On the southern city walls, hundreds of thousands of soldiers were busy attacking the enemy, fighting a desperate battle with the demon race. The雷雨小队 (Lei Yu Squad) found the grand scale of this legionary battle overwhelming.
Fortunately, everyone was a veteran of several major battles, so they were not completely awed by the scene.
The sounds of artillery fire and screams from the city walls were incessant. The soldiers on the training grounds gripped their weapons tightly, awaiting the commander's order. Once given, they would rush to the walls to reinforce their comrades' defenses and fight the demon race to the death.
As time wore on, the demon army finally completed its encirclement of Base No. 18, and the intensity of the war escalated.
It was at this moment that the commander of Base No. 18 finally made an appearance and began to personally direct the defense.
His position was conspicuous: a gaunt, pale middle-aged cultivator, clad in the commander's battle robe, stood proudly above Base No. 18, flanked by a personal guard and several Golden Immortal realm powerhouses.
His voice could easily reach every corner of Base No. 18. All the assembled generals on the training grounds looked up at him, awaiting his commands.
Ya was one of the earliest followers of sect leader 万鸿 (Wan Hong). With his help, Wan Hong had established a human empire spanning dozens of planes. Ya had once served as the Prime Minister of the Hong Empire, but Wan Hong had assessed him thus:
Ya's abilities, capable of governing the state in times of peace and securing the nation in times of war, made him too talented for the role of Prime Minister.
In essence, Ya's capabilities were such that he could have been an emperor himself.
This was Wan Hong's affirmation of Ya's military command talent.
In the primordial era, had it not been for Wan Hong, Ya, with his abilities, would undoubtedly have led humanity to rise.
It was only because, during the same era, there emerged someone like Wan Hong, who surpassed him in politics, military affairs, and governance, that Ya's brilliance was overshadowed, making him seem less outstanding.
Currently, this ordinary offensive and defensive battle, though appearing vast in scale, was truly a minor affair for Ya, who had experienced countless battles.
Under Ya's skillful command, the base's soldiers quickly reinforced their lines, not only repelling the enemy's attacks but also having the surplus energy to concentrate their firepower and breach the enemy's defenses.
The war continued from afternoon until night. Of course, this "night" was measured by Wan Lei using a watch, as the sea of suffering had no distinction between day and night.
The demon race was unable to breach the defenses of Base No. 18 and was instead forced into a continuous retreat by the defenders. Seeing that if this continued, the demon race might withdraw at any moment, preventing the Lei Yu Squad from earning merit, Wan Lei was anxious and contemplated disobeying orders to charge out.
As they were discussing, outside the southern city wall, several demonic figures suddenly appeared, emitting powerful, terrifying auras, and charging towards the wall with lightning speed.
"It's Demon Gods, High-grade Demon Gods!"
Xia Yu Bing exclaimed.
The eight High-grade Demon Gods charged towards the city wall with thunderous momentum. Before the base's defenders could react, they had already reached the wall.
The eight High-grade Demon Gods launched direct attacks on the wall. With blasts of their dark palms, a large number of defenders were instantly killed or injured, and several large breaches were torn in the defensive line.
"We've been waiting for you!"
Inside the base, over a dozen figures radiating golden light suddenly appeared and unhesitatingly attacked the eight High-grade Demon Gods.
"It's our Golden Immortal realm powerhouses. No wonder the Golden Immortal realm forces didn't act earlier. They were lying in ambush waiting for the enemy's Demon Gods."
Wan Qian Xin excitedly punched his fists together.
"Now it's great. Not a single one of these Demon Gods can escape. With our internal firepower and the combined might of over a dozen Golden Immortal realm powerhouses, we'll trap them like frogs in a jar!"
The defensive lines in other internal areas of the city wall immediately unleashed a barrage towards the eight High-grade Demon Gods. The more than a dozen Golden Immortal realm powerhouses also surrounded them, clearly intending to keep them within the base.
Commander Ya glanced at the Golden Immortal realm battlefield above and then paid them no further attention. Instead, he directed the follow-up troops from the training grounds to fill the breaches that had been torn by the Demon Gods.
"First Army, Twenty-eighth Regiment, Fifth Defense Battalion, reinforce Southeast City Wall Defense Line Two."
"Understood!"
"Second Army, Twelfth Regiment, Third Assault Battalion, proceed to Southern City Wall Defense Line Three."
"Understood."
"Ninth Army, Fifth Corps, Artillery Second Battalion, reinforce the damaged Southern Defense Line of the First Battalion."
...
Seeing that no one responded, Ya frowned slightly and turned to the messenger beside him.
"Summon the Commander of the Ninth Army."
"I'm coming, I'm coming, Commander."
A Golden Immortal realm powerhouse who was engaged in围剿 (enveloping and annihilating) a Demon God disengaged from the battlefield and flew over.
"Where is your Second Battalion? The battle has already begun. Why are they not assembled on the training grounds? Do you not know that anyone who delays the war effort will be punished by the entire army?"
Ya's stern gaze made the Ninth Army Commander shiver. In the army, everyone knew how strict Ya was in managing troops.
Normally, if anyone dared to delay training due to drinking or revelry, they would be subjected to corporal punishment and confinement, suffering unimaginable pain.
If an entire unit delayed training, then the military and regimental cadres of that unit would all be punished.
This was merely delaying training. In a situation like the current one, with war at the doorstep and a delay in battle operations impacting deployment, the consequences would be far more severe than simple punishment. Without a valid reason, their entire unit would likely be sent back to the main plane, with heads on the chopping block and those who deserved it thrown into prison.
Their direct superiors, like the Ninth Army Commander himself, would also be held accountable, facing anything from confinement to demotion and observation.
Of course, these were merely ordinary military regulations. As far as Ya was concerned, if you dared to delay my command in a battle, did you still expect to live?
"Reporting, Commander. The Second Battalion was on rotation before the battle began, but due to a conflict with the newly arrived Five Elements Hall squad, they engaged in a fight on the training grounds.
The result..."
Judging by his demeanor, Ya had already guessed the outcome.
"They lost?"
"Not just lost, they were annihilated. The entire unit was crippled and incapacitated. Only a few who were still mobile are unable to take the field now."
Upon hearing this, Ya couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
"Heh, quite accomplished. An entire artillery reinforcement battalion, a fresh fighting force, annihilated by a single squad. Our Base No. 18 is truly becoming more and more useless."
The Ninth Army Commander lowered his head in shame, sweat beading on his forehead from nervousness.
After all, his subordinates had suffered a "defeat," and had also delayed the war effort, so he, as the commander, had to be punished.
"Alright, go and summon that squad here."
Uncharacteristically, Ya did not punish the Ninth Army Commander and his tone was surprisingly calm.
However, those who knew him understood that the calmer Ya's tone, the greater his inner rage, and the more severe the punishment would be after the war.
"Understood."
The Ninth Army Commander scanned the base and his gaze locked onto a spaceship, towards which he rapidly flew.