Sacrifice

"I have no doubt about what you say."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly, "As the commander of Beifeng City, Li Qingyan needs to stabilize the morale of the troops, so there are many things that cannot be said openly."

He paused for a moment,

Xu Yuan asked softly again:

"Did Li Qingyan send scouts to investigate the Barbarian Tribe army outside the city?"

Yuan Hao did not hesitate at all:

"Heavy snow obscured visibility, and after the explosion in the south of the city, His Highness Wu Yuan immediately dispatched two squadrons of flying scouts to conduct reconnaissance."

"How is it?" Xu Yuan asked.

"The damage was severe; only three of the hundred aerial scouts returned."

"Commander Yuan."

Xu Yuan raised his hand to interrupt, "I'm not interested in casualties, I'm asking how many Barbarian Tribe troops are outside the city."

Yuan Hao was slightly taken aback, and felt a strange sense of dread in his heart.

It's not that I think Xu Yuan is cold-blooded, but I wonder if the Third Young Master is asking these questions because he wants to interfere with military decision-making?

After thinking it over, Yuan Hao replied truthfully:

"A rough estimate is that there are at least 400,000 people."

"Etc."

Xu Yuan interrupted again:

"With the heavy snow obscuring the view, could this 400,000 be some kind of straw doll disguised as a human?"

Yuan Hao's lips twitched, and he cupped his hands in greeting:

"Although their vision was obstructed, the Demon Beast ridden by the flying scouts used their cries to scout, confirming that they were all True Person."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan subtly glanced back at Lou Ji, who was standing behind him, wanting to confirm this with her.

After their eyes met, Lou Ji smiled and transmitted her voice:

"Not necessarily. The Barbarian Tribe priests have ways to thwart this. Zong Qingsheng almost suffered a great loss because of it. Hmm, he told me about this through the Heavenly Message Crystal."

Xu Yuan nodded noncommittally after listening.

Seeing the two of them staring at each other, Yuan Hao cautiously asked in return:

"Third Young Master, may I ask why you are asking this?"

Xu Yuan understood immediately from his expression and smiled slightly:

"Don't worry, I won't do something like an amateur giving orders to professionals; I'm just asking."

"But since these Barbarian Tribe armies are True Person, and almost an hour has passed, why haven't they attacked the city yet?"

Seeing this, Yuan Hao replied in a low voice:

"Third Young Master, preparations for the long-distance raid to attack the city are needed. The personnel need to rest, the equipment needs to be prepared, and the encirclement will take time."

"Moreover, the Barbarian Tribe are currently arrayed to encircle Beifeng City Beifeng City from both sides, presumably to block the sect reinforcements heading south, and will then attack the city."

"."

Classic strategy of besieging a point to attack reinforcements.

Xu Yuan sighed inwardly and deliberately asked:

"So, it's a lucky accident that those sects are holed up in Houting County, 300 miles away? Even if the roads are blocked by heavy snow, those elite troops should be able to arrive in two to three days, right?"

Yuan Hao's expression stiffened at Xu Yuan's question, and he said in a low voice:

"Third Young Master, the Communication Crystal in Houting County were destroyed during the last fall. After His Highness Wu Yuan recaptured Houting County, he didn't have time to re-engrave them, so he could only send someone to deliver messages."

"Even if the message is delivered, the heavy snow Beifeng City makes visibility virtually zero beyond five zhang (approximately 10 meters). If we rashly send reinforcements, we risk being intercepted by the Barbarian Tribe, which would cause our army to collapse."

Xu Yuan listened carefully and nodded gently:

"I understand, you may leave now."

Yuan Hao felt relieved, cupped his hands in greeting, and was about to leave quickly.

Just then, Xu Yuan's voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Yuan Hao, send the Black Scale Army out of the city to probe and attack those barbarians outside."

"."

Upon hearing this order, Yuan Hao's heart sank, and he remained silent.

Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes:

Why aren't you answering?

Yuan Hao said in a deep voice:

"Third Young Master, this is suicide."

Xu Yuan's heart rate quickened slightly, and he spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Commander Yuan, this is a military order."

Yuan Hao took a deep breath:

"When a general is in the field, he carries out military orders."

"Sister!"

Xu Yuan's tone dropped slightly, becoming chilly, while Lou Ji smiled and locked her gaze onto Yuan Hao.

After enduring the pressure for a moment, Yuan Hao succumbed to the overwhelming force and knelt on the ground. He remained silent for several breaths, then gritted his teeth and said:

"When a general is in the field, he is entitled to receive military orders."

The pressure vanished as soon as the words were spoken.

Xu Yuan stood up from the table, walked to Yuan Hao, and bent down to look at him:

"We've worked together before, so I know why you refused my military order."

"Heh, he thinks I'm issuing military orders recklessly, an amateur commanding professionals, causing unnecessary sacrifices."

As he spoke, Xu Yuan patted Yuan Hao on the shoulder, his voice heavy:

"Commander Yuan, your current position is not high enough; what you see is only a small part of the whole. I can assure you that their sacrifice was necessary."

"."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Hao seemed to want to say something more, but in the end he only asked:

"If His Highness Wu Yuan were to inquire about this matter, how should I respond?"

Now that Li Qingyan is in command of Beifeng City, his hasty military campaign will inevitably lead to accountability.

"Okay, then you say it,"

Seeing this, Xu Yuan straightened up and chuckled:

"This is an order from the person in charge of our Prime Minister's Estate in the Northern Border."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Hao promptly performed a fist-and-palm salute, then turned and walked out of the room.

"Clatter--"

As the door was closed,

Xu Yuan sat back down at the desk, leaned back lazily in his chair, and vigorously rubbed his temples.

"Changtian."

Lou Ji suddenly asked softly:

Why didn't you just tell Yuan Hao the reason?

"What reason?"

"Barbarian Tribe priests have methods to shield themselves from aerial scouts."

"Oh"

Xu Yuan chuckled softly, turned around, and asked in return:

"Sister, you've known about this for a long time, haven't you? Why didn't you tell them this important military intelligence?"

"."

They looked at each other, speechless.

"Giggle giggle"

Lou Ji smiled, her beauty captivating. She stepped forward and plopped down on the table, looking at Xu Yuan with a beaming smile, "Our Changtian is just as cautious as I am!"

The reason is simple: Heavenly Message Crystal.

This is a top secret within the Prime Minister's Estate's Mansion. In this war mode where cultivators are required to deliver messages as soon as they leave the city, the Heavenly Message Crystal is the ultimate weapon.

There are many intelligent people in the world. Zong Qingsheng suffered this loss deep in the Snow Plain Northern Border, and they learned of this information. In the future, someone will surely be able to deduce that the Prime Minister's Estate has mastered some kind of mobile communication method.

Lou Ji crossed her arms and asked with a light laugh:

"Then can I ask you why you do these things?"

Xu Yuan's smile faded, and he said seriously:

"Of course, I'm afraid that the Barbarian Tribe Alien King will launch a surprise attack. Yuan Hao just said that if the Barbarian Tribe use this natural disaster and blizzard to cover their tracks and suddenly ambush us from the waist, our army formation could easily collapse."

"If the Barbarian Tribe split their forces into two groups, one detouring around to the Beifeng City, and the other continuing to roam near the Marquis and Mr. Zong, then if I rashly send Mr. Zong and the others back to reinforce them, I will have truly messed things up."

"We must probe the strength of those Barbarian Tribe outside the city, but we can't find out anything with just a few people."

Lou Ji frowned slightly.

"Is there any need to be in such a hurry? If we go out of the city to probe and the Barbarian Tribe really send all their tribes, at least half of them won't be able to return."

Xu Yuan looked down at his hands, remained silent for a long while, and then said:

"The Barbarian Tribe ' supplies must be limited due to their detour. Once they launch a full-scale attack on the city, we'll be able to see their true strength."

As he spoke, Xu Yuan raised his eyes:

"But what we need now is to race against time."

"Once it is confirmed that the entire main force of the Barbarian Tribe has bypassed Beifeng City, immediately inform Mr. Zong to head south!"