Mist Lord

Chapter 68 Fourth-Order Flying Dragon, Army at the Gates

Considering the fierce battle to come the next day, the evening banquet, though lively, was quite restrained. Furthermore, with many female lords present, only low-alcohol rice wine and fruit wine were served.

Out of consideration for Xia Yuan's safety, Pei Ye did not give Xia Yuan a grand introduction at the banquet.

Of course, Xia Yuan didn't stand out from the crowd. He obediently followed behind Guan Cang, Lu Zhanting, and Wen Yutong, toasting each of the seniors present.

The reason I didn't follow Pei Shuang to visit each person before was simply because I didn't want to be too conspicuous.

As the only newcomer present, Xia Yuan's appearance still attracted the attention of many interested parties. Moreover, out of respect for the Pei Ye and Pei Shuang sisters, most of them were acting out of goodwill.

Newcomers like Xia Yuan pose no threat to their position within the faction.

Why invite trouble unnecessarily?

The banquet has ended.

Xia Yuan was about to return to Suiye Pavilion to rest when Pei Shuang stopped him again.

-

"Let's stay at the city lord's mansion tonight, in a side courtyard with Serandis and Black Armor."

"Isn't this inappropriate?"

Of all the lords who attended the banquet, none of them, except for Pei Shuang, were allowed to stay at the city lord's mansion.

Major lords like Chu Qianxun own private properties in Suiye City. Other minor lords, such as Guan Cang, all stay at Suiye Pavilion.

"There are many people and suspicious eyes at Suiye Pavilion. I'm worried that someone might try to harm you—"

"You mean, someone might be bribed by Li Mingyu to carry out an assassination at Suiye Pavilion?"

It sounds crazy at first glance, especially since this is Suyab City, but upon closer inspection, it's not entirely impossible. The internal relationships within the Suyab faction are complex, and it's hard to guarantee that no one will take risks for personal gain.

With various forces gathered and numerous experts present, this is indeed an opportune moment to strike.

Although the chances are slim.

If someone were really assassinated, wouldn't they have to investigate everything thoroughly?!

Everyone knows who brought whom, unless someone is confident enough to say they can kill Xia Yuan without anyone noticing and without revealing their identity.

How skilled must this person be?

Do you really think the pairing of Satie and the simpleton is just for show?!

Even if we take a step back and assume that Xia Yuan also has the double protection of a rag doll and a talisman, killing him under these circumstances would be harder than climbing to heaven.

"It's better to be safe than sorry, right?"

If Xia Yuan really gets into trouble in Suiye City, Pei Ye will lose face big time.

"Okay, I'll do as you say!"

Xia Yuan didn't insist; he figured he should go with the flow.

Early the next morning, the lords gathered on the east city wall.

Suyab's location is fairly good.

The western side is right next to a mountain, with only a small gate, serving as a last resort and emergency supply point. Attacking such a small gate would be virtually impossible.

Not far to the east is a relatively wide river, which is also where the main city gate is located. Not only is the terrain narrow, which is not conducive to the deployment of large troops, but a barbican has also been built, making it extremely difficult to breach the city.

Both the north and south ends are plains along the river, offering a wide view, so no city gates were set up.

As a military fortress-type city, it was relatively isolated with little external communication and did not need to open many city gates. The principle of opening as few gates as possible was generally followed.

"It's really hard to imagine how an army of similar size could possibly conquer Broken Leaf City."

This is a question that Xia Yuan has never been able to figure out.

An old saying goes, "If you have ten times the strength of the defending army, you can besiege it." To breach a fortified city, you need at least ten times the defending force, and even then, a swift victory is not guaranteed. A siege could last for months, or even years.

The level 7/8 territory civilization trial only lasts for half a month. How can you break through a city like that?

"It is indeed very difficult."

Pei Shuang, standing to the side, said with a smile, "Once they reach the level 7 or 8 territory stage, they will not easily fall in the Civilization Trial Arena, which is why they become the mainstay of each faction."

If a great lord were to fall every year, what faction would remain?

It could fall apart at any time.

"However, things are not absolute. The Misty Continent has all sorts of strange and unusual troops and mysterious and unpredictable supernatural powers. Perhaps it has some means of breaching a city."

For this reason, the great lords never dared to take any trial lightly.

They were terrified of making a mistake.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

As they spoke, several eagle warriors took off to scout out every corner of the territory. They were to report back immediately upon discovering any trace of enemy forces.

At the level of Suyab, it's no longer possible to spot enemies simply by looking around.

Even if the enemy doesn't raid villages and towns along the way and marches at full speed, it will take them most of the day to reach the outskirts of Suyab.

If carrying large siege weapons, the march could take one or two days.

What can you do in just half a month?

Based on past experience, most lords who choose to attack usually just loot the surrounding villages and towns, plunder some resources, and then return home.

The defending side, of course, dared not take the initiative to attack, and both sides maintained a certain tacit understanding.

But this time the situation seems to be a little different.

Soon after, an eagle-man warrior landed on the city wall and reported something to Pei Ye. Pei Ye's expression became serious at a visible speed.

"Sister, what happened?"

"The attacking force is a large orc army. They did not stop at the border villages and towns, but headed straight for Suyab."

Pei Ye also immediately informed the lords present of the enemy's situation.

"According to the eagle warriors' reconnaissance, this orc army is quite unusual. In addition to the usual kobolds, gnolls, bear goblins, and orc warriors, the army also includes third-tier ogres and centaur warriors. In addition to bone-winged bats, the flying force also includes a full fifteen bipedal dragons."

Wyverns, as sub-dragons, are an extremely rare Tier 4 unit.

Judging from the number of wyverns attacking, they may not be a regular unit, but they shouldn't be underestimated. Combined with the swarm of bone-winged bats, they might actually pose a threat to Suyab.

No wonder they didn't stop at the border at all, but went straight for Suyab.

Clearly, they were not satisfied with the meager spoils from looting villages and towns; they wanted to go big.

This is not good news for Suyab.

The entire army immediately went on high alert, awaiting the arrival of the enemy.

This wait lasted for almost half a day.

Around noon, the enemy vanguard finally arrived at the southern outskirts of the city, consisting entirely of cavalry. In addition to Tier 3 centaur warriors, there were also Tier 2 jackal cavalry and warg cavalry.

The jackal, hunched over, lay on the back of a giant black-bristled boar, its coarse, gray-brown fur covered in mud. It brandished a spiked club, its eyes greedy and cunning.

You can smell the unpleasant sour and rotten odor from a great distance.

The giant dire wolf, as tall as a person, had jet-black fur, a bulging back, fangs that tore at its lower lip, and saliva dripping onto the cracked earth. Every step it took left claw marks that were deeply embedded in the soil.

The burly orc straddled the wolf's body, his face smeared with dark red beast blood totems, wild and ferocious.

In contrast, centaur warriors are much more elegant, yet the power generated by their strong limbs is enough to terrify any enemy. The combination of man and beast represents both power and chaos.

The enemy's main force arrived late, after the vanguard had already reached the outpost.

But then, billowing dust rose from the distant horizon, accompanied by a tremor of the earth, revealing a densely packed army of orcs, like a moving wall of filth, staining half the sky murky.

The pungent stench of animals, rotting flesh, and sweat wafted in with the strong wind, making one feel nauseous and terrified.

Kobold warriors, gnoll warriors, and bear goblins are all at least Tier 2. The orc berserkers, clad in dark armor and wielding giant axes, are Tier 3 and undoubtedly the main force of the army.

As they marched, they formed a dense, dark mass, and the heavy thud of their footsteps caused the ground to tremble slightly.

The ranks were also mixed with ogres clad in patchwork iron armor and wearing huge iron helmets, pushing massive siege engines, catapults, siege ladders and other siege equipment, making heavy creaking sounds.

Hundreds of bone-winged bats hovered above the army, with what appeared to be short cavemen riding on their backs.

Fifteen bipedal dragons hovered low in the air, their membranous wings flapping to create a gale, and the venomous stingers at the tips of their tails gleamed with a cold, eerie green light in the sunlight, ready to swoop down and attack at any moment.

The entire plain was filled with the roars of orcs, howls of wolves, and barks of wild boars. There were no orderly military formations, only an endless, surging, and savage tide.

The beast bone battle banner swayed in the wind, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.

The scene before me perfectly illustrates the old saying: "An army of no more than ten thousand is boundless."

The attacking orc lord was also a level 8 being, and together with the reinforcements brought by his subordinate lords, the total number was just over 10,000, and the lowest level was 2.

The shock it brought was unimaginable.

Under the shadow of death, everyone on the city wall wore solemn expressions.

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