Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 539 Reversal, the Consequences of Seeking Help from a Tiger
"Don't even think about rallying the troops! The Xia army only has 40,000 men. How can they possibly stop our 110,000-strong army? Brothers, keep charging!"

"Charge towards the city gate! If the Xia army wants to retreat, charge towards the main gate!"

"Don't surround the central army, charge to the city gate!"

………………

Xia Hong's attempt to persuade him to surrender went unnoticed.

Qin Feng showed no reaction whatsoever, nor did his generals and soldiers from Wuchuan. They were completely oblivious to the situation. Seeing their own army covering the mountains and plains, they were convinced that victory was in their grasp and continued to charge.

Cai Qianshan saw through Xia Jun's intention to seize the city, and roared, signaling his troops to charge towards the city gate. His son Cai Qiuhu and Cai Qiu and his band of robbers Xianyang also reacted quickly, shouting orders to their soldiers.

Unfortunately, despite their strength, they had virtually no influence over the Jinshan and Wuchuan armies. So even though their voices were thunderous and clearly reached the ears of all the soldiers present, very few paid any attention.

"Charge to the city gate immediately! Block the Xia army's retreat! Quickly..."

Of course, not all the generals of Jinshan Wuchuan were fools. Some of them saw through the Xia army's intentions and quickly gave orders, signaling their troops to charge towards the city gate.

However, putting aside the fact that they were not key figures and had no influence, it should be noted that the battlefield outside the pass city had more than 160,000 people fighting on both sides. The entire battlefield stretched for nearly three kilometers from east to west. Even Fangbo Cai Qianshan would have difficulty making his voice heard without the support of his qi and blood. Not to mention that the generals of these two towns only had the cultivation level of the Cold Resistance level.

Their warnings were drowned out without making a ripple.

"The army retreats, withdrawing westward back into the city!"

The situation was completely different for the Great Xia.

As Yuwen Tao led the generals of Great Xia to the rear of the army formation, completely severing the connection between Wuchuan and the Xia army, Xia Hong, who had been surveying the entire situation from mid-air without making a move, also gave orders to the entire army.

Cai Qianshan and his group had no influence over the Jinshan and Wuchuan armies, while the situation was exactly the opposite for Xia Hong.

At his command, all the Xia soldiers, even those engaged in life-or-death battles, perked up their ears. Upon hearing their lord's order, almost simultaneously, everyone abandoned their fighting and quickly turned west.

"The flag bearers of each army shall act in accordance with the lord's orders!"

The appeal was only one factor; the military discipline and tactics of the Great Xia Dynasty were what truly came into play at this moment.

Upon hearing the commotion, the flag bearers of each prefecture swiftly retreated westward with their flags. More than ten large golden banners gathered from all parts of the battlefield toward the city gate of the pass, standing out conspicuously in the night, and were clearly visible to almost all the soldiers.

The first thing the Xia people did after joining the army was to recognize the military flag, because all of the Xia army's tactics revolved around the military flag.

The direction the military flag points to is the direction they intend to attack.

With Xia Hong's military order and the guidance of the military flag, the Xia soldiers, who had formed a long line on the battlefield, immediately began to retreat rapidly, quickly regrouping into long ranks. While resisting the harassment of the enemy forces on the north and south sides, they quickly retreated towards the direction of the pass city.

"Roar…………"

Of course, military discipline and Xia Hong's appeal alone are not enough.

The twelve Beast King-level puppets that had been entangled by Cai Qiu quickly withdrew from the battle and then plummeted from the sky to protect the last row of Xia soldiers.

With them blocking the way, even Cai Qianshan and his group of Transcending Body Realm cultivators couldn't do anything, let alone the soldiers of Jinshan and Wuchuan towns.

A Xia army force of several hundred men, probably because they had just fought too fiercely, was trapped in the rear by the Wuchuan army. However, they showed no fear. The leading general led his men to fight and retreat. He noticed the Beast King-level puppets close at hand from the side and a ruthless look flashed across his face.

"Brothers, why retreat? We haven't earned enough military merits yet! Charge in!"

The leading general charged forward instead of retreating. He was extremely strong, and his blade struck an enemy soldier's helmet directly. With the added force, he split the man's head vertically open, and the heat from the blade surged backward, defeating three enemy soldiers of the Cold Resistance level behind him.

"Hahaha, I've killed seven, but that's still not enough. Follow the captain and charge forward, keep killing!"

"The captain's already in, what are we waiting for, brothers? Charge!"

"The lord's puppet is right behind us, what's there to be afraid of?"

………………

The general is the soul of the army. His reckless counterattack instantly ignited the fighting spirit of hundreds of Great Xia soldiers behind him. They were already in the midst of a fierce battle, but had to retreat due to their lord's orders. Now that someone had taken the lead, they were all like they had been injected with chicken blood. They abandoned their retreat and charged back in the opposite direction.

call…………

However, a sudden gust of wind blew down from above, bringing their forward momentum to a complete stop.

"Are you deaf? You were told to retreat!"

A strong wind swept in, followed by a giant shadow. Hundreds of soldiers who were about to charge forward changed their expressions slightly upon hearing the sound, and without even raising their heads, they quickly turned around and retreated.

The lord has arrived!

Xia Hong stepped on the forehead of the Xuan Tieying, with Li Xuanling behind him and their two children. The family of four, dressed in flowing robes, were untouched by snow, like celestial beings, completely out of place in this cruel battlefield.

Being greedy for merit and reckless, and disobeying military orders, is not a good sign!

Xia Hong's expression was slightly somber, but when he looked down and saw the face of the leading general below, a sense of understanding rose in his heart.

The leading general was none other than Han Feng, who had been lurking in Jinshan for many years!
Yang Jian led the people of the two major vassal states to plunder Xia Yusheng, which led to Han Yue's death. The person who was most angry was probably his elder brother Han Feng.

Han Feng was wearing the Dragon Martial Army's standard thousand-forged Thunder Kui Golden Armor, signifying that he had become a member of the Dragon Martial Army.

Watching Han Feng and his soldiers retreat, the Xia army fought and retreated, surging into the city gate like a tide. In less than a few dozen breaths, less than half of the soldiers remained at the city gate.

The soldiers who entered the city first did not stand idly by. Instead, they quickly set up their bows and stones on the city wall, turned around, and began to fire rapidly at the Jinshan Wuchuan army on the north and south sides outside the city, assisting the Xia army outside the city to continue entering the city.

Xia Hong didn't engage in any king-versus-king games with Cai Qianshan. Instead, he rode the Xuan Tie Eagle and led twelve Beast King-level puppets to protect the Xia army as they slowly retreated until all the Xia soldiers had gathered below the city gate.

At this point, the outcome is decided!

The battle lasted for less than half an hour in total.

The Jinshan Wuchuan army totaled 110,000 men, while the Great Xia army only had 40,000. It should have been a one-sided battle, since the Wuchuan army of 50,000 arrived silently and the Jinshan army of 60,000 suddenly attacked from outside the city. The Great Xia should have been completely unprepared.

But who would have thought that a surprise attack through a tunnel would completely reverse the situation!
The Xia army has now entered the pass city, while the Jinshan army is outside the city. The Wuchuan army has marched more than a hundred miles and killed less than a hundred Xia soldiers in total. They didn't even manage to encounter the main force of the Xia army along the way.

Neither side fought with their bare hands in this battle.

Although Xia Jun was strong, the battle did not last long because Xia Hong had given the order to retreat early on. Although the combined forces of the two towns were numerous, they were not strong enough, and the Wuchuan army had not had any deep contact with Xia Jun at all, so it was as if they had not fought at all.

Therefore, the casualties on both sides were not significant. Xia Hong could roughly estimate that the Xia army's casualties were around 10%, or about 4,000 men; while the casualties of the two allied forces were more than 50%, roughly a little over 5,000 men.

Although neither side suffered any serious injuries, things are about to get interesting!

Xia Hong stepped on the forehead of the Xuan Tie Eagle and looked at Cai Qianshan and the others who were standing in the air hundreds of meters away. Seeing that they all had dark faces, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahahahahaha..."

After laughing a few times, he pointed at Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang behind Cai Qianshan and said loudly, "Last night, Lord Qin gave Donggu City to my Great Xia, and today Lord Shangguan has handed over Aikou City. You are indeed from the Southern Mountains. Since you two are of one mind with me, why do you still follow the foreign vassals in causing trouble? You should take your army and surrender to my Great Xia as soon as possible to avoid this war and jointly resist the foreign enemy. What do you say?"

"Hahahahaha..."

"Ha ha ha ha…………"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

………………

The city gate of Aikou City had just been trampled by the Beast King Puppet, so when all the Xia soldiers on the city wall and inside the city burst into laughter, it immediately echoed out. They laughed extremely unrestrainedly, clearly having deliberately increased the volume, which could be heard for several miles around.

The more than 100,000 troops from Jinshan and Wuchuan heard it all clearly.

Not to mention the stiff and ugly expressions on Cai Qianshan and the others, the more than 100,000 soldiers in the two towns turned red instantly upon hearing Xia Jun's grating laughter, whether from shame or anger, it was hard to tell.

Now that things have come to this, even the most foolish person has realized what's happening.

The Wuchuan army had suffered a similar loss last night, and now that they saw the Xia army had all entered the pass city, they understood that this was a repeat of last night's events.

The 60,000-strong army of Jinshan, who had been waiting in the city to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, has now moved outside the city and become the attacking force.

Their Wuchuan army, having marched such a long distance, had failed in their attempt to defeat the Great Xia Right Route Army. Not only had they achieved nothing, they were now at a loss, with nowhere to go.

Behind Aikou City lies Jinshan Town. Whether or not Jinshan's 60,000 troops will attack the city is another matter, but they certainly won't abandon Aikou. As for Wuchuan's army, where can they go now?

Return to Wuchuan Town again?

"Reporting to the lord, Luo Yuan's central army has already advanced rapidly from the west. They can cover more than forty kilometers in an hour, and they are now only twenty kilometers away from our army. They will arrive here in at most half an hour..."

"Reporting to the lord, Yuan Cheng's rear army is attacking from Yangqu in the south. They are also marching at full speed, similar to Luo Yuan's forces. They are even closer, less than twenty kilometers away..."

Two messages came from behind, and Qin Feng's face turned deathly pale instantly. Shangguan Yang, who already had gray hair and looked old, was shocked when he heard the news, and his whole body aged even more in an instant.

"Qin Feng, Shangguan Yang, surrender! You have nowhere else to go!"

The scouts sent by Marshals Yuan Cheng and Luo Yuan arrived almost immediately after the scouts from Jinshan and Wuchuan towns. So when the lords of the two towns learned that the armies of Luo Yuan and Yuan Cheng were coming, Xia Hong also received the report.

Upon receiving the intelligence report, Xia Hong immediately began speaking to Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang from a distance.

After saying this, I still received no response.

Xia Hong pondered for a while, then saw that Cai Qianshan was standing in the air above the enemy's front row, while Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang had retreated to the rear and stood with Cai Qiu and his group of Xianyang-level soldiers. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"This conflict between the nine towns is a matter between the people of the Southern Foothills. In wartime, each serves their own master. This lord will not hold any soldier accountable for their mistakes. Now that Great Xia has taken control of the Southern Foothills, all the people of the Southern Foothills are Xia people. From now on, there will be no more distinction between the various towns. As long as you are willing to lay down your weapons, your relatives, friends, and family will be treated as before. Great Xia will guarantee that you will not commit any offenses against us. From now on..."

"Xia Hong, stop trying to mislead people. My Wuchuan elite troops are still here. How can we hand over Zhenzuo with our bare hands? Cai Qiu's army will be heading south soon. Let's see how your Great Xia can withstand the powerful vassal army then!"

"I, Jinshan, have always been on good terms with Caiqiu. You think you can sway the morale of my troops with just a few words? Dream on!"

It wasn't Cai Qianshan who interrupted it, but Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang.

Xia Hong narrowed his eyes. Although they were far apart, he could see clearly that when he spoke, Cai Qiuhu and the other few Tribulation Realm cultivators moved slightly closer to Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang.

"This is what happens when you try to negotiate with a tiger for its skin. If you don't have the strength, seeking cooperation is like inviting a wolf into your house, especially since Cai Qiu is more than just the alpha wolf..."

Xia Hong realized that there was no way to persuade the two towns to surrender, and immediately lost interest and the desire to speak.

In fact, from the moment Qin Feng ignored Wuchuan Town and led 50,000 troops straight to the pass, he had a premonition.

Qin Feng's 50,000-strong army consisted entirely of genuine Wuchuan people. Their families were all in Zhencheng, having been tricked into leaving Donggu City by Luo Yuan. Their next step should have been to reinforce Zhencheng, but instead, Qin Feng led these 50,000 men to the pass.

It's obvious that Qin Feng was either coerced by Cai Qiu and had no choice but to comply, or he was out of his mind and willing to take a gamble with Cai Qiu.

Of course, if you win, that shows courage.

But if we lose, that's a different story!
While Xia Hong was pondering, Cai Qianshan's group also began discussing countermeasures in mid-air.

"Luo Yuan's troops number 40,000, Yuan Cheng's troops number 50,000, and with the more than 30,000 in Aikou City, the Xia army's strength has reached 120,000. Xia Hong also has 14 Beast King-level puppets at his disposal. The soldiers of the two towns are already inferior to the Xia army in strength, and their weapons and equipment are even worse. Right now, their morale is wavering. If they get bogged down here, they will surely be defeated!"

As soon as Cai Qiuhu finished speaking, Shangguan Yang's face flushed red, and he took a small step forward, trying to speak.

Before he could finish speaking, several people approached him from both sides, one of whom even threatened him with his eyes, which immediately frightened him into shutting his mouth.

"There are still over 100,000 Digging Realm soldiers in Jinshan Town. The Great Xia will not rashly attack the city before dealing with your main force, so don't worry!"

Cai Qiuhu knew what Shangguan Yang was worried about, and immediately offered him some words of comfort. Then, looking at Qin Feng, he continued, "The same goes for Wuchuan Town. As long as your 50,000 troops are here, the Great Xia will not take any real action against the town. What you need to do now is cooperate with us to appease the troops. My Cai Qiu army will soon be heading south from the Bone-Eating Road. In three days at most, once the army arrives, the crisis in both towns will be resolved!"

Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang both wanted to speak, but when they saw Cai Qianshan and the others, they obediently kept quiet.

We are at their mercy, like fish on a chopping board. Their opinions are no longer important. Cai Qiuhu can offer words of comfort, but they cannot take them seriously.

"Luo Yuan's troops are on the west side, and Yuan Cheng's troops are on the south side. Right now, we can only flee north. First, we will head north out of Qinggu, then circle around Hanzhao along the southern foot of Mo'ao Mountain, enter Yinhe Valley, take Jinyang first, and then wait for the main army to come from Yinhe Valley!"

Cai Qianshan didn't say a word from beginning to end, but in the end he only said this one sentence, then turned around and flew away to the north.

"I obey my orders!"

Cai Qiuhu and the others naturally had no objections.

There's no point in leaving the army here now. Although the city gates of Aikou City have collapsed, defending a city and attacking a city are two completely different things. Moreover, the Great Xia has just proven that the thirteen Beast King-level puppets are enough to render all of them, these Transcendent Yang beings, useless. Attacking the city now would be a dead end.

The only option is to get a refund!
The question is, will the Great Xia allow them to withdraw smoothly?
Cai Qiuhu turned his head to look at Xia Hong above the pass city, his eyes filled with gloom.

(End of this chapter)