Chapter 506: Coordinating Inside and Out, Outsmarting Zhongyang |
"The warehouse is on fire, it's on fire..."
"The warehouse is ablaze, it's ablaze!"
"All of you shut up, shut up, no more shouting!"
"Fire! The warehouse is on fire, all the grain is burning up!"
"The Xia troops have already broken in, run for your lives, run!"
"The Xia troops will slaughter everyone in the camp, run quickly..."
………………
Inside a wooden hut behind the camp warehouse, Lu Yun, dressed in white and holding a sword, along with Han Li and six other junior brothers, led three hundred men crouching on the second floor. Listening to the chaotic, panicked screams coming from outside, their pupils were filled with excitement.
Right now, it wasn't just the warehouse; the barracks around the warehouse, even the residential areas—the entire camp was engulfed in smoke and fire, with panicked cries rising everywhere.
It was clear that Yang Qin had left a portion of armed forces within the camp. These soldiers began arresting people everywhere, trying to quell this riot.
However, they couldn't even find the source of the chaos; how could they stop it?
"Heh heh, those people are shouting their hearts out!"
"Without having to fight on the front lines, just doing this little task, and getting military merits if done well—it's an opportunity you couldn't even dream of asking for. Of course they'd put in the effort."
"It's in chaos now. That Yang Qin sure has guts, actually transferring seventy to eighty percent of the city's Digging Realm cultivators to help defend the walls. That's just to our advantage."
"It's been thirty breaths already. Fifty more breaths to go. Judging by the sounds, they should have already started moving toward the southwest."
………………
"That's about enough!"
Lu Yun stood up directly, cutting off the discussion among the people behind him.
"Commander Mu previously sent someone to instruct us: if he attempts to persuade surrender before the battle begins, it means he is dividing his forces to attack the southwest mountain path. It just so happens we don't have many people. Right now, the gate area has at least fifty to sixty thousand people gathered. Us going there would be useless. Follow me to the southwest mountain path!"
Commander Mu Longhe's loud persuasion earlier wasn't just for show.
Although Department Chancellor Xia Chuan only assigned him ten thousand troops to attack Zhongyang, he gave him the authority to act as he saw fit, clearly intending for him to coordinate well with East Ridge. So before the battle began, he had already communicated with East Ridge.
Master Lu Yang took the main force to the Jingxi camp, so matters on the East Ridge side were basically handled by Lu Yun. The secret signal he agreed upon with Commander Mu Longhe's forces was precisely the pre-battle persuasion attempt.
Speed is crucial in warfare. Right now, the main force was fiercely attacking the camp gate. Lu Yun naturally didn't dare delay. With one command, he led the three hundred men out of the wooden hut, then split them into seven groups. They mingled with the chaotic crowd, moving from different directions, quickly approaching the entrance of the southwest mountain path.
"Put out the fire, put out the fire first! This warehouse holds military provisions; they can't have problems. Quickly get other idle people to come help put out the fire!"
"Unauthorized personnel are not allowed near, all of you get lost!"
…………
At the warehouse entrance, Huang Shengyong, who had been extremely smug just moments ago, now wore an expression full of fear and panic. He personally led five hundred men guarding the warehouse, one moment ordering people to come quickly to put out the fire, the next forbidding others from approaching. He had clearly lost all composure, not a trace of his previous arrogance remained.
In a daze, he turned his head and saw a figure in white amidst the crowd. His expression stiffened sharply, and he immediately realized something, his face instantly flushing with rage.
"It's Lu Yun, it's Lu Yun and his gang..."
After gritting his teeth to utter these words, he suddenly thought of something else. His pupils contracted sharply, and his originally flushed face instantly turned deathly pale.
"Not good! There's a problem with East Ridge!"
Just as Huang Shengyong was connecting the dots, Lu Yun's group of three hundred gathered in the southwestern section of the camp in just over thirty breaths.
Not just them; Han Li, Zhu Baixu, and the other four had already used bone whistles to sound the assembly signal midway. The masterminds of the camp mutiny—the seven hundred Digging Realm Extremes from the escort team—had long since gathered behind them, following the sound.
As soon as the thousand-plus people arrived at the southwestern section and saw the scene at the mountain path entrance, their pupils trembled violently, and their emotions instantly surged.
No other reason—it was because the mountain path entrance, no more than three meters wide, had already been blasted open. Hundreds of soldiers clad in pale golden armor had long occupied the entrance and were fiercely pushing inward, killing as they advanced.
"Hahahaha, mere rabble, trying to block me? Die!"
The leader was a burly middle-aged general in black armor, wielding a Great Xia standard long saber over ten feet long. He had already fought his way over ten meters deep into the enemy ranks, slashing horizontally and chopping vertically, letting out wildly arrogant and savage roars, his imposing might already overwhelming.
Guarding the mountain path entrance weren't some miscellaneous soldiers; they were Beishuo's genuine Town Garrison Army. Yet even so, from officers down to common soldiers, not a single one could withstand a single blow from that middle-aged black-armored general.
"It's the Xiaoshan Army Commander-in-Chief, Lord Xiao Yuan!"
"Rumors say he's about to break through to the Sun Manifestation Level. His strength must be at least 70 Zong or more."
"70 Zong? Ignorant! The Military Department just established a new rule at the beginning of the year: those with strength below 80 Zong are ineligible to serve as Commander-in-Chief. Currently, among the 30 designated armies, no one legitimately serving as Commander-in-Chief has strength below 80 Zong."
"Those whose strength hasn't reached 80 Zong are only acting commanders for now."
………………
"Enough chatter, listen to me..."
Despite his surging emotions, Lu Yun didn't recklessly charge forward with his men. His thousand men all wore civilian clothes, no armor, and only three hundred were at the Warmth Realm. Charging recklessly would at most cause chaos for the enemy, unable to deliver a substantial blow. So, he had to think of a way.
He had long been observing the situation around the southwest mountain path entrance. Seeing the camp was filled with noisily crowded, panicked crowds everywhere, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he quickly came up with a plan.
After giving a series of instructions, Han Li and his six junior brothers looked at him with faces full of admiration, then quickly led teams of men, running toward the areas surrounding the mountain path entrance.
Lu Yun didn't leave but continued watching the battle situation at the mountain path entrance.
In fact, Xiaoshan Army Commander-in-Chief Xiao Yuan wasn't the one charging the most fiercely.
There was another middle-aged man in civilian clothes, wielding a horizontal saber, whose position was even further ahead, almost having fought his way into the middle of the Beishuo Town Garrison Army formation, even showing slight signs of being surrounded.
That middle-aged man bore some resemblance to Xiao Yuan, but his strength was even more terrifying. Every swing of his horizontal saber almost took several Beishuo soldiers' lives. Thousand-Forged Armor seemed as fragile as paper under his blade, offering no protective effect whatsoever.
"Former Xiaoshan Army Commander-in-Chief, Deputy Head of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, Lord Xiao Kangcheng!"
Lu Yun was naturally familiar with Great Xia's high-ranking officials. He recognized Xiao Kangcheng at a glance. Seeing the enemy troops retreating step by step under his onslaught alone, and an enemy middle-aged man who was clearly also at the Sun Manifestation Level being forced by him to constantly retreat into the rear formation, Lu Yun's face was filled with yearning.
"Lord Xiao was ennobled as a sixth-rank Purple Lightning Viscount last year. After this battle ends, his noble rank will likely rise by at least two levels. A true man should be like that!"
Thinking of the benefits of ennoblement, Lu Yun's pupils were filled with desire. He hadn't been part of Great Xia for long. Although he had earned some merits, suffering from the lack of major battles, he was still far from the 500 military merits required for ennoblement.
This time was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!
"The enemy has broken in! Quick, escape through the southwest mountain path..."
"Hurry and run! The Xia troops will massacre the city when they enter. If you don't run now, you won't have a chance!"
"Run, run quickly! There aren't many enemy troops at the southwest mountain path; we can still escape!"
………………
While lost in thought, several waves of chaotic shouting suddenly came from behind.
Lu Yun turned his head to look, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.
The camp was already ablaze with towering flames, so visibility was high. Under the firelight, tens of thousands of people from all directions were noisily crowded surging toward the mountain path entrance. They looked panicked, and a minority among them were also shouting along, saying the only way to escape was through the mountain path entrance.
"It's over!"
Seeing the noisily crowded tide of people gathering, Lu Yun was naturally overjoyed. However, Duan Heyang, responsible for guarding the mountain path entrance, was now filled with despair in his heart.
The Xia troops that had actually broken into the mountain path entrance numbered at most three hundred-plus, and it was clearly visible they were all elites. It was normal for the Town Garrison Army to be unable to hold them and show some decline.
As for him being no match for Xiao Kangcheng, that was expected from the start. He had only broken through to the Sun Manifestation Level two months ago. When Yang Qin sent him to guard the mountain path, what he truly relied on was those 2,000 Town Garrison Army troops.
Relying on the narrow mountain path entrance, they had held off the Xia troops for nearly half an hour. To say he hadn't fought poorly would be an understatement; even the massive fire inside the camp hadn't caused any chaos at the mountain path.
But now it was different!
Seeing the noisily crowded crowd surging toward the mountain path, Duan Heyang naturally knew it was the work of spies who had infiltrated the camp. What he feared wasn't this massive crowd, but the spies hidden within it.
"All of you stop! Don't approach the mountain path!"
Duan Heyang blocked another slash from Xiao Kangcheng, ignoring the strange sounds from the bones in his arms, and turned his head to roar toward the area behind him.
"The Xia troops have already broken into the camp! Where else can we run if not the mountain path?"
"Don't listen to him! The only way out is through the mountain path."
"Our lives are at stake, why listen to his nonsense? Brothers, if you want to live, follow me and charge out!"
………………
The fear brought by death ultimately overwhelmed everything.
Zhongyang Camp was one of the seven camps directly under Beishuo's jurisdiction, aside from the town itself.
Many people were well aware of Duan Heyang's identity and his Sun Manifestation Level strength. But now, under the instigation of certain individuals, everyone completely ignored his warning, roaring as they charged toward the mountain path direction.
With this charge, the area near the mountain path entrance instantly fell into chaos.
It was true that only a few hundred Xia troops had broken in, but these few hundred elites, led by the brothers Xiao Kangcheng and Xiao Yuan, delivered an incredibly terrifying impact. They had already pushed nearly a hundred meters inward, and more and more Xia soldiers were following behind, pouring in at a visibly rapid pace.
The retreating defenders originally still had vacant space behind them to maneuver against the Xia troops. With these tens of thousands of people rushing over, the result was predictable.
"Thud..."
"Don't block the way!"
"They're killing people! The Town Garrison Army is killing people!"
"There are spies mixed in the crowd, be careful!"
………………
The moment the crowd and soldiers converged, a hundred different situations erupted instantly.
Some soldiers, to avoid the Xia troops' frontal assault, accidentally dodged and knocked over ordinary people; some, to create maneuvering space for themselves, simply attacked ordinary people directly; some ruthless ones even used ordinary people as human shields...
Of course, even more deadly were Lu Yun and his men.
*Ssshhhk...*
Lu Yun mingled within the crowd, slowly approaching a Beishuo soldier. When he got within less than two meters of the other, his sleeve suddenly lifted, and a broken knife flashed out from within, heading straight for the soldier's neck.
"Mmph..."
The soldier clutched his neck, his pupils filled with terror and shock. He had no idea who had attacked him. Driven by instinct, he raised his knife and swung it around, but after only a few swings, he collapsed as his life force was cut off.
Lu Yun's eyes were cold as he vanished back into the crowd.
With his current strength of 25 Zong, killing an ordinary Warmth Realm soldier through sneak attack was naturally effortless.
However, just this one wasn't enough!
Lu Yun turned his head, searching through the crowd. Soon, he spotted an officer with noticeably higher-grade attire on the enemy's flank. His eyes instantly lit up.
Like a venomous snake, he blended into the crowd, moving toward that person.
Lu Yun was just a microcosm.
Han Li, Zhu Baixu, including the other several hundred Warmth Realm cultivators, and even the later-arriving seven hundred Digging Realm Extremes, were now also using their own methods, mingling within the crowd, constantly looking for opportunities to target isolated Beishuo Town Garrison Army soldiers.
The front line collapsing, retreat cut off, and spies mixed in the crowd constantly harvesting the lives of their own soldiers...
How could Duan Heyang's heart not be filled with despair at this moment?
"Brothers, turn around and scatter the crowd! Withdraw back into the camp!"
No matter how despairing, Duan Heyang still came up with a countermeasure. Staying stuck here would only lead to their complete annihilation by the Xia troops. Only by withdrawing into the camp and reuniting with the main force would there be a chance to continue the fight.
Commander Mu Longhe only brought a total of ten thousand troops. Eight thousand attacked the main gate, leaving at most two thousand for the mountain path. Even if they let them break in, it was fine. As long as they could reunite with the main force, there was still a chance!
As Duan Heyang gave up resisting Xiao Kangcheng and was the first to turn and charge toward the direction of the camp interior, the remaining Beishuo Town Garrison Army soldiers immediately followed suit, turning in unison. They all abandoned defending against the Xia troops at the mountain path entrance, preparing to retreat toward the camp interior.
"Brothers, if we don't charge faster, the military merits will become someone else's!"
"The main gate army broke in long ago! If we keep dawdling, we'll never get ennobled in this lifetime! Follow me and charge!"
"Charge!"
………………
Lu Yun, hidden within the crowd, felt his emotions stirred. He even almost couldn't resist leading his brothers to openly intercept the Beishuo Town Garrison Army.
Of course, no matter how impassioned, he still restrained himself.
It wasn't out of fear of exposure. From the moment the warehouse caught fire, Yang Qin and Yang Ping should have had an inkling. The fact that East Ridge had a problem definitely couldn't be hidden.
The main issue was the armor!
The thousand men he brought from East Ridge weren't wearing any armor, and their identities were also a problem. Right now, mingling within the panicked crowd, sneakily assassinating a few was fine. Openly joining the battle? The Xia troops wouldn't recognize you.
"Men from East Ridge, follow me and withdraw!"
With Lu Yun's command, he himself first retreated to the flank. Soon, many people within the crowd also successively withdrew.
Xiao Yuan and Xiao Kangcheng, charging at the very front, both involuntarily glanced sideways at Lu Yun upon hearing this.
Of course, it was just a glance.
There was no time for conversation right now.
With the mountain path entrance lost, the entire Xiaoshan Army poured into the camp in less than thirty breaths.
Once inside the camp, their excitement grew even more intense.
Especially seeing Duan Heyang's troops, who hadn't run far yet, and realizing they were walking military merits, the soldiers went into a frenzy like they'd been injected with stimulants, madly chasing forward.
*Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...*
Just then, several powerful sounds of air currents tearing through the sky suddenly came from the central area of the camp. Everyone couldn't help but look up, only to discover that nearly ten streaks of white light had streaked across the sky above the camp's central area at some point.
"Rebel leader Yang Ping has been executed! Why do you still not surrender? What are you waiting for?"
Commander Mu Longhe's vigorous, powerful voice came from the central area of the camp. All the Beishuo Town Garrison Army soldiers, including Duan Heyang, trembled violently in expression.
The Xia troops' reaction was naturally the complete opposite.
The already impassioned Xiaoshan Army instantly received another shot of adrenaline. They swung their weapons even more fiercely. The five flag officers even almost planted the army flag ahead of the fleeing enemy troops.
Zhongyang Camp was lost!
These six words flashed through Duan Heyang's mind. Looking at the over a thousand troops still following him, he gritted his teeth. In the end, he couldn't bear to abandon them and flee alone. Instead, he led them, continuing to flee toward the direction of the camp interior.
"Even if Yang Ping is dead, it's fine. There are tens of thousands of Digging Realm cultivators in the city. The main gate defenders won't die that quickly. We still have the Pure Cold Pills we haven't used. Even if we can't hold, we won't be completely annihilated..."