While other students had also launched wars during these days, the gap between them and Zhou Yan was simply too vast.
In all aspects, they were no match for Zhou Yan's soldiers. Furthermore, Zhou Yan had been recuperating for so long, while other countries experienced war daily, suffering heavy casualties and dwindling troop numbers.
Zhou Yan seized the opportunity, defeated them with his overwhelming strength, and then commenced a full-scale invasion.
As Zhou Yan's nation was situated more towards the center, this time Zhou Yan and Chen Qingzhi split their forces into two; one attacked from the west, the other from the east.
Chen Qingzhi departed from the east. Having made thorough preparations for crossing the river, they did not need to construct vessels on the spot.
As Chen Qingzhi began his river crossing, battles erupted on the eastern front.
Zhou Yan also assembled a vast army, numbering approximately fifty thousand men.
Fifty thousand soldiers, coupled with an abundance of superior equipment, presented an immense advantage. Each time they attacked a city, they achieved victory with overwhelming dominance.
City after city fell to Zhou Yan. He summoned soldiers in batches of two thousand, and then another two thousand, growing ever stronger, leaving others with no choice but to be swept aside by him.
After a month, only twenty-odd countries remained outside.
During this period, many nations found themselves caught in pincer attacks, or even attacks from three sides. There was no helping it. Although they had implemented numerous defensive measures, the sheer number of enemies led to their defeat.
They failed to overcome the disadvantage of being surrounded, and the inevitable outcome was their annihilation.
Warfare is also about seizing the initiative. Whoever first occupies advantageous terrain gains a greater edge. Many failed to properly utilize their geographical advantages, nor did they employ strategy to attack their opponents.
In recent days, observers watched the battles of various students. Some evoked pity, some left them speechless, and some were even roundly cursed. They had clearly secured advantageous positions, only to be defeated through their own blunders.
Of course, some also demonstrated their resourcefulness and were highly praised, but observers invariably found themselves comparing them to Zhou Yan.
Moreover, they all realized that no matter how capable these individuals were, they seemed to fall just a little short of Zhou Yan.
This highlights the significant disparity between practical application and theory. These students were top-tier scholars from Shenlong Nation, yet their performance varied greatly when faced with different battlefields and circumstances.
Zhou Yan's two-pronged offensive saw the eastern front become a one-sided affair, quickly eliminating the weaker students.
The twenty remaining countries were gradually devoured by the more powerful nations, eventually leading to their demise.
By the end, few countries remained. Among these, Zhou Yan undeniably held the largest territorial expanse, having conquered the lands of sixteen nations.
Apart from Zhou Yan, only six countries were left standing.
Two from Long Qing Academy, two from Bei Di Academy, and the remaining two were from Zi Wei Academy.
As for the students from Sheng Yang Academy, they had all been eliminated.
This left the teachers of Sheng Yang Academy with grim expressions, as their students had previously engaged in fierce internecine warfare, to the point where the teachers themselves could not bear to watch.
Others had only conquered the territories of a few countries; the gap between them and Zhou Yan was simply too immense.
The students who remained were naturally the strong ones. The two students from Long Qing Academy, Qin Yao and Feng Qingyang, had conquered the lands of five nations.
Qin Yao, despite her misfortune of facing numerous attacks, still retained control of two countries.
The two students from Bei Di Academy each controlled approximately three countries' territories.
Of the remaining eleven countries' territories, Ye Bufan had seized eight, and Zhuge Kaiming had taken two.
This clearly illustrates the disparity; the students from Zi Wei Academy held a significant advantage.
Qin Yao's combat prowess was formidable, but her luck had turned sour. She was currently facing attacks from two directions, initiated by students from Bei Di Academy.
However, at this very moment, the students from Bei Di Academy encountered Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan had already launched an assault on one of their cities.
The students from Bei Di Academy immediately withdrew from Qin Yao's territory and began to fall back. But Zhou Yan's strength was so overwhelming that the Bei Di Academy student was rendered utterly incapable of resistance, with every incoming force annihilated.
This left the opponent bewildered: who was this, with such overwhelming offensive power?
A few days later, the student from Bei Di Academy, who had resisted for so long, was also directly eliminated.
Qin Yao, seizing this opportunity, launched an attack on the other student from Bei Di Academy and vanquished him.
Thus, both students from Bei Di Academy were eliminated.
The entire competition space was now left with only participants from Zi Wei Academy and Long Qing Academy.
This seemed incredible, but battlefield situations were ever-changing.
On the eastern front, Chen Qingzhi's army also faced an offensive from Ye Bufan and Zhuge Kaiming, who attacked Chen Qingzhi together.
But Chen Qingzhi was no pushover. He engaged in a protracted struggle with them, utilizing various strategies in battles fought in the open wilderness.
The three factions engaged in a battle of wits and courage, captivating many observers.
Chen Qingzhi's forces were the largest. He initially intended to eliminate Ming Nation, where Zhuge Kaiming was based. However, Tang Nation, led by Ye Bufan, identified Zhou Nation as a formidable enemy. They abandoned their attack on Ming Nation and instead joined forces with Ming Nation to confront Zhou Nation.
The two sides had not negotiated a formal alliance; it was simply the most sensible course of action dictated by the circumstances.
Chen Qingzhi's army was substantial, numbering a full hundred thousand. The opposing forces comprised only about sixty thousand soldiers, a significant disparity.
For Chen Qingzhi to reach the enemy, he would have to traverse mountain paths, which were highly concealed and susceptible to ambush.
Chen Qingzhi, being exceptionally astute, knew that proceeding would undoubtedly lead to an ambush. Therefore, he devised a plan, leveraging the terrain for a stratagem.
The forces of Ming Nation and Tang Nation were not currently in conflict, nor were they allied. They each had their own plans, with the primary objective being the elimination of Zhou Nation's hundred thousand troops.
But Chen Qingzhi was not so easily defeated. Despite their cleverness, Chen Qingzhi was not foolish.
After making his arrangements, Chen Qingzhi began his march. Upon seeing Zhou Nation's army advancing along the road, Ye Bufan of Tang Nation immediately set up an ambush, intending to annihilate the Zhou Nation forces on the road.
As the Zhou Nation army entered the ambush zone, Ye Bufan launched his attack. A volley of arrows sent the Zhou Nation forces into disarray, breaking their formation.
"Pursue! Charge!" Ye Bufan intended to press his advantage, aiming to annihilate Zhou Nation's army. Little did he know, Ye Bufan had fallen into a trap. The approaching troops were not Zhou Nation's regular army but newly recruited forces.