Chapter 477 - 430: Returning to Lingzhou

Chapter 477: Chapter 430: Returning to Lingzhou

Southern Lingzhou.

A city had been captured. A force of several thousand men slowly rode in, their army’s presence seeming to overwhelm the entire city.

The grim, jet-black armor glinted under the sun, sending a chill down the spine.

"We welcome you, Commander."

An old, white-haired man in official robes was kneeling on the ground.

Bai Yuan, at the very front, leaped from his horse and walked over to the old man. "Rise."

This old man was the County Magistrate of this city. When the city fell, he had decisively switched sides and surrendered it.

In truth, these county-level cities were the least aware of the wars fought by the higher powers, especially in the Northern Territory. They had virtually no ability to resist; either side could crush them with ease.

The common folk in the city had long grown accustomed to it.

Bai Yuan had taken the city practically without losing a single soldier.

Of course, even if the Celestial Profound Sect bandits in the city had resisted with all their might, the result would have been the same. Before this elite force, the strength of a single county was no better than clay chickens and pottery dogs.

The people on the streets watched the procession slowly enter the city.

But their eyes held no joy.

This was Lingzhou.

It was the old lair of the Celestial Profound Sect. As such, these people recognized only the Celestial Profound Sect, not the Court. Bai Yuan’s arrival, therefore, did not inspire any celebration.

At their side, Li Huan glanced at the cold, indifferent eyes of the passersby and secretly shook his head.

’No wonder His Majesty the Emperor was so insistent on purging the Jianghu before.’

He spent most of his time in Qingzhou, the territory of the Qingzhou Royal Mansion. There, all the common folk revered the Emperor’s grace; a scene like this was simply unimaginable.

’If this is allowed to continue, Xuan Yang will face endless trouble in the future.’

’What the Emperor wants are subjects who will submit, not a crowd of traitors who barely recognize the Court and could rebel with a sect at any moment.’

Bai Yuan and Li Huan rode to the front of the County Magistrate’s Office.

The rest of the troops made camp within the city. Naturally, the two of them didn’t need to worry about such minor details; the squad, century, and thousand-household commanders would handle it.

During this time, friction was inevitable.

Bai Yuan had never been a soft-hearted person. He had already issued an order: anyone who obstructed them was to be killed without mercy.

They wouldn’t be staying here for long, so the best course of action was, of course, to suppress any resistance with overwhelming force.

The two walked into the main hall of the County Magistrate’s Office.

Only then did Li Huan finally speak. "This Lingzhou is truly a den of corruption. No wonder the entire province fell overnight the moment the Celestial Profound Sect rebelled."

Bai Yuan smiled faintly.

He had traveled to many places in recent years.

’In comparison, the situation in Lingzhou is actually quite good.’

’If we were in a place like Jiangzhou, the rallying power of a major sect like the Dragon Tiger Sect would be even more terrifying.’

"Relay my orders. We rest for one day, then depart tomorrow."

"Understood."

Li Huan nodded, then called over a Commanding Officer and relayed Bai Yuan’s orders.

After leaving Ling Province, they had cut straight through to Lingzhou, taking only five short days. They had truly traveled a thousand li a day. Fortunately, all several thousand men were equipped with Demon Horses and were also Martial Artists, so they had suffered no attrition.

In warfare, not many soldiers were actually killed by blades. Many more died of starvation, exhaustion on the march, or were trampled to death during a retreat... and so on and so forth.

Li Huan looked at Bai Yuan with some concern. "Ah Yuan, we aren’t carrying much food this time. We have to win this quickly. I’ve already contacted Lord Tang in Chenzhou. He can supply some provisions, but it won’t be enough to support us for long."

Bai Yuan said, "I know."

The books of war say: an army’s troops and horses do not move before its grain and fodder.

This principle held true even for an elite army composed of Martial Artists.

If Martial Artists didn’t eat, they would starve to death just like anyone else. And even if they didn’t starve, their combat effectiveness would be drastically reduced.

But if they were to transport grain from Ling Province to Lingzhou, not only were there bandit armies rising up in the provinces along the route, making it extremely easy for the supplies to be plundered, but the journey that should have taken five days would likely take at least a month and a half.

By the time Bai Yuan arrived, the war between the Celestial Profound Sect and the Northern Garrison Army might already be over.

That was why Bai Yuan ultimately decided to bring only ten days’ worth of food.

Only then could they appear in Lingzhou in just five short days.

Even these ten days’ worth of food were only possible because of his ability as a Spirit Chef to compress the food into medicinal pills. Otherwise, ten days’ worth of provisions would have been piled as high as a person.

Of course, Bai Yuan had already planned for this.

Unlike the previous war between Xuan Yang and the Demon Sect, this was Lingzhou, a land the Celestial Profound Sect had managed for a thousand years. It was rich in resources. Therefore, the solution was to sustain the war with war itself.

...

Elsewhere.

A squad of several dozen men was moving through the city.

They visited nearly every wealthy household in the city. Their objective was simple: take anything edible.

Naturally, blood was shed.

But what war is ever bloodless?

Two hours later, the number of wealthy people in the city had been reduced by nearly half.

But the results were extremely good.

Meat and rice, piled up like small mountains, filled the rear courtyard of the County Magistrate’s Office.

Bai Yuan looked at the provisions and nodded in satisfaction.

With a wave of his hand, several thousand soldiers lined up with great discipline to receive their rations. No one took too much, because this food was only for today and tomorrow. As for the day after tomorrow... they would only know then.

The advantage of not carrying provisions was obvious: their marching speed was terrifyingly fast.

But the disadvantage was also clear: they couldn’t fight a prolonged standoff. However, Bai Yuan had no intention of fighting a battle to the death with the Celestial Profound Sect anyway.

He only needed to harass the Celestial Profound Sect’s heartland while they were busy fighting the Northern Garrison Army, doing things like plundering their supply lines. That would be enough.