Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 542 The Choice in Jinyang, Cai Qiuning's Horror

The first day of the first month of the thirteenth year of the Great Xia Dynasty
In the final moments before dawn, Cai Qiuhu finally led his remaining troops to the outskirts of Jinyang City. However, upon seeing the sturdy city wall made of giant iron piles twenty meters high, located a mile to the north, all the high-ranking officials of Caiqiu, including him, were at a loss.

The sturdy city walls were secondary; the key issue was the countless armored soldiers standing on them, all staring intently at the south side, clearly having received word of their impending arrival.

A slightly disheveled figure quickly swept from the direction of the city wall. Upon approaching, he immediately bowed and cupped his hands to Cai Qiuhu, saying, "Reporting to Xiao Fangbo, we have just approached the city wall to conduct a reconnaissance. There are still more than 10,000 guards inside the city. The Great Xia has also left six Xianyang-level soldiers. We were discovered as soon as we approached. Although we couldn't see much, we conservatively estimate that there are more than 50,000 Digging Realm soldiers inside the city."

As early as when the army entered the Yinhe Valley area, Cai Qiuhu sent out Xianyang-level scouts to investigate the strength and weakness of Jinyang City. The scouts looked a bit disheveled, obviously because they were discovered by the Xianyang-level scouts of the Great Xia during the investigation and had already clashed with them.

Cai Qiuhu's already unpleasant expression turned even more somber.

"Ten thousand defenders are nothing to fear. If the eight of us attack together, with fifty thousand troops plus so many Xianyang-level soldiers, we can break through the city in half an hour!"

Although Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang personally intervened to pacify the troops that had previously fled Hanzhao, most of them still ran away. Cai Qiuhong's claim of 50,000 troops was an exaggeration; the soldiers in the two towns below combined numbered at most 45,000.

Although it's called a siege, with 45,000 against 10,000, and they also have eight Tribulation Realm experts and over a hundred Manifestation Realm experts, breaking through the city shouldn't be too difficult.

However, before Cai Qiuhu could speak, Qin Feng urgently said from the side, "My lord, you mustn't! Great Xia has the Sun Illumination Pill, and it's almost dawn. The 50,000 Earth Digging Realm cultivators in the city can still help defend it. We have to deal with more than just those 10,000 garrison soldiers..."

Sunlight shines on Dan!
I almost forgot about that.

Cai Qiuhu's expression darkened. Although this was his first time in the southern foothills, he knew quite a bit about the situation in Daxia. He knew about this Sunrise Pill just by chance.

The pill that allows a cultivator at the Earth-Digging Realm to appear during the day is not considered a rare item in Mo'aochuan, but it's a different story in the Southern Foothills region.

Especially now, it's enough to make them fear this city.

"So what if you have the Sun-Illuminating Pill? You're just 50,000 Earth-Digging Realm cultivators. Are all the troops in your two towns just useless good-for-nothings? Such a small force..."

"Big brother!"

Seeing Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang's increasingly grim expressions, Cai Qiuhu interrupted his elder brother Cai Qiuyang and continued, "Even if we can break through, there's nothing we can do. The three armies of the Great Xia are only about 20 kilometers away from us, and they will arrive in half an hour at most. In half an hour, are you confident that you can break through Jinyang?"

Upon hearing this question, everyone fell silent.

"Unless Uncle Fang intervenes!"

Finally, Zhu Huorong spoke up.

But Cai Qiuhu shook his head and said, "Even if Uncle Fang is afraid to die, he can't help us. Do you think Xia Hong will just watch us break through the city? Even if we bring out fourteen Beast King-level puppets, we still can't handle them. If we really get entangled here, I'm afraid we won't be able to save a single one of our 50,000 troops..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Huorong wanted to retort, but after looking around, he ultimately remained silent.

While top-tier combatants certainly have the ability to influence the battlefield, that's only when the enemy doesn't have it and you do. Since both sides have it, there's no question of influencing the battlefield.

Master Cai Qianshan is certainly strong, but Xia Hong's fourteen Beast King-level puppets are not weak either. The key is that they are puppets that are not afraid of death or pain. If they cannot be dealt with after a long battle, they will inevitably suffer in the end.

The recent crushing defeat at the pass is enough to prove that Cai Qiu's intention to use the Tribulation Realm and a large number of Manifestation Yang Realm troops to influence the battlefield is unrealistic.

Furthermore, now that Cai Qianshan has shown up, how could Xia Hong not keep a close eye on them?

The army marched through the pass, each unit separated by only twenty kilometers. They kept their eyes on Xia Hong, and Xia Hong, in turn, kept his eyes on them.

Although Master Cai Qianshan has not shown his face since his defeat at the pass, Zhu Huorong is certain that he is nearby and has been keeping a close watch on Xia Hong.

"Fourteen Beast King-level puppets—even if Great Xia doesn't send out a single soldier, just these puppets suddenly appearing would be enough to give an army of 50,000 a hard time. Relying on the combined forces of the two towns, we can't possibly win in a head-on confrontation. We should retreat first! Retreat to the vicinity of the Bone-Eroding Path, and wait for our town's reinforcements to arrive before fighting Great Xia!"

After a moment's thought, Zhu Huorong offered his opinion.

The others, though their expressions were not pleasant, knew that this was the best option at the moment, so they remained silent.

Retreating to the vicinity of the Bone-Eating Path is not just about avoiding the Xia army's advance, but also about securing the southern exit of the Bone-Eating Path.

Cai Qiu's army was heading south and would have to pass through the Bone-Eating Pass. If they didn't secure the exit first, given that the exit of the Bone-Eating Pass was less than fifty meters wide, if it were blocked by the Xia army, no matter how powerful Cai Qiu's army was, they probably wouldn't be able to get out.

"Retreat, retreat to the vicinity of the Bone-Eroding Path, and we can stop the Xia army?"

However, Cai Qiuhu directly countered with a question, effectively rejecting his senior brother Zhu Huorong's suggestion.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Huorong and the others looked at him with slight confusion.

Cai Qiuhu shook his head and said, "Our main force will not arrive until the day after tomorrow. Even if the 50,000 troops retreat to the vicinity of the Bone-Eroding Path, they will soon be caught up by the Xia army. At that time, we will still have to fight the Xia army outside the Bone-Eroding Path."

The Bone-Eating Path is actually a naturally formed, narrow passage connecting the southern foothills and the Mo'ao River. It is located inside the Mo'ao Mountain, which is the culprit blocking the Mo'ao River from the southern foothills.

If the battle were to be fought on the Bone-Eroding Pass, and the soldiers were to lose, they would have no choice but to crawl into the Bone-Eroding Pass. The Bone-Eroding Pass is less than 50 meters wide. How could 50,000 troops crawl into it?

In other words, if they were to fight the Xia army near the Bone-Eating Road and lose, it would mean utter destruction, and none of the 50,000 troops from the two towns would be spared.

Furthermore, due to the terrain limitations, if the situation gets out of control and Xia Hong were to unleash all the puppets, those at the Manifestation Yang level or even the Tribulation Body level might be at risk of losing their lives.

"Qiu Hu, what do you mean by that?"

Hearing his elder brother Cai Qiuyang's impatience, Cai Qiuhu stopped keeping him in suspense and said in a deep voice, "There are two methods. One is to forcefully attack the city. If we can successfully break through Jinyang in half an hour, given the city's strength, it shouldn't be too difficult to hold off the Xia army for two days."
Secondly, they can retreat directly into the Bone-Eroding Passage, conserve their strength, and wait for our main army to arrive so that the two forces can join forces to break through the Bone-Eroding Passage.

After Cai Qiuhu finished explaining the two solutions, his expression became even more unpleasant.

Neither of these two paths is a good choice.

The former, that it would take half an hour to breach the city, seemed highly unlikely. If the Xia army arrived, all 50,000 men would be wiped out, and Cai Qiu and his group would have no choice but to retreat through the Bone-Eating Path.

The latter, with 50,000 men retreating into the Bone-Eroding Pass, would be immediately blocked by the Xia army, making it extremely difficult to break through.

Upon hearing this, Cai Qiuyang, Zhu Huorong, and the other six Tribulation Realm cultivators lowered their heads and pondered for a moment, their expressions turning grim.

If Cai Qiuhu could think of it, they could naturally think of it too.

"The Bone-Eating Pass is so narrow. If my Caiqiu army can't break through it, how can they possibly break through with 50,000 of them? Let's attack the city! Let's take a gamble. If we can capture Jinyang, we can defend the city with all our might and hold off the Xia army for two days without much trouble. If the Xia army divides its forces to block the exit of the Bone-Eating Pass, we can just go out of the city to attack their rear and help our vassal army march south."

The usually taciturn third brother, Cai Qiuhong, finally spoke up.

"That's the only way. Xia Jun will arrive in half an hour!"

Cai Qiuhu made the decision immediately. He exchanged a few glances with his two elder brothers, a strange light flashing in his eyes, before turning to Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang and saying, "Gentlemen, give the order to attack the city! We will all lend a hand. As long as Xia Hong doesn't show up, taking the city in half an hour shouldn't be a problem."

Is it possible that Xia Hong won't show up? Cai Qiu and his group are clearly treating the 50,000-strong allied army as expendable resources, using them to wear down Xia's army and pave the way for Cai Qiu's large army to march south later.

Shameless!
Qin Feng wanted to shout the word "shameless" out loud. After all, he had been a lord for decades. How could he not have missed the strange look in the eyes of the three Cai brothers when they were exchanging words? To break through the city in half an hour was simply wishful thinking.

Retreating into the Bone-Eating Path to preserve these 50,000 men, and then waiting for Cai Qiu's army to march south, so that both sides can join forces to deal with the Great Xia again, is clearly a better option.

But Cai Qiuhu and his group clearly didn't take their 50,000-strong allied army from the two towns seriously, and they were killed without hesitation.

They actually made him and Shangguan Yang order an attack on the city?
Qin Feng's anger continued to rise, and he felt extremely fortunate for his previous suggestion that his two sons lead the charge in desertion.

If the more than 40,000 people from Wuchuan had really come with Cai Qiu, I'm afraid not a single one of them would have survived.

He didn't answer Cai Qiuhu immediately, but looked at Shangguan Yang not far away and noticed that a hint of anger had also risen on Shangguan Yang's face. He instantly realized that his old acquaintance was also starting to lose his temper.

"My lord, this is an army of fifty thousand! Why not preserve it first? It would certainly be of great help to your army. Why let them perish here?"

Shangguan Yang finally couldn't hold back any longer, but even so, he only tried to persuade Cai Qiuhu in a gentle tone, hoping that he could change his mind.

Seeing this, Qin Feng immediately followed suit and nodded, saying, "Lord Shangguan is right, sir. These 50,000 soldiers below have not left after the riot, which shows their loyalty. As long as they are protected, they will be a great help to your vassal state when it fights against the Xia army. There is no need to let them perish here."

Upon hearing their words, Cai Qiuhu's expression darkened slightly.

"After the camp was rioted, both lords said they would obey my every word without question. How long has it been since then and they've changed their minds? They've ordered an attack on the city. I don't want to repeat myself!"

As soon as Cai Qiuhu uttered his slightly threatening words, Cai Qiuyang, Zhu Huorong, and the others immediately took a step forward and moved closer to Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang.

Qin Feng's expression changed slightly, and he quickly cupped his hands and said, "I will go and give the order to the lower ranks immediately. Please wait a moment, gentlemen!"

"Shangguan Yang, go and give the order right away!"

Shangguan Yang lost his temper and immediately bowed and nodded.

The two dared not delay for a moment and flew directly towards the army below.

Of course, Zhu Huorong and Cai Qiuyang each had one of them, staying close by their sides.

No sooner had the four left than a figure sped up from behind.

"puff…………"

The man was incredibly fast, but his breathing was extremely erratic. He coughed up a mouthful of blood when he was still hundreds of meters away, and staggered as he got closer, almost falling to the ground.

"Second brother!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, the Cai brothers, Qiuhu and Qiuhong, were shocked and rushed forward to support him.

The newcomer was none other than Cai Qiuning, the second brother who had volunteered to kill Qin He, Qin Shan, and Shangguan Long when the camp was in chaos.

Cai Qiuning's clothes were tattered, and there were two horrific knife wounds on her chest. The worst part was her forehead, where a large piece of flesh had been cut away, revealing the white bones and even a crack.

Even for someone at the Tribulation Realm, such injuries are extremely terrifying.

"Second brother, how did things turn out like this? Could it be that we were ambushed by those beast king puppets of the Great Xia?"

Cai Qiuning did not answer Cai Qiuhu's question. Instead, she closed her eyes to regulate her breathing. After calming down, she opened her eyes, her pupils filled with fear and shock.

"The surrounding area was full of Xia scouts. As soon as the soldiers who had caused the commotion fled, they were immediately picked up by the Xia army. I followed Zhu Qing's blood-attracting worms all the way to Qin He and Qin Shan's side. I was just about to kill the two of them when, unexpectedly, Xia Hong suddenly appeared!"

At this point, Cai Qiuning paused, then continued, "He didn't bring any puppets; he came alone. I originally thought that since he was so arrogant as to come without puppets, I would try to see if I could just kill him directly, but..."

Gudong!

Cai Qiuning swallowed hard, a look of horror gradually rising in her pupils. Her voice trembled as she said, "That Xia Hong, he clearly only has the cultivation of the Manifestation Yang level, and hasn't even broken through to the late stage yet, his strength is as high as 260 jun. How is that possible, how is that possible..."

He kept repeating "How could this be? How could this be?", looking completely distraught, clearly deeply shocked.

Of course, it wasn't just him; Cai Qiuhong and the other three at the Tribulation Realm were also completely stunned after hearing his description.

Even Cai Qiuhu, who had witnessed Xia Hong's attack and had a brief encounter with him before, froze on the spot.

He remembered clearly that last night at the foot of the pass, Xia Hong killed Cai Shiqi in front of his father and uncle Cai Qianshan. He was so angry that he immediately attacked, but Xia Hong blocked him.

At that time, he unleashed his strongest power, a full 245 jin. Although Xia Hong neutralized it, he could sense that Xia Hong's strength was at most a little over 200 jin.

He had never witnessed Xia Hong's full power, so he always thought that Xia Hong was at the peak of the Manifestation Yang level. Logically speaking, for someone at the peak of the Manifestation Yang level to have this kind of strength is extremely heaven-defying.

And now, his second brother, Cai Qiuning, actually said that Xia Hong has not yet broken through to the late stage of the Manifestation Yang level.

In the mid-stage of Xianyang, his strength exceeded 260 jun.

How...how is this possible...how is this possible?

For a moment, Cai Qiuhu was a little confused. He kept repeating the sentence in his mind, and even wondered if his second brother, Cai Qiuning, had been defeated by Xia Hong and had misread the situation due to his mental confusion.

"Siege!"

"Siege!"

While Cai Qiuhu and his men in the sky were in disarray, Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang, the two lords below, were also coerced by Cai Zhu and the two Tribulation Realm cultivators to give the order to attack the city to the 50,000-strong allied army of the two towns.

"Kill them all..."

"Brothers, once we capture Jinyang, the Xia army will not dare to kill our families."

"Once we capture Jinyang, and the main army marches south, the crisis in the city will be resolved on its own."

………………

The lords of the two towns were indeed skilled at brainwashing.

The two men actually managed to boost the morale of the 50,000-strong allied army. The 50,000 men charged toward the south gate of Jinyang City at the same time. Blood-red clouds filled the sky, and the armor covering the ground reflected a blinding cold light under the sunlight.

Although they were remnants of the army, their momentum was so overwhelming that it was almost dizzying.

(End of this chapter)