Chapter 626-Battle of Emptiness
Translator: ryangohsf
Editor: Nora
The player troops were menacing, unfortunately, this was destined to be a tragedy.
Under the net of firepower formed from the arrow rain, cannons, and handguns, no one was able to smoothly charge near the east troops formation. Even if a small number of experts managed to survive and arrive before the formation, the sword-shield soldiers showed them the terrifying strength of a numerical advantage.
However, the Singaporean players stood strong, and they were not scared off like the first time. As they previously declared, even if they would die, they would die still c ge forward.
Such valiant warriors!
On a short two-thousand-meter path, many sad and touching stories were left behind.
The cavalry who charged at the front suffered the heaviest damage; basically, all of them fell. However, they still launched wave after wave of attacks on the formation.
Honour, glory, and responsibility could allow people to overcome their fear of death. Even if their friends fell, the other soldiers still proceeded forward.
When the work occupation players behind the city walls saw their comrades fall one by one, they teared up. Most of them were girls, who were generally more emotional, so how could they withstand such a sight?
The entire Fengshan County was enveloped in an infuriated and devastated atmosphere. The current Singaporeans had no way to differentiate between game and reality.
Everything was just too real.
The glory of your country, such an obscure term had become so tangible and close to their hearts, accumulating into an unassailable sense of will.
The fate of their country and the fate of each and every one of them were suddenly linked closely together.
This was a country war.
Heroic but mournful, fates tied together
……
Lion City, imperial palace.
When the minds and goals of the players united and slowly gathered toward the skies of Fengshan County, a massive snow-white tiger deep in the palace slowly opened its eyes.
The county war had welcomed its turning point.
……
The battle outside of Fengshan County continued; it would not simply stop because of the emotions of the people. Death was unavoidable, and there was no place for mercy during war.
This was the strangest battle Zheng He had ever experienced in his life.
On the battlefield, cannons spewed, and arrows rained; however, no blood river formed. This was because the moment the players were killed, they were revived back in Lion City.
When they died, all their equipment dropped.
Hence, weapons, armor, and even mounts were scattered across the battlefield. On the brutal frontlines, the armor of the soldiers formed a thick layer on the ground, shining brightly.
This scene clearly depicted the intensity of the battle.
As too many players were trying to revive, the Reincarnation Hall in Lion City had become extremely crowded. Countless spirits floated around the hall, forming a terrifying sight.
When batch after batch of ‘newbies’ walked out, the entire Lion City was shocked.
The strength and cruelty of the enemy let the Lion City players realise the danger their country was facing. Suddenly, even more players walked valiantly toward the teleportation formation and headed onto the battlefield.
The players who joined the battle were mostly teens, and they were the most passionate group. However, when the players received the news that the frontline efforts had failed once again, many middle-aged men threw themselves onto the battlefield.
The goals and determination of the entire country was coalescing.
The forums of Singapore exploded. Posts about the war appeared everywhere. Frontline intel continued to be spread and announced.
There were some players who were not in Lion City when the war broke out. They were either undergoing missions in the wilderness or training in the mountains. When they received the news, they all swiftly returned without hesitation. Those close to Lion City returned to Lion City, while those near Fengshan County returned to Fengshan County.
The strength of the entire country had started to act.
This battle was swiftly becoming a full-scale war.
Undoubtedly, the Temasek Mercenary Guild was facing a lot of pressure since they did not act. A great number of work occupation players blocked the mercenary guild’s gates in protest.
Plenty of insults and words of scolding targeted them on the forums. The Har of ‘country traitors’ were already being placed on their heads.
Despite these protests, the Temasek Mercenary Guild still did not act.
Even without mentioning the players outside of the guild, even the guild players were unhappy with the decision. The number of people asking to fight grew. Some of the rash ones even acted on their own.
Helplessly, the guild leader, Chen Guang, had no choice but to step out to explain.
"Brothers, we have to be calm at this time. Just like you, I am anxious and angry about the enemy’s invasion and killing. But what's the use? Can being anxious solve the problem? If they attack Lion City and we aren't here, what will happen?"
"...."
Total silence ensued.
"If Lion City falls, we will be the sinners of our country." Chen Guang hailed from an aristocratic family in Singapore, so he had a sense of responsibility and duty to his country.
This kind of responsibility was something that only true aristocrats would possess. One could say that he was more passionate about Singapore than any other player.
In Lion City, the Temasek Mercenary Guild was the emperor, gathering all the elites of the country. In comparison, the Fengshan Lord was just a normal aristocrat, and he was not even close to being on the same level as Chen Guang.
In Singapore, the guilds were strong, and the Lords were weak.
Such a situation was different from China and the other major regions.
The small land size related to this situation, as Singapore did not have a lot of land for the Lords to control.
For example, in the case of Fengshan County, rising to Grade 2 County was already its maximum.
On the other hand, guilds did not need that much land to develop. The game situation in Singapore was like traditional adventure games, where guilds reigned supreme.
Chen Guang's words definitely had a massive impact on the normal players.
The atmosphere was incredibly solemn. The higher ups of the mercenary group were highly supportive of his decisiveness. The only ones who did not understand were the basic members, but they were also a pillar of the organization.
"But we can't just sit and not do anything, right?" one person asked.
"If the enemy only has one line of troops, wouldn't we be falling for their plans if we stay to defend Lion City? At that time, we would have already suffered massive casualties, so how would we salvage the situation?" someone tossed out this thought.
The moment his words landed, many players expressed their agreement.
"We aren't doing nothing." Chen Guang was resolute, "Brothers, I promise you that if the intel from our scouts show no other enemy, I'll personally lead you all to assist Fengshan County."
"Great!"
The atmosphere heated up.
"But I'll say the unpleasant words first. Before the guild acts, if any member dares to act on their own accord, I will kick you out of the mercenary squad." Chen Guang followed up with these words.
"Understood!"
After they received the promise of the guild leader, the normal players knew what to expect.
……
The basic level members left, while the higher ups of the mercenary group gathered.
"Guild leader, should we ask for help from the ASEAN?" someone asked.
Asking for help was a taboo topic.
However, Chen Guang's expression remained extremely calm, as he thought about it, "No, not yet. If the enemy is just a twenty thousand men squadron and we ask for help, won't the other states laugh at us?"
"That's right. If we can't fight off twenty thousand enemies with the strength of our entire state, we would be a joke. How would Singapore be able to survive in the ASEAN circle?"
This topic was shelved, and no one mentioned it anymore.
While the winds surged in Lion City, the battle in Fengshan County was far from over. The forty thousand Singaporean players were determined to fight to the death. The players who rushed over tossed themselves into the battle without any hesitation.
With that, the pressure on the east troops mounted.
The first to fall off were the archers. Since they were on a voyage, they only had a limited number of arrows, and the unceasing arrow rain used up a shocking amount.
With no other choice, Zheng He ordered his men to transport all the arrows and bolts from the warships. One must know that these items were all prepared for ocean battles.
Apart from that, the cannons were also facing a situation.
The continuous cannon fire was a huge ask on the cannon barrels.
Luckily, the cannons Shanhai City crafted used barrels made of the newly designed steel from the No.7 Research Institute. If it was made using the Ming Dynasty Steelmaking Technology, the barrel would have blown apart already.
Even so, the barrels were burning and could not last for too long. When Zheng He received the news, he ordered for the fifty cannons to shoot on rotation; they would take turns to shoot, allowing the cannons to rest.
Suddenly, the cannon firepower was cut in half.
Luckily, the back portion of the harbour was still under the control of the east troops. Zheng He quickly ordered the sailors to ship all the cannons onto the front lines.
Zheng He was going to go all out, completely destroying the way out for the east troops. One could foresee that if the east troops retreated, they could not bring the cannons and the used-up arrows; only an empty rack would remain.
The east troops were prepared to fight to the death on land.
The only certain factor was the handgun troops and the sword-shield soldiers. As time went on, as the firepower at the front was weakened, more and more players would unavoidably manage to charge to the front of the formation.
The pressure on the sword-shield soldiers mounted.
One could say that the entire east troops was at a critical point. If the pressure continued to increase, the east troops could collapse at any moment.
If the Temasek Mercenary Group attacked, this battle would end in a jiffy.
The worse part was that the east troops could not cower in fear. If the enemy players realized that they were exhausted, it would increase their fighting spirit.
In such a scenario, the players would become crazier and bolder.