At this time, Salvia Kingdom and its affiliated nations, including Narcissus Kingdom and Plumera Kingdom, were still being pursued and pressured at the Banquet of a Hundred Nations by forces like Luohan Marsh.
The factions that had gone to the Geranium Kingdom had not yet returned, and the internal focus of the nations had shifted toward Geranium to avoid getting entangled with the major powers.
After Elara and Uno rushed overnight out of Salvia Kingdom's borders, passing through several nations and successfully regrouping with General Qi and the Plumera Kingdom soldiers waiting at the frontier for her return,
Plumera, Dahlia, and Gladiolus launched a joint Northern Campaign on that same late night, taking Salvia and its vassal nations by complete surprise.
They caught the four northern kingdoms off guard.
Plumera shared borders with the other nations, and Dahlia's army had long pressed on Salvia's border.
Narcissus was located outside Gladiolus' western frontier, on land that originally belonged to Gladiolus a hundred years ago.
As soon as these three kingdoms launched the attack, the already overwhelmed Salvia, Narcissus, and the other nations were hit hard.
On the very first night, the joint forces of Plumera, Dahlia, and Gladiolus broke through their border defenses and seized several frontier cities.
By the time they reacted and scrambled to organize their armies the next day, Plumera, Dahlia, and Gladiolus had already broken through a second line of border defense.
The three armies pushed nearly fifty kilometers deep into enemy territory.
They seized several more cities and charged straight into the heartland of the other nations, including Salvia and Narcissus.
Even though they lost two lines of defense, Salvia, Narcissus, and the other nations quickly responded.
They immediately organized their main forces to resist, and war supplies were prepared at lightning speed.
By early the next day, all three kingdoms had launched a counterattack.
Elara wasn't surprised they responded so quickly.
After all, the original cause of the war was because Salvia and the others had set their sights on conquering Plumera, Dahlia, Sargassum, and other southern-central countries.
They had secretly made preparations for a southern invasion and had already moved against Sargassum, trying to use it as their breakthrough point.
This was what led Dahlia's ruler to discover their intentions and later invite Elara to the Banquet of a Hundred Nations to form an alliance with Gladiolus and strike back.
The reason the enemy nations could organize a counterattack so quickly now was that they had long been prepared for war.
All resources had already been stockpiled in advance.
It was only because of the events of the Banquet that they had to temporarily suppress their ambitions to march south.
They didn't expect that before they could make a move, Plumera, Dahlia, and Gladiolus would strike first and catch them off guard.
Both sides officially entered a phase of attack and defense.
On the afternoon of the second day, the army of the other nations was led by the very general who had once tried to intercept Lord Gregory and the others by the Dagen River—Tugart.
Tugart had tried to block them and mock Damon, only to be shot through by Damon's arrow after Lord Gregory crossed the river.
After failing to capture Lord Gregory and the others at the Dagen River, Tugart had returned in disgrace, harshly scolded and flogged by his king.
He was fined several months of wages and almost lost his official position.
Now, upon hearing that Plumera dared to launch a surprise attack, the grudge he held against Plumera drove him to volunteer to lead the charge.
He was eager to redeem himself, destroy Plumera's army, and reclaim the honor and dignity he had lost.
"You lowly, third-rate little kingdom! How dare you overestimate yourselves and march straight to your death by attacking Great Zhu!"
"Today I, Tugart, will send all you worthless rats into reincarnation! Next life, remember to steer clear when you see the Tu clan!"
The angry and resentful shouting echoed across the battlefield between the armies of the Plumera Kingdom and the various allied nations.
Unfortunately, before Tugart could finish venting his fury, an arrow shot with the same strength and speed that once pierced Lord Gregory came flying straight at him.
Tugart glared in rage. After narrowly dodging Damon's powerful arrow, he immediately raised his hand and commanded the troops to charge without waiting any longer.
On the side of the Plumera Kingdom, General Qi also led his elite soldiers straight into battle against the allied forces.
In the forests, Damon, who had just fired the arrow, had already vanished again, leading his elite squad to circle around and cut off the enemy's rear.
While Damon and General Qi held the enemy's firepower head-on, Egbert and Hector had each taken their elite troops, split into two teams, and silently infiltrated the rear supply camps of the allied forces.
Although the allied nations responded quickly, their resistance army had been hastily formed amid chaos. Several generals who were supposed to lead the armies were still trapped at the Geranium Kingdom's Grand Banquet.
Even though their army had been organized quickly and had sufficient supplies, the number of reliable commanders who could actually lead troops was still very limited.
Egbert and Hector took advantage of this gap. With few competent military leaders available and the rear defense still loosely organized, they successfully led their elite squads into the allied forces' rear camp.
On the frontlines, Tugart, who had originally charged in with only burning resentment and completely underestimated the Plumera Kingdom's army, began to show a stunned expression after the first clash.
On the battlefield, though both sides had nearly equal numbers, the battle quickly turned into a one-sided massacre after they engaged.
Each time soldiers from the allied forces clashed with soldiers from the Plumera Kingdom, their shields and weapons were easily pierced and broken, as if made of tofu.
In contrast, the armor and weapons of the Plumera Kingdom soldiers remained untouchable to the allied forces.
That armor, though it looked very light, could not be pierced or cut at all by the allied soldiers. Even when a few of them worked together, they still could not break through it.
When Tugart took a closer look, he saw that only those soldiers wearing heavy bronze armor and wielding large bronze weapons could barely defend against the Plumera Kingdom's troops.
But bronze armor was far too heavy. Few soldiers could even wear it in battle. Once worn, it quickly drained their stamina and drastically slowed them down.
On the battlefield, even a one-second delay in speed or reflex could mean death.
As Tugart stared at the battlefield, which now looked completely different from what he had imagined, the deep resentment in his eyes began to crack under the overwhelming defeat unfolding before him.
He became confused, even afraid.
Several minutes later, his eyes widened in shock as he stared at the Plumera Kingdom soldiers, who were fighting more fiercely and growing stronger in momentum with each wave.
You actually have Iron Shield Armor. And so many of your soldiers are equipped with it. Even your basic infantry are fully equipped with Iron Shield Armor.
Finally realizing the truth, Tugart stared in disbelief at the rapidly approaching soldiers of the Plumera Kingdom.
He clearly saw that the armor they wore and the weapons they held were indeed the Iron Shield Armor that even their own emperor could not get his hands on.
Cold sweat poured down Tugart's face. His rage and hatred were completely shattered by this realization.
Fear slowly crept into his heart.
The Plumera Kingdom actually had Iron Shield Armor and in such large quantities. How could his soldiers, wearing only wooden armor or clunky bronze armor, possibly compete.
Just thirty minutes ago, Tugart had been full of ambition and thought he could reclaim honor by sending the Plumera Kingdom's army into the afterlife. Now he only wished he could disappear on the spot.
He bitterly regretted volunteering for this mission.
This was truly walking straight into death, and he had only now realized it.
On the side of the Plumera Kingdom, the soldiers fought with increasing strength and spirit.
No one paid attention to the sudden shift in Tugart's emotional state during this short time.
The soldiers of the allied forces died wave after wave, their earlier pride and boldness quickly turning into panic and cries of fear as they scattered and fled.
Seeing that the Plumera Kingdom's troops were about to break into the allied camp, panic spread quickly through the remaining soldiers, and deserters began to appear.
A few minutes later, as the Plumera Kingdom's army charged with unstoppable force, Tugart wiped the sweat pouring down his temples and tried to gather the remaining soldiers around him. He yanked the reins and turned to flee toward the inner areas of the allied nations.
The Plumera Kingdom has so many Iron Shield Armors. I must return and report to the Emperor.
Giving himself a self-soothing excuse to escape, Tugart widened his eyes, filled with panic.
Hearing the screams of the allied soldiers behind him, he didn't dare to look back. He just clamped his legs tighter against the horse and fled faster toward the inner regions of the allied nations.
But he had only escaped about a hundred meters when the sharp sound of an arrow slicing through the air suddenly came from beside him.
He turned sharply, releasing a surge of internal energy to block the flying arrow.
But his mind was already in complete chaos. He failed to notice that this was a set of chained arrows.
Just like the triple arrow that had once killed Lord Gregory, after he blocked the first one, the second arrow immediately followed and flew straight toward the corner of his eye.
In a panic, Tugart quickly raised his sword to block again. But even after he barely deflected the second arrow, a third arrow, carrying a cold and sharp force, was already pressing against his temple.
Before he could react, the sharp tip of the arrow had already pierced his brain.
With immense power and inertia, it shot straight through his entire skull and exited through the temple on the other side.
Tugart froze, then instantly fell off his horse.
His panicked horse kicked his body onto a large rock, killing him completely.
And just like that, the first direct clash between the allied nations and the Plumera Kingdom ended.
The general of the allied nations had tried to flee in defeat, only to be killed by an arrow from Damon.
With the commanding general dead, the already scattered allied soldiers were thrown into greater chaos.
Many of them ran away or completely fell apart.
Meanwhile, the Plumera Kingdom's side continued to fight with high morale.
After capturing the city that Tugart had been defending, General Qi and Damon continued leading their troops into the allied regions with fierce attacks through the night.
With the help of Egbert and Hector, who had long infiltrated the allied nations as inside support, the formal war between Elara and the allied nations officially began.
In just a day and a half, the soldiers of the Plumera Kingdom had swiftly taken nearly half of the allied territories before anyone could react.
A total of twenty cities and territories were claimed with the Plumera Kingdom's banners planted high.
This achievement was the highest honor and greatest motivation in the hearts of the soldiers.
Just a glance was enough to make their blood boil.
They couldn't wait to grab their weapons and push deeper into the allied lands, removing threats for the Plumera Kingdom and gaining more rich, fertile land for all the citizens.
In the command tent of the Plumera Kingdom's main camp, Elara reviewed the overall battle situation using the Puppet Soldiers and the System.
She clearly felt the powerful fighting spirit in the air.
A smile naturally appeared on her face.
When the people are united, even mountains can be moved.
Not to mention that the Plumera Kingdom held every advantage this time, timing, location, and unity of people.
There was no reason not to crush the enemy swiftly and with unstoppable force.