Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1685: Chapter 533: Blinding Technique and Divine Wind, Qin Feng’s Anxiety (Part 2)

The snow fog has clearly blocked the army tent completely; the scene they are witnessing now compared to when the Yellow Candle hadn’t been lit is entirely different.

“This…”

The two scouts instantly turned pale when they saw the sight.

“It’s bad, they’ve already fled! The Blinding Deceit Skill, deceiving those who scout at close range—Wuchuan couldn’t deploy such a method; Cai Qiu was indeed involved.”

Xu Ning spoke with a grim expression, and the two scouts immediately knelt to plead for forgiveness, faces full of self-reproach and guilt.

“General, please forgive us, we…”

“Are you all pigs? Before the war, I provided all scouts with Yellow Candles, yet after watching for so long, you still don’t know how to use them? All of you, go back and receive thirty lashes, then stay in the logistics camp!”

Before the two scouts could finish, Luo Yuan interrupted them.

He waved dismissively at them, enraged, and headed towards the Wuchuan Army tent.

Xu Ning’s face also darkened and he followed behind him.

Luo Yuan held a Yellow Candle and walked around the army tents. As its glow spread, the tents, which once appeared aflame in their eyes, suddenly vanished.

Seeing this scene, Luo Yuan’s face grew even more unsightly, and he continued closer. As tent after tent disappeared, he fiercely threw the Yellow Candle forward.

“We’ve been fooled. This Blinding Technique is even stronger than my Fog Miasma Gu Technique. Hurry and inform the Minister. I’ll return immediately to rally the troops; Qin Feng must have gone to Wuchuan Town!”

Luo Yuan’s face bore urgency; he finished speaking and flew directly towards East Valley City. Xu Ning, without a word, quickly ascended, flying north towards Wuchuan Town.

Their mood instantly tensed up.

The scouts mentioned earlier that an hour ago there was activity of fire and cooking. Combining with the initial stir of spreading cold wind, Qin Feng’s army of fifty thousand had moved at most for a little over an hour.

This distance from Wuchuan Town is merely over twenty kilometers. In just over an hour, they might be almost there. If this army of fifty thousand returned to Wuchuan City silently, then resonate with the defenders inside the city, wouldn’t Xia Chuan’s two thousand Xia Army elite be in danger?

……

However, just as Luo Yuan and Xu Ning quickly reacted.

East of East Valley City, approximately fifteen kilometers away.

A dim cold wind swept rapidly eastward.

The cold wind carried immense snow fog that covered a vast area, spanning over five kilometers—one couldn’t see anything from the outside.

Above the snow fog, about a dozen figures stood in the air.

Qin Feng was among them, though his position at this moment was quite rear; he looked down at the fifty thousand troops below, his brows full of struggle and helplessness.

“Lord Qin, don’t worry. Wuchuan City is your base; although there’s only ten thousand defenders inside, there are also seventy thousand Earth-digging Realm soldiers, plus my senior’s personal oversight. Not to mention those two thousand elite troops from Great Xia, even if all forty thousand troops from East Valley City came over, it wouldn’t be possible to break through…”

The leading figure noticed Qin Feng’s expression, speaking in a deep voice to comfort him, then continued, “My army from Cai Qiu has already started moving south from Bone-Eroding Path. The crux of this battle lies at Aikou. As long as we can rout Xia Army at Aikou, the Jin Mountain forces can emerge, thus resolving Wuchuan’s plight. By then, with our forces joining together and Cai Qiu’s army providing support, Xia Army’s dream of toppling your two towns will be pure fantasy!”

Upon hearing the leader’s words, Qin Feng nodded slightly, his pupils filled with a glimmer of hope, though clearly somewhat strained.

Qin Feng’s mind was conflicted. Last night, after being deceived at East Valley City by Luo Yuan, he actually contemplated surrendering to Great Xia. However, that trace of obsession deep in his heart had ultimately not been laid down.

Coincidentally, Cai Qiu came at this time!

And the two he brought were no ordinary people: one was Baishui County Governor Cai Qiuhong, son of Landgrave Cai Qianshan; the other was Caiqiu Mansion general Zhu Huorong, elder disciple of Cai Qianshan, both with Tribulation Body cultivation.

As soon as these two arrived, they solved two major issues for him.

One was the danger to Wuchuan Town; Zhu Huorong led troops to Wuchuan Town as soon as he arrived last night and assured him the town wouldn’t fall to Xia Army within a month;

The second was what to do with his fifty thousand troops. While Zhu Huorong helped secure Wuchuan Town, Cai Qiuhong advised him to lead his fifty thousand troops east to Aikou City.

Yuwen Dao’s right flank army with forty thousand troops is under Aikou City, confronting Jinshan Town. At this moment, sending him and his fifty thousand troops to Aikou City—its purpose was obvious.

Qin Feng didn’t consider other options and wanted to refuse directly.

He couldn’t even preserve Wuchuan City; why bother helping Jinshan Town?

But by now, he couldn’t refuse.

Cai Qiuhong and Zhu Huorong, two Tribulation Body experts arrived, backed by over a hundred Xianyang level experts from Cai Qiu; he wasn’t in a position to refuse.

In reality, from the moment the two arrived, his control over the fifty thousand troops had become essentially non-existent.

As Wuchuan Lord, certainly, he has the power to incite the fifty thousand troops to resist, but the question is: even if he does, what then?

Last night he was deceived at East Valley City; his prestige collapsed, and Cai Qiu’s various foreign Xianyang level experts were already eager. If he dared to cause trouble, Cai Qiuhong and Zhu Huorong might just kill him and randomly appoint another pawn to command the army—not difficult at all.

Furthermore, the best opportunity to pledge allegiance to Great Xia had passed; if he quarrels with Cai Qiu now, the consequences would be worse.

“Something must have happened last night. Cai Qiu initially only intended to help me defend the city, but now there are three Tribulation Body experts, plus those Xianyang level men who previously showed little interest are beginning to exert themselves too…”

Qin Feng looked up at the sky, a figure wielding a massive palm fan was furiously waving it downwards. Each wave generated a chilling cold wind, forming pervasive snow fog that concealed the marching troops.

Once the troops were shrouded in the cold wind, their traces disappeared, and their marching speed accelerated by several magnitudes with divine ingenuity.

He sensed that Cai Qiu’s people had been acting differently since last night. Previously, their attitude toward Great Xia was mostly disdainful and even contemptuous, but from last night they grew much more serious, employing techniques they were initially reluctant to use.

“The Blinding Technique can only deceive for a while. By now, Luo Yuan has likely realized that we’ve left. He surely thinks we’re heading north to aid Wuchuan City, but in truth, we’re heading to Aikou. Cai Qiuhong intends to exploit this time difference to unite my force with Aikou City’s defenses and defeat Yuwen Dao’s right flank army…”

Having been a Lord for many years, Qin Feng was not foolish. Even though Cai Qiuhong had not explicitly stated his intentions, based on troop movements, he already guessed the opponent’s strategy.

“Right now, there’s no choice but to follow through. If we can crush Yuwen Dao’s right flank army and liberate Jinshan Town from Aikou City, the combined forces of two towns will have the capability to engage Xia Army. As long as we delay until Cai Qiu’s army moves south from Bone-Eroding Path, Wuchuan will truly be saved!”

Qin Feng thought long and hard, realizing this was the only viable path forward.

Cai Qiuhong’s advice indeed carried little risk.

Even if he returned with fifty thousand troops to Wuchuan Town and actually routed those two thousand Xia Army elites, Luo Yuan’s forty thousand troops could immediately advance north to besiege Wuchuan City. With all Northern Land under Great Xia’s control, Xia Hong could continuously dispatch reinforcements, sealing Wuchuan Town eventually leading to their inevitable defeat.

On the contrary, if everything progresses as Cai Qiuhong indicates, defeating Yuwen Dao’s right army and stalling until Cai Qiu’s forces head south, then Jinshan and Wuchuan would genuinely have a path to survival.

But then, would the two towns still exist independently within Southern Slope Territory?

This unsettling question suddenly emerged in Qin Feng’s mind, darkening his expression considerably. He quickly suppressed the thought and looked up to see Cai Qiuhong and the numerous experts from Cai Qiu, urgently pushing aside such ideas.

There are matters for later consideration.

The immediate concern is Great Xia!