Chapter 554 - Epilogueception (8) (300 Years East-West War Part 3)
Chapter 554 – Epilogueception (8) (300 Years East-West War Part 3)
= Wu Han, Wei Han, and Roman =
Sun Quan and his subordinates' status rose after Sun Shangxiang wedded Tong. Although it caused a scandal that Tong married both Wu Guotai and Sun Shangxiang, mother and daughter, no one dared to use it to revolt against the royal family.
Sun Quan and his men were assigned to govern his former territories, the former Wu Kingdom. Sun Quan was delighted to reclaim his favorite home ground, Jianye City, Yang Province, and Jing Province.
Just like others, Sun Quan, Huang Gai, and Lu Meng upgraded their cultivation base to 10 wings, while Lu Xun, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang reached the 8-wing tier.
Taishi Ci and Gan Ning also got to 10 wings during the pre-East-West War period. Tong also transferred them to Sun Quan, so these Wu officers could enjoy their job and social life.
Latter generation officers, such as Zhu Ran and Xu Cheng, also joined them in the latter years. They had no problem obtaining 8 wings as well.
When the war took place, Guo Jia advised Tong to use the system authority to eliminate Severus. However, Tong was against it as it would sow bad karma, and it would hinder him from getting his 11th and 12th wing.
Sun Shangxiang also wanted to create modern jets, tanks, and aircraft carriers using his system authority. Yet, Tong strangely disagreed.
Tong's action was suspicious to everyone, but he only said that he couldn't reveal it yet. He would tell everyone when the time was right as it related to his administrator position.
Tong ordered Diaochan, Dong Bai, Sun Shangxiang, Zhang Min, Zhang Ying, Li Feihong, and other sons and daughters of Tong that had more than 8 wings not to participate in this conflict to prevent sowing bad karma. However, Sun Shangxiang disapproved. She insisted on helping other officers.
Without a choice, Tong sent Sun Shangxiang to Sun Quan's Wu Han Legion.
Guo Jia immediately came up with a plan. He deployed Zhang Liao and Lu Bu to defend the north. Shu Han Legion was sent to India. Pu Jing and Wei Han Legion were tasked to detour north of the Caspian Sea, digging deep into the country Scythians, located in the territories of modern West-Kazakhstan, Southwest Russia, and Eastern Ukraine.
It was a risky move since Wei Han had to spearhead into neutral countries. Many officers disapproved of Wei Han's deployment.
However, Pu Jing explained why Guo Jia suggested it. He revealed that it was his idea, which was inspired by Adolf Hitler's famous Blitzkrieg Tactic.
Since Severus allied with Sassanian and Kushan, they wouldn't have thought that Tong would dare to create more enemies by attacking neutral country states, so they wouldn't defend their borders against these territories.
Thus, their borders next to these countries were vulnerable. It would be a perfect opportunity to deal with a massive blow to the Roman when their attention was in northern China.
Everyone admired Pu Jing's insight. Tong gave Wei Han officers a few system skills, so they could self-sustain during this difficult campaign.
[Create Food], [Weapon Creation], [Explosive Creation], and [Inventory] were given to Cao Mengde, the reincarnation of Cao Cao, who was the grand commander of Wei Han. Elite officers, such as Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Xiu, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Ba, Xu Chu, and Dian Wei also received the same skills.
However, Guo Jia wasn't satisfied with just that. He wanted Wu Han to sail half of the world, going through China Sea, passing through Malacca Strait, crossing Bay of Bengal, Laccadive Sea, and the Arabian Sea toward the Red Sea.
Wu Han Legion had the freedom to land on Africa Continent, entering the Mediterranean Sea, or attacking Roman in Egypt directly. The choice was up to Sun Quan and Lu Xun.
Because of such a long and arduous journey, Tong gave the same system skills to Wu Han officers as well.
Such a grand voyage excited Sun Quan and his men. Even other generals envied Wu Han's soldiers.
However, Zhuge Liang and Xu Huang protested as they wanted those skills as well. Without a choice, Tong ended up giving every participating officers the skills.
All troops dispatched at the same time, but Zhang Liao and Lu Bu encountered Severus Army first.
Shu Han ran into Sassanian Emperor and his prince later on, and Wei Han made a contact with the Scythian.
Xu Huang's Silver Axe tagged along with Wei Han Legion. The heavy gunman cavalry of Xu Huang surprised the native and left carnage on the path they took.
When they got through the Scythian's territories, Jia Xu devised a sick plan.
He sent Zhang He to Rhine Region, where Burgundians, ancient Germans, settled in this area. His objective was to lay waste and pillage northwest Roman Empire, which was modern France and England. As for Xu Huang, Jia Xu sent the Silver Axe northeast, flanking Severus Army, which was still fighting against Lu Bu and Zhang Liao.
As for the rest, Pu Jing and Wei Han beelined toward Rome in Italy.
Zhang He allied with the local tribes and attacked the Roman Empire together with their help. He surprised the local defenders and ransacked various cities in Western Europe and the British Isles.
The garrisoning roman soldiers retaliated against Zhang He's surprise attacks, but Zhang He used his cultivation advantage to hide his army's presence and annihilated Roman battalions with 20 10-wing generals, crippled Severus' backup armies.
While Hannibal was contenting against Zhang Liao's counterattack, he noticed the arrival of Xu Huang's Silver Axe unit. He asked Severus to retreat despite having a bit of setback against the boogeyman general.
Quintus Anicius Faustus, the elite general of Severus, repelled Zhang Liao and led his emperor in an escape. Their remaining forces boldly sailed along the coasts of the Kara Sea, Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, North Sea, and landed on England's shore, which ultimately avoided Xu Huang's pursue.
The arrival of Hannibal's fleet surprised Zhang He, who was pillaging in this area.
Xun You, the adviser of the Ghost Legion, suggested that they should avoid a direct confrontation with Severus' main forces and focused on guerrilla warfare.
Zhang He agreed and hid his troops again.
It was a mistake. As Hannibal learned about Zhang He's deeds in the area, he summoned all backup and scattered troops from Western Europe to gather in Londinium, a great roman fort in London.
Severus and Anicius Faustus proceeded to cut off all port access, bought shipbuilders and fishermen, and migrated all craftsmen away, which isolated Zhang He's Ghost Legion, who was still hiding in the British Isles.
Hannibal then used Severus as a bait to draw Zhang He out in the open. He disguised his emperor as a general and led a small searching party of 1,000 men.
Zhang He bit the bait. Hannibal ambushed him and his force with elite cultivators with 6 wings and 8 wings.
Zhang He might have been terrified as the ghost of battlefields, but he and his vice generals were killed by Severus and Hannibal.
Still, the casualties of back-to-back battles against Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, and Zhang He crippled Roman's military might. Severus even coughed blood when he learned about the death of his elites.
After the battle in the British Isles, Hannibal suggested that they should recruit barbarian tribes and give them Roman citizenship.
Anicius Faustus disagreed immediately as it went against Roman's principle, which only native Romans were the superior to the nomadic tribes, aka the German People of ancient times. They didn't need to lower themselves to ask beggars for a favor.
Surprisingly, Severus accepted Hannibal's suggestion and employed all local tribesmen to fill his ranks.
A few months after the death of Zhang He, Xu Huang, who had failed to keep Hannibal and Severus in check, pursued after their trails and found Severus' main forces near Colonia Agrippinensium in the modern world Germany.
During the same month, Pu Jing and Wei Han Legion already burnt Rome to the ground and destroyed Roman's pride heartland.
Using the intel that the Wei Han unit was doing, Xu Huang didn't engage against Severus and Hannibal.
Xu Huang returned the favor with a similar trick. He blockaded Severus Army from marching south toward Rome. Xun Yu, the strategist of Silver Axe Legion, intentionally leaked the news of Rome's destruction to the western emperor.
Anicius Faustus flew into a rage and wanted to challenge Xu Huang Army.
However, Severus and Hannibal didn't lose their cool. Both of them had the same idea that Rome was a lost cause since the Han Dynasty came prepared.
Severus wanted to regroup the Romans in Burdigala, aka Bordeaux, but Hannibal insisted that Constantinople had better strategic advantage points that could defend any invader, as long as they never invited them in.
The emperor didn't listen to Hannibal this time. He force-marched southwest to Burdigala and avoided confrontation with Xu Huang.
When they almost arrived, Xun Yu intentionally leaked more intel to Severus again. He told them the fact that Sun Quan and Sun Shangxiang's Wu Han had landed on Africa Continent, and allied with the African tribes, promising them about freedom and liberty.
African people grew up living as slaves for the Egyptians and the Romans. Upon hearing that they could live free, they joined forces with Sun Quan.
While Severus was busy with Zhang He, Sun Quan and Sun Shangxiang annexed Egypt, Alexandria, and got access to the Mediterranean Sea. Their fleets were ready to storm any city of the Roman, which concentrated around this water.
Severus was distressed. He changed his mind and accepted Hannibal's advice.
However, Hannibal advised Severus to rest in Burdigala and recuperate from their losses. Otherwise, their entire army might perish.
Severus questioned Hannibal's words since the latter flipped their tongue.
Hannibal explained that it was Xun Yu's ploy that he wanted them to move around and wore down their psyche. Once they were mentally exhausted, Xu Huang would strike, and that would be their end.
Severus had a scare and believed in Hannibal.
It was just like Hannibal had predicted. Xu Huang had already set up ambush and traps on the way toward Constantinople.
Xu Huang discovered later that their ploy had been found. He changed his battle policy and began recruiting nomadic tribes, who were hostile against the Romans.
The Silver Axe Legion ignored Severus Army and plundered nearby roman settlements, which crippled Roman's economy forever.
Cao Mengde and Pu Jing also coordinated with Xu Huang's movements. They marched along the Mediterranean shoreline and plundered every city they found. At the same time, they pressured Severus to migrate from the Bordeaux area, or they would be cornered in Western Europe.
Severus and Hannibal saw that Xu Huang and Wei Han attempted to corner them. Although they had enough strength to fight back, they gathered their able troops and flew to Constantinople. As for the rest of the weak cultivators, Severus ordered them to retreat on foot.
Of course, all of them never reached Constantinople because of a certain girl.
Wu Han also splitted their forces into two units. Sun Shangxiang led 20,000 men west. She annexed towns along the southwestern Mediterranean shoreline.
Unlike others, Sun Shangxiang was more merciful to the local Romans. She even taught roman scholars about medicines and cured many deadly diseases for the townspeople.
Sun Shangxiang Army ended up being called, the Saint Army. Some local men even mistook her as an apostle of Hestia, the Goddess of Health.
As such, Sun Shangxiang's journey was peaceful as native Romans opened their city gates to surrender to her and treated her as a goddess. Sun Shangxiang ended up pilgrimaging from Libya to Spain, and from Spain to France. However, she stopped after realizing that she was supposed to destroy the Romans.
Sun Shangxiang deserted the troops and returned to Ye by flight afterward. As for the rest of the men, they either flew home or sail from West Europe to China Sea.
But the seed had been planted. Many Romans admired Sun Shangxiang and accepted her as one of their goddesses. Many troops who were supposed to regroup with Severus switched sides and joined the cult, living in the west roman forever.
As for Sun Quan Army, they fought a long difficult campaign east against Severus and Hannibal, who flew to the eastern roman area to support the local troops. They eventually came to a stop at Constantinople.
By the time that they got to Syria, Zhuge Liang already got into a prolonged-war with the Sassanid Empire. Severus tried to ask for their help, but they were too busy getting trolled by the turtle Shu Han.