Chapter 834: Preparing to Strike

"Beijia claims to be the world's premier power, and no other nation dares to disagree; the Tiangong is known as the earthly residence of the gods, a place considered sacred even in Lingxu City." He Chunhua sighed softly. "If Zhang Lianhai were to go to the Yuan capital to meet the monarch, even the monarch would have to treat him with great warmth." This man, Zhang Lianhai, was not important, but the power he represented was.

Qiu Hu suddenly said, "Didn't Lingxu City and the Tiangong get turned upside down half a year ago? It's said the death toll reached at least one hundred thousand, and to this day, the true culprit hasn't been caught."

"I have indeed heard of it." He Chunhua nodded. "We have no way of knowing the intricacies involved, but the strength of the Tiangong remains beyond doubt."

He was unclear about how much mystery lay behind the upheaval in Lingxu City, but the strength of Beijia was tangible and real.

One must show sufficient respect to the strong; he had always been a pragmatist.

Subsequently, he and He Lingchuan visited the teams sent by the Baling Kingdom and the Jianyang Sect, respectively.

In the small city of Heishui, there were now four factions: the Tiangong, Baling, the Jianyang Sect, and Rongshan. Counting He Chunhua, that made five.

The Andong people outside the city also harbored designs on the Great Fang Hu.

Not to mention that there were likely other factions in the desert currently rushing toward the Panlong ruins.

By this count, the Panlong Desert was truly exceptionally lively right now.

Therefore, the father and son of the He family didn't have to exert much effort to persuade the two teams from Baling and the Jianyang Sect to join the battle.

The secret to persuading these outside forces lay in demonstrating control over the battlefield.

Everyone only wants to stand on the side of the winner.

If He Chunhua didn't appear confident enough, these fellows might just defect and side with the Andong people.

After all, they only needed to help the winning side; it didn't matter who the winner was.

The He father and son also took time to return to the inn for a small meeting to think about tactics against the Andong people.

"The best method is to have these groups strike from the east of the city to attract the Andong people's attention, while we take the opportunity to break through from the Beimen." He Chunhua carried a sand table with him, which he now placed on the table. "I brought a hunting falcon; it has already flown out several times to scout the enemy situation. The Andong people have set up their main camp under Mount Hulu—"

"Mount Hulu?" He Lingchuan was startled; the name was so familiar.

"Yes, the same Mount Hulu where you fell off the cliff." He Chunhua moved his finger across the sand table. "The terrain there is good—easy to defend and hard to attack. What are your thoughts?"

He Lingchuan spoke up immediately: "In my opinion, the combat strength of the Andong army isn't that great."

"How so?"

"If they were strong, why would they wait twenty years to seize Heishuicheng?" He Lingchuan laughed. "The fatigue of Great Yuan hasn't just appeared in the last two years. The Andong people must have been watching for a long time, and only when the Panlong Desert changed did they decide to attack."

In his view, the Andong people attacking a Yuan city was just two weaklings pecking at each other.

"..." There was no flaw in that; He Chunhua couldn't find a reason to refute it.

"The Andong people aren't strong, which is good news for us. With the Heishuicheng army plus the extra ragtag help, as long as we can scatter the Andong people's flank forces, they will likely be thrown into a panic." He Lingchuan continued, "But we cannot count on ragtag teams like the Tiangong or Baling to really give us their all."

He Chunhua was also very clear on this point: "True. As long as they have a chance to leave the city, they will certainly leave without hesitation."

Their goal was just to get out of the city, not to live and die with Heishuicheng.

"So, handing the eastern front directly to them is inappropriate." He Lingchuan pondered. "Better to put them among the troops on the southern front."

"It would be best to sneak into their rear." He Chunhua pointed to Mount Hulu on the sand table. "The Andong people came from afar with light cavalry and simple equipment; they didn't bring many supplies, and it's not yet the season for grain collection, so most of their food must be transported from the north."

"As long as we burn their grain, they won't be able to stay here long and will have to retreat north." He Lingchuan instantly grasped his idea. "If they can't take Heishuicheng, and there's a vast desert to the north, they'll have to withdraw if they can't find food."

"That is the logic." He Chunhua looked at his eldest son, masking the complex emotions in his heart.

How could his Chuan'er be so capable of drawing inferences and possess such clever insight?

Sigh.

His eldest son smiled at him slightly, as if he couldn't see his worries at all.

Would there be scenes like this in the future, where father and son were of one mind, resisting foreign enemies together? At dusk, Hongyan Restaurant.

The various factions invited by the He father and son had all arrived. He Chunhua analyzed the situation inside and outside the city to their faces and assigned tasks to everyone present.

It was actually very simple: the three factions—Tiangong, Baling, and the Jianyang Sect—totaling over seventy people, were all arranged within the Nanmen team.

"The main force of the Heishuicheng army will meet the enemy from the Dongmen, and another team will exit from the Beimen, feigning a move to the rear. Once the Andong army is drawn away, you will exit from the Nanmen and sneak to Mount Hulu to raid their main camp!"

He Chunhua gestured on the sand table: "It's about seven li from the Nanmen to Mount Hulu. With your abilities, you can reach it in no time."

He smiled and said, "As long as the rear camp catches fire, the vanguard will surely fall into chaos. When that happens, we can attack from both front and rear and crush the Andong people."

The various factions had no objections after hearing this. The pressure of this tactic was all on the Heishuicheng army; they had to withstand the Andong people's offensive and buy time for the Nanmen team.

Zhang Lianhai, however, said: "You've arranged all of us into one team? You aren't using us as bait, are you?"

"Mr. Zhang, what are you saying? The Nanmen team has a heavy task; whether this battle can be won depends on whether you can successfully raid the camp. Otherwise, the battle will have to be extended indefinitely." He Chunhua waved his hand. "If you don't want to stay in the Nanmen team, you can switch to the Beimen or the Dongmen. But there, you will likely have to face the Andong people's charge head-on."

The various factions thought about it and no one proposed a switch.

It was indeed as He Chunhua said: the Nanmen team's combat mission was easier, but also more important.

So it was settled.

He Chunhua agreed on the signal for the attack with everyone, and then the meeting dispersed.

At this moment, Zhang Lianhai's attendant interjected: "By the way, where is your son? Which route is he on?"

He Lingchuan had not appeared; only He Chunhua had shown his face at Hongyan Restaurant.

Chief He's expression remained unchanged: "He has gone to the northern route to make preparations."

The pressure of the northern strike was not small at all.

Where was He Lingchuan at this time?

Since He Chunhua had publicly stated at Hongyan Restaurant that his eldest son was at the Beimen, He Lingchuan was naturally not at the Beimen.

In the battle-torn Heishuicheng, there was actually one quietest corner: the Ximen.

This city's Ximen was the highest and most solid. The Andong people wanted to pick the soft persimmons, so they mainly attacked the North and East Gates this time, while simply sending people to surround and guard the remaining two gates to prevent Heishuicheng from secretly sending out troops.

So the Ximen was peaceful; the enemy and our side on the city walls were just staring at each other, with no desire to fight.

Everyone was just a gatekeeper; as long as they performed their duties, that was enough.

He Lingchuan did not open the Ximen wide to charge out; instead, he led Qiu Hu and over seventy others to the most remote place inside the Ximen.

The Li Family Charity Cemetery.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 835 =====