Chapter 299: Keen, Regrouping, Bai Qiucheng

48th Year of Longyou, June 22nd

Just as dawn was breaking, at the entrance of the Xia Straight Road on the southeast side of Wu Shuang.

Li Ying Xuan Ling looked into the depths of the passage, her brow furrowed, saying nothing.

The dozen or so Longshan people behind her were the same, all quietly staring into the pitch-black depths of the passage, clearly waiting for something.

Tap, tap, tap…………

Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps came from within the passage.

The crowd finally perked up and immediately looked up.

The person who arrived was Meng Ying. He was clearly in a hurry. Seeing Li Ying Xuan Ling, he immediately rushed over, cupped his hands, and said: "Reporting to the Leader, this tunnel has a total length of twenty-three kilometers. The other exit is less than two kilometers west of the Hive encampment. The entire passage is almost completely buried under accumulated snow; if you aren't careful, you definitely wouldn't find it.

No wonder Xia Hong was able to withdraw all the people from Wu Shuang right under our noses without anyone knowing."

"You should be glad that he only withdrew the people without anyone knowing."

Li Ying Xuan Ling's expression sank slightly as she continued: "With this tunnel, Great Xia's marching speed is more than ten times that of our Longshan. The four hours we spent marching from Songyuan last night were likely enough for Great Xia to secretly transfer all their Earth-Digging Realm experts to Wu Shuang.

It is fortunate that Xia Hong had no intention of holding Wu Shuang to the death; otherwise, thinking we only had to deal with four thousand people, we would have foolishly charged up, and in the end, we would certainly have had to pay a multiple of the price to take Wu Shuang."

When this was said, the scouts behind her, Li Xuanping, Li Xuanqiu, and others, all lowered their heads slightly, their expressions very awkward.

By now, they naturally all realized that they had been deceived by the false information deliberately released by Great Xia last night.

The 1,000 people who came from Hanqiong, as well as the group that was clearly withdrawing but pretended to be heading toward Wu Shuang, were all deliberately meant to confuse Longshan, making them mistakenly believe that Great Xia was going to hold Wu Shuang to the death.

And the two groups led by Li Xuanping and Li Xuanqiu, who brought back the two pieces of false information, naturally bore the greatest responsibility.

Before dawn, Li Ying Xuan Ling had already severely scolded the two in front of everyone, so she naturally wouldn't say anything more at this moment.

"Building a tunnel under the snow—why didn't we think of that?"

Just as Li Ying Xuan Ling was about to speak, Li Xuandu, who had been observing from the side, couldn't help but pat his head and let out a sigh.

Seeing that everyone immediately turned to look at him, Li Xuandu pointed at the tunnel, not hiding the admiration on his face in the slightest, and spoke slowly:

"I have also looked at the tunnel to the northeast. These two tunnels of Great Xia are basically built with wood taken from nearby. To enhance sturdiness, a small amount of iron material was mixed in.

Although this tunnel is over twenty kilometers long, it only consumed wood, so the cost is not high at all. Not only is the cost not high, but the human resources required are also not many. Aside from needing Earth-Digging Realm experts to drive the piles, the rest can basically be handled by Woodcutting Realm experts.

Building it is not troublesome, but the significance it brings is extremely important. With these two tunnels, the round-trip time between Hanqiong, the Hive, and Wu Shuang is shortened several times over, the efficiency of transporting supplies is doubled, and the army can support each other in a very short time. The connection between the three places has instantly become tight."

Seemingly not having said enough, Li Xuandu paused and continued:

"Not only is building it not troublesome, but the maintenance cost is also extremely low. Because this tunnel is too long, unless there is organized human sabotage or a beast tide of an excessively large scale, even if there is any damage, it would at most be a small section, which can be repaired in time.

Moreover, the Frozen Abyss has snow drifting all year round. No matter how this tunnel is built, it will eventually be covered by heavy snow, and it is usually difficult for people to discover it easily.

Concealment, connectivity, convenience, extremely low construction and maintenance costs, and even the defensive nature is quite good. This tunnel has almost taken every aspect into account. It's too amazing, truly too amazing!"

………………

The group of Cold-Resistant Realm experts from Longshan were not stupid. After listening to Li Xuandu's words, they immediately realized how formidable this tunnel was.

Even so, the crowd did not give much of a reaction.

Li Xuandu also realized that the army had come to Wu Shuang last night and come up empty, so Longshan's morale was already damaged. Saying these things now would inevitably boost Great Xia's prestige. After pondering for a moment, he continued:

"It's a pity, I don't know if Great Xia is too stupid or too confident. When they withdrew from Wu Shuang last night, they didn't destroy this tunnel. They can walk it, so naturally, we can walk it too. The two tunnels that Great Xia spent so much effort to build can be considered a wedding dress made for our Longshan."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the Longshan crowd immediately lit up.

That's right!

Xia Hong has already abandoned Wu Shuang and taken four thousand people to retreat and hold the Hive.

Don't these two tunnels belong to Longshan now?

It would be much more convenient for the three thousand Longyou troops to walk the tunnel from Wu Shuang to the Hive.

"Heh, naive..."

The mentality of sitting back and enjoying the fruits of others' labor that had just arisen in everyone's minds was immediately interrupted by a cold laugh from Li Ying Xuan Ling.

Li Ying Xuan Ling turned her head to look at the tunnel and said in a deep voice: "Too stupid, too confident—you really dare to think that. How many losses have we suffered at Xia Hong's hands? You can think of destroying the tunnel so we can't use it, so how could he not think of it?"

Li Xuandu was stunned upon hearing this, and immediately after realizing it, a layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and he nodded.

"The Leader is right, I was too naive!"

Judging from the few brief dealings with Xia Hong, the depth of this man's mind is rare. Not destroying the tunnel is very likely intentional. Xia Hong has probably long since left behind some measures, just waiting for them to walk the straight road.

The rest of the Longshan people also realized this, their expressions sinking slightly. Looking at the pitch-black depths of the tunnel, their eyes also revealed a great deal of vigilance.

Seeing the solemnity and vigilance on the faces of the crowd after being awakened by her, Li Ying Xuan Ling's beautiful brows furrowed slightly, and she revealed a confident look: "No need for that. I said before dawn that the more tricks Great Xia has, the happier I am, because this proves that Xia Hong does not have the strength to confront us head-on and can only use these underhanded methods to try to contend with the Longshan military might!"

Hearing this, the crowd's spirits stirred, and the dejection on their faces immediately dissipated quite a bit.

Indeed, after coming up empty at Wu Shuang last night, Li Ying Xuan Ling immediately gathered them and the Longyou troops to clarify the fact that Great Xia had withdrawn. What she said at the time was also this, and it almost received the unanimous agreement of everyone.

It is indeed so. If Great Xia truly had the strength to contend with the Longyou troops, they wouldn't be playing such tricks, pretending to send reinforcements to Wu Shuang, and deliberately giving scouts false information to affect Longshan's morale.

To put it bluntly, isn't it still because they are afraid!

Since they are afraid, it proves that Great Xia's military strength in Longyou is inferior to Longshan's.

With such a premise, what are they still worried about?

"Leader, since that's the case, let's march to the Hive tonight! Great Xia only has four thousand people there. Even if the Hive itself has some people, it's at most five thousand. Wanting to stop the Longyou troops still has no possibility."

"That's right, the brothers came up empty last night and were bursting with rage inside. They have long been prepared to have a good fight at the Hive and completely drive Great Xia out of Longyou."

"Great Xia has miscalculated this time. Xia Hong probably thought that the Hive was hidden enough underground and that our Longshan wouldn't find it, which is why he took people to retreat and hold that place."

"What a joke. Of the eleven camps in Longyou, which one's situation is not clearly known to our Longshan? Thinking that by drilling into a hole they can hide—wishful thinking!"

"The Hive encampment is underground, with twenty-nine passages. We know the location of the main area they lead to like the back of our hand. Once we break in, it will be like closing the door to beat a dog. That group of Great Xia people won't be able to escape even if they want to."

………………

The crowd spoke one after another, and when talking about Great Xia's behavior of retreating to hold the Hive, they all let out a few cold laughs to a greater or lesser extent.

Great Xia might not be clear about what the title of Master of Longyou means.

Longshan, this hegemon, has not been one for nothing. For over forty years, the encampments of the eleven giant camps under Longyou have long been clearly mapped out by Longshan. As long as Great Xia continues to stay in Longyou, don't even think about finding a safe place.

However, Li Ying Xuan Ling still rejected everyone's request to march to the Hive tonight.

She shook her head slightly and said: "Don't be anxious. We occupy Wu Shuang, and Great Xia only has two outposts, the Hive and Hanqiong. As long as they don't withdraw from Longyou, they won't be able to avoid the Longyou troops in the end. The top priority right now is to let the three thousand Longyou troops regroup and minimize the impact of the morale setback from last night, so that the subsequent great battle can be cleaner and neater, with fewer casualties.

In addition, there is the matter of the scouts!"

Having said this, Li Ying Xuan Ling swept a glance at Li Xuanping and Li Xuanqiu and continued:

"The Hive encampment is about a hundred meters underground, and there are twenty-nine tunnels connecting to the main area. Before preparing to march this time, you must scout the situation well and confirm whether Great Xia is going to hold the Hive and exactly how many people are holding it. Otherwise, you cannot march at will. If we are led by the nose again and come up empty once more, it will truly be a big joke."

Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately nodded in unison.

"Tonight, I, Third Brother, Meng Ying, and Cheng Guang will go together to scout the situation at the Hive. You all stay at Wu Shuang. When the army departs, I will send someone to notify you."

"Subordinate obeys!"

Li Ying Xuan Ling waved her hand and took one last look at the tunnel, a trace of solemnity rising in her expression.

She could feel that Great Xia was different from any enemy Longshan had dealt with in the past. One could see a bit of it from the two tunnels at Wu Shuang.

Xia Hong is even less of a simple character. His strength, methods, schemes, and strategies do not lose to her, nor do they lose to anyone in Longshan.

Even, Li Ying Xuan Ling always felt that Xia Hong was very similar to one person.

A person she had admired and worshipped as a god since she was a child.

Facing such a person, she had to muster twelve points of spirit and respond with the most cautious posture.

The Longshan foundation left by her father, the vast Longyou territory, including the lives and futures of hundreds of Li clan descendants, are very likely all in this one battle.

Once defeated, it is a total loss.

"Compared to Great Xia, Longshan's greatest advantage is fighting on home turf, as well as the three thousand Longyou troops in my hands. The goal is to drive Great Xia out of Longyou, and it must be done at the minimum cost. Without knowing Xia Hong's next move, the three thousand Longyou troops must absolutely not act rashly."

Once the three thousand Longyou troops are lost, then Longshan facing Great Xia, even on home turf, will have no advantage to speak of. The final outcome is not hard to imagine.

Li Ying Xuan Ling's beautiful brows furrowed low as she led the crowd to quickly return to the Wu Shuang encampment.

She still had to find a way to continue solving the morale problem of the Longyou troops.

It is necessary to ensure that the army fights Great Xia with the most abundant morale; otherwise, if there are too many losses, Longshan will not be able to afford it.

Who knows if, behind those three sides of ten-kilometer-long black stone walls that Second Uncle mentioned, Great Xia still has other large armies.

………………

48th Year of Longyou, June 22nd, first half of the night

At the Bai Yuan encampment, Bai Qiucheng was standing on the top floor of the main building with his two Cold-Resistant Realm experts, looking toward the main gate of the encampment on the north side.

At the main gate of the encampment, a large group of people was lining up to walk inside.

One could see that the attire of this group was somewhat different from the locals of Bai Yuan; they were almost all dominated by red, and a small portion were even wearing blood-colored battle armor, clearly the attire of the Zhaoyang Blood Guard Army from before.

"Big Brother, are you really planning to merge into Longshan together with Zhaoyang?"

Bai Qiuping looked at the Zhaoyang people walking into the encampment, his eyes low, and couldn't help but ask his older brother Bai Qiucheng in front.

Bai Yuan had actually merged into Zhaoyang long ago.

In April, during the struggle between Zhaoyang and Longshan, Bai Qiucheng almost died at the hands of Li Xuantian, but was ultimately saved by the Blood Guard Army. He naturally chose to lead the encampment to merge into Zhaoyang and stood on Hou Hu's side.

But subsequent events suddenly took a turn.

Because Great Xia intervened in Longyou, Zhaoyang and Longshan were unable to fight to the death, and in the end, Longyou was divided into three.

Looking into the whole matter, the ones who suffered the most were the ten camps that didn't directly participate in the struggle for hegemony.

Yanglu was gone directly due to the revival of strange ghosts;

The leaders of Yucheng, Songyuan, and Changning were killed, and all were swallowed by Longshan;

Hanqiong, the Hive, and Wu Shuang were swallowed by Great Xia;

Xiling, Dongyuan, and their Bai Yuan were all merged into Longshan, which in fact could also be considered swallowed by Zhaoyang.

So to put it bluntly, the three-way struggle for hegemony was actually unlucky for the ten camps below.

What happened later was even more bizarre.

Zhaoyang wanted to form an alliance with Longshan to deal with Great Xia together.

Bai Yuan was actually clear about the matter of the 800 sets of battle armor.

Who could have imagined that Great Xia would strike first to gain the advantage? Not only did they wipe out the Longyou New Army and hijack the battle armor, but they also defeated the Blood Guard Army in one fell swoop, not to mention capturing several Zhaoyang Cold-Resistant Realm experts, and even almost killing Hou Hu.

Now, Hou Hu wants to lead Zhaoyang to merge into Longshan.

Since Zhaoyang is merging, Bai Yuan, which had previously merged into Zhaoyang, goes without saying.

This is where Bai Qiuping's dissatisfaction lies. They merged into Zhaoyang first, and now they have to follow Zhaoyang to merge into Longshan. This feeling of drifting with the tide is truly unpleasant.

Of course, the most critical point is Zhaoyang's current strength.

Hou Hu is seriously injured, the Blood Guard Army is gone, and Zhaoyang only has a few more Cold-Resistant Realm experts than Bai Yuan. They have absolutely no need to follow Zhaoyang and merge together.

Rather than becoming a bargaining chip for Hou Hu to rely on Longshan, it would be better to merge into Longshan under the name of Bai Yuan. In this way, whether it is treatment or future status in Longshan, it would clearly be much better.

Bai Qiuping saw his younger brother's thoughts at a glance and smiled: "Who said we are going to merge together with Zhaoyang?"

Bai Qiuping's spirits stirred upon hearing this.

"Let the Zhaoyang people go to Longshan first! We Bai Yuan are not of the same family as him. In a few days, I will go find Leader Li to discuss the matter of our Bai Yuan joining the group."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 300 =====