Socially anxious people transmigrate to another world; living in seclusion is too difficult.

"My lord! Something terrible has happened! The demons have already reached the outskirts of Demon-Suppressing City!"

Startled awake by the shouts of the guards, Lü Yi jumped out of bed and opened the door, asking, "What's going on?"

"My lord, the city guards have reported that the demon vanguard has arrived at the walls of Demon City and is currently engaged in battle."

Lu Yi was shocked. The demons had already reached the city walls, which meant that the sentry posts and troops along the way had been defeated. Although a large number of soldiers had been stationed in the city as instructed by Zhang Huangning, how long could the 20,000 soldiers of the Third Army hold out? He immediately asked, "Has General Zhang reported this yet?"

"We've already sent people there, and they should have received the message by now."

In the Third Army camp on the eastern outskirts of Demon City, Zhang Huangning also received this shocking news. Despite his shock, he forced himself to remain calm and asked, "How many enemy troops are there?"

The soldier replied, "It's still dark, so it's unclear. Judging from the shouts of battle, there are probably tens of thousands."

"Li Yu!" Zhang Huangning immediately summoned his staff officer Li Yu and ordered, "Immediately follow me and lead the remaining 10,000 troops into the Demon-Defending City to defend against the enemy. Also, bring me the communication token!"

The two hurriedly gathered their soldiers and rushed towards the Demon City to provide reinforcements. On horseback, Zhang Huangning opened the communication card, which was originally something only adventurers would use. However, after learning about the military's mobilization arrangements, Zhang Huangning felt that if an unexpected situation arose, the Demon City might not be able to receive timely support. Therefore, he applied to borrow the Adventurers' Guild's communication card and agreed that if a major battle broke out, they would switch to using the communication card for communication. This could be considered a military reform.

Zhang Huangning channeled elemental power into the communication plate, and a bright notification illuminated Qin Meng's bedroom in the capital. The early-rising steward, seeing the light, knocked on Qin Meng's door. Qin Meng woke up and noticed the communication plate was lit up. He immediately got up and opened it, where a line of text appeared: "Demon invasion, vanguard has reached Demon City, situation is critical!"

Qin Meng dared not delay, immediately dressed and went out, heading straight for the military headquarters. At the same time, he dispatched his soldiers to inform the Minister of the Military, Wei Bin, and the Minister of the Army, Yang Chaoxiu. Soon, the three met at the entrance of the military headquarters.

After listening to Qin Meng's report, Wei Bin dared not delay and immediately ordered the entire army to enter a state of war. At the same time, he implemented the wartime work and rest system. Then he said to the officers who had been summoned, "Order all the armies within a hundred miles of Yumo City to immediately go to provide support. Which army is the closest?"

"The closest is Li Man's 12th Army, about seventy li from Yumo City."

"Have Li Man arrive at Yumo City within two hours! Order He Quan, who is stationed outside Huaijing City, to set off immediately with his Tenth Army, urging all armies to march quickly along the way. All other armies must arrive before noon!" After Wei Bin finished speaking, he said to Yang Chaoxiu, "Lord Yang, let's go see His Majesty quickly."

The two rushed to the palace without stopping. Upon hearing the news, Chu Jingwu disregarded everything else and met with them outside the hall to discuss countermeasures.

"Your Majesty, the situation is critical. If the Demon-Suppressing City falls, most of the cities in the west will be in danger. Lord Wei has already issued mobilization orders, and we urgently need to inform the other countries of this situation."

"Where is Nangong Xiangwen? Why isn't he here?!" Chu Jingwu asked, looking at the two of them. At such a critical moment, Nangong Xiangwen, who was in charge of foreign affairs, was nowhere to be found.

"I have already informed Lord Nangong, and he should be on his way." Before Yang Chaoxiu could finish speaking, Nangong Xiangwen's voice rang out from not far away: "Your Majesty, I am late!"

Chu Jingwu shouted urgently, "No need to come over! Immediately send people to all countries to report the enemy situation, saying that the Demon Kingdom has invaded and the Demon-Controlling City is in danger!"

"Oh, yes, Your Majesty!" Nangong Xiangwen ran halfway, then hurriedly ran out of the palace.

"Have the remaining troops in the north and south been mobilized?" Chu Jingwu asked Wei Bin.

"The order has been issued: except for a small number of troops, the rest of the army should rush to the aid of the Demon City."

"Alright, Yang Chaoxiu, immediately procure provisions and pay. From now on, all officials of the Army Administration Department will work in shifts, day and night. As long as the war continues, you are not allowed to stop! Wei Bin, regarding the communication tokens that Zhang Huangning mentioned earlier, have the other armies been equipped with them?"

"Not yet," Wei Bin replied helplessly.

"Go tell Yin Fanzhi that all the troops must be equipped with communication tokens by today. If he succeeds, I will not pursue any past matters. If he fails, he should know what his fate will be!"

"Understood." After Yang and Wei left, Chu Jingwu returned to the main hall, staring blankly at the throne at the head of the table, lost in thought.

Soon, news of the Demon Kingdom's invasion spread throughout the world. Just as the countries were discussing support, the Battle of the Demon City broke out. The 30,000 soldiers of the Third Army in the city were brave and fearless in the face of 100,000 demon vanguards, but the difference in strength and numbers still caused them to suffer heavy casualties.

In just half an hour, the 30,000 soldiers defending the city had been reduced by more than half. Fortunately, Abner and Baron were blinded by greed and did not adopt the tactic of encircling and attacking the city. The 100,000 troops continued to attack the west gate, prompting Zhang Huangning to transfer the garrison from the other city gates to help in the battle. With the assistance of Lü Yi, a lot of Drowning Stone powder was transported. Under the suppression of the powder, the situation was stabilized for a time.

But the situation improved only briefly. Seeing that the siege was proving unsuccessful, Abner regained some composure and immediately said to Baron, "Attack only this one gate is just suicide. Quickly send troops to attack the other gates!"

After Abner's reminder, Baron also came to his senses and immediately ordered tens of thousands of men to leave from the west gate and head towards the north gate to attack. Their movement was clearly seen by Zhang Huangning, who was standing on the city wall. He knew in his heart that if these troops were allowed to leave, the Demon City would definitely fall before reinforcements arrived. So he said to Li Yu beside him:

"One of their troops has gone to the north gate. You stay here and guard it. I'll take some men to guard the north gate. The soldiers on the city wall will be divided into three groups for defense: one to engage the enemy, one to provide support, and one to heal. Don't rush in all at once. Also, watch my elemental reaction as a signal. Once I engage the enemy, you open the city gate and send out with ironclad chariots in front and spearmen behind. Don't charge too far; return after a few dozen paces outside the gate. If the enemy swarms to the gate, use the Drowning Stone Powder to continuously suppress them, and have the archers shoot to block them. Repeat this process, trying to prevent the enemy from reinforcing the north gate."

After saying this, he transferred some of his troops away, leaving the west gate to Li Yu for defense. Following Zhang Huangning's instructions, Li Yu divided the soldiers guarding the city wall into three groups to launch a counterattack in echelons. At the same time, he ordered the guards inside the city gate to prepare iron caltrops and set up their formations, waiting for the elemental reaction at the north gate.