Chapter 97

If the army of the Hundred Wars were to advance west, the first stop would be Anyong City. Therefore, almost all the residents had fled with their belongings, leaving only a city guard of more than five thousand people, who lived in constant fear.

So when the eastern expeditionary army arrived, the city lord, Yuan Zijin, received the news and lined up early at the city gate to welcome them. When he saw the army approaching, everyone cheered and finally felt a great relief.

With an army of eight hundred thousand, it would be extremely difficult for the Hundred Wars to capture Anyong City. Moreover, after the army arrived, all defense and command authority was handed over to the military, so they, the city guards and the city lord, would not have to bear the responsibility.

When the army reached Anyong City, each soldier was in high spirits and beaming with joy.

This made Yuan Zijin feel very strange. Generally, soldiers about to go to war would be gloomy, so why were these soldiers so happy?

He secretly thought that the Central Army was indeed impressive, at least in terms of appearance, which was completely different from other armies.

Chen Dasheng was also in a relatively good mood. Having made a fortune all the way, the cities behind would no longer be the students' army's share. Later, the officials became addicted to making money, and they no longer cared whether the cities belonged to the First Prince's forces, entering any city to make a fortune. However, the discipline was still strictly maintained, only targeting the city lord's residence, and leaving after making a fortune, without harassing ordinary people.

After showing the mobilization order, Yuan Zijin finally truly relaxed and said, "Please follow me into the city."

Fortunately, the citizens had long fled, leaving an empty city. Although it could not accommodate eight hundred thousand troops, it could house four to fifty thousand people. The rest would camp outside the city.

Chen Dasheng and other generals directly moved into the city lord's residence. Before settling down, they gathered all the generals and Yuan Zijin to analyze the current situation.

Li Yunxiao also appeared before everyone, accompanied by Jia Rong and Ji Meng. This was the first time he had left the war chariot tent since being injured. Although he did not look as lively as before, his complexion was rosy, indicating that his injuries were almost fully healed.

Chen Dasheng and the others' eyes twitched, and they were once again shocked, "Nine-star Warrior!"

But then they thought of the person behind him, and they all calmed down. With such a powerful expert, it was not surprising that he advanced so quickly.

"Yunxiao, are you better?"

The first to stand up and ask was Luo Yunshang, her face full of concern, "If you haven't fully recovered, continue to rest. You can't help here anyway."

Xiao Qingwang and the others looked at him with strange expressions, smiling silently.

Li Yunxiao was taken aback, then smiled, "As the logistics chief and commander of the student army, how can I not attend the meeting? Although I am not fully recovered, I am much better."

Luo Yunshang patted his shoulder affectionately and said softly, "Don't overwork yourself, take care of your health."

Her thoughts were simple: since Li Yunxiao was the disciple of that great person, she should do her best to protect and care for him when that person was not around.

But hearing this, Li Yunxiao broke out in a cold sweat, feeling somewhat at a loss. He looked at Luo Yunshang in shock, thinking: Could she have found out my identity? Impossible! Not only would no one guess, but even if I said it myself, no one would believe it.

Chen Dasheng and the others covered their mouths and chuckled. He called out, "Yunxiao, come over and take a look."

Li Yunxiao felt a great relief and hurriedly ran over, sitting down next to Chen Dasheng.

Yuan Zijin was slightly surprised. Was such a young boy also a general? But he knew that many powerful officials in the court liked to send their children to the army to gain experience. They did nothing, purely as a form of tourism, and upon returning, they would be promoted. So he did not find it strange.

At Chen Dasheng's indication, he began to describe the current situation.

"The army of the Hundred Wars has besieged Kunjin City for twenty-seven days, and no news has come out. Although the army has not yet advanced west, there are three small towns in front of Anyong City that have already been occupied by the army of the Hundred Wars. Once Kunjin City falls, they will immediately head for Anyong City."

"The three small towns are Fengshan Town, Feifeng Town, and Yangsan Town. I have sent people to investigate the troop deployment in each town, which is about twenty thousand. Due to the inability to break through these three towns, no information from the front has been obtained. The exact number of troops of the Hundred Wars is still unknown, but I estimate it to be around eight hundred thousand."

After hearing this, everyone began to ponder.

Chen Dasheng mused, "They have been besieging the city for over a month without capturing it, but they are still holding on. It seems they are determined to wait until the city runs out of food. But there is a major question: our army has been on the move for half a month. They should have received the news and taken countermeasures, but so far there has been no action. This means they are not afraid of our army, and they might even be planning to cooperate with the First Prince to annihilate us."

Han Qianfang said, "Yes, this is completely illogical. If I were the enemy commander, with only eight hundred thousand troops, after the enemy army set out, I would either launch a strong attack to capture the city as soon as possible, or advance west to occupy advantageous positions. Another option would be to retreat to the Hundred Wars. But none of these have happened; they are just holding their ground. This is indeed very strange!"

Chen Dasheng's mind was stirred, and he pointed to Huang Hong, "Huang Hong, what is your opinion?"

All eyes immediately turned to him. Huang Hong was a bit nervous, as his position was still somewhat awkward, but he quickly recovered and said, "When the army of the Hundred Wars passed through Baitou Town, I secretly observed that it was indeed around eight hundred thousand, not exceeding one million. After the Golden Lion Corps retreated, it is unclear whether they sent more troops. But when our army withdrew, they did not occupy Baitou Town, but only passed through. So I predict there will be no reinforcements, and the troops currently besieging Kunjin City should be around eight hundred thousand!"

Chen Dasheng nodded in satisfaction, acknowledging that Huang Hong had some insight. He asked, "If it is really eight hundred thousand troops, what is their purpose? Could it be to lure us out and coordinate with the First Prince in the capital?"

Xiao Qingwang said, "If it were a month ago, that might have been possible, but now Qin Yang's forces are almost completely dissolved. Even if there is a major action in the capital, it would be too late to change the situation. So this reason does not hold."

"Indeed, it is perplexing. We must send someone to break through the blockade of the three towns and gather information inside."

Chen Dasheng's gaze swept over everyone, and he suddenly had an idea, "Yunxiao, what is your opinion?" He no longer dared to underestimate this junior.

Li Yunxiao smiled slightly, "I really don't understand military strategy, but I find it strange. As Uncle Han said, they could either launch a strong attack, advance west, or retreat. Why can't they just wait for us to come and eliminate us all at once?"

All the generals showed strange expressions, and some even laughed openly. Chen Dasheng shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "You really don't understand. With our army advancing, not only do we have a numerical advantage, but even if we are at a disadvantage, they would be trapped in a two-front battle and have no chance of escape. They would only dare to wait for us if they had several times our number."

Li Yunxiao frowned and said coldly, "The general is considering the number of troops, but not the quality. What if they are eighty thousand warriors?"

"Eighty thousand warriors? You must be joking!" Han Qianfang laughed, "Your two thousand student soldiers are already an anomaly."

Xiao Qingwang's expression changed, and he said, "Yunxiao's point is to consider the presence of high-level warriors."

Li Yunxiao glanced at Xiao Qingwang and smiled, "Exactly. Eight hundred thousand troops are extremely powerful in the eyes of ordinary people, but in the eyes of warriors, such soldiers can be defeated by Xiao Qingwang alone. If the enemy has a Wu Zong at the Liuhe realm, one person can slaughter a million troops."

Everyone fell silent, although they all believed the enemy did not have a Wu Zong, the presence of more Wu Wang or Wu Jun would be a significant problem.

Li Yunxiao smiled, "This is just one scenario I am analyzing, and it is not very likely. If it were true, Kunjin City would have fallen long ago. I think there is only one possibility: the purpose of the army of the Hundred Wars is not to capture the city or occupy territory."

Chen Dasheng was taken aback, then his eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Yunxiao makes a good point! The army of the Hundred Wars has mobilized such a large force. If their goal is not to capture the city or occupy territory, what could they be after? Ding Bai, are you here?"

A general quickly stepped forward, "I am here, sir!"

Chen Dasheng gave a stern order, "Select three hundred elite soldiers and quickly gather intelligence on the army of the Hundred Wars. Report back immediately with any information!"

"Yes, sir!" Ding Bai immediately accepted the order and left.

Chen Dasheng ordered, "Yuan Zijin, you will lead all the city guards to take care of the army's food and lodging, and logistics. The rest of you, return to your posts and wait for orders. We will make plans after Ding Bai returns with information."

After the temporary meeting, everyone found places to settle down. Since the city was completely empty, whoever occupied a place would keep it