Chapter 1687 - 534: Battle, Heaven’s Thunder Ignites Earth’s Fire (Part 2)
Chapter 1687: Chapter 534: Battle, Heaven’s Thunder Ignites Earth’s Fire (Part 2)
Half an hour ago, the latest news from the Right Route Army reported that a scout stationed by Yuwen Dao on the opposite side of the Bone-Eroding Path informed them that Cai Qiu was already mobilizing the army, preparing to move south through the Bone-Eroding Path.
The scout was placed there by Yuwen Dao, so the Right Route Army was naturally the first to receive the news when Cai Qiu prepared to send troops southward.
Xia Hong is currently stationed within the Right Route Army, so he was the first to receive the news. Just now, the messenger from the Right Route Army brought Xia Hong’s orders to have Xia Chuan continue to draw forces from within the Great Xia Territory to reinforce the cities of Dongchuan and Jinyang.
Dongchuan and Jinyang are the first cities in the path of Chen Cang and Cai Qiu heading south, so Xia Hong’s intention is clear: he is prepared to formally break ties with the two vassals, ready to go to war if necessary.
To be honest, this decision is somewhat bold.
Those are two major vassal towns; who knows how many will come? Even if Great Xia mobilizes all the Defensive Army from the entire town, it’s likely they won’t be able to hold them off.
Then why does my elder brother still want to do this?
Xia Chuan’s eyes flashed slightly. He had some guesses about Xia Hong’s intentions.
The two vassals are unlikely to make an extensive investment in the Southern Slope Territory. After all, their biggest problem right now isn’t Great Xia, but the Blood Miasma Plain. Moreover, after last night’s initial negotiation with Cai Qianshan at Aikou City, my elder brother demonstrated a strength that intimidated the towns. If the two vassals continue to invest heavily in the Southern Slope Territory, it would be clearly unprofitable for them.
It can be confirmed that given the situation of the Four Vassals along Moao River, there is absolutely no possibility of Chen Cang and Cai Qiu joining forces. As long as we grasp this point and consider that the two vassals won’t make a significant investment in the Southern Slope Territory, we can be confident that if Great Xia shows enough determination, Chen Cang and Cai Qiu will likely retreat knowing the difficulty ahead.
"My elder brother is deploying such a force perhaps intending to intimidate the two vassals, making them hesitate and abandon their plans for the Southern Slope Territory. Logically, this should succeed, but nothing is absolute. Who knows what the two vassals truly think? What if they really bring their army to attack? We can’t overlook the possibility..."
Xia Chuan pondered deeply for a long time, then, after organizing his thoughts, looked at the generals in the tent and said solemnly: "Even if Chen Cang and Cai Qiu dispatch their army south, the earliest they would arrive is three days later. I have already ordered Qiu Peng to gather all the Defensive Army from within the Great Xia Territory to move north. There is a total of about one hundred sixty thousand. With the secret path at Twin Dragon Mountain and the advantage of the terrain, we can certainly deploy the army to Jinyang and Dongchuan before the two vassals. Therefore, there’s no need to worry about the two vassals for now. Not to mention whether they will truly attack, even if they do, one hundred sixty thousand troops are enough to stop them."
The last sentence should actually be a question mark.
With the lord personally present, it’s no problem to defend the towns. But if the lord isn’t there, the situation would be entirely different.
After Xia Chuan finished speaking, he paused and continued: "The crux of the matter now lies in Aikou City. As long as we seize Aikou City before the two vassals’ army steps into the Southern Slope Territory, Jin Mountain and Wuchuan will collapse without a fight. At that point, even if the two vassals want to get serious with us, we won’t be afraid."
The generals in the tent are not fools. Upon hearing these words, they pondered for a moment and immediately understood.
In summary, Great Xia capturing Jin Mountain and Wuchuan holds an entirely different significance than if they haven’t captured these towns.
Cai Qiu is currently considering supporting Jin Mountain and Wuchuan because they still have resistance left; and Chen Cang is boldly heading south, seeing that Great Xia is engaged in conflict with Cai Qiu.
Aikou is Jin Mountain’s gateway, and Jin Mountain has concentrated all its forces here. If this cannot be defended, then the town is doomed.
Qin Feng has now brought fifty thousand troops to Aikou, so the current anti-Xia forces in the Northern Land are all concentrated here.
Therefore, all the symptoms lie in Aikou.
"The fifty thousand-strong army of Qin Feng’s is slow in marching, not as fast as the two divisions of Yuan Cheng and Li Yangtian. Moreover, the lord is personally stationed at Aikou. As long as the two divisions can be timely reinforced, the problem shouldn’t be significant."
"Xu Ning has already gone to inform Luo Yuan, who is rerouting east, effectively trailing behind Qin Feng. If he dares to attack the Right Route Army from behind, it’s suicidal."
"Right now, Wuchuan isn’t important. Just keep an eye on Aikou."
"Minister, so it seems we could go to Aikou to help? After all, there’s no siege here?"
......
Everyone’s emotions gradually settled, and Mu Longhe even took the initiative to propose going to Aikou City to assist.
Upon hearing this, the others immediately moved with interest, turning their heads to look at Xia Chuan.
"If it’s only battling Wuchuan, I would send you over. But now we’re engaged in conflict with Cai Qiu, and Chen Cang might be watching from the shadows, we can’t casually move. Continue to watch here and wait for news from the battle at Aikou!"
Xia Chuan’s vigilance was not without reason.
From last night rushing back to Wuchuan City to now, approximately four hours have passed. He sensed inexplicable moods at least twenty times, and the opposing presence was strong. It’s easy to calculate that it’s akin to Cai Qiuhu, evidently a strong Tribulation Body individual.
Inside Wuchuan City, there is likely Cai Qiu’s Tribulation Body powerhouse!
A single Tribulation Body isn’t enough to sway a battle involving tens of thousands. But it’ll certainly bring many variables. Besides, capturing Wuchuan City right now, aside from making Qin Feng’s fifty thousand troops hysterical, serves no other purpose.
Previously, he considered concentrating all the Northern Land forces to capture Wuchuan City, and then using the families within the city to threaten Qin Feng’s fifty thousand troops, forcing them to surrender.