Chapter 1561

Chinese:... (as given)

Let's produce translation:

【1】 Hu Xiaotian, hearing Qiao Fangzheng speak so highly of An Di, couldn't help but become interested in him. The Beggars' Sect indeed needs to cultivate some strong assistants; although Long Xi Yue has already become sect leader, meeting the qualifications on the surface and gaining the disciples' approval, there are still many who secretly do not submit to her, and moreover, behind the scenes there is an opposing force led by Shangguan Tianhuo and his son plotting to overthrow.

【15】

The Beggars' Sect indeed needs to cultivate some strong assistants; although Long Xi Yue has already become sect leader, meeting the qualifications on the surface and gaining the disciples' approval, there are still many who secretly do not submit to her, and moreover, behind the scenes there is an opposing force led by Shangguan Tianhuo and his son plotting to overthrow.

Now 【2】.

Qiao Fangzheng cannot appear openly in the Beggars' Sect; elders like Xue Zhenhai, Zhao Shenxiong, and Mu Shusheng hold high status within the sect, but being mostly elderly, they rarely involve themselves in specific sect affairs. Therefore the Beggars' Sect urgently seeks to develop core strength such as Zhu Ba, Meng Guangxiong, and Xie Tianqiong. Only by swiftly eliminating rivals and developing its own power can it effectively keep this large sect firmly under its control.

The names are Qiao Fangzheng, Xue Zhenhai, Zhao Shenxiong, Mu Shusheng, Zhu Ba, Meng Guangxiong, and Xie Tianqiong.

Now translate.

Qiao Fangzheng cannot appear openly in the Beggars' Sect.

Elders like Xue Zhenhai, Zhao Shenxiong, and Mu Shusheng hold high status within the sect, but being mostly elderly, they rarely involve themselves in specific sect affairs.

Thus the Beggars' Sect urgently seeks to develop core strength like Zhu Ba, Meng Guangxiong, and Xie Tianqiong.

Only by swiftly eliminating rivals and developing its own power can it effectively keep this large sect firmly under its control.

Make sure we keep "large sect".

Now 【3】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Just like An Di and others, they generally face a common problem: they are too young and lack outstanding achievements to prove their abilities; even if immediately given important responsibilities, it would be hard for the Beggars' Sect to be convinced."

Need to keep Beggars' Sect.

Now 【4】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "While Hu Xiaotian's side was actively consolidating and deploying troops, reinforcements for Yunyang also kept arriving; among them, the personal arrival of Hong Beimo of the Heavenly Secret Bureau made Su Yuchi greatly relieved."

Check glossary: Yunyang, Heavenly Secret Bureau, Hong Beimo, Su Yuchi.

Now 【5】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Hong Beimo's arrival fully demonstrated the court's emphasis on Yunyang, but his trip was extremely low-key; aside from Su Yuchi, he revealed nothing to anyone else."

Now 【6】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Su Yuchi secretly met in his mansion with one of Dakang's most powerful and mysterious ministers, Hong Beimo, who was dressed in plain clothes and looked like an ordinary schoolteacher; had it not been for Qiqi's request, he would not have come to Yunyang in person."

Check glossary: Dakang, Qiqi.

Now 【7】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Su Yuchi clasped his fists and bowed, saying, 'Student pays respects to Teacher!'"

Now 【8】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Although Su Yuchi was not Hong Beimo's direct disciple, Hong Beimo had once helped him train heavy-armored cavalry and given him guidance on the battlefield, so they could be considered to have a teacher-student bond."

Now 【9】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Hong Beimo smiled and said, 'General Su, you're too polite. I have come to reinforce upon the Princess's order.'"

line is Chinese.

Now 【10】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Su Yuchi said, 'With Mr. Hong's arrival, I can finally relax.'"

Now 【11】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Hong Beimo chuckled and said, 'I, old man, don't understand military campaigns; that's your forte. I didn't intend to stay long this time, merely bringing you some useful devices for defending the city.' His words clearly told Su Yuchi that he had come not to replace his command, nor to supervise the army, and would leave soon."

Now 【12】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "The Heavenly Secret Bureau is renowned for crafting various ingenious mechanisms; Su Yuchi had already seen many powerful weapons before, and he knew Hong Beimo would bring some newly manufactured items this time."

Now 【13】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Hong Beimo said, 'Let's go to the drill ground and take a look.'"

Now 【14】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "On the drill ground lay two objects; one appeared to be a crossbow bolt, but dozens of times larger than a normal one. Hong Beimo pointed at the device and said, 'This is the Heaven-Shaking Crossbow.'"

Now 【15】.

line is Chinese.

line is Chinese (contains censored **** but we need to translate that as "spurt out").

Translate: "Four attendants opened the crossbow device, took out the bolt, which was actually an iron tube as thick as a thigh; once launched, the tube would be shot into the air. Upon reaching its highest point it would disintegrate, and the hidden poison inside would spurt out, radiating downward. Anyone within the radius who came into contact with the poison would inevitably suffer festering skin and unbearable pain."

Now 【16】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "After hearing Hong Beimo's explanation, Su Yuchi secretly marveled; although he had seen crossbows used against enemies before, they merely fired bolts, whereas this device shoots poison—once launched, it would be like poison rain falling from the sky, its lethality easy to imagine."

Now 【17】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Another weapon Hong Beimo brought was a chariot resembling a turtle; outwardly it looked entirely cast of iron, unlike an ordinary two-wheeled cart, this vehicle had four wheels."

Now 【18】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Hong Beimo pointed to this turtle-shell-like chariot and said, 'This is the Tortoise-Armor Chariot; each chariot is crewed by ten soldiers, and when attacking, it can be pulled by iron-armored warhorses to swiftly reach the enemy formation, with the soldiers taking shelter inside, using the chariot's heavy outer plating to defend against local attacks.'"

Now 【19】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "He waved his hand, and the chariot emitted a continuous clanging sound, from the holes around its perimeter extending ten sharp long blades."

Now 【20】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "At that moment, six iron-armored warhorses pulled another Tortoise-Armor Chariot forward, while the chariot originally stopped there began to move on its own. Su Yuchi blinked his eyes, hardly able to believe what he saw—this chariot had no external pull, yet it could move by itself."

Now 【21】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "Hong Beimo said, 'The Tortoise-Armor Chariot has an internal mechanism; by manual cranking it can move slowly, meaning that even if the warhorses are wounded by the enemy, the chariot retains the ability to move. These chariots can not only fight alone, but also link together.'"

Now 【22】.

line is Chinese.

Translate: "The two chariots came to one place and were linked together via the front mechanism's lock."

Now 【23】.

Hong Beimo said: "This time I have brought you a total of one hundred turtle-shell war chariots, two hundred Heaven-Shaking crossbows, and three thousand warriors responsible for operating these weapons. I believe even if Xichuan and Flourishing Prefecture join forces they cannot be your match, even if you add a Hu Xiaotian, they cannot do anything to you."

Su Yuchi, after understanding the power of these two weapons, was truly delighted; Hong Beimo's visit this time brought him surprises far beyond these, and there were also not a few provisions and other weapons.

Hong Beimo said: "I will let Fu Yuhe stay to help you." Fu Yuhe is the commander of the Wing Group of the Heavenly Secrets Bureau and also one of Hong Beimo's close confidants.

Su Yuchi repeatedly expressed thanks: "Thank you, Mr. Hong, for your kindness; with your assistance, I am confident of winning this battle and holding Yunyang."

Yuan Qing Shan delivered the latest military intelligence report to Su Yuchi; after listening, Su Yuchi frowned tightly, he walked silently to the front of the terrain map, stood silently for a moment, then said: "Has Xichuan mustered a force of one hundred thousand troops?"

Yuan Qing Shan nodded heavily and said: "Confirmed without error, Xichuan's commander-in-chief this time is Li Yan, who is Li Tianheng's cousin; the vanguard commander is Yan Hu Cheng, together commanding a force of one hundred thousand; they have already reached eighty li southwest of Yunyang, where they have set up camp."

Su Yuchi said: "Li Yan doesn't have much ability; although he has won a few battles in the past, they were all victories by superior numbers, and he has never shown any exceptional talent; as for Yan Hu Cheng, I have heard of him."

Yuan Qing Shan said: "Yan Hu Cheng is the adopted son of Xichuan's Zhang Ziqian; he grew up following Zhang Ziqian from childhood, Zhang Ziqian painstakingly cultivated him, and it is said he has already received Zhang Ziqian's true teachings."

Su Yuchi sighed and said: "Only Zhang Ziqian truly deserves the title of great talent in Xichuan; Zhang Ziqian is now dead, so Li Tianheng is effectively missing an arm; does Li Tianheng really think we are easy to bully? Choosing Yunyang as the breakthrough point, this time we will surely make him have no return." After a pause, he added: "What news is there from Flourishing Prefecture?"

Yuan Qing Shan said: "Flourishing Prefecture is strengthening its troops and preparing to send out forces; recently, many grain ships have been continuously entering Flourishing Prefecture from the Suspended Harmony River; according to our intelligence, Hu Xiaotian's side has not had any ships pass through the Ordinary River, which means……"

Su Yuchi said: "Their provisions come from Da Yong!"

Yuan Qing Shan nodded.

Su Yuchi snorted coldly and said: "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; everyone wants to pick up this advantage; Da Yong deliberately spread rumors, saying they want to join forces with us to deal with Hu Xiaotian, but behind the scenes they have their own calculations."

Yuan Qing Shan said: "The Da Yong side has always been fickle; over the years they have not lacked in doing treacherous and betraying deeds."

Su Yuchi said: "I never expected they would actually support Flourishing Prefecture; Guo Guangbi, this desperate dog, doesn't care about loyalty at all; don't they worry that Guo Guangbi might turn and bite them?"

Yuan Qing Shan said: "Based on the current situation, I think Guo Guangbi may have already defected to Da Yong."

Su Yuchi nodded, walked slowly two steps, and said: "Hu Xiaotian rejected him; although Xichuan is cooperating with him, we have blocked their route, so Xichuan's provisions cannot reach Flourishing Prefecture; with empty stomachs, how can they fight? Guo Guangbi's only option is to defect to Da Yong. I think they should be using Yunyang as a condition; only thus can they obtain Da Yong's support."

Yuan Qing Shan angrily said: "Guo Guangbi is truly a villain; he can actually betray his country."

Su Yuchi chuckled lightly and said: "From the moment he rebelled, he no longer regarded Dakang as his homeland; given his temperament, defecting to Da Yong is merely a stopgap measure, just trying to swindle some provisions."

Yuan Qing Shan, hearing this, was stunned: "General, do you mean that Guo Guangbi might not launch an attack against us?"

Su Yuchi shook his head: "He has no room for choice."

Yuan Qing Shan said: "I've heard that Hu Xiaotian recently reinforced troops at Dongluo Storage, and there are also rumors that he plans to attack Shaoyuan City; I don't know if it's true or false."

Su Yuchi chuckled and said: "It must be a false front; he simply cannot possibly launch an attack against Da Yong now; he's merely trying to create rumors to pressure Da Yong. Hu Xiaotian is very clear-headed; he would not lightly fight a battle he is not sure of winning, and what he most wants to obtain is Yunyang."

Hu Xiaotian and Xia Zhangming respectively rode the Flying Eagle and the Snow Eagle, soaring above Yunyang City; the situation within a hundred li radius below was fully visible, and from this angle one could clearly see the troop movements of all sides.

Xichuan mustered a total of one hundred thousand troops; they came with a mighty momentum, as if capable of taking Yunyang in one fell swoop; Flourishing Prefecture also had fifty thousand troops, the combined forces numbering one hundred fifty thousand, advancing from the southwest and due north toward Yunyang; Yunyang's forces numbered sixty thousand, aside from its old walls, Yunyang had no geographical advantage to defend; this war is vastly outnumbered, at least as things stand now, Su Yuchi's side is completely in a passive position.

The Snow Eagle let out a long cry, and under Xia Zhangming's control flew to the side of the Flying Eagle; Xia Zhangming said: "My lord, it seems the formation will be completed within three days."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; the great battle was imminent, no matter the outcome, this war will be the largest in scale in the Central Plains in recent years; one can already foresee the tragic scene days later of rivers of blood and corpses strewn across the field.

First Update delivered! (To be continued~^~)