Chapter 971: Mercy Has No Place in War

Thirty thousand elite Black-Armored Cavalry charged down from the ridge like a divine weapon descending from the heavens. Borrowing the momentum of their descent, they struck like a blade, slicing a massive gap through the ranks of the demon army and immediately launched an overwhelming assault.

The demon soldiers were caught completely off guard. Against this force of elite Black-Armored Cavalry, their formation collapsed almost instantly.

The battle lasted a full hour. Under Mo Feng's command, the Black-Armored Cavalry annihilated the fifty-thousand strong demon army and even captured the demon general responsible for leading the surprise attack.

Li Qing and Wang Meng were both seasoned commanders who had fought many battles. Although ambushed, they quickly regained control by coordinating with the Black-Armored Cavalry and seized the advantage.

The two were soaked in blood. Of their original three thousand troops, fewer than five hundred survived. Even so, to destroy a demon army of fifty thousand at such a cost was the greatest direct victory since the demon race began its attacks against Tianmang Fortress.

"

Phew...

"

Panting heavily, Li Qing turned to the black-armored general who had led the charge and shouted, "General Huo, we owe this battle to you and your men for arriving just in time!"

The black-armored general dismounted and replied calmly, "You need not thank me. If you must express gratitude, thank His Highness Jingwang."

"Jing... Jingwang?"

Li Qing and Wang Meng were both stunned. Then the crowd parted, and three majestic demonic horses approached slowly, carrying three familiar figures.

Jingwang Mo Feng, Ling Feng, and the City Lord of Iron Wolf City, Long Xiao.

"You... why is it you?" Li Qing's remaining eye narrowed suddenly, filled with disbelief.

Wang Meng immediately kicked him lightly, then dropped to one knee and said in a low voice, "Your humble general greets His Highness Jingwang."

Li Qing finally came to his senses and quickly knelt as well. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Greetings, Your Highness Jingwang!"

Though both of them still looked down on the young and inexperienced Mo Feng, he was a prince. The proper etiquette could not be ignored.

Mo Feng looked down at the two kneeling generals. He did not tell them to rise. Instead, he pulled gently on the reins and said to Huo Yuanyi, commander of the Black-Armored Cavalry, "General Huo, gather the spoils and proceed to Tianmang Fortress."

"As you command!"

Huo Yuanyi bowed. His men immediately got to work. From beginning to end, no one paid any attention to Li Qing or Wang Meng.

The two remained kneeling, exchanging glances. Neither could believe what they were seeing. Was this really the same timid little prince who had once been disciplined harshly by the commander-in-chief?

More importantly, how had Jingwang come to command the elite Black-Armored Cavalry sent to reinforce Tianmang Fortress?

And why was the City Lord of Iron Wolf City standing at his side?

Their hearts brimmed with confusion. No matter the answers, the fact remained that Jingwang now held command of a powerful force and had just achieved a resounding victory. Even the commander-in-chief would now be forced to take him seriously.

Before long, the corpses of the slain demonic beasts were cleared. The army set off at once toward Tianmang Fortress.

Li Qing and Wang Meng could only follow behind with the pitiful remnants of their troops, dragging their feet in frustration.

At the front of the formation, Mo Feng exchanged a glance with Ling Feng and Long Xiao. All three smiled knowingly.

The sight of Li Qing and Wang Meng's expressions brought a surge of secret satisfaction!

It turned out that the plan Ling Feng had mentioned earlier was to gain control of the Black-Armored Cavalry before they reached the Southern Army at Tianmang Fortress.

This force reported directly to the imperial family. Within the southern border region, Mo Feng was the only imperial prince present.

That gave him full authority over the cavalry. With Long Xiao, the old veteran of the Black-Armored Cavalry, to lend credibility, a few simple words were all it took to convince Huo Yuanyi to fall in line.

When Yuan Tiangang summoned Ling Feng to the command tent, they had been discussing how best to utilize the cavalry. Ling Feng had only overheard parts of it, yet those fragments became the key to this entire plan.

In hindsight, it truly had been a stroke of luck!

Once the plan was in place, the three of them intercepted the cavalry en route. After successfully taking command, Ling Feng predicted that Yellow Dragon Ridge was not a particularly hidden location. If the reinforcements heading to Tianmang Fortress were spotted by the demon race, they would quickly be surrounded.

As for how their position was revealed, only Ling Feng knew.

It was him. He had sent Despicable Donkey to pose as an ordinary demon and leak the information. His goal was to use Li Qing and Wang Meng's three thousand men as bait.

There is an old saying: the compassionate are unfit to command!

Using three thousand as bait to eliminate fifty thousand demon soldiers was a price worth paying. Those who died had died with honor.

Though Ling Feng disliked such tactics, extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures. Since Yuan Tiangang had acted without mercy first, he was merely responding in kind.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Brother Feng, we won a great victory today, but Yuan Tiangang is no fool. He will surely guess that we deliberately delayed our arrival at Yellow Dragon Ridge, which led those three thousand men into danger. Does that not leave us at a disadvantage?"

Mo Feng looked at Ling Feng with concern.

"

Hehe,

in war, who has time for moral debates?"

Ling Feng raised an eyebrow and smiled. His understanding of the art of war came largely from General Deng.

General Deng had once gifted him a collection of military manuals. The strategies described within were those favored by the Ascendant Eagle General, brutal and sharp.

He showed no mercy to his enemies. He showed even less to his own troops!

"To sacrifice a few thousand and eliminate fifty thousand demon soldiers, Yuan Tiangang knows how to do the math. Even if our motives are less than pure, he will have no choice but to turn a blind eye."

Ling Feng shrugged. "You are Jingwang. You represent the imperial family. That alone gives you weight. In this respect, you fall short of the Fourth Prince. He may be sinister, but he carries himself with imperial authority far better than you."

Mo Feng nodded solemnly. "Brother Feng, I understand now!"

Ling Feng patted him on the shoulder and said calmly, "Relax. No matter how unhappy Yuan Tiangang is, he will have to smile and welcome us. After all, we won a massive victory. As Jingwang, you now have a real place of your own."

"Brother Feng, I never imagined you were this skilled at military command. You truly are a man of many talents," Mo Feng said with genuine admiration.

"I only know a few tricks."

Ling Feng rubbed his nose bridge. Once he helped Mo Feng establish his position within the fortress, it would be time to face the Silver Wolf Demon Emperor head-on!