Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2836

Chapter 1349 Crisis

“The Annihilation God Envoy…” Zaun recalled the Doomsday Beast he encountered in the demon world, capable of destroying the powerful demon world single-handedly.

The Annihilation God Envoy was far superior in rank and strength to that Doomsday Beast.

“Indeed, unless they were at the level of a God Envoy, those soldiers tainted by the power of Annihilation would have had no chance of killing Augustus.” Hermes said gravely.

“What about the other Templar Knights, like Adrian?” Zaun asked again.

“After that great battle, there was no news of him. Although we didn’t see his body, battles with the followers of Annihilation often leave no intact corpses. I estimate he’s in grave danger,” Hermes said with displeasure. “I know you two have a grudge. Are you satisfied now?”

Zuan: “…”

He didn’t explain, but instead discussed the upcoming situation with her: “The imperial reinforcements will arrive soon. We just need to hold on.”

“We can hold on, but the Sixth Elder in Jinzhou on the front line might not be able to.”

“Going to rescue him now will only result in them surrounding the city and attacking our reinforcements again. If we fail to rescue him, it will cause the entire Guan Ning defense line to collapse.”

“I know more about these things than you do. Is this all you’ve come here to say?”

“By the way, does the Second Elder know Chen Yuanyuan?”

Hermes was taken aback, then looked at him warily: “Why are you asking about her?”

Judging from his reaction, he had clearly fallen for Chen Yuanyuan, just like in history. He couldn’t help but sigh: “The Second Elder is popular with countless women throughout the world. I never thought he would fall in love with a woman now. I wonder if you could introduce me to him?”

“Hmph, she’s in Beijing. You’d better focus your attention on the battle here and stop worrying about these trivial matters.” Hermes’ eyes flashed with disgust, seemingly extremely annoyed by his womanizing ways.

Zu’an wasn’t simply lecherous; he had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

While Chen Yuanyuan was historically famous, Hermes, with his vast knowledge of all the beauties across the myriad realms, had never been tempted by a native beauty from a trial world.

He regretted leaving the capital too hastily, not having visited Chen Yuanyuan; perhaps seeing her would have answered his questions.

…

The two argued for a long time, ultimately parting on bad terms. However, Zu’an, armed with the imperial edict, maintained control over the garrisons of Shanhaiguan and Ningyuan, preventing them from easily venturing out to rescue Jinzhou, lest they be defeated piecemeal.

Of course, he wasn’t idle during this time either, secretly conducting on-site investigations in various places outside the Great Wall, even ambushing some Manchu scout cavalry. He gained a concrete understanding of the combat capabilities of Manchu soldiers at all levels, and his unease grew stronger; these warriors were stronger than he had imagined.

Over the next month, imperial reinforcements arrived one after another.

The pleas for help from Jinzhou grew increasingly urgent, with the Second Elder urging for a swift rescue of the Sixth Elder.

Zu An, however, remained unmoved, recognizing this as an upgraded version of the Qing army’s strategy of

besieging a city to lure reinforcements. Given the Qing army’s strength, a full-scale attack would have been insufficient to sustain Jinzhou for long. Their

continued defense was clearly a deliberate act, a ploy to force the Ming forces to retreat one by one.

Therefore, he adopted a strategy of “step-by-step, steady advance,” using Ningyuan as a base to gradually wear down the Qing army, maintaining logistical distance to avoid being stretched thin.

This resulted in a series of victories, including a major defeat for the Qing army at Rufeng Mountain.

However, Jinzhou was still a considerable distance away.

Hermes was deeply dissatisfied with his tactics. A series of victories had made him realize that the Qing army wasn’t as formidable as he seemed. He advised him to press his advantage and join forces with the Second Elder’s troops in Jinzhou. This would give them a greater strength and allow them to directly attack the Qing army’s main base in Shengjing.

However, Zu’an refused. He felt that the recent victories didn’t reflect the Qing army’s true strength, and although the Qing army suffered a crushing defeat at Rufeng Mountain, they hadn’t been fundamentally crippled.

Hermes argued with him several times about this, but Zu’an continued with his established strategy.

Not long after, the First Elder sent the supervising officer Chen Xinjia, clearly on the Second Elder’s behalf.

Zu’an knew that historically, it was Chen Xinjia who had urged the attack, leading to the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Songjin, so he still refused.

The First Elder had no choice but to communicate with him remotely via imperial edict, warning him that holding onto the territory was meaningless, as it was also a failure for the Order faction. Only by completely annihilating the Qing army could the Order Ceremony be completed and they could leave this world.

Zu’an expressed his concerns and explained the Qing army’s siege-and-reinforcement tactics, pointing out the dangers of rash advances. He also offered his own solution: a step-by-step approach to wear down the Manchu forces and advance towards Jinzhou, while Zheng Zhilong’s fleet would launch a coordinated naval attack on the Manchu rear, ultimately eliminating the main Manchu force beneath the walls of Jinzhou.

This plan, though time-consuming and costly, was sufficiently secure, and the court’s finances, redesigned by the Chamber of Commerce, could support this strategy.

After a heated discussion, the Grand Elder finally agreed to his plan, but also warned him not to drag it out too long, as Li Zicheng was resurgent in the Northwest, and the new financial system might not last long.

Zu An was somewhat puzzled; how had Li Zicheng, whose Dao heart had been shattered by his defeat in this world, managed to rise again?

However, the Grand Elder’s agreement to his plan relieved a major concern.

This would avoid the disastrous defeat of history; once the strongest Qing army was defeated, pacifying the weaker Li Zicheng would not be too difficult.

He continued to wear down the Qing army’s strength, finally reaching the walls of Jinzhou after several months. Through this period of training, his troops became increasingly elite, and the Qing army’s strength waned.

The Second Elder, initially opposed, eventually admired him; he had actually accomplished all of this.

Zu’an clashed with the Qing army several times outside Jinzhou, and with the cooperation of the Jinzhou garrison, gradually encircled them.

The Chamber of Commerce and various other forces had invited many powerful figures to the Order Ceremony; now the situation was settled, and even with the Qing army’s power of annihilation, they couldn’t turn the tide.

However, Zu’an felt uneasy; everything seemed too smooth, and he wondered if he had overlooked something.

Just then, a commotion arose in the distance. A figure was rushing towards them. The soldiers, thinking it was a Qing assassin, rushed to intercept him.

The man shouted, “I want to see your commander! I have important matters to report!”

Hearing the familiar voice, Zu’an was startled; it was Adrian.

He hurriedly ordered the man to be brought before him. Adrian was no longer the illustrious Son of Light he once was; his clothes were tattered, his body covered in wounds, and he was barely breathing.

Just as Zaun was about to help, Adrian gripped his hand tightly: “Sixth Elder Naraku is a traitor!”

It seemed he had been holding his breath for this very sentence. After saying this, his eyes dimmed, and he breathed his last.

Zu’an felt a chill run down his spine. No wonder Augustus died, no wonder Jinzhou hadn’t been captured. What was supposed to be a siege of the Qing army had now turned into his army being sandwiched between the Qing army and Jinzhou!