Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 505 The Hundred Venerable Ones Manifest the Sun, The Battle Situation in Zhongyang

Just as Jinshan Town knew the strategic importance of the pass and built a city there to protect the town and defend against foreign enemies;

Wuchuan was the same. Donggu Camp was connected to Jinshan Xiyuan Camp in the east and Muyin Fushan Camp in the south. It was like a nail embedded between the two towns and was also the only way for the southern towns to go north. Such an important location naturally meant that a city had been established there long ago.

Although Donggu City is not as large as Zhencheng, it still stretches for five kilometers in length and width, and a moat, 20 meters wide, was dug outside the main city gate on the southwest side.

In such an extremely cold climate as the Ice Abyss, it is naturally difficult for living water to exist. However, humans are intelligent beings and have ways to resist the climate.

"In peacetime, this ditch is neglected, and the ice that forms on it is just enough for people to walk into the city; but in wartime, we send people to burn coal and rocks in the iron troughs left below the ditch to melt the ice..."

Above the main gate of Donggu City, more than twenty people were suspended in mid-air. The leader was an old man dressed in a blue brocade robe. Behind him, the one who was explaining things to him with humility was none other than Qin Feng, the lord of Wuchuan.

Although Qin Feng kept talking, he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes when he thought about the old man's identity and the news the old man had just brought.

The old man before them was Cai Yunhe, a third-generation descendant of Caiqiu Fangbo, and also the third most important figure among the group of Xianyang-level officials from Caiqiu who came to the aid of the southern foothills.

"Young Master Cai Qiuhu has personally led a hundred Venerable Yang-level warriors and has already entered Jinshan City. I have been ordered by Young Master Cai Qiuhu to lead ten men to come and provide assistance to Wuchuan!"

This is what Cai Yunhe said personally when he led the crowd out of the hall to greet him.

The Great Xia's plan to unify the southern foothills was doomed to fail!
At that moment, this sentence immediately popped into Qin Feng's mind.

A hundred Venerable Yang-level beings are more than enough to turn the tide of the current crisis.

The key point is that this is only Cai Qiu's family; the people from Chencang haven't arrived yet.

After Qin Feng finished explaining all the city defenses of Donggu City, seeing that Cai Yunhe had no reaction, he couldn't help but feel puzzled and asked respectfully:

"Lord Cai, since the young governor has already personally arrived at the southern foothills, why not directly step forward to intimidate them? The strength of the Great Xia is only enough for them to run rampant in the southern foothills. In front of your esteemed vassal, they are like fireflies compared to the bright moon. If the young governor could personally come to Xia City to intimidate them, Xia Hong would surely hesitate to act rashly..."

"Hmph! Easier said than done. Great Xia has at least 15 Beast King-level puppets, and not a single one has appeared since the start of the war. They are most likely guarding Xia City. What kind of noble person is Xiao Fangbo? Is it worth it for him to risk his life for such a trivial matter in your Southern Foothills?"

"It was my mistake, Qin. Please forgive me, sir!"

Qin Feng was interrupted, his expression stiffened slightly, and although he apologized, he became increasingly confused.

Although his understanding of Caiqiu Prefecture was not deep, he had heard of the name of Junior Governor Cai Qiuhu.

Cai Qiufangbo had four sons: the eldest son was Cai Qiuyang, the prefect of Linchu; the second son was Cai Qiuning, the prefect of Qingcang; the third son was Cai Qiuhong, the prefect of Baishui; and the youngest son was Cai Qiuhu.

"Xiao Fangbo" is not an honorific title, but a real position of regional governor. As the name suggests, this position indicates that Cai Qiuhu is the next Fangbo who will succeed Cai Qianshan.

As a junior Fangbo, Cai Qiuhu's strength is beyond question. Qin Feng had heard that although Cai Qiuhu was the youngest son of the Fangbo, his talent far surpassed that of his three older brothers. He broke through to the Tribulation Realm in his sixties and is now only in his early eighties. Among the Tribulation Realm cultivators in Mo Aochuan, he is definitely considered young.

Not only that, Cai Qiuhu was also highly valued by the governor, living in Caiqiu City for many years and even having the authority to mobilize the Silver Scale Army under the governor's command at will.

Regardless of Cai Qiuhu's background, his cultivation level of Tribulation Realm alone means that no one in the Southern Mountain region can threaten him.

Four years ago, during the Battle of Hongmen, the Great Xia released 12 Beast King-level puppets. Two days ago, during Yang Jian and Chu Xuankong's abduction of Xia Yusheng, they released another 3 Beast King-level Tengjiao. Therefore, the data they currently have is 15.

According to the Ice Abyss Law, at the same level, the strength of Frost Beasts is generally far superior to that of humans.

Fifteen beast kings—that's terrifying!
Of the three northern towns, Jinshan is probably the most fortified. However, if 15 beast king-level puppets join forces to attack the city with the Xia army, even Jinshan probably won't last long.

Two days have passed since the Great Xia decided to start the war, and they haven't used those Beast King-level puppets yet. This puts Qin Feng at ease, and he can't help but believe Yang Jian's words even more.

Those beast king-level puppets must have usage restrictions, otherwise the Great Xia wouldn't have waited until now to use them.

Of course, those beast king-level puppets are not invincible!

For example, in front of a powerhouse at the Body Tribulation Realm.

Cai Qiuhu is a powerful expert at the Tribulation Realm. Even if he can't defeat 15 Beast King-level puppets working together, his personal visit to Xia City to intimidate them is not considered risking his life, is it?

Not to mention that he brought so many Xianyang-level beings with him, even if the Great Xia had really gone mad, or was hiding some powerful methods, and dared to attack him, he could simply run away.

To describe a trip to Xia City as "risking one's life" is clearly an exaggeration.

"The real reason is that they don't want to stop this war!"

The two major warlords helped them resist the Great Xia because they also had designs on the southern border region. However, the problem was that they couldn't send a large army south at the moment. So, instead of intimidating the Great Xia and ending the war, they decided to use the people from the four northern garrisons to weaken the Great Xia's strength first.

After pondering for a moment, Qin Feng quickly understood why Cai Qiuhu was unwilling to go to Xia City to intimidate the Great Xia, and his mood immediately became much more depressed.

Despite his low spirits, he dared not show it on his face.

The situation is beyond their control. In any case, they can only rely on the assistance of the two major warlords to resist the Xia army. So no matter what the other side says, they can only do as they are told and have no right to offer any opinions.

"I went to Fushan before I came. In terms of armor, cultivation, and even military discipline and formation, your 50,000 troops are no match for the Xia army. You have no chance of winning if you take the initiative to attack, but it is not difficult to resist them by taking advantage of the city's defenses. With our help, if the Great Xia dares to attack the city rashly, they will definitely suffer a great loss, so..."

Since the warlords were unwilling to see the war end, they would not help them launch a proactive attack. Having figured out Cai Qiu's scheme, Qin Feng was not surprised at all when he heard Cai Yunhe's words. However, his originally excited mood immediately became much more depressed.

Of course, he wouldn't show it on his face. After Cai Yunhe finished speaking, he still cupped his hands and said gratefully, "Lord Cai is right. I have learned a lot, but..."

He paused, then continued hesitantly, "Yangqu is already besieged by Yuan Cheng's army. Without reinforcements, it will likely fall. Longgu has already changed hands. If Yangqu falls, everything south of Donggu will become Great Xia territory. At that time, the Xia army will have no obstacles to advance north, and we..."

"Don't worry! The Xia army couldn't break through Yangqu. Xiao Fangbo brought a total of 50 Xianyang-level soldiers out of Jinshan Town. Eleven of us came to Donggu, and the remaining 39 went to Yangqu with Xiao Fangbo."

Yangqu is saved!
With 39 Manifestation Yang level warriors, plus Cai Qiuhu, a Tribulation Body Realm expert, the Xia army was powerless against the fortification of Yangqu Town.

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng felt instantly at ease.

Regardless of Cai Qiu's sinister intentions, he ultimately did not want to see the Great Xia unify the southern foothills, and was willing to send people to help Cao Qianyang defend Yangqu Town.

It doesn't matter if they're unwilling to put in the effort; at worst, we'll just be locked in a strategic stalemate and wait for the Xia army to overestimate themselves and launch an attack.

Previously, Qin Feng had been worried about the 40,000 troops from Fushan Camp attacking Donggu Camp. Now, instead of being worried, he was actually looking forward to the Xia army attacking the city. Only when the Xia army attacked the city could Cai Yunhe and his 11 men be of any use. If they could defeat the 40,000 troops from Fushan in one fell swoop, they could severely dampen the morale of the Great Xia.

"You're probably afraid we won't put in the effort, right?"

Just as Qin Feng was pondering, Cai Yunhe seemed to see through his thoughts and made a light, teasing remark. Seeing Qin Feng's stiff expression and inability to speak, he showed a hint of disdain and continued, "Since Uncle Fang has already sent us here, our primary objective should be to defeat the Xia army. Don't worry! Uncle Fang went to Yangqu not just to help defend the city, but he is also extensively collecting information on the Great Xia's Xianyang-level forces to prepare for the future."

To collect information on the Manifestation of Yang in the Great Xia Dynasty?

Qin Feng was taken aback upon hearing this, his face full of confusion.

Cai Yunhe shook his head. He originally didn't want to explain, but a desire to show off welled up in his heart, and he still said arrogantly, "The reason why Longgu Town is lost is simply because you don't know the movements of the Manifestation Yang level in Great Xia. Little Fangbo has a capable person by his side who can collect information on all the Manifestation Yang level in Great Xia. Once the collection is finished, the movements of all the Manifestation Yang level in Great Xia will be under our control. At that time, are you still afraid of not having the opportunity to take the initiative?"

Qin Feng's expression suddenly brightened, and his face instantly became excited.

Monitoring the movements of all those at the Xianyang level—this sounds like a trick.

Cai Qiufan had no doubt that he had such a capable person.

If this can be achieved, the upcoming battles will be extremely advantageous for the four northern towns. It should be noted that the spies on the battlefield are all at the Xianyang level. If their movements can be accurately tracked, they can be targeted for elimination and interception. Not to mention, based on the movements of all Xianyang-level spies in the Great Xia Dynasty, their main attack direction can be known in advance.

"As expected of a regional military governor, they can pull off such tactics. Fortunately, this time they are facing the Great Xia..."

Qin Feng's excitement quickly turned into apprehension and vigilance, and his slightly clenched fist loosened.

………………

December 28th, 136th year of the Moo calendar, late at night

Beishuo Town, west of Dongchuan, Zhongyang Camp

Unlike Donggu and Aikou, Zhongyang Camp did not hold a high position in Beishuo Town, and its terrain was not particularly precipitous. Therefore, no city was built there, but only barracks were set up specifically for the garrison.

"Hurry up, everyone! The Xia army is about to attack. Dig the trenches deeper. The barracks are only so big. It's been almost two days and you still haven't finished. Haven't you eaten?"

"Hurry up, hurry up! Soldiers, get down there and dig!"

………………

Above the eastern side of the Zhongyang camp, Yang Qin, dressed in white and carrying a long spear, kept urging the soldiers below to speed up. Although his tone was stern, when he looked down at the trenches that were almost complete, his pupils clearly showed more joy than anything else.

"The terrain of Zhongyang Camp is not particularly steep, but it has the advantage of being on high ground. It is surrounded by stone walls that are tens of meters high on three sides. Apart from the gentle slope at the main gate on the east side, there is only a small mountain path in the southwest that can be used to get up. Now that the trench at the main gate has been completed, although it is only ten meters wide, it is enough to slow down the charge of the Yuhan-class troops. It is unlikely that Mulonghe's ten thousand Xia troops can charge up from the front."

Yang Qin pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the large black tents three hundred meters to the east, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.

"The terrain near the cliff is even worse than that of Zhongyang, and it is too far from the town's central hub. Rather than splitting our forces to defend two places, it would be better to concentrate them together. Although the Great Xia only sent 10,000 troops, there are three elite units among them: Mu Qinghe, the commander of the Yellow Armor Army, Xiao Kangcheng, the commander of the Xiaoshan Army, and Mu Longhe. That makes a total of three Xianyang-level troops!"

The large-scale mobilization of Xia Jun could not be kept secret from Xianyang. When Mu Longhe led 10,000 troops westward, the Zhongyang camp received the news immediately.

Before receiving the news, Yang Qin had already ordered his soldiers to start building trenches, taking into account the terrain of the Zhongyang camp. However, he originally thought that after the Xia army occupied Dongchuan, they would move south to continue attacking Baimu and Kuling, so he did not urge his soldiers to speed up the work, thinking that the defense was not too heavy.

His estimate was not wrong. The Xia army in Dongchuan did indeed go south to attack Baimu. However, he did not expect that Xiachuan would send 10,000 troops to Mulonghe to attack Zhongyang in the west.

The fact that the Great Xia launched a four-pronged attack was already outrageous enough, but the Left Route Army alone dared to detach 10,000 troops to open another battlefront.

Upon hearing this news, Yang Qin's reaction was similar to that of her father, Yang Zun, and her second and third uncles; they all felt that the Great Xia Dynasty was far too arrogant.

But after calming down, Yang Qin still dared not be careless.

Xia Jun's strength is indeed terrifying.

He had just led his cousin Yang Ping to observe the 10,000 Xia soldiers up close. Of course, the focus was on the three numbered armies. The ordinary soldiers were all at least 6 in strength, the captains in the army were basically at least 10 in strength, and the captains leading the battalions were all at least 20 in strength.

Cultivation level is secondary; the key is the armor these soldiers are equipped with. Although it is also of the thousand-forged grade, it is different from ordinary thousand-forged iron armor. The armor of the Xia army is obviously mixed with other materials. You don't even need to test it to know that its defensive power is definitely superior to ordinary thousand-forged armor.

"The casting technology of the Great Xia is already superior to that of our northern garrisons, so the armor and weapons used by their soldiers are definitely better than ours..."

In terms of cultivation, armor, and weaponry, they were inferior to the enemy. Fortunately, they were on the defensive. If it were a direct confrontation, Yang Qin estimated that his 10,000 men would definitely not be able to withstand the Xia army's offensive.

"Brother, the people from Dongling have come up from the southwest mountain road. There are 1000 of them, led by Lu Yang's eldest disciple, Lu Yun. They have brought us a total of 200 million catties of animal meat."

Yang Qin sensed his younger brother Yang Ping approaching. Upon hearing his words, his eyes lit up, and he turned to ask, "Two million catties of animal meat? Is Lu Yang really that generous?"

Two million catties of beast meat is not a small amount, even for Beishuo Town. Although Dongling is quite strong, it is still just a village-level camp. As far as he knows, the population is only about 190,000. It is definitely not easy for them to produce two million catties of beast meat in one go.

Yang Ping smiled and nodded, saying, "Lu Yang must have been moved by what Uncle San said. As long as he can stop this wave of Xia troops, the entire Jingxi will belong to him. How could he not be interested?"

Yang Fa went straight to the Zhongyang camp after leaving Dongling and told the two of them that Lu Yang was going to transfer supplies over, so Yang Qin was also aware of it.

Thinking of Lu Yang's wishful thinking, he first sneered, then remembered something and asked, "Are all 1000 people he brought at the Cold Resistance level?"

Yang Ping immediately shook her head and said, "No, there are only 300 Cold Resistance level soldiers, and their strength is quite average. The main force of Dongling should have been taken to Jingxi Camp by Lu Yang."

The team escorting the supplies has 300 people in winter gear, which is already quite remarkable.

Yang Qin didn't say anything upon hearing this, but nodded and said, "Let's settle them down for now, since there are so few people. Keep an eye on the southwestern mountain path and don't allow any unauthorized people to get close, in case the Xia army launches a sneak attack."

"Yes!"

Yang Ping immediately bowed and nodded, then quickly flew down to make the arrangements.

Yang Qin remained suspended in mid-air, staring intently at the Xia army camp on the east side.

(End of this chapter)