Wasteland Commander-Chapter 402 - 93: The Queen’s Unease

The sudden defection of Zhu Wenming was disastrous for the Mountain River Base and Huaihai Base, still embroiled in the fierce Qi Lu battlefield.

Already at a disadvantage against the Dawn Army, the recent plains warfare had severely cost these two bases.

The drones of the Dawn Army became a lingering nightmare for them; losing air superiority and intelligence sources further compounded their troubles.

Every day they found themselves passively under attack. Whenever they heard the roar of warplanes or the hair-raising buzz of drones, the soldiers of these two bases just wanted to flee for their lives.

Thanks to their long front line and considerable numbers, as well as buying time for the Dawn City battlefield, they managed to hold on.

But unexpectedly, Zhu Wenming turned coat.

When Zhu Wenming announced his attack on the Mountain River Base, the base, already under dual attack from the Dawn Army and Su Qiao, collapsed immediately.

The Mountain River Base chose to retreat, withdrawing from the Qi Lu battlefield.

This left the Huaihai Base exposed, and unprepared, they were focused on and annihilated by the concentrated forces of the Dawn Army.

With their intelligence advantage, the Dawn Army continuously targeted strategic points of the Huaihai Base, and the bases they occupied were constantly being recaptured.

On October 25th, the Huaihai Base retreated and announced its withdrawal from the Empire’s civil war, no longer participating in the conflict between the Dawn Army and Zheng Jinnan’s faction.

Moreover, the Dawn Army no longer pursued aggressively but began to expand their territory opportunistically.

The Fifth Brigade that landed in Liancheng began to directly enter Fengtian.

The defenders of Fengtian were ordered by Zhu Wenming not to resist and announced joining under Ye Fan, voluntarily becoming a general under Ye Fan, and took action to capture the Inner Bay Area, thoroughly clearing the path connecting the Dawn Army’s northern and southern territories.

The Fifth Brigade continued northwards, aiming to capture the Dongjiang Province, located between Divine Dragon Province and Fengtian Province, before the onset of winter’s chill.

Once these two strategic objectives are completed, the territory of the Dawn Army in the eastern Qin Han will entirely become a continuous expanse.

From the northern-most Divine Dragon Province, to Dongjiang Province, to Fengtian Province, to the Inner Bay Area, then Qi Lu Province, Loose Province, finally to Dawn Island.

The vast land, the extensive maritime region, will be thoroughly integrated into Ye Fan’s rule.

This process is almost unstoppable; after Zhu Wenming’s surrender, no armed force on this land could impede the Dawn Army anymore.

As for the Mountain River Base and Huaihai Base, suffering heavy blows one after another, they no longer have any combat strength.

Especially the Mountain River Base, if Zheng Jinnan’s side does not provide aid, within half a month, they might be divided between Su Qiao and the Dawn Army.

...

In the subsequent battles, Ye Fan no longer participated.

Because it was unnecessary; with no more significant enemies on the northern and central lines, he turned his attention back to the southern line.

Reinforcements from Bashu and Lingnan had arrived in Jiangzhou, but Zheng Jinnan had not launched any attack.

Nearly a million troops concentrated in Jiangzhou still posed pressure on the Dawn Army, so Ye Fan returned to plan the defenses.

He placed numerous mines on the Celestial River’s waters, and many landmines along the southern roads by the river; these two tasks were crucial, and once completed, rapid advancement in Jiangzhou would be nearly impossible.

Originally thought Jiangzhou would offer resistance, but surprisingly not; Zheng Jinnan remained inactive, allowing the Dawn Army to calmly set up these two lines of defense within five days.

After completing the defenses, Ye Fan felt reassured; now, regardless of Jiangzhou’s actions, he was ready to respond.

He continuously monitored the situation in Jiangzhou, but Jiangzhou remained under martial law.

The city population was neither exiting nor entering, and his spy satellite couldn’t cover the area, making it difficult for Ye Fan to acquire internal information from Jiangzhou.

When Zheng Jinnan planned to strike, Ye Fan couldn’t ascertain.

The central line battle was not over yet, yet the crucial southern line had unexpectedly cooled down.

The people in the base city could also temporarily breathe a sigh of relief, with many hoping that the fighting would cease.

However, those with insight knew the battle would continue, though uncertain when; they began to observe.

Whether Dawn Island or Jiangzhou City, both experienced a brief period of calm.

On the contrary, industries like entertainment quietly started to revive, seizing the moment of this battle intermission to profit as much as they could.

......

"Hello everyone, this is Yuanjing Television Station."

"Empress Su Qiao of the Empire is scheduled to visit Dawn Island soon, to discuss the current situation with Prince Ye Fan and engage in communication on the next step of military cooperation."

On the television, Su Qiao, who had ascended as empress, was shown.

She might be the most beautiful emperor in human history.

After becoming an emperor, Su Qiao’s face bore a touch of cold elegance and majesty, but her beauty remained undeniable.

On television, Su Qiao expressed immense joy at Ye Fan’s recent victories, offering numerous words of praise for him.

"Prince Ye Fan is the most charismatic and formidable person I’ve ever met; he is the hope for the Empire’s revival. During my last visit to Yuanjing, I truly felt it and eagerly anticipate our next meeting."

"We are not only in an emperor-prince relationship; in life, we are also the best of friends, the very best of friends."

In the televised interview, Su Qiao looked like a queen, yet when speaking about Ye Fan, she resembled a girl-next-door.

Her shy smiles and slightly flushed cheeks inevitably stirred the imagination.

The news of her visiting Dawn Island had circulated for quite some time.

Now with both the Mountain River Base and Huaihai Base preparing to surrender, her visit seemed relatively safe.

Because Su Qiao is coming, the number of people on Dawn Island has increased in recent days.

Everyone knows that the title of Empire Orthodoxy has shifted from Jiangzhou to Dawn Island.

The influence of Ye Fan as a prince is increasing, and more and more people are coming to join him.

There is even a rumor circulating that Su Qiao might marry Ye Fan in the future.

After all, on Dawn Island, Ye Fan’s prestige is at its peak, and everyone believes that Ye Fan marrying Su Qiao would be most beneficial for the Qin Han Empire.

Despite Su Qiao being a woman and the emperor, her prestige is still somewhat lacking.

If she marries Ye Fan and steps down to become the queen, it would be the most beneficial thing for the Empire.

Especially with the Dawn Army achieving continuous victories on the central and northern fronts, and Jiangzhou having remained inactive, this idea is gaining more traction.

.......

In Zhonghai, at the National Gold Mansion.

Hua Wushuang watched the news on the television as her frosty little face tightened.

Although she has been doing well during this time, she is not quite accustomed to the zombie life.

Even though there are some survivors living in Zhonghai, she dislikes communicating with them.

Her complete memory has preserved not only human thinking but also past living habits.

Previously, she was not someone who was good at communicating with others and almost had no friends in life.

The Dawn City she missed most profoundly has never afforded her the opportunity to return.

Now, there are very few who can communicate with her, with only Wang Huining, Xiaobu, and Xiaoxue as the Corpse Kings.

Other survivors, she doesn’t even want to glance at.

But even these Corpse Kings aren’t that congenial, as their thoughts tend to be more zombified.

For instance, as she watched the news, Hua Wushuang’s gaze fell upon the Corpse Kings, asking, "Su Qiao is going to Dawn Island, what do you think?"

Xiaobu looked up at the television, "This woman... with tender skin, should be delicious."

Hua Wushuang glared at Xiaobu, this wild child Corpse King inherently remained a brutal zombie, talking to him felt gory.

Xiaoxue saw the master glare at Xiaobu and responded a bit smartly to Hua Wushuang, "Master, this woman is an emperor; wanting to eat her wouldn’t be easy. Should we change to another flavor?"

Hua Wushuang took a long breath, "I haven’t eaten a bite of meat since becoming a Corpse King; I prefer vegetables."

"Oh..... then subjects wouldn’t look at it." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Hua Wushuang felt stifled in her heart; she turned to Wang Huining, "What do you think?"

Wang Huining is far wiser than Xiaobu and Xiaoxue; he carefully observed Hua Wushuang’s expression and cautiously said, "Su Qiao is indeed quite pretty."

Hua Wushuang’s eyelid slightly twitched, "You could be considered a Corpse King retaining a man’s mindset; from a man’s perspective, how pretty does she look?"

"Hmm... not ordinarily beautiful, and coupled with her unique status, probably no man could resist her charm."

"Even you can’t resist?"

Wang Huining shook his head, "Master, I’m no longer a man."

"Then do you think Ye Fan can resist?"

Wang Huining shivered at the mention of Ye Fan’s name, but suddenly remembered he was already holding onto the biggest support and shouldn’t appear too cowardly, replied condescendingly, "Ye Fan is also a man; he wouldn’t have such resistance to beauty like me. Of course, he wouldn’t resist; in my opinion, Su Qiao’s trip to Dawn Island might lead to their alliance."

"Alliance?"

"Exactly, Su Qiao being the queen isn’t easy to gain people’s acceptance. If she marries Ye Fan, it’s a strong union, and the dissenting voices in the Empire would likely vanish."

At this moment, Xiaoxue suddenly commented, "Isn’t Ye Fan not interested in women?"

Wang Huining paused, "Oh right, I forgot about that. So it should be fine."

Then Hua Wushuang unexpectedly interjected, "Rumor!"

Wang Huining and Xiaoxue, including Xiaobu’s gazes, all landed on Hua Wushuang.

Wang Huining further asked, "Master, how do you know it’s a rumor?"

Hua Wushuang did not explain, merely hummed, "I just know, don’t know where the rumor started saying he’s not interested in women, but it’s simply not true."

She didn’t explain, and the Corpse Kings dared not ask further.

After Hua Wushuang finished speaking, she couldn’t stay seated.

She went to the mirror to adjust her appearance.

Then she directed Wang Huining and the others, "You all stay here, don’t wander about unnecessarily, I’ll be out for a while."

"Where are you going, Master?" Wang Huining asked.

"To prevent someone from making a mistake."

After Hua Wushuang spoke, she directly jumped out from National Gold Mansion.

A large bird caught her outside the window, quickly disappearing from sight.