Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 369 Reinforcements Gather, a Motley Crew, An Unexpected Joy, War Begins

October 20th, 131st year of the Moo calendar

Regardless of how the people of the seven towns viewed it, Jiang Xinfan's ultimatum to the town leaders ultimately proved effective.

The seven towns' reinforcements, all at the last minute before dawn, arrived at the Hongguan camp at the same time.

"What use are these two thousand garrison troops at Guanghong Pass? They haven't even brought out the Crimson Scale Army. I think Jiangxia Town doesn't want to fight Dajue Temple at all. Why bother pretending to be helpful and asking us, the seven towns, to send reinforcements?"

Unfortunately, once everyone arrived, the atmosphere became a little awkward.

As soon as the Lu Yang Seven Towns troops entered the Hongguan camp, the leader of the flank unit spoke up. He glanced around at the soldiers in the camp and then spoke with a cold laugh. As if afraid that others wouldn't hear him, he deliberately circulated his qi and blood to increase his volume.

"That's Xiang Tiancheng, the deputy head of the Ba Shang Town!"

Hearing Chen Yiqing's whisper beside him, Lu Yang nodded slightly. Because they were both located on the east bank of the Hengjiang River, the towns of Ba Shang and Jiangxia had a lot of conflicts over the waterway, and the two families had a long-standing grudge. Xiang Tiancheng's behavior at this moment was not surprising.

Xiang Tiancheng looked to be in his early forties, with a somewhat sinister face. He carried a broadsword on his back, the blade of which appeared to be at least fifteen centimeters long.

He was followed by more than two hundred people, who were obviously the cold-resistant reinforcements sent by Ba Shang Town. Judging from the number of people, it can be basically seen that the relationship between Ba Shang and Jiangxia is extremely bad.

At this moment, all the reinforcements from the seven towns had arrived, and Lu Yang had already made a general observation of them.

The reinforcements sent by Beishuo, Jinshan, and Wuchuan towns all numbered over 350, making the three northern towns the strongest and understandable. The three towns of Longgu, Yangqu, and Chuishan had slightly fewer people, but still around 270. Only the people from Bashang Town numbered just over 200, making them stand out among the seven towns' forces.

The fewest people came, but they had the most complaints. They're deliberately trying to cause trouble!

Lu Yang looked at the two hundred-plus people in Ba Shang Town, most of whom had sneers on their faces. He shook his head repeatedly in his heart, and finally turned his gaze to Xiang Tiancheng to see what else he could say.

The nine towns have similar systems, so their military configurations are also similar. Each town basically has two military branches: one is called the Town Guard Army, which is a regular army. The soldiers are all at the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm, and the commanders are basically at the Cold-Resistant Level.
Another type is the elite military units of each unit, whose soldiers are all equipped with cold-weather gear. For example, the Northern Three Towns: the Beishuo Army named after the town of Beishuo, the Jinjia Army of Jinshan, the Xuanjia Army of Wuchuan... The Chilin Army that Xiang Tiancheng just mentioned should be the elite military unit of Jiangxia Town.

Although Lu Yang was unclear about the number of troops in the other eight towns, he knew about the Northern Shuo. The Northern Shuo Garrison had fifteen units of troops, totaling 15,000 men, while the Northern Shuo Army had four units, totaling 4,000 men.

Jiangxia is definitely not as good as Beishuo. The Zhenyu Army is estimated to be only about 10,000 men, and the elite troops are at most two or three thousand.

When Lu Yang first entered, he observed that the Hongguan camp only had two thousand soldiers at the moment, all wearing high-quality armor, clearly the Zhenyu Army.

However, behind the main camp, in Hongguan Village, there were also many armored Earth-Digging Realm warriors patrolling the village. It was likely that there were a large number of people there as well, but it was unknown exactly how many.

While Lu Yang was pondering, Xiang Tiancheng started to speak again, relentlessly pressing the issue.

"According to Xiang, whoever caused this trouble at Dajue Temple should be held responsible. Jiangxia just likes to occupy the north bank of the Hengjiang River..."

"In that case, Xiang Tiancheng, you may take your men back to Ba Shang!"

But this time, he was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

The curtain of the main tent at the rear of the camp was lifted, and a middle-aged man dressed in a blue brocade robe slowly walked out. He looked directly at Xiang Tiancheng, clearly indicating that he was not joking and that Xiang Tiancheng could take people back to Ba Shang Town right now.

"Deputy Commander Jiang!"

"I have met Deputy Commander Jiang."

"Greetings, Deputy Commander Jiang."

…………

As soon as Jiang Yuanlong came out, the deputy deans of the other six towns all bowed to him. Seeing this, Lu Yang's eyes flashed slightly.

The deputy military commander naturally has more power than the deputy chief of staff, but Jiang Yuanlong is the deputy military commander of Jiangxia Town. The deputy chiefs of staff from the other six towns bow to him, not because of his position, but because of his power.

Huang Tianxing's strength is estimated to be around forty, and even he has to bow to him, so Jiang Yuanlong's strength must be above his.

"What, you're afraid to leave?"

Xiang Tiancheng's expression was somewhat stiff at this moment. Being questioned for the second time by Jiang Yuanlong in front of so many people, he naturally lost face. However, rushing to Jiangxia's aid was the town chief's order, and even if he had ten thousand times the courage, he wouldn't dare to leave with his men.

Moreover, Jiang Yuanlong might have deliberately provoked him to leave.

Thinking of this, his expression flickered, and he looked up at Jiang Yuanlong without saying a word.

"Since you dare not leave, then shut your mouths and obediently follow my orders. This joint resistance against Dajue Temple was decided by the eight town leaders at the end of last month. If any of you have any objections, you may take your men and leave Hongguan. I will not stop you."

Jiang Yuanlong clearly intended to give the reinforcements from the seven towns a taste of their power. After intimidating Xiang Tiancheng, he glanced at the people from the other six towns and continued, "Let me make this clear: if you've decided to stay here, then everything on the battlefield will be under my command. Anyone who dares to disobey, fail to contribute in battle, or delay military operations will face my wrath!"

These words were actually quite impolite.

Jiang Yuanlong was, after all, only the deputy commander of Jiangxia Town. He treated the reinforcements from the seven towns as his subordinates. Even though they knew he had no selfish motives and was only trying to make the upcoming battles go more smoothly, the deputy commanders of the other six towns, including Huang Tianxing, Shangguan Yan, and Qin Yuanhai, all looked rather displeased.

Xiang Tiancheng goes without saying, since Jiang Yuanlong had just been impolite to him in front of the people of the Six Towns.

"Those who wish to stay, come with me into the tent. Yuanhua and Xiahou Qin, you two take the rest of the troops to collect their supplies and arrange accommodations for them."

"I obey my orders!"

After giving instructions to his two subordinates, Jiang Yuanlong turned around and went back to the main tent. Huang Tianxing and the other seven leaders exchanged glances for a moment before also heading towards the main tent.

"Everyone, please come with me!"

Jiang Yuanhua and Xiahou Qin each led their troops from the seven towns toward the rear of the camp, preparing to distribute military supplies to them.

Since the Seven Towns were reinforcements, they naturally couldn't bring their own military equipment.

One's preferred weapon is related to the strength one can exert in battle, so it cannot be issued on short notice. However, armor and healing pills are unrelated, and these supplies should naturally be provided by Jiangxia Town.

Lu Yang and the 31 people from Dongling quickly received a set of hundred-forged iron armor and twenty Rejuvenation Pills, and were assigned to a military wooden house near Hongguan Village.

While a soldier from Jiangxia was leading him to his quarters, Lu Yang secretly slipped him a silver ingot and learned all the recent military intelligence.

"They only issued one set of hundred-refined iron armor. At most, it can only defend against arrows shot from ordinary cold-resistant armor. It's better than nothing. Jiangxia Town is really stingy!"

"This Rejuvenation Pill is not bad, but it is far inferior to the Blood Sore Pill of our Great Xia. It can only be used for short-term meditation and has almost no effect on external injuries."

"The thousand-forged iron armor is too difficult to forge, and every family treasures it. Even the Zhenyu Army of Jiangxia wears hundred-forged iron armor. It's already quite good that they can give us a set."

"That's right. Our Great Xia doesn't have many thousand-forged battle armors. The soldiers are basically wearing hundred-forged Thunder Kui Gold Armor now."

"The forging techniques of the Nine Towns are not good enough. Our hundred-forged Lei Kui Golden Armor has defensive capabilities that are already comparable to their ordinary thousand-forged armor."

"That's true."

………………

As soon as they entered the wooden house, everyone started talking. They looked at the armor and pills they had just received and made their comments. However, to avoid being overheard, they kept their voices very low.

Lu Yang naturally wouldn't participate in the crowd's discussion. It was already daylight outside, so he put down his armor and walked to the window to look at Hongguan Village behind him.

"My lord, the number of Yuhan-class soldiers who came to our aid from the seven towns is about 2100. I observed them when we came in. There are about 800 Yuhan-class soldiers in the Hongguan camp. If you add the two garrison armies, it's not a small force."

As soon as Wang Tao spoke, everyone fell silent.

Zhu Shun nodded and said, "Of course they are not weak. Among the three thousand Cold-resistant level, there are more than a hundred with strength above the level of twenty-mane. There are two fully armed regular armies. I think there should be tens of thousands of Digging Realm guards in Hongguan Village. I just don't know the exact number. With so many people, guarding Hongguan Pass should be very easy. Unless Dajue Temple goes all out, it should be very difficult to break through."

They reviewed the information about Dajue Temple together with Lu Yang, so unlike Jiuzhen, they were well aware of Dajue Temple's true strength.

Lin Fan shook his head and said to Zhu Shun, "Didn't you hear what the lord found out from that soldier? Dajue Temple has a way to allow those at the Digging Realm to fight during the day. Don't just count those at the Cold Resistance level. If there are too many people at the Digging Realm, it will inevitably affect the battle."

Zhu Shun was taken aback upon hearing this. He had been standing nearby when Lu Yang inquired, so he had heard it as well. He frowned slightly and asked, "Is it an exaggeration to say that the 20,000 Earth-Digging Realm cultivators from Qinghepu can influence the battle?"

There is indeed no solution to granting the Horinoid the ability to fight during the day.

However, Qinghepu has too few people, only 20,000 Digging Realm cultivators, not counting the losses from the attack on Jinbilong River...

Upon realizing this, Zhu Shun immediately understood Lin Fan's meaning, and his expression changed slightly as he asked, "You mean that the 50,000 Earth-Digging Realm cultivators who are under control in Jinbilonghe Village will turn their guns on Dajue Temple to attack Hongguan?"

Lin Fan nodded immediately.

Wang Tao added, "They may not help everyone, but the Digging Realm members of Jinbilonghe Village will definitely help. According to the information the adults just inquired about, there are at least 20,000 Digging Realm members in this group. So, the number of Digging Realm members in Dajue Temple is at least 40,000."

With the ordinary people and lumberjacks of Jinbilonghe Village under control, along with their families, the defection of these earth-digging cultivators was practically a foregone conclusion.

"With over 40,000 Digging Realm cultivators, if they are properly deployed and seize the daytime opportunity, plus 5,000 Zen Monks, breaking through Hongguan Pass will not be difficult."

Upon hearing Wang Tao's words, Zhu Shun's expression changed slightly, clearly realizing what was happening.

Even with reinforcements, Jiangxia's forces number 3000 to 5000. They are not currently at a disadvantage in terms of the number of cold-resistant level troops, but they are on the defensive, so some disadvantages are still acceptable. Jiangxia's real advantage lies in its army. The strength of its two Zhenyu Army forces is far superior to the haphazardly assembled army of ordinary Digging Realm cultivators from Dajue Temple.

The problem is that no matter how strong the Zhenyu Army is, they can only fight at night. If Dajue Temple chooses to fight you during the day, you will be dumbfounded.

"Therefore, the key to this battle is to take the initiative. We must do it at night and take the initiative to fight Dajue Temple. But if we do that, Jiangxia will inevitably lead a large army into Hongguan and attack Longhe Village, and our defensive advantage will be completely lost."

Of course, if we could go all out, bringing our main army and all the Earth-Digging Realm experts from Hongguan Village, and work together, we might have a chance to win this battle. But look at the situation of the seven towns' reinforcements—can they do it?

Hearing Wang Tao's words, Lu Yang turned around and said with a smile, "I don't care about the Seven Towns. We alone can't possibly work together with Jiangxia. Lord Wang is right. The most important thing in this battle is to take the initiative, but it is also the most difficult thing to achieve. Jiang Yuanlong is a smart man. He saw it long ago. As soon as the Seven Towns' reinforcements arrived, he immediately gave them a show of force. He was probably trying to seize the initiative and hopefully intimidate the Seven Towns' troops so that he could unify his command and deployment..."

Lu Yang paused, then shook his head and continued, "He has some skills, but he's still too impatient. It's obvious that no matter how much he intimidates these people from the seven towns, they'll only act according to their own town leaders' orders. If the town leaders strictly ordered them to cooperate with Jiangxia, they would do so without Jiang Yuanlong's intimidation. But as it seems now..."

Wang Tao, Lin Fan, and Zhu Shun immediately shook their heads.

Leaving aside Xiang Tiancheng, who went against Jiang Yuanlong from the start, the other six deputy leaders of the town were clearly not very cooperative. It was true that they were intimidated by Jiang Yuanlong's strength, but when it came to the deployment of the army, how could they listen to Jiang Yuanlong so easily?

"Therefore, the key to this battle lies in whether Jiang Yuanlong can get the reinforcements from the Seven Towns to join him in attacking Dajue Temple. At present, the chances are slim, unless the leaders of the Seven Towns give orders to their own people."

As soon as Zhu Shun finished speaking, Wang Tao immediately chimed in, "We need to be quick. Dajue Temple isn't stupid. I discovered this when I arrived. There are quite a few spies around Hongguan Village, and probably even more near the pass. The two armies are so close together that they'll know about any personnel movements. Every day Jiangxia is slow, Dajue Temple will have more time to prepare. If they get there first and lead a large number of Earth-Digging Realm cultivators to attack the pass during the day, Jiangxia will undoubtedly be defeated."

"I believe Jiangxia is doomed to lose this battle!"

Before Wang Tao could finish speaking and before Lu Yang and the others could speak, a confident young voice came from behind.

The four turned around and saw that Li Hu had walked over at some point.

Lu Yang, Zhu Shun, and Lin Fan all smiled when they saw Li Hu, while Wang Tao's expression was somewhat complicated.

Li Hu's identity is not simple. In terms of bloodline, he is of course the grandson of Li Tiancheng, the director of the prison department, and the nephew of Li Xuanling, the lord's wife. However, Li Hu has never claimed to be one of these two identities, which shows that he has always harbored resentment towards the Li family. However, it was by sheer coincidence that this made Lu Yang and Zhu Shun, the elders of the Xia people, have a very good impression of him.

Lu Yang asked curiously, "Li Hu, how did you figure that out?"

Li Hu bowed and shook his head, saying, "My lord, I just returned from leading the military supplies over there. The Yuhan-class troops from Ba Shang and Chui Shan have started causing trouble. The leaders of both towns have gone over there. There's a guy named Xiahou Qin from Jiangxia who mediated for a long time before he managed to persuade both sides to leave. I watched from the sidelines for a long time, and when the people from those two towns left, they were clearly still holding their breath."

The biggest fear in a multi-party alliance is that everyone has their own agenda. Problems are already arising before the fighting even begins; it'll be even worse on the battlefield. No matter how capable Jiang Yuanlong is, he can't possibly unite over two thousand people. This is just a rabble; on the battlefield, they'll only be a hindrance, perhaps even worse than the Jiang family fighting against Dajue Temple.

Upon hearing Li Hu's words, Lu Yang immediately smiled. After a moment's thought, he turned to look at everyone and said in a deep voice, "No matter what, the outcome of this battle is none of our business. I only have one requirement for you: to save your lives. The lives of the Xia people are precious. If you are to die, you should die fighting for our Great Xia. I don't want you to give your lives here in a muddle. Of course, if you can stir up some conflicts between the various towns on the battlefield, that would be even better."

"I obey my orders!"

The people of Xia are valued for their lives. Upon hearing these four words, everyone's expressions became slightly solemn, and they immediately bowed to Lu Yang in unison.

"Going west from Hongguan, the first rivers are Longhe and then Jinbi. Fifty kilometers west is Qinghepu. Beyond Qinghepu is our Great Xia's Baiyang garrison. If the battlefield remains here at Hongguan, we won't have a chance to send messages to Xia City. However, once the battlefield shifts westward..."

Wang Tao shook his head and interrupted Lu Yang, saying, "My lord, you are overthinking it. Xia City already knows about the battle between Jiangxia and Dajue Temple. How could the lord not send people to keep an eye on things here? He might even be here himself. I even suspect that among the many spies near Hongguan, there are people from our Great Xia."

Lu Yang was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded.

“That makes sense, after all, they're so close, the lord wouldn't…”

"May I ask, is this the barracks of Beishuo Dongling Village?"

Just as Lu Yang was about to speak, he was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. Upon hearing the unfamiliar voice outside, everyone in the room immediately stood up on alert.

Lu Yang frowned slightly, raised his hand to gesture for everyone to sit down, and then responded in a deep voice to the door: "This is the Dongling Village barracks."

"I am in seclusion at Tan Village in Jinshan Valley. I have important business to discuss with Lord Lu."

Frostbite!

Inside the room, Wang Tao, Lin Fan, Zhu Shun, and everyone else's expressions changed slightly, and they all stood up abruptly.

Lu Yang saw Han Feng while traveling last night, but he didn't tell the people in the house. So the reason why they reacted so strongly was simply because they heard Han Feng's name.

It's understandable, really. Han Feng is the son of Han Jiuli, the leader of Han Qiong, and his talent is quite good. He already has a good reputation in Longyou, so Wang Tao and other Yu Han level warriors from Longyou have naturally heard of him.

The key point is that Lu Yang has spent the last three years leading people from Dongling to inquire about Han Feng's whereabouts, so everyone in the room knows what's going on and that's why they reacted so strongly.

"Han Feng, he went to Jinshan!"

"This person needs to be eliminated."

"grown ups."

………………

"Don't be impatient!"

Lu Yang was also somewhat shaken at this moment, but he first calmed everyone down, then slowly walked to the door and opened it.

Five years ago, Han Feng was less than thirty when he escaped through the secret passage. Now he should only be in his early thirties, which is actually quite young considering his cultivation level.

"Seventeen Manes, their strength is about the same as mine."

The moment Lu Yang opened the door, he immediately assessed Han Feng's strength and invited him in.

When Han Feng saw Lu Yang, his expression was clearly complicated. Then, seeing the group of people in the room, he noticed many familiar faces from Longyou, who were staring at him menacingly. He took a slight breath and walked straight in.

"Brother Han, we've been searching for you for the past few years!"

Lu Yang closed the door behind him, and Li Hu, along with several Cold-Resistant level experts, immediately blocked the entrance. Wang Tao, Lin Fan, and Zhu Shun also stood up and subtly surrounded Han Feng.

"Brother Lu, gentlemen, there's no need for this. Chief Xia did me a favor years ago, and I, Han Feng, have come to your door today to avoid any misunderstandings. I will not tell Jinshan Town about Dongling, nor will I reveal your identities." Hearing Han Feng's words, Lu Yang's expression didn't change much. He just stared at him for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "Brother Han not only knows about Dongling, but he's even found out my name. You know quite a lot!"

Han Feng knocked on the door and asked if it was the Dongling Barracks, then immediately called out his surname, clearly indicating that he had inquired a lot before coming.

Although he knew that Xia Hong had taken the initiative to let Han Feng go back then, and that most of the people who survived in Han Qiong's camp were saved by Xia Hong himself, he was indeed kind to Han Feng both morally and logically.

But that passage through Dongling is just too important!

Moreover, what does it mean that Han Feng took the initiative to come to see him today?

Could it be that they're trying to use this to blackmail me?

Lu Yang dared not gamble. He stared at Han Feng, still weighing his options in his mind: should he take the risk here at Hongguan Camp and completely shut Han Feng up?

Han Feng clearly saw through Lu Yang's thoughts, and a wry smile appeared on his face. He quickly said, "Brother Lu, please don't worry. I came to see you today just to inquire about the whereabouts of my two younger sisters."

…………

Lu Yang was stunned for a moment upon hearing Han Feng's words.

The others also tensed up, and then Wang Tao seemed to remember something, his brows furrowing slightly as he asked, "Aren't your two younger sisters named Han Yue and Han Shuang?"

A look of joy immediately appeared on Han Feng's face, and he nodded emphatically at Wang Tao.

Cold moon, cold frost...

Lu Yang's expression instantly relaxed, and so did Zhu Shun, Lin Fan, and all the other people in the room who were at the Cold Resistance level.

Seeing the change in the expressions of everyone in the room, Han Feng realized that they all clearly knew his two younger sisters, so he quickly looked up and asked Lu Yang, "Brother Lu, do you all know my two younger sisters?"

"More than that, your two younger sisters are now the darlings of our Great Xia..."

The surname Han is extremely rare. Even with over 800,000 people in the Great Xia Dynasty, you can't find more than a few. The most famous one, and whose age just meets the requirement of being Han Feng's sister, is none other than the two sisters, Han Yue and Han Shuang, who have long served the Xia Hong family, the lord of the Zhaixing Palace.

These two are actually Han Feng's sisters!

As Lu Yang recounted the story of Han Yue and Han Shuang to Han Feng, his own thoughts began to stir.

On Han Feng's side, upon hearing that his two younger sisters had become Lord Xia Hong's maids and had both broken through to the Cold Resistance level, his face was filled with joy.

Five years ago, when he led more than a thousand people away from Hanqiong's camp, his biggest regret was not being able to take his two younger sisters with him. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that night, Wu Xiong, controlled by Bai Lu Gui, wreaked havoc on the entire Hanqiong Calabash Valley. Some died, some ran away, and he couldn't find his sisters at all.

For the past five years, he has lived a life filled with guilt. When he was summoned by Jinshan Town to come to the aid of Jiangxia, he saw Lu Yang along the way and immediately remembered that five years ago, when Xia Hongfang left him in the secret passage, Lu Yang was standing behind him.

Coupled with Lu Yang's reaction at the time, he became even more certain that the Great Xia had cleared out the secret passage and that someone had infiltrated Beishuo Town. So he mustered up his courage and went to Lu Yang's door to inquire.

Having received the answer he wanted, and learning that his two younger sisters were not only doing well in the Great Xia Dynasty but also possessing high cultivation levels, he naturally felt much more at ease.

"Thank you for informing me of this information, Brother Lu. I suspected five years ago that the two of them were still alive. In the five years since I left Longyou through the secret passage, I have been worried every day that they are not doing well. Now I can finally rest easy."

"Brother Han, you're too kind. Your two sisters are not only living a good life, but ask around in Xia City. Everyone treats them with utmost respect. Even I, Lu, often need their help!"

Wang Tao and the others inside immediately nodded in agreement.

Han Yue and Han Shuang's status is indeed somewhat special. Not to mention these people, even Si Cheng Xia Chuan treats them with considerable courtesy.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Han Feng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting. Confirming that his two younger sisters were indeed doing well, his impression of the people from Da Xia improved considerably. Then, with a hint of embarrassment on his face, he bowed to Lu Yang and said, "I have a favor to ask, and I hope Brother Lu can grant it."

Lu Yang had some guesses about Han Feng's request. He immediately stepped forward to help Han Feng up and said with a smile, "We are both from Longyou. Let alone one, even if there are ten or a hundred, I will definitely agree. Please speak, Brother Han."

"After the Jiangxia battle is over and I return to the north, may I take the Dongling Pass to Longyou? I have no other intention than to see my two younger sisters again after five years."

"Of course, Brother Han, feel free to come and find me at Dongling after you return this time..."

Lu Yang readily agreed to Han Feng's request, but then paused, his expression growing serious. "However, this secret passage is of utmost importance. Can you assure me that you will not tell anyone else?"

Han Feng immediately patted his chest and said in a deep voice, "Brother Lu, rest assured, I guarantee that if I tell anyone else about the secret passage, the entire Han family will die a terrible death, and I, Han Feng, will never break through to the Manifestation Yang Realm in this lifetime."

The fact that Han Feng could make such a solemn oath clearly means that he has realized the great importance of that secret passage to the Great Xia Dynasty. He would not be able to fool anyone by making such an oath casually.

"Good, Brother Han, you're a man of your word!"

Lu Yang was finally relieved. He opened up to Han Feng and chatted for a while before seeing him off.

"This is quite an unexpected surprise. I never imagined I had this connection with Han Feng!"

Turning back into the house, Lu Yang's face was clearly beaming with joy.

Zhu Shun couldn't help but speak up at this moment: "Could it be that the lord knew Han Yue and Han Shuang's identities five years ago, which is why he kept these two as his maids?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then their faces were filled with admiration.

Lu Yang nodded repeatedly and said, "That should be true. When Han Feng came in, he claimed to be from Gu Tan Village, so he did not enter the town. He is just a village-level camp under the jurisdiction of Jinshan Town. He must not have a strong sense of belonging to Jinshan. We just need to wait until we return to Beishuo this time and have him come to Daxia. With the relationship between Han Yue and Han Shuang, it will not be difficult to persuade him to surrender."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Although the Great Xia Dynasty sent out Cold-resistant level spies to the other eight towns, how could these temporary dispatches compare to Han Feng, who had been in Jinshan Town for more than five years? As long as Han Feng surrendered, they could quickly grasp a lot of information about Jinshan Town, which would be much faster than gathering information slowly.

"Next, let's observe how the battle unfolds. Every day it drags on, the threat from Dajue Temple grows stronger. Let's see if Jiang Yuanlong can truly subdue these people from the Seven Towns!"

Lu Yang turned his head and looked at the location of the main army tent, his eyes narrowing slightly.

…………

As it turns out, Jiang Yuanlong's methods were still a bit lacking.

The reinforcements from the seven garrisons arrived before dawn on October 20th. As soon as it was light, Jiang Yuanlong convened a meeting with the commanders of the seven garrisons. It is unknown what they discussed, but two days later, a new batch of military equipment was delivered.

A total of 150 sets of thousand-forged armor were transported from Jiangxia Town. Among the seven reinforcements, those with a basic strength of around 20 men and a cold-resistant level all exchanged their original hundred-forged iron armor for a set.

Lu Yang was lucky enough to be among them.

After the new military equipment was distributed, another round of discussions ensued, and then, for reasons unknown, the army still did not set off.

It wasn't until October 25th that the Digging Realm experts from the seven towns arrived one after another!
The first place we arrived at was, of course, the closest town, Ba Shang, followed by Chui Shan, Long Gu, Yang Qu, and finally the three northern towns.

The number of the Digging Realm troops in the Seven Towns was enormous. Similar to the Cold-Resistant Realm troops, the three northern towns had the most, with each sending nearly 20,000 people; the three central border mountain towns each had 15,000; and Ba Shang performed steadily, with just over 10,000.

So, if you calculate it this way, the entire Hongguan camp, not counting the people from Jiangxia, has nearly 120,000 troops just from the Earth Digging Realm.

The seven towns did not arrive simultaneously, but rather in succession. Therefore, by the time the reinforcements from Beishuo Town, which was the furthest away, arrived, it was already October 30th.

In ten days, Lu Yang also figured out the situation in Hongguan Village. Jiangxia Town had deployed 50,000 Digging Realm soldiers in Hongguan Village. In addition, with the 2,000 Town Guards in the Hongguan camp, the total strength of Jiangxia's forces had reached more than 170,000, nearly 180,000.

An army of this size, even disregarding cold-weather gear, could overwhelm Dajue Temple with sheer numbers if given the chance to engage in a night battle.

However, Jiang Yuanlong still failed to subdue the people of the seven towns, and the army dragged on until the fifth day of the eleventh month, still unable to advance an inch.

Jiang Yuanlong convened meetings with the people of the seven towns every day, but after half a month of discussions, the army still hadn't made a single move.

Strangely, there was no movement from Dajue Temple either!
Lu Yang was certain that neither side's spies dared to relax at this moment, and they were keeping a close watch on each other day and night. As long as Dajue Temple made any moves, Hongguan would definitely react.

The two sides seemed to have fallen into an eerie calm.

November 15th, inside the Dongling barracks.

Zhu Shun looked out the window at the peaceful camp, his face full of confusion.

"If this drags on, the chances of Dajue Temple winning will increase with each passing day. Jiang Yuanlong must know that if the people of the seven towns are not cooperating, he should report to the town leaders and put pressure on the other seven towns."

"How do you know it wasn't reported? Maybe the town chief already put pressure on them, but the Seven Towns just didn't listen."

"It's understandable. The Seven Towns sent reinforcements to help Jiangxia defend against Dajue Temple, not to help Jiangxia recover lost territory. There's absolutely no reason for them to follow Jiang Yuanlong and take the initiative to attack the north bank of Hengjiang."

"That makes some sense. If Dajue Temple just stays put, the Seven Towns should be happy to see it happen. From beginning to end, Jiangxia only lost some territory and some people died. The Seven Towns didn't suffer any losses, so what are they afraid of?"

"So, only Jiang Xia's family is in a hurry right now?"

"Of course, 180,000 people, just the food and drink alone are a huge burden. Not to mention that half of them are equipped with hundred-fold iron armor, they also need a lot of healing pills. If this drags on, Jiangxia will have already lost a lot of blood before the battle even starts."

"It's alright. It's just a town-level camp. The resources aren't that bad. It's just that other families are using them. At most, it's just a little painful."

………………

Hearing the discussions, Lu Yang, sitting in the front row, remained silent, but his furrowed brows revealed his own confusion.

The delay has indeed been far too long.

It's been 25 days since the 20th of last month.

With 180,000 people already, what are we afraid of?
If they wait until Dajue Temple attacks during the day, that would be troublesome.

This made him suspect that Jiuzhen might have some other plans.

But he is just an ordinary cold-weather-level soldier in the Allied Forces, at most slightly more powerful. He has extremely limited information. He doesn't even know what Jiang Yuanlong and the others talk about in their daily meetings. How can he deduce the reasons why the war has evolved to its current state?

"If you can endure it, can Dajue Temple endure it?"

Lu Yang's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and he led the others to continue waiting quietly.

Five more days passed, November 20th, and still nothing happened.

Time passed by day by day.

"Everyone, assemble immediately in your respective towns! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Finally, on November 28th, in the middle of the night.

About three hours before dawn, the hoarse voice of a messenger finally came from the Hongguan camp, which had been silent for forty days.

"Everyone, assemble immediately in your respective towns! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Everyone, assemble immediately in your respective towns! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Inside the Dongling barracks, Lu Yang was the first to put on his armor. After everyone else had donned their armor, he led the group out of the barracks.

The entire Hongguan camp was in an uproar, with people from all the barracks coming out in droves. The Digging Realm was already in a bit of chaos, but fortunately, their barracks were all of the Cold Protection level, so it wasn't too chaotic. Lu Yang quickly found Bei Shuo's team and led everyone inside.

"Director Gu, what's going on?"

"It's been almost forty days, hasn't it? How come they suddenly assembled?"

"Are we leaving now?"

………………

The people in the Beishuo team, like Lu Yang, were full of confusion, and several of them directly asked Gu Tianxiong, the head of the academy in front of them.

Gu Tianxiong was the deputy commander of the Beishuo team this time. He was qualified to enter the main tent with Huang Tianxing, so he should know some inside information.

Gu Tianxiong was rather aloof and clearly didn't want to talk. But seeing that many people behind him had spoken, he thought for a moment and replied, "The scouts from Longhe Village just reported that the army from Dajue Temple has just set off and is marching towards Hongguan. They are expected to reach Hongguan in less than three hours."

Dajue Temple has made its move!
Upon hearing this, Lu Yang's brows furrowed sharply. He looked up at the sky, saw the moon's position, and his expression darkened slightly.

Longhe Village is about 20 kilometers away from Hongguan. It would indeed take about three hours for tens of thousands of people to march. The problem is that it is exactly three hours until dawn.

"Is Jiang Yuanlong now assembling a large army because he intends to march on Hongguan and engage Dajue Temple in battle ahead of schedule, or...?"

If we march directly west from Hongguan and engage Dajue Temple before dawn, we can gain at least an extra hour.

An hour is more than enough!

Let alone the fact that Dajue Temple's Digging Realm troops number at most 40,000, even if it turned all the Digging Realm troops in Jinbilonghe Village to defect, it would only have 70,000 men. Even if you add the more than 5,000 monks from the Zen Temple, it still can't compare to Jiangxia.

Jiangxia currently has a total of nearly 180,000 people in the Digging Realm. Add to that two thousand-strong garrison troops and three thousand Cold-resistant level soldiers. On paper, this force is enough to crush Dajue Temple.

Of course, this is on the premise that Dajue Temple cannot come up with any more mysterious methods, and that their eight hundred formal monks will not need to use them.

Lu Yang's brow furrowed slightly as he continued to speculate on Jiang Yuanlong's possible moves.

However, he quickly found the answer in his heart.

The 180,000 men in the Hongguan camp had been hastily assembled for half an hour and still didn't understand what was going on. Some areas even had arguments, clearly caused by collisions during the assembly.

The phrase "a mob" had now become a tangible image in Lu Yang's mind.

"There's no way we can fight them. Jiang Yuanlong must have called for a retreat!"

If these 180,000 people were to be encountered by the people of Dajue Temple at dawn, it would almost certainly result in a one-sided massacre.

If we don't retreat now, we will surely die.

It took almost an hour for 180,000 people to finally understand that this was the consequence of doing nothing and not training for the previous forty-odd days.

"The three towns of Beishuo, Wuchuan, and Jinshan will lead the way, followed by the four towns of Yangqu, Chuishan, Longgu, and Bashang. We will retreat to the east side of Hongguan Village. Someone will guide us to our specific destination. Let's set off now!"

As the army assembled, Jiang Yuanlong's military order rang out in the main tent of the camp. As messengers relayed the order throughout the camp, it reached all the troops in each town.

"All those of the Cold-Resistant level, assemble around the main tent!"

As soon as the new military order was issued, the seven towns' cold-resistant troops all headed towards the main tent, and Lu Yang and his group were naturally among them.

(End of this chapter)