Chapter 979: Unstoppable Force, the Enemy Is at the Gates

The Empire did not expect Noxus to launch a new round of offensive so quickly.

They originally thought that after Noxus had just occupied the southern part of the Empire and established ten new cities to gather population and centralize management, it would take at least some time to consolidate the new territory and digest this huge victory.

The officials of the Empire conducted in-depth analysis and calculations.

They believed that although Noxus had a strong military force, the vast territory and complex ethnic relations in the south would take time to integrate and stabilize.

At the same time, the newly established cities needed time to attract population and resume production, and all of this required a relatively stable environment as a prerequisite.

Based on this judgment, the officials of the Empire generally believed that it would take at least several years or even ten years for Noxus to completely digest the southern part of the Empire.

During this period, Noxus should focus on internal integration and stabilization, and it is unlikely to continue to launch large-scale military operations against the Empire.

However, the facts were like a flipped chessboard, which was completely beyond the Empire's expectations.

They originally thought they could take the initiative, but they fell into a passive position in this chess game.

Noxus did not seem to act according to the Empire's plan.

They did not give the Empire a chance to breathe, but in the shortest possible time, they completed the integration and consolidation of the new territory like a hungry wolf.

Those were pieces of land that originally belonged to the Empire, but now they were firmly held in the hands of Noxus.

Not only that, Noxus quickly gathered its forces and launched a new round of offensive against the Empire like a thunderbolt.

This sudden military action was like a bolt from the blue, catching the Empire off guard from top to bottom, from old to young.

The top leaders of the Empire originally thought that they had enough time to recruit and train troops and counterattack Noxus at the right time.

They imagined the carefully planned counterattack and the scene of Noxus retreating in front of their powerful army. However, reality cruelly shattered their fantasy.

Noxus was already at the gates of the city, and the Empire could only fight hastily.

They had already urgently mobilized troops from other regions and stationed them on the southern border.

However, these armies were not strong in combat effectiveness due to various reasons.

First, they had not yet fully adapted to the climate and environment of the southern region. The hot weather, humid air, and unfamiliar terrain all affected their combat effectiveness to a certain extent.

Secondly, due to the serious situation of empty salaries in various places, some officials were worried about being discovered, so they took extreme measures to deal with the conscription task.

They sent people to capture able-bodied men everywhere, and forcibly captured those farmers and young men to serve as soldiers to get by.

Most of these captured people had not undergone strict military training, let alone any tactics and coordination.

They only knew fear and escape. The combat effectiveness of such an army can be imagined.

The top leaders of the empire anxiously discussed countermeasures.

They realized that facing the powerful forces of Noxus, it was far from enough to rely solely on these hastily assembled troops.

They must find an effective tactic as soon as possible to deal with the offensive of Noxus.

However, time was tight and they could not formulate a perfect tactic in a short time.

So they could only use the existing forces to resist first, while stepping up conscription and training of new troops.

They hoped that in this way, they could gradually increase their strength and eventually defeat Noxus.

However, Noxus did not give them much time.

Their offensive surged like a tide, attacking the Empire's defense line wave after wave.

Those troops who were originally captured to make up the numbers were blown away like sand in the face of this powerful force.

The Empire's army retreated step by step under the iron hoof of Noxus, and the defense line was torn apart again and again.

Those soldiers who were forcibly captured panicked and fled on the battlefield.

Some of them even fell down because of fear before they had fought with the enemy.

In war, the most terrifying thing is not the enemy's strength, but the chaos and weakness within oneself.

The Empire's army lost its combat effectiveness for various reasons, which made them so vulnerable when facing Noxus.

The combat effectiveness of an army armed with ideas is very strong.

The Noxian army, whether in willpower, action or combat effectiveness, far exceeds the Empire's army.

The only army in the empire that is truly capable of fighting is the Northern Legion led by General Esdeath.

This army once followed General Esdeath to travel all over the country, exterminated the southern, western and northern alien ethnic groups, and was one of the most powerful armies in the empire.

However, such a legendary army has been completely annihilated and buried in the battle with Noxus.

Although Minister Ernest was a little panicked, he was not very panicked.

Even if the Noxian army finally reached the imperial capital, it would be fine. If the Supreme Mecha God was activated, no matter how many armies came, they would die.

This is the confidence that the Supreme Emperor gave him.

It's just that he has a headache to clean up the mess and the devastated empire.

At this time, Minister Ernest's son Sheila came back.

He also brought back various talents he found while traveling to other countries and the world.

This is barely good news for Minister Ernest.

He knows that the biggest problem now is that General Esdeath is not here. If General Esdeath can be rescued from Noxus, there will still be hope for the empire.

Minister Ernest always believes that Esdeath lost only because she was careless.

Sheila naturally wanted to refuse this kind of mission. He came back to enjoy himself, not to die. Sheila certainly would not take risks in a place where even Esdeath, a woman, failed.

But Minister Ernest did not give him a chance to refuse.

He did not value his son very much. If a son died, he would just have another one.

And the men Sheila brought back were no match for the four Rakshasa ghosts, so Sheila had no chance to resist.

Sheila was forced to take his men to Noxus.

By the way, there were also several reincarnations among his men. After all, although Sheila was a villain, the most common type of reincarnation was this kind of people, so they naturally got along well and mixed together.

However, Sheila and his companions soon encountered a problem. Noxus’ blockade of its border was too tight.