Chapter 1838 - 588: Great Xia’s 7 Counties, No Show from the Xia Envoy—Did They Chicken Out? (4)
Chapter 1838: Chapter 588: Great Xia’s 7 Counties, No Show from the Xia Envoy—Did They Chicken Out? (4)
The recent recruits, with eighty percent being surrendering soldiers, mean that the true base strength of the Great Xia is only about 360,000. Deducting the necessary forces to maintain normal operations in their territories, the maximum troops they can deploy for warfare will not exceed 300,000.
"Thanks to Mr. Fang, we took East River City without bloodshed. If we hadn’t stationed here, it wouldn’t have been so easy just to use our army of 100,000 to wedged into the Southern Slope Territory and confront the Xia Army!"
"Hahaha..."
As Chu Tianhe spoke, the gathered generals in the hall burst into laughter.
"The Prefectural Governor overpraises us; it was merely feigning authority. Ultimately, we still relied on Lord Landgrave’s and my Chencang’s immense prestige. Otherwise, how could Xia Chuan have handed such a fortified city to us without a fight?"
Even though Fang Tianqing modestly deflected the praise, a hint of a proud smile hung at the corner of his mouth. Clearly, he was quite proud of his achievement last year in taking East River City without bloodshed.
This achievement is indeed significant!
Especially after settling into East River City and realizing the terrifying amount of resources and effort Great Xia had invested in this city, Fang Tianqing was even more thrilled.
East River City spans fifteen kilometers each way, with walls twenty meters high and eight meters thick, constructed entirely of Five-cornered Iron Piles made from Ten Forged Iron Materials. This formidable city, combined with their army of 100,000, could hold fast for months even against the Great Xia’s available soldiers, which totaled less than 300,000—hence even if they mobilized all 600,000 Cold Resistance Level troops. They were confident of their defense.
Moreover, should the Xia Army attack the city without a methodical approach, presenting opportunities, they might even counter-attack once or twice.
Most importantly, capturing this fortress without suffering any loss was the real source of Fang Tianqing’s pride.
Since claiming East River City at the start of the year, his reputation as someone who could deter armies with a single sentence spread far and wide across Chencang, known not only among the higher-ups but even by the common folk.
Fang Tianqing, how could he not be smug?
Nevertheless, he knew he mustn’t become too complacent...
Fang Tianqing gently shook his head, suppressing his restlessness, bringing himself to calm. He glanced at the indifferent faces of the generals within the hall, his brow furrowed slightly, and continued addressing Chu Tianhe at the head seat, "Great Xia’s overall strength, currently perceived, indeed shows quite a disparity compared to Chencang. But the Prefectural Governor and the generals mustn’t forget that the Lord of Great Xia, Xia Hong, still possesses the skills to manipulate the Beast Emperor Puppet..."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of Chu Tianhe and the generals in the hall immediately shifted from humor to sobriety.
This has become their primary concern!
Given Xia Hong’s prowess, if he were willing to bear the costs, determined to recapture East River City, unless Lord Landgrave appeared in person, their current manpower would hardly hold.
And Lord Landgrave was presently unable to make an appearance here, as the ferocious counterattack at Cai Qiu continued unabated. Furthermore, Wei Bo and Hezang remained equally vigilant, while Lord Landgrave remained tied up in Lin Chu County, unable to extricate himself.
Nevertheless...
Chu Tianhe glanced towards the position of the palace doors, his tightly knitted brows slightly relaxing.
Today is the ninth of June, and night was about to fall, yet the Xia Envoy had not arrived, indicating Great Xia hadn’t dispatched anyone.
If this were the case, the preceding two so-called ultimatums were clearly mere posturing by Great Xia since only three months had passed since halting hostilities with Cai Qiu, how could they muster the audacity to wage war with Chencang?
The grand-scale conflict along the Moao River between the two factions wasn’t secretive, Xia Hong and the higher-ups of Great Xia were likely aware. Even Cai Qiu being taken over was known across a county; why would Great Xia dare to pluck from Chencang’s grasp?
Moreover, it’s merely East River City; Great Xia truly...
"Prefectural Governor, there’s urgent military news!"
Urgent military news?
"Quick, come in! What urgent military news?"
Chu Tianhe was momentarily stunned; however, Fang Tianqing beneath him reacted slightly quicker, first interrupting, allowing the person outside to enter.
The one who entered was a middle-aged man dressed in grey and white informal attire, indicative of Chencang Army’s forward scout attire. Everyone within the hall immediately understood.
The middle-aged man’s expression was extremely anxious; upon entering, he simultaneously knelt to salute while hastily reporting, "Reporting to the Prefectural Governor, the Xia Army’s 150,000 troops from Dongchuan Camp are quickly moving towards us; furthermore, two Xia Army units numbering over 100,000 each have suddenly appeared from the southeast and southwest directions.
They’re accompanied by an enormous amount of logistics, including Divine Machine Crossbows, Door-breaking Hammers, Cloud Ladders, and numerous large-scale siege apparatus, rapidly advancing towards us, estimated to arrive no later than two hours."
Pa..........
Upon hearing this, Chu Tianhe stood up directly from his seat with a bang, his pupils full of shock;
Fang Tianqing fared little better, his expression changing incessantly upon hearing this, clearly his mind rapidly formulating counter-strategies;
The assembled generals within the hall, after exchanging glances for a moment, their faces eventually revealed signs of panic.
No wonder they hadn’t received the third wave of Xia Envoy today.
Great Xia unexpectedly chose war without declaration, mobilizing their full army to attack!
"350,000, 350,000, Great Xia has dispatched all available forces here. How did they do it? I’ve dispatched over a thousand scouts across Beishuo Town; clearly, only 150,000 troops from East River. Where did the other two forces come from, He Tianyuan, where did they come from?"
The abrupt assault from Great Xia clearly took Chu Tianhe entirely by surprise. He angrily issued two consecutive questions, his gaze swiftly converging upon a middle-aged general seated at the left forefront of the hall.
He Tianyuan, one of his three major generals, responsible for battlefield reconnaissance and enemy information gathering; Great Xia had suddenly mobilized 200,000 additional troops, yet He Tianyuan, the general, had utterly failed to forewarn.
Naturally, he sought an explanation from the man!