Chapter 107: Setting Up a Defence

In the face of Yang Ling’s powerful Magical Beast army, the Rossi soldiers who had wanted to exterminate the Banto forces had no choice but to stop in their tracks and let Steve go.

In order to successfully execute the next step of the plan, Yang Ling ordered Goode to escort Steve and his group back to Wissen Castle. He gave the excuse of protecting Steve from the sneak attacks of the Rossi forces, but in actuality, Yang Ling wanted to place Steve under house arrest.

A count after the battle revealed that only about a hundred of the Rossi soldiers remained, and almost all of them were injured, including the prince Renaya. The Rossi had suffered heavy casualties, but the Banto were nearly exterminated, with merely a few dozen people left.

( NovelFull )   All that was left of the three thousand Black Armor Guards were a few dozen people!

Steve walked past the burning army camp, seeing the charred corpses within the camp, then looking at the few soldiers he had left beside him. He wanted to cry, but no tears came out.

Seeing the Rossi armor left behind on the battlefield, Steve knew that a large group of reinforcements had arrived for the Rossi. They had set up an ambush and launched a surprise attack at his camp. He swore to himself that he would one day eradicate the detestable Rossi entirely.

Steve was gritting his teeth and swearing to himself, while in Ladoja Valley, Renaya was also extremely displeased. He was displeased that Yang Ling was slow to aid him, and even more displeased that Yang Ling had saved Steve at the critical moment. He only slowly calmed down after he learned that Yang Ling had launched a sneak attack at the Banto base.

The greatest mission of the Rossi soldiers was to foil the plans of their mortal enemy. With the Banto forces nearly exterminated, their claim over Wissen Town was basically non-existent. At this point in time, whether Steve lived or died was no longer important. After this, as long as Yang Ling was able to defend the Aila Mountain Pass and push back the Banto reinforcements, it could be said that the Banto Empire’s plans were foiled.

“Yang Ling, why did you save Steve?” Even though he had calmed down, Renaya still held a grudge in his heart.

“Prince, the Banto soldiers have ten thousand men coming to reinforce them. How can I fight against them with my measly powers?” After shaking his head, Yang Ling pretended to let out a sigh of frustration. “I am embarrassed to say this, but I saved Steve with the intention of taking him hostage in order to ensure my survival!”

Holding Steve as a hostage? Hmph, he sure is more crafty than a fox!

Renaya let out a cold grunt and did not comment. He recalled the time when he fell for Yang Ling’s schemes in Wissen Castle, and he could not help but once again acknowledge Yang Ling’s crafty nature.

Having stayed by his father’s side for many years, he knew that a character like Yang Ling was the most difficult to deal with. Yang Ling might be siding with him today, but he might switch his allegiance to the Banto Empire the next day. At that moment, he wanted so badly to strike Yang Ling with a spear. Unfortunately, faced with the Magical Beast army baring their fangs around him and the delicate situation in Wissen Town, those were only passing thoughts.

“Yang Ling, how confident are you of dealing with the reinforcements of the Banto Empire?”

Even though the three thousand Black Armor Guards led by Steve had been mostly eradicated, Renaya was still worried when he thought about the ten thousand reinforcements rapidly making their way toward Wissen Town. If Yang Ling was unable to block the reinforcements and the Banto Empire staged a comeback, then their previous efforts would have been wasted.

“Thirty percent, at most thirty percent!” Yang Ling shook his head and said directly, “To tell you the truth, my family is extremely displeased that I am acting on my own accord and have already made it clear that they will not provide any assistance. If the situation turns dire, all I can do is hand over the hostage Steve and hurry back home to acknowledge my mistakes!”

He will retreat immediately if the situation turns dire?

Yang Ling had just said this when Renaya almost vomited blood in anger. He hadn’t expected the crafty Yang Ling to fight to the death, but he had never thought that Yang Ling would be this thorough, prepared to give up at any time even though the battle had not begun!

On the Tailun Continent, the more ancient the family, the more rules they had, and the stricter they were. Thus, Renaya was not suspicious of Yang Ling’s words. He was merely extremely displeased about Yang Ling’s intentions to give up at any time.

Would Renaya have to rely on his hundred injured soldiers to deal with the ten-thousand-man Banto army?

Renaya shook his head and abandoned the unrealistic thought. If Yang Ling were to flee without a battle, then his previous efforts would definitely have been wasted. Wissen Town would land in the hands of the Banto Empire. Unfortunately, he had only a hundred injured soldiers left under him. There was no way he could deal with the coming army, and thus he could only plant his hopes on Yang Ling.

After swallowing hard, Renaya had no choice but to get off his horse and discuss the specifics with Yang Ling, from the security in Wissen Town to the defenses in the Aila Mountain Pass. They talked for a total of four hours. Faced with the tense situation and their unfavorable circumstances, Renaya had no choice but to compromise.

With Harribell’s help, Yang Ling extorted a full five hundred thousand Purple Crystal Coins under the premise of recruiting troops and adventurers to aid in the defenses. Furthermore, claiming that he lacked powerful warriors, Yang Ling got Renaya to leave behind a hundred elite soldiers.

After the battle, despite being covered in blood, the soldiers around Renaya were still filled with bloodlust. It was imaginable how fierce these soldiers were, truly living up to their reputation as the elite of the Rossi Empire.

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There were multiple reasons for having Renaya leave behind his personal guards.

Firstly, when dealing with the Banto army, Yang Ling could have them take the frontline like cannon fodder. Secondly, their identity as Rossi soldiers would definitely cause a misunderstanding with the Banto troops. As long as Yang Ling planned it carefully, he might be able to ride on their reputation and instil fear in his opponent.

Finally, Yang Ling believed that he could scare the troops and adventurers with ill intentions in town if they saw a bunch of elite Rossi soldiers serving him. That would give him a solid foundation for his successful control over Wissen Town.

After promising to send over the crystal coins and warhorses as soon as possible, Renaya left, surrounded by a few dozen personal guards. After the great reduction of his troops, there was no more reason for him to continue staying in Wissen Town. He would rather return to the empire early to make the necessary preparations.

If Yang Ling was lucky enough to hold the Aila Mountain Pass, Renaya could obtain credit from his father and fight for more power with the help of his tacticians. If Yang Ling was unfortunate enough to get defeated, he could also make preparations early to deal with the criticisms of his opponents and lower his losses as much as possible.

Seeing Renaya and his group disappear into the forest not far away, Yang Ling did not stay any longer. He quickly recalled his Magical Beast army. He left behind a few barbarians to clean up the battlefield and bury the corpses, then quickly led his remaining men back to Wissen Castle.

After returning to Wissen Castle, the first thing Yang Ling did was order for Steve to be kept in a small, desolate yard. Without Yang Ling’s orders, no one was to get near to Steve. Anyone who did would be killed.

Just as Harribell had said, Steve himself was worthless, but the Waize family behind him was influential. If Yang Ling planned it well, he might even dispel the conflict between himself and the Banto Empire through the Waize family. He would be able to seize valuable time and space for the development of the newly inducted Leader of Wissen.

Of course, it was not easy getting Steve to cooperate obediently.

He would only feel how dire the situation truly was after Yang Ling convinced him that a large group of Rossi reinforcements had come and were constantly scheming to take his life. Yang Ling had to completely push back the ten thousand Banto reinforcements before Steve would finally give up and obediently cooperate with him.

Whether he had the ability to negotiate with the Banto Empire, whether he could truly control Wissen Town, whether he could build a home base for his exploration of this world… All of this hinged on the Banto reinforcements!

He needed a large number of warriors to fight back the Banto army, and he also needed powerful abilities to instill fear in the troops and adventurers and control the situation in Wissen Town. What could he do?

Taking a sip of the jasmine tea Alice brought to him, Yang Ling gently rubbed his temple, once again feeling that his abilities were not enough. If he had a Magical Beast army of ten thousand strong, if he had ten Magical Beast champions like the Evil Eye Tyrant or Tarantula King, he would be confident of dealing with the sieging forces.

Unfortunately, the total sum of his Magical Beast army was insignificant, far from enough to deal with the complicated, ever changing situation. It was also impractical to head into Terras Forest now to tame Magical Beasts such as Evil Eyes and Horned Bee Beasts. He did not have enough time, nor did he have enough Magical Beast Blood Orbs to replenish his expended Wizard Power and Blood Essence.

“Sir, how about we recruit a large number of troops and adventurers first thing in the morning?” Goode gave his opinion after understanding Yang Ling’s worry.

Due to the rich resources, Wissen Town frequently attracted many troops, and coupled with the rumors of the lair of a giant dragon being found deep in the forest, there were even more foreign warriors in town at this point in time.

According to the intelligence reports gathered by Parrot, there were at least five thousand foreign troops and adventurers in town. There were also a considerable number of people coming in every day. These forces were a double-edged sword. They would benefit him greatly if used well, but if he acted recklessly, they might become a source of trouble.

A double bluff?

After taking a sip of his jasmine tea, looking at the worried tactician Goode, Yang Ling had a thought. He recalled the story of how Zhuge Liang fought back Sima Yi with an empty city during the Warring Kingdoms period. Clenching his teeth, Yang Ling decided to gamble once more.

“Goode, I’ll head over to the Aila Mountain Pass immediately. In the morning, bring gifts and gather a group of guards from the barbarian tribe, the dwarves, and the elves using my name. The more the better. Only start to recruit troops and adventurers after this army is gathered. Before that, be careful not to leak any information. You are not to act recklessly!”

“Sir, this…”

Goode was a little hesitant. Casey had already taken with him a large number of warriors. If Yang Ling left with his Magical Beast army, then Wissen Town would become an empty city. The outcome would be disastrous if the troops and adventurers with ill intentions knew about what was going on in Wissen Castle.

“It’s alright, the Unicorn is very fast. If I leave now, I will be able to rush back by evening at the latest!”

Yang Ling did not explain his plans even though he saw Goode’s worry. He left on his Unicorn after giving some instructions, rapidly making his way to the Aila Mountain Pass a thousand miles away. Before he left, he had a thought and brought along with him the Lion Flag of the Rossi people.

Even though Casey had led eight hundred soldiers on horses toward the Aila Mountain Pass a few hours ago, they would still require a day or so to rush to the faraway Aila Mountain Pass. Until they arrived, there was only a team of commoners working on the defensive structures of the mountain. They would definitely not be able to withstand a blow if they encountered a surprise attack from the Banto army.

The Unicorn was many times faster than a normal warhorse. Yang Ling wanted to rush to the Aila Mountain Pass to summon his Magical Beast army and set up his defenses before returning to Wissen Town. After that, even if he did not have any troops under him, he believed that the troops and adventurers would not dare act recklessly if he showed his face on his Unicorn around Wissen Town.