Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1842: The Army Approaches the Border, Qingxun Divine Crossbow and Power Growth

Great Xia, Year Thirteen, Ninth Day of the Sixth Month

As night finally fell, less than a quarter of an hour after the 150,000 central army led by Xia Chuan slowed down, a long line of torches appeared on both the left and right sides, clearly marking the march.

“Report to the Minister, the 100,000 troops on the left have arrived!”

“Report to the Minister, the 100,000 troops on the right have arrived!”

Luo Yuan and Yuan Cheng, the two main commanders, arrived together, reporting to Xia Chuan in the air, and then looked down at the three branches of the army below, their expressions unusually excited.

It’s not surprising for these two men; since the official start of the Northern Expedition last December, Great Xia took less than half a month to annihilate the Northern Five Towns, and subsequently won three victories against Cai Qiu, forcibly expanding Great Xia’s territory to the Chen Cang’s Evergreen Valley territory, making significant gains.

However, the 100,000 troops stationed by Chen Cang in East River City have always been a thorn in their throat, so much so that even though a merit awarding conference was held in Xia City in April, the high-ranking officials always believed that the Northern Expedition was not yet over.

The fact is indeed so. Over the years, whether Yuan Cheng or Luo Yuan, their vision and strategy have evolved significantly, and they are well aware that as long as the 100,000 troops of Chen Cang are inserted here, Great Xia has not completed absolute control over the entire Southern Slope territory, and there would be no security in the northern territories.

How could one say that the Northern Expedition has ended?

Only by completely annihilating or driving away the 100,000 troops of Chen Cang can this Northern Expedition be considered a complete success, eliminating all future worries.

In their position, their duty is to think ahead. Soldiers and the lower ranks, who have received military merit awards and promotions, can undoubtedly enjoy their lives carefree; but as commanders and high-ranking officials, they cannot be short-sighted. They must always focus on the future, especially as their interactions with the Four Vassals of Moao River increase, and they know clearly that the four neighbors to the north are not easy to handle, particularly Chen Cang.

“The three routes total 350,000 troops, with all 50,000 of the Numbered Army mobilized. Breaking the East River City, which we built ourselves, may not be easy as pie, but it certainly won’t take much effort. Cai Qiu’s fourth counterattack should have already begun by now, and we can attack the city at any time!”

Seeing that the three branches of the army had converged and were less than five kilometers from East River City, Yuan Cheng eagerly spoke to Xia Chuan, taking down the double-edged giant axe from his back.

For this great battle, they had prepared for a full four months, naturally making full arrangements. Thinking of the previous two times the Minister issued ultimatums to Chen Cang and was ignored, Yuan Cheng’s pupils were filled with coldness, yearning to rush to the gates of East River City right now, break through and kill inside.

“No need to be hasty, the ones who should be anxious now are not us…”

After Xia Chuan softly replied to Yuan Cheng, he looked north toward East River City and then continued with a cold smile: “Thinking of using 100,000 troops to gain a foothold in the Southern Slope is nothing but wishful thinking! Two ultimatums ignored, now that we’re at the door, I want to see if Chen Cang is still that unyielding!”

“After occupying East River City at the beginning of the year, Chen Cang did not move the Chen Cang population here, obviously planning on using it for garrisoning troops. With the cooperation of our Military Department, we have completely blocked the entrances to Beining Mountain and Moao Mountain, and Chen Cang’s 100,000 troops must rely on supplies from within the Moao River. According to reports, with frugality, the stockpiled supplies should last five months!”

The one speaking was Luo Yuan, not only the main commander of the Left Army in this three-route army but also the Hunting Department Director of the Eight Divisions of Great Xia.

The Hunting Department’s power is second only to the Military and Prison Departments among the Eight Departments, controlling the resource areas of the entire Great Xia. After annihilating the Northern Five Towns at the beginning of the year, the entrances to Beining Mountain and the northern Moao Mountain naturally came under the Hunting Department’s management.

The proposal to block the resource area’s entrance to prevent Chen Cang’s army from freely resupplying was directly put forth by Luo Yuan. Although it did not cause any fatal blow to Chen Cang, it forced them to resort to vassal supplies, creating considerable trouble.

Qiu Peng, who was listening aside, nodded with a smile: “Great Xia currently only has trade channels open with Cai Qiu, and Chen Cang can only rely on vassal supplies. I heard they even built roads north of East River City to facilitate resupply, which saves us a lot of trouble!”

East River City is fifty kilometers from Danxue Peak to the north, and building such a long road according to the highest specifications of Xia Straight Road is no small expenditure. Chen Cang having built the road genuinely saves Great Xia a lot of trouble.

At this moment, whether it’s Qiu Peng, Luo Yuan, or Yuan Cheng, they no longer regard the 100,000 troops of Chen Cang in East River City as any object of concern. The fortified city appears to be breakable at a snap of the fingers in their eyes.

“The most surprising thing is that the Lord has entrusted us with such an important matter, with only two Tribulation Body Realm experts in the city overseeing, presenting a minor inconvenience…”

Hearing Luo Yuan’s words, both Qiu Peng and Yuan Cheng’s eyes slightly flickered and they simultaneously turned their gaze to Xia Chuan ahead, without saying anything.

Although Xia Chuan said the Lord has been in seclusion at Chilong Lake, not appearing in Xia City for over five months straight, except for the three years in Moao River, this has never happened before.

Xia City has been without Holy Tripod heating for half a year now.

Qiu Peng and Yuan Cheng are both old men from the Mud Slope period, and putting aside what they know about Xia Hong himself, just from the matter of the Holy Tripod alone, they can roughly guess that something unexpected has likely happened to Lord Xia Hong.