Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 370 Evasion and Surprise Attack, Jiangxia's Complete Victory, Secret Letter, Counterattack
boom!
Lu Yang arrived at the main tent relatively early. As soon as he got close, he heard the sound of someone slamming a table inside, followed by Jiang Yuanlong's roar.

"Thirty-eight days, you bunch of idiots, you're all happy now that Dajue Temple has taken the initiative to attack?"

"Lord Jiang, what's the rush? We haven't even reached Dajue Temple yet. We have 180,000 men. At worst, we can give up Hongguan Pass for now, avoid the enemy's advance, and then regroup and take it back tonight."

"Easy for you to say. Then how about you lead the counterattack tomorrow night, from Ba Shang?"

"Hongguan is Jiangxia territory, how dare I, Ba Shang, take the lead?"

"you……"

“Lord Jiang, the most urgent task is to withdraw the troops. There are only two hours during the day, and Dajue Temple cannot go too far. As long as we withdraw to a safe area, we will be fine. Brother Xiang’s words also make sense. Let Hongguan pass first, and we can take it back at night.”

"That's right, we'll have to cede Hongguan Pass for now."

"Qin also agreed to cede Hongguan Pass."

………………

Jiang Yuanlong was clearly furious at this moment, especially after being contradicted by Xiang Tiancheng, he was so angry that he was speechless.

But as the leaders of the other six towns spoke up, his emotions seemed to gradually calm down, and the sounds inside the tent also became quieter, so Lu Yang and the others outside could no longer hear the sounds inside.

"The ordinary people and lumbering experts of Hongguan Village have already left. Once the 180,000 earth-digging experts left, everything was fine. The cold-resistant experts should have left as well. Why did you gather us all here?"

"Jiang Yuanlong is in a fit of anger right now, who knows!"

“Hongguan is the entrance to the north bank of Hengjiang. If we just give it up like this, it will be difficult to take it back. Jiangxia is not willing to accept this, is it?”

………………

Hearing the discussions around him, Lu Yang turned to look at the main tent with a puzzled expression.

They've all withdrawn; why are they still gathering these frigid-class troops?
Unfortunately, he couldn't hear the conversation inside the main tent. No matter how puzzled Lu Yang was, he could only continue to wait quietly with the other two thousand people.

Half an hour later, the commanders of the seven towns finally came out of the main tent.

However, their expressions were not good, and their faces were unusually gloomy.

call…………

Jiang Yuanlong was the last to emerge. He lifted the curtain of the main tent, strode out, looked around at everyone, and said in a deep voice, "Hongguan is the gateway to the north bank. How can we so easily hand it over to Dajue Temple? All Yuhan-level soldiers, immediately go to the west gate of the camp to assemble and follow me into Hongguan to meet Dajue Temple in battle."

Whoosh...

As soon as Jiang Yuanlong finished speaking, all the Cold-Resistant level cultivators were stunned. Then they looked at him with incredulous eyes, clearly asking if he had gone mad.

The 180,000 Digging Realm troops, including the 2,000 Zhenyu Army from Jiangxia, have all withdrawn. They are left with only 3,000 Yuhan-level troops to fight against Dajue Temple.
However, what happened next left them even more confused.

"Those from Beishuo, follow me!"

"Yang Qu's Cold-Resistant level, come with me."

“People from the borderlands, follow behind me.”

…………

The seven commanders of the reinforcements, including Huang Tianxing, Duan Xing, and Qin Yuanhai, all signaled to their men to follow, and then led the way toward the west gate of the camp.

Are we really going to send those three thousand men to the front?

Despite their disbelief, the group dared not disobey their commander's orders and quickly followed.

Lu Yang, along with thirty-one Cold-Resistant level warriors from Dongling, followed behind Huang Tianxing and Gu Tianxiong, and soon arrived at the West Gate.

"Director Gu, are you saying we're sending our three thousand men to fight against Dajue Temple? It's like sending us to our deaths, isn't it?"

"Jiang Xia is sending us to our deaths for nothing, so why did Chief Huang agree?"

…………

As soon as the group from Beishuo arrived at the West Gate, more than a dozen people rushed out from the group, surrounded Huang and Gu, and questioned them in low voices.

More than 300 people came from Beishuo this time, from seven jurisdictions within the territory. Each jurisdiction has a few powerful people who have some say. There are three from the Jingxi jurisdiction, and Lu Yang is one of them.

Adhering to the principle of keeping a low profile, Lu Yang did not question them like the others, but he did move forward, which can be regarded as supporting them with his actions.

Faced with the questioning of the crowd, Huang Tianxing's expression tightened slightly.

Gu Tianxiong noticed the signs and, worried that Huang Tianxing might anger these people, stepped forward and whispered to the crowd, "The Qinghepu iron mine has low output and poor casting technology. Only a small number of them are equipped with thousand-forged armor for winter protection. The five thousand monks of Dajue Temple are not wearing armor. Jiang Jun's idea is for us, with more than three thousand men, to ambush them halfway and delay Dajue Temple's march. If we can hold Hongguan before nightfall tomorrow, that would be best. Even if we can't hold it, letting Dajue Temple occupy Hongguan later will increase our chances of success in the subsequent night counterattack."

Upon hearing this explanation, everyone finally understood.

Although they were at the Cold Resistance level, they were still just lowly soldiers with only a superficial understanding of military affairs. Although they had actively inquired over the past forty days, the key information they had obtained was extremely limited.

For example, Gu Tianxiong said that none of the five thousand monks in the Dajue Temple were wearing armor, which they did not know.

Five thousand monks from the Zen monastery, unarmored and only possessing the strength of the Three-Haired Monk, would have a high chance of victory against the three thousand Cold-Resistant Monks from the Eight Towns, let alone an ambush, even in a direct confrontation.

Hongguan Pass is known for its narrowness and ease of defense. Once it is completely occupied by Dajue Temple, it will be very difficult to take it back. It is understandable that Jiang Yuanlong is unwilling to give up and is taking the initiative to attack with them.

"May I ask, Dean Gu, how many Earth-Digging Realm cultivators does Dajue Temple have?"

Lu Yang didn't care whether he would be noticed or not, and asked directly.

Three thousand armored, cold-resistant level monks might indeed have a chance of winning against five thousand unarmored monks from a Zen monastery, but this doesn't even account for those at the Earth-Digging Realm.

With more people from the Digging Realm, the tide of battle could be turned completely.

Lu Yang's question made everyone realize what he meant, and they all looked up at Gu Tianxiong, waiting for him to answer.

"Shut up, all of you. You'll know what's going on once you're on the battlefield. What's the use of asking more questions now? If you don't want to stay here, then get back to Beishuo right now."

Unfortunately, before Gu Tianxiong could speak, Huang Tianxing, who was standing next to him, directly rebuked Lu Yang and the group of people around him who were at the Cold Protection level.

Everyone lowered their heads immediately after being angrily rebuked by Huang Tianxing.

The deputy head of the academy is responsible for supervising the seven major districts within the territory of Beishuo. The cold-resistant troops who came this time all came from various village-level camps in their respective districts. They were naturally inferior to Huang Tianxing and dared not talk back.

As for returning to Beishuo, I dare not do that at all.

Supporting Jiangxia is a garrison order, which means it is a direct order issued by the garrison commander and lord. The consequences of disobeying it are very serious.

Lu Yang, who was directly rebuked by Huang Tianxing, was the first to be reprimanded and lowered his head, revealing an extremely frightened expression.

"Humph!"

Seeing that everyone had given in, Huang Tianxing snorted coldly before walking towards Jiang Yuanlong.

Gu Tianxiong looked at the people with their heads down, his brows furrowing slightly. He quickly followed behind Huang Tianxing and whispered, "Sir, the town government didn't give us any benefits for our support of Jiangxia this time. It's understandable that these people are unhappy. With a major battle imminent, why bother getting angry with them?"

"A bunch of ignorant, cowardly barbarians. That's all they have in their minds. I'm already fed up with fighting Jiang Yuanlong all day long. I don't have the energy to deal with them. Humph!"

………………

"Brother Lu, get up. The town's style is becoming more and more domineering."

"What's with the arrogance? We didn't take anything from the town. We were just confused when we received the town's decree and traveled over 800 kilometers to get here. Now that we're about to go to the battlefield, we can't even get any information about the military situation. Humph!"

“I don’t think it’s just Jiangxia Town, but the people in the town don’t care about our lives either. I’m not going to die here in a muddle.”

"Say less!"

After being helped up by Chen Yiqing, Lu Yang heard what the people around him were saying. His eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't respond. He simply returned to the Dongling team.

"Don't even think about it. Jiang Yuanlong will lose no matter what he does. Pass on my words and tell the brothers that when they go into battle, all they need to do is stay alive!"

Wang Tao, Zhu Shun, and Lin Fan immediately nodded and relayed the message.

It took an hour just to gather 180,000 Earth-Digging Realm cultivators. Jiang Yuanlong led the seven town commanders to discuss and gather all the Cold-Preserving Realm cultivators at the West Gate, which took another half an hour. So, there was only an hour and a half left until dawn.

"Follow me!"

Jiang Yuanlong knew that time was of the essence. With all three thousand+ Cold-resistant level warriors in place, he didn't waste any more words and led everyone to quickly head towards Hongguan.

All three thousand people possessed the Cold Resistance level of cultivation, so their speed was naturally very fast. After passing through the Hongguan Pass and entering the north bank of Hengjiang, they sped westward for about ten kilometers before arriving at a small snow-covered forest area on the north bank.

Calling it a snow forest is a bit of an exaggeration. The area is extremely narrow, only about three kilometers from north to south, and there are only about two or three hundred trees that are not growing very well.

"Halt the march and stand by!"

Jiang Yuanlong waved his hand to stop the army, and looked at Xue Lin thoughtfully.

Suddenly, a figure rushed from the west and went straight to Jiang Yuanlong. He bowed and said, "Reporting to the commander, the 80,000 men of Dajue Temple have marched to eight kilometers east of the Long River. They are only two kilometers away from here. Their vanguard has just stopped and is waiting for the rearguard. It seems that spies have discovered us."

The more than 3,000 people were arranged by town, with the people from Jiangxia at the front, followed by the three northern towns, and then the remaining four towns at the back.

Lu Yang was positioned relatively close to the front, so he could hear the scout's voice.

Eighty Thousand Digging Realm!
Upon hearing the number of enemy troops, not only Lu Yang, but many others also narrowed their eyes slightly.

Dajue Temple not only won over all the people in the villages of Jinbilonghe, but also recruited some more people from Qinghepu, bringing the total to 80,000.

"Less than two kilometers away, gentlemen, follow me and lead the attack!"

After listening to the scout's words, Jiang Yuanlong pondered for a moment before raising his sword and giving orders to the people behind him.

He had clearly reached some kind of agreement with the Seven Towns Commander. At his command, no one raised any objections. Huang Tianxing and the other seven immediately followed suit, signaling their men to follow.

As usual, more than 800 people from Jiangxia took the lead, followed by more than 2,100 people from the remaining seven towns. More than 3,000 fully armed Yuhan-class vehicles crossed the snow forest and sped towards the west side of the north bank.

The north bank of the Hengjiang River becomes narrower and narrower as you go east, reaching only about four kilometers to Longhe Village. The area eight kilometers east of Longhe Village is also less than four kilometers.

It's impossible for 80,000 people to be completely spread out in an area of ​​less than four kilometers.

Knowing that there were enemy troops ahead, Dajue Temple wisely ordered its vanguard to stop and wait for the rear guard to arrive before proceeding.

Jiang Yuanlong's intentions were not hard to see. He clearly wanted to take the initiative to attack before the enemy's formation was fully deployed. It was impossible to defeat them in one fell swoop, but disrupting the normal marching rhythm of Dajue Temple and dampening their morale should not be a problem.

More than 3,000 people rushed into the snow forest and sped westward. The two-kilometer distance was covered in an instant, and soon they saw the enemy army, which was almost like a black cloud, about a kilometer to the west.

Although it was nighttime, the Ice Abyss was covered in snow all year round, so it wasn't very dark. Moreover, the temperature on the north bank of the Hengjiang River was extremely low, and transparent ice covered everything. Compared to other areas, the visibility here at night was even higher. Therefore, apart from the front row, there were hardly any torches in the marching column of Dajue Temple.

An army of 80,000 men would normally be quite impressive, but the group that had just come from the Hongguan camp wouldn't feel much of a sense of awe, since the camp had been amassed by a total of 180,000 troops during that time.

"Fire arrows!"

Without wasting any words, Jiang Yuanlong immediately ordered his men to fire arrows as soon as they entered the 200-meter range.

"Fire arrows!"

Swish swish swish…………

Of course, the same order to fire arrows also came from Dajue Temple.

Once the two sides unleashed their arrows, the difference in skill was immediately apparent.

There are only a little over three thousand cold-resistant level warriors in Jiangxia. Of those equipped with powerful bows, only the eight hundred or so people from Jiangxia Town behind Jiang Yuanlong are equipped with bows. Of the remaining two thousand or so people from the seven towns, very few are equipped with bows.

The number of people equipped with bows at Dajue Temple was at least forty to fifty thousand.

With a difference of more than fifty times, if the arrows fired by Jiangxia could be called a rain of arrows, then the arrows fired by Dajue Temple were a curtain of arrows.

The arrows fired by the more than 800 Cold-resistant soldiers were instantly overwhelmed.

Clang... clang... clang...

Submergence is not the end.

The arrows fired by Jiangxia not only pierced through the enemy's dense, rain-like barrage of arrows, but also flew accurately towards the enemy's front ranks. If it weren't for the timely intervention of the monks from Dajue Temple and the Yuhan-class warriors from Qinghepu, this wave of arrows would likely have killed many people.

On the other hand, although the arrows fired by Dajue Temple were dense enough and mostly hit the people on Jiangxia's side, apart from producing some sparks, none of the arrows could hurt anyone. In fact, apart from the occasional arrow or two that hit the eyes and made people move slightly, most people didn't even move their bodies and just stood there taking the rain of arrows.

The more than 800 men behind Jiang Yuanlong fired continuously without stopping.

"The eight hundred-plus people in Jiangxia are equipped with powerful bows with a draw weight of over one mane, and they wear thousand-forged iron armor; the casting technology of Dajue Temple is not good, so they wear hundred-forged iron armor, and the archers are basically all at the Digging Realm. No matter how many people there are, they cannot make up for the gap. There is no need to compare them in terms of archery."

Standing in the front row, Lu Yang raised his sword and cleaved away several iron arrows flying towards his face. He glanced at the quiver on the backs of the more than 800 people behind Jiang Yuanlong and found that it was almost empty. His gaze narrowed slightly.

"kill!"

Jiang Yuanlong was clearly also observing the quivers of his own archers. Seeing that most of them had emptied their quivers, he drew his longsword, let out a furious shout, and charged directly toward the Dajue Temple army formation.

"kill!"

More than 800 cold-resistant level warriors from Jiangxia followed closely behind, and then more than 2,100 cold-resistant level warriors from the seven towns, all charging toward the main army under the orders of their respective commanders.

Two hundred meters is a very close distance for a cold-weather-grade vehicle.

More than three thousand men, clad in armor forged with a thousand layers of steel and possessing strength at least at the level of the Cold Resistance Realm, charged westward at the same time. Even though this group was not a regular army but rather a hastily assembled force from the Eight Garrisons, the sheer force they created was extremely terrifying.

call…………

The air currents were stirred by the crowd, and a fierce wind suddenly arose in the snow forest on the north bank. Icicles on the trees fell to the ground with a rustling sound, and the ice on the ground could not withstand the potential energy generated by the three thousand cold-resistant level warriors rushing around, and they all cracked.

"Hold them off!"

The commander of the troops at Dajue Temple was still Abbot Yanxin.

He clearly hadn't expected Jiang Yuanlong to dare to lead three thousand Cold-resistant soldiers to charge ahead of time. Seeing that a large number of soldiers were still not up behind him, he knew that his side had not yet fully deployed its formation. His voice was filled with panic, and in his haste, he could only send five thousand monks from the Zen Temple and more than three hundred Cold-resistant soldiers from Qinghepu to take their place.

boom…………

Having held back for nearly forty days, the others may not know how they feel, but Jiang Yuanlong and the more than eight hundred Cold-resistant level warriors behind him clearly harbored too much anger.

After all, only Jiangxia Town had lost territory, and Hongguan was about to fall tonight as well. They were charging the fiercest and were the most eager to kill.

Jiang Yuanlong was the only one on Jiangxia's side who wasn't wearing armor, yet he was the first to charge into the enemy's front line. As he reached the front, his sword was suddenly drawn, and the front line flashed with silver light. The cold blade instantly forced back more than a dozen monks from the surrounding monastery.

boom…………

At the same time, the more than 800 armored Cold-resistant soldiers behind him also rushed into the crowd like thunderbolts, instantly creating a gap in front of the 5,000 monks of the Zen Temple. Then, with perfect coordination, they attacked outwards to both sides, constantly widening the gap to make room for the people from the Seven Towns behind them.

Jiang Yuanlong, at the forefront, sidestepped the crimson monk's staff that came down on his head. He originally intended to force Yan Xin back with his longsword, but he noticed out of the corner of his eye that a monk with hair was getting closer and closer to him on the flank. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly turned his body, flipping his sword and slashing to the left.

Pfft...

Seal the throat with one sword!
A thin line appeared on the throat of the monk, and after splattering blood mist, he fell down with a look of resentment in his eyes.

"You beast, how dare you kill my monks! Aaaaaah, prepare to die!"

Fighting himself while simultaneously killing others, Yan Xin was clearly enraged by Jiang Yuanlong. His face was devoid of its usual calm and serenity; it was flushed red, his pupils blazing, and he furiously attacked Jiang Yuanlong with his crimson staff.

huh... huh...

Jiang Yuanlong was clearly struggling to deal with the crazed leader, Yan Xin. Realizing that Yan Xin's basic strength was superior to his own, and knowing that the two would not be able to determine a winner in a short time, he glanced around and saw that his side was advancing triumphantly. He then shouted angrily to the crowd, "Brothers, the Great Awakening Demon Temple has killed my Jiangxia men and occupied my Jiangxia territory. Even if we die today, we will skin them alive! Kill them!"

"Kill!"

"Kill these treacherous bastards."

"You monk with hair, I'll turn you into a dead monk with hair!"

"Going into battle without armor is suicide!"

Jiang Yuanlong was clearly skilled at leading troops. His angry shout not only infected the more than 800 Jiangxia Yuhan-class soldiers in the rear, but also inspired several bloodthirsty soldiers in the Seven Towns, whose emotions surged instantly and they charged forward.

"The difference between having armor and not having armor is just too great!"

Amidst the crowd, Lu Yang swiftly dispatched two monks with long hair in front of him with a single sword strike. He then quickly surveyed the entire battlefield and, seeing the retreating Dajue Temple, couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The crowd was in high spirits, partly due to Jiang Yuanlong's words, but the core reason was the current momentum of Jiangxia's side.

With the protection of the Thousand Forged Armor, the three thousand Cold Resistance level warriors could move freely as if they were in an empty field. Even if they were hit occasionally, they would not suffer any fatal injuries. On the contrary, the Zen monks of Dajue Temple, who had no protective gear, could easily suffer fatal injuries if they were not careful, and might even lose their lives if they encountered a stronger opponent.

In less than half an hour, their three thousand men actually managed to break through the front row of Zen monks and storm into the rear row of the Digging Realm army.

Weapons used for cold protection are basically all of the thousand-times-forged grade.

Lu Yang even possessed a Cold Wing Sword forged with ten thousand forgings, but of course, he wouldn't dare bring such an eye-catching weapon here. At the moment, he was only using an ordinary longsword forged with ten thousand forgings.

The Hundred-Forged Armor can at most defend against the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm. Even against the most ordinary Cold-Resistant Realm, the opponent can smash the armor apart with just their fists.

Therefore, when the three thousand Cold-resistant level warriors charged into the Dajue Temple's Earth-digging realm army formation, it was almost a one-sided massacre.

Pfft...

Perhaps out of anger at the betrayal of Jinbilonghe Village, the more than 800 Cold-resistant level warriors from Jiangxia were the most ruthless. Although the people from the remaining seven towns also followed and charged in, most of them only protected the flanks to prevent the Cold-resistant level warriors from the Zen Temple and Qinghepu from surrounding them.

"The main force will flank them from both sides and surround them!"

Seeing the three thousand Cold-resistant level warriors advancing deeper and deeper into the fray, Yan Xin realized that their advantage was their numbers. If they could surround all three thousand people, they could eventually achieve a great victory, even if it meant sacrificing lives.

So while he was fighting Jiang Yuanlong, he was also giving orders to the battlefield.

"Lord Jiang, we can't hold on any longer!"

"These five chiefs are too powerful; if we continue fighting, we'll all perish here."

"almost."

"Take your profits and run, or it'll be too late!"

As soon as Yan Xin spoke, the remaining seven town commanders immediately realized what was going on. At that moment, the seven of them were engaged in fierce battles with the other four chief monks of Dajue Temple. From their voices, it was clear that all seven of them were under great pressure.

Especially Huang Tianxing, who spoke last. The other six were fighting two against one, but he was the only one facing the Black Flame Leader. He already had several cuts on his body and clearly did not want to continue fighting.

"withdraw!"

When the Seven Towns Commander spoke, it was as if he had lost his nerve. Although Jiang Yuanlong was extremely angry, he realized that Dajue Temple intended to encircle them and knew that they could not continue fighting. So he decisively ordered a retreat.

"Trying to leave? Dream on!"

How could Yan Xin possibly give them a chance? He roared angrily, and the monks of the Zen temple who had just been killed and retreated to the north and south sides, as well as the group of Yuhan-level warriors from Qinghepu, instantly surrounded them from the east side, trying to close the gap and completely cut off the retreat of the Jiangxia people.

"Fall back!"

Having already realized that the Jiangxia group was deeply hidden, Lu Yang led the Dongling group to the far east side. Seeing that the people from the north and south were closing in, he immediately signaled for everyone to run first, while he stayed behind to cover their retreat.

call…………

A large sword suddenly attacked from behind. Lu Yang raised his eyebrows and flipped his right hand behind his back to block it.

Clang...

"You've stopped?"

The moment the broadsword clashed with the longsword, Lu Yang realized that the person who had ambushed him had held back at the last moment. He was stunned for a moment. Just as he was about to turn his head to look, a crumpled piece of paper suddenly flew into his palm from behind.

Lu Yang gripped the crumpled paper and continued to retreat eastward without making a sound.

Yan Xin's encirclement ultimately ended in failure.

Although the reinforcements from the seven towns were scattered, the success of this surprise attack was precisely due to their disorganization.

Although the more than 800 people in Jiangxia Town fought fiercely, under Jiang Yuanlong's command, they had not completely lost their minds and always controlled the depth of the attack.

The reinforcements from the seven towns behind them had little will to fight to begin with. After Jiang Yuanlong charged in, they immediately set up an escape route, so they wouldn't give Dajue Temple a chance to surround them.

So, as soon as Jiang Yuanlong said to retreat, the people of the seven towns immediately cleared the way. The group of cold-resistant level warriors from Jiangxia Town encountered almost no resistance and turned back eastward along the same route.

"Aaaaaah, you traitor of Jiuzhen! Jiang Yuanlong, I will kill you!"

All that remained were the corpses of monks and soldiers from Dajue Temple, with an estimated total of over ten thousand seriously wounded.

Chief Yan Xin was clearly furious. When he turned around and saw that Jiang Yuanlong and the others had already fled, he was so angry that he almost jumped up and down.

Of course, some people died in Jiuzhen as well, but judging from the ground, it was probably less than two hundred people, which was insignificant compared to the number of people who died at Dajue Temple.

In this confrontation, Jiuzhen clearly emerged victorious.

After a long while, Yan Xin calmed down, looked down at the corpses on the ground, glanced around at the remaining soldiers, and ordered in a deep voice: "Quickly collect the corpses, reorganize the army and continue to advance on Hongguan. It will be dawn in half an hour. Let's take Hongguan first. I want to see if they dare to attack in broad daylight!"

"Yes!"

………………

"Let Dajue Temple take Hongguan if they want. Return to the Hongguan camp. We will not withdraw but keep an eye on things at the camp to prevent them from causing trouble at Hongguan!"

This great victory was obviously very inspiring. On the way back, Jiang Yuanlong and Jiang Xia and their group were very excited. After leaving Hongguan, Jiang Yuanlong immediately ordered everyone not to withdraw, but to stay in the Hongguan camp.

Hongguan is a port, and Hongguan Daying is a military camp, located about one kilometer east of the port and west of Hongguan Village. Although they are very close, they are not the same place.

Normally, it would be impossible to station troops so close to the enemy.

But those present were all at the Cold Protection level, so if anything happened, they could retreat in time. Moreover, the battle in the snow forest had already proven that although Dajue Temple seemed to have a large number of people, they were not afraid at all in a real fight. Unless they were completely surrounded by the enemy, Dajue Temple could not do anything to them.

Therefore, when Jiang Yuanlong spoke, almost no one objected.

"Hahaha, I've killed at least twenty gray-robed monks."

"I killed more than a dozen of them too. That felt great!"

"I killed fewer monks, but I still killed over a hundred Dig-ground Realm cultivators."

"I killed more than a hundred."

"Hahaha, they're just a bunch of rabble. As long as we fight at night, we have nothing to fear from them."

………………

Even after returning to the Hongguan camp, the Jiangxia people were still very excited and boasted about their achievements.

Jiang Yuanlong also had a smile on his face. He turned to look at the people from the Seven Towns and cupped his hands in a smile, saying, "Thanks to everyone who helped us guard the rear just now, otherwise if we had been surrounded by Dajue Temple, we would have been in grave danger."

Upon hearing this, Huang Tianxing and the six commanders' expressions stiffened slightly. Jiang Yuanlong's words were clearly a mockery of their lack of effort, implying that they had been focusing on their escape route. They could easily understand that.

Clearly, Jiang Yuanlong took advantage of the Seven Towns' reluctance to fight to the death and deliberately planned this surprise attack. Although the surprise attack was successful, they now realized they had been used and were naturally not happy about it.

Xiang Tiancheng was extremely displeased at this moment, and said with a forced smile, "Deputy Commander Jiang has excellent skills, I admire them, but Hongguan was still lost in the end!"

"Hmph! The enemy has already lost tens of thousands in this battle, and many monks from the Dajue Temple have also been killed or wounded. There are only 70,000 Digging Realm cultivators left. Why not let them have Hongguan Pass for the time being? Jiang Yuanhua, Xiahou Qin."

"My subordinate is here."

"My subordinate is here."

Jiang Yuanlong was disgusted by Xiang Tiancheng's behavior and snorted coldly at him. He then called out two subordinates from the crowd and ordered, "Go and inform Zhou Shiyan that he must lead his men back to the camp immediately after nightfall. Tonight, we must not only retake Hongguan, but also recover the villages of Jinbilonghe!"

"I obey my orders!"

The two subordinates agreed in unison, and then turned and rushed towards the east.

Jiang Yuanlong then turned to look at the people from the seven towns and continued, "It's almost dawn, and there are only two hours left during the day. The enemy is expected to arrive at Hongguan in another hour. Each of our eight towns will send fifty men to keep a close watch on the Hongguan position and guard against the Dajue Temple's attack during the day. Everyone, do you have any objections?"

The plan to launch a counterattack on Hongguan after nightfall had been finalized, and the people of the Seven Towns naturally had no objections and nodded in agreement.

Dongling was lucky; he wasn't chosen by Gu Tianxiong to keep watch, so as soon as the crowd dispersed, Lu Yang immediately led the thirty-one men back to the barracks.

"This resounding victory is truly inspiring!"

"We've been holding back for almost forty days. Those guys from Jiangxia are really fierce."

"The key is the difference in armor. Qinghepu is just a village-level camp, and Dajue Temple is not good at forging weapons. When they encounter armor of a thousand refinements, they have no chance at all."

"That's true, the Dajue Temple has a pitifully small number of thousand-forged battle armors."

"After nightfall, we will launch a counterattack. With 180,000 Digdi Realm soldiers, 2,000 Zhenyu Army soldiers, and our 3,000-plus men, Jiangxia should have no problem retaking Hongguan."

"It can't be taken back!"

Inside the barracks, as Lu Yang uttered his last words, the discussions among the people of Great Xia abruptly ceased.

Everyone looked up at Lu Yang, their faces full of confusion.

Lu Yang didn't say anything, but simply handed the note in his hand to Wang Tao next to him.

Wang Tao opened the note, saw the words on it, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

[Feigned Defeat - Xiang Liang]

The note contained only four words, or more accurately, only two.

The two characters "Xiang Liang" below are the signature of a person.

"Xiang Liang... was he a spy who infiltrated Hexia Village with Bai Shanqiu?"

Wang Tao handed the note to Zhu Shun and immediately remembered who Xiang Liang was.

Dongling and Xiacheng share intelligence, and Lu Yang likes to consult with Wang Tao and others when he encounters problems, so he knows about the two spies in Hexia Village.

Lu Yang nodded and said in a deep voice, "It's him, Xiang Liang. He joined the camp from the north of Wuyuan Mountain in the second year of the Great Xia Dynasty. He had seen me before, and he must have recognized me on the battlefield just now. He sent me the message in a hurry."

If the person is fine, then the information is basically fine too.

"Feigned defeat?"

After reading the words on the note, Wang Tao frowned, a look of disbelief on his face, and continued, "Dajue Temple suffered nearly 10,000 casualties in this battle. Even if they deliberately lost to Jiangxia, there was no need to use so many lives, was there?"

"You're treating Dajue Temple like a human being!"

Lu Yang turned to look at Wang Tao and gave him a soft reminder.

Wang Tao was taken aback when he heard this, but then he immediately understood.

correct!

Dajue Temple is a force controlled by monsters, and cannot be judged by common sense. In their eyes, human life is worthless.

"What Dajue Temple wants is a six-year-old boy to expand its territory, control more villages, and win over more people. Only then can it achieve this goal. Using these 10,000 men to lure Jiang Yuanlong to lead his troops to counterattack Hongguan, if they can really defeat the Nine Towns Allied Army in one fell swoop, it will be a sure-fire deal!"

As soon as Zhu Shun finished speaking, everyone in the room changed their expressions.

"If that's the case, then Jiuzhen is going to suffer a great loss this time."

After Lu Yang finished speaking in a low voice, he turned to look at everyone and said, "When we launch a counterattack on Hongguan after nightfall, do not get close to the monks of Dajue Temple. I suspect they have some other strange methods. Be careful not to fall into their trap."

"Understood, sir!"

After giving the warning, Lu Yang shook his head and said coldly, "This Dajue Temple is really audacious. I originally thought the war would drag on for a long time, but they actually used more than 10,000 people as bait. Jiang Yuanlong and his men are now blinded by victory and are already planning a night counterattack. If we lose tonight, not only Hongguan, but also a large area of ​​territory to the east of Hongguan will be in danger. Do you think the other seven towns will still be willing to send troops to support Jiangxia then?"

Almost without thinking, everyone shook their heads.

Of course not!
Lu Yang naturally shared the same answer.

His expression suddenly became agitated.

"The lord should have been keeping a close eye on the war here. If the Seven Towns ignore Jiangxia, wouldn't that be a good opportunity for our Great Xia to intervene on the north bank?"

He hesitated for a moment, then quickly shook his head repeatedly.

"No, no, the lord definitely knows more than I do. There's no point in me guessing. My most important task is to continue doing my job and find out more details about the Nine Towns."

Lu Yang shook off his thoughts, turned to look at the increasingly bright sky outside, and closed his eyes to rest with the others, waiting for the night to arrive.

There are only two hours in a day, and when nothing happens, it passes in the blink of an eye.

Darkness fell quickly, but there was still no sound coming from outside the barracks. No one was calling out, so Lu Yang was happy to have some peace and quiet and led everyone to continue to rest and recuperate, since there was still a battle to be fought that night.

About two hours after nightfall, noises began to rise outside the barracks. Lu Yang immediately jumped out of bed, opened the window, and looked outside.

"They're here. All 180,000 Earth Digging Realm cultivators have returned. They should be calling us to assemble soon. Let's get ready!"

Upon hearing the sound, everyone immediately stood up and put on their armor.

"People of the seven towns, assemble at the main tent immediately."

"People of the seven towns, assemble at the main tent immediately."

…………

The messenger's shouts rang out, and Lu Yang, along with the prepared men, left the barracks and headed towards the main tent.

The once empty military camp was now filled with people, clearly indicating that all 180,000 Digging Realm cultivators who had left before dawn had returned.

"They'll probably rest for a while, but not for long. Jiang Yuanlong not only wants to take back Hongguan tonight, but also wants to subdue Jinbilonghe. He'll launch a counterattack in no more than an hour!"

After considering his options for a while, Lu Yang quickly arrived at the main tent.

"Those two thousand, they must be the garrison troops from Jiangxia! Their strength is not bad."

Unlike the somewhat empty main tent yesterday, tonight there are already two thousand soldiers standing at the entrance of the main tent. Every soldier is equipped with a bow, all are wearing thousand-forged iron armor, and their cultivation level is at least at the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm. There are even quite a few Cold-Resistant Realm soldiers mixed in. Each of them has a solemn expression and stands in place without looking to the side. Just in terms of this murderous aura, even the Cold-Resistant Realm soldiers cannot compare.

"My Dongyang squad should be close to qualifying for military service. When I return to Dongling this time, I'll bring it up with Xiacheng."

Looking at the army, Lu Yang couldn't help but feel a hint of envy in his eyes.

The Great Xia now has eleven armies, and his Dongyang squad should be about the same size, but he has been busy with the affairs of Dongling for the past few years and has not had time to mention it to Xia Chuan. Now that he sees the Zhenyu Army of Jiangxia, he is naturally a little itchy.

"They're a proper army after all; they look much better to the eye!"

"Jiangxia Town has finally shown some real strength. It's worth the long trip we seven towns made to support them."

"At a strategic pass, it's normal to be willing to invest heavily."

………………

Hearing the discussions around him, Lu Yang's eyes flickered slightly as he looked towards the main tent.

The counterattack is about to begin!

(End of this chapter)