Chapter 583: Chapter 583. Seizing the Initiative
On the fourth day since Echos’ army took Surly Gate Town, Amon stood on a grand plaza beside the factory. He observed military training on the plaza. Thousands of soldiers were present. They were divided into two groups.
In one group, soldiers lined up in tens. The first in each line received a rifle and was instructed to fire several times at a distant target. An officer marked the results, then the rifles moved to the next soldier in line.
In the second group, each soldier held a rifle. They performed rigorous shooting exercises from different positions and distances.
The first group was meant to select soldiers with a talent for shooting accuracy. The second group was designed to train the selected soldiers and increase their proficiency in using the rifles. They were all Human Realm soldiers. Amon didn’t want to waste the rifles on soldiers with high cultivation levels. These weapons were meant to bridge the gap between cultivation levels.
Zhong Yuan came out of the factory and joined him in watching the training.
"Since you come out here, does it mean you have hit the required quota?" Amon asked.
"Damnit! Am I not allowed to take a rest?" Zhong Yuan complained.
"You can rest once you hit the quota," Amon replied.
Zhong Yuan sighed and shook his head. "For goodness’ sake, you will get your four thousand rifles by the end of the day!"
"Make sure of that. We will be putting them to real use soon."
"How soon?" Zhong Yuan asked.
"That is a need-to-know basis," Amon replied.
"Tch! And here I thought you had already trusted me."
"How is the production of the blackstone bullets going?" Amon asked.
"Xia Lugong said we have around two hundred thousand ready for use," Zhong Yuan answered. "Are those people using normal iron bullets for the training?"
"They are. We will only use blackstone bullets in real combat," Amon said. "I think you have had enough rest already."
"Okay, okay. I’m going back to work now, geez...!"
Amon continued to watch the soldiers practice after Zhong Yuan returned to the factory. Not long after, Xin Wuming came. He told Amon, "Brother, we have received a transmission from the scouts."
Four days ago, after they occupied Surly Gate Town, Amon dispatched twenty scouts with good movement arts in all directions. Their mission was to look for Khode’s army heading toward Surly Gate Town. Each of these scouts was provided with message talismans to report their findings.
"Have they found the enemy reinforcement?" Amon asked.
Xin Wuming nodded. "They have. A large army, around fifty thousand strong, is coming here from the North. Estimating their marching speed and their distance from here, they should arrive in three days."
"Hm... Slightly earlier than I expected, but still within an acceptable margin," Amon remarked. "In that case, prepare the troops."
"Are we attacking the enemy soon?" Xin Wuming asked.
"Tomorrow morning," Amon answered. "We can’t let the enemy’s two armies have the chance to work together. We must defeat one before this reinforcement from the North arrives. We have made enough preparation. We should be able to achieve victory against the enemy outside."
"I will go and notify the others," Xin Wuming said.
"Make the preparation, but do it quietly," Amon warned. "Move the troops one company at a time as if we are performing patrols. Hide the prisoners inside the company. There might be people inside this town who are in contact with the enemy outside. We can’t let them know our intention."
"I understand," Xin Wuming said.
Later that night, Amon met with all the higher-ups of his army to discuss their assault plan. Their discussion lasted until midnight, before Amon sent them away and told them to rest.
The next morning, before the sun rose, everyone was ready. The main gate was opened, and the First Demon Army rushed out.
*
The alarm sounded all over Khode’s Army camp once the sentries saw the enemy army marching out of Surly Gate Town. Everyone hurriedly gathered and prepared to fight. The energy barrier around the camp was activated, and the Yuanxu Cannons were aimed toward the incoming enemy.
They were about to fire the cannons when the sentries suddenly told them to hold fire.
"What’s the matter?" Xuang Feng asked the sentry. He rushed toward the front line once the alarm sounded. "Why did you stop them from firing the cannons?"
One of the sentries pointed at the incoming enemy, "General, the enemy... Look at them."
Xuang Feng looked and understood. The incoming enemies were wearing equipment he was familiar with. The equipment was the helmet-backpack contraption that was also the receiver module for the Mental Regulator.
"They... They have our Mental Regulator...?" Xuang Feng asked in consternation. He thought that during the battle in Bright Rock City, when they lost control of the human puppets, the enemy had destroyed the device. It turned out it was stolen instead. He didn’t understand how the enemy could shut the device down so swiftly without destroying it.
Xuang Chao, who followed his uncle, also couldn’t wrap his head around the fact. "How did they learn how to use it? Could they force one of the tech specialists inside Surly Gate Town to use it?"
"No. The Mental Regulator is a secret tech. Common tech specialists have no knowledge of them, and certainly not ones stationed inside a remote settlement like Surly Gate Town. Whatever method they use, we can investigate it later. We must focus on the enemies at hand."
He gave the order to the soldiers who manned the Yuanxu Cannons, "They are using our citizens as meat shields. Aim the cannons upward! Have the elemental balls fly over the controlled citizens. The barrier will stop those citizens. We hit the enemies behind them."
The soldiers immediately carried out his order. The elemental balls were already loaded. They used the explosive talisman and fired the cannons. The elemental balls shot high into the air.
Because the balls were shot high into the air, they slowed when they reached the highest point. At this time, fifteen people shot high into the air, toward where the balls were located. Each used ranged art and hit the balls, causing them to explode and release their effects in the air without harming the army below.
"They have expected our move!" Xuang Feng gritted his teeth. "Load the elemental balls again. Aim it lower this time!"
While he was giving the order, another development occurred. Commotions were heard nearby. The commotions were caused by their battle puppets that suddenly malfunctioned. Three such battle puppets struck the barrier rods they were standing close to. As a result, a large hole was created in the barrier. This hole directly faced the incoming Echos’ army.
This hole appeared right before the human puppets arrived. Hence, they continued to charge into Khode’s camp without obstruction. Khode’s soldiers, who expected the barrier to stop the human puppets, were taken by surprise when the mind-controlled mob descended on them. Only Khode battle puppets could react to this unexpected clash.
Behind the human puppets followed Echos’ battle puppets. Echos’ soldiers were at the rear. They charged into the hole following the human and battle puppets. The human and battle puppets clashed directly with Khode opponents, while Echos’ soldiers charged toward the other nearby barrier rods.
"Fuck! Why did our battle puppets destroy our barrier rods?!" Xuang Chao asked in confusion. He was about to advance to face the Echos Army that poured into their camp, but Xuang Feng pulled him back.
"Watch out!" Xuang Feng said.
Xuang Chao was at first confused, but then he saw the Khode Soldiers in front of him split into two.
"You again," Xuang Feng said. Approaching them was Yong Baili.
Xuang Feng activated a talisman in his hand. Densely stacked bamboo sprouted from the ground. They formed a wall that blocked the hole in the barrier, preventing more enemies from entering.
The bamboo wall didn’t last long, though. Two explosions erupted on the wall. One explosion formed a swirling torrent of fierce flames while the other formed a cacophony of sharp metals that shredded everything within its blast range.
"They are attacks from Yuanxu Cannons," Xuang Feng said.
The bamboo wall was gone, allowing Echos’ army to enter again. In the distance, Xuang Feng saw four Yuanxu Cannons on large wagons. The wagons, however, were different than their usual design.
The usual wagon had four wheels. This one had eight wheels, four on each side. The four wheels were linked by a continuous band of tracked plates, forming tracked treads.
Amon designed these wagons based on the tanks from his previous life. This design allowed the wagon to distribute the heavy weight of the Yuanxu Cannons on a large surface area. This allowed even the heaviest vehicle to move easily. With this mobility, the Echos Army managed to bring the Yuanxu Cannons into the firing range before Khode’s army noticed them.
Xuang Feng was flabbergasted. In this first clash with the Echos invaders, the enemy had seized all the initiative.