Siege

Xu Yuan was almost numb to the idea of high-level cultivators performing miraculous feats of transformation around him.

But can this really be done in a confined space like a carriage?

Climb in through the car window?

Xu Yuan glanced silently at the beautiful aunt beside him, her heart brimming with wealth and generosity.

Judging by its size, it would probably get stuck if it tried to come in through that small window.

Well, nothing is absolute.

It's not a hard object, after all.

The carriage fell silent for a moment.

Li Qingyan seemed to be able to see Lou Ji's movements clearly, but there wasn't much surprise in his eyes. His voice was soft and low.

"This matter actually made Chief Lou take time out of his busy schedule to come here?"

There was no smell of gunpowder; it was very bland.

"Oh"

Lou Ji gave Li Qingyan a slightly scrutinizing look from head to toe, and let out a soft laugh from her full, rosy lips:

"Your Highness is too kind. I came here simply to visit my Changtian."

"." Xu Yuan.

"Look at him?" Li Qingyan glanced at Xu Yuan with a calm expression.

Lou Ji nodded, her voice soft and low:

"Ever since Changtian was forced to Li Capital because of that absurd incident, I, as his older sister, haven't seen him for two years."

As he spoke,

Lou Ji grabbed Xu Yuan's chin with one hand, forcibly turning his head back, and while angrily rubbing his head, said with a smile:

"Hehehe~ It's been so long since we last met, our Changtian has gotten even more handsome~"

A dizzying sensation followed, and Xu Yuan struggled to break free from the old woman's grasp:

"Enough already, isn't this annoying?!"

"."

Lou Ji was stunned for a moment, then said in a pitiful voice:

"Changtian, you're being mean to me."

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes.

Li Qingyan sat quietly opposite, watching the two siblings bicker. His pair of spirited phoenix eyes showed no anger, but rather a hint of amusement as he looked at Lou Ji opposite him.

It's like watching a naive fool.

Lou Ji turned her head and met his gaze, a hint of boredom flashing in her eyes. She released his hand and sighed helplessly:

"Changtian, you're really useless."

"."

Xu Yuan snorted coldly and didn't say anything, figuring out that the old lady next to him probably wouldn't cause any more trouble.

After all, Li Qingyan wasn't Big Ice Block.

From their identities and positions to their engagements, they are completely different. This old lady has no reason to cause trouble.

Moreover, as a political marriage, spending a month together in a carriage, it's easy for a man and a woman alone in a room to develop feelings for each other. If they don't, it's likely because one or both of them are not good-looking.

But then something strange happened.

A month ago they treated each other with the utmost respect, and a month later, Xu Yuan and Li Qingyan are still in the same respectful relationship.

Xu Yuan's methods were ineffective against Li Qingyan.

Having led troops in the military since childhood, Li Qingyan knew how to win people's hearts.

Just like the military training in his past life, he's a veteran NBA expert.

A counter-strategy, a worthy opponent.

The end result is that we remain stagnant.

Since Aunt Lou Ji was the one who provided the entertainment, she naturally stopped stirring things up once the fun was over.

After a brief silence, Lou Ji returned to the main topic, steer the conversation back to the war:

"Your Highness, is the item that old Jiang He asked someone to bring to you still intact?"

Li Qingyan composed himself, his expression turning serious, and said in a calm voice:

"Intact and undamaged."

"Chief Lou, it has been more than three months since I left the Northern Border. What is the current situation of the war Northern Border?"

The battlefield situation changes rapidly. Three months is not a long time, but it is enough for earth-shattering changes to occur.

Upon hearing this question, a shadow immediately crossed Lou Ji's eyes.

As the head of the Black Scale Guard, almost all intelligence has been gathered for her since her secret arrival in the Northern Border, and all the information points to one answer.

"The battle situation is currently stable. Marquis of Martial Achievement and Zong Qingsheng have built several large camps near Dali Mountain, forming a defensive perimeter. However, if this snow continues for another two months, the balance of power between us and the Barbarian Tribe will shift."

Li Qingyan understood the reason almost instantly:

"Because of insufficient logistical supplies?"

A hint of helplessness flashed in Lou Ji's emerald eyes:

"Currently, a large amount of military equipment and provisions are piled up in Guangyang Prefecture City and cannot be transported north due to the heavy snow blocking the roads. The troops along the Dali Mountain and Dingman River line can still be resupplyed by transporting supplies through the Sumeru Ring, so the situation is relatively stable. However, the inventory in Beifeng City is almost empty."

Although massive amounts of supplies are swarmed into Beifeng City, the most important pass and stronghold in the Northern Border, every day, this is still a drop in the ocean compared to the daily consumption of hundreds of thousands of troops on the front lines.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuan frowned slightly, her heart sinking.

Her worst fears before leaving the Northern Border came true.

Guangyang Prefecture City, a transportation hub Three Northern Prefectures, is located at the intersection of this blizzard in the Northern Border.

In preparation for this war of annihilation against the Barbarian Tribe, her father had secretly prepared a large amount of supplies, but due to this sudden blizzard disaster, seven or eight out of ten of them could not be transported to the front line.

In the silence of the carriage,

Xu Yuan suddenly spoke up out of the blue:

"The lack of transport capacity for the war effort is likely due to the excessive consumption of military vehicles by the imperial court for disaster relief."

"Are you crazy?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan immediately raised her eyes, looking at the man opposite her with a hint of confusion.

She couldn't understand how someone who had just been concerned about the soldiers could suddenly utter such cold-blooded words.

Lou Ji didn't speak, but instead glanced at Xu Yuan's profile with interest.

Xu Yuan glanced at the two of them and said in a deep voice:

"As you saw along the way, Wu Yuan, low-level vehicles dared not head north without the protection of array patterns. We've seen most military vehicles being diverted to various parts of the three continents for disaster relief. If this continues, the Emperor will likely requisition military vehicles intended for disaster relief in the Three Northern Prefectures and forcibly resupply Beifeng City."

The people are of paramount importance, the state is next, and the ruler is of least importance.

That's a very nice thing to say.

Few monarchs in ancient feudal dynasties could achieve this, let alone this extraordinary feudal dynasty.

The final madness of a life lived, the morbid obsession with a lifelong obsession—that's something that the current emperor could absolutely do.

Li Qingyan remained silent for a moment, offering no further comment, and then looked at Lou Ji and asked:

"If that's the case with Uncle Mu and the others, then what about the sects in the Northern Border? Where are their armies?"

Lou Ji smiled and glanced at Xu Yuan, then slowly leaned back on the soft couch.

"These sects have all shrunk to the second tier."

"Second-tier?" Li Qingyan frowned.

Lou Ji lowered her eyes and toyed with the Sumeru Ring on her fingertip. "Their nearly 300,000 elite troops are all holed up near Houting County, obeying summons but not orders."

"Houting County?" Xu Yuan murmured.

Li Qingyan pondered for a moment, then softly explained:

"This is a military fortress that Uncle Mu built thirty years ago. It fell before, but after it was recaptured, it has been used as a logistics transit station ever since."

Xu Yuan shook his head and said:

"What I mean is, with so many troops all huddled together, how can their logistics keep up?"

"That place isn't too far into the Northern Border; it's only three hundred li from Beifeng City, so we can use the official road to resupply."

Xu Yuan remained silent.

Dali Mountain and the Dingman River are nearly 1,300 li away from Beifeng City.

Three hundred li.

This isn't even second-tier; these sects have practically retreated to their own backyards.

Those high-ranking military officers might leave home in the morning and still be able to have dinner in Beifeng City in the evening.

rotten.

It's terrible.

Lou Ji crossed her legs and looked at Li Qingyan meaningfully, saying:

"It's true that supplies can be replenished via the official roads. My scouts report that they still have plenty of stock in Beifeng City."

If they disobey orders, the imperial court will naturally cut off the supply of provisions to the sect's army. However, the problem is that these sects have been operating in the Northern Border for thousands of years, and their stockpiles of supplies are already piled up like mountains, so it is not a big deal.

In other words, if they were targeted, the Northern Border would have enough resources to sustain the war.

Li Qingyan exchanged a glance with Lou Ji and gently shook his head:

"We can't touch these parasites' things in the current situation; if we do, something drastic might happen."

Lou Ji shrugged:

"I didn't say I was going to harm them, I was just giving Your Highness a heads-up."

As she spoke, Lou Ji took out several sealed scrolls of paper from her Sumeru Ring:

"This is the information I have summarized about the war situation in the Northern Border. Princess, you can take a look when you have time."

Li Qingyan reached out and took it, then placed it in his Sumeru Ring and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Wu Yuan thanks Chief Lou."

"Alright, let's not stand on ceremony. My Black Scale Guard will be responsible for escorting these goods to the front lines."

Lou Ji smiled slightly, then looked at Xu Yuan and said, "But since the princess has thanked me, could you lend me Changtian for one day?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan glanced at Xu Yuan opposite him, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly smiled:

"Of course, Chief Lou can use my son-in-law as he sees fit."

"Hehehe, Princess is so generous~ I, your older sister, would never ruin Changtian ~"

After a burst of giggles, Lou Ji grabbed Xu Yuan and leaped out of the carriage.

By the time Xu Yuan came to his senses, he had already entered a boudoir.

The room was filled with the faint scent of Poison Rose.

The dark green bed curtains were in disarray, with various bottles and jars scattered on them, presumably containing mixed medicines.

On the other side of the desk were piles of various documents, but compared to the mess on the bed, these documents were extremely neatly and clearly categorized.

This elderly lady has always been very clear-headed and knows how to separate public and private matters.

Xu Yuan withdrew his gaze, which finally fell on Lou Ji, who was sitting on the edge of the bed:

"Sister, why did you call me here?"

"Changtian, give it to me."

"?" Xu Yuan.

Lou Ji narrowed her beautiful eyes:

"Don't play dumb. Xu Changge has already given you that Heavenly Message Crystal. Don't think I don't know."

Xu Yuan's eyes twitched, and he walked to the bedside with a smile, sitting down and saying:

"Sister, my father said this thing is for Wu Yuan. You're in Beifeng City, so you're not without Communication Crystal."

Lou Ji winked and grabbed Xu Yuan's arm:

"I'm only borrowing it for two days, Changtian, don't be so stingy~"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes.

Lending it would most likely be like throwing good money after bad.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan took out a Black Box from his Sumeru Ring.

Lou Ji's eyes suddenly lit up for a moment upon seeing this scene:

"This is."

"The Sumeru Ring."

Xu Yuan slowly opened the Black Box, inside which were neatly arranged thirty-eight Sumeru Ring.

The Sumeru Ring cannot be directly placed inside the Sumeru Ring, but it can be placed inside by using Black Box, a precious and special material for isolation.

Xu Yuan slowly handed the Black Box to Lou Ji, he said:

"These Sumeru Ring are quite large, and they've already been filled with supplies in the Imperial Capital. Father said they should be enough for Mr. Zong's needs for two months if they're transported to the front lines, so he's asking you, sister, to deliver them."

Those sects from 20,000 years ago were all incredibly wealthy, and each of their Sumeru Ring contained an enormous amount of Levitation Stone. Even after wear and tear, they were still far superior to the Sumeru Ring of today.

Lou Ji's eyes flickered, she nodded, put away the Sumeru Ring, and then said:

"Okay, I'll take charge. Changtian, let's continue talking about Tianxunyuan."

Before the words were finished,

Lou Ji suddenly fell silent, looking towards the south of the city with an incredulous expression in her eyes.

During the negotiations with Lou Ji, the carriages transporting the "Cloud Qi Bomb" had already been bought by the Black Scale Guard.

After Xu Yuan and Lou Ji disappeared, Li Qingyan sat alone in the carriage, browsing through the Black Scale Guard's intelligence summary on the war.

Very detailed.

There are some text descriptions and several maps.

It meticulously recorded everything that had happened in the Northern Border over the past three months.

In short, because of the sudden blizzard, the Great Yan had to concentrate their troops to hold their ground, while the Barbarian Tribe wanted to deplete the Great Yan's military strength as much as possible in the process.

This sudden blizzard was a perfect opportunity for the Barbarian Tribe, who lived in harsh, cold lands year-round.

Even with the strength of the Great Yan army, they had no choice but to unite and defend themselves in the face of such a natural disaster.

In the early stages of the snowfall, her Yulin Army suffered heavy losses as a result.

Dividing forces means they will be defeated one by one.

For over a month, Marquis of Martial Achievement and Zong Qingsheng engaged in a power struggle with the Barbarian Tribe Alien King over this very issue.

Three large-scale skirmishes occurred, with both sides suffering significant losses. However, the Great Yan successfully achieved its strategic goal of consolidating its forces.

Since Marquis of Martial Achievement and Zong Qingsheng withdrew their troops, the Barbarian Tribe army had been roaming the surrounding area, engaging in skirmishes without launching any attacks.

After carefully reading the text description, Li Qingyan spread a map out on the tea table.

The layout of the Great Yan Dynasty's troops, their transportation and supply routes, and the deployment of the Black Scale Army, the Beifeng Army, and even the various armies of the sects were all clearly visible on the map.

Next to each garrison, there were signs in small print indicating details such as the scale of casualties and the status of food and military supplies.

In addition, several Barbarian Tribe strongholds that had been discovered were also marked.

As time passed while looking at the map, Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes gradually narrowed.

Since their large-scale attack on Zong Qingsheng's camp more than a month ago failed, the Barbarian Tribe have only been carrying out small-scale raids.

She had seen the blizzards deep in the Northern Border.

The snow was so deep it could almost bury a person; ordinary soldiers with seventh-rank cultivation could not see beyond five zhang (approximately 10 meters).

"The tactic of attrition?"

Li Qingyan realized what the Barbarian King who had unified the Northern Border wanted to do.

High-ranking generals may not need rest, but soldiers cannot.

Expeditions thousands of miles away, isolated in the Northern Border, and constant harassment day and night, coupled with the long-standing strategy of exhausting the army, make them vulnerable to a sudden and unexpected defeat.

Thinking of this, Li Qingyan frowned and gently traced lines on the map with her slender fingertips.

Uncle Mu was no ordinary general, nor was that Mr. Zong an ordinary person. Given their military command abilities, this tactic would have minimal effect on their command of the army.

What was the reason that Barbarian Tribe Alien King insisted on doing this?

As she pondered, Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes showed a hint of confusion as she tried to deduce her old rival's thoughts by putting herself in his shoes.

I don't know how much time passed,

"Boom!!!"

A tremendous roar erupted from the south of the city, interrupting Li Qingyan's thoughts.

After a moment of silence, Li Qingyan got up and got out of the car, looking in the direction from which the explosion had come.

A huge burst of fire erupted outside the city, and the City Protection Array of Beifeng City was automatically activated by the explosion.

The next moment,

"Thump--"

"Thump--"

"Thump--"

Nine enormous alarm bells rang out in the Beifeng sky.

The Barbarian Tribe have begun their siege.

Too early