Chapter 1841 - 589: Chen Cang’s Desire to Withdraw, Preparing on Two Fronts (Part 3)
Chapter 1841: Chapter 589: Chen Cang’s Desire to Withdraw, Preparing on Two Fronts (Part 3)
Fang Tianqing’s face darkened slightly upon hearing the words, immediately clenching his fists.
It’s not that Chu Tianhe’s words lacked reason, but mainly because they confirmed in his heart that the other party truly did not want to fight.
This poses a problem!
In East River City, there are only two Tribulation Body Realm experts, including himself, plus over forty Xianyang Level experts, and an army of one hundred thousand. With such strength, let alone the three hundred and fifty thousand Xia Army, even if Great Xia mobilizes all their forces to attack, they have the confidence to hold for three to five months.
But there was nothing wrong with Chu Tianhe’s last sentence: if Great Xia is determined to recapture East River City at any cost, how long can they really hold out?
Especially if Xia Hong decides to deploy all those dozen Beast Emperor-level Puppets, can they still hold for three to five months?
"Great Xia can’t possibly send out their entire army to attack; three hundred and fifty thousand is already beyond their limit. The Northern Five Towns were newly integrated, and the people’s hearts are unstable. Great Xia has just set up the county, and there are still hidden concerns within their territory that have yet to be addressed. The old factions of the Five Towns, which we have bribed, are still present. As long as your lordship can hold the fort for a while, I will send people to sow discord, and the Xia Army will inevitably be too occupied to care. They have no reason to expend too high a price for a single East River City..."
Fang Tianqing was confident that annexation and complete digestion are two different things. Great Xia swallowed up the Northern Five Towns in one breath, adding over ten million in population. Only half a year has passed, and whether it’s population assimilation or territorial governance, there are still heaps of issues to solve. They won’t focus too much attention elsewhere.
But having confidence is one thing, while not being able to make decisions at this moment is another.
Seeing Chu Tianhe unmoved, obviously still firm in his thoughts, Fang Tianqing worried that he might rashly decide to retreat and surrender, so he continued pleading, "Your lordship, I suspect that Great Xia’s actions are intended to intimidate rather than actually deploying forces against East River. Why should we disrupt our own formation? Perhaps it would be prudent to visit the Xia Army camp, meet Xia Hong, and feel out his intentions. What do you think?"
This time, Chu Tianhe did not refuse and nodded slightly.
"There’s just over an hour left. General Wu, notify the troops to organize themselves and prepare."
"At your command!"
Chu Tianhe did not specify what to prepare for, but Wu Qingshan seemingly understood, nodding and cupping his hands before withdrawing.
Fang Tianqing furrowed his brow slightly but said nothing further as he followed behind Chu Tianhe, flying out of the grand hall and heading south towards the Dongchuan Camp.
He Tianxin, He Tianyuan, Lu Qinghu, and also the two Generals, Chu Xuanlong and Zhang Shiyan, followed behind them.
The two deputies, Gongsun Bai and Chu Xuanying, who had spoken earlier, watched as Chu Tianhe led the group away. They exchanged glances, a hint of something unusual flickered in their eyes.
"There was never any intention to fight in the first place. Besides, his lordship has already inquired, and the domain can’t spare any reinforcements. Even if we risk our lives defending for a while, what good will it do?"
"The Xia Army has won every battle against the Cai Army three times. How long can we hold out relying only on this city? The battle in Lin Chu County won’t end quickly. They didn’t pay much to take East River City, and returning it doesn’t lose them anything significant. Besides, once Lord Landgrave defeats Cai Qiu, who would Great Xia be then? They might even invite us south."
Both wore an expression of unease as they spoke.
As if they had committed some wrongdoing, and though aware of its nature, they forcibly sought excuses.
.........
"Five hundred million tales of silver, Chu Tianhe alone takes three hundred million, leaving the rest with fifty million tales each for He Tianxin, Lu Qinghu, Gongsun Bai, and Chu Xuanying. Earlier, if there was only a fifty percent chance, now, with these five receiving the silver, it’s up to seventy, or even eighty percent!"
North of Dongchuan Camp, the Xia Army marched on in great strength. At the forefront, hearing Qiu Peng’s words from behind, Xia Chuan nodded slightly, and looking at the troops below, he spoke in a deep voice, "Five hundred million tales of silver; at the beginning of the year, we scraped together just twenty-seven billion tales of silver from the Northern Five Towns Treasury. That’s almost a fifth.
The Chen Cang fief has stood for hundreds of years, and their governmental system is far more robust than ours. Even though Chu Tianhe is the son of Chu Longteng, his official annual salary is just thirty million tales on record. He also has a host of children and grandchildren to support. Three hundred million is no small sum for him."
Qiu Peng nodded, chuckling, "Moreover, there’s no risk of penalty. I am passing through Cai Qiu, and utilizing others to deliver it over to West River County. The source of the silver is of no concern to him. Our terms are quite reasonable; we only request withdrawal from East River City, which we voluntarily yielded initially. Returning it incurs no loss..."
He paused momentarily, adopting a peculiar expression before continuing, "To be honest, I was truly surprised that the people in the West River Governor’s Mansion actually accepted the silver. Earlier, I thought of He Tianxin and the other four, since they are merely Xianyang Level cultivators, not part of the Landgrave’s lineage. Our terms aren’t excessive, so accepting the silver was reasonable. But for Chu Tianhe, a scion of the Landgrave, to manage his household so laxly, tsk tsk..."
Towards the end, Qiu Peng shook his head repeatedly, clearly disdaining Chu Tianhe’s acceptance of the bribery.
"Don’t be naive. Bribery is just a side plan. The core issue is Chen Cang’s inability to wage war on two fronts. Cai Qiu’s counterattack is too fierce; Wei Bo and Hezang also show signs of participating. Chu Longteng certainly can’t draw troop southward, which is why Chu Tianhe dared to take the silver!"
Xia Chuan’s eyes flickered, piercing to the heart of the problem.
"And it’s just the acceptance of silver; their army hasn’t moved yet! Ultimately, the outcome is decided on the battlefield. Unless we show some real strength, these people might be toying with the idea of keeping the five hundred million tales of silver for themselves!"
Bribery is merely a backup plan. To drive out Chen Cang’s hundred-thousand-strong army from the Southern Slope Territory, strength must be wielded.
Two Tribulation Body experts, over forty Xianyang Level experts, a hundred thousand Cold Resistance Level soldiers!
Even without my elder brother, Great Xia can handle it.
Xia Chuan turned his gaze south toward Chilong Lake, a shadow passing through his eyes as he subtly clenched the fist beneath his sleeve.
Despite his concerns for his elder brother’s safety, the thought that Xia Hong’s Ancestral Spirit Tablet in Xia City’s Sect Temple showed no abnormalities allowed Xia Chuan to swiftly recalibrate his mindset before turning to Liu Yuan below, ordering loudly:
"Temporarily slow down the march. Send word to the armies at Yuan Cheng and Luo Yuan to accelerate their pace. Once the positions of the three armies are almost aligned, advance together. Within an hour, we must be under East River City."
"At your command!"
Liu Yuan cupped his hands, answering loudly as he immediately began to organize the commands.