Genshin Impact: Rise of the Desert

Along the way, Ivan led the expeditionary force to hide by day and move by night.

Although the wealthy man had already taken care of things, a show of face still had to be done, otherwise it would be difficult to explain to the group of thirty.

Soon, after half a month of marching, the army reached the northern beach of Hushisen.

When passing through Huan Nalana, someone claimed to have seen the legendary Lanalo, but everyone thought it was just boasting.

Legend has it that the World Tree was corrupted by the dark will of the abyss, rendering everyone unable to dream. Lanarara, a servant of the Great Tree King, leaped into the World Tree, sacrificing his life to fill the void and ultimately driving away the dark will. However, all Lanarara vanished from that moment on.

Some say the Lannaros have maintained the stability of the World Tree to this day, while others say they perished alongside the Great Tree King.

But no one knows where they went. Only children who have wandered into Huanalan are occasionally helped by Lanalo.

Lanaro admires innocent personalities, which are only found in children.

Desert people... anyone with the quality of "innocence" would be considered long-lived to live to five.

The water level on the northern beach is not high, only up to the thighs, and it is about four kilometers away from the island south of Chizhang City.

Within this ten-kilometer distance are two small islands, with scouts from the Thousand Rock Army on one of them. The Thousand Rock Army's main base is located on the southern island of Chizhang Hengcheng.

Moreover, the number of these Thousand Rock Army soldiers is considerable, and defensive facilities have already been established on the island.

The barricades, long-barreled cannons, and the city walls made of geomantic elements clearly indicate that they were created by several geomantic eye users over a long period of time.

They knew they would pass through here.

Ivan narrowed his eyes.

Before Dolly left, she made it clear to herself that she didn't want to die so young. The wealthy man was pragmatic; so, who was the traitor?

The best course of action at present is to have the army halt and set up camp, preparing for a tough battle.

To get a wide view, Ivan set up his tent on the highest cliff, where he could overlook the beach, the sea, and the waterfall below.

The expeditionary force's camps stretched from the beach all the way to the mountaintop.

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.......night.......

The chieftains of Fuluo, four brigade commanders, and the Kheshig commander gathered before Ivan's tent to discuss the war.

Just a dozen or so steps from Ivan's tent was a cliff, from which one could see the fires lit by scouts on the small island and the torches lit on the southern island.

The two flames faced each other, just like an impending war.

Once everyone had arrived, Ivan didn't waste any words and pointed to the opposite side: "Look, the city wall made of rock element is still under construction. The wall is thick and heavy, and it can trap long-barreled cannons inside. They knew we were coming here a long time ago!"

He Zhong frowned: "A traitor?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at each other in shock.

Although the villagers disliked the gilded guild, they acknowledged their strength after spending more than a month together. But if they were traitors... anyone could be!

Ivan waved his hand: "I'll handle the traitor matter myself. You see, if we want to land on the island, then the small island at the edge of the waterfall is the one we must go to. The long-barreled cannon has a range of up to 500 meters, which means that if we occupy the small island and then attack the island, we will also be shelled on the beach."

Even though the sea level was low, only thigh-deep, it still posed a great challenge for infantry to move. Once on the beach, they would face well-organized Thousand Rock Army infantrymen defending themselves with chevaux-de-frise, rendering cavalry ineffective.

The group looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.

Dixia spoke first: "Shanyu, just tell us what to do, and we'll listen to you."

"Yes, that's right!"

"Nothing wrong!"

Dixia's words elicited a chorus of agreement. Neither the gilded brigade nor the tribes of the desert had ever fought a landing operation, and they didn't know how to command a large-scale operation involving tens of thousands of people.

Ivan took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping firmly over everyone present. His voice carried an unwavering resolve: "First, we need a detailed plan. A landing operation is different from a land battle; we need to consider many more factors. We need to operate at night, using the cover of darkness to minimize the chances of being detected by the enemy."

He pointed forward, tracing the waters between the small island and the main island with his finger: "Our cavalry must reach the island by nightfall tomorrow. Before dark, the infantry will land on the small island. On the small island, we will first establish a temporary beachhead, and then use this position as a springboard to launch an attack on the main island at dawn."

Ivan paused for a moment, then continued, “Most of the Thousand Rock Army here are dispatched from nearby Jade Valley. Their combat strength is not as good as that of other regions. The merchants who come here to do business want jade from Jade Valley and tea from Qiaoying Manor. Both of these are extremely scarce in Teyvat, so they are naturally humble and subservient, which has led to the arrogance of the Thousand Rock Army in this region.”

As he spoke, Ivan pointed to the small island above the waterfall: "Look, the scouts on the island dare to light a fire, which proves that they don't take us seriously. Proud soldiers will face defeat."

Upon hearing this, most people began to breathe heavily, because the greatest form of discrimination against a person is to ignore them.

The hot-tempered Kri, his face contorted with rage, stepped forward and patted his chest in salute: "Shanyu, the warriors of the Mohawk tribe will stain the entire beach red with their blood!"

Ivan waved his hand: "Kree chieftain, I know you're still bothered by the title of First Barthol of Fuluo, but I have a greater purpose for you."

At this moment, Ivan began calling out names: "Dishia, Jade, step forward!"

The two women stepped forward, and Ivan said with a serious expression, "Tomorrow morning, get ready to go. Make sure to clear out all the scouts on the waterfall island before nightfall!"

Dixia and Jade touched their chests in greeting.

Dixia was visibly nervous; despite her renowned reputation in the desert, she had never led an army of two thousand men. Jade, on the other hand, was beaming with excitement; she had never led so many soldiers or undertaken such a massive undertaking.

Jade's father, Jeberleil, stepped forward and patted Ivan's chest: "Chanyu, Jade is very young, I'm afraid she might do something wrong..."

Jade blushed and glared at Jeberlele, making him swallow the rest of his words.

But his meaning was already quite clear.

Ivan laughed and said, "An eagle needs to break its wings to fly. The chick under your wings has grown into an eagle about to soar. Even if she is injured, it will help her grow."

Jade looked at Ivan with excitement; no one had ever trusted her like this before: "Thank you, Lord Chanyu, I will definitely not let you down!"

Jeberlele still looked worried.

After discussing logistics for a while, Ivan waved his hand, dismissing everyone.

Ivan looked at the night sky, as if waiting for something.

The wind rustled through the grass, and Ivan seemed to be talking to himself: "You really think I'd let you take the intelligence back? Don't move now, and I might spare your life."

The sound of the wind blowing through the grass suddenly stopped, then the rustling became even more intense, and Ivan sighed.

He then swiftly drew his curved blade and flung it into the distance!

"what!"

A scream echoed through the night sky, then abruptly ceased.

A series of footsteps sounded, and a squad of archers approached Ivan: "Chanyu, what happened?"

Ivan waved his hand: "I found a spy, bring him here."

"Yes!"

A moment later, two archers carried a burly man over, and another archer held a knife and approached Ivan: "Chanyu, here is your knife."

Ivan nodded, took the knife, wiped the blood off the blade on the scout's body, and then sheathed it.

"Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly!"

"Yes!"