Chapter 106: Splitting Up

After quickly retreating from the burning Banto base, Yang Ling ordered the warriors to stop in a forest to rest and take off their Rossi weapons and armor.

“Sir, according to the scout’s report, the Banto and Rossi soldiers have both suffered heavy casualties from their battle!” The tactician Goode walked quickly toward Yang Ling after changing out of his blood-covered jacket. “Now, our true threat is not Steve, who’s locked in combat, nor the Rossi soldiers, who have suffered heavy casualties. Instead, it’s the ten thousand Banto reinforcements that are speedily making their way toward Wissen Town!”

At Goode’s reminder, Yang Ling quickly remembered the Banto army that was quickly rushing towards them. He recalled the Aila Mountain Pass that was hard to attack, but easy to defend.

He had recruited many people to build the first line of defense at the mouth of the Aila Mountain Pass, but there would definitely be gaps in the defenses given how hurried the builders had been. Also, even though the scout had said that the Banto reinforcements were at least five days away, the defenses at the mouth of the Aila Mountain Pass were flimsy. No one could guarantee that the defense would go smoothly.

“Sir, in this situation, it would be best to split the army into two. One group should head toward Ladoja Valley to clean up the battle and gain complete control of the situation in Wissen Town. The other group will head to the Aila Mountain Pass overnight and prevent the Banto reinforcements from sending out cavalry to launch a surprise attack.”

Goode was worried. According to the report of the scout, the Banto reinforcements consisted of a team of five hundred cavalry units. If they did not strengthen the defenses at the pass soon, the outcome could be disastrous if the enemy cavalry launched a surprise attack.

“What’s the situation in Ladoja Valley? How many men are there left for the Banto and Rossi forces?” Yang Ling asked Goode after a moment’s deliberation.

Seeing Yang Ling’s grave expression, Goode immediately described the latest intelligence given to him by the scouts.

The Banto reinforcements had charged into Ladoja Valley without much care. They had paid a heavy price, even if they had managed to save Steve in time. Their formation had been disrupted by the Rossi cavalry, and the Spellcasters following their army were largely killed by the heavy crossbows. Even though they had managed to stubbornly defend themselves with their numbers advantage, they had suffered heavy casualties in just an hour’s time. According to the estimates of the scout, they probably only had three hundred men left.

Rossi soldiers were not any better off. Even though they had triumphed over the Banto soldiers despite being weaker by initiating an ambush, they also suffered a huge loss when faced with the numbers advantage of the Banto soldiers and their stubborn retaliation. It was estimated that they only had two to three hundred soldiers left from their team of seven hundred.

They were both left with two to three hundred people?

After his elation, Yang Ling quickly thought up an idea. Those who survived after the hard battle between the Banto and Rossi forces would be fatigued and weak. If that was the case, he did not need too many of his forces to control the situation.

“Casey, lead eight hundred warriors and ride through the night to Aila Mountain Pass. You have to reach it in two days. You have to hold the first line of defense, no matter what!” Yang Ling gave a decisive order after a moment’s deliberation.

“Yes, I understand!” Casey bowed and left after receiving the order.

“Sir, to mobilize eight hundred warriors in such a short span of time, could it be…” Goode creased his brows as he looked at Yang Ling, worried.

“It’s alright. My Magical Beast army is more than enough to deal with the leftover soldiers at Ladoja Valley.”

Yang Ling was very confident in his Magical Beast army. He might have even been able to deal with the three thousand Black Armor Guards under Steve with careful planning, much less a bunch of leftover soldiers. All that was different was the scale of his losses.

After seeing Casey leave with the army, Yang Ling did not hesitate any longer. He got onto his Unicorn and led the rest of his warriors to Ladoja Valley. As long as he could quickly control the situation in Wissen Town, he would be able to divert a larger portion of his forces to the Aila Mountain Pass and push back the Banto reinforcements.

Under the guidance of the scout, they soon silently reached the bloodied Ladoja Valley.

The valley was covered in blood and dismembered limbs. Originally, the Rossi soldiers had been prepared to make a quick retreat after killing Steve. Unexpectedly, they suddenly encountered a large group of Banto reinforcements, slipping into a chaotic battle. Even though the powerful cavalry and terrifying heavy crossbows were able to kill many of their enemies, they had also paid a heavy price.

The Banto soldiers had wanted to retreat from the valley after saving Steve. They wanted to reorganize themselves before they counterattacked. But unexpectedly, the Rossi cavalry had disrupted their formation and the Spellcasters had been killed by the heavy crossbows.

To the two parties engaged in the brawl, it was the wrong time, the wrong place, and an unexpected battle!

The Banto soldiers thought that a large batch of reinforcements had arrived for the Rossi, bringing with them powerful warhorses and terrifying heavy crossbows. They suffered heavy losses after being caught off guard. If they had known of this information beforehand, they would definitely not have been willing to abruptly engage in a battle with the elite Rossi cavalry.

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The Rossi soldiers would successfully foil the strategies of the Banto Empire as long as they killed the leader Steve. They did not expect their enemy to engage them head on. Unfortunately for them, they encountered the strong Banto reinforcements, unintentionally slipping into an all out deathmatch.

This is almost too perfect!

Looking at the heated Banto and Rossi soldiers, Yang Ling understood that he had once again made the winning gamble. The more intense the battle between the Banto and Rossi soldiers, the more advantageous it was for him.

After the heavy casualties, both sides had succumbed to their bloodlust, and the ferocious Rossi people even let their bestial qualities erupt. The few Rossi cavalry units left charged forward under the lead of Renaya, their sharp lances covered in blood. No one knew how many of the Banto they had killed.

After failing to break out of the embattlement several times, faced with the fearless Rossi soldiers, Steve had no choice but to order his soldiers to retaliate with all their might. Unfortunately, after losing a large portion of their Spellcasters, they were only left with thirty percent of their full power. They were unable to avoid the enemy’s heavy crossbows, nor could they defend themselves against the famous Rossi heavy cavalry.

Slowly, with the powerful attacks of the Rossi soldiers, the Banto forces were once again at a disadvantage. With the soldiers falling one by one, Steve’s situation became more and more dire. Unless something changed, this sinister valley would become his grave.

Sprawling under a shrub and looking at the fearful Steve, Harribell had a thought after recalling the family backing him. She silently made her way to Yang Ling’s side and whispered, “Yang Ling, our motive is only to seize control of Wissen Town. Steve dying here is not good for us!”

Killing Steve is not a good thing?

Looking at the silent Harribell, Yang Ling creased his brows, not understanding what she meant.

Seeing Yang Ling’s confusion, Harribell quietly began her explanation.

It turned out that Steve was from the Waize family, a large family with a deep history in the capital of the Banto Empire. They had thousands of years of history and an incredible influence within the capital of the Banto Empire. Yang Ling’s operation from the shadows wouldn’t fool those sent to investigate what had happened. Even if they were able to fool everyone for the time being, they could not keep this a secret forever.

The Banto Empire wanted to occupy Wissen Town because of the resources in the Terras Forest. After Yang Ling foiled their plan to occupy Wissen Town, the Banto Empire might not be able to act aggressively toward the new leader of Wissen Town if Yang Ling had the support of the Livenza Alliance, the Rossi Empire, and other countries.

But the situation would become more complicated if Steve died in Ladoja Valley!

The Waize family would definitely not let the matter rest, and they would pin the blame on Yang Ling, who had planned everything. With them fueling the situation and seeking retaliation, Yang Ling might become the mortal enemy of the Banto Empire. To the new leader of Wissen Town, this would definitely be more of a bane than a boon.

After all, no matter how strong an individual was, no one could deal with a powerful nation alone. Yang Ling would be no exception, even if his Magical Beast army was ten times stronger than it was now.

If the Banto Empire decided to, they would be able to gather an army of a hundred thousand men from the provinces nearby Wissen Town in just a month. They wouldn’t need much time to level Wissen Town.

Other than thinking about the big picture, Harribell also had a personal reason. The Boulade Merchant’s Association under her control had several industries in the Banto Empire, which contributed a great deal of profit every year. If Steve were to die in Wissen Town, the Waize family would be able to find out the truth in a short span of time given their influence. When the time came, her businesses in the Banto Empire would definitely suffer an unimaginable hit.

After burning the Banto base and eradicating their faction in Wissen Town, there was no real point in killing Steve. Killing him might alleviate their fury, but it was definitely not a good thing for them in the long term.

After a moment’s deliberation, seeing Yang Ling begin to form his thoughts, Harribell continued, “Steve’s father is a finance minister in the Banto Empire, and his position and influence are great. If we save Steve and find a way to establish friendly connections with the Banto Empire, we might be able to receive unexpected benefits!”

Finance minister?

Yang Ling came up with an idea after a moment’s deliberation. He quickly summoned his Magical Beast army.

There were no eternal friends between countries, nor were there eternal enemies. There was only an eternal interest. It was worth it to gamble for their future development.

Steve felt his limbs turn cold as he saw his personal guards falling one by one.

Originally, he had placed his hopes on the eight hundred soldiers left in his base, but his heart sank when he saw the flames in the direction of his base. Looking at the Rossi heavy cavalry that had suddenly appeared, looking at the powerful heavy crossbows, he understood that a large group of Rossi reinforcements had arrived and set up a large scale ambush.

In his daze, Steve was completely oblivious to the handful of Rossi heavy cavalry units approaching him at high speed. The guards around him were shocked. At the critical moment, when the Banto guards were unable to get to Steve, a large horde of ferocious Horned Bee Beasts suddenly flew out from the darkness, pressing toward them fast as lightning.