Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 526 Yang Qu Retreats, Wu Chuan Advances
December 30th, 136th year of the Moo calendar, nighttime
"Beishuo has been captured, Yang Jian has been killed, and Yang Zun and Yang Fa have been captured alive. How is this possible? How is this possible..."

Yangqu Town, Lord's Hall.

Cao Qianyang, who was sitting in the main seat, stood up abruptly upon hearing the news brought by Cai Qiuhu. His pupils trembled, and his face was filled with horror.

Of course, not only him, but also the town chief Cao Yuankang, the army chief Yan Chenzhou, the deputy army chief Wu Tianfa, and all the high-ranking Yangqu officials in the hall had basically the same expression.

"Why is it impossible? Yang Zun used all his skills, and even with a strength of 180 jun, he was defeated by Xia Hong. Chu Tianxu was also frightened away by the two Beast King-level puppets of Great Xia. Your five towns are incredibly foolish. From the beginning, you fought your own battles and cowered in your towns. It's perfectly normal for you to be defeated one by one by Great Xia..."

Cai Qiuhu paused, looked up at Cao Qianyang sitting at the head of the table, a slight displeasure flashing across his face, and then continued in a deep voice: "Lord Cao, I have already pleaded with Xia Hong, and he has agreed to give you a month to withdraw your men."

Cao Qianyang's mind was completely blank. He didn't listen carefully to what Cai Qiuhu said next. As soon as the other party stopped speaking, he immediately struggled and said, "Lord Cai, there are still more than 14000 garrison troops in Yangqu City, and only 4 Xia troops outside the city. We have already scouted the area and found that the Xia army consists of six Xianyang-level generals: Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, Xu An, Zhu Shun, Zhu Xing, and Lin Ye. As long as Lord Cai and the other officials assist us, Yangqu City will be safe..."

"Lord Cao!"

Seeing that Cao Qianyang was plotting against his own people, Cai Qiuhu coldly interrupted him. He had brought a total of 100 Xianyang-level warriors from Caiqiu this time, leaving 50 in Jinshan Town, releasing 11 in Donggu City of Wuchuan, and bringing the remaining 39 to Yangqu Town.

His initial plan was indeed to help Yangqu defend the city, but the moment he saw Beishuo City fall during the day, he immediately realized that Yangqu Town was most likely doomed.

Thinking of this, he looked up at the struggle on Cao Qianyang's face, a flash of disdain in his eyes, and then he sneered and said, "Lord Cao, there were more than 35000 garrison troops in Beishuo City just now. Even Yang Zun, with his strength of 180 jun and close to the second stage of the Tribulation Realm, couldn't hold them off. Do you think that the 39 people behind me can stop the Xia army?"

"Didn't Uncle Cai say that the Bone-Corroding Path has been opened, and that it's possible to..."

“Even if I, Cai Qiu, were to send a large army south, I wouldn’t be able to save your Yangqu City in a short time. Lord Cao, you probably don’t know that, do you? Just now, when I returned, there were more than twenty more military tents belonging to the Great Xia army outside the city.”

Cao Qianyang was taken aback when he heard the voice, but he quickly realized something and his face immediately darkened.

Chuishan has long been part of the Great Xia territory, and Yangqu is adjacent to Chuishan. Yuan Cheng is determined to capture Yangqu Town, and he will definitely send reinforcements from the rear in a continuous stream. He knew this before the battle even began.

Each military tent in the Great Xia army could hold a thousand people, and now there were twenty more tents, which means that Yuan Cheng now had an army of 60,000.

"If I'm not mistaken, there should still be a ghostly corpse mixed in with the city wall of Beishuo Town. As soon as the Xia army's silver crossbow bolts and torches were fired, the city wall was completely useless from beginning to end. In terms of city defense, your Yangqu is probably less than half as strong as Beishuo's, not to mention that your troops are several times smaller than theirs. There is no hope, Lord Cao, face reality!"

Upon hearing Cai Qiuhu's last words, Cao Qianyang's eyes were filled with despair, and his face turned completely pale.

Although he knew Cai Qiuhu was absolutely right, he couldn't bring himself to say that they were going to withdraw from the town.

Seeing Cao Qianyang's expression, the Yangqu leaders in the hall clearly understood his meaning. The entire hall fell silent, and everyone wore a sorrowful expression.

However, someone soon spoke up.

Cao Qianyang's son, Cao Yuankang, the head of Yangqu Town, was the first to stand up. He was extremely agitated and spoke out angrily.

“Father, Yangqu has stood firm on the southern slope for over a hundred years. What do we have to fear from the mere Great Xia? We will never allow the town to be handed over so easily!”

As soon as Cao Yuankang opened his mouth, some people were immediately infected and started speaking as well.

"The town chief is right. Yangqu has been a town for a hundred years. How can we give it up so easily? Even if we really can't stop the Xia army, I will still take a piece of their flesh."

"This town was built brick by brick by our ancestors in Yangqu. We must not let the Xia army occupy it so easily. Lord, your subordinates are willing to live and die with this town. We will never retreat..."

………………

Upon hearing the statements from his son and his subordinates, Cao Qianyang clenched his fists, his face flushed, clearly affected by their emotions. He even stood up, obviously intending to join in.

However, Cai Qiuhu interrupted him at this moment.

"Lord Cao, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. Of the five northern towns, aren't Jinshan and Wuchuan still the only ones left? If you retreat for now, who knows what new changes might occur later?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Qianyang's expression tightened slightly, and a surge of joy immediately rose in his eyes. His voice was slightly excited as he said, "What does Uncle Cai mean..."

"Chu Tianxu has been humiliated by Xia Hong, how could he possibly let this go? Don't rush, just listen to me. A month is enough time for you to empty the town's treasury. Leave some loopholes in the city, and maybe the town will be regained soon..."

Cai Qiuhu's words reassured Cao Qianyang and Yang Qu's group of senior executives, and their minds immediately became active, and they began a new round of heated discussions.

………………

Of the nine towns on the southern slope, whether it is Ba Shang, which was the first to be destroyed, or Bei Shuo, which was just breached by the Xia army last night, all have a history of more than a hundred years.

A century is a very long time span, long enough for people to develop a dependence on it. Due to the special management system of the nine towns, people living in the outer areas naturally have no feelings for the town. Some even hate the town because they have been exploited too much.

But for those who have lived in the town since childhood and have enjoyed its benefits, it's a different story.

Just as the Xia people revered Xia Hong as a god and regarded Xia City as a spiritual totem, the other towns were the same. So even though they knew that the Xia army's advance was unstoppable, they were unwilling to hand over their towns to others.

Yang Jian was killed, Yang Fa was captured alive, Yang Zun was defeated, and Beishuo City fell. Although it was clear that there was no way to reverse the situation, there was still a large group of loyal Yang family members who resisted stubbornly and refused to surrender to the Great Xia even if it meant death.

…………

Just as Cai Qiuhu was persuading Cao Qianyang to withdraw from Yangqu, Qin Feng and a group of high-ranking officials in Wuchuan Donggu City to the north found themselves in an extremely passive situation.

"Twenty thousand elite Xia troops marched south and headed straight for Wuchuan Town. We had no choice but to return to reinforce it. The supplies in Dongchuan City are only enough to last for two months. Once the Xia army surrounds the town, we're finished."

"Will Luo Yuan let us go? Four Xianyang-level beings are monitoring Dongchuan City day and night. They will react immediately if the army in the city makes any move. It's obvious that they don't want us to leave."

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Beishuo has actually been breached! That Yang Zun confidently told us that as long as we held Donggu City, the Xia army wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. Isn't this just harming us?"

"All 50,000 troops are stationed in Donggu, and Zhencheng only has 10,000 troops. Can they hold off the Xia army?" "Is that even a question? Beishuo City had 35,000 troops, and they were all defeated by the Xia army. How can we possibly hold it with only 10,000 men?"

"We can't lose Zhencheng, we must go back!"

"What about the 40,000 Xia troops outside the city? As soon as we leave the city, they will immediately rush at us. The reason we have been able to hold out against the Xia army these past few days is because of the city's strong defenses. If we really fight the Xia army in the wilderness, we have no chance of winning at all!"

………………

"Shut up, everyone!"

Qin Feng's mind was a complete mess at this moment. Seeing everyone discussing endlessly but unable to come up with a practical solution, he finally couldn't hold back any longer and angrily rebuked them, interrupting them.

After the hall quieted down, Qin Feng turned to the elderly man in a blue brocade robe standing to the side, a glimmer of hope on his face, and said, "Given the current situation, what should we do? Please advise us, Elder Cai!"

With the fall of Beishuo and the forced retreat of Chu Tianxu, the prefect of Yanling, by Xia Hong, Qin Feng knew that he could not defend Wuchuan on his own. The only hope for Wuchuan's survival was Cai Yunhe, or rather, Cai Qiu behind Cai Yunhe.

Cai Yunhe met Qin Feng's gaze, then turned to look at the group of Wu Chuan's high-ranking officials in the hall. A hint of disdain flashed in the depths of his eyes, and he shook his head inwardly.

They were just lowly barbarians from a small place like Nanlu, and they panicked over the smallest things. Qin Feng, the lord, was even worse. Despite having an army of 50,000, he was afraid of everything and showed no leadership qualities whatsoever.

Of course, Cai Yunhe wouldn't reveal his true thoughts. Seeing everyone's attention focused on him, he pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Returning to the town to provide reinforcements is definitely impossible. Luo Yuan's 40,000 troops must have received news from Bei Shuo, otherwise they wouldn't be monitoring the situation in the city so intensively. If you leave the city now, let alone whether you can leave or not, even if you are allowed to leave Donggu City, do you dare to return to Wuchuan Town?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed slightly, and their expressions became even more somber.

The information they have received so far is that 20,000 elite Xia troops are heading south and heading straight for Wuchuan Town. It seems that they are going to attack the town, but will the Xia troops attack it directly after they arrive?
Someone just said that as long as Xia Jun besieges Wuchuan Town and cuts off the town's connection with Donggu, thus cutting off the supplies of the 50,000 troops in Donggu, they will fall without a fight within a month at most.

Given this premise, it is almost certain that when the 20,000 elite Xia troops arrive at Wuchuan Town, they will not attack the city directly, but will instead besiege it without attacking, just like the 40,000 troops in Luoyuan outside Donggu City.

In this situation, even if their 50,000 men leave Donggu City, Luo Yuan only needs to lead his troops to follow behind. When they are about to reach the town, they will be attacked from both sides by the 20,000 elite Xia troops who are waiting in the vicinity of the town. What will they do then?
"Ultimately, the only question you've been hesitating about from beginning to end is whether to fight or defend!"

Cai Yunhe spoke again, this time without mincing words, directly pointing out Wu Chuan's predicament. He continued, "I have observed that the Xia army is indeed slightly stronger than Wu Chuan in terms of both equipment and cultivation, but it's not to the point of overwhelming them. In a real fight, they are not without a chance of winning..."

"Does Elder Cai mean to take the initiative and start a war against Luo Yuan's troops?"

Qin Feng frowned deeply, his expression grim. Before Cai Yunhe could answer, he continued, "I'm afraid Luo Yuan won't fight us anymore. Beishuo City has already fallen. They only need to keep us pinned down and drag things out for a month, and it will collapse on its own. Why would he..."

"seduce!"

Cai Yunhe only said two words, but everyone in the hall immediately understood, and their expressions brightened slightly.

"Luo Yuan is keeping such a close watch on the town's movements because he's afraid you'll return to reinforce it. As long as we throw out a little bait, he'll surely fall for it. The Xia army outside the city only has 40,000 troops, and only six Xianyang-level soldiers. If a real battle breaks out, it's still uncertain who will win..."

A struggle flashed across Qin Feng's face as he began to grapple with an internal conflict.

Cai Yunhe's suggestion was something he had already thought of, but the problem was that he was genuinely afraid of Xia Jun. Even though Xia Jun outnumbered him by 10,000, he still wasn't very confident.

There was no way around it; the four years that the Great Xia had ventured eastward had cast a deep psychological shadow on the five northern towns and him, to the point that he instinctively felt that a direct confrontation with the Xia army would inevitably result in defeat.

But right now, are there any better solutions?

If they don't deal with Luo Yuan's 40,000 troops, they definitely won't be able to return to the town. Once the town is in trouble, it won't be a matter of victory or defeat.

Those high-ranking officials are alright. He had just sent his son Qin He with men back to the town, instructing him to be in charge of the city's defenses and to also look after his relatives in the city. If anything happens, he is to lead them to evacuate immediately.

The key issue is the 50,000-strong army in Donggu City. The families and relatives of these 50,000 soldiers all live in Wuchuan Town. If the town is captured by the Xia army, the consequences will be far more serious than the loss of military supplies.

"We have no choice but to fight!"

Qin Feng struggled with this question for a while, but soon came to an answer.

Engaging in battle is the only way to break the deadlock right now. To return to Zhencheng, we have to get past Luo Yuan's 40,000 troops. Rather than dragging it out like this, we should have a quick battle with them sooner rather than later.

"Tianhao, immediately lead the army to the north gate and make it look like we are about to retreat, so as to lure the Xia army to intercept us. But make it clear to the soldiers that we are not leaving the city to escape, but to fight the Xia army. Let them prepare themselves mentally in advance."

"My subordinates will do it now!"

Ye Tianhao clearly agreed to take the initiative, and after bowing in response, he immediately turned and flew towards the military camp.

"In the end, we left Donggu City on our own initiative. From the very beginning, the Great Xia's target was Yangqu and Beishuo. They made a show of advancing on four fronts at the same time to bluff us and make us cower. It's a pity that I failed to see through Xia Hong's intentions in advance, otherwise how could I have ended up in this situation!"

Qin Feng's face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to bleed. After pondering for a moment, he looked down at his second son, Qin Shan, and ordered in a deep voice, "Shan'er, gather all the Earth Digging Realm cultivators in the city together."

Upon hearing Qin Feng's order, everyone in the hall was stunned for a moment, but then they turned their heads and saw the dark sky outside, and their faces immediately became excited.

Taking the initiative also has its advantages. If Xia Jun had launched a normal siege, Wu Chuan would have been on the defensive. It was foreseeable that Xia Hong would have chosen to attack at dawn, since they had only sent the Yu Han level troops.

But now, they are the ones who are actively seeking war, so when to fight is ultimately their choice.

"The city's troop strength is only ten thousand more than that of the Great Xia, which isn't very secure. But if we had tens of thousands of Earth-Digging Realm experts assisting us, the situation would be different..."

Qin Feng pondered for a moment, then closed his eyes, waiting for Ye Tianhao and Qin Shan to return and report the news.

(End of this chapter)