Chapter 436: The Start of War

The situation in Water Curtain City had now become completely chaotic. Outside the city, the armies of the Wolf Clan, the Scorpion King Clan, and the Black Phoenix Clan surrounded the entire town, leaving no escape. A deadly atmosphere began to spread as a great battle was about to unfold. Instantly, the already crowded streets became even more chaotic.

All shops closed their doors, and the pedestrians on the roads rushed home as quickly as they could. War always brought the greatest harm to the lowest-class people.

The city became eerily quiet, with only a cold and desolate scene remaining, along with the occasional passing troops.

“How many people are there in the city now?” Rod asked Merk beside him, looking at the tense city walls.

The strategy for attacking this time was simple: charge straight through the main gate. After all, with all sides being strong, there was no need for complicated tactics. In the face of overwhelming strength, any tactic was meaningless.

“Less than 20,000, and many of them are wounded!” Merk thought it amusing given the situation inside the city.

Originally, Water Curtain City should have been quite strong. The second prince had around 10,000 troops, and the first prince had about 30,000, totaling 40,000.

Unfortunately, a civil war broke out at a critical moment, severely weakening both sides. Now, nearly half of their forces had been lost, leaving only around 20,000 people.

A civil war was the saddest kind of war, especially one fought while facing a greater enemy. It only harmed everyone. Right now, the only beneficiaries would be the Black Phoenix Clan, who were taking advantage of the situation.

“What about Ice City?” Rod asked with a cold smile. There were still many pro-war members in Ice City. If they came now, it might cause significant trouble.

“The Wolf Clan has taken control of Ice City. We’ve also sent troops to lay ambushes along the way as a precaution. No news yet, but it seems they’re in trouble there!” Theron interjected. The pro-war faction was now completely fragmented.

Hearing this, Rod felt relieved. The enemy had less than 20,000 troops. With the other three city gates, they could hold off at least 8,000 of the enemy’s forces. That meant the direct enemy force was at most 12,000, not to mention the number of wounded. On their side, they had 10,000 troops from the Wolf Clan, 6,000 from the Scorpion King Clan, and 8,000 from the Black Phoenix Clan—over 20,000 in total. Adding in some scattered reinforcements, they had as many as 30,000 troops.

What’s more important are the matters within the city. Once war breaks out, that force within the city should come into play—their role cannot be ignored. Looking at Rod and Merk around him, their eyes held a genuine sense of admiration; this strategy was absolutely powerful and beyond what the pro-war faction had anticipated. If Water Screen City was able to be conquered so easily this time, it was undoubtedly thanks to that force within the city. Nodding, Rod didn’t say anything more. The people around him were busy preparing for battle, with a bustling atmosphere and a tense mood. Gazing at the city walls ahead, Rod was filled with emotion—how could he have ever imagined that he would reach this place? Life is unpredictable. Compared to a year ago, no one would have believed such a scene would unfold today. Nearby, Sognar remained carefree, with a sly smile on his face, clearly eager for the battle to begin. Soon, the wolf clan’s army outside the city, along with the Black Phoenix clan, Scorpion King clan, and some dragon clan members, formed an attacking formation, looking formidable. Tens of thousands of soldiers packed tightly together, radiating murderous intent, like a tiger with its mouth wide open, ready to devour its enemies, exuding an overwhelming sense of dominance. Even without fighting, the soldiers on the city walls felt their legs weaken at the sight of them. “Kill! Kill! Kill!” The deafening roars and murderous aura terrified everyone further. Standing on the city walls, the two princes turned pale. It was only then that they realized the grave mistake they had made. If it hadn’t been for the civil war and instead they had helped their brothers attack Dark Moon City or distracted the enemy’s forces, this situation would never have arisen! Now they regretted it deeply, but unfortunately, there was no remedy in this world. Amidst the cries of battle, the order on the city walls completely collapsed. Faced with tens of thousands of fierce warriors, the pro-war soldiers inside the city were terrified. To subdue an enemy without fighting—perhaps Rod had already achieved this. “Why haven’t they arrived yet?” The second prince frowned, looking at the barren landscape behind him with concern. The people he sent had gone to seek reinforcements from those small clans. By now, they should have arrived, but not a single figure was in sight. “Those small clans aren’t that easy to deal with. They shift sides like grass on a wall—haven’t you seen through that?”

“For those merchants, if given enough profit, they’ll do anything for you. Without enough profit, do you really expect them to help? It’s already good if they don’t turn against you. Remember, that’s the nature of merchants—whomever pays best is their master! Even their own mothers can be sold if there’s no money!” an old man standing beside the Crown Prince sneered and sighed. He lamented that these two princes were nowhere near as good as the third prince. At this point, hadn’t they still failed to see these issues clearly?

Could those small families easily send troops to offend the rising powers of the Rod and Black Phoenix clans? It would be fortunate if they didn’t stab him in the back.

“Shut up!” The Second Prince snapped at the old man with a fierce glare. He had never trusted those around his elder brother—they were nothing but troublemakers who only caused problems by staying with that fool of an elder brother. At least, that’s what he thought. Without those worthless advisors, how could he even be at war with his elder brother? His elder brother was just a martial fanatic who didn’t care about power. Without those guys, would he have ever had such ambitions?

And this old man was the leader of those worthless advisors—how could the Second Prince possibly like him? Besides, he didn’t think those guys had any real strength. If they did, why hadn’t the more advantageous Crown Prince taken him down yet? They were nothing but fools who could only talk but not act.

“Crown Prince, those merchants are untrustworthy, and those small families too. In my opinion, what we need to do now is not seek them out. We can’t rely on them—we even need to control them!” Ignoring the Second Prince, the old man spoke to the Crown Prince beside him.

Clearly, after doing things right for so long, these people no longer feared the so-called Second Prince.

“Let’s see!” The Crown Prince didn’t agree with the old man’s words and instead cut him off with a stern expression.

Now, desperate, he needed anyone who could help him. With such a powerful force inside the city, this time he sided with his younger brother, hoping to leverage that strength.

Faced with the army outside the city, he really had no confidence in holding out. Moreover, he had no idea what was happening to the soldiers in his Ice City. With the Wolf Clan turning against them, their situation must be tough. Add to that the siege by the Black Phoenix clan outside the city. Otherwise, they would have come to help him long ago. How could things have reached this point?

“A report…” A long announcement sound came through, bringing a faint smile to the Second Prince’s face. This man was the officer he had sent to contact several families.
“How is the situation?” As soon as the officer approached, the Second Prince hurriedly asked.
“A few families have agreed to send troops; they are on their way now!” The officer was clearly excited, as things seemed to be going quite smoothly.
“Good, haha, very good. How many people will they bring in total?” Hearing this news, the Second Prince’s expression turned excited instantly, and he pressed for more details.
“A total of eighteen smaller families are willing to assist us, and they can provide around eight thousand troops!”
“Good. After this, I will surely reward you generously. Go and make the arrangements now!” The First Prince also said eagerly at that moment.
“Enough, you needn’t say more; I know what to do!” Interrupting the old man who wanted to speak, the First Prince left right away. Sometimes he really found this advisor annoying.
“The pro-war faction—has it really come to this? With such princes, how can great things be achieved?” Seeing the two princes leave happily, the old man sighed deeply and remained silent for a long time.
Next to the old man, another middle-aged man hesitated to speak, but after seeing the old man’s gloomy expression, he also stayed silent. The First Prince’s face was filled with sighs.
It always gave him the feeling that the First Prince had changed a lot over this period—no longer the same as before. If it were the old First Prince, he wouldn’t have acted this way, wouldn’t have let things reach this point. The old First Prince had a strong character; although he didn’t crave power, he understood these things clearly!
Just like when they entered Water Curtain City—it wasn’t him who started the war, but the Second Prince. At that time, the First Prince commanded a large army and could have eliminated the Second Prince’s forces in a short time if he had wanted to. But out of brotherly loyalty, he didn’t do so and chose to negotiate. It seemed he had already foreseen this outcome. He had repeatedly refused the suggestions of himself and others to eliminate the Second Prince.
But lately, the First Prince had changed. Perhaps he had truly been blinded by ambition, starting to fight for control of Water Curtain City. Even now, he was willing to take risks and fight against the Black Phoenix clan. Had he forgotten his own words—that this battle was bound to end in failure?

Now he was even willing to accept reinforcements from those small families. Had he forgotten what he had said before—that these small families couldn’t be trusted because they were all influenced by the Black Phoenix clan, to the point where he had to send people to monitor them? Thinking of this, the middle-aged man let out a long sigh. Looking at the back of the eldest prince, he felt a sense of strangeness, a sense that he no longer recognized the child he had watched grow up. Turning around again, just as he was about to say something, he was shocked to find that the old man beside him had disappeared without a trace. Had he left? With that in mind, the middle-aged man hesitated for a while before slowly retreating behind, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention.