Chapter 537: Luo Yuan Pleads Guilty, Three Armies Encircle, Xu Ning's Little Thoughts |
"Luo Yuan is incompetent, causing our army to be attacked from both front and rear. My guilt is inexcusable even by ten thousand deaths. I voluntarily request to resign from my position as Marshal of the Central Route Army and submit myself to the Lord Leader's judgment!"
Before the allied forces of the Jinshan and Wuchuan towns had even disappeared from sight, the two supreme commanders of the Central Route Army and the Rear Route Army had already come forward first.
Luo Yuan was very straightforward. The moment he flew up to the city wall, he immediately knelt before Xia Hong to plead his guilt, his face full of shame and self-reproach, not even daring to lift his head.
Xia Hong's expression naturally wasn't very pleasant.
Fifty thousand enemy troops had slipped away right under his nose, and Luo Yuan had been completely unaware. For a commander-in-chief of an army, this was almost a fatal mistake.
The key point was that he had just used the Miasma Mist Abomination Technique to deceive the Wuchuan army, cleverly captured Donggu City, and won a brilliant battle; yet, not even a few hours later, he had fallen for Caiqiu's secret technique of trickery.
Great Xia had plenty of countermeasures against trickery. Supplies like Small Torches, Suppress Specter Jade, and Yellow Candles were all issued to the four route armies. That they could still be hit like this could only mean that the entire Central Route Army, including Luo Yuan, had been utterly intoxicated by the previous victory, completely losing all sense of vigilance.
In fact, if Xia Hong hadn't responded appropriately just now and promptly seized the Pass, Yuwen Tao's forty thousand troops of the Right Route Army would most likely have been routed, undoubtedly adding more variables to the situation in the Southern Foothills.
Of course, the current situation had now completely reversed, and Great Xia still held a firm winning hand.
Xia Hong looked at Luo Yuan kneeling before him and was just about to speak when a figure suddenly flew out from within the city, speaking first.
"Lord Leader, the urgent priority now is to pursue the allied forces of the two towns. Marshal Luo's crime can be investigated after the battle, it's not too late!"
The newcomer was none other than Xu Ning, the Battlefield Messenger who had just arrived ahead of the Wuchuan army to deliver the warning at the Pass.
Xu Ning had initially been at Donggu. After the Wuchuan army disappeared, his first thought was that Qin Feng was taking his army north to reinforce Wuchuan City, so he rushed ahead to Wuchuan City to report to Xia Chuan. Later, prompted by Xia Chuan, he realized Qin Feng was taking his army east to the Pass, so he changed course and hurried to the Pass.
This round trip, shuttling between three locations, also consumed a fair amount of time. By the time he arrived at the Pass, the Wuchuan army was already almost upon them. So the intelligence he brought had hardly served any purpose; by the time he arrived, Xia Hong had already deployed everything here.
"Then we'll talk about it later!"
Changing commanders in the midst of battle was certainly not an option. Xia Hong stepped right onto the ladder Xu Ning had extended.
Xu Ning had essentially gotten him out of a tight spot. Luo Yuan immediately shot him a grateful look, and the anxiety in his heart eased considerably.
The battle at the Pass had almost sealed the fate of the Jinshan and Wuchuan towns. Great Xia's unification of the Southern Foothills was a foregone conclusion. If the Lord Leader wasn't pursuing his guilt now, then after the war when Great Xia was firmly established, even if he did pursue it, it wouldn't be too severe.
"The allied forces of the two towns have fled north. If I'm not mistaken, they will likely exit through Qinggu, then head west along the southern foothills of Mo'ao Mountain, bypass Hanzhao, enter Yinhe Valley, occupy Jinyang City, and then fortify Jinyang, waiting for Caiqiu's reinforcements to arrive."
Hearing Xia Hong's words, the eyes of the gathered generals flickered, and they nodded slightly.
Caiqiu's movements weren't hard to guess. Apart from this route, the allied forces of the two towns had no other options.
"Lord Leader, if you ask me, we don't need to bother with these hundred thousand plus troops. Wuchuan and Jinshan are already isolated cities, with only a hundred thousand or so Digging Realm cultivators inside. If we concentrate our forces to capture them, then round up all the family members of the soldiers from the two towns and drive them right to the walls of Jinyang City, wouldn't we be afraid this hundred thousand strong army wouldn't surrender?"
As soon as Xu Ning finished speaking, the eyes of quite a few present showed a flicker of interest.
With Xia Hong's Beast Emperor-Level Puppets, capturing two town cities wouldn't be difficult for the Xia troops. If they really followed Xu Ning's idea, the allied forces of the two towns could indeed be defeated without a fight. This would also minimize Xia troop casualties to the greatest extent, preparing for the later war with the feudal towns.
"Chengcang and Caiqiu, the two feudatories, may have no shame, but my Great Xia still has its face. Using women and children to coerce others into surrender is an act I, as Lord Leader, disdain!"
Having lived two lives, Xia Hong was naturally not so pedantic.
The main issue was that Xu Ning's suggestion, while sounding impressive, wasn't very feasible.
Breaking through the town cities and then using family members to coerce the allied soldiers to surrender presented two major difficulties:
First, breaking through the town cities. Although the allied forces of the two towns had retreated, Caiqiu would certainly continue monitoring the Xia troops' movements. If they attacked the town cities, who's to say the allied forces wouldn't turn back?
The fourteen Beast Emperor-Level Puppets had all been revealed. Caiqiu might have countermeasures next time. If they couldn't break through the town cities quickly, dragging the Xia troops into a bitter fight, there would be even more variables.
Second, capturing family members to coerce soldiers. Leaving aside whether it would work, even if it did succeed, defeating the allied forces in such a manner—would the people of Jinshan and Wuchuan towns in the future willingly integrate into Great Xia and become Xia people?
Some things, when done, might not show immediate consequences, but over time, the repercussions are endless. Being able to defeat the allied forces of the two towns fairly and squarely, there's no need to resort to such underhanded tactics. Whether successful or not, you'd end up covered in filth.
"Furthermore, from this moment on, our enemy is no longer just the two towns of Jinshan and Wuchuan..."
Xia Hong's murmur made the expressions of the assembled generals momentarily blank, then they quickly understood.
"It will be dawn soon. According to scout reports, the Caiqiu army will pass through the Bone-Erosion Path by the night of the third at the latest. We must strangle the allied forces of the two towns before they head south!"
The news of the Caiqiu army's impending southward movement was known to the entire Right Route Army. So after Yuwen Tao said this, everyone nodded and looked at Xia Hong.
"It all depends on whether my guess is correct. If those Caiqiu people are truly so foolish as to dare retreat to Jinyang with a hundred thousand troops, then this battle is completely over!"
Xia Hong's eyes gleamed coldly, his tone full of grimness.
Jinyang City was built from scratch, brick by tile, three years ago when Great Xia conscripted a large number of craftsmen. Backdoors had long been left. Moreover, when Yuwen Tao led his army out of Jinyang at the start of the war, would he not have made preparations?
Now, it's just a matter of whether his guess is correct.
If Caiqiu truly looked down on everyone, thinking that holding a hundred thousand troops meant they could rest easy and recklessly attack Jinyang, regardless of whether they could break in, they would be walking straight into a dead end.
"Yuan Cheng, Luo Yuan, you two return to your respective commands. Send scouts to closely monitor the allied forces' movements. With Caiqiu's trickery methods aiding them, their marching speed will certainly be faster than yours. So don't think about chasing them down; just follow behind and keep them in sight."
"Your subordinate obeys the order!"
"Yuwen Tao, reorganize first. After you're ready, also pursue them. However, maintain communication with Yuan Cheng and Luo Yuan's two armies. Keep the distance between the three armies not too far, guarding against ambushes by the allied forces. As long as they are heading for Yinhe Valley, you don't need to rush the pursuit, just steadily follow behind."
"Your subordinate obeys the order!"
After arranging for the three route armies, Xia Hong finally turned to look at Xu Ning and continued, "Xu Ning, convey my order. Notify Xia Chuan's Left Route Army that once it's confirmed the hundred thousand allied forces of Jinshan and Wuchuan have gone to Yinhe Valley, he no longer needs to besiege Wuchuan City. He is to withdraw the main force back to Dongchuan City and guard against the north!"
"Your subordinate obeys the order!"
Xu Ning only pondered for a moment before immediately grasping Xia Hong's meaning.
If the hundred thousand allied forces really went to Yinhe Valley, then not only Jinshan City, but Wuchuan City too would become dead cities. Besieging them would be completely meaningless. As for attacking the cities, that was even more unnecessary.
Just like with Jinshan, as long as they crushed the last hundred thousand troops of the two towns, the two town cities, including the remaining territories of the two towns, would naturally fall to Great Xia.
Anyway, the stored grain in the two town cities was sufficient. A short-term siege held no significance; it was better to concentrate efforts on eliminating the hundred thousand allied forces first.
However, this order from Xia Hong also meant that the twenty thousand elite troops under Xia Chuan's command would miss out on participating in the battle to annihilate the allied forces of the two towns.
But this was understandable. Firstly, Chengcang was a major threat that had to be guarded against. Secondly, the Left Route Army had already gained considerable military merit in this great battle. If they also participated in the battle to annihilate the allied forces, the soldiers of the other three route armies would likely have some complaints.
Thinking of this, a fiery glint also appeared in Xu Ning's eyes.
Once this great battle ended and Great Xia firmly established its rule over the Southern Foothills, there would inevitably be lavish rewards and titles bestowed. Xia City was sure to gain a large batch of new military merit nobles.
"My accumulated military merit before the battle was already over 6,700 points, less than 1,300 short of a noble rank promotion. After this battle ends, I should at least be promoted to a fifth-rank Golden Palace Viscount. If I can achieve some extraordinary merit in the subsequent war with the feudal towns, perhaps I might even have a chance at the fourth-rank Jade Balance Viscount..."
The nine-rank nobility system currently implemented by Great Xia, from low to high, was: Mystic Plume, Crimson Sky, Azure Abyss, Purple Lightning, Golden Palace, Jade Balance, Celestial Authority, Grand Tenuity, and Quasi-Count.
The Xia system stipulated that Great Xia only granted noble titles based on military merit. The lowest ninth-rank Mystic Plume Viscount required accumulating 500 points of military merit. Military merit was based on an individual's number of enemies killed on the battlefield. The nine-rank system was promulgated after the Longyou War. At that time, 1 point of military merit represented killing one Digging Realm Extremes enemy on the battlefield.
Times had changed. With Great Xia's strength advancing by leaps and bounds in recent years, the number of Warmth Realm cultivators in the entire nine towns region had also rapidly increased. Three years ago, the Military Department took the lead in revising the military merit regulations. The current rule was: one Warmth Realm enemy with strength below 8 Zong counted as 1 point of military merit; 8 to 24 Zong counted as 2 points; 24 to 40 Zong counted as 3 points; enemy generals above 40 Zong counted as 5 points...
The change in the military merit calculation method came alongside Great Xia's growing strength, which also meant that the difficulty for Xia people to obtain noble titles remained absurdly high.
Killing 500 Warmth Realm enemies on the battlefield—forget ordinary Warmth Realm soldiers, even top experts above 50 Zong, or even, to exaggerate, Sun Manifestation Level experts, would find it very difficult to achieve.
Moreover, 500 military merit was only for the lowest ninth-rank Mystic Plume Viscount.
Great Xia's conditions for noble rank promotion were even stricter. Each higher rank required double the accumulated military merit of the previous one. So the eighth-rank Crimson Sky required 1,000; seventh-rank Azure Abyss 2,000; sixth-rank 4,000; fifth-rank 8,000...
Xu Ning had followed Xia Hong since the Earthen Slope period. He was not only one of the earliest Xia people but also among the first batch to receive noble titles after the Longyou War.
Holding a high position, his avenues for obtaining military merit were much broader than others', and opportunities were even more abundant. Yet even so, from Great Xia Year Two to Great Xia Year Thirteen—a full eleven years—his accumulated military merit was only a little over 6,700 points. Currently, he was only a sixth-rank Purple Lightning Viscount.
It must be noted that in Great Xia Year Seven, he personally explored Dajue Temple, nearly losing half his life, and only earned 1,000 points of military merit in exchange. If Xia Hong hadn't later used Master Wusheng's organ pieces to save him, he would still be a cripple now.
This shows just how difficult it was to obtain Great Xia military merit!
"My noble rank hasn't moved for over three years. It's about time for a promotion..."
Xu Ning glanced sideways at Yuan Cheng and Luo Yuan, his heart stirring slightly.
Currently, the highest noble ranks in Great Xia were, of course, Department Chancellor Xia Chuan and Military Department Head Yuwen Tao. Both were already fifth-rank Golden Palace Viscounts. In this great battle, both served as commanders-in-chief of an army, holding high positions, great authority, and heavy responsibility. Naturally, when rewards were distributed based on merit, they would also be more favored. It was foreseeable that after the great battle ended, both would at least rise two ranks, perhaps even advancing further to directly become second-rank Grand Tenuity Viscounts.
Xia Chuan and Yuwen Tao were far ahead. Next came him, Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, Luo An, and others. Lu Yang, Yue Feng, Lin Kai, Liu Yuan, as well as Hong Tian, Hong Guang, Meng Yi, Zhao Long, Cheng Feng, and so on—these people had also caught up in recent years and were currently all sixth-rank.
Although everyone had followed Xia Hong, they all had their own ambitions. Moreover, as their status and power grew over the years, they naturally began to compete secretly, not only in strength but also in noble rank.
"Originally, the four army commanders-in-chief would certainly take the lion's share of the merit. But Luo Yuan stumbled. Even if he makes up for it later, it's useless. Unless the other three route armies also make mistakes... but Department Chancellor is peerlessly wise, Department Head Yu Wen is steady and reliable, Yuan Cheng appears reckless but is actually meticulous, plus he has Qiu Peng assisting him—none of them should have major problems. So Luo Yuan's noble rank advancement will definitely not be as fast as the other three. It might even affect his future—whether he'll be allowed to serve as commander-in-chief in the next great battle is a question!"
Xu Ning's expression flickered. Luo Yuan's mistake was actually good news for him.
Although the position of Battlefield Messenger was important, being able to serve as an army commander-in-chief would certainly be better. It's just a pity that Madam didn't think of him when selecting commanders before this battle.
Actually, it's understandable upon reflection. When Madam Li Xuanling selected commanders, she would certainly choose those who could command respect. Xia Chuan went without saying—with his position as Department Chancellor, even appointing him as overall commander of the northern expedition would be more than sufficient. Yuwen Tao was the same; as Military Department Head, he was originally the commander of Great Xia's entire army.
As for the remaining Luo Yuan and Yuan Cheng, one managed the Hunting Department, the other the Defense Department. Among Great Xia's Eight Departments, aside from the Military Department, these two departments were the ones slightly related to combat. Selecting these two as commanders was also reasonable.
"That is to say, the next time a major army is dispatched, the selection of commanders-in-chief will most likely still be from among the heads of the Eight Departments. As Deputy Department Head of the Defense Department, I actually have a chance too..."
"Alright, everyone, go attend to your duties!"
"Your subordinates take their leave!"
Xu Ning's train of thought was interrupted by Xia Hong. He hurriedly snapped back to attention and, along with the others, bowed to him, then quickly sped off towards the direction of Wuchuan City to the west.
Luo Yuan and Yuan Cheng also returned to their respective commands to mobilize their armies to continue advancing north, pursuing the allied forces of Wuchuan and Jinshan.
Xia Hong did not leave. He would remain with Yuwen Tao's Right Route Army.
All three route armies were going to pursue the allied forces of the two towns. Cai Qianshan and Caiqiu's group of Tribulation Body Sun Manifestation experts were there. Naturally, he couldn't stay too far from the main army.
"Xu Ning just informed me that Qiu Peng has already mobilized all of Great Xia's Town Garrison Armies to head north. One route of one hundred twenty thousand is coming up from the Hanqiong secret passage and will enter Dongchuan City before nightfall tomorrow. Another route of sixty thousand is coming north from Chuishan and will arrive a bit later, reaching the Yinhe Valley area before dawn the day after tomorrow. You can slightly control your marching speed, no need to rush. Anyway, the Caiqiu army won't head south for another three days. Just ensure we eliminate the allied forces before they arrive..."
"Your subordinate understands!"
Hearing Xia Hong's reminder, Yuwen Tao nodded heavily.
These newly added one hundred sixty thousand troops were, of course, not for eliminating the Wuchuan and Jinshan allied forces, but for resisting the two major feudal towns to the north.
However, Xia Hong wasn't finished.
"Moreover, we might not necessarily have to be the ones to deal with that hundred thousand allied forces."
Hearing this latter part of Xia Hong's sentence, Yuwen Tao was first stunned, but then quickly reacted, a strange light rising in his eyes before his face soon showed confusion. "Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang should both be powerless to turn things around now, right? They are probably already under the control of Caiqiu's people. Otherwise, when you tried to persuade them to surrender earlier, they should have given some indication."
Xia Hong, however, did not agree with his view. Shaking his head with a smile, he said, "Shangguan Yang and Qin Feng are not the type to sit and wait for death. They will definitely think of a way. With a hundred thousand troops, even causing a little trouble would be enough to give Cai Qianshan a headache. Just wait and see. I have rather high expectations for these two."