Nearly 2000 Dragonlight Cavalrymen rushed out of White Rose Fortress in a cacophony of horse hooves. The sun was setting, and the dying rays reflected off our weapons and our armor made us look like snowlight from an elevated point of view. Everyone’s mount was surrounded by Dragon Soul Protection. I rode at the forefront of the party, surpassed only by the Phantom Wolf King.

The earth in front of White Rose Fortress shook. A sea of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls cavalry was pouring out of the right side of the fortress. Together, we formed a pincer that could potentially crush God’s Domain in one go if the latter chose to remain and fight. If we managed to take out this army, the battle would be more or less half-won.

I kept praying in my mind, "Fight us if you’re a man, Red Maple! Don’t disappoint me!"

Just like how Red Maple’s massacring Floating Ice City and tormenting the low-level players was a mark of shame to the entire China server, Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls’ dominating victory over God’s Domain in the WEL was a mark of eternal shame to Red Maple as well. We both had a compelling reason to hate one another and duke it out right here, and if Red Maple was Gui Guzi or Xu Yang, this battle would’ve happened for sure. He wasn’t though. In fact, if Red Maple chose to avoid this fight, then I would have to change my evaluation of him completely and treat him as a vicious, intelligent man who could endure a temporary setback for a greater, permanent victory!

……

It was at this moment Red Maple raised his sword and shouted, "Halt! Vanguard, you’re the rearguard! Rearguard, you’re now the vanguard! We will withdraw full speed into Frost Forest and stand by until further orders!"

The dust clouds slowly subsided. God’s Domain numbered three hundred thousand at least, but they had escaped before Xu Yang’s army and my army could pincer them. We could only stare at their backs with slack jaws as they vanished into Frost Forest as if they never existed.

After God’s Domain retreated, Xu Yang rode up to me and stared at the forest Red Maple had retreated into. He couldn’t stop himself from spitting on the ground and saying, "Pooh, Purple Grape City's number one guild my ass, the only thing they know how to do is to run like rats! Do they really deserve to be our opponent?"

I looked at the dissipating dust clouds and said solemnly, "Don’t underestimate them. An enemy who knows how to weigh the scales and not be blinded by a moment’s glory is the most terrifying opponent. Red Maple might even be scarier than Vienna’s Sorrow!"

Heaven’s Rain blinked once before asking, "Is Red Maple really that scary, big brother Lu Chen?"

I nodded affirmatively. "He is. First, he used the Northern Alliance and the two main cities of India to pull our eyes away from him. Then, he wiped out Floating Ice City with lightning speed. Now, he avoided a direct engagement most likely because he has another use for his forces. No matter how you look at it, Red Maple is not an opponent to be underestimated. Those who do will suffer greatly in his hands."

Xu Yang nodded. "I see. Well, boss did tell me to leave all the strategizing to you and just focus on managing the people and charging, so I’m going to do just that. What should we do now, Lu Chen?"

I looked at the two hundred thousand elite players Xu Yang had brought to my aid and smiled. "Let’s take these people into White Rose Fortress first. With these numbers, we should be able to hold White Rose Fortress without too much trouble. As for our next step, allow me some time to think."

"Got it!"

And so Xu Yang led the two hundred thousand strong army into White Rose Fortress and filled it to the brim. The good news was that this was virtual reality, and players didn’t need to build tents, prepare food, cut wood, feed their horses and so on like in real life, so we didn’t need even 10% the space real armies did. White Rose Fortress wasn’t big, but it could fit at least a million people without trouble.

After our army entered the fortress, I finally found some time to check out the NPCs. I was gladdened to find out that White Rose Fortress was a fairly neutral territory with equally neutral-aligned NPCs, meaning that the potion shop, repair shop, bread shop and more would happily trade with us. This meant that we wouldn’t have to worry about running out of supplies anytime soon.

Xu Yang met up with Gui Guzi on the eastern wall and looked toward the ground. Already, a sea of Purple Grape City players was gathered outside. Japan had a great economy and a massive amount of people who played Heavenblessed. According to the official forums, about 20% to 25% of the population of Japan played the game, meaning that Purple Grape City easily had over 30 million players!

Of course, that number was still much lower compared to a big country like India. India had a total population of 1.4 billion, and while their economy wasn’t as developed as Japan’s—resulting in only 5% of their population being able to get their hands on the game—that was still a whopping 70 million players. It was why they claimed on the forums that they had sent a total of 50 million players to attack Sky City. Personally, I thought that that number was suspect. If I were to factor quality into the equation, their forces were probably equal to a 20-million-strong army at best. Our forces at Black Coast wouldn’t have been able to hold out this long otherwise.

I stood on the eastern wall and stared at the Purple Grape City players below me. I didn’t say anything for a while.

"What are they waiting for, Boss Broken Halberd?" Gui Guzi asked.

"For their siege weapons, duh…" I replied with a frown.

Xu Yang clenched his fists tightly. "Are we just going to wait for them to attack us? Once their siege weapons arrive, White Rose Fortress will be turned into rubble. Without the walls, there’s no way we can hold out against an army ten times bigger than ours."

I nodded. "I know. That’s why our only chance to survive this is to hit them first. We must enter Purple Grape City’s domain and intercept the catapults and siege engines."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!" Gui Guzi said and tried to jump down the walls.

"Stop right there!" I rolled my eyes as I said this. "Don’t be so impatient. Now is not the time. Our numbers are inferior, and to succeed we need an army of a hundred thousand at least. Did you forget that Red Maple is lying in wait to our west, or that communication is instantaneous inside the game? The second we march out to intercept their siege weapons, Red Maple may attack the fortress and retake it. If that happens, it’ll truly be GG for all of us."

"What should we do then?" Smoke started pouring out of Gui Guzi’s ears.

I thought for a moment before saying, "We need a player who’s well versed in defensive warfare to guard White Rose Fortress for me. Only then can we enter Purple Grape City’s domain and intercept the enemy."

"Who’s good at playing defense?" Xu Yang thought for a moment. "Candlelight Shadow, Hot and Sour Noodles and Warsky?"

I laughed. "Good choices. Obviously, Candlelight Shadow won’t come to White Rose Fortress. He’s busy dealing with the Northern Alliance after all. As for Hot and Sour Noodles, I’ll need to check with him and see if he’s available. If possible, I’ll get him to bring Righteousness over as well. We desperately need any reinforcement we can get."

"Got it!"

I brought up my friend list and found that Hot and Sour Noodles was online. After I sent him a call request, Hot and Sour Noodles’ voice came through. He sounded a bit out of breath as he greeted me, "Haha, long time no see, Lu Chen!"

"Yeah. You’re fighting, uncle?"

"Mn. The Northern Alliance has dispatched small, mobile forces into Wind City’s domain, and we’re busy rooting them all out. Even now, they are mobilizing more people to fight us. This is looking like it’ll be a siege from all sides."

I pursed my lips and said, "Are you just going to let it happen, uncle?"

"What?"

"I’m talking about the Chaotic 27. Why didn’t you tell them to rein in the Northern Alliance?"

"Rein in, how? To begin with, why would they agree to do this?"

"Uncle, haven’t you heard of the term ruse de guerre? Contact your friend, Red Ovenbird, and tell him that we’re going to launch a retaliatory attack on Titan City and Hero City. Tell him to focus all their forces on Titan City while we’re keeping the rest of the Northern Alliance busy. The idea is that we are the anvil, and they are the hammer. Once the Northern Alliance’s hands are tied up, we’ll march our greatest forces out of White Rose Fortress and take out Purple Grape City in one go!"

I paused for a second before adding, "If the Indians are still attacking during this time, we’ll take out Cyan Earth City as well! These idiots will never stop unless we show them who’s boss!"

Hot and Sour Noodles smiled. "A bold strategy! I was worried that our men would lose hope in the face of so many enemies, but your return fills me with hope again! You’re right. If we must fight, then we may as well fight in a way that shows off our courage! I never liked being a coward anyway!"

I said, "Speaking of which, we need your help right now, uncle. Can you teleport to Sky City with Righteousness?"

"Why?"

"The military situation here is urgent. You should know that White Forse Fortress has been occupied, and Floating Ice City has succumbed to the enemy already. Millions of players are surrounded and slaughtered like lambs in Frost Forest right now. Although Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls, Blazing Hot Lips and The Monarch Descends have retaken White Rose Fortress, we don’t have the manpower to head out and hit back at our enemies. Red Maple and God’s Domain’s 100000-strong army is lying in wait to our west, and Purple Grape City’s reinforcements are gathering endlessly to our east. That is why we need you to reinforce White Rose Fortress right now!"

"Sure, I’ll send out the order right away!"

Hot and Sour Noodles agreed without hesitation before asking, "So, how do you plan to fight out this war, Lu Chen? I can feel that Red Maple is an incredibly intelligent opponent. Pure martial strength may not be enough to defeat a brainy guy like him."

"I know, I can tell you right now that Red Maple is playing a big game here. Don’t worry though, we’ll be his opponent and face him in a battle of wits!"

I hummed for a bit before continuing, "First, the teleportation formations of all three main cities must be defended at all costs. They are the lifelines of our supplies and reinforcements. Second, Daybreak City and Thunder City are two tier 2 cities under Sky City that need to be protected as well. You are the supreme commander of this Nation War, so I leave it in your hands to mobilize the guilds. As you’re aware, I can’t command the likes of Warsky Alliance, Gods of Destruction, Pop Culture and Sword Lord of Jianghu."

"Mn, I believe I understand your strategy now. You intend to trap Purple Grape City’s forces in Frost Forest, divide them, and conquer them one regiment at a time, am I right?"

"Yep."

"Very well, I’ll get it done right away!"

……

I hung up. Hot and Sour Noodles’ full cooperation assured me. At the very least, Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls wouldn’t be fighting alone.

Suddenly, Gui Guzi pointed to the far east and said, "They are coming. They are coming! Holy shit, that is one big ass catapult!"