Chapter 556: Diverting the Water and Cutting Off the Path—Too Late to Realize |
Swoosh swoosh swoosh...
At the north exit of the Bone-Erosion Path, about seven to eight kilometers east, there was a large lake spanning roughly three kilometers in diameter.
Bang bang bang...
On the western shore of the lake, a raging inferno blazed. Amidst the flames along the bank, thousands of people were frantically destroying the ice surface with iron picks and giant hammers.
In the extreme cold environment of the Ice Abyss, flowing water was almost impossible to find. Like the Ying River and White Tiger Pool, any place with water on the surface was inevitably covered in solid ice. Moreover, this solid ice was often over ten meters thick. Without the strength of the Warmth Realm, not only was breaking through it difficult, but even leaving a mark on the ice surface was a challenge.
Looking at a single individual, it seemed insignificant. But with thousands of people working simultaneously, the situation was completely different. The key was that the bonfires on the ice were clearly used to melt the solid ice. The combination of these two factors made the speed at which the ice surface was being carved away quite impressive.
The solid ice covering the lake surface was now riddled with cracks everywhere. In the peripheral areas, large-scale fissures had even begun to appear. Ice blocks started to sink, and slowly, the flowing water beneath could already be seen.
Not only were there people on the ice, but along the western shore of the lake, tens of thousands of people were lined up in a long row, digging a small canal two meters wide. The eastern end of the canal was right next to the lake, where a simple dam had been constructed using a large amount of wood and giant rocks. On the east side of the dam, the water level was continuously rising, while on the west side, laborers were still working on the construction.
"Dongshan Lake, to think there was such a good place here. The water in this lake all comes from the underground river within Mo'ao Mountain. Originally, it all flowed eastward into the main vein of that underground river beneath the ground and then flowed away to the southeast. Right now, we've temporarily blocked the east side, so the water source can only accumulate in the lake. The reason the ice surface is cracking so quickly isn't just due to the bonfires and manpower; it should also be because the water source at the bottom of the lake is continuously rising, and the ice surface can't withstand the impact!"
"Time is still a bit tight. Half an hour has already passed. Breaking open the ice surface shouldn't be a big problem, but the canal is still about a kilometer short. It will take at least another quarter of an hour. Can the big fires you set, sir, really delay the Caiqiu army for that long?"
Hearing Xiang Liang's words, although Chen Ping's expression showed agreement, looking at the construction progress of the canal on the west side, his expression still wasn't very optimistic.
During the previous dispute, no one else could come up with any ideas. In the end, it was Xiang Liang who spoke up and offered an effective suggestion. Naturally, everyone regarded him as the central pillar and all acted according to his ideas.
The most important task for the rebel army was to intercept the Caiqiu army, or at the very least, to delay them until the Xia troops caught up.
Holding them off head-on was hopeless. In the battle at the south exit of the Bone-Erosion Path, 230,000 elite Xia troops plus 150,000 Digging Realm cultivators had almost failed to stop them. With their mere hundred thousand plus Digging Realm cultivators, there wasn't the slightest possibility of blocking the Caiqiu army at the mouth.
If they couldn't hold them off directly, then they could only think of other methods.
The best way to intercept a large-scale army was, of course, to alter the terrain. To change the terrain on a large scale, besides using manpower to fell trees, they could also utilize the power of water and fire. When Xiang Liang first proposed this idea, Chen Ping immediately thought of the defense battle of Jinyang.
Under Xiang Liang's command, they immediately found the people within the rebel army who were most familiar with the terrain around the Bone-Erosion Path. The Dongshan Lake before them was told to them by an old man named Su Lie from the rebel army.
They blocked the other exit of Dongshan Lake and dug a temporary canal on this western side to divert water over. Meanwhile, at the north exit of the Bone-Erosion Path, over a hundred thousand laborers were working hard to dig a huge canal over twenty meters wide.
It had to be said, this method had extremely high feasibility.
The north exit of the Bone-Erosion Path was only a little over a hundred meters wide. As long as that thirty-plus meter wide canal was successfully dug and water was diverted into it, the 150,000 strong Caiqiu army would have only one path: to wade across the river.
They couldn't even build a bridge, because they had already cut down all the trees inside the valley entrance beforehand and set a huge fire to burn them all. Even if Caiqiu could find trees, would the rebel army on the other side of the canal smoothly let them build a bridge to cross?
However, this strategy wasn't without its flaws.
Time was the biggest problem.
The time left for the rebel army was far too little, only half an hour in total. Within this half hour, the rebel army had to first cut down trees and set up roadblocks; set fire to the valley entrance; dig a huge canal five meters deep, thirty meters wide, and a hundred meters long outside the exit; block the other exit of Dongshan Lake and build a dam on the western side to store water; and then dig a canal from the valley entrance position eastward to divert water, a total distance of seven to eight kilometers.
These five tasks, under normal circumstances, which one wouldn't take ten days to half a month to accomplish? In just half an hour, when Xiang Liang first proposed it, it seemed like a fantasy to everyone.
However, with Xiang Liang's words, "Where there's a will, there's a way; solutions always outnumber difficulties," they all followed and acted accordingly.
The tools were readily available, the manpower was a full hundred thousand plus, and there were continuously more laborers arriving afterward. Xiang Liang didn't even bother to subdivide the teams much; he simply divided the laborers roughly into five groups, each responsible for one task. With over a hundred thousand people working with one heart and one mind, in half an hour, they really managed to get most of it done.
But 'most of it' wasn't enough. The final and most important task now was to divert water to fill the wide ditch at the valley entrance. This was the most crucial step in stopping the Caiqiu army. If they couldn't achieve this, everything done before would be in vain.
But according to Chen Ping's observation, the water-diverting canal on the west side still had a kilometer left to dig. The water level of Dongshan Lake was also temporarily not high enough. The key was that he had just come from the valley entrance area, and the wide ditch outside the valley entrance was also still a bit short.
The current situation was that everywhere was a bit short, but time had run out.
The Sun Manifestation Level scouts of the Caiqiu army had already arrived long ago. They were all watching from the sky. Although they had done some camouflage when they started work, how long could they hide their intentions?
Once their intentions were seen through by Caiqiu, they could easily be countered.
In fact, if Caiqiu just slightly increased their marching speed at this moment, it would render all their previous efforts useless.
Therefore, Chen Ping was so anxious in his heart now that he couldn't help but ask Xiang Liang, worried that the huge fire he had set inside the valley entrance might not be effective.
The roadblocks and huge fire inside the valley entrance were Xiang Liang's idea. He himself didn't expect to rely on these things to stop the Caiqiu army. The core purpose was to buy time for their outer fortifications.
However, Xiang Liang obviously wasn't as worried as he was. Upon hearing this, a trace of a smile appeared in his eyes as he shook his head and said softly, "Before the battle at the south exit, it definitely wouldn't have worked. But at this critical juncture, it's different!"
Although Chen Ping was straightforward by nature, he wasn't stupid. After lowering his head and pondering for a moment, he immediately understood.
"Sir, you mean the Caiqiu army has just been defeated, their morale is low, they must be suspicious and jumpy, and seeing that huge fire, they will hesitate to advance?"
"Not exactly!"
Xiang Liang shook his head with a smile and continued, "What you said earlier is right. The Caiqiu army has just been defeated, and with a hundred thousand Xia troops chasing closely behind, in their panic, they will inevitably be suspicious and jumpy. Even if they clearly know our rebel army isn't strong, they won't rashly advance but will proceed cautiously..."
Pausing here, he then continued with a smile, "Of course, no matter how cautious they are, their priority is to guard against the hundred thousand Xia troops behind them. So, rushing out of the valley entrance is their top priority. Therefore, hesitation is impossible. The most likely scenario is that they slow down their main force's marching speed and send an elite unit to scout ahead first. If that's the case..."
"Then our strategy will have succeeded!"
Hearing it put this way, Chen Ping completely understood.
Last night, when Xiao Heng came to report, he said the Xia troops were accelerating their pursuit from behind, with a distance of at most twenty kilometers. They didn't need to delay for too long; they just needed to prevent the Caiqiu army from fully exiting the valley entrance before the Xia troops arrived.
If the Caiqiu army didn't quickly exit the valley but instead sent elite scouts, it meant they were all in a state of extreme alert. In that case, even if their defensive fortifications weren't completely finished, they could still deter them for a short while.
Thinking of this, a look of amazement immediately appeared on Chen Ping's face. Looking at Xiang Liang, his tone was full of admiration as he said, "So, sir, from the very beginning, you never intended to complete so many defensive fortifications? As long as you could scare the Caiqiu army into losing their own composure, that would be enough?"
Xiang Liang nodded slightly, a flicker of excitement passing through the depths of his eyes.
To be honest, this was his first time commanding over a hundred thousand people in action, and his opponent was a feudal town's army of 150,000. Naturally, Xiang Liang couldn't help but feel excited inside.
Of course, the large scale was only one reason. More importantly, being sent by Department Head Yu Wen to Evergreen Valley as a spy was precisely to achieve merit. If he could really succeed in trapping the 150,000 strong Caiqiu army here, his merit would be enormous.
It was no exaggeration to say that this was stronger than him killing hundreds of Caiqiu Warmth Realm soldiers on the battlefield. Everything now depended on whether the Caiqiu commander was exactly as he imagined.
"Continue urging the laborers to speed up. We're only missing the final bit. Once the ditch is dug, divert the water directly. I'll go back to the valley entrance first. You personally oversee things here; don't let any problems arise."
"Understood!"
Chen Ping quickly bowed to accept the order. Raising his head, he watched as Xiang Liang and a few others swiftly headed west. He also calmed his mind a bit, turned around, and began urging the laborer teams.
"Only a few hundred meters left, brothers, speed up! As long as we can get through tonight, good days will be all over Evergreen Valley from now on!"
"Faster, faster! The water level isn't high enough yet. Don't go too far toward the middle; be careful of the Frost Beasts in the water. Just break the ice..."
...
Bone-Erosion Path, North Exit
Cai Qiuhu took about a quarter of an hour to clear all the roadblocks along the three-kilometer area inside the valley entrance. Then, leading dozens of Sun Manifestation Level cultivators and five thousand elites, he finally reached the exit position.
He and the other Sun Manifestation Level cultivators were all in a levitating state, about a hundred meters above the ground. Seeing that the five thousand elites had already approached the valley entrance and the main army behind was less than two kilometers away, everyone's expressions relaxed somewhat.
Cai Qiuhu himself, who had been tense the whole time, also relaxed considerably.
"Are the arrangements for the army behind all set?"
Ahead, Zhu Fang was clearing the last fire barrier area. Seeing the fire barrier gradually dissipating, Cai Qiuhu immediately turned his head to ask the nearest general behind him.
That general immediately nodded and cupped his hands, "Everything is arranged. The vanguard brothers all have giant rocks in hand. As soon as Lord Zhu blows the fire away, we will immediately fill it with rocks. The ditch dug by the rebels won't have any effect!"
Hearing this, Cai Qiuhu's expression immediately looked much better.
The rebels were digging a ditch outside the valley entrance, filling it with a large amount of dry trees, dead branches, and coal stones. Obviously, they intended to replicate the huge fire from inside, attempting to use flames to block the army's advance.
This news had already been reported to him when the first wave of scouts returned earlier, so he had naturally made preparations long ago.
According to the scout report, that ditch was over thirty meters wide and five meters deep, blocking the entire exit. If Zhu Fang weren't here, and the rebels ignited the entire ditch, the army really wouldn't be able to pass smoothly for a while.
In fact, even with Zhu Fang here, it couldn't be guaranteed to be foolproof. Given the width and depth of that ditch, even if the fire was extinguished, the army couldn't pass smoothly.
Using rocks to fill it was the method Cai Qiuhu had thought of.
It wasn't that he didn't want to use trees; the key was that the rebels' huge fire earlier had burned almost all the trees inside the valley entrance to ashes, leaving very little behind. Even if he wanted to use them, he couldn't, so he could only use rocks as a substitute.
"Zhu Fang extinguishes the fire first. The five thousand elites will take the lead. Then have the main army behind first use rocks to fill the pit at the valley entrance, ensuring the remaining soldiers can all pass smoothly. Wipe out the rebels in one go. Finally, turn back and set up defenses at the valley entrance to resist the Xia troops behind. Then everything will be foolproof..."
Cai Qiuhu pondered for a moment, then directly signaled Zhu Fang with his eyes.
Zhu Fang understood and immediately flew toward the valley entrance, also activating his Wind Control Divine Pearl, intending to blow away the last cluster of bonfires at the valley entrance.
Whoosh...
A cyan tornado swept horizontally forward. Without any surprise, the last cluster of bonfires was instantly blown away. The hundred-meter-wide valley entrance was completely exposed before the five thousand elite troops.
"Ah..."
"The Caiqiu army is here, run!"
"Fiendish wind, it's the fiendish wind created by the Caiqiu army, run for your lives!"
...
Zhu Fang's cyan tornado, in terms of impact force, was actually only about 2 Jun, far from the fiendish wind created by the Black Wind General. But for the laborers digging in the pit, it was quite deadly.
The tornado first blew away the last cluster of bonfires at the valley entrance, then swept down, scattering the dry trees, dead branches, coal stones, and coal dust in the pit. Many laborers were directly blown apart, their flesh and blood dissolving, not even leaving a complete corpse.
The laborers in the back rows were slightly luckier. Seeing the fiendish wind and the five thousand Caiqiu elites behind it, they were terrified, dropping their iron picks and shovels, quickly climbing out of the pit, and fleeing for their lives toward the rear.
"Hahahahaha..."
"All are Digging Realm?"
"There aren't even many Warmth Realm?"
"With this level of strength, they dare to rebel?"
...
Perhaps because they had just suffered a defeat against the Xia troops, the Caiqiu soldiers were all too pent up with frustration. Seeing the rebels fleeing in disarray from the pit, their moods suddenly improved, and they actually laughed loudly and mocked them.
They were just a bunch of laborers, what was so funny?
Cai Qiuhu frowned, instinctively wanting to angrily shout at the soldiers below to stop. But noticing that after the laughter, the previously low-spirited soldiers had clearly become more spirited, he swallowed the words that came to his lips.
"Set the fire, quickly set the fire!"
While the Caiqiu army was laughing and mocking, a few loud command voices came from the rebel army outside the valley entrance.
Hearing this, Cai Qiuhu, who was levitating in the air, frowned slightly and immediately issued loud orders to the group of Sun Manifestation Level cultivators, including Zhu Fang:
"Zhu Fang, continue; Zhang Kai, notify the main army behind to speed up and come over; all Sun Manifestation Level cultivators, follow me and fly to the north side of the ditch, go to the opposite side and secure a foothold; Cai Yunhai, lead the five thousand elites to charge over from behind."
"Understood!"
After four consecutive orders, everyone immediately responded in unison. The three named, Zhu Fang, Zhang Kai, and Cai Yunhai, split up to act. The remaining fifty-plus Sun Manifestation Level cultivators followed behind him and flew directly toward the north side of the ditch.
Next, it depended on whether this group of rebels was really supported by Chencang and Great Xia. If they were truly just a bunch of commoners, then his 150,000 strong army could rest easy.
He, a Tribulation Body Realm cultivator, leading over fifty Sun Manifestation Level cultivators, sweeping through over a hundred thousand laborers was definitely impossible. But holding them off for a short while, allowing the five thousand elites to charge across the ditch, was not a problem.
As long as the five thousand elites secured a foothold on the north side of the ditch, and the main army arrived afterward, filling the entire ditch, the hundred thousand plus army could pass through unimpeded. At that time, dealing with this rebel group would be easy.
The Xia troops would take at least three quarters of an hour to arrive.
Time was still quite ample!
As these thoughts flashed through Cai Qiuhu's mind, he was already standing in the air above the north side of the ditch. Looking several hundred meters north, the rebels who had hastily organized themselves numbered at most sixty to seventy thousand. His brows immediately furrowed deeply.
"Didn't they say there were at least eighty thousand? Why are there so few?"
"Sir, it's bad! The rebels have dug a long canal on the east side, trying to divert water from a lake there. They've already opened the sluice gate. A great flood is flowing this way!"
A figure swiftly rushed over from the east side. It was the Sun Manifestation Level scout he had sent out earlier. Hearing the report, Cai Qiuhu's breathing instantly froze, and the corner of his eye twitched violently. He turned his head and shouted angrily and urgently:
"Yunhai, quickly lead the army out of the ditch! Zhang Kai, hurry and bring the main army from behind over here! Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick..."
He said 'quick' five times in a row, enough to show how anxious he was inside.
The fifty-plus Sun Manifestation Level cultivators following him had also realized something by now and all turned their heads to look east.
Gurgle gurgle gurgle...
"Sir, it seems... it's already too late!"
The sound of surging water came from the east. Cai Qiuhu's expression stiffened, and his face even became somewhat distorted.
"We've been tricked, we've been tricked! This rebel group has no backing at all. They're just here to buy time! Aaaaaah..."
Cai Qiuhu's roar was soon drowned out by the sound of water.
The fatal thing was, the five thousand elites had just stepped into the ditch at this moment.
They turned their heads to look at the surging flood coming from the east, their faces instantly turning deathly pale.