Siege on Yongtein (1)

It was mid-March, K.A. 516, when the Alzar Kingdom's soldiers finally stood on the gates of the Xingyuu Empire's capital. It was truly a trial of sweat, blood, and tears, built on top of the bodies of thousands of sacrifices along the way. It was not easy. The hurdle of crossing the Maelstrom Gulf and establishing a forward base foiled hundreds of attempts in the past. Neither the Alzar Kingdom nor the Xingyuu Empire could manage the battle of attrition before their forces gave out. Whether it was due to supplies, morale, or simply manpower, something would eventually falter first. No one had the potential momentum to push deeper into enemy territory, much less reach the enemy's capital city. Even in the Battle of the Millennium where King Harth was captured on the field, Emperor Lianghu lacked the power to go any further. In the past five hundred years, the number of times Algard or Yongtein had been sieged could be counted on two hands alone. Entire generations could pass without either coming close! Given two similarly powerful civilizations, this was what you could consider a fundamental limit. This meant that the Alzar Kingdom's presence in Yongtein would be an outlier above outliers, a once in a multi-generational event!

While the Alzar Kingdom did invest a monstrous sum of time, effort, and money in this endeavor, that was not enough to tip the scales so much. Queen Bethnal, Prince Dannark, Lord Illion, General Dennis, General William, General Petra, Admiral Aura, and even the late King Harth and Lord Korogin lent a huge helping hand in forming their current war strategy. In fact, it was specifically Lord Korogin's final plan to seize the Samfeng Province and the Quiton Gates to cascade their victories towards Yongtein that they managed this far. Prince Dannark and Lord Illion only modified his plans a little bit. Not to mention, the Xingyuu Empire was fragmented by the emperor's passing, leaving the Li Family and the Imperial Council on opposing sides. This made it easier for the kingdom to drive a wedge between them and succeed. Of course, Elizabeth and her friends, the Imperial Princesses and Imperian Qiang, the Sword King and his disciples, and the Featherwind Sect played a large part in this too. It would not have been possible without one of them missing. Everything culminated to create this unimaginably impossible event before them! An army of more than two hundred thousand was ready to capture the capital city!

From the north to the south of the Xingyuu Empire spanned the Jizhu Ridge, while from the west to the east spanned the Honglin Mountains. At the intersection of these two mountain lines was a vast lake, vast enough that one could not see to the other side. Bohuang Lake was so grand that it would take more than a week to circle it. Surrounded by the gorgeous Quimok and Honglin Forests which teemed with rich fauna and colors that had yet to be stained by human hands, the scenery was picturesque and beautiful, representing the embodiment of purity. Pristine spring water flowed down from the nearby mountains, crisp and clear enough to drink from. Anyone would feel reinvigorated with just one sip. Despite that though, the waters took an unusual green hue thanks to the minerals below the surface. As the light refracted through, it looked like a million sparkling jades in the suns! It was because of this unique landscape not found anywhere else that the Xingyuu Empire established their capital city here. It was also why the empire took green as one of their main colors.

Yongtein was located on the banks of Bohuang Lake and, unlike the Alzar Kingdom's capital, this city was divided into three. The first and largest of the three city sections was called the Outer City, occupying most of the city's area and housing most of the city's residents. The buildings here ranged from rundown shacks and slums to plain single or double-storied buildings. There were probably hundreds of thousands of houses scattered around the lands like grains of sand on a beach, which showed the enormity of the city. There were easily several million people living here! While the working class stayed here, the next section, the Inner City, was where the nobility reigned. The buildings were fewer here, but much more elaborate and extravagant. Tiled roads weaved between vast courtyards with houses within. The excessive space emphasized the excessive wealth of their owners. Of course, anyone who could carve out land here for themselves could not be simple. They must have an abnormally high influence to succeed! Naturally, these were either the Four Great Nobility Families or the families directly underneath them.

The smallest section was called the Emperor's City whose name was self-explanatory. This was where the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Family resided! As the crown seat of power throughout the Xingyuu Empire, the Imperial Palace was extremely symbolic and extraordinary. It did not lose out in glamour to the Alzar Kingdom's Castle Reinhard or the Zino Kingdom's Celestial Court of Magic at all. In fact, it was even more impressive! The empire's people always placed an emphasis of form over function, and the same could be seen throughout their architecture. The Imperial Palace was the epitome of such an idealism. The Emperor's City sat on a large private island on the Bohuang Lake. The only way to reach it from the Inner City was the Central Heavenly Bridge, said to be a bridge from mortal to divinity! 

Inside, the Emperor's City consisted of countless palaces, pagodas, temples, and gardens, the sum of which exceeded a hundred. Each and every one of them was steeped in a rich history of schemes and trickery. It was a place where heroic figures rose and fell! Emperor Lianghu and Empress Mei once occupied the central palace, while Princess Xiuying and Ming occupied their own palaces. Imperian Qiang, Lord Foshan, Lord Fengji, and so on used the other palaces during their visits, a unique privilege granted to the empress's family. Aside from the Imperial Family's personal residences, there was also the Imperial Court where the Xingyuu Empire's Imperial Council convened. This was where Prime Minister Pon-Wai and Minister Keigon operated from, and where Minister Daiyuu was held. From this, one could imagine the tremendous scale of Yongtein, whose scale, wealth, and history could only be compared to the likes of Algard and Corasen! This was the Xingyuu Empire's capital city!

Prime Minister Pon-Wai watched the approaching kingdom's army from the tallest pagoda in the city coldly. This was one sight he never wished to see. The fact they were here meant he had failed. Their mere presence was a mockery to his reputation! Although he maintained his ever-present smile, he radiated a chilling killing intent, strong enough to plunge the whole pagoda into a cacophony of ice. His rage was the silent kind, which meant no one knew what he might do next. No one wanted to become his next target! Yet, he drew in a deep breath and exhaled. He repeated that several times as though to expel his anger and frustrations. Within a moment, he had already returned to his normal calm, and collected self. He knew this was not the time to indulge in selfishness. As the Prime Minister of the Xingyuu Empire, he had a duty to lead! This was when they needed his leadership the most. The man swore to make the kingdom rue the day they decided to come here!

"How goes our final preparations, General Fai?" he asked of the man behind him. General Fai Moklan was the First Adjutant Imperial Unit Commander, which made him the Second-In-Command of the Xingyuu Empire's Tai Feng Army. Due to Minister Keigon's absence, he oversaw Yongtein's defense.

The man bowed and replied, "Excellently. The delays caused by the Jun Family allowed us to consolidate our defenses even more. We currently have almost three hundred thousand soldiers in the city with many more reinforcements on their way. In addition, we have conscripted any able-bodied person from the city, pushing our total army count to over five hundred thousand. So long as we can repel their attack for a week, then our reinforcements will surround and annihilate them. It will be our victory. The only problem is…"

"The Featherwind Sect or the Sword King," the Prime Minister snorted. "Their power is enough to tip the scales in their favor, no matter how great our preparations may be. They're our greatest enemies in this upcoming battle. The Dragon and Tiger Divisions will remain on reserve until they act."

"As you command."