Chapter 314: Chapter 183: Losing Courage at the Slightest Breeze_2
Translator: 549690339
With that thought in mind, Lan Cai’er finally arrived in Shao Yangfu’s Xinhua County after a full day’s hurried journey.
Previously, when Lan Zhaoyun led his troops to attack Shaoyang Prefecture from both south and north, he managed to conquer three counties in the north within half a year, threatening Shaoyang Prefecture City itself.
Unfortunately, Shaoyang Prefecture City was too well defended. Within the city, there were tens of thousands of soldiers brought by Zhou Qing, as well as another ten thousand local militia assisting. In addition to Zhou Qing, who had thoroughly assimilated Lu Yuan’s seal of reliability, he ignored Lan Zhaoyun’s provocations and refused to sortie out of the city for battle, regardless of any insults or challenges thrown his way.
Hence, even though Lan Zhaoyun launched several fierce attacks over the months, sacrificing tens of thousands of men in the process, the city still remained impenetrable.
In the contrary, he himself suffered great losses in troops and morale.
The Miao People’s militia, essentially a casual group, just wasn’t cut out for hardcore warfare. Thus, in the end, they could only bitterly withdraw their troops after witnessing Lan Cai’er successfully attacking the county city stealthily, and move north to reinforce their own daughter.
However, even though they retreated, Lan Zhaoyun did not completely abandon the fruits of his southern expedition.
The three counties in the north of Shaoyang Prefecture that they had conquered – Xinhua, Xin Shao, and Dragon Return – still had thousands of soldiers stationed in each county, leaving a total of ten thousand men behind.
The elder who was responsible for this area’s defense was Bai Shu Xuan, who had been newly promoted to be in charge of the area around Shaoyang Prefecture.
Therefore, upon arriving in Xinhua County, Lan Cai’er went straight to seek Bai Shu Xuan, who was stationed there.
“Sacred Maiden?”
The moment Bai Shu Xuan saw Lan Cai’er looking pale and covered in blood, he was instantly taken aback. He anxiously asked, “Are you okay? Do you need medical attention? I can immediately provide you with medicine to heal your injuries.”
“There’s no need.” Lan Cai’er stopped Bai Shu Xuan’s movement and went straight to the point: “I attempted to assassinate Lu Yuan, but I didn’t anticipate an Inborn Grandmaster being by his side. The assassination attempt failed, and I was surrounded by his large army.
After a fierce fight, I managed to break away from the encirclement.
However, I’ve been severely injured, and I won’t be able to make a move for at least a year and a half.
Now that Lu Yuan has an Inborn Grandmaster on his side and there is no one to check his power, the ten thousand men under your command won’t be able to hold the three northern counties of Shaoyang.
That’s why I’m here to tell you to withdraw your troops.
The Holy Sect is in grave danger, and we cannot afford to squander even a single soldier anymore.
Withdraw your forces back to the main sect in Wuling Prefecture. When I’ve recovered from my injuries, we’ll deal with the Yue people.”
For an Inborn Grandmaster, as long as the enemy’s numbers don’t exceed ten thousand, their entrance into the battlefield would be akin to a massacre.
It’s just like this time, when Lan Cai’er escaped from the encirclement of Lu Yuan’s thousands of troops effortlessly since Yan Wangqiu wasn’t there to restrict her.
If one adds troops to an Inborn Grandmaster, it’s equivalent to adding wings to a tiger, with their power multiplying several times over.
With an experienced Grandmaster like Yan Wangqiu, Lu Yuan just needs to use him as a Trojan horse and charge directly at the city. Regardless of how many men Bai Shu Xuan has, they would most likely be wiped out in a charge.
Lan Cai’er, leading a ragtag army, was able to stealthily attack and conquer the county city.
This time, with a host of elite troops by his side, conquering places like Xinhua will be even simpler for Lu Yuan.
This was exactly why Lan Cai’er, even after being wounded, decided not to immediately return to the headquarters of the Five Poisons Sect for recuperation but instead came straight to Xinhua and urged Bai Shu Xuan and his men to withdraw.
Her intent was to safeguard the remaining assets to the best of her ability.
“Yes.” Hearing that the Sacred Maiden had failed in her assassination attempt and fled back, Bai Shu Xuan’s face instantly turned serious. He realized the severity of the situation and responded promptly, “I’ll assemble the troops and withdraw back to the sect right away.”
“Good, go on then.”
Lan Cai’er nodded, and then said, “I will stay here for a few days. Once you’ve gathered the troops, I will accompany you back to the sectarian capital. Gather your men quickly; Lu Yuan could come after us at any time. Don’t delay.”
Since the Five Poisons Sect initiated the rebellion, they’ve been following Xi Shu’s Li Xiong’s example, seizing the opportunity to destroy several Jianghu sects within their territory, looting their historical assets to strengthen themselves.
In the range of Jiuyi Prefecture in the south, there was a first-rate sect that was wiped out by them. The accumulated wealth of this sect, which included Divine Blood Variants and all kinds of elixirs, naturally made their way into the hands of the Five Poisons Sect.
Thanks to these gains, the treasury of the Five Poisons Sect, which had been completely depleted in order to support Lan Cai’er’s breakthrough to becoming an Inborn, had once again become replenished.
Moreover, after the assassination of Li Gui, the Left and Right Protectors of the sect had both died in battle, causing severe losses among their top fighters.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Lan Zhaoyun distributed the Divine Blood Elixir and Divine Blood Variants that they had seized, among the outstanding younger generation in the sect, in order to enhance their strength.
Among them, Bai Shu Xuan was one of the beneficiaries.
Including him, the Five Poisons Sect had newly promoted four first-rate fighters, filling the gaps left by the death of their Left and Right Protectors.
However, as a result, the rewards gained from destroying that first-rate sectarian clan, as well as the final remaining treasury of the sect, were all completely squandered.
Moreover, the expansionist aspirations of the Five Poisons Sect, had met with consecutive setbacks due to the crackdown of the royal court, as well as Lu Yuan’s intervention.
Their original plan of annihilating first-rate sects one by one and harvesting their wealth, had now been completely foiled.
Therefore, for the Five Poisons Sect, Bai Shu Xuan and the other three first-rate fighters were the only high-end forces remaining.
Anyone’s death would be irreparable for the next few years.
Taking into account the tens of thousands of troops following them, this large force was incredibly significant to the Five Poisons Sect in its present state.
Hence, although Lan Cai’er knew that staying could be dangerous, she still didn’t want to leave.
She wanted to stay and provide some more support, at least escorting them back to Wuling Prefecture.
