Chapter 502: A Hundred Lords Reveal Their Power — Zhongyang Battle Report |
Just as Jinshan Town recognized the strategic importance of the Pass Camp and specifically built a city there to defend the town and resist external enemies, Wuchuan was the same. The Donggu Main Camp connected to the Jinshan Xiyuan Camp in the east and reached the Muyin Floating Mountain main camp in the south. It was like a nail driven between the two towns, and it was also the necessary route for the southern towns heading north. Such an important location naturally had a city established long ago.
Although the scale of Donggu City couldn't compare to a town city, it still spanned five kilometers in length and width. Moreover, outside the main gate on the southwest side, a moat trench a full twenty meters wide had been dug.
In the extreme cold climate of the Ice Abyss, it was naturally very difficult for flowing water to exist. However, humans were, after all, intelligent beings and had means to resist the climate.
"This trench is left unattended during peacetime. The solid ice that forms on top happens to provide a path for people to walk into the city. During wartime, we send people to burn coal stones in the iron channels reserved beneath the trench, melting the solid ice…"
More than twenty people hovered in the air above Donggu City's main gate. The leader was an elderly man dressed in cyan brocade robes. Following behind him, currently explaining with a humble demeanor, was none other than Qin Feng, the Lord Leader of Wuchuan.
Although Qin Feng kept talking, thinking of the identity of the old man before him and the news he had just brought, the excitement in his pupils was impossible to conceal.
The old man before him was Cai Yunhe, a third-generation descendant of the Caiqiu Fang Bo lineage, and also the third-in-command among the group of Sun Manifestation Level experts Caiqiu had dispatched to aid the Southern Foothills.
"Young Fang Bo Cai Qiuhu personally leads a hundred Sun Manifestation Level experts and has already entered Jinshan Town. This old man, under the orders of Young Fang Bo, leads ten men specially to reinforce Wuchuan!"
This was what Cai Yunhe had personally said when Qin Feng led his people out of the hall to welcome him.
That sentence immediately popped into Qin Feng's mind at that time.
A hundred Sun Manifestation Level experts were already enough to reverse the current dangerous situation.
The key was that this was only from Caiqiu alone; the people from Chencang hadn't arrived yet.
After Qin Feng finished explaining all of Donggu City's defensive works and saw that Cai Yunhe had no reaction, he couldn't resist the confusion in his heart and asked respectfully, "Lord Cai, since Young Fang Bo has personally arrived in the Southern Foothills, why not directly step forward to intimidate them? Great Xia's meager strength is only enough for them to run rampant in the Southern Foothills. Before your esteemed feudal town, they are like fireflies compared to the bright moon. If Young Fang Bo could personally come to Xia City to intimidate them, Xia Hong would surely be deterred…"
"Hmph! Easier said than done. Great Xia has at least fifteen Beast King-level puppets. Not a single one has appeared since the war began. Most likely, they are guarding Xia City. Young Fang Bo is a figure of such noble status. Is it worth him risking his life for your trivial matters in the Southern Foothills?"
"It was my foolishness. I beg your forgiveness, my lord!"
Interrupted, Qin Feng's face stiffened slightly. Although he apologized verbally, his heart grew even more perplexed.
His understanding of the Caiqiu Feudal Town wasn't deep, but he had heard of the name Young Fang Bo Cai Qiuhu.
Fang Bo of Caiqiu had four sons: the eldest, Commandery Governor of Linchu Cai Qiuyang; the second son, Commandery Governor of Qingcang Cai Qiuning; the third son, Commandery Governor of Whitewater Cai Qiuhong; and finally, this youngest son, Cai Qiuhu.
"Young Fang Bo" wasn't just an honorary title; it was a genuine feudal town position. As the name implied, one could tell from this position that Cai Qiuhu was the next Fang Bo destined to succeed Cai Qianshan.
Being able to become Young Fang Bo, Cai Qiuhu's strength naturally went without saying. Qin Feng had once heard that although Cai Qiuhu was the youngest son of the Fang Bo, his talent far surpassed his three elder brothers. He broke through to the Tribulation Body Realm in his sixties and was now just over eighty. Among the Tribulation Body Realm experts in Mo'ao Chuan, he could absolutely be considered young.
Not only that, Cai Qiuhu was also highly valued by the Fang Bo. Not only did he live in Caiqiu City year-round, but he could even freely mobilize the Silver Scale Army under the Fang Bo's command.
Setting aside Cai Qiuhu's background and status, just his Tribulation Body Realm cultivation alone guaranteed that no one in the Southern Foothills could threaten him.
Four years ago, Great Xia deployed twelve Beast King-level puppets in the Battle of Hongmen. Two days ago, during the process of Yang Jian and Chu Xuanling kidnapping Xia Yusheng, they released three more Beast King-level Cloud Pythons. So, the data they currently had was fifteen.
The law of the Ice Abyss: at the same level, Frost Beasts were basically far stronger than humans.
Fifteen Beast Kings were, of course, terrifying!
Among the three northern towns, Jinshan probably had the most solid city defenses. But if fifteen Beast King-level puppets helped the Xia troops attack the city, even Jinshan probably wouldn't hold out for long.
Two days had passed since Great Xia decided to go to war, and they still hadn't used those Beast King-level puppets. While this reassured Qin Feng, he couldn't help but believe Yang Jian's words a bit more.
Those Beast King-level puppets definitely had usage restrictions; otherwise, Great Xia wouldn't have waited until now to use them.
Of course, those Beast King-level puppets weren't invincible either!
For example, before a Tribulation Body Realm expert.
Cai Qiuhu was a proper Tribulation Body Realm expert. Even if he couldn't defeat fifteen Beast King-level puppets working together, personally visiting Xia City to intimidate them shouldn't count as risking his life, right?
Not to mention he brought so many Sun Manifestation Level experts. Even if Great Xia truly lost their minds or had some hidden powerful means and dared to attack him, he could just run away.
Using the phrase "risking his life" to describe a trip to Xia City was clearly a huge exaggeration.
"Not wanting to stop this war is the real reason!"
The reason the two major feudal towns helped them resist Great Xia was because they also had designs on the Southern Foothills. The problem was they couldn't send large armies south now. So, rather than intimidating Great Xia and ending this major war, it was better to first use the people of the four northern towns to deplete Great Xia's strength.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Feng quickly understood the reason Cai Qiuhu was unwilling to go to Xia City to intimidate Great Xia, and his mood immediately sank considerably.
Mood aside, he absolutely dared not show it on his face.
The situation was stronger than the man. No matter what, they now could only rely on the aid of the two major feudal towns to resist the Xia army. So, no matter what the other side said, they could only comply. Where did they have the right to offer opinions?
"I went to Floating Mountain before coming here. In terms of armor and weapons, cultivation, even military discipline and formation level, your fifty thousand troops are no match for the Xia army. Taking the initiative to attack has no chance of victory. But using city defenses to resist them isn't difficult. Plus, with our assistance, if Great Xia dares to rashly attack the city, they will definitely suffer heavy losses. So…"
Since the feudal town didn't want to see the war end, they naturally wouldn't help them take the initiative to attack. Having figured out Caiqiu's calculations, hearing Cai Yunhe's words, Qin Feng felt no surprise in his heart, only that his originally excited mood sank considerably.
Of course, he wouldn't show it on his face. After Cai Yunhe finished speaking, he still clasped his hands with a grateful expression and said, "Lord Cai speaks wisely. I am enlightened. However…"
He paused here, then continued with a hesitant tone, "Yangju is already besieged by Yuan Cheng's army. Without aid, I fear it will be breached. Longgu has already changed hands. If Yangju is breached, everywhere south of Donggu will become Great Xia's territory. By then, the Xia army's northward advance will have no obstacles. We…"
"Rest assured! The Xia army cannot breach Yangju. Young Fang Bo brought a total of fifty Sun Manifestation Level experts from Jinshan Town. Eleven of us came to Donggu. The remaining thirty-nine went with Young Fang Bo to Yangju."
Yangju is saved!
Thirty-nine Sun Manifestation Level experts, plus a Tribulation Body Realm expert like Cai Qiuhu. With the sturdiness of Yangju Town, no matter how fierce the Xia army is, it's useless.
Hearing this, Qin Feng's heart instantly settled.
No matter what sinister intentions Caiqiu harbored, they ultimately didn't want to see Great Xia unify the Southern Foothills. As long as they were willing to send people to help Cao Qianyang defend Yangju Town, that was fine.
Even if they weren't willing to exert full effort, it didn't matter. At worst, it would turn into a strategic stalemate, just waiting for the Xia army to become overconfident and attack.
Previously, Qin Feng had been worried about the forty thousand troops from the Floating Mountain main camp coming to attack the Donggu Main Camp. Now, not only was he not worried, he actually hoped the Xia army would come to attack the city.
Only if the Xia army attacked the city could Cai Yunhe and his eleven men play their role. If they could defeat the forty thousand troops from Floating Mountain in one fell swoop, they could severely dampen Great Xia's momentum.
"You're probably afraid we won't exert ourselves, right?"
Just as Qin Feng was pondering internally, Cai Yunhe seemed to see through his thoughts and lightly teased. Seeing Qin Feng's face stiffen, unable to speak, a trace of disdain appeared on his face as he continued, "Since Young Fang Bo has sent us here, we naturally take defeating the Xia army as our primary goal. Rest assured! Young Fang Bo going to Yangju isn't just to help defend the city. He is extensively collecting information on Great Xia's Sun Manifestation Level experts, preparing for what comes next."
Collecting information on Great Xia's Sun Manifestation Level experts?
Hearing this, Qin Feng was stunned, his face full of confusion.
Cai Yunhe shook his head. Originally, he didn't intend to explain, but a desire to show off surged in his heart, and he said with a proud tone, "Losing Longgu Town City boils down to you not knowing the movements of Great Xia's Sun Manifestation Level experts. Young Fang Bo has a capable person by his side who can collect information on all of Great Xia's Sun Manifestation Level experts. Once the collection is complete, the movements of all of Great Xia's Sun Manifestation Level experts will be entirely within our grasp. By then, are you still afraid there won't be opportunities to take the initiative to attack?"
Qin Feng's spirit suddenly lifted, his face instantly becoming extremely excited.
Monitoring the movements of all Sun Manifestation Level experts—this sounded like a mysterious technique.
He didn't doubt that the Caiqiu Feudal Town had such a capable person.
If they could truly achieve this, then the subsequent battles would be extremely advantageous for the four northern towns. It had to be known that the spies currently on the battlefield were all Sun Manifestation Level. If they could accurately grasp their movements, they could carry out targeted elimination and interception. Not to mention, they could also learn Great Xia's main attack direction in advance based on the movements of all their Sun Manifestation Level experts.
"As expected of a feudal town, capable of bringing out such means. Fortunately, the one facing them this time is Great Xia…"
The excitement in Qin Feng's heart quickly turned into wariness and vigilance, and his slightly clenched fist also relaxed.
Mo'ao Calendar Year 136, December 28th, late night
Beishuo Town, west of Dongchuan, Zhongyang Camp
Unlike Donggu and the Pass, the Zhongyang Camp's status within Beishuo Town wasn't that high, and its terrain wasn't particularly precipitous either. Therefore, no city was built, only barracks specifically for garrisoning troops were set up.
"All of you, speed up! The Xia army is about to attack. Dig the trenches deeper! The barracks are only this big. It's been almost two days and you still haven't finished digging. Haven't you eaten?"
"Faster, faster! Soldiers, all of you get down and dig!"
………………
In the air east of the Zhongyang Camp, Yang Qin, clad in white robes with a long spear on his back, kept urging the soldiers of the army below to speed up. Although his tone was severe, when he looked down at the nearly completed trenches below, joy clearly dominated his pupils.
"The terrain of the Zhongyang Camp isn't particularly precipitous, but its advantage is its commanding height. Three sides are stone walls dozens of meters high. Besides the gentle slope at the eastern main gate, only the small mountain path to the southwest can lead up. Now that the main gate trenches are completed, although only ten meters wide, they are enough to slow down the charge of Warmth Realm experts. The possibility of Mu Longhe's ten thousand Xia troops charging up from the front is already slim."
Yang Qin pondered for a moment, then turned his head to look at the large area of black tents three hundred meters to the east, a trace of coldness flashing through his pupils.
"Linya's terrain is even less advantageous than Zhongyang, and it's too far from the town's central command. Rather than splitting forces to defend two places, it's better to concentrate them together. Although Great Xia only sent ten thousand troops, there are three designated elite units among them: Commander-in-Chief of the Yellow Armor Army Mu Qinghe, Commander-in-Chief of the Xiaoshan Army Xiao Kangcheng, plus Mu Longhimself—that makes three Sun Manifestation Level experts!"
Large-scale troop movements by the Xia army couldn't be hidden from Sun Manifestation Level experts. When Mu Longhe led ten thousand troops marching westward, the Zhongyang Camp received the news immediately.
Before receiving the news, Yang Qin, considering the terrain of the Zhongyang Camp, had already ordered soldiers to start building trenches. However, he originally thought that after the Xia army occupied Dongchuan, they would head south to continue attacking Baimu and Kuling. So, thinking the defensive pressure wasn't too heavy, he didn't urge the soldiers to speed up.
His estimate wasn't wrong either. The Xia army in Dongchuan did indeed head south to attack Baimu. But he didn't expect Xia Chuan to split off ten thousand troops for Mu Longhe, ordering him to attack Zhongyang from the west.
Great Xia opening four battlefronts was already exaggerated enough. A single Left Route Army actually dared to split off another ten thousand troops to open yet another battle line.
Upon suddenly learning this news, Yang Qin's reaction was similar to his father Yang Zun, his second uncle, third uncle, and others: they all felt Great Xia was being outrageously arrogant.
But after calming down, Yang Qin truly didn't dare to be careless.
The strength of the Xia army was indeed terrifyingly powerful.
He had just led his cousin Yang Ping to closely observe that ten-thousand-strong Xia army. Of course, the focus was on the three designated armies within it. The strength of ordinary soldiers was all above 6 zong. The captains serving in the army were basically above 10 zong. As for the battalion commanders leading each battalion, they were all above 20 zong.
Cultivation was secondary. The key was the armor these soldiers were equipped with. Although also Thousand-Forged Grade, it was different from ordinary thousand-forged iron armor. The Xia army's armor was clearly mixed with other materials. Without testing, one knew its defensive power definitely surpassed ordinary thousand-forged armor.
"Great Xia's forging craftsmanship was originally stronger than our northern towns. The armor and weapons used by their soldiers are certainly superior to ours…"
Cultivation, armor, weapons—inferior to the enemy in all three aspects. Fortunately, they were on the defensive. If it were a head-on confrontation, Yang Qin estimated his ten thousand men definitely couldn't withstand the Xia army's offensive.
"Eldest Brother, the people from East Ridge have already come up from the southwest mountain path. They brought a thousand men, led personally by Lu Yang's chief disciple Lu Yun. They delivered a total of two million jin of beast meat to us."
Yang Qin sensed his second brother Yang Ping approaching before he spoke. Hearing his words, his eyes lit up, and he turned his head to ask, "Two million jin of beast meat? This Lu Yang is actually so generous?"
Two million jin of beast meat wasn't a small amount even for Beishuo Town City. Although East Ridge's strength was decent, it was, after all, just a Village-level Camp. As far as he knew, its population was only around 190,000. Taking out two million jin of beast meat in one go definitely wasn't easy.
Yang Ping's face was full of smiles as he nodded. "This Lu Yang must have been swayed by Third Uncle's words. As long as we can block this wave of Xia troops, the entire Jingxi will belong to him in the future. How could he not be enthusiastic?"
After Yang Fa left East Ridge, he went to the Zhongyang Camp first and told the two of them the news that Lu Yang would transfer supplies over, so Yang Qin was also aware.
Thinking of Lu Yang's wishful thinking, he first sneered, then remembered something and asked, "The thousand men he brought, are they all Warmth Realm cultivation?"
Yang Ping immediately shook his head. "Not all. Only three hundred are Warmth Realm, and their strength is quite average. East Ridge's main force should have been taken by Lu Yang to the Jingxi main camp."
For a supply transport team, having three hundred Warmth Realm experts was already impressive.
Hearing this, Yang Qin didn't say anything else and nodded. "With so few people, arrange for them to stay for now. Continue sending people to monitor the southwest mountain path. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed near. Guard against a sneak attack by the Xia army."
"Yes!"
Yang Ping immediately clasped his hands, nodded, and quickly flew down to make arrangements.
Yang Qin continued to stand in the air, staring fixedly at the Xia army tents to the east.