Chapter 1300: First Volume, Chapter 1300: The Decisive Battle Begins

First Volume, Chapter 1300: The Decisive Battle Begins

Although the Northern Border was as impenetrable as an iron barrel under the Jin Yi Wei's defense,

even the Black Captain dared not act rashly, yet with the full strength of the nation behind them, some Imperial Spies still succeeded in infiltrating the Northern Border.

News of Qin Feng assembling his troops had reached Zhao Yuxiong's Shuaizhang.

"Report! Report! Report!"

"Your Excellency, the Northern Border Troops are assembling—conservatively estimated, twenty thousand cavalry and fifty thousand Infantry will converge at Anyuan County."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the Shuaizhang grew heavy once more.

After a long silence, one Deputy General could no longer hold back a long sigh.

"The Northern Border's Warhorses are far superior to ours; those twenty thousand cavalry are likely Pure Cavalry…"

"With such a vast disparity in cavalry, we've been at a severe disadvantage from the start."

"We may have more men, but this is the Northern Border—our Logistics are already at a disadvantage, and now with such a gap in cavalry, this battle will be hard to win."

"Why beat around the bush? In my view, this Northern Expedition is doomed to be a grueling war."

Watching his generals argue endlessly, Zhao Yuxiong paid no heed—he was already calculating how to win this battle, not boosting the enemy's morale while diminishing his own.

Zhao Yuxiong knew well: even if he appeared to hold the upper hand, in actual combat, he would be severely on the defensive.

To defeat Qin Feng in direct confrontation would be as impossible as climbing to heaven.

Zhao Yuxiong could not help but entertain the idea of "full-front offensive."

The so-called full-front offensive meant not limiting operations to Anyuan County—deploying all remaining forces to launch all-directional attacks across the Northern Border, beyond just frontal assaults.

Though this strategy would place enormous strain on Logistics and devastate the Northern Border's Commoners,

only by ending this war swiftly could Shedynasty truly enter an era of prosperity.

When Zhao Yuxiong voiced this idea, as expected, every general immediately opposed it.

"General Zhao, isn't your plan excessively cruel?"

"If we fight on the front, we can minimize harm to civilians; if we launch a full-front offensive, every place we pass will be filled with wailing and ruin."

"When Qin Feng retaliates, both sides' Commoners will suffer—won't we all become sinners?"

"This isn't a National War—it's an Internal War. We must not only win, but also consider the cost of victory."

"You're right—the Northern Border's Commoners, though under Qin Feng's rule, are still our Shedynasty people; how can we treat them as grass?"

"General Zhao, you once served the Northern Border—why are you now so ruthless?"

Facing their accusations, Zhao Yuxiong showed no reaction—he simply rose slowly and asked instead: "How many years has Shedynasty been at war?"

Seeing no answer, Zhao Yuxiong continued: "Have the people of Shedynasty suffered enough?"

"Only by ending this war can the people of Shedynasty truly live in peace."

"If we follow your advice and stick to frontal assault, perhaps civilian casualties will be reduced—but have you considered that a prolonged stalemate will bring heavy taxes, soaring prices, and still force the Commoners to flee their homes?"

"Don't you understand the principle of Chang Tong Bu Ru Duan Tong?"

The generals fell silent. Though they strongly disliked Zhao Yuxiong's willingness to do anything to achieve his goal, he was right—the longer the war dragged on, the greater the suffering of the people.

Everyone hoped this war could end swiftly.

Was Zhao Yuxiong's method—the full-scale offensive—truly the only way?

As the generals hesitated, Zhao Yuxiong's voice rang out again.

"I know none of you want to be the sinner—fine. Let all the blame fall on me. Let me be the eternal traitor."

Nothing mattered more to Zhao Yuxiong than bringing peace and prosperity to Shedynasty.

To end this endless war, Zhao Yuxiong was willing to pay any price—even bear the curse of betrayal and indifference to the people's suffering.

Someone had to bear this burden. Since none of the generals here had the Courage to do so, let Zhao Yuxiong take it.

Zhao Yuxiong took a deep breath, his eyes filled with resolve.

"From now on, you will obey my orders without question. Only then can you remain uninvolved when the reckoning comes."

"All responsibility and sin will rest solely on me, Zhao Yuxiong."

Hearing these words, the generals' gazes toward Zhao Yuxiong shifted slightly.

It seemed this man was not truly a heartless traitor—he was simply weary of war, unwilling to let the people of Heaven suffer any longer.

The generals exchanged glances, dropped their resistance, and all accepted Zhao Yuxiong's proposal.

Zhao Yuxiong wasted no time—he immediately gave the order: "Execute the full-front offensive!"

"Retain only thirty thousand troops on the front line; deploy the rest along multiple paths to attack the Northern Border—take every city you encounter."

The generals bowed and departed; in moments, the Shuaizhang stood empty, save for Zhao Yuxiong alone.

He sat down silently, his gaze more resolute than ever, murmuring to himself:

"Brother Qin, don't blame me."

"I know very well you were driven to this—His Majesty won't tolerate you, and you cannot abandon your family."

"But… I am a general of Shedynasty, raised on the nation's grace—I must obey orders."

"Only by defeating you can Shedynasty's endless war end, and the Commoners finally live in true peace."

"Our wishes and goals are the same—we both seek the welfare of Shedynasty's people, aren't we?"

The Northern Expedition had fully begun.

Ninety thousand imperial troops split into six columns, launching attacks from six different regions against the Northern Border.

Though these attack paths were far from optimal and risked ambushes, the full-front offensive still placed heavy pressure on Qin Feng.

It wasn't military pressure he feared—it was the civilians caught in the war.

To respond to this great battle, Qin Feng immediately issued orders: unless Dingtao County's Main Force advanced, the Garrison Troops in Anyuan County must not attack lightly.

On the main Battlefield, both sides had fallen into a Standoff.

At the same time, the forces that had originally gathered to launch a fierce assault on Dingtao County could only respond to each move as it came, scattering along various Path Lines to repel the full-scale invasion of the imperial army.

They also did everything possible to evacuate the Commoners.

Lin Tao Xian, located in the southeastern direction of the Northern Border, was covered in towering mountains and had never been a suitable invasion Path Line, yet more than five thousand imperial troops now appeared here.

The defending troops and Reinforcements of Lin Tao Xian combined numbered only two thousand or so.

They had to not only hold Lin Tao Xian's County City but also organize the evacuation of Commoners — their pressure was immense.