Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 561 A Devastating Defeat: Players Become Pawns

Cai Qiuhu's strength increased in tandem with his level of mania.

His body emitted a layer of golden light, which then rapidly expanded, instantly transforming him into a thirty-foot giant, with the blue decapitation blade in his hand enlarging proportionally.

The blade that was originally locked in a stalemate with Xia Hong suddenly slammed down like a tidal wave as he roared and increased his strength, forcing Xia Hong to retreat repeatedly.

boom!
"Keep charging! The Xia army hasn't arrived yet. Charge across the north bank!"

Cai Qiuhu was not yet blinded by anger.

After unleashing his thirty-zhang-long golden battle body, he did not continue to fly through the air. Instead, he stepped into the ravine at the mouth of the valley. The intense fire elemental energy emitted a scorching heat that instantly evaporated the little water in the ravine.

With He Yang's water-controlling trickery blocking the way, there was indeed not much water in the ravine.

From the moment Xia Hong appeared, the temperature inside and outside the valley suddenly rose. At the same time, He Yang's trickery was completely ineffective. Without his obstruction, the water naturally began to rush into the ravine.

However, the artificial water channel dug by Xiang Liang and the rebels was too small in scale and took too little time to fill all the ditches outside the valley entrance in a short period of time.

Furthermore, with Cai Qiuhu's fire elemental energy evaporating, the water level in the ravine simply wouldn't rise. Without a rising water level, there was no way to stop the army.

The fact that he ordered the army to speed up their rush out of the ravine at this moment shows that although Cai Qiuhu's emotions were running high, his mind was still quite clear.

While giving orders to the army, Cai Qiuhu did not press his advantage against Xia Hong. Instead, he stood directly in the ravine, using his fire elemental energy to resist the water flow while keeping a close eye on Xia Hong, clearly worried that he would interfere with the army's advance.

"roar…………"

However, Xia Hong's lips twitched slightly. He didn't go down to deal with him at all. He just waved his hand lightly, and a tiger, two snakes, and two blue-eyed lions, five beast king-level puppets, suddenly crashed down from mid-air, heading straight for Cai Qiuhu.

His strength is still somewhat inferior to Cai Qiuhu's. The serious injury he suffered in the previous battle with Cai Qianshan was faked, but he was indeed injured. He certainly wouldn't fight Cai Qiuhu one-on-one now.

Five beast king-level puppets are enough to give Cai Qiuhu a run for his money.

With the appearance of the five Beast Kings, Cai Qiuhu indeed felt increased pressure. The fire elemental calamity energy that had been maintaining high pressure began to weaken. As soon as it weakened, the water level in the ditch rose at an extremely fast speed.

"Faster, faster! The rebels on the north bank have been driven back. As long as they break through, everything will be fine. Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Several generals commanding troops on the north bank urged them on loudly. The generals were much stronger than the soldiers, so they rushed out of the ravine first. They knew that 100,000 Xia troops would arrive soon, so they had to race against time.

Cai Qiu's 5,000 elite troops were undeniably strong. With the assistance of Cai Qiuhu and his group of experts, most of them had already rushed out of the ravine. After Cai Qiuhu unleashed his Golden Body Battle Form, they charged forward with all their might. The water level had only risen to their ankles when they all rushed out of the ravine, and they drove the rebel army into a series of defeats. In less than a few dozen breaths, they firmly occupied the north bank.

Cai Qiuhu's golden battle body continuously released fire-elemental calamity energy, frantically evaporating the water in the ravine, preventing the water level from rising. Meanwhile, Cai Qiu's main force of 140,000 troops began to pour into the ravine, wading across it and rushing to the north bank.

Despite the large number of troops, the 140,000-strong main force moved swiftly across the water under the constant urging of their high-ranking generals. In less than a quarter of an hour, nearly half of them had rushed down the ravine, and the number of those who reached the north bank was almost ten thousand.

Logically, once the main force had crossed the ravine and completely repelled the rebels to occupy the north bank, the ravine would transform into Caiqiu's most powerful weapon to block the 100,000 Xia troops.

However, seeing this excellent situation, Cai Qiuhu, who was entangled with the Beast King puppet, showed no joy on his face. Instead, his pupils were filled with gloom and shock, clearly indicating that he had thought of something bad.

"The Great Xia Dynasty has fourteen Beast King-level puppets. Why would Xia Hong only release five to deal with him? Is it because their abilities have diminished, or is it intentional...?"

Clang...

The cyan decapitation blade cleaved through the air, sending the blue-eyed fire lion flying. Then, it waved its hand to force back the other two puppets. This thought flashed through Cai Qiuhu's mind. He took a moment to look up at the sky and saw Xia Hong in mid-air with an expressionless face. His breath caught in his throat.

The answer is actually quite obvious!

Xia Hong's father and uncle did not seriously injure him, so how could Xia Hong's abilities have diminished?
He only brought out five puppets, clearly intending to let part of Cai Qiu's army rush into the ravine. Why did he do that?
"Fire arrows!"

A loud command came from behind, and Cai Qiuhu trembled violently. He turned his head to look behind him, and his eyes immediately turned bloodshot.

A thick white fog had somehow appeared behind Cai Qiu's army. As soon as the command to fire the arrows was given, a barrage of crossbow bolts formed a black curtain from the fog, pressing down on the rear ranks of Cai Qiu's army.

The Great Xia's ability to ban trickery only applies to other people; the Xia army can still use trickery. This dense fog that blocks vision has already appeared once in Donggu City; it is Luo Yuan's trickery fog barrier.

The Xia army had already moved closer. The reason they hadn't shown themselves for so long was all intentional. They wanted to wait for some of Caiqiu's soldiers to enter the ravine. In this way, the number of troops in the valley would be greatly reduced, and the Xia army, with its numerical advantage, could charge up without any risk!
Cai Qiuhu realized what was happening, but it was too late...

"Turn back to meet the enemy! The Xia army has arrived!"

"Fight the enemy? Half of us have fallen into the ravine. How can we fight the enemy? Hurry up and rush down into the ravine. Once we get to the north bank, we'll be fine!"

"What about the brothers in the back? The valley entrance is too narrow, we can't get there quickly!"

………………

As the Xia army unleashed a barrage of arrows, Cai Qiu and his generals immediately panicked. Some thought they should continue down the ravine to the north bank, while others thought they should turn back to meet the enemy. They could not reach a consensus.

Normally, if opinions cannot be agreed upon, we can simply discuss it again.

But what critical juncture is this right now?

Xia Jun has already pressed his advantage. If we can't reach a consensus at this critical juncture, do you think they'll wait for us?
"The rear guard fires arrows to kill the enemy soldiers trapped in the pits, while the front guard charges!"

This time, it was Xia Hong who spoke up personally.

His voice was filled with murderous intent. Upon hearing it, the 100,000 Xia soldiers were instantly energized, as if they had been injected with chicken blood. The vanguard surged forward like a tidal wave, while the rearguard drew their bows or wielded their crossbows, their arms swinging wildly.

In the first half of the night, the Xia army won a great victory in the battle on the south side of the Bone-Eating Road, but suffered a lot of casualties. In all the previous battles of the Great Xia, there had never been such a large-scale casualty incident.

The saying "the people of Xia are precious" is not just an empty phrase!
Since the Great Xia Dynasty implemented the system of combining military service and hunting, soldiers have always lived and worked together except during their rest periods. The soldiers in the same unit and battalion have a relationship that is even closer than that of blood brothers. Some soldiers who lost their comrades in the first half of the night now have a chance to take revenge, and their fighting spirit is unimaginable.

Of course, the most important thing is that victory is right in front of us!
With the southern foothills already secured, this battle for the Xia army can be considered a long expedition.

For an army, victory is the best stimulant. The consecutive victories on the southern slope, coupled with the defeat of Caiqiu at the southern exit last night, have made the morale of the Xia army soar to an unprecedented level.

Of the 150,000 defeated troops in Caiqiu, less than 20,000 made it to the north bank. A small portion of them were still in the ravines, and those remaining in the valley entrance numbered less than 70,000.

Seventy thousand against one hundred thousand—they should have been a formidable force. Considering Caiqiu's status as a regional military governor, in the past, these seventy thousand troops might not have even taken the one hundred thousand Xia troops seriously. However, the disastrous defeat at the southern exit was less than half a night ago. While one defeat wouldn't necessarily instill a deep-seated fear of the Xia army in all of Caiqiu's soldiers, it certainly eroded their previous confidence. At the very least, they currently held no psychological advantage against the Xia army.

With no psychological advantage, the water level in the northern ravines was rising higher and higher, already submerging the chests of many soldiers. Commander-in-chief Cai Qiuhu was trapped in the ravine by five Beast King puppets, and many Xianyang-level soldiers were also entangled by Xia army experts.

Soldiers have eyes, and they can judge the future based on the battlefield situation. At this moment, Cai Qiu is clearly in a state of great defeat, which is obvious to everyone, including them.

The soldiers of Caiqiu were filled with utter despair at that moment.

With the balance of power shifting, the outcome of the battle between the two armies is self-evident.

Cai Qiu's army had abandoned its baggage to speed up their advance, but the Xia army chasing from behind did not. They had all the necessary bows, crossbows, and elixirs, and their weapons and armor were temporarily replaced with the least damaged ones.

"puff…………"

Dozens of Xia Jun's flag bearers plunged straight into the heart of Cai Qiu's army formation like long swords, while more than a dozen Xianyang-level experts slammed down from mid-air, firmly planting the flags on the ground.

As soon as the flag was raised, the Xia soldiers had a direction and charged straight at the last row of soldiers of Caiqiu like sharp knives.

This was no longer a dramatic event; it was almost a one-sided massacre and crushing defeat. The Xia army surged into the valley like hungry wolves, forcing Cai Qiu's army to retreat to both sides. The ground was instantly stained red with blood.

The desperate soldiers of Caiqiu began to fight back, but they were far inferior to the Xia army in terms of numbers, strength, and morale.

"Roar!"

Six Beast King puppets suddenly pounced down from the mountains on both sides of the valley entrance. Instead of heading towards Cai Qiuhu in the ravine, they charged towards Cai Qiu's army formation inside the valley entrance.

This slaughterous feast has only just begun.

Splash splash splash splash...

Cai Qiuhu turned his head and saw soldiers dying one after another. A look of despair flashed across his face. It was unclear whether he was being forced too hard by the five beast kings or if he had completely given up hope. His expression even began to look somewhat dazed.

The loud sound of rushing water came from the east side, but Cai Qiuhu had no mind to look. He was already struggling to hold on while fighting the five beast kings and the fire elemental calamity had been going on for so long.

As his fiery aura weakened, the rate at which the water in the pit evaporated slowed down instantly, and the water level naturally began to rise rapidly.

As the water level rose, the fate of the Caiqiu soldiers who were trapped in the pit and hadn't yet managed to escape was predictable.

"Water's coming! Water's coming! Get out of there quickly, don't block the way!"

"The Xia army is almost at the shore! Run! Run!"

"The water level is rising so fast! Run, run now!"

"Get out of the way, hurry up!"

"Run away..."

………………

In the icy abyss, the water is more dangerous than the land, which has led to most people being unable to swim and having a natural fear of water.

The cold-resistant ability can control the skin and flesh, so the soldiers won't drown. However, the rushing water will trigger their instinctive fear, and the already panicked soldiers will become even more disoriented.

For a time, dejection, anger, and roars filled the entire pit. Driven by the will to survive, some people even started to attack their own comrades.

"The army has been utterly defeated, utterly defeated! My Caiqiu army has been routed like this, utterly routed like this! It's over, it's over, it's over..."

boom!
Cai Qiuhu was momentarily stunned and was knocked down by the Azure-Eyed Fire Lion. In despair, he no longer stayed in the pit, but instead flew into the air and stood there, looking at his own soldiers who were making a mess in the water. He muttered to himself, his voice full of pain and despair.

Just a few days ago, the young Fangbo was chatting confidently with Xia Hong, but now he is nothing but dejected and desperate.

Cai Qiuhu's mind was filled with rage as he thought about the battle in Linchu County. He even felt a slight sweetness in his throat and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

When the war broke out in Linchu County, he and his father and uncle Cai Qianshan had already guessed that the Xia army and Chencang were most likely in cahoots.

Chen Cang's 100,000-strong army had clearly marched south from the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor, yet the Great Xia only focused on Cai Qiu from beginning to end. Xia Hong didn't leave Jinyang even for a moment. This could only prove that Chen Cang's 100,000-strong army either didn't move at all, or they weren't really going to fight the Great Xia; they were just putting on a show.

Previously it was just speculation, but now that we know Chencang has sent troops to Linchu County, that speculation has been completely confirmed.

In the current situation, Caiqiu has been outmaneuvered by both the Xia and Chencang families!

Cai Qiu, as one of the four vassal states of Mo'aochuan, was originally a true chess player. From beginning to end, he and his father and uncle were thinking about how to better compete with Chencang for the interests of the southern foothills, destroy the Great Xia, and share the southern foothills equally with Chencang. This was the result that he and his father and uncle had planned.

This scene not only slapped him and his father and uncle in the face, but also turned Cai Qiu into a complete joke.

What kind of chess player is Cai Qiu?
They've clearly become pawns, at the mercy of the Daxia and Chencang families!

"With the loss of Changqing Valley, Qinghua City is now the only remaining gateway to the south; with the loss of Linchu Highlands, the western flank is no longer protected. Chencang, with its superior position, can be attacked at will. Caiqiu has no chance of contending for hegemony anymore, and can only rely on alliances with foreign vassals for self-preservation. Everything is over, everything is over..."

Cai Qiuhu kept muttering "It's over." As his spirit was extinguished, his golden body could no longer be maintained. His body slowly shrank, and he could only numbly resist the attacks of the Beast King Puppet.

After all, it was a Beast King-level puppet. Although Cai Qiuhu had the cultivation of a second-stage Tribulation Body Realm cultivator, he could not afford to be distracted for even a moment. With his mind in chaos, his body was quickly struck several times by the puppet. In an instant, his flesh was torn into several pieces, and his figure began to stagger. It seemed that he was in danger of losing his life.

"Young Master Fang, as long as we live, we can overcome any situation. The Xia army is powerful today, so let's retreat for now and fight back when we have regrouped our forces!"

"My lord, Fang Bo is currently defending Chencang in Linchu County. We, Caiqiu, still have hundreds of thousands of troops. What do we have to fear from the Great Xia? We must not lose heart!"

"Young Master Fang, let's go! Changqing Valley hasn't fallen yet. The strength of the Great Xia army is far inferior to that of Caiqiu. The army from Qinghua City will arrive soon. If we reorganize our army, we can still hold Changqing Valley!"

........................

Several words of encouragement from Cai Qiuhu's generals finally brought him back to his senses. He straightened up, looked up at Xia Hong in the sky, and a fighting spirit rose again in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)