Chapter 501: Late Realization, Decisions, and the Reinforcements Finally Arrive |
Mo'ao Calendar Year 136, December 28th, Late Night
Wuchuan Town, Donggu Main Camp, Main Hall on the Top Floor of the Main Building
"Greetings, Young Lord Leader!"
Qin He, the Young Lord Leader of Wuchuan, flew in hastily from the southwestern sky. He ignored the guards at the entrance, rushed straight into the great hall, and immediately cupped his fists towards his father Qin Feng at the head of the hall.
"Reporting to my fath... Lord Leader, Xiang Fuhai's ten thousand troops are not heading towards our Donggu. They have changed course to the southwest. It looks like they are going to the Floating Mountain main camp."
Wuchuan's Lord Leader Qin Feng, Army Commander Ye Tianhao, and a middle-aged man in blue robes were standing at the side wing inside the hall. A giant map was set up before the three of them, depicting precisely the five northern towns.
Behind the three of them stood nine other people.
Upon hearing Qin He's words, everyone turned to look at the map, their faces instantly revealing a flicker of disappointment.
"After all, he is a town lord leader. Xiang Fuhai isn't that foolish!"
Only Lord Leader Qin Feng, after nodding, immediately snorted coldly and said, "It seems he intends to join forces with Luo Yuan's thirty thousand troops first. Let's credit Xiang Fuhai with a bit of self-awareness. If his ten thousand troops dared to advance directly westward, my fifty thousand troops here in Donggu are not just for show..."
Upon hearing this, a look of pride appeared on everyone's faces.
To deal with the Xia troops' advance this time, Wuchuan Town had only conscripted a little over sixty thousand Warmth Realm cultivators in total. Sending fifty thousand to garrison Donggu was enough to show the importance Lord Leader Qin Feng placed on the Donggu main camp.
"With fifty thousand heavy troops guarding Donggu, Great Xia's attempt to open up their military supply line is nothing but a pipe dream. We don't need a quick victory. As long as Beishuo and Jinshan towns put up a decent fight and manage to tie down Great Xia's two allied armies, once the Xia troops' military supplies are exhausted, they will be dead!"
At this moment, Qin Feng's face was full of a cold smile.
It must be said that Great Xia's development over the past two years had made him extremely envious. He understood very clearly that, based on Great Xia's current overall strength, they could absolutely crush any single one of the five northern families.
To put it bluntly, if the north only had his Wuchuan town, Qin Feng wouldn't even think twice; he would definitely surrender directly to Great Xia.
But with five families, the situation was different.
Moreover, they had the support of the two major feudal towns, Chencang and Caiqiu. Although the two could not currently send large armies south to assist, sending a certain number of Sun Manifestation Level experts could still influence the course of the battle.
Thinking of this, Qin Feng turned to look at the middle-aged man in blue robes on his right, a trace of confusion appearing on his face as he asked, "Mister Cai, two days have already passed. The reinforcements from the two feudal towns should be arriving soon, shouldn't they?"
Cai Yuntong first nodded, then frowned slightly and said, "Yunhe departed the night before last, almost twenty hours ago now. Even accounting for the time needed to mobilize people, it should be about time..."
The failure to kidnap Xia Yusheng had already made the five northern towns feel guilty. So, when they received news of troop movements within Great Xia's territory on the night of the 26th, they immediately realized Great Xia was preparing to act.
Currently, the combined strength of the five northern towns could indeed match Great Xia on paper, but that was just theoretical. In a real fight, to be honest, including Qin Feng, the lords of the three northern towns had little confidence in their hearts.
Therefore, seeking aid from the two major feudal towns was almost a foregone conclusion.
In fact, they didn't even need to ask.
During the kidnapping attempt on Xia Yusheng in Xia City on the night of the 26th, Chencang's Chu Xuanling lost both arms, Caiqiu's Cai Shiqi was almost killed, and the two feudal towns lost a total of seventeen Sun Manifestation Level experts.
This kidnapping operation was actually initiated by the two feudal towns themselves. They didn't even let the Sun Manifestation Level experts from the five northern towns participate, only bringing along Yang Jian, who was familiar with the situation in Xia City.
This alone showed that the two feudal towns didn't take Great Xia seriously at all.
The result was that they were severely humiliated by Great Xia.
Chu and Cai already harbored deep hatred for Great Xia in their hearts. Even before receiving news of the Xia troop movements, they had already decided to return to their feudal towns to request reinforcements.
Wuchuan, being sandwiched between Jinshan and Beishuo towns, had no direct passage to the two feudal towns. But this didn't mean Qin Feng was completely ignorant of news from the feudal towns. He had visited them himself, so he clearly understood the distance between the two feudal towns and the Southern Foothills region.
Looking at the northern part of Dongchuan and the Yinhe Valley in Jinshan, he frowned slightly, pondering inwardly, "It's somewhat understandable if Caiqiu's people are slow. Taking the Bone-Erosion Path carries some risk, and the distance is much farther. A round trip, plus mobilizing people, would take at least two days or more.
But Chencang shouldn't be this slow! For Sun Manifestation Level experts traveling, from Danxue Peak in northern Dongchuan, crossing the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor to Yanling Commandery, the normal travel time is seven to eight hours. A round trip shouldn't exceed sixteen hours at most. Even accounting for the Commandery Governor needing to mobilize people from elsewhere, twenty hours should be about right. Why hasn't anyone arrived after so long?"
Qin Feng pondered for a moment without reaching a conclusion. Finally, looking at the four routes of Xia troops marked on the map, he clenched his fist slightly, a look of annoyance flashing in his eyes.
If possible, he actually didn't want to rely on feudal town power to resist Great Xia.
As the saying goes, inviting a deity is easy, but seeing them off is hard...
The Xia troops in Jinyang and Dongchuan were bloody examples. If the feudal towns really stationed large numbers of Sun Manifestation Level experts down here, even if they ultimately defeated Great Xia, how would their five towns face the two feudal towns in the future?
The two major feudal towns offering assistance this time didn't even mention any conditions.
Not mentioning conditions was the biggest condition of all.
Having been a lord leader for so many years, how could Qin Feng not understand this principle?
"Hateful, to have such strength after only venturing east for four years..."
If the six towns in the central and southern parts of the former Southern Foothills nine towns were merely supporting players, then the three northern towns were the absolute protagonists. Qin Feng and Yang Zun rose to prominence in the same era. Both of them, under the intense pressure from Jinshan Town, had developed their respective Wuchuan and Beishuo village-level camps into town-level entities.
If Yang Zun was exceptionally talented, how could Qin Feng be an ordinary man?
"Whether it's destiny or being a supporting player depends on this time. The feudal towns' armies cannot come south; that's ultimately a distant concern. Great Xia is the immediate, close threat. If we can borrow the feudal towns' power to destroy Great Xia and then carve it up, with my Wuchuan united as one, in over a decade, perhaps we can..."
"Lord Leader, major news, a major event!"
Qin Feng's train of thought was interrupted by someone rushing into the hall from outside.
"Fourth Brother, why are you so flustered?"
Seeing that the person rushing in from outside was his fourth brother, Ye Tianwu, Ye Tianhao immediately spoke up sternly to reprimand him. With a major battle imminent, a Sun Manifestation Level expert showing such a panicked demeanor could easily affect morale.
Everyone else in the hall naturally understood this principle well, so their brows furrowed slightly.
Ye Tianwu completely ignored his eldest brother's reprimand. With an urgent expression, he said, "A scout from Longgu Town sent back a message, saying that Longgu Town's Army Commander Li Yangtian has betrayed them. He deceived fifteen thousand troops out of the city, colluding with Great Xia from within and without..."
And as Ye Tianwu recounted the events in Longgu Town City in detail, including Qin Feng, everyone in the great hall instantly lost their composure.
Bang...
Their minds seemed to explode with a bang. They then turned to look at the map of the five northern towns at the side wing, their pupils trembling incessantly, their faces filled with horror.
"The four armies spreading out their formation was a feint!"
"Their target was Longgu Town City..."
"Li Yangtian has betrayed them. The Iron Caltrops Army of Longgu Town is all under his command!"
"It's over. Longgu Town City is finished!"
...
Just as everyone in the hall was seething with shock and anger, Young Lord Leader Qin He suddenly realized something. He immediately cupped his fists and addressed his father Qin Feng, "Lord Leader, with so many of Great Xia's Sun Manifestation Level experts all in Longgu Town City, we can immediately mobilize our troops to attack Fushan..."
"Fool!"
Qin Feng didn't spare his eldest son any face, directly interrupting him with an angry shout. He then said in a heavy tone, "Sun Manifestation Level experts come and go freely. Since Army Commander Li Yangtian has already rebelled, aside from the Long Clan within Longgu Town City, the rest of the people don't need Xia Chuan and his group to deal with at all. The scouts we placed in Longgu only have Warmth Realm cultivation. It would take them at least half an hour to report back. In such a long time, Xia Chuan and his group might have already led their troops back!"
The news the scout reported back was that Long Mingyuan had already been killed, and the fifteen thousand troops had all surrendered. This happened at least half an hour ago.
With Army Commander Li Yangtian present, how could Xia Chuan and those Sun Manifestation Level experts possibly stay in Longgu Town City for long?
Li Yangtian's betrayal and killing of his lord had thoroughly ruined his reputation among the five northern towns. The probability of him switching sides again was extremely low.
Taking a step back, even if Li Yangtian truly had ulterior motives, how could Xia Chuan not use some means to guard against him? Even if he couldn't guard against it completely, what could Li Yangtian possibly do now?
In a short period, Longgu Town City had effectively changed hands. Who the new master was remained unclear for now, but Li Yangtian was the de facto controller. Long Mingyuan had extremely high prestige in Longgu Town. With his death, the town city was inevitably in chaos. Li Yangtian would definitely need to spend effort on consolidation.
This was almost equivalent to directly declaring that Longgu had withdrawn from this Anti-Xia Allied Forces. If Li Yangtian's consolidation methods were ruthless enough and he was determined to follow Great Xia, then in a few days, Great Xia's side might even see their strength increase.
"We've been deceived. We've all been deceived. Great Xia never intended to fight on four fronts simultaneously. With Longgu changing hands, the five-town alliance instantly becomes four. What a scheme, what a brilliant scheme by Great Xia, ah..."
Bang!
Great Xia's grand display over the past two days wasn't because they wanted to start fighting directly. It was all a deliberate ploy to mislead them.
Having sorted out this logic, Qin Feng was instantly furious beyond measure. He violently drew his sword and slashed through the wooden frame in front of him.
The Army Commander Ye Tianhao beside him also had an unpleasant expression, but he immediately reached out to steady the map on the wooden frame and said gravely, "With Longgu changing hands, Yangju is in danger now. Yuan Cheng's Rear Route Army has a total of forty thousand troops, including ten thousand elite Xia troops with official designations and five Sun Manifestation Level experts. Cao Qianyang has less than fifteen thousand troops under his command. Yangju Town City is now completely besieged. Without external aid, they might even lose the town city itself..."
Upon hearing this, Qin Feng turned to look at the location of Yangju Town City on the map, a look of hesitation appearing on his face, his pupils filled with struggle.
"Yangju's city defenses are fairly decent. The father-son pair Cao Qianyang and Cao Yuankang, the master-disciple pair Yan Chenzhou and Wu Tianfa, totaling four Sun Manifestation Level experts. If the fifteen thousand troops are deployed appropriately, holding off Yuan Cheng's Rear Route Army alone shouldn't be a major problem. The fear is that Great Xia will dispatch a large number of Sun Manifestation Level experts to assist. That would introduce too many variables."
As Ye Tianhao's second statement came out, the struggle on Qin Feng's face slowly faded. He had clearly made a decision and said in a heavy tone, "Taking the initiative to attack with our main force is impossible. Yang Zun said our Wuchuan's only task is to cut off Great Xia's military supply line. Taking the initiative to attack would only give Great Xia an opportunity. Holding firm at Donggu is the right path..."
There were many reasons why the northern towns dared to go to war with Great Xia. For example, their own considerable strength, or the support of the two major feudal towns, etc... But the biggest reason was that Great Xia was the attacking side, while they were the defending side.
What is the greatest advantage of the defending side?
It is that they can wait at their ease for the enemy to attack, using stillness to counter movement, responding to changes with constancy. As long as they have solid city defenses and various fortifications, even if the enemy's military strength is several times or even over ten times superior, they can still fight.
But once they switch to being the attacking side, the situation changes completely.
Great Xia's strength surpasses that of the five towns. To put it bluntly, even if the five towns immediately merged into one family now, it would still be the same, let alone now with Longgu having changed hands, leaving them with only four towns.
When your strength is weaker than the opponent's, taking the initiative to attack is seeking death!
"How did Li Yangtian deceive those fifteen thousand troops out? Wasn't it by tricking Long Mingyuan into heading north to reinforce us? We absolutely cannot take the initiative to attack. Right now, it's Great Xia that is eager to unify the Southern Foothills, not us..."
Qin Feng's tone was firm, clearly determined to hold firm at Donggu.
Yet, even so, his expression didn't improve much.
Holding firm was fine, but what about Yangju Town City?
Yangju borders Chuishan. Great Xia can continuously send troops over. Even if Yuan Cheng doesn't deploy too many Sun Manifestation Level experts, if there is never any external aid, being breached would probably only be a matter of time.
Longgu has already changed hands. If Yangju is also breached, only their three northern towns would remain. Crucially, once Yangju falls, Yuan Cheng can immediately lead his troops northward to join forces with Luo Yuan's Central Route Army. By then, with Longgu and Yangju both becoming Great Xia territory, could he still hold out?
Therefore, Yangju must also not be breached.
"Notify Yang Zun to deploy Sun Manifestation Level experts from the three towns to go and assist Cao Qianyang in defending the city. As long as the three northern routes of Xia troops don't move, we won't move. Conversely, if Great Xia suffers setbacks at Yangju or invests too much force there, then we will have an opportunity to take the initiative!"
"Those Beast King level puppets have usage restrictions. Yang Jian tested it out outside Xia City the night before last. After he, Chu Xuanling, and the others escaped five kilometers from Xia City, those Beast King level puppets could no longer pursue them!"
Hearing Qin Feng's words, Ye Tianhao's expression froze for a moment, then he frowned and said, "They can't be used beyond five kilometers from Xia City? That can't be right? Four years ago, during the Xia-Yang war, those Beast King level puppets appeared in Hongmen and even severed Mu Longhe's arms."
A look of confusion also appeared on Qin Feng's face. He then shook his head and said, "I asked about that too. But Yang Jian's tone was very certain last night. He must have noticed something. Besides, if Great Xia could really use those Beast King level puppets without restraint, what would be the point of us resisting here?"
Thinking of the twelve Beast King level puppets he witnessed with his own eyes in Hongmen, Ye Tianhao's expression changed slightly, and he immediately nodded.
Indeed, if Great Xia could really drag those Beast King level puppets around everywhere, their current resistance wouldn't hold much meaning.
"Not necessarily, right? Perhaps Great Xia isn't using the puppets to ensure Xia City's safety. After all, they are also aware of the news from the two major feudal towns..."
"They're here!"
Before Ye Tianhao could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Cai Yuntong beside him.
Cai Yuntong had clearly sensed something. His expression was exceptionally excited. After speaking, he immediately rushed out of the hall towards the outside.
Qin Feng and Ye Tianhao exchanged a glance, a flicker of excitement also appearing on their faces. They hurriedly followed behind him.
"What's here?"
"What else could it be? It must be the reinforcements from the feudal towns."
"Right! It's been so long. Let's go and see."
...
The reinforcements from the two major feudal towns had finally arrived!
Everyone in the hall quickly realized this and hurriedly followed behind Qin Feng and Ye Tianhao, rushing out of the hall to greet them.