Chapter 2646: Prevention Before It Happens

Zhuang Yinan paused and then said: "That fisherman's family child also said, a ship came at night on the wild beach, which is just one night's work, that is, they were all loaded at once and all landed."

"The landing times of these two troops were very close, so they must have been transported by two different fleets. Given the transport capacity of Bai Sha Bay at this time of year, it should be difficult to support three troops arriving and landing." He Lingchuan paused, "Don't forget, Fu Shanlie's main battle army is still waiting to embark at Bai Sha Bay, and his priority is also high."

Speed is essential in warfare. After Beijia occupied the Maohe Plain, they wasted no time, directly capturing Bai Sha Bay to use it as a stepping stone to advance into the southern Panlong Wasteland. Therefore, Fu Shanlie's army is also racing against time, the earlier they land the better.

However, Bai Sha Bay has too few ships, making allocation a problem.

The ocean is not land; troops cannot march across it on foot. The speed at which troops cross depends on how many ships are available.

This is a factor beyond conventional warfare, which the Tiger Wing General also considered, and all the commanders agreed.

Hu Min nodded: "That's right. In the past two years of war on the Maohe Plain, Bai Sha Bay's cargo volume has greatly decreased, so even in the busy season, there are not as many merchant ships docking as before."

Compared to five years ago, there are many fewer ships, transport capacity has correspondingly decreased, and in a short time, the number of Beijia troops that can land along Chongguo's coast is even more limited.

Transporting several thousand people should be the upper limit.

However, Hu Min immediately pointed at the sand table and asked: "This route looks good, but how will they pass through the Yingniao Plain?"

He lightly tapped the sand table, enlarging the details. Thus everyone saw that this area on the sand table lies between two mountain ranges, adjacent to a great river, and appears quite open at a glance.

"The Yingniao Plain is vast, mainly gravel soil, almost no trees, not even shrubs or grass clumps are tall, but it hosts countless birds. If the Beijia army marches across this plain, they cannot escape the eyes of the flying birds in the sky." Hu Min shook his head, "Unless they boldly gamble on luck, and if luck is good and they are not discovered, they can pass. Otherwise, their whereabouts will still be exposed in advance. But the Yingniao Plain is already not far from the Panlong border, our scouts often patrol there, so they should not dare to take this risk."

Zhuang Yinan wanted to speak but hesitated.

Indeed, this is an unavoidable flaw in his reasoning.

Assuming Fu Shanlie still dispatched a stealth army, how could they traverse this vast and flat Yingniao Plain without being detected by the scout avian demons? The sharp eyes of hawks and falcons can scan the plain from hundreds of zhang high in the sky.

Even mice and rabbits in the grass cannot hide from them, let alone hundreds or thousands of living people?

Hu Min waited for Zhuang Yinan's continuation. After thinking, he spoke with less certainty:

"Perhaps they avoid the Yingniao Plain, take a longer detour, and enter the territory of the Ten Bright Sect?"

"The Ten Bright Sect's territory has boundary markers; once crossed, divine powers and spells will trigger an alarm. Moreover, the Ten Bright Sect has already received a warning from Panlong, so they will likely increase patrols recently. If the Beijia people are wise, they would not take this risk either."

The Ten Bright Sect is an ally of Panlong, relations are very good, and they are also members of the Ling Mountain.

He Lingchuan, however, stared at the Yingniao Plain on the sand table, his eyes flickering.

Zhuang Yinan's reasoning is actually quite sound; if a safe way to cross this plain can be found, Fu Shanlie might truly choose this route.

The problem is how to achieve it?

Previously, He Lingchuan and Fu Shanlie had been opponents in Liangchuan for half a year, deeply knowing this man differs from other Beijia generals, his mind is agile, he often employs surprise tactics, and he loves to strike the enemy unexpectedly—this point is actually quite similar to He Lingchuan himself.

So, what method would it be?

Would it be a spell of concealment, or like the snail toad, a special demon or magical artifact capable of carrying living people?

Not only Dong Rui, but also the master of Red Lu can create a giant monster fish that can gulp and carry living people; then what is so strange about the Northern Demon Country producing several similar demonic creatures?

Of course, whether it is the snail toad or the monster fish, the only problem is that their carrying capacity is too small. This limitation persists even in the real world where spiritual energy is more abundant.

Like the Earth Mother, a huge-capacity existence that can store living beings and even burrow underground—let alone He Lingchuan, even the widely experienced immortals seem to have no memory of a second such being.

Alas, if the Earth Mother could also be used in the Panlong world, it would be good. In this war, it could easily change the outcome of a campaign.

However, speaking of which, the spiritual energy environment of the Panlong world is inferior to that of the real world; even if he could bring the Earth Mother here, this spiritual concentration might still be insufficient to support its free movement, and it would still have to slumber underground.

Upon thinking of "fish," his gaze fell upon the Yingniao Plain, and he slightly focused.

"Hu Min, Men Ban, Wang Changfu, Lu Da'an, you take three thousand five hundred men to rush to Fululu Gou, support Xu Zhiyu. He already has three thousand men under him; you will double his force upon arrival, and victory against Huoye Chan should be assured."

He spoke to appoint commanders; the four were startled and responded loudly.

The so-called vanguard army is meant to cut through thorns and brambles, needing both speed and time. The vanguard army brought by Huoye Chan must surely be the elite of the Beijia army, just as the Red General once used He Lingchuan's broken blade squad as vanguard to break through the defense of Longthroat Pass.

However, during the two-year Pan-Beijia War, both sides reached a consensus: the individual combat strength of the Panlong army exceeds that of the Beijia soldiers by more than a notch!

Whether it is average level or elite capability.

Beijia certainly would not admit this outwardly, but this has long been a tacit fact between the two nations.

Therefore, Xu Zhiyu's three thousand men, plus the Tiger Wing Army's three thousand men, facing Huoye Chan's four thousand troops, the win rate can be increased by more than double.

"Zhuang Yinan, Sha Wei, Lu Xing, you lead one thousand men and follow me to the Yingniao Plain."

Men Ban exclaimed in surprise: "General, you are only bringing one thousand men?"

"Even if Fu Shanlie truly dispatched a second troop secretly, do you think their numbers are large?" He Lingchuan pointed his chin at the Yingniao Plain, "Rest assured, as long as they dare to go, we will surround them completely."

The commanders naturally trusted him; since he said so, no one asked further.

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Shen Guo borderlands, Heishuicheng.

Among all the border cities of Shen Guo, Heishuicheng is a unique existence. This is not only because it is adjacent to the Hongya Trade Route and the Panlong Wasteland, but also because it is the place where Shen Guo's founding emperor, He Chunhua, rose to prominence.

Before this campaign to assault the mausoleum and the war between Shen Guo and Bapel began, the area of Heishuicheng, compared to when He Chunhua served as governor here, had already expanded nearly fourfold, truly making it Shen Guo's foremost border city and a major hub for foreign trade.

However, the current Heishuicheng appears bustling with carriages and horses, but in reality, the true merchants and travelers have dwindled to only thirty percent of their former numbers. Most convoys are official government transports, specially dedicated to carrying war supplies—this place is not far from the war front between Shen Guo and Bapel.

(End of Chapter)