Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

"Great King, King City has fallen, already in the hands of the enemy!"

The Hu Clan soldier lay prone on the ground, speaking with an unstable breath.

He was the first to run with the news, but certainly not the last.

Wu Tuo, upon hearing this, felt his head buzzing, "How could this happen? How could this happen?"

He plopped down onto the bear-skin covered chair, feeling dizzy and his heart painfully constricting.

King City is gone?

This was an outcome he had never anticipated.

The troops from Beiyuan Town to the south couldn't possibly come from the north, and the eastern Chongshan Town was blocked by Menghe Mountain; even if there were enemies deep within the Royal Court, they shouldn't pose a threat to King City.

The military forces from Longbei Town in the west were weak, and if the Wuliang Hu Clan didn't attack them, it would already be their good fortune.

He had made precautions against any possible enemies around him, and yet the result was the fall of King City.

He didn't know that Yang Zhenshan was the one who launched a surprise attack on King City, but he was very clear that once his King City was breached, it would cease to exist.

"Great King, let's retreat!" Agoucher said somewhat anxiously.

His family was in King City, not just his family, the relatives of most of the military commanders were in King City.

If King City was doomed, then their families…

Wu Tuo abruptly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot as he sternly looked at the generals in the tent, "No, we can't retreat, we're about to breach Linguan Castle!"

"King City will be fine, the State Preceptor is still in King City, with the State Preceptor defending King City, it will definitely be safe!"

Wu Tuo didn't want to give up, he had been sieging Linyuan City for nearly a month now, the breach was imminent, asking him to retreat now was like abandoning all his efforts just short of success.

"Great King, please reconsider!"

Agoucher and several other generals urged him.

"Shut up, continue the siege, we must take down Linyuan City tomorrow!"

He grabbed Agoucher's armor, his voice hoarse and frantic, shouting like a madman: "Retreating now would mean utter failure, we cannot retreat, we absolutely cannot retreat! Understand?"

Although he had fallen into madness, his mind was still very clear.

Not one bit of merit had been established in this battle!

They have been stuck outside Linyuan City, with an army of 120,000 having wasted more than a month's time, and they hadn't even taken down a single fortress!

What about the other tribes?

They were dispersed around Beiyuan Town, conquering cities and territories rapidly, having already broken through Beiyuan Town, some tribes even entering Longyuan.

They looted a great amount of wealth, at the time of the greatest harvest.

Compared to them, Wuliang Tribe not only had no gains but also suffered losses of soldiers outside Linyuan City, and worse yet, they lost their King City.

Wu Tuo could imagine if he retreated now, his prestige at the Wuliang Royal Court would plummet to the bottom, and the tribes would definitely become restless.

Only by taking down Linyuan City could he preserve some of his prestige and have some deterrence over those tribes.

Otherwise, there would certainly be rebellion within the Wuliang Hu Clan.

Wu Tuo had only subdued the various tribes a few years ago, and he knew very well the intentions of those Vassal Kings.

The stronger the Wuliang Tribe was, the more loyal these Vassal Kings were, but once Wuliang Tribe showed the slightest weakness, those Vassal Kings would become the greatest threat to the Wuliang Tribe.

Agoucher watched Wu Tuo in a daze, as he was Wu Tuo's trusted aide and general, holding no small prestige and strength in the Wuliang Tribe, but lacking Wu Tuo's cunning and strategy.

"Great King, we—"

Wu Tuo let go of Agoucher's hand, his eyes slightly closed, slumping back into his chair.

"Once we retreat, the Alaman Tribe and the Huiba Tribe will surely revolt, we can retreat, but we must take down Linyuan City first, only then can we return with a great victory!"

His voice was weak, as if his previous roaring had drained all his strength.

Agoucher took a deep breath, knelt down and said, "Great King, I shall personally lead the elite troops to attack the city tomorrow!"

He too had come to understand.

Wu Tuo nodded weakly, "Good, very good! Tomorrow you all go to battle, we will not cease until we have taken down Linyuan City!"

The next morning.

The Wuliang army's assault became exceedingly ferocious, with tens of thousands from the Hu Clan charging toward the city walls without regard for their lives.

Inside the city, Duan Qifeng's expression was gloomy as he watched the deadly combat on the city wall.

In terms of military strength, actually, the two sides were not much different.

Wu Tuo possessed 120,000 elite cavalry, while Duan Qifeng commanded 100,000 soldiers from the Camp, and he also held the advantage of the fortified city.

But over this past month, the Camp under Duan Qifeng had suffered heavy casualties, and his troops were now no match for Wu Tuo's elite cavalry.

This made him feel very embarrassed.

Today, the Hu Clan's massive forces attacked the city like madmen, indifferent to their losses, giving rise to waves of chill in his heart.

"Report, General! The outer city gate has been breached, General Li requests reinforcement!" A messenger rushed over in a panic to report.

Hearing this, Duan Qifeng's face changed slightly, "Personal Guard Camp, follow me into battle!"

He had no reserve forces left; all of them had already gone up to fight on top of the city walls; only two thousand of his trusted aides remained by his side.

"Kill!"

Duan Qifeng led the charge, galloping up onto the city wall, with a broad-backed heavy blade in hand, he mercilessly slaughtered all the enemy forces on the Vessel City wall, but within the Vessel City, it was already occupied by the Hu Clan, with hundreds of their soldiers ramming the city gate with battering rams.

"Shoot the arrows!"

Duan Qifeng immediately gave the order upon seeing this.

But at that moment, a scimitar suddenly appeared at his side.

Duan Qifeng reacted quickly, retreating immediately, but he seemed to be a bit too late; the scimitar cut through his shoulder armor, leaving a deep wound on his right shoulder.

Innate Martial Artist!

Duan Qifeng had no time to think further, striking back immediately.

The next moment, the two were locked in close combat.

And the one he was fighting was none other than Agoucher, Wu Tuo's trusted general.

The cultivation of the two was nearly equal, both only recently advancing to the Innate Realm, but Duan Qifeng quickly found himself at a disadvantage.

The flaws of the Spirit Continuation Blood Refining Skill were fully exposed at this moment.

Compared to others at the same level, seeking shortcuts to enhance cultivation stability was far less effective than steady progress.

Although both had only recently broken through to the Innate Realm within the span of a few years, Duan Qifeng was far inferior to Agoucher in strength.

Within just a dozen exchanges, Duan Qifeng had already been struck by three blades, adding two more blood-red wounds to his chest and abdomen.

Simultaneously, the battle on the city wall grew more intense, with a large number of Hu Clan soldiers scaling the walls, engaged in bloody combat with the soldiers of Beiyuan Town.

Duan Qifeng fought more anxiously, and the more anxious he grew, the more disorderly his blade became.

With a thud, Agoucher's heavy kick landed on Duan Qifeng's chest. Duan Qifeng spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and his body flew from the city wall into the city, like a cannonball.

A vicious smile spread across Agoucher's face as he brandished his scimitar, following closely, intent on cutting down Duan Qifeng with a single strike.

At that moment, a short sword flew swiftly, striking precisely against Agoucher's scimitar. Agoucher's assault paused, and his figure hovered momentarily in mid-air.

Duan Qifeng only saw a blur before a beautiful face appeared before his eyes, filling his heart with joy.

"My lady!"

Ming Yue's eyes filled with distress, "My lord, let's go!"

With those words, she helped Duan Qifeng up and they escaped toward the direction of the South City Gate.

Agoucher frowned but ultimately did not pursue.

In his mind lingered a question; why did they not fight him?

Two Innate Martial Artists working together should have the upper hand against him.

Duan Qifeng had escaped; Linyuan City had completely fallen.

Tens of thousands of the Hu Clan poured into the city, and the soldiers of Beiyuan Town were defeated like a landslide; a large number of soldiers began to flee in a rout. Countless soldiers amassed at the South City Gate, scrambling to escape the city, and many were even trampled to death.

The battle was essentially over, leaving only mopping-up operations and chasing down the fleeing.

Linyuan City had been lost, and Beiyuan Town was utterly defeated.

Duan Qifeng managed to escape from Linyuan City, but they hadn't gone far before Ming Yue took him into an empty Hundred Households office to hide.