Wasteland Commander-Chapter 366 - 57: Marching to Their Doom

After the Dawn Army secured victory at Yungang, the main forces quickly returned, preparing for a decisive battle near Nanhu against the remnants of Loose Province and the incoming Jiangzhou troops.

Ye Fan personally arrived to command the battle, determined to secure a conclusive victory and completely eradicate the enemies of Loose Province.

Winning this battle would increase the number of survivors under Ye Fan’s command to nearly fifty million.

This population size would rival that of a medium-sized country before the apocalypse; at that time, issuing Light Yuan currency could instantly increase his wealth tremendously.

At that point, Ye Fan would surely expand his army further, and then he wouldn’t consider Zheng Jinnan of Jiangzhou a concern anymore.

If this process went smoothly, it might be completed in a month, showcasing his advantage of fueling war with war.

However, he didn’t expect a sudden issue to arise on the Jiangzhou front on the eve of battle at Nanhu.

Upon seeing the live footage from the Jiangzhou TV station, Ye Fan hurried to check the Spy Satellite.

Busy fighting against the Loose Province forces these days, Ye Fan hadn’t had time to monitor the zombie hordes’ movements.

Yet upon seeing this, Ye Fan gasped in shock.

What was this situation?

The entire Jiangkou County town was deserted by all zombies.

On Ye Fan’s Spy Satellite map, the whole Jiangkou County had only four or five zombies left.

These zombies must have been trapped somewhere in the ruins, unable to follow the horde away; otherwise, not a single zombie, rat, or mutated bird would remain in Jiangkou County.

Unfortunately, the Spy Satellite couldn’t observe Jiangzhou’s situation; he could only rely on Jiangzhou TV programs to grasp the horde’s progress.

"The horde is heading to Red Maple Mountain and will encounter the Jiangzhou troops there."

"Jiangzhou believes the horde numbers only three million, but Jiangkou County is deserted, and the horde’s size is likely ten million."

"Could there be new Corpse Kings joining recently? Otherwise, a single Corpse King couldn’t enhance its power so dramatically in such a short time."

Ye Fan suspected something but held off on attacking the Dawning Base City.

If Jiangzhou’s troops successfully defeated the horde, the battle at Dawning Base City would still need to be fought.

But if Jiangzhou’s troops failed, the reinforcements meant for Dawning Base City might turn back to rescue Jiangzhou City.

If those reinforcements didn’t come, the people at Dawning Base City might fall into despair.

The Dawn Army is strong, but Dawning Base City plus Jiangzhou’s reinforcements number about three hundred thousand; a confrontation would be costly for the Dawn Army.

Moreover, Ye Fan hadn’t amassed much money lately, so saving where possible is prudent.

Thus, under Ye Fan’s orders, the Dawn Army temporarily stood down, awaiting the outcome of the battle at Red Maple Mountain.

The reinforcements from Jiangzhou also halted midway, eager to see the battle’s development before deciding their next military action.

So the previously fierce battlefield at Loose Province suddenly quieted down, as everyone focused on the battle at Red Maple Mountain and the command of He Shihu.

......

He Shihu himself was aware of the attention he received and was rather pleased with himself.

He wasn’t particularly prominent in Jiangzhou, but now he was favored by the Duke, tasked with leading forces against the zombies—a chance to shine among various factions.

This battle needed not only to be won but to be victorious with distinction.

Three million zombies were unrealistic in defeating one hundred thousand fully armed human troops, in his opinion.

Thus, when drones reported that a tidal wave of zombies was approaching Red Maple Mountain, he felt not fear but unusual excitement.

"How does my outfit look?"

Adjusting his military uniform in the mirror, He Shihu asked.

It was a splendid military outfit, not just military but also the attire of an imperial noble.

Because he held the title of Baron of the Empire, this uniform also served as a formal gown.

"General, your outfit is magnificent; it not only makes you look younger but surely creates a great image on camera. The ladies and misses in the city absolutely adore generals like you with striking charisma."

The attendant flattered him, provoking He Shihu’s hearty laughter.

"I know what I look like, not buying the flattering parts, but I agree on the camera appeal—let’s head to the front lines looking like this."

After adjusting his hat and repositioning his belt knife, He Shihu stepped out of the command post and went to the front lines.

Since his arrival, Jiangzhou TV’s cameras kept capturing him constantly.

At the front lines, He Shihu inquired of the soldiers: "Where is the zombie horde?"

"General, they’re twenty kilometers out; see the distant black horizon? That’s the swarm of mutated birds among them."

Taking the binoculars, He Shihu gazed far ahead.

With the binoculars, the view was even clearer, quickly revealing the horde’s situation.

Mutated birds advanced in sync with the horde, not swooping ahead despite the horde’s slower pace.

Dense bird clouds and the zombie horde appeared endless, truly overwhelming.

"Quite a lot indeed; since they’re within range, let the artillery fire."

"Got it, I’ll issue the order immediately."

"Wait, check the time. It’s currently 2:55 PM. Wait for three more minutes. We’ll fire at exactly 2:58."

"Why is that?"

"For good luck. Hurry up and go."

The communicator quickly issued the order, and the artillerymen, already on high alert, were ready to fire as soon as the time came.

Behind He Shihu, the reporter from Jiangzhou TV station was still tirelessly chattering.

"Audience! Audience! I’m here on the frontline at Red Maple Mountain. Behind me is our general from Jiangzhou expedition, His Excellency Baron He Shihu. Now, through my view, you can already see a black line spreading from the east. This is the zombie horde approaching. Baron He Shihu has determined the attack time to be 2:58. There are now two minutes left..."

After repeating twice, time was up.

With a command from He Shihu, the artillery positions set up behind Red Maple Mountain began firing.

Over a thousand cannons roared, countless shells tore through the sky, and landed directly on the zombie hordes more than 20 kilometers away.

Shells exploded, and everyone could clearly see with the naked eye, countless fireballs erupted within the zombie horde.

"Hahaha! What are zombies? What is the Corpse King? They can only turn to ashes in the face of human artillery fire."

He Shihu was very pleased. If Ye Fan could win people’s hearts through zombies, he could as well.

Although he wasn’t the leader, the credit for this was undeniable.

The fierce bombardment continued for half an hour, only stopping when the gun barrels of the Jiangzhou troops were about to turn red.

The exact amount of damage caused was unclear, but the other side of the zombie horde was shrouded in smoke, and the casualties were likely not small.

"Armor units! Move out! Crush them all the way, just like how the Dawn Army dealt with that zombie horde!" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Four hundred tanks charged forward, down the slopes of Red Maple Mountain.

The armored soldiers had their engines at full power, each striving to be first, fearing they wouldn’t receive any credit for defeating the zombies.

Above their heads, many drones captured footage, intent on recording the warriors’ heroics.

As for within Jiangzhou City, viewership reached its peak at this moment, with almost everyone stopping to watch TV.

They took pride in their troops’ performance, believing that what the Dawn Army could achieve, Jiangzhou could also do, and even better.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, four hundred tanks raced with unstoppable momentum, heading straight for the zombie horde!

......

Amidst the smoke, Wang Huining sat on the back of a Licker, watching the tank group charging from afar.

Jiangzhou’s bombardment caused some losses but fell far short of what those humans imagined.

The zombie horde’s formation was relatively scattered, and consisted mostly of advanced zombies, so the flying shrapnel landing in zombie bodies was like military badges, causing no real damage.

Having fought against the Dawn Army, Wang Huining knew how meticulous the Dawn Army’s strategies were, initially worried that Jiangzhou’s people would be equally difficult to deal with.

But he never expected, after one round of cannon fire, the human troops sent tanks storming in.

At this moment, Wang Huining blinked incredulously, fearing he was mistaken.

"No way, these people are foolish enough to charge in like this?"

Wang Huining laughed out of rage, considering these humans incredibly foolish and too dismissive of the zombie horde.

This was, after all, a million-strong zombie horde. How dare these humans!

"Alright, alright! Since they dare to come, they won’t be going back!"

Wang Huining personally commanded a large group of advanced zombies, issuing a battle command. Immediately, some advanced zombies came to the forefront of the zombie horde.

Tyrannosaurus and King Kong crouched, those advanced zombies could understand some simple commands.

They hid within the large zombie army, ready to erupt at any moment.

Tanks and the large zombie army got closer and closer, firing artillery rounds as they advanced.

Shells kept falling, creating smoke everywhere, reducing visibility more and more.

Those tanks recklessly charged into the smoke, preparing to crush the zombie horde.

It was at this moment that the hidden advanced zombies appeared!

A Tyrannosaurus raised a utility pole, swinging it towards the tank’s turret!

With a loud bang, the tank turret was forcibly destroyed, the barrel deformed, rendering it unable to fire.

The Tyrannosaurus grabbed the edge of the tank and exerted force, lifting one side of the tank directly.

A King Kong and several Iron Armors came to assist, flipping the tank over with a crash!

Dozens of tons of steel behemoth lay upside down like a turtle, its metal tracks spinning futilely, no longer able to move an inch.

Other tanks faced similarly, some even being flipped back and forth by two Tyrannosauruses working together!

The tanks incapable of moving, Tyrannosaurus, relying on brute force, tore off the tank turrets with bare hands!

The huge claws reached inside, pulling out the tank soldiers, and with a few crunches, they became zombie snacks.

Two minutes, the armored group was annihilated!