Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 509 Working Together from Within and Without, Outsmarting Zhongyang

"The warehouse is flooded! It's flooded..."

"The warehouse is on fire! It's on fire!"

"Shut up, all of you! Shut up! No more shouting!"

"Fire! The warehouse is on fire! All the grain has been burned!"

"The Xia army has already broken in! Run for your lives! Run for your lives!"

"The Xia army will slaughter the entire camp! Run!"

………………

Inside a wooden house behind the camp's storehouse, Lu Yun, dressed in white and carrying a sword, led six junior brothers, including Han Li, and three hundred men to guard the second floor. Hearing the chaotic screams coming from outside, his eyes were filled with excitement.

Right now, it's not just the warehouse; the surrounding barracks, and even the residential areas—the entire camp is engulfed in smoke and filled with screams.

The fighting at the eastern gate had already kept most of the people in the city on edge, and this sudden fire completely ignited their panic and fear.

It can be seen that Yang Qin had reserved a portion of armed forces within the village, and these soldiers began arresting people everywhere in an attempt to quell the riot.

However, they can't even find the source, so how can they stop it?

"Heh heh, those people, they're really shouting their hearts out!"

"They don't have to fight on the front lines. It's just a small matter. If they do it well, they'll get military merits. It's a golden opportunity that they can only dream of. They have to work hard."

"It's gotten chaotic. Yang Qin is quite bold; he actually transferred seven or eight tenths of the city's Digging Realm experts to help defend the city. This is a boon for us."

"Thirty breaths have passed, fifty breaths to go. Judging from the sound, they should have already started moving southwest."

………………

"almost!"

Lu Yun stood up abruptly, interrupting the discussion of the people behind him.

“Governor Mu previously sent someone to tell us that if he tried to persuade us to surrender before the war started, it would mean that he would divide his forces to attack the southwest mountain pass. Fortunately, we don’t have many people. There are at least fifty or sixty thousand people gathered in the area around the gate. It’s no use for us to go there. Follow me to the southwest mountain pass!”

Mu Longhe's loud appeal to surrender just now wasn't just a frivolous act.

The Minister of War sent him to attack Zhongyang. Although he was only given 10,000 troops, he was given the authority to act as he saw fit. It was clear that he wanted him to cooperate well with Dongling. So before the battle started, he had already communicated with Dongling.

Master Lu Yang led the main force to the Jingxi camp. Lu Yun was basically in charge of things in Dongling. The secret signal he agreed on with Mu Longhe's tribe was to persuade them to surrender before the battle.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war. With the main force currently launching a fierce attack on the village gate, Lu Yun dared not delay. With a command, he led three hundred men out of the wooden house and then split into seven groups, blending into the chaotic crowd and proceeding from different directions, rapidly approaching the southwest mountain pass.

"Put out the fire! Put out the fire first! This warehouse is full of military rations, it can't be damaged! Quickly get the others who are safe to come and put out the fire!"

"No unauthorized personnel allowed near here, get out of the way!"

…………

At the warehouse entrance, Huang Shengyong, who had just been extremely smug, was now filled with fear and panic. He had personally led 500 men to guard the warehouse, sometimes ordering people to come and put out the fire, and sometimes forbidding others to approach. He had clearly lost all composure and was no longer the arrogant man he had been before.

In a daze, he turned his head and saw a white figure in the crowd. He was stunned, then realized what was happening, and his face instantly turned furious.

"It's Lu Yun, it's Lu Yun's gang..."

After uttering those words through gritted teeth, he suddenly thought of something else, his pupils contracted sharply, and his previously flushed face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Something's wrong! There's a problem at Dongling!"

Just as Huang Shengyong was trying to get through the pass, Lu Yun and his group of three hundred people gathered in the southwest area of ​​the camp in just over thirty breaths.

Not only them, Han Li and Zhu Baixu and the other six had already used bone whistles to give the assembly signal halfway there. The culprits of the camp mutiny, namely the seven hundred Earth-Digging Realm Limit Breakers of the escort team, had already gathered behind them following the sound.

When thousands of people arrived in the southwest area and saw the scene at the entrance to the mountain road, their pupils were suddenly shocked and their emotions soared instantly.

There was no other reason than that the entrance to the mountain path, which was no more than three meters wide, had already been blasted open, and hundreds of soldiers clad in light gold armor had occupied the entrance and were frantically rushing in to kill.

"Hahahaha, you worthless chicken and dog, you think you can stop me? Die!"

The leader, a burly middle-aged general in black armor, wielding a ten-foot-long Great Xia standard-issue broadsword, had already penetrated more than ten meters into the enemy territory, slashing horizontally and rightward with an incomparably rampant and ferocious roar, his power already overwhelming.

Those guarding the entrance to the mountain path were not some ragtag soldiers, but the real garrison troops of Beishuo. Even so, from the officers to the soldiers, not a single one of them could withstand a single blow from that middle-aged black-armored general.

"It is Commander Xiao Yuan of the Xiaoshan Army!"

"Rumor has it that he is about to break through to the Manifestation Yang level. His strength is probably at least 70 or above."

"70, ignorant. The Ministry of War just established a new rule at the beginning of the year that those with a strength of less than 80 are not qualified to serve as commanders. Currently, among the 30 military units, none of the commanders who can rightfully serve as commanders have a strength of less than 80."

"Those who haven't reached the level of 80 are currently only acting commanders."

………………

"Stop rambling and listen to me..."

Despite his turbulent emotions, Lu Yun didn't rush forward recklessly with his men. His 1000 men were all dressed in civilian clothes, without armor, and only 300 of them were at the cold-weather level. Rushing forward recklessly would at most cause chaos among the enemy troops, but would not result in any substantial damage. Therefore, he had to come up with a plan.

He had been keeping an eye on the situation around the entrance to the southwest mountain road for some time. Seeing the large, panicked crowds everywhere in the camp, his eyes flashed and he quickly made a plan.

After making these arrangements, Han Li and his six junior brothers looked at him with admiration on their faces. They then quickly led a group of people and ran towards the area around the entrance to the mountain path.

Lu Yun did not leave, but continued to keep an eye on the battle situation at the entrance of the mountain path.

In fact, Xiao Yuan, the military commander of Xiaoshan, was not the one who charged the most fiercely.

There was another middle-aged man dressed in civilian clothes, holding a horizontal sword. He was positioned even further ahead and had almost fought his way into the middle of the Beishuo Town Imperial Army. There were even faint signs that he was being surrounded.

The middle-aged man bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Yuan, but his strength was far more terrifying. With each swing of his horizontal sword, he could take the lives of several Northern Shuo soldiers. The thousand-forged armor was as fragile as paper under his blade, offering absolutely no protection.

"Xiao Kangcheng, former commander of Xiaoshan Army and deputy owner of Wanbaolou, Lord Xiao!"

Lu Yun was naturally familiar with the high-ranking officials of the Great Xia Dynasty. He recognized Xiao Kangcheng at a glance. Seeing the enemy army being driven back by him alone, and a middle-aged man in the enemy army who was obviously also at the Xianyang level being forced to retreat into the rear of the army formation, his face was full of longing.

"Lord Xiao was promoted to the sixth-rank Purple Electronic Nobleman last year. After this great war ends, his rank will rise by at least two ranks. A true man should act like this!"

Thinking of the benefits of being ennobled, Lu Yun's eyes were filled with longing. He had not been in the Great Xia for long, and although he had made some contributions, he was still far from the 500 military merits required for being ennobled due to the lack of war.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"The enemy has invaded! Quickly escape through the southwest mountain pass..."

"Run! The Xia army is coming in to massacre the city. If you don't run now, you'll be dead."

"Run! Run! There aren't many enemy troops on the southwest mountain path. We can still escape!"

………………

As I was pondering, a series of chaotic sounds suddenly came from behind.

Lu Yun turned his head and a smile immediately appeared on his face.

The camp was already ablaze with flames, so visibility was very high. Under the firelight, tens of thousands of people were surging toward the entrance of the mountain path from all directions. They looked panicked, and a few were shouting behind them. They could only escape through the entrance of the mountain path.

"It's over!"

Seeing the massive crowd gathering, Lu Yun was overjoyed, while Duan Heyang, who was responsible for guarding the entrance to the mountain path, was filled with despair.

The Xia army that actually stormed into the mountain pass entrance numbered at most three hundred, and it was obvious that they were all elite troops. It was normal for the Zhenyu Army to be somewhat defeated. As for his inability to defeat Xiao Kangcheng, that was expected. He had only broken through to the Xianyang level two months ago. Yang Qin sent him to guard the mountain pass, but he really relied on the 2000 Zhenyu Army.

By relying on the narrow entrance to the mountain path, they held off the Xia army for almost half an hour. To be fair, they did a pretty good job. Even the fire inside the camp didn't cause any trouble on the mountain path.

But that won't work now!
Seeing the massive crowd surging towards the mountain path, Duan Heyang naturally knew that it was the work of spies who had infiltrated the camp. What he feared was not the huge crowd, but the spies hidden among them.

"Stop right there! Don't go near the mountain path!"

Duan Heyang blocked Xiao Kangcheng's blade again, ignoring the cracking sounds from his arm bones, and roared angrily at the area behind him.

"The Xia army has already stormed the camp! Where else can we run but the mountain path?"

"Don't listen to him, the only way out is through the mountain path."

"We're already at risk of death, what's the point of listening to anything? Brothers, if you want to live, come with me and charge out."

………………

The fear of death ultimately overwhelmed everything.

Zhongyang Camp is one of the seven major camps directly under the jurisdiction of Beishuo, excluding the town.

Duan Heyang's identity and his strength at the Xianyang level were well known to many people, but at this moment, under the instigation of some people, everyone ignored his warning and roared as they rushed towards the mountain path.

The rush caused chaos in the area near the entrance to the mountain road.

It is true that only a few hundred Xia soldiers rushed in, but these few hundred elite troops, led by the brothers Xiao Kangcheng and Xiao Yuan, created an extremely terrifying impact, pushing forward nearly a hundred meters. Moreover, more and more Xia soldiers followed behind, surging in at a speed that was almost visible to the naked eye.

The retreating defenders originally had some undefended areas behind them to maneuver against the Xia army, but with the arrival of tens of thousands of people, the outcome was predictable.

"Bang…………"

"Don't block the road!"

"Murder! The Zhenyu Army has killed someone!"

"There are spies mixed in with the crowd, be careful!"

………………

As soon as the crowd and soldiers clashed, all sorts of situations arose instantly.

In an attempt to evade the Xia army's charge, some soldiers accidentally bumped into civilians; others, seeking to create space for themselves, simply attacked civilians directly; some ruthless ones even used civilians as human shields...

Of course, what's even more dangerous is Lu Yun and his group.

Pfft...

Lu Yun mingled in the crowd and slowly approached a Northern Shuo soldier. When he was less than two meters away from the soldier, he suddenly raised his sleeve, and a broken knife flashed out from it, heading straight for the soldier's neck.

"Um..."

The soldier clutched his neck, his pupils filled with terror and astonishment. He had no idea who had attacked him; he instinctively raised his sword and slashed around, but after only a few swings, he collapsed as his life was extinguished.

Lu Yun's eyes turned cold as he disappeared back into the crowd.

He now possesses the strength of a level 25 warrior, making it easy for him to kill an ordinary soldier of the Cold Resistance level through a sneak attack.

However, this one alone is not enough!

Lu Yun turned his head and searched through the crowd. He quickly spotted the enemy's flank and saw a high-ranking officer whose eyes lit up instantly.

He mingled in the crowd like a venomous snake, moving closer to the man.

Lu Yun is just a microcosm.

Han Li, Zhu Baixu, and the other hundreds of Cold-Resistant level soldiers, as well as the 700 Earth-Digging Realm Limit-level soldiers who arrived later, were also using their own methods to blend into the crowd and constantly looking for opportunities to attack the isolated soldiers of the Northern Shuo Town Guard.

With their main force lost, their retreat blocked, and spies lurking among the crowd, they continued to slaughter their own soldiers...

How could Duan Heyang not feel despair at this moment?
"Brothers, turn around, disperse the crowd, and retreat back to camp!"

Even in despair, Duan Heyang still came up with a plan. Staying stuck here would only lead to their complete annihilation by the Xia army. Only by retreating to the camp and rejoining the main force would they have a chance to continue their maneuvering.

Mu Longhe only brought a total of 10,000 troops. 8000 attacked the main gate, while there were at most 2000 on the mountain path. It wouldn't matter if they broke in, as long as they could regroup with the main force, there would still be a chance!

As Duan Heyang abandoned his resistance against Xiao Kangcheng and took the lead in turning around and rushing towards the rear camp, the remaining Beishuo Town Imperial Army immediately followed suit, turning around in unison and abandoning their resistance against the Xia army at the mountain pass entrance, preparing to retreat towards the camp.

"Brothers, if we don't charge faster, the military merits will go to someone else!"

"The main army has already stormed in. If we keep slowing down, we'll never be ennobled in this lifetime. Charge with me!"

"Come on!"

………………

Lu Yun, who was hiding in the crowd, was also infected by the emotions. He almost couldn't help but lead his brothers to openly intercept the Beishuo Town Imperial Army.

Of course, no matter how agitated he was, he still held back.

It wasn't that they were afraid of their identities being exposed. From the moment the warehouse caught fire, Yang Qin and Yang Ping should have known that there was something wrong with Dongling, and that this couldn't be kept secret.

It's mainly about the armor!

None of the thousand men he brought from Dongling were armored, and their identities were also questionable. At this moment, they could easily sneak into the panicked crowd and assassinate a few, but if they openly intervened in the battle, the Xia army wouldn't recognize them.

"Men of Dongling, follow me and retreat!"

At Lu Yun's command, he was the first to retreat to the flank, and then many others in the crowd followed suit.

Xiao Yuan and Xiao Kangcheng, who were at the forefront, both turned their heads and glanced at Lu Yun upon hearing the sound.

Of course, it was only for that one glance.

There's no time to talk to them right now.

With the entrance to the mountain pass lost, the entire Xiaoshan army rushed into the camp in less than thirty breaths.

They stormed into the camp, their excitement growing even stronger.

Especially when they saw Duan Heyang's army, which hadn't gone far, they realized that it was a walking military achievement, and the soldiers chased after them like they were on steroids.

Huh… Huh… Huh…

Just then, several powerful gusts of air suddenly came from the center of the camp. Everyone couldn't help but look up and discovered that nearly ten white lights had streaked across the sky above the center of the camp.

"The bandit leader Yang Ping has been executed. Why don't you surrender now? What are you waiting for?"

Mu Longhe's powerful and resonant voice came from the center of the camp, and all the soldiers of the Beishuo Garrison, including Duan Heyang, trembled violently.

Xia Jun's reaction was completely opposite to theirs.

The already high-spirited Xiaoshan army was instantly given a shot of adrenaline, and they wielded their weapons even more fiercely. The five flag bearers even almost planted their flags in front of the fleeing soldiers.

Zhongyang Camp is lost!
These six words popped into Duan Heyang's mind. Looking at the more than a thousand soldiers following him behind, he gritted his teeth and ultimately couldn't bear to flee. Instead, he led them and continued to flee towards the village.

"Even if Yang Ping dies, it's alright. There are tens of thousands of Earth-Digging Realm cultivators in the city. The guards at the main gate won't die so quickly. We still have Qinghan Pills that we haven't used. Even if we can't hold the city, we won't be completely wiped out..."

(End of this chapter)