Chapter 516 - 449: Stratagem, Part 2

Chapter 516: Chapter 449: Stratagem, Part 2

Gao Xiong spoke up. "The Sovereign of Zhaowu Country has been making frequent trips. It seems he’s rallying allies for war."

The importance of intelligence in warfare is self-evident.

The Zhenxi Army has defended against the nations of Ximo for a thousand years. They planted spies in every country long ago, many of whom have achieved high-ranking positions.

The Zhenxi Army spent a fortune in silver to cast this inescapable net.

"Good."

Xu Dingchun nodded and looked at Bai Yuan. "War is coming. You should take the convoy and leave Lonely Wolf City tomorrow."

But Bai Yuan shook his head.

"No, Master. The convoy will leave, but I’m staying."

The master and his charge’s gazes met mid-air. Xu Dingchun smiled faintly. "Suit yourself. You’re just like your master—stubborn as an ox."

He recalled.

Back when he was in the Northern Garrison Army, he was the Grand General of the North, and Dong Wanjun was just an ordinary Captain.

He had wanted to cultivate Dong Wanjun’s talent and didn’t want to see him die at the Great Wall, so he recommended him for a position in the capital. But Dong Wanjun refused.

Afterward, Dong Wanjun was targeted by a Demon Sect expert and hunted deep into the Northern Plains.

Then came Dong Wanjun’s unstoppable rise to become the Grand General of the North.

’Perhaps this is the fate of our line?’

Thinking of his own experiences, Xu Dingchun smiled and shook his head.

Bai Yuan had his reasons for staying, of course.

For one, he now controlled the entire Northern Territory, which, unlike before, now bordered Ximo. A conflict was inevitable, so he might as well use this chance to witness their tactics and prepare for the future.

On the other hand...

The best place to grind for experience was, of course, the battlefield.

...

The convoy departed in a grand procession.

Bai Yuan did not go with them as an escort.

The Official Road had been completely cleared and was now guarded by soldiers. Nothing was likely to go wrong.

「Inside the main camp.」

Xu Dingchun and Gao Xiong were seated on large chairs.

Several generals were arguing.

"If Ximo attacks, we defend. We just need to stay within the city walls to easily fend them off."

One general stated his plan.

In ancient warfare, there were no weapons like missiles. The attacking side often had to expend several times the manpower and resources to even have a chance of taking a city. Lonely Wolf City was currently flush with supplies; holding out for a year against Ximo wouldn’t be an issue.

Another general voiced a different opinion:

"Ximo is crawling with desert bandits. What happens if they cut off the supply route Lord Bai worked so hard to build? What will we do a year from now?"

Before the army moves, provisions go first.

Warfare wasn’t as complicated as people imagined. As long as you could enforce strict discipline and keep your soldiers fed, you already had an elite army.

But if the supplies were cut while we were under siege...

The risk was too great!

The generals began to argue again. One faction advocated for defending the city, while the other believed they should meet the enemy in the desert thirty li away.

Xu Dingchun and Gao Xiong just listened quietly.

These generals weren’t renowned for their martial might; several weren’t even true martial practitioners, but that didn’t stop them from becoming generals.

In war, strategy was just as critical as personal valor.

Just then, Gao Xiong suddenly looked at Bai Yuan, who was sitting to the side. "Lord Bai, what are your thoughts?"

Hearing this, everyone in the great tent turned their gazes to Bai Yuan.

Though Bai Yuan was renowned for his combat prowess, his recent encounters with the Celestial Profound Sect in the Northern Territory had shown his track record to be quite impressive.

Even if the Celestial Profound Sect had intentionally held back, one couldn’t overlook Bai Yuan’s tactical victories.

Bai Yuan considered for a moment.

Xu Dingchun said slowly, "Go on, speak your mind."

"I believe we should march out and fight."

"See? I knew it."

One of the generals who had argued against a defensive strategy burst out laughing, seeing Bai Yuan as a kindred spirit.

But Bai Yuan didn’t even spare him a glance. "I’m saying we should be the ones to attack."

The moment he spoke, the entire tent went silent.

’Take the initiative and attack?’

Hearing this, even the most hawkish generals were dumbfounded.

Xu Dingchun, however, grew intrigued. "Continue."

Bai Yuan paused. "Ximo has been invading Xuan Yang for years. A purely defensive stance isn’t a long-term solution. The best way is to make them feel pain. When I was young, back in my town, if you didn’t want ruffians eyeing your property, the best method was to charge into their house and give them a good thrashing."

"..."

Lu Wu, standing to the side, looked utterly exasperated.

’There’s a huge difference between a war between nations and a brawl between country bumpkins, isn’t there?’

It wasn’t just Lu Wu who thought this; the other Zhenxi Army generals did too.

But among them, one man’s eyes suddenly lit up with a frightening intensity.

"What Lord Bai says is reasonable."

Everyone turned their heads to look at the middle-aged man with a scholarly air about him.

With both Xu Dingchun and Gao Xiong yet to declare their stance, this middle-aged man was the first to stand up and support Bai Yuan’s strategy. It wasn’t a very shrewd move to stick his neck out like that.

But the generals’ expressions were not of disdain, but of shock.

Because that middle-aged man was none other than the Zhenxi Army’s foremost strategist.

Even Grand General Gao himself treated this man with great respect.

Gao Xiong looked at his right-hand man in surprise. "An Cheng, you also think we should attack first?"

The man named Liu Ancheng nodded. "Yes."

"Even if the Court doesn’t support it, this battle must be fought!"

He said this with the finality of hammered steel.

But the generals present all fell silent.

Attacking first.

The two words sounded incredibly aggressive, but putting them into practice would be fraught with immense difficulty.

In the past, when Xuan Yang was powerful, the Zhenxi Army was strong and well-equipped.

They had always held the initiative, frequently dispatching troops to intimidate the nations of Ximo. But the situation was different now; the Zhenxi Army was already strained just by maintaining its defense.

"Too risky!"

This was the consensus of almost all the generals.

Grand General Zhenxi also frowned. He thought the same.

Waging war is not child’s play.

A single military action could squander all their advantages. They had to be extremely cautious.

Moreover, the situation in Ximo was too chaotic.

Countless small kingdoms were scattered throughout the endless yellow sands. Even though the Zhenxi Army had defended this border for a thousand years, they still didn’t have a complete picture.

Pushing deep into enemy territory with an isolated force was a cardinal sin of warfare.

After a full quarter of an hour of silence, Gao Xiong finally turned his gaze to Xu Dingchun.

In this entire tent.

Only Xu Dingchun had the final say.

Xu Dingchun’s eyes were downcast, seemingly lost in thought. A moment later, he slowly raised his head.

As they watched Xu Dingchun, the hearts of all the generals rose to their throats.

Xu Dingchun slowly uttered a single word: "Fight!"

...

「Amidst the endless yellow sands of the Great Desert.」

A ghost-like army traversed the yellow sand.

"Those Profound People actually abandoned their city to face us in the Great Desert. They’re courting death!"

A man with a hooked nose and green pupils chuckled sinisterly.

"Be careful. Those Profound People aren’t so easy to deal with. Xu Dingchun and Gao Xiong are not minor characters."

another brawny, bare-chested man replied.

These two were the Commanders chosen by the Ximo Alliance Army.

Both were Mingxin Grandmasters.

In addition to these two, the alliance army boasted a full three more Mingxin Grandmasters leading thirty thousand troops. It was an undeniably magnificent lineup.

The hook-nosed man was named Wumu.

The bare-chested strongman was named Kongshan. Both were notoriously fierce generals in Ximo.

When Wumu heard the names Xu Dingchun and Gao Xiong, he grew vigilant.

He had long since witnessed the strength of these two.

Needless to say, there was Grand General Zhenxi, Gao Xiong. He alone led an army that pinned the nations of Ximo in the Great Desert, preventing them from advancing a single step eastward. Even though they were enemies, Wumu admired the old general from the bottom of his heart.

As for Xu Dingchun, he was even more formidable.

The best proof was that he alone had suppressed the Great National Master of Chehe Country—a man revered as a god in Ximo—to the point that he didn’t dare to act.

Once one reached the Divinity Realm, they were essentially a final, decisive weapon.

Unless it was the final moment before a nation’s destruction, it was almost impossible to see a fight to the death between Divinity Grandmasters.

Wumu said dismissively, "But this time, ten nations have sent out their armies together. Even if we can’t wipe out the Zhenxi Army, we’ll definitely plunder our fill of spoils."

Thinking of those delicate, smooth-skinned women of Xuan Yang.

Wumu couldn’t help but lick his lips.