160 Attack (3)

"Xielang Troops, heed my command, charge and capture enemy camp at once!" Zhang Wu Ji howled out his command and ordered the three frigates to move forward.

The soldier that now armed with the Lang-Ya Whipping Blade completely turned into a demon with a beheading whip. The whip-like extendable sword cuts everyone as it passes, and when the attack came in a wave of more than a hundred blades, even the strongest defend will fall.

Screams of pain are heard everywhere, with limbs and heads continuously fall to the ground. Their tight formation to crush the opponent with a sheer number turns the situation into a slaughterhouse, where any random attack will leave them with a wound or kill them.

"HUUM!!!" a horn is blown, calling the coalition forces of Black Iron County and Blood Marsh County to retreat. The soldier from the rear is the earliest to turn around, but their hope vanishes when random shots from the Corrosive Spear came into the battlefield.

The spearhead spreads a kind of corrosive forcefield, turning the entire area void of Natural Energy. Without a form of replenishment, the soldier started to suffer from the side effect due to the lack of Inner Qi.

As the battlefield started to become a mouth that keeps devouring and exhausting them out of Inner Qi, they're either collapsing or fallen to the sword of their enemies. Very quickly, their number dwindled until the ten Inner Qi Elders forced to participates in this battle.

"Stop the plague from keep killing our soldiers! This will ruin our military foundation in the future!" one of the ten elders said as they entered the battlefield on their flying swords. While eight went into the field to rescue the soldiers, two chose to kill Zhang Wu Ji.

"Lightning Roaring Blade!"

"Heart Restricting Palm!"

The two attacks came at full speed with the intention to kill this Hall Master. As a recently advanced Inner Qi Master, how can he overcome two attacks of an opponent more than twenty stage above him?

But... The most unfortunate thing happened.

How can a person that important in this Internal War not having a top tier cultivator protecting him?

Before the attack reaches Zhang Wu Ji, it was deflected by the power of an Inner Qi Lord coming out from inside the frigate. When the Inner Qi Lord came out, it stunned everyone present within this battlefield.

"Grandmaster! Grandmaster Windchaser from the Mystic Engineer Establishment!" the two Inner Qi Elders immediately recognize this Inner Qi Lord, but how fast can they run?

A hammer of a kilometer diameter falls from the sky, crushing the two Inner Qi Elders into minced meat. A moment after the attack, this spiritually made hammer vanishes into thin air and conceals its existence.

"Grandmaster, your Celestial Designing Skills is still way above this junior," Zhang Wu Ji speaks with the grandmaster as he takes a look surrounding him. About nine hundred thousand soldiers are left on the battlefield.

"Death or Slavery... Choose one!" Zhang Wu Ji's question echoed in their ears. Sorrow immediately falls into them, and with one lowering his weapon, others follow. Soon, weapon and armor piled aside, waiting for their next judgment.

This scene greatly shocks the other Inner Qi Lords and the soldiers following them. Shame even came into the Thousand Star Battalion and Tie Corps due to their inability to perform such a feat during this subjugating battle.

But with more soldiers helping, the Slave Mark Branding is processed with haste, before an entire retreat executed. Borders separating the Seven Star County and Heavenly South County vanishes, allowing people from two counties conduct business with each another.

Together with some migration, more people started to reside and live a better life under Zhang Wu Ji's ruling, while more soldiers are conscripted into the war. At this struggling moment, nobody hesitates to join the Seven Star County's Military Force due to their lucrative salary and promises.

Upon enrolment, those disqualified population will be given a reward of thousand Qi Sensing Pills, and a Bronze-Grade Kunlun Iron Fist Manual to practice. As for those that successfully conscripted, the reward increases to two thousand Qi Sensing Pills, with a set of free maintenance equipment as long they actively participate in the battle.

The Seven Star Master Hall decides to change their name due to the increasing population and controlling power. With eight Inner Qi Lords protecting this county and establishment, everyone agreed with a better title.

[Seven Star Cultivation Hall]

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Half a year later, a new order came.

After a hundred and eighty days of preparation, the Seven Star Cultivation Hall is prepared to attack the Black Iron County next. Three more frigates are battle ready, preparing to charge into enemy frontline with seven frigates and three thousand Seven Star Tenders in total.

Their number of foot soldiers remain four million in total, replenished after a large number of casualties in their previous battle. But because of the Seven Star County is now capable of processing 3rd-Grade Materials, namely Tomb Gold, Heavy Gold, and Black Gold, their military strength is stronger than half a year before.

But the most surprising thing about this force is not their equipment, but one additional Inner Qi Lord, totaling their number to nine Inner Qi Lords in one faction. This Inner Qi Lord comes from Lady Beiping Ruolan's personal disciple, also the eldest senior sister of Guan Qing Han, known as Cai Wen Jie.

Lead by ten overqualified commanders, the forces marches into the land belonged to Black Iron County while subjugating their land one inch after another. Fighting against an opponent that lose a million soldiers earlier, the Black Iron County is nothing but a paper tiger in their eyes.

"Order everyone to defend the attack from Seven Star County! Do not let them come inside our county any further! I don't care if you force the population as militia or arm all of them to their teeth!" the Supreme Commander of the Black Iron Armored Force ordered.

But his uncalm manner of order cause dissatisfaction amongst his people. Led by an incompetent leader like him, also known as the weakest Inner Qi Lord in their group, it was on a relationship and sheer luck he's qualified to sit on this chair of position.

The officers left the Meeting Hall in a hurry and started to distributes the notice on force conscription due to an extreme situation. In reply to this enforcement of rules, male youth above the age of fifteen, barely capable of cultivation, are forcefully recruited, while female youth is taken into the production factory without a limit on their age.

Under this kind of ruling, the war of attrition between the two counties turns out to be worst for the Black Iron County. Their lack of production left citizen in starvation. Rape and robbery happening everywhere, with lives become cheaper than dirt.

This, in fact, was planned by Zhang Wu Ji all along. Although his choice in this war of attrition received the lack of support between the Inner Qi Lords, they did not forcefully stop the process because, at the end of the day, the side with lesser resources will always be the losing side.

It was also chosen due to the report given by the scouts and turncoat officers inside the Black Iron County. By forcing their lack of capability leader to resort to the worst choice, Zhang Wu Ji will crush him and his fame from both inside and outside.

At the end of this winning war, Zhang Wu Ji will not only be hailed as the savior by the population struggling within the Black Iron County, but he can also employ all of them straight into his forces without worrying about their betrayal.

Such action may cause Zhang Wu Ji's different opinion among his people, but at the same time, nobody dares to voice out anything at all because this tactic itself is what preserving them and their life in this war.

Treating the opponent as a dying creature, Zhang Wu Ji's forces march at most a kilometer a day while injecting fear into his opponents. At the same time, a hundred separated groups of special forces are ordered to operate in a secretive manner.

Their targets include farm, mines, factories, blacksmith, and military training ground. Slowly, the Special Forces rob them from population and numbers, while brainwashing the people from Black Iron County about the benevolence of their master in placing their lives as most important.

One month after this War of Attrition, neither side can wait any longer.

"Prepare the horses and our elite forces! When the war starts, order all foot soldiers to launch an attack and open a path for the Blackfire Battalion to slaughter their way into the enemy commanding camp!"

"UNDERSTOOD!"

"No Inner Qi Lords is exempted in this war! I will remain at the rear to command the entire forces! Everyone shall participate in this war without excuses at all!" the Supreme Commander delivered his speech to the troops and fit himself in a set of armor.

His command laid fear to the soldiers, including the temporary recruited militia formed with young, old, female, and children. Being treated as cannon fodder, even if they win the war, this injury in their vitality will not recover for a hundred years to come.

But right opposite them is an organized force ten times stronger than their own. Not only the opposing forces controls four million high morale soldiers, but they also controlled advantages in Air Supremacy. The seven frigates and three thousand tenders surrounded them like a crescent moon towards a sphere, leaving them with no way forward.

At the same time, because the Supreme Commander ordered the six Inner Qi Lords to participate in this war directly, this causes their opposing forces to follow suit and assigns their own six Inner Qi Lords to face each of them.

Meanwhile, two more Inner Qi Lords left on their own Flying Sword and went ahead to defend against the border allowing entry to Blood Marsh County and Snow Mountain County. The last one is assigned to protect their Hall Master at all time.

"Soldiers and officers of Seven Star Cultivation Hall, listen to my order!" Zhang Wu Ji said calmly.

"YES! MY LORD!" four million soldiers heed his call at the same time, taunting their opponents at the same time.

"I want no casualties in opponent forces formed by militia! Use your own life to protect them if needed! For those beast and creatures lack of conscience, feed their flesh to the fish and dogs and blood to the forest. I want no beast and creatures like them to remain alive after this war!" Zhang Wu JI's sentence made those belonged to the Black Iron Armored Forces felt a hint of shame.

"YES! MY LORD!" again, they heed his call.

"I am no saint! For every soldier of my side died, I will bear the sin that causes them to their death with me until I passed away. In return of my selfishness, I hope all of you will follow me and my reckless command."

"Until we control the entire Upper South State and lead all of them under the same constitution of law, respect, and morality, please give me everything you got! Your lifetime, your strength, and your determination!"

"With all of you, the Seven Star Cultivation Hall will bring peace and future to the entire Upper South State! If all of you following me, let us march into the battlefield together!" Zhang Wu Ji has done his armor and entered the battlefield with himself taking the Vanguard position.

"LOYALTY TO MY LORD!"

"FOLLOW MY LORD!"

"ALL OF US TO MY LORD!"

"ZHANG WU JI! ZHANG WU JI! ZHANG WU JI!"

"All soldiers from Seven Star Cultivation Hall, Attack!" the soldier march into the battlefield, with the Tie Corps riding the Obsidian Serpent Soldiers taking the lead.

But that's not all. With Zhang Wu Ji still taking the lead, he added the last sentence as he pushes forward.

"Those that not beast or creatures, what are you still waiting for?" his sentence echoed in the ears of everyone standing on the side of Black Iron Armored Forces.

At this moment, turncoat officers and soldiers turned their weapon against those in the Commanding Camp, including their entire Blackfire Battalion.