Paul could no longer suppress the smile on his lips. He slammed his hand onto the table, his voice booming: "Good! That is settled!"

His gaze swept across everyone, and he regained his composure. "Everyone, get a good rest today. We break camp promptly at six tomorrow morning. Meeting adjourned."

Everyone rose one after another. General Rajput, accompanied by his two deputies, was the first to walk out of the large tent, his pace steady and unhurried.

Ruan Wenshao gave a slight nod to Lin Feng and followed him out.

Hamza walked over, patted Lin Feng on the shoulder, and said in a low voice, "See you tomorrow morning."

Lin Feng stood up and cupped his hands toward Paul: "City Lord Paul, farewell."

Paul nodded, a smile still playing on his lips: "Lord Lin, get some rest early tonight."

Lin Feng turned and walked out of the large tent, followed by Jiang Zhaoyue, Jiang Yelan, Su Yurou, Feng Qingyan, Deputy City Lord Liu Zhenshan, and the others, who filed out one after another.

The tent flap dropped. The light in the encampment was bright and warm; it was exactly midday.

Sunlight leaked through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the gray tents.

In the distance, the trumpeting of the White Elephant Country war elephants came from the north side of the camp, deep and resonant.

Soldiers sat in small groups on the open ground in front of the tents. Some were cleaning their weapons, some were eating dry rations, and others were talking in low voices; no one was making any loud noise.

Lin Feng stood at the entrance of the large tent and took a deep breath.

A Russia soldier trotted over, placing his right fist against his chest: "Lin, Lord Lin, please come this way. Your tent is already prepared."

He gestured toward the east side of the camp. Lin Feng nodded and led the others to follow him.

The tent was not large, but it was clean and tidy. The floor was covered with hay and felt rugs, and a few oil lamps hung from the tent poles, their orange light bathing the tent in warmth.

On a table made of several wooden crates, there was a pot of hot water and a few pottery bowls.

Lin Feng sat in the main seat and leaned his Wildfire Spear against his side.

Jiang Zhaoyue, Jiang Yelan, Zhao Hu, Su Yurou, and Feng Qingyan sat on either side.

Deputy City Lord Liu Zhenshan took Counselor Ling Fei and Counselor Han Cong to the tent next door.

Feng Qingyan gathered her robes and sat on the felt rug. She tilted her head to look at Lin Feng, her eyes bright and clear: "Lord Lin, will you be facing that Death Lord or the Bone Dragon King tomorrow? They are level forty! Are you confident?"

Lin Feng picked up a pottery bowl and took a sip of hot water, his tone indifferent: "Killing them is hard to say, but holding them off shouldn't be a problem."

Feng Qingyan leaned forward, her eyes brightening even more: "That is still very impressive! A level forty Rare Boss—if it were me, I'd probably be done for in a single exchange. Lord Lin, you being able to hold it off—looking across the entire South Pole Region, there aren't many who could do that, right?"

Jiang Zhaoyue leaned back in her chair, her gaze falling on Lin Feng, and asked softly: "Lord Lin, do we need to simulate tomorrow's tactics again?"

Lin Feng shook his head: "No need, we will follow Paul's plan."

He paused, "Russia and White Elephant Country are both major powers. Their generals have likely already simulated this many times. We just need to play our part well."

...

The next morning, as the horizon just began to turn a pale, fish-belly white, the camp was already bustling.

The cooks had started fires to cook before dawn. Rice porridge in large pots bubbled away, steamer baskets billowed with white steam, and the aroma of flatbreads mixed with the smoke of campfires permeated the camp.

Soldiers crawled out of their tents, yawning as they lined up for food. Some squatted on the ground drinking porridge, some leaned against wooden posts gnawing on flatbreads, and some were clanking away as they checked their weapons and armor plates.

Lin Feng was awakened by the commotion outside. He opened his eyes and sat up from his cot.

Outside the tent, the sky was not yet fully bright, and the flame of the oil lamp flickered slightly in the morning breeze.

He rubbed his eyes, walked to the table made of wooden crates, and fished out a piece of dry ration and a packet of tea leaves from his bundle.

The hot water was ready; a Russia soldier had brought over a copper kettle before dawn, and it was still steaming.

He tossed the tea leaves into a pottery bowl, poured the hot water over them, and a faint herbal fragrance slowly spread.

The dry ration was military food made by Li Gui; it was as hard as a brick, and a single bite had to be held in the mouth for a long time before it could be swallowed.

He ate the dry ration and sipped the tea, unhurried and calm.

The tent flap lifted, and Zhao Hu strode in, placing his right fist against his chest, his voice steady: "Lord, the troops have finished assembling. Eight thousand Great Qin Elite Soldiers are all lined up in formation outside the north gate of the camp."

Lin Feng nodded, drank the last of the hot water in his bowl, set the tea bowl down, picked up his Wildfire Spear, and stood up: "Let's go."

The moment the tent flap opened, the morning light rushed to meet him.

The camp was filled with soldiers ready to depart. Eight thousand Great Qin Elite Soldiers were arranged in eight phalanxes, standing silently outside the camp gate.

The Yellow Turban Army and Yellow Turban Strongmen of Zhenyue City stood on the right flank, their yellow headscarves fluttering gently in the morning breeze.

In the distance, the war elephant herd of the White Elephant Country was emerging from the north side of the camp. A hundred white elephants were arranged in three columns, their trunks swinging as they emitted low, deep trumpeting sounds.

The Russia ice-giant-axe heavy infantry were ready to go, the blades of their axes gleaming coldly in the morning light.

Lin Feng pushed off with his feet, his body soaring into the air. When he reached a hundred meters, a figure appeared on both his left and right sides, following him up.

Jiang Zhaoyue and Jiang Yelan, one in silver-blue battle armor and the other in black leather armor, flanked him on the left and right. The three of them hovered in the air in a triangular formation.

"Morning," Lin Feng greeted the two of them.

Jiang Zhaoyue gave a slight nod, and Jiang Yelan also nodded in response.

Lin Feng's gaze swept over the fifty-thousand-strong Army Formation on the ground, from the white elephants at the very front to the Great Qin Elite Soldiers at the very back, from the left flank to the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) right.

Then he turned his head and looked to the north: "Let's go, let's meet up with Paul and the others."

The three flew northward. In the sky ahead, several figures were already hovering.

Deputy City Lord Liu Zhenshan, Counselor Ling Fei, Counselor Han Cong, and Hamza stood side by side. Seeing Lin Feng fly over, Deputy City Lord Liu Zhenshan nodded at him.

Paul flew in from the north, a short-handled battle axe hanging at his waist, with Ivan following behind him.

Four experts from White Elephant Country and Annan Country flew in from the east.

The twelve of them hovered at a hundred meters in the air, facing north.

The wind blew from the north, carrying a faint stench from the direction of Thang Long City.

Paul checked the time and said in a steady voice: "Let's move out."

The twelve of them flew north in unison, and the Army Formation on the ground began to move, the earth trembling beneath their feet.

The sound of war elephant bells, the footsteps of heavy infantry, the hoofbeats of cavalry, and the creaking of chariot axles all mixed together.

More than an hour later, the sun had risen to mid-sky, and the troops stopped at the designated location, ten li away from the main battlefield.

The twelve of them hovered four hundred meters in the air, overlooking that gray-white battlefield to the north.

The outline of Thang Long City was faintly visible on the horizon, its grayish-black walls gleaming with a dull light under the sun. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

On the city walls, the figures of the defenders moved between the battlements; arrows rained down, and rolling logs and stones poured down from the city walls.

Below the city walls, a sea of skeletons surged like a tide, their gray-white bones gleaming with a ghastly pale luster in the sun, crashing against the walls layer by layer like countless ants gnawing on a giant bone.