Ten days later, the northern border had entered winter, with snow and ice covering the sky, and the cold would continue until April of the following year. It was a hundred miles away from the capital of the alien race's fortress.
Liwa, one of the Three Beasts, reported to the main general's camp that General Esdeath led 3,000 troops to a great victory on the front line against Numa Seika's 10,000 vanguard troops. Lin Feng then rewarded them with countless grains and meat and ordered them to rest in place and wait for tomorrow to fight the main force together.
Esdeath was an excellent soldier and wouldn't do something like 'a general abroad doesn't have to accept the emperor's orders'. In the beginning, Honest asked her to use the Teigu to quickly eliminate the tribal rebellion, even if she was somewhat resistant, she eventually carried out the order.
"Prepare to fight Numa Seika tomorrow." Lin Feng instructed the generals in the central army camp.
After marching thousands of miles, the generals should usually let the soldiers rest for a few days to recover their energy. But Lin Feng couldn't wait any longer. In the original story, Esdeath led the Three Beasts to slaughter the northern alien race, so Lin Feng was very confident in this war.
...
The next morning, on the vast plain, after the two armies completed their deployment.
The north wind was like a blade, hanging on the soldiers' faces, and most of Lin Feng's troops could hardly endure the severe cold. Moreover, the alien race was waiting for work at leisure, and Numa Seika personally led the army... preparing to annihilate the empire's living forces.
Lin Feng stood on the high platform of the central army, looking into the distance, only to see hundreds of thousands of troops slowly approaching, like a boundless ocean of people.
Those senior generals in the central army were discussing while looking at the endless enemy soldiers in the distance.
The northern alien race had indeed made a big investment this time, almost all the adult males were transferred to the battlefield.
100,000 versus 400,000, the frontal force gap was somewhat large! The fighting power of Numa Seika's army might not be as good as the 30,000 direct descendants of elites personally trained by Esdeath.
The 70,000 remaining men in Lin Feng's hands were useless; they were all starving peasants and country folk who had joined the army just to get a meal, and their combat strength might even be inferior to the barbarians on the other side.
So even General Najenda looked tense, filled with unease about this war.
"Gentlemen…" Lin Feng began, his voice exceptionally clear.
All the soldiers looked over. Lin Feng glanced at General Najenda, quite satisfied with her; although she had a prejudice against him, she was obedient and could follow orders.
Lin Feng said, "General Esdeath will first lead 30,000 cavalry from the left flank to attack and break through the enemy formation."
"Understood," Esdeath waved her right hand. "Niu and Daidaras, come with me."
Woo woo woo… Immediately, horns sounded in the army. From high above, the two armies slowly began to move. They were a dense, dark mass, like a tide.
Soon, Esdeath, clad in silver military uniform, rode her warhorse and charged first towards the weakest point of the enemy's defenses, followed closely by her three beasts, and behind them, 30,000 iron cavalry.
Hooves thundered.
Esdeath led her subordinates, shouting, "Kill!"
She drew the rapier from her waist and charged towards the enemy's spear formation. The peaceful life of these past few days had made her increasingly crave slaughter.
Now, only the enemy's blood and wails could quell the rage in her heart.
And so, the slaughter began. Although hundreds of spearmen immediately surrounded Esdeath, the disparity in strength between the two sides was vast, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Esdeath swung her right sword, and dozens of one-meter-long ice cones appeared out of thin air, instantly piercing the spearmen. Dozens of spearmen were impaled like meat skewers.
As Esdeath frantically fired ice cones, the spear formation quickly collapsed, and countless infantry immediately turned and fled in the face of the fierce Esdeath.
…In an instant, Esdeath was like a god among men, leading tens of thousands of cavalry to break through the left flank and charge into the formation!
The young prince, Numa Seika, watched his army formation being breached, greatly shocked. He immediately dispatched a large number of soldiers to stop this madwoman. However, Esdeath, with a sadistic smile, froze hundreds of soldiers in front of her with a single swing of her blade, sending a chill down the spines of the foreign soldiers who came to intercept her.
Lin Feng watched from the high platform with a telescope. The enemy army there was already in chaos, and the soldiers on the left flank were completely scattered.
Lin Feng was somewhat dumbfounded for a moment. It had only been half an hour since the battle began, and Esdeath was too fierce… It was a bit unexpected. Originally, Lin Feng had intended for Esdeath to charge the formation and disrupt the enemy's left flank.
If this continued, her 30,000 men would throw the entire 400,000-strong army into disarray.
Esdeath rampaged through the enemy ranks, and the three beasts and heavy cavalry following her were not to be trifled with either; in a single charge, they trampled and cut down seven to eight thousand enemy soldiers.
"Order General Najenda to lead 30,000 men to attack the enemy's right flank, and flank them from both sides with General Esdeath!" Lin Feng said to the messenger beside him.
…Esdeath led 30,000 iron cavalry, using their mobility to wreak havoc on the enemy's flank. Fortunately, Numa Seika's army also had cavalry, and soon 10,000 cavalry charged over.
The infantry also reformed into square formations and began to encircle Esdeath's cavalry.
Just then, a tall warrior, two meters tall, suddenly charged out from Numa Seika's cavalry. His chest was bare, with a large bulge of muscle in the center, and he wore a white bear's head on his own.
"I'm going to tear you apart, you Imperial woman!"
"Is it a bear cub this time? I used to hunt these things often when I was young!"
Esdeath scoffed and spurred her horse forward.
"Little woman, I have never lost a horse battle. Let me show you how strong I am, old man!"
The foreign warrior swung his hundred-pound long saber, aiming for her head, with the momentum of a fierce giant bear.
Clang! Sparks flew as the long saber met the rapier!
The next moment, the foreign warrior's long saber was forcefully cut in half, and Esdeath's sword also had a chip.
"Interesting, you're a good prey. But I don't have time to play with you now."
Seeing that the enemy army in front was gathering a large number of troops, Esdeath no longer enjoyed the pleasure of charging the formation. She casually tossed away the rapier, which had chipped at the blade, and then raised her right hand high.
"All things freeze here!"
Esdeath's aura changed, and she activated her secret technique, Ice Storm General. A surging cold wind roared from her, instantly freezing the bear-headed warrior in front of her, along with tens of thousands of soldiers within a few kilometers behind him, into ice sculptures!
According to the original plot of the decisive battle, if Tatsumi's little dragon-man hadn't unexpectedly broken the Mahapadma and saved Akame's life, it's estimated that no one could have defeated Esdeath head-on in the decisive battle.
Esdeath spurred her horse over the ice sculptures, leading her team towards Numa Seika in the center of the army formation.
The Northern Prince, Numa Seika, reacted quickly as well. Seeing the Imperial cavalry's fierce charge, which could not be stopped, he immediately beat the drum to recall his troops.
Esdeath was eager to capture the Northern Prince alive and bring him back to humiliate him thoroughly. However, she was blocked by several foreign warriors and had to engage them. There were too many foreign people.
…On the other side, General Najenda's army also engaged the enemy's right flank. Lin Feng saw that the time was right and immediately shouted, "Order the entire army to attack!"
At this time, the foreign tribes were scattered everywhere by Esdeath's cavalry. Even if the Northern Prince ordered a retreat, his soldiers were in disarray. Disregarding military orders, they scattered and fled in all directions, and severe stampedes occurred within their own army, with many soldiers being trampled to death by their own people, their flesh and blood mangled.
Esdeath's cavalry galloped through the bloody war, annihilating over 100,000 enemy troops in one morning.
This was still with Lin Feng holding her back. Esdeath seemed to want to pursue further, but Lin Feng immediately called her back. As Esdeath activated her secret technique, her stamina would decrease significantly. Moreover, her warhorse also needed rest. If she continued to pursue, accidents were bound to happen.
Meanwhile, Numa Seika led 250,000 troops back to the fortress, holding firm and refusing to come out, preparing to use the power of General Winter to defeat the Empire.
For the North, winter was like a cold hell. The people of the foreign tribes could only hide in buildings at night to keep warm. If they set up tents outdoors, there was a possibility of freezing to death at night. Moreover, the Imperial army had traveled thousands of miles to conquer them, and food and supplies were also a big problem.
However, he did not know that this time, it was not an ordinary army. The other side had a Dimensional Array with spatial teleportation capabilities.
Moreover, the reason why the continuously retreating foreign tribes were able to barely retreat into the fortress was also intentional on Lin Feng's part.
Numa Seika's combat strength was not great, but if he were to die now, the foreign tribes might split into countless factions, which would make it inconvenient for Lin Feng to wipe them all out. Once the remaining foreign forces started guerrilla warfare with the Empire, it would be difficult for Lin Feng to completely annihilate them.
Therefore, Lin Feng's strategy was very simple: let Numa Seika gather all his forces in their capital, and then kill all of them.
In the evening, copper drums resounded in the Imperial army camp. Everyone celebrated the great victory around bonfires, and the versatile Niu played the flute for everyone.
And Lin Feng was celebrating with the two General Najendas in the central army tent.
Although both were General Najenda, their personalities were completely different. Esdeath, who was bloodthirsty, was a model soldier with almost no bad habits.
However, Najenda, who worried about the country and its people, always had cigarettes and alcohol in hand, and also had a small hobby of gambling.
"We had a great victory today. How about a banquet? I have many prized collections here," Lin Feng said with a smile.
"Good, I must taste General Lin's fine wine!"
Najenda said freely and boldly. Initially, she had a lot of prejudice against Lin Feng. But after more than ten days of getting along, she found that he didn't have the perverted bad habits of those officials in the Imperial Capital, plus they won a great battle today,
her craving for alcohol was rekindled.
Although Najenda wasn't a heavy drinker, she felt uncomfortable all over whenever her craving for alcohol flared up.
Seeing how easily the other party took the bait, Lin Feng sneered inwardly and had someone bring over his prized strong liquor.
Meanwhile, a glint flashed in Esdeath's eyes. Being intelligent, she had long figured out Lin Feng's intentions and naturally knew his plan, her tender lips couldn't help but itch slightly.
Soon, the soldiers brought good wine that glowed with white light. The moment the bottle cap was opened, the entire tent was filled with a rich aroma of wine.
"Oh, oh, is it this strong liquor?
Najenda was a little surprised.
"What's wrong? If General Najenda can't drink it, we can switch to something with a lower alcohol content," Lin Feng asked considerately.
"Hmph, I have the title of 'thousand cups undefeated'. I'm just afraid I'll drink all of General Lin's wine and still not get drunk."
Najenda said confidently, no longer able to control herself as she smelled the wine. She took a small sip first.
"Good wine!"
After entering her mouth, it wasn't spicy at all, but full of sweet fruity notes. So she boldly drank the entire glass directly.
Gradually, under the influence of alcohol, Najenda's chatterbox opened, talking from the Imperial Capital to the Revolutionary Army, and then to the uncivilized lands in the east.
After several cups, Esdeath's face was flushed, appearing to be the first to succumb.
"Drunk? General Esdeath is from the Northern Lands, her alcohol tolerance is still lacking…"
Looking at the fallen Esdeath, Najenda showed a triumphant smile, though she was also four or five parts drunk.
"Hic… Hic."
Najenda hiccuped, and gurgled, then accompanied Lin Feng in drinking another bottle of strong liquor.
Half an hour later, Lin Feng could see her body swaying unsteadily.
"What's wrong? Could it be that she's drunk?"
Lin Feng muttered to himself.
"Huh? Drunk? I'm not drunk!"
Najenda, holding the half-empty wine bottle, swayed as she stood up, clearly looking like a drunkard.
Lin Feng noticed her pretty face was flushed, and her eyes were barely looking forward. He watched Najenda amusedly; General Najenda was truly adorable when she threw a drunken tantrum.
"It's all those damned ministers, ruining the Empire like this. Why doesn't heaven just strike them down…"
Najenda was truly drunk, cursing out everything she had kept bottled up in her heart. As she cursed, she took two more gulps from the bottle.
Seeing this, Lin Feng went to support her. If she kept drinking, she would become a "corpse" tonight, and there would be much less fun when he got down to business.
In a daze, Najenda wandered around the tent and suddenly embraced a warm body. For a moment, she couldn't control her emotions, immediately wrapping her arms around his waist, and resting her face on his shoulder.
At this moment, the "drunk" Esdeath also sobered up and asked teasingly.
"Is your goal tonight to take down Najenda?"