Volume 5 Chapter 39 Breakthrough
Looking at the countless black spots appearing on the horizon, and then those black spots, like the rising tide, advanced towards us at a not fast speed, but unwaveringly. They were the troops of the Mercenary Union!
I saw that the remaining evil god soldiers were few in number, and thought that since they had already led their troops out, it would be better to test the strength of the Federation instead of rushing back to defend. So I gathered the cavalry and ordered Xiao Wu to lead the infantry and magicians back to the base first.
After arranging the cavalry formation, I rode Benlei alone to meet them.
Before I took a few steps, I saw that the soldiers of the Federation were shrouded in a circle of blue light, the same as the troops of the Evil God Temple. That meant that the Federation and the Evil God Temple were allied, so they did not need to declare war and could directly attack our alliance's base.
However, judging from the fact that the Federation did not come to rescue me when I defeated the Evil God Temple just now, their alliance is not very solid. Therefore, I still hold on to a glimmer of hope and want to negotiate with the leader of the Federation.
As the distance between the two sides quickly closed, I became more and more surprised. Past intelligence showed that the Federation's subordinates were extremely powerful and the mission success rate was 100%. However, because the Federation always deployed troops according to its capabilities, it would definitely have an advantage in terms of manpower, so I didn't care much. This time the ratio of enemy and our forces was less than 2:1. Taking into account our geographical advantage, I thought I was absolutely sure to resist the Federation's attack. But when I saw the opponent's army with my own eyes, this confidence was shaken!
Not only was the Federation's formation neat, but all of its warriors marched in exactly the same step. More than a hundred thousand people were stepping in the same rhythm, making regular "puff" and "puff" sounds of footsteps, without the slightest bit of disorder!
Even in the Thunder League, which is known for its excellent training, only the elite among the elite, the Thunder Corps, can reach such quality, and they also need the command of Drumbeat!
Mercenary Union... Who are you? You have more than 100,000 members, and they are even more elite than the Thunder Group!
I was shocked, but I didn't dare to show it, because I was even more confused. With such a subordinate, who would believe that the head of the Mercenary Union was a madman? His every move must have a purpose. I must find out his true purpose before I can compete with him! And I want to negotiate with him. If I show my fear first, what else can I get?
I stopped the thunder and shouted, "Leader of the Thunder Alliance, Bloody Sky, is here, begging to see the president of your association!"
A commander at the front of the enemy team waved his hand, and the troops behind him stopped immediately. Without any orders being sent, the follow-up troops stopped advancing one after another without any disorder. This kind of prompt execution of orders and tacit cooperation was indeed better than that of the Thunder Regiment!
The commander took a step forward and stood solemnly, his body straight as a javelin. Just from his standing posture, one could see his strong and resolute character!
The commander said in a loud voice: "Are you the leader of the Thunder Alliance? Please wait a moment, our president is in the center of the army and will be here soon!"
Seeing that the Federation did not seem to be very hostile, and that their president was willing to come out to see me when I called him, which was considered to be giving me enough face, I turned over and dismounted, standing still and waiting.
Soon a man walked out of the army. He was about thirty years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and bright and sharp eyes. From the way he walked, it was known that he was not a martial arts master, but there was an extremely oppressive aura on him, which was different from the aura of a superior like Gongzi Suifeng. He gave people a more aggressive feeling!
What's even more terrifying is that his aura is integrated with the might of the more than 100,000 troops behind him. This subtle feeling would not be perceived if I had not broken through the realm of martial arts. I can feel that he and the more than 100,000 people are like an inseparable whole. If I attack him alone, it is equivalent to attacking the 100,000 troops at the same time!
I was sweating coldly on my back, but I tried to stay calm, saluted and said, "Are you the King of Mercenaries?"
The man laughed loudly and said, "Haha, yes, I am the King of Mercenaries. Are you Bloody Sky? I heard that you are both wise and brave, and your troops are elite. You were able to wipe out the Evil God Temple in ten minutes just now. Your reputation is well-deserved!"
"You are too polite! I only want to ask one question. Why did the Federation invade our territory this time?"
"Isn't it unnecessary to ask this question, Master? My Mercenary Union makes a living by being mercenaries. When someone assigns us a mission and pays us a commission, we have to work as thugs for our employers. So, we have no choice but to offend your alliance today."
I sneered and said, "Really? Then my Jinglei League is willing to pay double the commission and ask you to switch sides in the battle and help our league destroy Mingjian, Tongtian and other sects. How do you think?"
"Haha, are you kidding, Sky Alliance Leader? One business is another business. Since our association has accepted the mission to attack your alliance, how can we change our mind in the middle of the process? If we do that, our association will lose all its credibility. How can we accept missions and make money in the future?"
I said solemnly, "I am asking for your advice sincerely. Please do not take me for a fool! Is your association really established to make money? On March 17, the Federation was hired to assist in the defense of the Blood Oath, dispatched 40,000 troops, and received a commission of 100,000 gold coins. I am afraid that it is not enough to cover the expenses of medicine and bows and arrows? On April 8, the Federation was hired to assist in the defense of the Tongxin Society. We fought hard for half a day with 30,000 against 100,000, and suffered heavy casualties. It was only because the headquarters of the Tongxin Society was attacked once, and the buildings were severely damaged, causing a severe blow to the economy. They were unable to pay the full commission, and your association also forgave half of the debt of the Tongxin Society and made a A big loss-making business. On April 19, the Federation was hired to help the boss of Xiaoxiang Jianyu Pavilion regain his foundation, and only a symbolic gold coin was charged... Although your association can make money sometimes, the profit is very small. If you say that you can support more than 100,000 members with this little money, who would believe it? Even the profit of this trade route occupied by our alliance is only a small amount for your association, and it can never be the real source of funds for your association. I think it is not worth it for you to mobilize so many troops, and it breaks the convention of your association to only accept defensive missions. I hope you can explain the reason!"
The Mercenary King gave a thumbs up and said, "Good, good, good boy! Our association has always been confidential, but I didn't expect you to find out so much information. As for the reason, all I can tell you is that our association accepted the task entrusted by others, and the rest cannot be said. But I can tell you that as long as your Thunder Alliance can withstand our attack this time, the Mercenary Union will never accept tasks related to your alliance again."
"So, we have nothing to talk about?"
"Nothing to discuss."
"If our alliance attacks other gangs in the future, you won't help?"
"I will never do anything - but only if you can survive today."
"Okay! Then I will welcome you all at the base. Let's see whether your record of 100% mission success will end in our hands!"
"How heroic! But leader, please be careful, our fighting power is definitely beyond your imagination!"
I had already mounted Benlei, bowed and said, "Goodbye!" Then I turned the dragon head and galloped away.
The Mercenary King smiled and whispered to himself, "This kid is quite interesting. He's playing word games with me to increase my psychological pressure?"
I returned to the cavalry unit and issued a few orders. All the cavalry turned around and retreated towards the garrison. I looked back and saw that the Federation's army was following us slowly.
The time is now!
All the cavalry stopped at the same time and turned 180 degrees. From here, the superiority and inferiority could be distinguished. The 3,000 elite cavalry of the Thunder Alliance moved the fastest and in unison, while the 5,000 cavalry of the Tianshui Pavilion and the 2,000 cavalry of the Demon Realm City were half a beat slower, and their formation was a little disorganized.
But this little error is not a big deal. I have led the first 3,000 riders to turn around and attack the Federation army. The rest of the troops just need to catch up immediately!
"Boom, boom , boom..." Ben Lei ran faster and faster. Because we retreated first and then attacked, the Federation thought that I was really going to go back to the base and hold it as I said before, but they didn't expect that I was cheating. They were not prepared to guard against the cavalry assault for a while, but their reaction was really swift. In this situation, the archers were still able to shoot in time!
But the speed of the ground dragon is too fast. Just imagine how difficult it is to shoot a truck driver at a speed of 160 miles per hour with a bow and arrow. It would be fine if you were well prepared, but how likely would you be to hit the target in such a hurry?
Even so, the shooting accuracy of the Federation archers still surprised me. Among the rain of arrows flying towards me, about one-tenth still hit my vital points very accurately!
But after all, it was not a volley with a command. The arrows flew in one after another and were blocked one by one by me with Tiger Soul. After a round of arrow rain, Ben Lei had already crossed the distance of hundreds of meters between the two sides and rushed into the opponent's vanguard formation!
The Federation's formation is to divide the troops into neat square formations of about 10,000 people, a total of 16 square formations, with one formation in the lead, three formations following, five formations in the middle, and seven formations at the end, arranged in a triangle. This formation focuses on attack. Once you confront it, you will feel that you are facing more and more enemy troops. The pressure is great, enough to make people with weak wills collapse. And I have only 10,000 cavalrymen thrown into this large formation. There is no hope of winning, but when two armies meet, the brave one wins. Even if I can't win, I will destroy their vanguard and take away their momentum. Otherwise, with the elite troops of the Federation, let them exert all their strength to attack our base. Unless the 110,000 troops I have are all elite like the Thunder Regiment, a mixed force like the current one, it is hard to guarantee victory!
Ben Lei rushed towards the enemy formation. Standing in front of me was a row of soldiers, all equipped with ghost-head swords. Seeing my fierce momentum, no one showed fear. The five closest to me raised their swords at the same time and slashed at me in unison, using the warrior skill Fiery Sword Technique. The five swords cooperated very well, like five fire dragons taking away my limbs. One sword also hit the Tiger Soul in my hand, trying to block my ability to fight back.
These five people undoubtedly possess first-class skills, but unfortunately there is a gap of more than two levels compared with me. I twisted my body slightly, and the five people found incredulously that the knives in their hands had hit the air, and the one who was facing my Tiger Soul only felt a flash of golden light in front of his eyes, and his body flew backwards involuntarily, with a large amount of blood splattered on his chest!
After killing one person instantly, I raised Tiger Soul high, swung it vigorously from top to bottom, and a golden light shot out, but it was not the sword light attribute of Tiger Soul itself, but the level 65 knight skill "Earth Slash"!
A crescent-shaped golden light broke through the air and split the earth. Its appearance was similar to that of a swordsman's sword, but its power was countless times stronger. It shot straight out from twenty meters away, and wherever it passed, it cut off soldiers and broke armor. With this single move, it killed no less than ten mercenary soldiers and even left a deep knife mark on the ground!
If Tiger Soul had not been upgraded, this sword would not have been so powerful. This sword finally shocked the brave soldiers of the Federation. I saw fear on their faces, but no one retreated!
I smiled bitterly in my heart. The previous move had used up all my MP. From now on, I could only use ordinary moves for the time being. I was surrounded by enemies and had no time to drink magic potions. Instead, I had to be ready to swallow the Great Rejuvenation Pill at any time. Only by relying on the double absorption attribute of Tiger Soul, I could use this big move again after my MP was fully replenished.
At this time, the cavalry behind me also caught up, and the two sides immediately started a fierce confrontation. The fighting power of the mercenaries surprised me. In theory, I had broken through a gap, which was extremely beneficial for the subsequent cavalry's charge. However, the mercenary soldiers did not rush up blindly to block, but avoided the frontal attack of my cavalry. The knife-wielding soldiers automatically retreated to both sides, and countless spearmen rushed up from both wings, with the intention of encircling my vanguard cavalry!
The cavalry of the Thunder Alliance was not weak either, and they immediately engaged in a fierce contest with them. Both sides were skilled in combat and had close coordination. Compared with the contest between troops of lower levels, the death rate was actually higher, because often several people would launch a full-strength attack on an enemy target at the same time, and there was no chance to retreat after being injured. If they were hit, they would be killed instantly!
In just a moment, hundreds of people on both sides fell!
The follow-up cavalry from Tianshui Pavilion and Demon Realm City caught up. Due to the formation of the Federation, our troops were not at a disadvantage in this local battlefield at the front, and the cavalry always had the advantage of surprise attacks, especially the heavy armored knights of Tianshui Pavilion, whose defense was even better than that of the Thunder Alliance cavalry. Even if they were hit by three or four enemies at the same time, it was difficult to kill them instantly. Therefore, in a very short period of time, our army had the upper hand.
But the rear troops of the Federation surrounded us from both wings. If the enemy was a vulnerable opponent, I could take advantage of the fact that their forces were divided into two wings and lead the cavalry to break through the center and completely penetrate the enemy formation. However, the Federation was obviously not an easy target. With my forces, I could not achieve such a tactical goal. If we continued to fight here, all 10,000 cavalry would surely be killed.
It's not a big deal if the cavalrymen die once, they can be revived, but the loss of the mounts cannot be compensated! Although I have the upper hand at the moment, I am confident that if I lead my troops to fight to the death, these 10,000 troops can at least inflict 15,000 losses on the other side. I still had to issue an order to retreat immediately. I led the cavalry of the alliance to cover the rear, and ordered the friendly forces of Tianshui and Demon Realm to retreat first. At the same time, I sent out ten squadrons of 100 people each to attack the two wings of the enemy's encirclement. Naturally, it could not shake the Federation's strong military strength. It was just a suicide attack, but what I wanted was to delay the time for them to encircle and ensure the smooth retreat of the main force.
Finally, the main force withdrew, and I was walking at the end. There was still a group of Federation soldiers who wanted to catch up. I used the MP that had just been fully charged to send out another Earth Slash, leaving behind more than a dozen corpses. The opponent's commander also issued an order not to pursue.
We retreated in time. As soon as we left, the cavalry units of the Federation If we were entangled by these cavalry units with the same mobility as us, we would be unable to escape.
After returning to the base, a rough count showed that a total of more than 2,000 knights were lost, including those who sacrificed their lives to cover the main force's retreat. However, the losses of the enemy's first phalanx were even greater than ours, so my goal of blunting their edge should have been achieved.
The Federation attacked, and what surprised me and my brothers was that their way of attack was exactly the same as one of the siege modes practiced by our alliance's Thunder Regiment. The army was divided into small teams of more than a dozen people, and they moved in a serpentine curve towards the fortifications, greatly weakening the blocking power of our long-range troops!
However, this mode is not unbreakable. Since our alliance has been able to study this kind of tactics, how could we not have thought of a way to break it? I led the cavalry who had just experienced a bloody battle and rushed out again!
Without a dense array blocking the way, the cavalry could kill the small group of stragglers as easily as chopping melons and vegetables. The Federation responded quickly, immediately withdrawing the siege troops and sending out cavalry to counterattack!
I knew that the Federation was not easy to deal with, so I did not want to fight. After forcing the other party to retreat, I retreated to my base and never pursued them. The Federation's cavalry took advantage of the situation and attacked.
But before they reached the fortifications, they were greeted by dense arrows and magic!
Moreover, this long-range attack did not come from the front. Xiao Wu divided the long-range troops at both ends of the fortifications and fired at the center, forming cross fire. This made it difficult for the enemy cavalry to block or dodge, and the lethality was greatly enhanced. With only one round of volleys, one-fifth of the Federation's cavalry was lost (the headquarters of the Thunder Alliance was a triangular area sandwiched between two rivers. It was impossible for it to be surrounded by the enemy on all sides, so only a frontal defensive fortification was needed, but the width was very long)!
Seeing that the cavalry attack was unsuccessful, the other side quickly withdrew the cavalry troops, and then more than 100,000 troops were dispatched together. The Federation finally decided to launch a strong attack!
This was a brutal battle, and the fortifications were covered with the blood of soldiers from both sides. The Federation won because of its elite soldiers and good coordination. The Thunder Alliance, except for its headquarters' 20,000 troops, had the rest of the reinforcements from Tianshui Pavilion and Demon City. In comparison, their quality was inferior, but with the cover of fortifications, they could barely compete with them.
Countless players fell every second. The enemy's offensive became more and more fierce. Many times, their soldiers rushed forward without caring about their lives. I had only seen this kind of momentum in the battle when Yinyue attacked Jiucheng, but that was Yinyue's revenge battle. What deep hatred did the Thunder Alliance and the Mercenary Union have? This only shows that every soldier of the Union is fearless!
Under such pressure, the first to collapse were the Tianshui Pavilion troops, which had the best equipment and the lowest casualty rate!
This is no wonder. Needless to say, the members of this alliance and the members of the Demon Realm gang have also experienced many bloody battles in the big alliance. Tianshui Pavilion is a wealthy gang, and most of its members live a life of luxury. It also has strong support such as the Thunder Alliance and the Brotherhood Alliance. In addition to Xiao Yi's personal charm, there are many gangs that have ambitions towards it, but few dare to really offend it. They have hardly encountered a few alliance wars. Their troops are well-equipped and their combat effectiveness is not weak, but their psychological endurance on the battlefield is not a little bit worse. Facing the crazy attack of the Federation, the section defended by Tianshui Pavilion was breached first!
On the battlefield, a small move can affect the entire body. If one place is breached, the entire defense line will be flawed, and then gaps will appear in more places!
Fortunately, our alliance has more than one defensive fortification.
Unlike the Nine Cities, which built a fortification as solid as the Maginot Line, the Thunder Alliance paid more attention to the depth of defense. There are three lines of defense in the headquarters!
Calculated in this way, our expenditure on defense is actually more than that of the Nine Cities. However, we will not be completely defeated once the defense line is lost. Xiao Wu made a prompt decision and the entire army withdrew to the second line of fortifications and reorganized the defense line.
At this time, the Mercenary King was observing the entire battle situation. He said to someone beside him, "Old Cheng, what do you think? Can we win this battle?"
The man shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. The Thunder Alliance's use of troops is in line with the essence of military tactics, and there are basically no flaws. We can only attack with force. Although our army has the advantage in combat power, the opponent can revive nearby. It is really difficult to judge the outcome at the moment. The only thing I can be sure of is that no matter who wins this battle, it can only be a miserable victory. Feng Haotian is only in his twenties, and it is indeed very rare for him to have such skills. No wonder the higher-ups attach so much importance to him."
The Mercenary King chuckled and said, "Don't think too highly of him. This marching formation may not be entirely his work. Have you forgotten that Ying is by his side?"
Old Cheng slapped his forehead and said, "I really forgot! But didn't Ying resign a long time ago? Why did the higher-ups think of contacting her again?"
"It's for this kid! Because of Mr. Li's strong recommendation, the higher-ups have been paying attention to him for a long time. Ying just became his subordinate by chance, but this ready-made convenience should not be used in vain."
"Boss, come to think of it, you said I overestimated him, but I don't think so. Not everyone can recruit a person like Ying as a subordinate. Looking at the fighting power of the Thunder Alliance's subordinates, Ying has spent a lot of effort on training! This shows that Ying is also truly at his service."
"Well, what you said makes sense. This talent for leadership is probably why the higher-ups value him so much."
A fierce battle was going on at the headquarters, and smoke was also rising from the six branches of the Thunder Alliance.
On Lian Zhen's side, Feng Chi Tian Xia was instigated by our alliance's undercover agent and took down our alliance's first branch which had been evacuated and left with nothing. Lai Chi Ru Feng was overjoyed because this branch was well built and had not experienced any battles, with all the buildings well preserved. He could be said to have made a huge profit. Unfortunately, he did not realize that sooner or later he would have to pay for what he had done.
In Tianshi City, most of the defenders of the Second Branch withdrew, leaving only 5,000 men. Facing the fierce attack of 40,000 men from Mingjian Villa, they fought a desperate battle and held off the enemy for three hours until the last man was killed three times. The city was finally captured. The branch’s base was engulfed in flames and all the buildings were destroyed, but Mingjian had finally taken over a base, so there was nothing to complain about.
The third, fourth and fifth branches were attacked by Tongtian Holy Land, Ice Blood Blade and King's Peak respectively, and each faced 100,000 enemy troops. However, with the assistance of Blood River and other factions, each garrison also had more than 50,000 defenders, a one-to-two combat power ratio, plus fortifications and geographical advantages, the fighting was extremely fierce. In fact, there was no threat, but there was no strength to send troops to support the headquarters.
What worries me most is the Sixth Division!
Mingjian Villa is coming with great force, sending out an army of 140,000 to attack this branch. Although I have sent 20,000 troops from the Divine Thunder Hall and the Rolling Thunder Hall to strengthen the defense, there are only 40,000 defenders. This amount of troops is not enough. It depends on whether Tiexue and Yinyue will send reinforcements as I ordered!
As a result, Yin Yue sent 10,000 men to assist in the defense, but beyond my expectation, Tiexue gave his all, Tieti Tatiana led the team personally, and drew 30,000 men from his total of 40,000 men to provide support!
While resisting Mingjian's attack, Tiexue fought most bravely and refused to retreat despite heavy casualties. After Mingjian secretly sent out experts to assassinate several high-level commanders of our alliance, our side fell into chaos. If Tieti had not stood alone and held on through the most dangerous moment, the Sixth Branch would have fallen into the hands of the enemy!
Now the battles in various places have reached a stalemate, and the final outcome will be decided by the battle between the Mercenary Union and our headquarters!
The fierce battle had been going on for more than three hours, and our second line of defense was also a little bit exhausted. The problem was that the Federation's troops were so strong that they even maintained a nearly 1:1 casualty ratio with our army in this siege battle! And since the battle lasted so long, there was no advantage for us to be resurrected nearby. The fallen soldiers of the Federation also came again to participate in the second and third battles. However, our troops were always less, and when some soldiers on both sides died three times, the difference in troops gradually widened!
I'm considering whether to retreat to the third line of defense immediately, because the further we go, the shorter the line of defense becomes, and it's more advantageous for the defenders to shrink the formation more tightly. But if we reach the third line of defense, we will have no way to retreat, and we will have to fight to the death!
At this moment, the whole situation took a dramatic turn!
Several pieces of information were delivered to me almost at the same time. First, Yishi Haoxiong said that he had asked the brothers of the Dragon and Tiger Society for help, and their 30,000 troops had arrived near the headquarters of our alliance and were preparing to launch an attack on the Federation from behind. He asked me to cooperate and attack from both inside and outside.
Secondly, the peerless God of War sent a message that the reason why the three factions of Shenghua dared to break the usual practice and send troops to defeat the enemy was because of the activity of a big gang in Shenghua, the Whampoa Military Academy. The Whampoa Military Academy either declared war or issued warnings to the hostile forces of the three factions in Shenghua, exerting all kinds of pressure, so that the three factions have no worries for the time being. But the God of War still has a way to help me. He has a very good allied gang in Shenghua City. Although that gang has no grudges with the Tongtian and other three factions, he still asked that ally to send troops to the Tongtian Holy Land. I think at this moment, the Tongtian Sect Master (the boss of the Tongtian Holy Land) should have received the news and is about to withdraw his troops.
Third, Tianshui Pavilion reported that it had repelled Qingchengye’s attack and that Tianshui Pavilion was safe and sound, including the remaining 30,000 troops, which could now be transferred to support Jinglei League!
All good news!
I waved my hands excitedly and ordered the messenger sent by the Dragon and Tiger Society to report back, asking them to launch the attack a little later. I would wait until the reinforcements from Tianshui arrived before launching a major counterattack against the Federation!
In addition, the third branch indeed brought news later that Tongtian had retreated!
I urgently ordered the Third Branch to dispatch some personnel to join the counterattack against the Federation.
Unexpectedly, just as I was waiting for the troops to arrive and planning a counterattack, the Federation suddenly stopped the offensive and their soldiers quickly withdrew.
The king of mercenaries walked out to the front of the formation and shouted, "Leader Jinglei, you did a good job! Our guild has no hope of winning today. Haha, at least we have a record of mission failure. I bid you farewell, and we'll see you later!"
After he finished speaking, the members of the Federation scattered in all directions, like ants in a nest that had exploded. In the blink of an eye, everyone disappeared without a trace. It was hard to believe that they were an elite army, but rather a mob? I suspect that their method of retreat was also well-trained! Well, this is a good way to retreat when the army is defeated. It simply makes it impossible for the enemy to catch up. It is worth learning from!
As soon as the Federation retreated, the Ice Blood, King, and Famous Sword factions, which had been unable to attack for a long time, soon got the news. Knowing that they had no hope of winning this time, they had to withdraw in disgrace.
This time the enemy set up a big trap, and for the first time I mobilized all the power of the Thunder Alliance in the fantasy, plus a little bit of luck, and an unexpected external help, I finally broke the trap, and all forces returned almost empty-handed.
Among them, the one who suffered the greatest loss was the Evil God Temple. They staked their only branch on the Thunder Alliance headquarters and declared war on it. Although I did not declare war in return, their branch was still confiscated and auctioned off by the system. The headquarters was also attacked by the Free and Easy Alliance. Although Huoyun had taken precautions beforehand, his main force was dragged here for too long when he was fighting Xiao Qiao, and he returned to support (actually he was annihilated by my cavalry and resurrected) a little late. Although he managed to protect the headquarters, he was breached by the Free and Easy Alliance and the buildings in the base were destroyed to a mess. He was seriously injured and from then on, he went from a potential stock that could stand out in Wuqu City to one that could only protect itself.
The three sects of Shenghua also ended up losing more than they gained, and had to swallow the bitter fruit themselves. Although Mingjian captured a branch of the alliance, its attack on the sixth branch failed and it also lost a piece of territory. What's more, the one they captured was a ruined garrison. It can be said that the loss outweighed the gain. The only one who gained a small advantage was Fengchi Tianxia.
