Strike Azure Cloud Stronghold First

In the days that followed, Shen Jingchuan spent most of his time cultivating in the Heaven and Earth Ring.

During this time, he traveled back to the modern era twice to see Meng Ke and relieve their longing for each other.

He ordered a large quantity of steel pipes, spring steel sheets, and nylon ropes, all materials for making crossbows and arrow shafts, and also commissioned the production of over a million crossbow bolts.

They also purchased an additional 200,000 sets of stab-proof vests, along with matching steel plates, helmets, and cold-weather clothing, and brought them back with them.

Regarding the matter of food, Shen Jingchuan made a special trip back to the modern era to see Elder Yang.

Elder Yang was drinking tea in the courtyard when he saw him arrive. He smiled and invited him to sit down.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Shen Jingchuan explained his purpose: he wanted to acquire a large quantity of grain, the more the better.

Elder Yang knew his situation was special, so he wasn't surprised. He simply held up his teacup and asked, "You need so much grain; what are your quality requirements?"

Having dealt with Shen Jingchuan for so long, Elder Yang had already guessed that this young man had a big secret, so he didn't ask too many questions, only asking what needed to be asked.

Shen Jingchuan said, "As long as it's edible and won't kill anyone, it's fine. I'm not selling it domestically, so there aren't so many requirements."

Upon hearing this, Elder Yang waved his hand and laughed.

"That's simple. Our country has a reserve of grain for national defense every year, and a batch is rotated annually. Most of the old grain that is replaced is used as animal feed."

"This grain is a bit old, but it's perfectly edible, and the price is cheap. You can have as much as you want; your quantity is negligible."

Shen Jingchuan felt a weight lifted from his heart and thanked him repeatedly.

That's settled.

Under Elder Yang's arrangement, batches of old grain were transported out of granaries in various places, and no one dared to ask him where they were going.

Grain was continuously transported into Shen Jingchuan's large warehouse, and he used the Heaven and Earth Ring to transfer it time and time again, sending it to the other world.

Grain was also being transported to the warehouses of Yuxi Prefecture one after another, and the granaries were piled up to the brim.

Once the other military supplies arrived, the artisans in the army got busy.

Steel pipes were cut into three-meter sections, and the ends were sharpened to make long spears. Spring steel sheets and nylon ropes were used to make crossbows.

The new recruits received their armor and crossbows and trained day and night, their battle cries becoming more and more synchronized each day.

The houses that Shen Jingchuan had customized had all been delivered, and Shen Jingchuan put them into his Ring space.

Instead of clustering the houses together, he scattered them along the stream and at the foot of the mountain, one house here and one house there, which looked quite elegant.

Each woman in the space was given a room, and each had her own small courtyard.

Besides cultivation, they would plant some spiritual herbs and vegetables in front of their houses, whatever they liked to plant.

Shen Jingchuan also kept a set for himself.

Xiaoyue refused to go anywhere and insisted on living in the same apartment with him. Shen Jingchuan said that it would affect his cultivation and did not agree.

Xiaoyue compromised, insisting on placing the two apartments next to each other, before he reluctantly agreed.

Apart from these two sets that are close together, the rest are several tens of meters apart, each forming a small courtyard.

They spent all their time outside of cultivation in these courtyards.

And so, I was busy for a whole month.

At the beginning of the month, Shen Jingchuan rode on his Big Black and took to the air to scout out the movements of the Government Army.

The army was only a little over a hundred li away from Yuxi Prefecture, and according to their pace, they would arrive in two more days.

The Government Army, dragging their supplies, could only travel a few dozen miles a day for over two thousand miles, taking a full month to complete the journey.

After returning, Shen Jingchuan stopped entering the spatial realm for seclusion.

He was worried that the enemy might have cultivators assisting them, so he had to keep a close eye on them. For the past two days, he had simply put aside his cultivation and spent his free time drinking tea with Lin Weiyuan and checking the defenses on the stockade walls.

Lin Weiyuan had taken the Life-Extending Pills and was still vigorous despite his old age, with more energy than a young man. Knowing that a great battle was imminent, he would go up to the stockade wall to take a walk every two hours.

Azure Cloud Stronghold is now deserted; there are only two hundred people left to guard the walls and patrol the area.

The remaining people were the women, children, elderly, and infirm from the Lin Household and Zhou Household families, as well as the families of Hu Tieniu and his important generals.

Shen Jingchuan's steward, Liu Zhong, is in charge of the daily affairs of the mountain stronghold.

His wife, Madam Liu, and daughter Liu Cui, were busy in the kitchen, while his son Liu Hu, was running around doing other things.

The whole family took good care of Shen Jingchuan, and arranged his daily life, meals and clothing in a proper manner, along with those of the Lin Household and Zhou Household.

Two days later, the vanguard of the Government Army arrived at the foot of Azure Cloud Stronghold.

The commander was Qin Biao, the Qin Biao of Pinglu. His battalion was mostly cavalry, making them the fastest marching force and leaving the main force far behind.

Qin Biao was a descendant of the Qin Household, a founding meritorious family, and held the hereditary title of marquis. In his prime, with a dark face and a fierce temperament, he wielded a pair of iron maces and was the army's number one fierce general. His 20,000 cavalrymen were mostly veterans who had fought against the Hu people in the north, skilled in horsemanship and daring.

Cavalrymen are skilled in field battles, so he found an open area nearby and set up camp.

The main force was still behind, about thirty or forty miles away, personally led by Duke of Jing, Xiao Chenglie.

Xiao Chenglie is the current emperor's cousin. He is over sixty years old and once guarded the northern border in his youth, fighting against the Hu people. He is a cautious and prudent soldier, highly respected in the army, and wields a long spear with an iron spine. The infantry, baggage train, and siege weapons are all in the central army, so they move more slowly.

The vanguard was accompanied by his deputy, He Kui.

He Kui was a veteran who rose through the ranks from the bottom, fighting his way up with his sword and spear. He was experienced and carried a large, golden-backed sword, which he used to keep the commander in check.

After the camp was set up, Qin Biao invited He Kui into the central command tent to discuss matters.

The two studied the map for a while, He Kui raised his hand and pointed to Azure Cloud Stronghold.

"My lord, look here. This Azure Cloud Stronghold is where the rebels started; Hu Tieniu raised his banner here. Now that our army is pressing in, if we don't eliminate them first, they'll always be a future threat."

Qin Biao nodded. "That makes sense. Let's remove it first, so it won't be in the way."

He turned and called in a scout, asking about the situation in the village.

The scout entered the tent and returned the visitor with hands clasped in gratitude.

"Replying to the two generals, Azure Cloud Stronghold is built along the mountainside, with sturdy walls, but the area in front of the gate is narrow, making it difficult for a large army to deploy."

"But the garrison wasn't large; from a distance, I could only see about a hundred men on the stockade walls."

Upon hearing this, He Kui felt reassured.

Qin Biao slammed his hand on the table and said, "That makes things easier. General He, this stronghold is now in your hands."

"You lead a force to take it, and I'll continue with the main force towards Yuxi Prefecture. Once we've captured the prefecture, we'll regroup."

He Kui stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and replied, "Rest assured, Your Excellency, this is but a small stronghold with few guards; it will be a piece of cake."

The plan has been finalized.

The next day, Qin Biao's cavalry broke camp and headed towards Yuxi Prefecture. He Kui, on the other hand, mustered five thousand men, took the ladders and crossbows that had been made overnight, and marched straight towards Azure Cloud Stronghold.

On the stockade wall, Lin Weiyuan had already received the news and was leading the two hundred soldiers guarding the stockade, ready for battle.