Chapter 544: News from Chen Cang, Xia Chuan’s Deployment |
Just as Jinyang was about to be settled.
Outside Wuchuan City, before Xia Chuan could receive the victory report from Jinyang, he first received the latest news about the massive army from Chencang in the north.
"Reporting to Department Chancellor, Chencang's army of one hundred thousand just left Yanling Commandery City before dawn. Although their numbers are vast, with the aid of trickery methods, their marching speed is extremely fast. They can cover one hundred and fifty kilometers in just one shichen!"
Chen Yingba, who had rushed over covered in dust, didn't even have time to take a sip of water. He charged into the main tent, saw Xia Chuan, and immediately clasped his fists to report.
"Bring out the Chencang map!"
On the main seat in the military tent, Xia Chuan's brows furrowed deeply upon hearing this. After the soldiers placed the Chencang map on the side, he walked directly to the edge of the map.
Ji Hong had stayed in Chencang for nearly four years and had naturally investigated almost every aspect of Chencang. Since Jiang Xinfan went to Yanling last year, he had re-established contact with Great Xia, transmitting all the intelligence about Chencang back to Great Xia. This naturally included a complete map of Chencang's territory.
"The entrance to the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor is at the southernmost tip of Yanling Commandery, only 220 kilometers from the commandery city. If they can march 150 kilometers in one shichen, that means they have most likely already entered the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor now. At the latest, they will cross Danxue Peak by the first half of the night and head south to Dongchuan City..."
If Chen Yingba had come yesterday and said they could march 150 kilometers in one shichen, Xia Chuan would never have believed it no matter what. But after experiencing the incident with Qin Feng's fifty thousand troops at Donggu City last night, he had gained some understanding of the feudal towns' trickery methods, so he could accept it quickly now.
The mobilization of a large army is no child's play. Setting aside the allocation of military supplies, just gathering tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand soldiers is no simple matter. There's also the planning and clearing of the marching route, the selection and appointment of commanding generals, and the coordination and cooperation of various regions within their territory...
Furthermore, like Caiqiu, Chencang is conducting cross-regional operations. They must have conducted preliminary investigations and planning. It's impossible for them to just send a large army southward haphazardly. Chencang's speed is a bit unreasonable.
"It is indeed shockingly fast, but Lord Jiang and Brother Ji Hong have already investigated the situation thoroughly..."
Finally catching his breath, hearing the confusion in Xia Chuan's tone, a look of admiration appeared on Chen Yingba's face, and he immediately continued.
"The commander of Chencang's southward expedition this time is Heyang Commandery Governor Chu Tianming. According to the intelligence gathered by Ji Hong, that army of one hundred thousand was entirely drawn from the Garrison Guard of Heyang Commandery. Their individual strength is all above ten zong. There are a full two hundred Sun Manifestation Level experts leading the troops. Besides Commander-in-Chief Chu Tianming, who is in the Tribulation Body Realm, there are also two Deputy Commander-in-Chiefs: Xichuan Commandery Governor Chu Tianhe and Pingyang City Lord Chen Tianyang.
The intelligence gathered by Brother Ji Hong is that Chencang's southward expedition this time seems to be related to the succession of the Fang Bo position. It is a test set by Chu Longteng for his eldest son, Chu Tianming. The whole of Chencang is buzzing with rumors..."
After Chen Yingba's explanation, Xia Chuan finally understood.
The fundamental reason for Chencang's army's rapid southward advance was that too many people in all of Chencang were exerting their influence.
Like Great Xia and many other camps in the Ice Abyss, Chencang also has a system of primogeniture inheritance. Chu Tianming is Chu Longteng's eldest son and naturally has a group of supporters in Chencang. Although Chu Longteng stated in advance that the entire southward expedition of Chencang's army would be the responsibility of Heyang Commandery alone, how could Chu Tianming's supporters truly stand by and do nothing?
Chencang's Commander-in-Chief, Chen Liwu, is Chu Tianming's biggest supporter. In charge of the feudal town's military affairs, he only needed to give a small signal, and almost all the armies in the entire feudatory gave Chu Tianming the green light. They ordered people to clear the snow-covered marching paths in advance, prioritized the allocation of military supplies for an entire battalion, including selecting the most elite soldiers from the Garrison Guards of each commandery to be sent to the southward expedition...
Thus, in every aspect, Chu Tianming's southward expedition this time enjoyed Chencang's top-tier resources: the most elite Garrison Guard soldiers, the most outstanding Sun Manifestation Level experts, the best and fastest resource supply... Chencang's overall strength was already stronger than Caiqiu's. With so many additional advantages, the efficiency of Chencang's southward expedition naturally far surpassed Caiqiu's.
And what interested Xia Chuan the most was Chen Yingba's final sentence.
"The matter of the so-called Fang Bo test was probably deliberately leaked by Chu Tianming himself to gain more support within the feudatory. Things developed exactly as he anticipated. From Commander-in-Chief Chen Liwu at the top to the ordinary soldiers in the army, the entire Chencang spared no effort in voicing their support for him. The southward expedition army even chanted slogans, boasting they would pacify the Southern Foothills within a month, destroy Great Xia, and capture Xia Hong alive!"
"One month, what big talk!"
Of course, Xia Chuan wasn't just simply interested. Hearing Chen Yingba recount the slogans chanted by Chencang's southward expedition army, he coldly snorted twice, then lowered his head in thought.
"I remember at the end of last year, Jiang Xinfan sent a message back, saying Chu Longteng, following Grand Steward Xue Zijing's suggestion, was attempting to implement reforms and restructure the system. Since only his third son, Chu Tianxu, supported it in all of Chencang, he could only use Yanling Commandery as a pilot site, with a ten-year period to observe the results later.
If that's the case, he should be more inclined towards Chu Tianxu for the position of Little Fang Bo in his heart. Now he's actively using the southward expedition to test his eldest son, intending to establish him as the Little Fang Bo. What does this mean?"
Xia Chuan vaguely sensed some clues, but after all, he hadn't been to Chencang personally. Based solely on the information Chen Yingba brought back, he couldn't deduce too much.
"My lord is truly formidable. What I'm about to say next is the most important piece of information among the many messages Lord Jiang asked me to bring back..."
Chen Yingba's face was full of admiration, clearly somewhat shocked by Xia Chuan's keen perception. He paused for a moment before continuing in a solemn tone, "According to the speculation of Lord Jiang and Brother Ji Hong, Chu Longteng does not think highly of his eldest son, Chu Tianming. However, hindered by the inheritance system based on seniority, he cannot publicly strip Chu Tianming of his inheritance rights. Creating this test is very likely because he has already foreseen that the southward expedition will not yield good results. So, he deliberately intends to use our hands to dissuade his eldest son, Chu Tianming, from his inheritance ambitions, and then rightfully establish his third son, Chu Tianxu, as the Little Fang Bo."
Hearing this, Xia Chuan's expression immediately turned serious.
This speculation, it must be said, was rather bold.
Chu Longteng was at the Four Tribulations Body Realm cultivation level. There were even rumors saying he was the strongest in Mo'ao Chuan. Furthermore, the Chencang he led was publicly acknowledged as having the strongest overall strength among the Four Feudatories. Given Great Xia's current strength, could Chu Longteng really conclude that a large-scale southward expedition would not end well?
Following this line of thought, Xia Chuan's expression soon turned peculiar.
Actually, it really is somewhat possible!
If Chu Longteng witnessed the entire confrontation between Great Xia and Caiqiu, then it is indeed possible.
In the battle at Beishuo City, Eldest Brother Xia Hong only brought out two Beast Emperor-Level puppets. But in the later battle at the Pass, he brought out a full fourteen.
Setting aside the issue of troop numbers for now, the current strength of the Xia troops is probably insufficient to make Chencang feel much apprehension. However, Beast Emperor-Level puppets are different. The most ordinary Single-Element Beast Emperor puppet can match two or three First Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm experts, let alone the fact that Eldest Brother has several Dual-Element, and even Triple-Element Beast Emperor puppets.
Moreover, Eldest Brother only brought out fourteen Beast Emperor-Level puppets, but that doesn't mean he only has that many.
It's no exaggeration to say that, given the strength Great Xia has currently displayed, unless Chencang concentrates all its forces to wage a full-scale war against Great Xia, they absolutely cannot defeat us.
But the problem is, if Chencang concentrates all its forces to deal with Great Xia, would the other three feudatories sit idly by?
Therefore, destroying Great Xia is already an impossible task.
"Using our Great Xia's hands to resolve the internal struggle for succession within the feudatory... If Chu Longteng truly thinks this way, he does have some cunning. In that case, this matter requires careful consideration..."
Based on the intelligence Jiang Xinfan sent back, Xia Chuan had a vague impression of Chencang and could deduce many things.
Chencang appears powerful on the surface, but it has many internal hidden dangers.
Chu Longteng and Chen Liwu are like two suns hanging in the sky. The Chu and Chen clans have not fully integrated; they have frictions with each other. All the top aristocratic families within the feudatory cluster around these two major clans. When things are calm and peaceful, everyone naturally gets along. But once something happens, it's hard to guarantee unity.
The top aristocratic families and powerful nobles control the six departments of the garrison town. The five commanderies and two lakes are also occupied by the descendants of the Chu and Chen clans. The six-status system is unwieldy and hard to change. The proportion of people with slave status and base status is completely unbalanced. There is considerable popular resentment in various parts of the feudal town. Although it is still within controllable limits, considering that the Chen clan is backing the Frost Ash Society, future developments are hard to predict.
Of course, these problems also exist in the other three feudatories of Mo'ao Chuan. In fact, compared to the other three, Chencang's problems are relatively the smallest. But who told Chu Longteng has the ambition to unify Mo'ao Chuan?
The Fang Bos of the other three feudatories might not be unaware of their own problems, but firstly, they lack this ambition, and secondly, they lack the energy.
Since Chu Longteng has this ambition, he naturally has to face the problems first. Taking the initiative to implement reforms is probably the best proof of his ambition.
Behind Chu Tianxu should be Chencang's reformist faction. These people are the most ambitious and also the strongest supporters of Chu Longteng's goal to unify Mo'ao Chuan. Whether Chencang can advance further depends on whether the ten-year reforms in Yanling succeed. As long as Chu Longteng has ambition, the position of Little Fang Bo can only belong to Chu Tianxu. If he truly establishes Chu Tianming as the Little Fang Bo, that would be equivalent to bowing to Chencang's conservative faction, and the reforms would be impossible to continue.
Having sorted out the thoughts in his mind, Xia Chuan's eyes gradually lit up.
"Department Chancellor, Lord Jiang and Brother Ji Hong both said that although the resistance to the reforms in Yanling is great, and it suppresses the powerful nobles, it truly benefits Chencang, giving more people the possibility to cross social classes. Looking at the first few months, the effects of the reforms are quite good. Chu Tianxu's prestige is growing larger and larger. Yanling's status among Chencang's five commanderies and two lakes is also rising higher. Many people from other commanderies are moving their entire families to Yanling Commandery.
If this continues long-term, Chencang will truly get better and better, which is not in the interests of our Great Xia. Although Lord Jiang has done some things secretly, the number of people he can use is not large. Combined with the truly powerful strength of the feudal town, our few people alone cannot stir up much trouble. He asked me to bring a message to you, Department Chancellor: if we want to obstruct Chencang's reforms, we need to invest more."
Hearing this, Xia Chuan waved his hand, immediately understanding.
Last year when he sent Jiang Xinfan over, he only gave him eight people in total: Chen Hua, Kong Xiu, Luo Ming, Hong Yu, Meng Ao, Zhu Kang, Chen Yingba, and Wu Ningyuan. Adding Ji Hong, who went earlier, Great Xia only had a total of ten undercover agents in Chencang, with only Jiang Xinfan being a Sun Manifestation Level expert among them.
With so few people, let alone a feudal town of Chencang's scale, they couldn't stir up trouble even in Great Xia. If he wanted Jiang Xinfan to play a role, or even influence the progress of Yanling's reforms, increasing investment was necessary.
But not now!
The top priority at the moment is dealing with the armies of the two feudatories.
"Reporting to Department Chancellor, Lord Xu has arrived!"
"Quick, let him in."
Just as Xia Chuan was about to speak, the voice of a messenger soldier suddenly came from outside the tent. Hearing it was Xu Ning, he hurriedly had him brought in.
Seeing Xu Ning walk in with an excited expression, before he could even speak, Xia Chuan's heart completely relaxed.
"My lord, great victory at Jinyang! The allied forces of the two towns have all surrendered. Out of Caiqiu's total of one hundred and fifty-three Sun Manifestation Level experts, a full eighty-one were slain. Cai Qianshan was furious beyond measure. He led eight Tribulation Body Realm experts to attack the Lord Leader. The Lord Leader summoned fourteen Beast Emperor-Level puppets, severely injuring four of them. Cai Qianshan boasted that his army would march south in three days, vowing to massacre the entire city of Jinyang, leaving no survivors!"
"Hahahahaha…………"
Xia Chuan burst into loud laughter, turning to look at Chen Yingba with a smile. "Listen to this, all of you. These feudal towns, their boasts are getting bigger and bigger. Chencang says they'll pacify the Southern Foothills and destroy Great Xia within a month; Caiqiu says they'll massacre Jinyang in three days, leaving no survivors. It's a pity our Great Xia is only one. Even if we really washed our necks clean, we wouldn't know whose axe to offer them."
Xu Ning was momentarily stunned. After Chen Yingba beside him explained, he finally understood Xia Chuan's words and also sneered coldly. "They haven't even arrived yet, and each one is already spouting threats first..."
He paused slightly at this point, then continued, "Both the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor and the Bone-Erosion Path are heavily fortified passes that are easy to defend and hard to attack. No matter how strong their armies are, what can they do if they can't capture them?
The Lord Leader has already given the order for Yuan Cheng and Luo Yuan to lead one hundred thousand troops and station them at the exit of the Bone-Erosion Path. Even if Caiqiu brings two hundred thousand troops, let alone one hundred thousand, it would be absolutely impossible for them to break out of the Bone-Erosion Path."
Just hearing the names Nine-Bend Blood Corridor and Bone-Erosion Path gives a sense of their nature. Such narrow terrain cannot be breached by sheer numbers alone.
"Since the allied forces of the two towns have all surrendered, there's no need to continue besieging Wuchuan City. Zhao Long, Hou Tong, I'm leaving five thousand troops with you. Prepare to take over Wuchuan City.
Liu Yuan, lead the remaining fifteen thousand troops north back to Dongchuan City for garrison.
Things at Beishuo City should also be about settled. Zhou Yuan, go notify Yue Feng, have him leave two thousand men to control Beishuo City, and bring the remaining eight thousand back to Dongchuan City as well."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
As soon as Xia Chuan issued his military orders, the expressions of the generals below all perked up slightly. They immediately bowed and accepted the orders.
With the collapse of the two-town allied forces and Caiqiu's retreat, the Southern Foothills territory is now essentially completely unified. With the Lord Leader personally stationed at Jinyang, along with the two armies of Yuan Cheng and Luo Yuan, it is sufficient to resist Caiqiu. Xia Chuan is now redeploying troops north to assemble at Dongchuan City, naturally to resist Chencang.
Whether Great Xia's unification of the Southern Foothills becomes solid reality depends on the upcoming direct confrontations with the armies of Chencang and Caiqiu.
The time for rewarding merits has not yet arrived.
What comes next is the real test!