After the fairy disappeared

Chapter 2685 The New Commander Takes Office
The Nine Nether Emperor's vision and overall strategy were far superior to his intellect and tactics.

Now he began to look forward to what kind of storm the news of the leaked "Heart-Stirring" formula would stir up in Bega.

In reality, although the Demon Emperor obtained the formula for the "Heart-Tendering" secret medicine, he never broke through the barrier between himself and the Heavenly Palace.

This led the Demon Emperor to plan for three years and consistently avoid engaging in the most intense battle with the Heavenly Demon.

In this world, the Panlong Kingdom simply cannot sustain itself for three years. Therefore, He Lingchuan decides to use the most brutal and abrupt method to directly ignite the conflict between the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Palace!

The "heart-wrenching" issue will be exposed to the light of day, and everyone will know that the Demon Emperor has obtained the formula.

At this point, what will the Demon Emperor, who has been thrust into the limelight, do?

"Six months," He Lingchuan murmured. "Perhaps, Panlong can hold on for another six months."

Zhuang Yinan, who was standing nearby, didn't hear clearly: "General, what did you say, six months?"

He Lingchuan shook his head: "It's nothing."

It only takes four months to develop the antidote for "heartbreak".

This was measured by Cang Yan; the actual length of the Bekaa might be even shorter.

He Lingchuan believed that the Heavenly Demon was also aware of this time limit.

Therefore, the conflict between Lingxu City and the Heavenly Demon should reach its peak within four months, or perhaps give them two more months? By then, it would be best if Panlong was no longer the Heavenly Demon's primary concern.

"Summon a military council immediately." He cracked his knuckles. "Now that Fushanlie is gone, the Bega Army is leaderless. We must make good use of this golden period."

￥￥￥￥￥

The war broke out again south of the wasteland on the very night Fu Shanlie left. This time, however, the Panlong Army took the lead in the attack, launching a brilliant night raid.

With the two vanguard armies suffering setbacks, Bega's available terrain options were limited. His main force of 120,000 troops was stationed in a narrow, sweet potato-shaped valley, while the rest were deployed to the flanks. Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; Fushanlie had no better solution than to strengthen defenses at the valley entrance and enhance coordination with the flanks.

That night, the Emperor's Dew arrived, and the mountains and forests stirred. The Panlong Army, positioned on high ground, launched an attack on the Bega Army.

Hou Qian could have anticipated that the Panlong Army would take advantage of the situation, but he never expected their attack to be so fierce, especially since it was a rapid assault on the strongest central army, and they were even heading straight for the main tent.

General Hu Yi led his troops into battle, and his forces were unstoppable.

Aside from Fu Shanlie, Hou Qian had never seen another commander-in-chief fight shirtless. But General Hu Yi charged forward with fierce courage, leading the charge and tearing through the valley fortifications of the central army of Bei Jia like a sharp knife, cutting straight into the heart of the camp.

As for Bega's north and south flanks, He Lingchuan also sent troops to intercept them.

This battle was a straightforward, head-on clash that lasted only two hours. It ended with the Bega army's main camp being breached, forcing them to retreat ten miles to more open terrain to consolidate their position.

When Fu Shanlie was in office, the few exchanges between the two sides were merely tests, small-scale skirmishes. It was only when Hou Qian took over that this main force of the Bega army truly experienced the power of General Tiger Wing.

In this battle, the Bega army suffered more than two thousand casualties. Fushanlie, who had already marched dozens of miles, heard the news and sighed to the heavens, wishing he could turn back and fight Huyi for another two hundred rounds.

Unfortunately, he couldn't; his commander's token had been taken away, and he was not authorized to lead troops until he received the Demon Emperor's next appointment.

After the Bega army retreated to open terrain, Hou Qian regrouped and dared not slacken, then divided his forces into four routes and marched north. Fu Shanlie had led the army for over half a month without making any progress, and now that command was in his hands, the Bega army had actually retreated ten miles. Hou Qian hoped to rectify his mistakes before the new commander arrived.

Several days later, the new head coach finally arrived.

The position of commander-in-chief, which was taken over by Fu Shanlie, was held by Gao Huaiyuan, a general from Lingxu City. He came from a family of veteran military officers and had been stationed abroad for many years. In the past fifteen years, he had commanded many battles against Shahe and once commanded an army of 400,000 men at once.

Most importantly, he was closest to the southern battlefield of Panlong Wasteland at that time.

Although everyone knew that his selection was the result of a power struggle between the gods and the demon emperor, they still felt that he was a very suitable candidate, even more so than Fu Shanlie, as the commander-in-chief.

When Gao Huaiyuan took office, the battlefield south of the wasteland was already in full swing.

He went into the main tent to review intelligence and listen to analysis, and then couldn't help but massage his temples. Why? Although the Bega army seemed to be fighting the enemy and the whole map was bustling, the enemy still occupied the high ground and advantageous terrain. The Bega army suffered more defeats than victories, while Panlong seized the opportunity and launched several strong attacks.

How could Bega's army, which outnumbered the enemy by three times, end up like this?
Gao Huaiyuan asked Hou Qian to demonstrate the two most recent battles on the sand table, and the more he looked at them, the more serious his expression became.

Given that the terrain, troop strength, and even the opponent's offensive strategy were almost entirely known, why did Hou Qian fight so frustratingly?

Gao Huaiyuan deduced that the problem lay in the ability to command and respond to situations on the spot.

I've heard that General Tiger Wing always leads from the front in battle, and judging from the sand table simulation, his fighting style hasn't deviated from the norm—it's just reckless charging. But why can't the Bega people capture him?

Besides his bravery, General Tiger Wing was always one step ahead of the enemy in every charge, turn, and maneuver.

One step is enough.

That is, to anticipate the enemy's moves.

"Good heavens." Tiger Wing is a born general; no wonder Panlong calls him one of the "Twin Stars of the Empire."

This kind of quick thinking and adaptability, this ability to perceive danger, cannot be cultivated later in life.

Gao Huaiyuan frowned as he looked at the attack route of the Bega army over the past few days.

"Who arranged this route?"

"It was decided before General Fushan left."

Gao Huaiyuan let out a long breath.

After receiving the Demon Emperor's orders, he kept rehearsing the attack route on his way here, and one of the final plans was almost identical to Fu Shanlie's idea.

But Hou Qian has already proven with his actions that it won't work.

We must change our tactics.

There are too many objective factors. Sometimes, the same tactics can have drastically different effects when used against different opponents.

Gao Huaiyuan had just taken office and hadn't even had a sip of water when his personal guards tried to bring him food. Without even looking up, Gao Huaiyuan waved his hand and said, "Get lost, don't bother me."

The reason why the Bega army has been able to maintain its foothold is because of its large size. Reinforcements have been arriving continuously from Sanda Port, and the army now numbers 330,000, while the Panlong army on the other side has 190,000.

The number of people on both sides continues to increase, and the experts from both sides are arriving at the scene quickly.

After two defeats by the vanguard and the last-minute replacement of Fushanlie as commander, the Bega army's original strategy of a rapid advance into the wasteland has failed. From now on, they can only proceed steadily and make use of their numerical and logistical advantages to advance step by step.