As dusk approached, Sun Wu ordered his men to set up camp. He did not immediately order an attack, but instead instructed them to be vigilant and prevent any outsiders from approaching.
"Marshal, when do we strike?" King Qin Guang asked Sun Wu. He had already been informed that they, as the vanguard, would be the first to engage in battle.
"No rush. Your strength can be better unleashed when it's darker. It's only six o'clock; we'll wait until at least seven."
Sun Wu checked the time. Everything in their surroundings was within their observation range. Any movement would not escape their notice.
"Seven o'clock, alright." King Qin Guang could only wait. His ghost soldiers and generals were all clamoring to kill.
By seven o'clock, the entire sky had darkened. Sun Wu and Guo Jia exchanged glances, both believing the time was right.
"King Qin Guang, receive my order. You are commanded to lead your contingent to attack the enemy's east gate!" Sun Wu declared.
"Yes, Marshal!" Upon receiving the order, King Qin Guang immediately summoned his ghostly soldiers and generals and launched an assault on the enemy.
Following Sun Wu's command, King Qin Guang had his ghost soldiers release a miasma of yin energy, shrouding the enemy's entire territory. They concealed themselves within the mist and attacked the enemy's stronghold.
Long Fang's territory, with its lord dead, had become ownerless.
However, Long Fang's territory was not solely populated by soldiers summoned by Long Fang himself. Although the soldiers showed signs of unrest, under the leadership and suppression of these generals, they were quickly pacified.
Everything proceeded as Sun Wu and Guo Jia had predicted; they were indeed waiting for the Long family to take over the territory.
"It's getting foggy!"
"Will it rain?"
"Who knows."
The soldiers on the city wall saw the fog and thought nothing of it, assuming it was just a normal change in weather.
Some soldiers glanced outside the city walls and found everything to be normal, so they paid it no further mind.
"Ah!" A soldier suddenly screamed, drawing the attention of the others.
"What's happening, what's happening?"
"The rat I was just talking to is gone!"
"Gone? Could that kid have fallen off the city wall?"
"How is that possible? He was just talking to me fine."
"I think this fog is not right. It's getting thicker and thicker. I can't even see the path."
"Ah! Ah!"
An increasing number of soldiers vanishing suddenly made the enemies on the city wall finally realize something was wrong.
"What is this?"
"Help!"
"Whose hair is this!"
"Oh my god! Ghosts!"
Long-haired ghosts in the sky hung soldiers one by one. The soldiers on the city wall were quickly cleared out.
Following this, many ghosts emerged from the ground within the city: buried ghosts, earth-burrowing ghosts, hole-drilling ghosts, and tomb-robbing ghosts. They dragged individual soldiers into the earth and killed them.
Outside the city, countless vengeful spirits charged into the city furiously.
Countless vengeful spirits climbed over the city walls and began a slaughter of the soldiers within.
One vengeful spirit charged towards a defensive tower, intending to destroy it.
"Bang!"
But the vengeful spirit was sent flying by a hammer blow.
A ghost general cursed, "Who told you to destroy the buildings? These are all the territory's assets! You cannot damage our territory's public property!"
Cherishing property is the responsibility of every ghost.
...
Sun Wu soon received news from King Qin Guang: "Marshal, the east gate has been opened by us!"
"Well done!" Sun Wu smiled with satisfaction.
Following this, Sun Wu transmitted messages to Xie Xuan, Wei Qing, Qin Qiong, Yuan Chonghuan, and Aimeila: "Launch the general assault!"
Upon hearing the order, the many generals immediately led their subordinate soldiers and charged into the territory.
"Charge!"
"Follow me and kill!"
"Charge!"
The earth trembled, and a rumbling sound echoed. Ten thousand demons and a thousand armies charged into the territory.
On the other side, within the enemy territory, a general heard a soldier report: "General, the east gate is under attack, and the city gate has been opened!"
"What! What were you guys eating? So many of you and they still opened the city gate!" the general roared in anger.
"General, the enemies are all within the mist, and those enemies are not human at all, but a group of vengeful spirits, a group of ghosts. They float from the sky, emerge from the ground, climb walls, and even eat people. The soldiers simply cannot hold them back!" the soldier hastily explained.
"Aren't they just a group of ghostly enemies? We've seen them before. Quickly gather those soldiers and have them lead the charge." the general ordered.
"General, why don't we send the mage legion? Otherwise, it will be a great disadvantage against these ghost soldiers," a military officer suggested.
"No, those soldiers are not stable yet. To prevent them from holding us back, let them take the lead. Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy. Then, arrange for the mage legion to attack the ghost soldiers from behind, and dispatch other soldiers to protect the mages." the general hastily ordered.
"Yes." the military officer quickly replied.
"Report! General, this is bad! The enemy's main army is advancing, and the east gate has fallen!" another soldier reported.
"How can this be? It's only been a short while, and the enemy's main army has already broken through!" the general exclaimed. "Quickly gather soldiers with me to block the enemy."
...
Sun Wu and Guo Jia, leading the great army, charged into the enemy territory.
Their speed was astonishing, and their strength was immense.
Ghost soldiers and demon soldiers possessed great mobility in such close-quarters urban combat. They moved nimbly and swiftly, weaving through buildings and killing enemies one by one.
Sun Wu's group divided into three armies to attack the enemy: one attacked the southern flank, another the northern flank, and the third drove straight towards the center.
The three armies each encountered enemy reinforcements.
The central army, in particular, faced more enemies. These enemies were numerous, but they were facing Yuan Chonghuan's [Guan Ning Iron Cavalry]. This army was not only cavalry but also the only unit in the territory equipped with firearms.
Facing the enemy's relentless onslaught, Yuan Chonghuan ordered the front ranks to dismount. The first few rows crouched and fired, the rows behind them half-crouched and fired, the rows further back stood and fired, and the last soldiers fired from their mounts.
"Bang bang bang!!!"
Countless bullets were fired at the enemy. These weapons had been specially selected by Yuan Chonghuan; they were not only powerful and long-ranged but also possessed a high rate of fire.
The enemy had no formation to speak of, nor had they deployed any defensive equipment, not even shields. They had been rushed into battle.
Facing such terrifying and dense volleys, the enemy naturally fell in droves.