Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 503 Leaving the City and a Shocking Turn of Events: A Bloodless Victory

December 28th, 136th year of the Moo calendar, midnight
Longgu Town, above the North Gate

Long Mingyuan, Li Yangtian, and Long Wenhai stood in mid-air, while below them, 15,000 troops were orderly walking out of the small gate in the north of the city.

The main gate of Longgu Town is on the east side, while the other three directions are smaller gates. Since Long Mingyuan has decided to send troops north to provide reinforcements, the army will naturally have to leave through the north gate.

"Yang Tian, ​​you will be in charge of this northward relief effort, with Wen Hai as your assistant. I will personally lead the Iron Rapier Army to garrison the main city. If there is any battle situation, please report it promptly."

Upon hearing this, Li Yangtian frowned slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he cupped his hands and said, "Lord, one person is enough to go north to provide reinforcements. Zhencheng is so important, why not leave Wenhai in the city as an assistant?"

His suggestion was not unfounded.

Although looking back now, it's clear that the Great Xia's formation of the alliance two years ago was a trap set for the Five Northern Towns, it must be said that in the two years since the alliance was established, with the integration and exchange of the nine towns' territories, not only has the Great Xia developed rapidly, but the strength of the Five Northern Towns has also made significant progress.

For example, the number of people in the five towns who are at least at the "Winter Protection Level" has increased by at least three or four times compared to two years ago. In Beishuo Town alone, there are 70,000 people at the "Winter Protection Level".

The level of cold protection is secondary; the key is that there are quite a few people who have even broken through to the level of Manifestation of Sun.

Take Yangqu as an example. Originally, the entire town of Yangqu only had two Xianyang-level beings: Lord Cao Qianyang and Military Leader Yan Chenzhou. Last September, Yan Chenzhou's eldest disciple, Wu Tianfa, broke through to the next level. This May, Cao Qianyang's son, Town Leader Cao Yuankang, also broke through to the next level. Suddenly, Yangqu had four Xianyang-level beings.

Dragon Valley is naturally not to be outdone. Last year, Long Mingyuan's son, Town Chief Long Wenhai, also broke through, and Dragon Valley has recovered to the situation it was four years ago, now possessing three Manifestation Yang level cultivators.

Three Venerable Yang-level beings are quite powerful, but that depends on who they are compared to.

With the outbreak of war, news of Beishuo's collusion with the two major warlords in an attempt to kidnap Xia Hong's son had already spread throughout the southern foothills.

Of course, Long Mingyuan already knew about this without anyone else needing to spread the word.

The problem is, he didn't know that there were so many Manifestation-level beings in the Great Xia Dynasty.

There are a total of 28!
Details of the raid on Xia City had already spread. Yang Jian and 23 Xianyang-level warriors, including the vassal lords, went there, and 17 of them were killed on the spot. The Xia side dispatched a total of 28 Xianyang-level warriors, as well as the 12 Beast King puppets.

What does 28 manifest positive levels mean?
While they might not be able to stop a massive army, if the Great Xia were to gather all these people together and cause trouble in the town, it would be quite easy.

The Xianyang class can fly, and with that ability alone, they can do so many things.

Of the five towns in the north, only the three northern towns dare to deploy their large armies outside the town to defend against the enemy. Why is that?
While the abundance of Han-level troops in the three towns was certainly a factor, the more important reason was the significant number of Xianyang-level troops in these three towns, coupled with the support of the two major vassal states. Therefore, they were not afraid of the Great Xia coming to garrison the city and cause trouble.

But the towns of Longgu and Yangqu are completely different.

They only have three or four Xianyang-level experts, and their Yuhan-level army is their only reliance. If the Great Xia really sends top experts to cause trouble in the city, it will be fine if the city's garrison reacts in time, but if they react slowly, there is a high chance of something serious going wrong.

Longgu Town has sent 15000 troops north to aid Wuchuan, leaving only 4000 Yuhan-level soldiers in the town. Although this includes 1000 Iron Caltrop soldiers, the number is still too small. If only Long Mingyuan, a Xianyang-level soldier, is left, it would be...

"Do not worry!"

Long Mingyuan suddenly interrupted Li Yangtian's train of thought with a smile, then paused for three or four breaths before looking at Li Yangtian with an arrogant expression, saying, "Our Dragon Valley now has more than three Manifestation Yang level cultivators..."

Li Yangtian was taken aback upon hearing this, but then immediately realized what was going on. He looked up at Long Mingyuan with a face full of surprise and asked with a hint of probing, "Lord, could it be that the rumors circulating in the city recently are true?"

Since August, a rumor has been quietly spreading in Longgu Town that the lord's youngest son, Long Wenhong, his eldest nephew, Long Wenqing, and his second nephew, Long Wenying, have all broken through to the Xianyang level.

Unfortunately, these three individuals haven't made any public appearances in the town since the beginning of the year, which inevitably leads to speculation.

As for calling it a rumor, it's because no one has confirmed it. Even Lord Long Mingyuan denied it a month ago. In recent years, there has been frequent movement of people in the Nine Towns, and many people from other towns have joined the major towns. Therefore, some unfounded rumors have been circulating, so no one takes them seriously.

However, the words Long Mingyuan uttered at this moment clearly indicated that the rumor was most likely true, which was why Li Yang asked that question.

At this moment, all three of them were in the sky, and those below could neither see nor hear them, so Long Mingyuan did not hide anything from him and nodded, saying, "That's right, I don't know who spread that rumor, but Wen Hong, Wen Qing, and Wen Ying did indeed break through to the Xianyang level in the first half of the year."

Long Mingyuan had three sons: Wenhai, Wenyue, and Wenhong. He also had a younger brother, Long Mingfeng, who died five years ago in the Dajue Temple Rebellion. Long Mingfeng had five sons, among whom the eldest, Long Wenqing, and the second, Long Wenying, were the most talented.

Upon hearing that the three had broken through, Li Yangtian's face was filled with excitement. He couldn't help but look up and ask, "Lord, now that Wen Hong and the other two have broken through, why haven't we seen them come out? Could it be that the three of them are not in the city?"

Long Mingyuan shook his head and said in a deep voice, "The Great Xia is currently at the height of its power, and with two major vassal states involved, even the three northern towns, each with nearly ten Manifest Yang level experts, can't make a fuss. Not to mention my Dragon Valley's mere six Manifest Yang level experts. With that in mind, I had the three of them hide in the back of the clan's territory and not show themselves in public. If something really goes wrong in the town, we'll have a trump card."

"I see, Your Excellency is wise!"

Li Yangtian immediately offered a flattering remark, a cold glint flashing quickly in his lowered eyes before disappearing again as he continued, "Since the lord has made arrangements in advance, then this subordinate can rest assured..."

After saying this, he looked down and saw that half of the army had already left the north gate. He continued, "Luo Yuan's central army may attack the Donggu camp at any time. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. I need to arrange for the army to leave the city as quickly as possible. I will take my leave now."

"Go! Wenhai goes with you too. Report back immediately if anything happens."

"Subordinates take orders!"

His eldest son, Long Wenhai, standing behind him, bowed and followed Li Yangtian, flying downwards.

"It's been almost an hour, and we're still not all out of the city. What are you all dawdling for? Speed ​​things up and get out of the city! Hurry up, hurry up!"

Such a task as urging the troops to march was naturally not something that Li Yangtian, as the commander-in-chief, would personally handle. He only gave one order, and the officers of each army immediately moved to both sides of the army, constantly urging the soldiers to speed up.

15000 people should have been out of the city by now, within an hour. However, Long Mingyuan had just made the decision to rush to Wuchuan's aid, and a lot of time was wasted on roll call and preparing military supplies, which is why it was so slow.

"Reporting to the commander, the rotation of guards at the four gates of the city has been completed. 1000 Iron Caltrops Army soldiers are stationed at the main gate on the east side, and the remaining 3000 Zhenyu Army soldiers are each led by Ziqing, Zichu and I, 1000 each, to guard the south, west and north gates."

Above the city wall of the North Gate, Li Yangtian was leading the 15th Army Commander as he watched the army slowly leave the city. His eldest son, Li Zihe, walked behind him and bowed to report.

With only 4000 people remaining in the town, they were naturally to guard the four gates separately, so that they could be mobilized immediately in case of any special circumstances.

Upon hearing his eldest son's words, Li Yangtian's eyes grew even colder. He casually glanced at the area behind the lord's main hall in the city center, towards the direction of the Dragon Clan's territory, before turning back to look at him and smiling, "I entrust the safety of the city to you. Once the army leaves the city, immediately close the city gates to prevent any trouble from arising."

"Subordinates take orders!"

As soon as Li Zihe finished bowing in response, the last battalion of soldiers happened to walk out of the north gate below the city wall. His eyes flashed slightly, and he immediately shouted towards the city: "Close the city gate!"

When the troops were being rotated out, he had already deployed 1000 garrison troops below the city gate. Upon hearing his command, the commander below immediately directed his soldiers to close the north gate.

The town is, after all, the core of Dragon Valley. Even the small gate in the north is seven or eight meters high and three or four meters wide. Moreover, because it is made of pure thousand-fold forged iron mixed with silver, it weighs hundreds of millions of kilograms.

Such a gate is so large that even hundreds of soldiers working together would find it difficult to budge it even slightly, let alone a few ordinary soldiers. Therefore, like other towns, the north gate relies on labor-saving devices such as iron chains and ropes to open and close.

At Li Zihe's command, the thousands of soldiers of the Cold-resistant level inside the city gate immediately stood on both sides, almost evenly divided into five hundred men on each side. At the same time, they carried thick iron chains on their shoulders and pulled together, and then the two city gates began to slowly close from the outside in.

Boom... Sizzle...

The massive city gate moved, its friction against the ground producing a sharp, grating sound, making everyone who heard it feel inexplicably uncomfortable. Clearly, the city gate was being closed, and no one dared to say anything.

As for the soldiers who had already left the city, needless to say, they turned their heads to take one last look at the town, their eyes slightly reluctant, but urged by the captains of each battalion, they continued to speed up their advance northward.

"Father, Li Yangtian has rebelled! We've fallen into their trap! Quickly, send the army back..."

However, just a hundred meters outside the city walls, the 15000-strong army was terrified when a voice filled with fear and panic rang out from within the city.

"what…………"

Unfortunately, before the man could finish speaking, he was interrupted by something, and after a brief pause of less than three breaths, an extremely shrill scream rang out.

"What's this noise?"

"The military leader has rebelled? Who is spouting nonsense..."

"What happened in the city?"

"Isn't the military commander watching us advance from the sidelines?"

"He's gone! Look at the flanks, the commander is nowhere to be seen!"

The soldiers at the rear of the army, who had just left the city and hadn't even had a hundred breaths left, heard the strange noises coming from inside the city and their faces instantly filled with surprise and doubt. They all stopped in their tracks and turned to look into the city.

Some quick-witted people had already turned to look at the flank where Li Yangtian had just stood, but unfortunately, apart from the fifteen commanders, there was no trace of Li Yangtian anywhere.

As the sound spread, the 15,000-strong army outside the city stopped in their tracks and turned to look at the city with surprise and uncertainty.

Above the North Gate, Long Mingyuan was the first to hear the sound. To be precise, he had already sensed the unusual activity in the clan's territory before the sound even began.

The reason is simple: firstly, the owner of the scream was none other than his youngest son, Long Wenying; secondly, before the scream of his youngest son, Long Wenyan, was heard, the snow fog in the area above the clan's territory had already been forcibly dispersed.

"Oh no, something's happening!"

Having been a lord for so many years, Long Mingyuan realized the problem almost without thinking. He only turned his head to glance at the army outside the city before immediately rushing towards the direction of the clan's territory.

call…………

Unfortunately, before Long Mingyuan could rush over, a fierce blade suddenly slashed down at him from the north.

The blade was bluish-green and over a hundred meters long, stirring up a fierce wind that roared around it. When it came, it was like a vast expanse of blue smoke, majestic and magnificent, like a tidal wave.

Clang...

"Return to the city! Wenhai, quickly lead the troops back to the city!"

Long Mingyuan drew his silver longsword from his waist, bracing himself against the blade. He then completely abandoned the idea of ​​heading to the clan's territory, and without hesitation turned his head towards the direction of the army outside the city, roaring in fear and rage.

His roar was truly filled with deep fear.

The reason was simple: he was all too familiar with that cyan blade aura; it belonged to Li Yangtian, the leader of the Dragon Valley Army, and his most trusted subordinate, who wielded the Azure Blade.

Li Yangtian has rebelled!
How could this be? How could this be? How could this be?

Long Mingyuan roared in his heart three times in a row. He turned his head and looked at Li Yangtian, who had been brushed aside by his sword. Looking at the other party's cold eyes, a chill instantly rose in his heart, and for a moment he even forgot his anger.

Li Yangtian has rebelled!

What about the Iron Caltrops Army? What about his loyal followers in the Garrison Army?
Was it a scheme to lure him into sending 15,000 men north to aid Wuchuan?

it's over...

Bang bang bang!
As these two words popped into Long Mingyuan's mind, several loud noises once again came from the direction of the Long clan's territory in the city center.

He turned his head in horror and instinctively tried to lift his foot, but Li Yangtian immediately followed his movement.

"Commander of the 15th Army, lead your troops back to the city, quickly!"

Long Wenhai, who was outside the city, finally realized what was happening. He roared and called for the commander of the 15th Army to return to the city. Then he flew into the air and sped towards his father Long Mingyuan's location.

However, he had only just taken off into the air when...
Whoosh...whoosh...hum...

A sword, a saber, and an axe—three attacks suddenly came at him simultaneously from above, middle, and below.

The sword energy unleashed thousands of streaks of light beneath him, reaching its maximum speed; the saber energy slashed horizontally from his center, creating a fierce arc over a hundred meters long; finally, the axe above his head swept up thousands of waves of energy, crashing down on him like Mount Tai.

Long Wenhai's face was filled with fear and horror, and his pupils were instantly covered with a layer of death. He raised his long sword to block his head with only a survival instinct.

There was no other way; he could sense that the axe above his head posed the greatest threat.

Unfortunately, this was nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

boom…………

The sword energy instantly devoured his lower limbs, the blade sliced ​​him open, and the final axe was even more terrifying, first cleaving the large sword in his hand, then smashing down from the top of his head...

"what…………"

The three men attacked simultaneously, and the battle ended. Long Wenhai was already a bloody pulp and could not make a sound. This scream came from his father, Long Mingyuan, the lord of Dragon Valley.

“My son…”

Long Mingyuan had rushed towards the city gate the moment his eldest son was ambushed, but Li Yangtian blocked his way.

Witnessing his eldest son being shattered to pieces, Long Mingyuan was filled with immense grief. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning.

"Yuan Cheng, Luo Yuan, Xu Ning..."

When Long Mingyuan saw the three men who killed his son, his expression was twisted to the extreme. He practically spat out their names through clenched teeth.

Isn't Yuan Cheng leading his rear army to besiege Yangqu?
Wasn't Luo Yuan stationing 30,000 troops at Fushan, preparing to lead the central army to join forces with Yuwen Tao's 10,000 troops to attack the Wuchuan East Valley camp?
What are these two doing here?

"Lord Dragon, let your 15,000 men surrender! I, the Chief Minister, do not wish to inflict further bloodshed. Tell them to lay down their weapons, and they will be spared!"

A voice suddenly rang out from behind, causing Long Mingyuan to shudder. He turned his head in horror and saw Xia Chuan behind him, along with eleven people behind Xia Chuan. His face was filled with disbelief.

Xia Chuan was leading the Jin Yang Allied Forces, preparing to attack Bai Mu's camp in Bei Shuo Town. Why did they suddenly come here?

"We've been tricked. The Great Xia deliberately put on a show of fighting on four fronts, just to bluff and make all the northern towns cower in fear, deliberately ignoring Longgu. This is because Li Yangtian has already been turned against us. The Great Xia's real goal at the beginning of the war was not to open up the supply line, but to take over the town of Longgu."

"Lord Dragon, if you persuade them to surrender and then commit suicide, I, the Chief Minister, hereby personally promise that I will preserve a sliver of your Dragon Clan's lineage; otherwise..."

Long Mingyuan's train of thought was interrupted by Xia Chuan once again. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the objects in the hands of the people behind Xia Chuan, and his pupils instantly turned blood red.

"Aaaaah, Li Yangtian, you traitor, I'll take your life!"

The three people closest to Xia Chuan were Hong Tian, ​​Lin Ye, and Zhao Hu.

The three men each carried a severed head, the head belonging to none other than Long Mingyuan's youngest son, Long Wenhong, and his two nephews, Long Wenqing and Long Wenying.

Even if Long Mingyuan were stupid, he would realize at this moment that he himself was the one who killed his young son and nephew. Li Yangtian had betrayed him long ago. It was all an act from beginning to end. From inducing him to divide his troops and head north out of the city, to arranging for the Iron Caltrop Army and his three sons to stay behind to guard the town, and then to tricking him into revealing the hiding places of the remaining three Xianyang-level soldiers in the town...

Everything was an act.

He was deceived by Li Yangtian...

"Stubborn to the end, kill him!"

Xia Chuan had no time to waste arguing with Long Mingyuan. The Great Xia had put a lot of effort into winning over Li Yangtian, and he was planning to portray him as a model of turning over a new leaf to the other four towns. He certainly wouldn't let Long Mingyuan run rampant and kill people here.

At his command, Yuan Cheng and the others immediately swarmed forward.

Li Yangtian's strength was only slightly weaker than Long Mingyuan's, and with Yuan Cheng and more than a dozen other Xianyang-level experts joining the fight, the outcome was not hard to predict.

Long Mingyuan was destined to die, and Xia Chuan didn't even look at him anymore. He just looked down at the army that was charging towards the north gate, a hint of coldness in his eyes.

These soldiers had no chance of breaking through the city gates, but under the instigation of fifteen commanders, they began to climb the city walls and had already begun engaging the city's defenders.

Looking at the Dragon Valley Garrison soldiers who still refused to accept their fate, Xia Chuan took a slight breath, then released his skeletal energy and spoke sternly:
"Dragon Valley Town has changed hands. Are you really going to put up a stubborn resistance? Don't you plan to care for the elderly and widowed people in your homes in the town?"

The intense killing intent contained in that voice caused the large number of soldiers who were charging towards the city gate to stop instantly. The city wall fell into a deathly silence, and everyone looked up at Xia Chuan in the sky, their eyes filled with struggle.

(End of this chapter)