Chapter 590: 586: The Battle of Defense and Attack in North Mountain
“What’s happening?” Tang Siyuan asked with a frown.
Tang Qingyi seemed used to the shaking. He righted a fallen bottle on the medicine table near their seat and answered helplessly, “Ever since the failure at Yuxiling, the Mi Clan’s coalition has been continuously attacking us from the southwest. Thankfully, the defenses built by our artisans over the past few months have held firm.”
Recently, batches of life-creation pills have continuously been sent from the Medicine Hall, to his despair. At this rate, the millennium-long wealth of the Tang Clan may be exhausted in a few years.
The entirety of Xiling is currently underwater, and other noble families do not have time to reproduce and recover. He did not understand why the two clans chose to go to war at this time. What are they aiming for?
As soon as the words left his mouth, the ground shook once again. Tang Siyuan’s frown deepened, thinking to himself, “The Medicine Valley is located deep within North Mountain. If the battles on the periphery of North Mountain can cause such vibrations, the outer battlefront must be incredibly intense.”
“This won’t do.” Tang Siyuan got up from the spirit spring and said to Tang Qingyi, “Fetch me my clothes.”
The frontline situation is critical. He needs to ask the clan leader what’s going on. The Mi Clan’s coalition has already reached this point in such a short time. The situation is far worse than their worst predictions, keeping everyone on edge.
Upon seeing Tang Siyuan rise, Tang Qingyi spoke helplessly, “Great Elder, please sit back down in the spirit spring. The clan leader has instructed me to give you this message once you wake.”
With that, he took out a letter from his shirt and handed it to Tang Siyuan. “The clan leader said that after reading this, you would understand. He hopes that you will focus on your recovery.”
As a younger generation and a doctor, he didn’t have a choice but to call upon the clan leader in front of Tang Siyuan, who is the embodiment of righteousness and commands great respect as the Great Elder.
Tang Siyuan unfolded the letter in his hand and read it in front of Tang Qingyi. The letter was just a few tens of words which took him only a moment to read, but it contained vast information.
Upon reading the letter, the Great Elder sat back down in the warm bed filled with spirit spring water, clenching the letter in his hand into a ball.
Although he knew that wars inevitably led to death, and that significant sacrifices needed to be made to trap the Mi Clan, why did it have to be those children?
Great Elder Tang Siyuan felt torn, but he didn’t know how to change the course of this massive ship that had already set sail. He felt a sense of powerlessness engulf his entire being.
…
In just a few days, the Mi Clan’s coalition had launched dozens of assaults against the North Mountain settlement from the north and south. The number of martial lords participating in the war rose from dozens to hundreds. In addition to martial lords from the two clans, families that had chosen sides also sent out their strongest warriors.
The reinforced mountain walls on the north and south sides had been thoroughly smashed, leaving only isolated peaks and cliffs as silent witnesses to the gruesome battle.
Tang Sen, the First Head of the Martial Hall, Tang Yi, the leader of the Shenwu Army, Second Elder Tang Hongjun, and Third Elder Tang Zhenghao took charge of the Tang Group and led several counterattacks, making their way to Yuxiling.
However, due to the significantly greater number of Mi Clan martial lords, each attack ended without achieving anything. Now that seven powerful families had joined the Mi Clan, their number of martial lords far exceeded that of the active martial lords of the Tang Clan.
Out of the thirteen elders, only the Great Elder and the Sixth Elder hadn’t participated in the battle. The remaining elders all led their small teams of martial lords into the fray. Even the head of the clan mobilized all the martial lords in the clan, barely managing to resist the enemy onslaught.
It was originally believed that the war would reach a stalemate. But with the arrival of the third batch of Mi Clan martial lords, the heads of two families who had pledged allegiance to North Mountain’s Tang Clan were the first to crack.
The heads of the Zhu and Wei families came together to Mount Zhuyun to see Clan Leader Tang Zhi.
“Clan Leader Tang, we can’t fight anymore. Please stop this meaningless war!” The head of the Zhu family, Zhu Xin, pleaded with Tang Zhi, his face pale. Even the Zhu family, which had always firmly supported the Tang Clan, was feeling overwhelmed after seeing the third batch of Mi Clan martial lords.
After all, the Zhu family’s martial lords were no match for the Tang Clan’s. Even though they were now all equipped with Xuanji Jade, spiritual armor, and medicinal pills, they could be seriously injured if they weren’t careful on the ever-changing battlefield.
The Zhu family only had a dozen or so fierce realm warriors. In just a few days, three had been seriously injured. The family was full of complaints, primarily because no one could see any benefits from this war.
If the Tang Clan and the Mi Clan were still fighting for the ownership of Xiling, the situation had drastically changed now due to the Dragon Jiang River changing its course, affecting the entire western region greatly. Once prosperous, Xiling was now a thing of the past, while mountain cities like Lanshan City began to rise.
Even if they agreed to join the Mi Clan, what benefits could the South Ridge beast valley bring to everyone? The Zhu and Wei families jointly came forward this time, aiming to express their unwillingness to fight.
“Please understand, Clan Leader Tang. These days, the Mi Clan coalition has been attacking fiercely. My clan has seven fierce realm warriors injured and several hundred mortal realm warriors killed. If we continue like this… if we carry on fighting…” Wei Zhao, the head of the Wei family, choked up mid-sentence. He could only look at Tang Zhi, hoping for understanding.
These days, the Mi Clan attacked the mountain, causing the most severe injuries to the warriors and warrior teams of New City, followed by each of the families of Xiling that had pledged allegiance to the Tang Clan after the flood.
This happened not because the various families and the Tang Clan were united in a common cause, but because the territory designated to each clan by the Tang Clan was along the north and south sides. Even for the sake of their loved ones, they had to resist the Mi Clan desperately.
The two family heads came today not only on their behalf but also represented all the clan leaders of Xiling who had pledged allegiance to the Tang clan. They all wished to expedite the ceasefire so they could have a period to recover.
Seeing the two individuals give a deep bow, Tang Zhi panicked. He hurriedly stepped forward trying to help them up, saying, “What are you doing, both of you? Please, get up!”
However, when Tang Zhi tried to lift their hands, he found that he couldn’t do it. As an ordinary human, he couldn’t lift two fierce realm warriors. Tang Zhi could only smile bitterly and ask, “What do you two mean by this?”
“Clan Leader Tang, I’ve never begged anyone in my life. Today, I only ask that you allow the Wei family a few months to recuperate in recognition of our fierce fighting for the Tang Clan over these past few days.” Wei Zhao cried openly, pleading with a sob in his voice, “The Wei family has been handed down for two hundred years, and it hasn’t been easy. I beg Clan Leader Tang to allow the young people of the Wei family a way to survive.”
Truth be told, if he were in their shoes, Wei Zhao believed that he would never give up such a strong fighting force willing to shield him from danger. Therefore, he did not wish for Tang Zhi to allow the Wei Clan to move to the inner part of North Mountain. Instead, he only asked for the clan’s bloodline to be dispersed, allowing the promising young warriors to leave the frontline.