Chapter 1808: Chapter 1028: The Deathly Silent Hall Chapter 1808: Chapter 1028: The Deathly Silent Hall As the intelligence officersâ panicked voices fell, a deadly silence enveloped the vast Kingâs Hall, and an atmosphere of despair began to spread.
Including Caroline and Qiana, the visages of every civil official and military commander were unbelievably ashen, as they began to exchange worried glances.
To the north was the Pars Empireâs 1.2 million army, to the west the Grimm Kingdomâs 1 million army, to the east the 1.5 million of the Orchid Federation and Saint Night Kingdom allied forces, and to the south the Prairie Kingdomâs 900,000 army⊠This was a total of 4.6 million fierce and aggressive troops.
Yet, our total military forces added together barely surpassed 1 million, dispersed across four border fortresses.
How could a mere 200,000 or 300,000 troops stationed at a single fortress possibly withstand the million-strong forces of an entire kingdom?
It must be understood that for any kingdom, choosing to deploy troops at this time meant mobilizing the nationâs full strength, its elite forces, with every attack meant to draw blood.
The sheer number of the main forces corps from a single kingdom probably far exceeds the troops we have on any given front.
From this, it isnât hard to see that the comparison of our strength against the enemyâs wonât be as simple as the numbers suggest; even a 1:5, 1:6, or even 1:7 ratio wouldnât be an exaggeration!
Under such circumstances, even if we were to rely solely on magic bombardment, our forces would quickly collapse like a landslide, with no possibility of victory.
Just like how no matter how formidable a giant dragon is, how could it stand against six or seven dragons of equal strength? Even with rotational battles, the enemy could quickly exhaust our living forces!
Such a fatal absolute gap is enough for the enemy to smash through our defenses with brute force, pushing straight forward.
Whatâs more, could the commanders and generals of a kingdom be anything less than exceptional?
A single gate already hangs in the balance of crisis, let alone being besieged on all sides, fighting against the all-out forces of five kingdoms at the same time?
With these thoughts in mind, even battle-hardened Kingdom Generals like Lord White, Hilda, and Burt couldnât help but clench their fists tightly, their faces betraying inescapable gravity.
Before this, the Coldflame Kingdom had been in constant strife with these nations, years of intense friction, and the continuous deaths of soldiers had fueled their mutual rancor and hatred, each wishing to obliterate the other completely.
Crucially, they had all fought against generals from these kingdoms for years and knew that none of their opponents was mediocre, all of them true paragons of warriors.
Under such circumstances, with the enemy targeting our vulnerabilities, it was undoubtedly a merciless battle for the annihilation of our nation.
Once a fortress on any front falls and the gates are breached, not only will our lands be devoured, but the people along the way will also be marching into the maw of death, leading to fields strewn with corpses and families destroyed.
As despair and panic in the hall intensified, even direct subordinates like Jasper Richardson, Taylor, and Asher Porter began to show unprecedented unease.
The miraculous pace of development under the Lordâs lead was clear for all to see.
Even if we developed at a rapid pace, day and night, we would still need time to implement these advancements, but what we lack now is timeâthe enemyâs swift mobilization wonât give us much of it.
Perhaps, they had precisely pinpointed this fact, and thatâs why they launched an all-out war for annihilation, attempting to kill our nation in its cradle.
By now, the answer was glaringly obviousâthe enemy would fight to the death, attacking us without reservation.
âCould it be that five kingdoms have simultaneously declared war?â
At the head of the hall, Leo Ray first glanced at Ai Li, who was pale but trying to maintain composure, then he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
Even though he had anticipated that some kingdoms might take advantage of our troubles to launch a war of annihilation against us, he never expected that five kingdoms would join forces, and with such overwhelming numbers.
âIt seems these kingdoms clearly realize the truth that âif they do not eliminate us in the shortest possible time, it will certainly be their own downfall.'â
Leo Ray clenched the armrests of his throne, sweat beginning to slip down his forehead.
This was exactly what he had feared the most.
Originally, he had surmised that although the neighboring countries covet Coldflame Kingdom, mutuality of need for defense would likely prevent a unified massive-scale attack, at least not all mobilizing armies with millions of soldiers.
But in reality, even the Orchid Federation, which always refrained from offending Coldflame Kingdom, dispatched 70 legions this timeâwas it merely because of the principle that âif the lips are gone, the teeth will be coldâ?
After all, the Orchid Federation and the Saint Night Kingdom are considered mortal enemies, with over a centuryâs deep grudge. Even their civilians fight fists and kicks upon meeting.
The Grimm Kingdom and the Pars Empire have also been in a state of constant war for nearly a century, with both sides suffering severe losses.
To say nothing of the recent times, Saint Night Kingdom had been in constant friction with the Prairie Kingdom, often leading to the mutual slaughter of each otherâs villages.
In short, these five nations are not allies.
Given the mutual restraints, it was inconceivable that they would all mobilize their nationsâ troops in such unison.
After all, even if they completely annihilated Coldflame Kingdom, what awaited these five nations would be an even more chaotic war. Itâs unlikely that they would be so short-sighted as to ignore the consequences.