plan was originally excellent, but it encountered huge problems when it was actually implemented. Although the fire was extinguished, it burned the entire army of Da Gan, and the attackers were none other than the Miao and nomadic armies who were allies. Da Gan's 500,000 troops were reduced to about 450,000. This time, the attack was carried out from both sides, and the vanguard that Da Gan sent to attack the city was swiftly wiped out by Da Zhou. In this short battle, more than 100,000 people were lost in an instant. The original 500,000 troops were reduced to less than 300,000. The losses were devastating. On the other side, the Black Teeth Kingdom could only choose to fight on one side due to the terrain. With 210 troops, it was indeed a large force. However, this time Da Zhou sent 400,000 troops, which routed the Black Teeth Kingdom. Of the 200,000 troops, only 30,000 escaped.
The fourth war ended in such a bizarre turn of events. The alliance that was originally attacking Da Zhou collapsed instantly, and Da Gan suffered heavy losses. It had to retreat repeatedly under the attacks of Miao Jiang and nomadic peoples. When it returned to Da Gan, its 500,000 troops had not even reached 100,000. Da Gan had devoted half of its national strength and military force to this war, but it not only gained no benefits but also suffered heavy losses. It was truly a tragic result.
The great war should have ended soon, but no one expected that the Great Zhou Dynasty would suddenly launch an attack at this time, pouring 90% of its military strength into besieging the Miao region and the nomadic peoples. The only word to describe their actions was "annihilation." This perfectly demonstrated the cunning and ruthless nature of the Zhou Dynasty.
It turned out that while Emperor Mingxian and Baili Chen were hurriedly retrieving the treasure, Ouyang Yue had already disguised herself and led people to contact the Miao King and several nomadic tribes. She offered them very generous terms: they could help Da Gan conquer the cities of Da Zhou, and these conquered cities would belong to them. In the future, as long as they counterattacked Da Gan in the most important battle, they could not only severely injure Da Gan, but also obtain the cities of Da Zhou, and Da Zhou would give them great treasures. How could they not want such a good deal? Wars are fought for benefits. Whoever offers more benefits will naturally work for them.
Because of its strong national power and its dominant position, Da Gan only promised Miao Jiang two cities and some national treasury treasures. It was nothing like Ouyang Yue's generosity. However, because of their greed, they suffered heavy losses in the end. They never expected that Da Zhou would use them to defeat Da Gan and immediately launch a full-scale attack on them.
Of course, whether it was the Miao region or the nomadic peoples, the rebellion did not represent the whole. The Miao holy king and the Miao king were two separate groups, while the nomadic peoples were originally a united front of various tribes. Therefore, although the Miao king suffered heavy losses and was driven back to Miao region, he probably wouldn't dare to have any wicked thoughts for hundreds of years. As for the Miao holy kings, they were the focus of the Great Zhou's attention and suffered even greater losses.
Yu Xiaoyao looked around at the endless corpses, with his most trusted subordinates by his side, all of whom had died protecting him. As for his army, only a thousand or so escaped to escort him back to Miao territory. Ever since the Miao king rebelled against him, it had been a matter of either him or the Miao king dying. Now, his losses were even greater, and going back would only mean certain death.
Over a thousand men escorted Yu Xiaoyao toward the western end of the Dahong River, where a desert lay. Ordinary people wouldn't choose to come here, and the army was strictly forbidden from setting foot there. Yu Xiaoyao remained silent throughout the journey. After about half a month of escape, they were only a few hundred miles away from entering the desert. When they rested in a thicket closest to the desert, he observed the night sky, then looked up and laughed loudly for a full half hour. His eyes shone brightly. Gazing into the distance, he suddenly cried out, "I have failed my ancestors!"
"puff!"
An indestructible dagger plunged fiercely into his heart, blood gushing from his body. Then, Yu Xiaoyao's expression became righteous and resolute. At this moment, his face lost some of its allure and gained an absolute domineering aura of a tyrant. He would die standing.
When Ouyang Yue arrived with her men, this was the scene she witnessed: Yu Xiaoyao smiled, a wild and domineering smile. Ouyang Yue sighed. The reason she still pursued him was twofold: firstly, Yu Xiaoyao could not be allowed to live, and secondly, she possessed a Gu worm within her body, making her and Yu Xiaoyao a mother-child Gu worm. In fact, this mother-child Gu worm was extremely domineering. If the host was directly killed before death, the child Gu worm could explode, eventually biting through the person's internal organs and causing death. However, the mother Gu worm had been nurtured in Yu Xiaoyao's heart. His sudden death was caused by the mother Gu worm, which was directly nurtured by his blood, frantically devouring his body. The Gu worm in the human body would die on its own after being away from the body for a long time. The mother Gu worm did not die from an explosion, and the child Gu worm in Ouyang Yue's body naturally died from gradually depleting its essence and blood.
She thought that Yu Xiaoyao would have a chance to kill her in the end: "Bury him properly."
Putting aside their hostile relationship, Yu Xiaoyao was actually a brave, resourceful, and exceptionally intelligent man. If Ouyang Yue hadn't lured him with a huge treasure at the end, the Great Zhou Dynasty would have been utterly destroyed in this battle.
This war involving the major powers of the Langya Continent came to an end. Apart from the Great Zhou Dynasty, all the other countries suffered heavy losses. The Great Zhou Dynasty did not give them a chance to recuperate and quickly regrouped, defeating the major powers one after another, and becoming the first unified mega-nation in the history of the Langya Continent.
This battle lasted a year and a half, ending in an initial defeat followed by a great victory. It can be described as one of the most miraculous and unbelievable wars in history. Even afterward, many people did not understand how the Great Zhou Dynasty suddenly turned the tide.
Six months later, Emperor Mingxian formally abdicated and bestowed the title of Crown Prince Baili Chen upon him as the new emperor. A month later, Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue walked hand in hand slowly toward the supreme throne. On this day, ministers from various countries came to offer their congratulations, and precious antiques from all nations were brought into the palace. They personally pledged allegiance to the emperor.
Baili Chen established the nation with the name Chen and Emperor Tianchen. His Crown Princess, Ouyang Yue, became the Empress and held power in the harem. His son, Baili Su, was granted the title of Crown Prince. Princess Shuangxia was granted the title of Supreme Princess. Xuanyuan Chaohua was granted the title of Grand General of the Nation and a hereditary Prince. Ouyang Zhide was granted the title of First-Rank General and a hereditary title. All those who contributed to the war were specially granted titles. The new nation was exempt from taxes for one year and two and a half years. A general amnesty was granted. The people were excited and enthusiastically supported the new emperor.
The first thing the new emperor did upon ascending the throne was to abolish the harem. All the concubines could be married off by the royal family. Those who had not served the emperor could marry. Others who wished to leave the palace to return to their homes or go to temples or monasteries would be given a large sum of money. Eunuchs and palace maids who were over the age of 60 would be given a large sum of money to leave the palace, while those who did not wish to leave could be supported for a hundred years. Since the new emperor had no concubines in the harem when he ascended the throne, most of the old concubines in the original palace were settled in one place to live with the retired emperor, while the others were mostly sent out of the palace.
With the world at peace and the country prosperous, Ouyang Yue and Baili Chen leaned on each other, with Baili Su, who only reached their legs, standing beside them. They were on the city wall, looking at a man in white riding a white horse who was looking at them from afar. The man was exceptionally handsome, and his peach blossom eyes were now filled with a hint of reluctance. He looked deeply at the woman on the city wall, and finally gritted his teeth, turned around and left!
Dust swished as the man walked away into the distance. Who knew if they would ever have the chance to meet again?
From afar, all that could be heard was the man shouting loudly, "Cousin, I love you!"
Then it disappeared into the Tianshui area...