Chapter 306: Chapter 180: Advancing and Retreating in a Dilemma_3
Translator: 549690339
So this time, sending an army of two hundred thousand to attack Wuling Prefecture has completely caught Wu Du Sect and Zhou People off guard.
They never expected that Lu Yuan could send out so many soldiers, and that the target would be Wuling Prefecture.
In such a sudden situation, these two groups of bandits are undoubtedly in a difficult position to respond properly.
And this is Shangguan Ming’s opportunity.
As long as the Miao People retreat, he will lead the army to strike, and aim at the demoralized Zhou People for a fierce attack.
Driving them all back to the river.
Humph, a group of northerners on horseback dares to cross the river?
Who gave them the courage?
Some rejoice, some worry.
While Shangguan Ming’s army is filled with excitement and making preparations to attack the Zhou People, Lan Zhaoyun from Wu Du Sect has also arrived at Anxiang County, where Zhou People are stationed.
“General Li, our main sect is being attacked by a large number of Yue People, and Wuling Prefecture is in danger. We must withdraw our troops to help defend our headquarters and cannot stay here any longer.”
In the county government office, Lan Zhaoyun proposed to leave when he met Li Yanjing.
Li Yanjing’s face looked somewhat difficult upon hearing this: “Sect Leader Lan, the so-called massive army of two hundred thousand from Zhou People is nothing but bluff. Moreover, most of them are forcefully gathered civilian workers.”
“Now, they are making a lot of noise because they want to force you to withdraw your troops. If you really withdraw at this time, you will fall into the enemy’s trap. Sect Leader, please think thrice.”
Li Yanjing, the commander of the Zhou People who crossed the river to the south, naturally knew his situation clearly, as well as what could be expected by Shangguan Ming and his soldiers.
If he loses the Miao People as his wings and the local power to back him up.
His own soldiers, who are not accustomed to the southern land and water, would not be a match for the massive Yue army, even if they are well-trained.
Therefore, once the Miao People leave, Li Yanjing himself is afraid that he won’t be able to hold on for long.
But this southern expedition is crucial to whether Zhou Country can annihilate
Yue and unify Jiangnan.
Such a heavy responsibility, even as an Inborn Grandmaster, he feels unbearable.
So he naturally doesn’t want Lan Zhaoyun to take people away at this time.
But at this critical moment, while Li Yanjing is considering himself.
Lan Zhaoyun also has the same intention.
The Sect Leader of the Five Poisons spoke resolutely: ‘Whether the Yue People have a conspiracy or not, I’m clearer on this than General Li. I have been fighting against Lu Yuan for several years now.
I know his nature well: he is always cautious and acts after careful planning.
Now that he has launched an attack, he must have complete confidence, believing that even if I lead my army to help, he can still face me directly, or even defeat me in battle.
Such a person, even if his so-called army of two hundred thousand is just a bluff, there must be at least one hundred thousand troops.”
And since he has taken control of Luyang Prefecture, he has been constantly recruiting soldiers and horses. I heard that as early as last year, he recruited tens of thousands of soldiers.
Although the training of those soldiers is relatively short, their strength is already something I cannot ignore.”
As the saying goes, your enemy knows you best.
In the Five Poisons Sect’s list of enemies, Lu Yuan may not be the top enemy, but he is definitely the one they want to kill the most.
Therefore, although the Five Poisons Sect hasn’t targeted Lu Yuan as their main objective, they have always been sending people to observe his every move.
As for what Lu Yuan has done in Luyang Prefecture, whether it is managing the local area, recruiting soldiers and horses, or purchasing food and fodder from other places on a large scale, they have a good understanding.
It is precisely because they know so much that Lan Zhaoyun knows that if this mortal enemy really goes all out, it is possible he could overturn his Old Nest.
If he thinks of his headquarters, which had been handed down for thousands of years, may be occupied by the Yue People, and the Miao ancestral land may fall into the hands of the Yue People, the Sect Leader of the Five Poisons can’t sit still any longer.
So, in the name of an ally, he comes to bid farewell, and after a thought, he speaks to Li Yanjing: “General Li, Lu Yuan’s strength is far from as weak as it seems on the surface. If we underestimate him, we will definitely suffer a great loss.
General, you better make preparations early.
This time I will lead my soldiers back, and I have no confidence in repelling Lu Yuan.
If I fail here, your flank will also be lost. So, if possible, please relay a message to the north of the river, and ask them to send reinforcements.”
If you and I fail, it may not be far away.”
Having fought against the court for so long, Lan Zhaoyun was somewhat traumatized by the elite troops of the court.
He knew that with his civilian-worker-like Miao Soldiers, the gap between the military strength of his soldiers and those of the regular army was huge.
So at this time, when he thought that there might be tens of thousands of elite soldiers under Lu Yuan’s command, he couldn’t help but feel scared.
The last time they confronted the imperial army directly at Baling City, they were defeated miserably.
His fifty thousand Miao Soldiers were engaged in a head-on battle with twenty thousand imperial elites. Despite having twice as many soldiers, they were defeated in less than an hour.
This reality has bitterly poured cold water on Lan Zhaoyun’s original ambitions.
So when he returns to Wuling Prefecture this time, he has little confidence in defeating Lu Yuan. All he can think of is holding the city until the enemy’s food supply runs out and they retreat.
Didn’t Lu Yuan claim to have an army of two hundred thousand?
With two hundred thousand people, they would consume a huge amount of food and fodder daily.
They couldn’t support such a large-scale army for a long time with the little land they controlled. As long as they could hold out for three to five months, the other party would be unable to support and retreat.
This is where the hope lies.
Li Yanjing could see that Lan Zhaoyun was determined to leave, and he knew in his heart that he couldn’t persuade the other party. So, with a difficult expression on his face, he said: “I understand. Sect Leader Lan, if you want to go, then go. I will hold up the Yue People here.”
Lan Zhaoyun’s words sounded good, asking the Jiangbei to send reinforcements again.
However, since he led his soldiers across the river, the Yue People reacted quickly and immediately dispatched hundreds of warships to blockade the water routes between Jiangnan and Jiangbei.
Nowadays, the river is full of Yue boat masters. Where can the Zhou soldiers from Tianmen Prefecture send people?
But Lan Zhaoyun got one thing right.
If something goes wrong on his side, it won’t be easy for him here either.
Li Yanjing, who had his retreat route cut off, now entirely depended on the supplies from Wuling Prefecture’s Miao People for his whole army’s logistics.
If Wuling Prefecture is captured by Lu Yuan, then the food supply of his army will be cut off.
In that case, even if he can hold off Shangguan Ming’s fierce attack, without logistical food and fodder, he’s bound for destruction.
‘This perfect situation has been ruined by an unknown figure named Lu Yuan, leaving me trapped. This Yue People’s Pingxi General really doesn’t make a move, but when he does, it’s a deadly one.’
Thinking of the current terrible situation, Li Yanjing couldn’t help but grit his teeth in hatred towards Lu Yuan, who caused all this.
If he gets the chance to meet this bandit in the future, he must kill him..