Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 77 Ending
Dust billowed on the road, and the sound of horses' hooves echoed continuously.

Reinforcements arrived at Qingyu Ridge in waves, and the main force in the north finally took control of the battle line.

The soldiers set up camp and began building defenses around the valley entrance: watchtowers, trenches, arrow towers, and even catapults and heavy ballistae were brought up.

Within a few days, Qingyu Ridge transformed from a simple Snowsworn outpost into a veritable bulwark of the North.

The Snow Oath people, of course, had no intention of retreating so easily.

They brought in small elite units from the direction of Icesea County, attempting to launch night raids, set fires, cut off supplies, and some even fired cursed bullets at the stronghold.

But they all failed.

They were either discovered in advance or ambushed and annihilated.

Gibson's command was flawless; his troop deployment and enemy formation were impeccable.

But he himself knew very well that the reason he was able to get ahead at several crucial moments was not because he was any kind of genius.

It was because of the baron who was drinking tea in the back.

Louis had already relinquished all tactical command duties after Gibson took over.

My achievements are already enough; any further merit would only be icing on the cake. It's better to preserve my strength.

He lived in a separate tent in the rear camp, basking in the sun during the day and brewing tea and writing reports at night, with a retirement mentality.

Of course, he didn't completely rest; he would also subtly offer Gibson some suggestions based on the daily intelligence system.

For example, on one occasion, Gibson was troubled by the whereabouts of the enemy.

Louis suddenly pointed to the map and said, "Enemy troops might use this mountain path in the next few days."

"how do you know?"

"intuition."

As expected, that night a small enemy squad of two hundred men came from that road, but before they could even get close to the main battle line, they were ambushed and wiped out.

Later, Louis would occasionally remind Gibson of the enemy's tactics.

Every time it came true, it was as if they had gained supernatural insight and could see the other party completely.

Gibson could no longer suppress the respect in his heart.

In his mind, Louis was already a gifted war genius.

Qingyu Ridge gradually calmed down.

The Snow Oath warriors are short-handed and their offensive is getting weaker and weaker.

The final assault was thwarted by the Imperial army before they could even form a proper formation.

They were unwilling to give up, but powerless to do anything but retreat northward little by little.

Qingyu Ridge, the vital passage to the northern border, has finally been firmly defended.

…………

Snow Eagle City finally couldn't hold on any longer.

After a month of siege, the Snow Oath soldiers were starving and emaciated, their limbs weak and powerless. Even the War Wolf was skin and bones, unable to make a sound when he stepped on the snow.

They had run out of food.

There are no "people" left.

Apart from Xue Shizhe himself, there was no one else alive in the city.

Flesh and blood became their only food, and charred bones filled the bonfires beneath the city walls.

This is not an army; it's a pack of beasts driven mad by despair.

Barnes stood on the dilapidated platform, gazing at the thick, dark clouds in the distance. Instead of reinforcements, he was met with utter silence.

He finally understood that no one would come.

The reinforcements from Icesea County were nothing but his own fantasy.

So he ordered a breakout.

"Anyone who dares to hesitate even for a moment, I'll personally chop them down!"

That day, he personally killed two of his personal guards who were trying to escape.

The morale of the Snow Oath Army was momentarily stunned by this madness, and then they were pushed to the brink of despair.

They burst out of the city like ghosts, howling and stumbling as they rushed outwards.

But just a hundred meters outside the city gate, the empire's ambush appeared.

Archers were already waiting on both sides of the mountain wall.

"Fire arrows!"

Arrows rained down like raindrops, and cold light descended from the sky. Xue Shi, already hungry, couldn't withstand the onslaught and his formation crumbled after only a few steps.

Some even threw down their weapons and fled for their lives.

Barnes was still yelling, "Get up there! Anyone backing down..."

Before he could finish speaking, an arrow pierced his thigh.

Then the shoulders, chest, and abdomen.

He fell into a pool of blood like a tattered sack, his hands still trembling as he tried to pull out the arrow, but his body wouldn't obey him.

Blood stained the earth a deep red, and his lips twitched as he stared intently at the northern mountain ridge.

That was the direction from which he had been waiting for reinforcements for a whole month.

He died, he died like a dog.

Without command, the breakout became a one-sided massacre.

The Imperial Army had already formed ranks, and the ambushers on the left and right flanks converged like a tide. After three rounds of arrow rain, most of the Snow Oath warriors had fallen on the ground.

The remaining men tried to charge and break through, but the warhorses couldn't run fast, and the infantry couldn't run fast either. The whole force was like a swarm of insects struggling in a swamp.

The Snow Oath Army was completely routed in less than ten minutes.

Without hesitation, the Imperial Army ruthlessly slaughtered the struggling enemies one by one.

Blood stained the land, severed limbs and remains were everywhere, and you could hear the crunching of broken bones when you stepped on them.

This is a reckoning.

Every cry from Snow Eagle City is remembered.

It's time to return it.

Half an hour later, the Imperial Army launched a general offensive against Snow Eagle City.

There was no resistance from inside the city; they simply pushed open the dilapidated city gate.

Most of the Oath-Sworn died during their breakout attempt, and the rest had long since given up in despair.

Imperial soldiers stepping into Snow Eagle City is like stepping into a purgatory.

The streets were littered with charred bones, and the charred wooden houses were still emitting smoke. The air was filled with a stench of decay and blood, making one want to vomit.

Anger, resentment, and malice erupted at this moment.

"Kill them all!"

So there were no prisoners and no interrogations.

The Snow Oath people have been completely wiped out.

After the war, Snow Eagle City was reduced to ruins.

…………

The Oath-Swearing faction suffered a crushing defeat, and the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

Except for the northern Ice Sea County and Snowfall County, which were barely under control, almost all other areas were wiped out by the Imperial Army.

Numerous strongholds were destroyed, supply lines were cut off, and main forces were wiped out one after another in various places.

The fall of Qingyu Ridge and the fall of Xueying City signify the complete collapse of this southward expedition.

Elder Grom slammed his hand on the stone table, glaring angrily: "I warned you long ago not to be so arrogant! That barbarian witch..."

"Shut up." Hiro stood in front of the statue, his tone grim. "You're right, they're too difficult to deal with, so now we need to speed things up."

"What...do you want to do?" Grom felt a chill run down his spine.

“Everything can be resolved as long as the Ancient God of the Cold Abyss is revived,” Hiro said softly.

He raised his hand, and his guards immediately rushed forward.

Grom's eyes widened as he struggled, but they held him down firmly.

"Stop! I am an elder!"

No one responded.

He was hung upside down on the cold altar, with several bound prisoners beside him.

The sacrifice began.

Blood slowly flowed from their seven orifices, as if drawn away by some unseen force, dripping onto the altar's stone plate.

The skin withered, the bones twisted, and in the end, only a pile of broken bones remained.

A muffled, strange sound came from underground, as if something was awakening.

(End of this chapter)