[V6C162 – Sorrow of a Silent Parting]

There was a wide region between the Zhao and Bai clan warzone. The geography therein was diverse with hills, intersecting valleys, and towering stone forests. There were rivers flowing through these ravines, but the rapid flow and shallow reefs made even the most seasoned swimmers feel apprehensive about going in.

This vast area was a natural battleground. The complicated landform made transportation difficult, and even the most versatile of trucks couldn’t get through. That was why neither the Zhao nor Zhang clans had built major strongholds here. There were only small fortifications.

At this moment, there was a unit moving toward the Zhao clan along the simple road on the valley floor. The squad was made up of several hundred people, yet there were only a dozen or so trucks among them, mostly filled with heavy equipment and wounded people. Hence, most of the soldiers could only advance on foot.

Many of the walking soldiers were also covered in bandages, some with blood seeping out of them. Almost every vehicle was littered with bullet holes—the most unfortunate one had no roof over the driver’s compartment and only had half a bonnet left. A good jolt would cause the truck to spit out large amounts of steam, causing the people to wonder when the car would break down entirely.

The trucks and warriors wore the insignia of the Zhang clan. Apparently, they had just withdrawn from the frontlines. Although it looked like they had just experienced a bitter fight, the troops still maintained a basic marching formation and there were no signs of low morale.

Under the officer’s orders, a truck and dozens of soldiers split off from the main unit. They began constructing defensive structures on a nearby hill, while the main army kept marching forward. Everything was executed in an orderly fashion. These details made it clear that the Zhang clan private army was manned by elites, even though it wasn’t all that famous.

After traveling another ten kilometers, dozens of people split off again to build a defensive sentry while the rest kept moving forward. A small mountain appeared over the horizon with the vague outline of a castle atop it.

The Zhang clan officer picked up the binoculars and brought the castle into clear view. This wasn’t a small settlement but a fort capable of holding thousands. There were several military flags flying atop its walls, and the officer’s expression finally relaxed a bit after seeing the words Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan on one of them. He sighed deeply and ordered, “Send word back to the general immediately. Tell him that we’ve reached the Zhao clan warzone.”

The captain beside him disembarked from the command vehicle, retrieved a motorcycle from the back compartment, and drove back along the same way. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared over the end of the visible road in a cloud of dust.

At this moment, in the nearby fortress, there were seven to eight generals squeezed into a small conference room. Apart from the two from the imperial regular army, the rest were all wearing the colors of the Zhao clan or the Fire Beacon Corps. This didn’t lower the deterrent effect, however—if anything, the pressure was rising. Everyone knew that the fighting power of the Zhao clan and the Fire Beacon Corps was above even the imperial regular army.

Positioned between the two parties was a lieutenant general with graying hair. At this moment, he was staring at the map on the table with a deep frown. To his left and right were young, stern-looking men—they looked to be barely in their thirties but were already wearing the stars of a major general. Of the generals in the room, there were actually two more below thirty years of age, and one brigadier general among them was only twenty-three. The remainder were also in their thirties with rarely anyone over forty.

Only the two major generals belonging to the imperial regular army were around fifty years of age. Their gazes toward the contemplating lieutenant general were full of reverence.

Zhao Zhuoyan, the Fourth Young Master of the Duke Yan Lineage, had been on the battlefield since he was sixteen. To date, he has over twenty years of campaign experience with little if any losses throughout his career. It was just that his style had always been reliable and as steady as a rock—definitely not as eye-catching as Zhao Weihuang’s tempestuous approach to things. But be it in terms of combat strength or accomplishments, Zhao Zhuoyan wasn’t one to be trifled with.

Him being in charge of the Zhao clan warzone on the floating continent was a testament to his abilities.

Although Zhao Zhuoyan wasn’t that famous, many in the imperial army knew of him. They were also clear that he was the most headache-inducing of opponents.

The two imperial officers scanned the other Zhao clan generals, their gazes lingering quite a while on the major general to the left of Zhao Zhuoyan. Then they looked at one another and saw deep apprehension in each other’s eyes.

Zhao Junhong was one of the Zhao clan’s four young nobles and could be considered one who had made a name since a young age. His fame wouldn’t just stop there if it wasn’t for Zhao Jundu being too dazzling. What surprised everyone was that Zhao Junhong’s combat strength had kept up with his outstanding commanding abilities. He had broken through continuously and was actually rank-twelve at the moment, standing shoulder to shoulder with Zhao Jundu.

The one sitting next to him was Zhao Junsu. He was just in his twenties yet was already a brigadier general. The four young nobles of the Zhao clan were all champions at this point. They had grown from being protected by the clan to people who could shoulder great responsibilities.

On the other side was Zhao Fenglei. Although he was a fair bit older, that was only compared to Zhao Junhong and Zhao Junsu. Regardless, he was also a major general at this point and had a place among the young experts of the imperial army. The Zhao clan still possessed Zhao Jundu, Zhao Ruoxi, and Zhao Yuying who more or less made up the core power of the clan in this generation.

And that was the Zhao clan—saying they were a clan of many talents was a gross understatement.

At this moment, the silent Zhao Zhuoyan finally looked up at everyone around him. “Rescuing the Zhang clan involves our nation’s fate. I believe there’s no need for me to explain this. We will use Junhong’s strategy for this battle. Failure is not an option! Any squad that slips up will be punished according to military law. There shall be no tolerance!”

Shaken by Zhao Zhuoyan’s stern voice, everyone expressed assent in loud voices.

On the map, one could see nine fortresses in the vast area between the Zhang and Zhao clan warzones, vaguely sectioning the battlefield into nine parts.

Zhao Zhuoyan spoke, “Now that the Zhang clan has been defeated, the dark races certainly won’t stop here. Their main army is on the chase and they’ll likely advance by splitting into different routes. These nine fortresses are important—we must delay the dark race army as much as we can and allow time for the Zhang clan to retreat into our defensive zone. Apart from the three first-line strongholds, the others must hold out for three days. I will organize reinforcements to provide support three days later.”

All eyes fell upon the nine fortresses. Even those who weren’t familiar with military affairs would know how difficult it must be to hold the dark race army with these hastily built fortifications. It was a lethal mission, to say the least.

Seeing everyone’s serious expression, Zhao Junhong said with a radiant smile, “This battle isn’t entirely hopeless. To the dark race army, chasing the Zhang clan is more important than uprooting tiny fortresses. As long as we can withstand the first wave of attacks, the opponents will only leave a small restraining squad and shift the main army away to continue their chase.”

The two imperial generals nodded with relieved expressions.

These nine fortresses were of the utmost importance to this operation. Zhao Zhuoyan looked around and said, “Generals, you may choose which fortresses you want.”

Everyone frowned and fell into silent contemplation. Choosing a fortress depended not only on oneself but also on the generals nearby. In a fierce battle, a successful defense would depend on how well neighboring strongholds could work together and cover each other’s backs. The three first-line fortresses would meet the enemy first and thus required two generals assigned to them. After accomplishing their mission, the first-line defense forces would retreat to the second-line strongholds and join them, and so on and so forth.

It was at this time that Zhao Junsu stood up and was just about to point at the first-line strongholds.

Zhao Zhuoyan didn’t wait for him to speak before saying, “Junsu, you will defend stronghold number seven.”

Zhao Junsu was startled. “Why?”

Number seven was on the third line of defense, closest to the Zhao clan base. It was also where the pressure was the lightest of all. Although there would surely be flanking dark race squads, their strength was far inferior to the main army in pursuit of the Zhang clan forces.

Zhao Zhuoyan said with a serious expression, “This is war, not a child’s game. You’re not strong enough to hold the first-line fortress.”

Zhao Junsu was livid and somewhat indignant, but Zhao Zhuoyan’s authority was absolute. The former couldn’t go against an issued order in public. Thus, he had no choice but to sit down with a gloomy expression.

Following Zhao Junsu’s first move, a number of other generals started picking their defensive positions. Zhao Zhuoyan would guard the central point on his own, facilitating his coordination with the surrounding areas. Zhao Junhong, Zhao Fenglei, and the two imperial major generals picked the first-line fortresses.

It was at this time that Zhao Fenglei spoke up, “No matter what arrangements we make, the entire defensive line is still quite frail. We don’t have enough hands!”

Zhao Zhuoyan replied calmly, “Zhao Yuying will arrive tomorrow with two generals from the clan.”

Zhao Fenglei shook his head. “Even with Yuying, it’s still far from enough.”

How could Zhao Zhuoyan not see what even Zhao Fenglei could? He said with a slow sigh, “There’s no other option. The dark race army is vast, and even the Zhang clan has been defeated. How can there be any easy fights? The imperial fleets in the void are also locked in a bitter confrontation with the enemy. We’ll only be able to breathe easy when they manage to win and stop the dark races from sending more troops in.”

What if they lost? The possibility occurred to more than one person, but they didn’t want to continue thinking about this. The defeat of the imperial fleets would bring about the eventual annihilation of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the void continent—perhaps only a handful of aristocratic disciples and powerful people might escape.

Zhao Fenglei suddenly said, “This war is important, yet our Zhao clan hasn’t been putting all of its power to use.”

These words drew all attention onto him. Zhao Zhuoyan’s expression remained unchanged and no one could really tell what he was thinking. “What makes you say that?”

Zhao Fenglei sighed. “Have you all forgotten about Qianye?”

Zhao Zhuoyan frowned slightly but said nothing.

Zhao Fenglei continued, “With Qianye and Zhao Jundu disrupting the dark races from the outside, their army will be distracted from an all-out siege on the strongholds. Our defensive pressure will also decrease a fair bit.”

Zhao Zhuoyan’s brows rose slightly, but he sighed in the end. “Qianye chose to be an independent hunter and is now fighting in the Li family warzone. He is, after all, not our Zhao clan member and he does not hold office in our army, either. I have no authority to transfer him.”

Zhao Fenglei sneered. “How is he not our Zhao clan member? He’s registered to our fourth young master’s secondary residence. Besides, we’re struggling with our lives on the line here while he’s fighting for his own rewards over there. Isn’t that too inexcusable? I think desperate times call for desperate measures. For the bigger picture, I suggest we issue a conscription order and command him to return immediately!”

Zhao Junhong shot up from his seat and roared, “You can’t!”