Chapter 498: What Is Yuwen Tao Waiting For? Strike First

The entire southern slope region is bounded by Moao Mountain to the northeast, Xinghe River to the south, and the twin Dragon Mountains’ cliffs to the west, so the territorial areas of the nine towns on the southern slope are all quite small.

The smallest, Longgu Town, has four districts totaling over 7,000 square kilometers; the largest, Jinshan Town, has nine districts totaling only 12,000 square kilometers, while the rest of the towns each hover around 10,000 square kilometers.

Of course, this is before the Great Xia expanded eastward and replaced Basha.

Before the Great Xia expanded eastward, its total territory already exceeded 20,000 square kilometers; after seizing the north bank of Xinghe River, capturing Hongmen and Basha, and subsequently annexing Muyin, Jiangxia, and Chuishan Towns, its current total territory is estimated at a minimum of 60,000 square kilometers.

With such a small territorial area, there can be no strategic depth.

Ten thousand square kilometers amounts to roughly a region 100 kilometers long and wide; while the actual borders of the nine towns are irregular, they do not deviate much from this baseline.

Take Jinshan Town, the largest, whose territory is broadly elongated east-west, with a large portion extending into the inner side of Moao Mountain—so its east-west depth is the greatest among the nine towns, yet even that is only slightly over 180 kilometers.

…………

Great Xia Year 12, December 28, upper watch

Jinshan Town, Xi Yuan Camp, main tower

“Your Excellency, not only here at Xi Yuan, but also Bingfeng, Hanzhao, and Qinggu camps have all been abandoned; Jinshan Town has withdrawn all personnel and supplies to the Pass Camp, which now holds thirty thousand troops constructing fortifications. Shanggu Ning won’t retreat further—it’s exactly as Your Excellency predicted: our first clash with Jinshan will be at the Pass Camp!”

Yuwen Tao sat at the main seat; upon hearing Hou Quan’s report, he immediately turned to gaze at the full map of Jinshan Town, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Jinshan Town’s territory is long and narrow from east to west, its nine districts roughly divided into eastern and western halves: the east contains Lin’ao, Qingcang, Mutai, and the Pass; the west contains Bingfeng, Hanzhao, Qinggu, Xi Yuan, and Yinhe Valley.

Jinshan Town’s seat lies at the boundary between Qingcang and the Pass Camp.

“More than half of Jinshan’s territory extends inward into Moao Mountain, and the key to that extension is the Pass Camp. This pass is a small fracture zone in Moao Mountain—eleven kilometers long but barely over a hundred meters wide. It’s extremely difficult to deploy large forces here, and after years of Jinshan’s governance, they’ve even built a fortress here. I estimate breaking through this pass will be harder than capturing Jinshan Town itself!”

Hearing Yuwen Tao’s words, Hou Quan showed no surprise—he had accompanied Yuwen Tao and Yuwen Yong to observe the Pass Camp from above the moment their right-wing army seized Yinhe Valley the day before.

“The terrain is secondary—the crucial point is that the eastern side of the pass is Jinshan Town itself. Once battle begins, logistics and reinforcements will be effortless. If Jinshan’s commanders aren’t fools, they’ll pull all four western camps’ personnel here. Just watch.”

Recalling Yuwen Tao’s words spoken above the Pass Fortress the day before, Hou Quan felt deep admiration and bowed respectfully: “Your Excellency already foresaw Jinshan’s deployment—surely you’ve already devised a strategy to break them?”

Yuwen Tao smiled, shaking his head: “Don’t try to wheedle secrets out of me. You’ll know when it’s time.”

Hearing this, Hou Quan’s spirit stirred, his eyes brightening.

When Yuwen Tao had divided their forces after leaving Yinhe Valley yesterday, Hou Quan had suspected the commander held a hidden plan—and now it proved true.

Yuwen Tao paid no mind to Hou Quan’s thoughts; he turned directly to Yuwen Yong, the general of the Jinyang Alliance’s Second Camp, and asked softly: “Have the soldier rations been distributed?”

Yuwen Yong rose immediately and replied: “Your Excellency, Jinyang’s stockpile of soldier rations was four million pellets. Yesterday at Yinhe Valley Camp, Quartermaster Qiu delivered another six million, totaling ten million. Our Jinyang force numbers fifty thousand—each soldier received two hundred pellets. We’ve instructed them to keep these as emergency reserves and not use them yet. The troops are currently eating stored game meat from Jinyang; we’ve emptied nearly the entire city’s supply, enough to last three months.”

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Tao’s expression brightened slightly.

Soldier rations are a replica of the Great Awakening Temple’s Qing Shi Pellets, made primarily from the flesh and blood of a cold-water creature native to Qinghe River. As the name implies, their primary function is to replace game meat and sustain the human body—one tiny pellet suffices for a full day’s needs.

In Great Xia Year 8, the Artisans Department developed the soldier rations and immediately classified them as wartime supplies, mass-producing and stockpiling them. Their purpose is evident from Mu Dong’s naming of them.

“With Jinyang’s stored game meat lasting three months, plus two hundred pellets per soldier, my right-wing force of fifty thousand won’t face supply issues for nearly ten months. Yesterday, I split off ten thousand troops to advance into Wuchuan East Valley, while Luo Yuan’s central force stationed thirty thousand at Fushan. The three northern towns, upon hearing this, will be misled into thinking we’re securing a supply line—by the time they realize the truth, it’ll be too late…”

Yuwen Tao stared at the Pass Camp on the map, then slowly shifted his gaze eastward, finally settling on Jinshan Town, his eyes growing cold.

“We’ve rested for an hour—enough. Order the army to march immediately toward the Pass Camp. It’s roughly sixty kilometers away, passing through Hanzhao and Qinggu along the way. I give you six hours.”

Hou Quan froze in surprise, then instantly understood. He bowed deeply and said firmly: “I obey!”

Hou Quan holds three positions: Commander of the Great Xia Longwu Army, Deputy Commander of the Jinyang Alliance, and General of the Jinyang Alliance’s First Camp.

Normally, the Jinyang Alliance is led by Alliance Commander Xiang Fuhai—but since Yuwen Tao personally arrived in Jinyang last year, Xiang Fuhai has been relegated to the sidelines.

The four northern expedition commanders were personally appointed by Lady Li Xuanling; as Right-Wing Commander, Yuwen Tao is now the supreme leader of Jinyang’s fifty thousand allied troops.

After receiving the order, Hou Quan immediately exited the hall and swiftly notified the seven other camp generals, including Yuwen Yong.

After receiving the order, Hou Quan immediately left the grand hall and swiftly notified General Yuwen the Solemn and the other seven camp commanders.

The forty thousand troops, having rested for an hour at Xi Yuan Camp, immediately began assembling armor and weapons. Within half an hour, they were fully prepared and, under Yuwen Tao’s command, began advancing slowly eastward.

Watching the now-empty Xi Yuan Camp, Yuwen Tao shook his head slightly.

Like the Yinhe Valley region, when the army arrived at Xi Yuan Camp during the upper watch, Jinshan’s garrison had already withdrawn—along with all supplies from the armory. The entire camp, save for scattered civilians, held nothing.

“Avoiding battle, stalling, hoping we exhaust our supplies—how naive. If we weren’t fully prepared, would we dare launch four simultaneous fronts? These five northern towns are laughable—even with two vassal states backing them…”

Yuwen Tao kept shaking his head as he watched the army advance; he then flew ahead himself to scout the route.

He was commander-in-chief, yes—but he was also one of the few Xianyang-level cultivators in the army. To ensure safety, Xianyang-level officers must serve as vanguard scouts—even the commander-in-chief is not exempt.

Of course, besides Yuwen Tao, the current Deputy Commander of the Jinyang Alliance, Hou Quan, is also Xianyang-level and must serve as a vanguard scout.

But Hou Quan was not ahead of the main force—he hovered above the right flank, watching the army’s pace with a gaze full of suspicion and speculation.

“Sixty kilometers in six hours… what is he waiting for?”

The Great Xia has valued marching speed since its founding.

Take the Longwu Army: upon all soldiers reaching Yuhan level, their speed reached fifty kilometers per hour; after years of training, it peaked at seventy kilometers per hour.

Of course, that was at a thousand-man scale. Two years ago, after expansion and reorganization, the Longwu Army rose to Eighth-Rank Legion status, expanding to five thousand soldiers—and their speed dropped sharply. Yet after additional training, they stabilized around fifty kilometers per hour.

Now, things are different. The force departing from Xi Yuan is forty thousand allied troops—Longwu Army is only one camp among them. Yet even this forty-thousand-strong force maintains a speed of roughly thirty kilometers per hour, a figure confirmed during their prior garrisoning in Jinyang City.

A mere sixty-plus kilometers, and Yuwen Tao gave them six hours.

Jinshan has concentrated heavy forces at the Pass Camp, clearly intending to defend there. There is no possibility of ambush. Yuwen Tao had no reason to grant them so much time.

There is only one possibility: Yuwen Tao is deliberately slowing them down.

He is waiting for something…

Coupled with yesterday’s division of forces, Hou Quan felt he had grasped something—but with too little information, he still could not fully understand.

“Though the Great Xia is powerful, Lady Li has been overly bold—launching four fronts simultaneously. If one fails, the entire line could collapse…”

Hou Quan recalled the orders received in Jinyang and sighed—but before the sigh ended, he suddenly realized something. His expression froze, then his pupils widened with sudden clarity.

Hou Quan thought of the military order he had received in Jinyang, and suddenly let out a sigh—but before the sigh ended, he seemed to suddenly realize something, his expression freezing in shock, his pupils instantly brightening.

“So that’s how it is… So that’s how it is… I understand!”

No one knew what Hou Quan understood.

But Long Mingyuan, Lord of Longgu Town, was now in excellent spirits.

“Yuan Cheng’s rear army is watching Yangqu; Luo Yuan’s central force, numbering only four thousand, has three thousand stationed at Fushan and just one thousand garrisoned in Muyin Town—so my Longgu Town now bears the lightest pressure among the five northern towns…”

Long Mingyuan stared at the map on his desk, his eyes gleaming.

Long Mingyuan stared at the map on the desk, his pupils filled with bright light.