Deep Behind Enemy Lines

Eastern Jin. Xiaoyu stood at the prow of a floating boat, watching wisps of cloud drift slowly past him and trail away in the ship's wake. Beside him on his left stood an elegant, dignified man sporting a long beard. "To receive Qingming's aid on this occasion is truly Eastern Jin's great fortune! Realm Lord Wei possesses far-reaching foresight, his achievements illuminating past and present alike. He is truly Great Tang's foremost loyal minister!" Xiaoyu sneered inwardly. *A loyal minister?* If Wei Yuan had died early, he would surely have ended up relegated to the biographies of overbearing ministers in Tang's dynastic histories. To Xiaoyu's right stood a phoenix-eyed elder of transcendent bearing. Seemingly discerning the subtle shift in Xiaoyu's expression, the elder spoke at once: "General Xiao is an extraordinary genius whose personal command of the troops against Northern Liao is an even greater blessing for our Great Jin. Observing the general's bearing, his edge is concealed and brilliance contained. Even in the face of an immortal, he would surely hold his ground for a bout or two." This statement was masterfully phrased. With his current cultivation, Xiaoyu could indeed withstand a blow from an immortal like Liumiao or Cangwu, but only a single blow, and only if the adversary did not strike with full strength; otherwise, he would be crushed instantly. Yet as long as he could survive a strike—regardless of how many qualifying conditions were attached—it could not be called excessive flattery. Hearing it, Xiaoyu merely pondered in earnest how he would manage to withstand such a blow. Beyond that, Xiaoyu possessed a beauty rarely seen in the world, and he loathed nothing more than having his looks praised, always suspecting ulterior motives. Over all these years, the only person who had consistently written letters to him without ever mentioning his appearance even once was Wei Yuan. The old man had clearly done his homework, having grasped Xiaoyu's temperament completely. This elder was Eastern Jin's current Minister of War, while the middle-aged man was the Senior General in charge of the northern frontier campaign. From their skill at flattery alone, the difference in their official ranks was plain to see. Xiaoyu finally spoke. "I lead an army of fifty thousand marching north, and I will rely heavily on both of you for supplies and provisions. The designated garrison zone has already been marked. No Eastern Jin garrisons may remain within this perimeter. As for all supplies, simply deliver them to the specified locations." *Fifty thousand?* The Senior General's expression shifted slightly, while the Minister of War's smile never wavered as he agreed without hesitation. No matter what Xiaoyu demanded, the Minister of War would agree, so long as Xiaoyu could plug that thousand-li breach and intercept Northern Liao's southward-bound iron cavalry. Currently, Eastern Jin could only rely on forcibly stimulating boundary stones to alter the local climate and environment as much as possible, causing widespread sickness among Northern Liao's troops to slow their advance. But this was drinking poison to quench a thirst; once overstimulated, a boundary stone's potential would be exhausted, destroying it entirely. Eastern Jin had reached its wit's end; otherwise, it would never have resorted to such a desperate measure. Seeing that the Minister of War was exceptionally accommodating and agreed readily to even the most demanding terms, not even Xiaoyu's prickly disposition could find fault. He nodded and retired to his cabin to rest. The moment Xiaoyu departed, the Senior General grew anxious, whispering, "Why only fifty thousand? That's barely enough to fit between Northern Liao's teeth!" The Minister of War shushed him and lowered his voice. "Look behind you. Does that look like merely fifty thousand men?" The Senior General looked back, only to see flying boats blotting out the sky behind them, stretching endlessly beyond the horizon! A fleet of such scale could not be assembled even by mobilizing the entire wealth of Eastern Jin, yet Qingming could dispatch hundreds of colossal flying boats for a routine expedition of a single legion. "Still, this strategy of theirs..." "Keep your voice down! Qingming advancing deep behind enemy lines and erecting a city on open plains to confront cavalry is indeed committing a cardinal military taboo. But those are their troops, and they can fight however they please. What does it have to do with you or me?" "Fair point... Sigh, just another aristocratic playboy." "Isn't your Xu family an aristocratic clan as well?" It was unknown whether Xiaoyu overheard their exchange. The massive fleet of flying boats pressed forward day and night without pause, entering the northern frontier several days later. Along Eastern Jin's northern line lay five commanderies. The central defensive line had now been shattered by Northern Liao, leaving the two central border commanderies completely occupied. Northern Liao's iron cavalry poured endlessly through the breach, tribe by tribe, driving toward Eastern Jin's heartland. Northern Liao's vanguard legion had already penetrated thousands of li deep, breaching the second commandery of the inner line. However, over half of the vanguard force was presently vomiting and purging, with hundreds or thousands dying of illness each day. Only because of this had they been halted before the fortified pass of the third inner commandery. Leading two hundred colossal floating boats and over a dozen escort airships, Xiaoyu advanced north along the territory Eastern Jin still controlled. They surged directly to the northern boundary, then swung from west to east, cutting straight into Yunmo Commandery, which had completely fallen. Upon reaching the center of Yunmo Commandery, the fleet landed and began constructing a city on the spot. Yunmo Commandery was flat and sparsely populated, possessing practically no natural barriers to defend. It lay on the border between the human domain and the Liao domain, with a bitter and volatile climate. The clash between the two domains brought relentless natural disasters, shifting earth veins, and barren resources, leaving the ground covered in nothing but desolate meadows and the earth below filled only with useless rock. After punching through this region, Northern Liao's iron cavalry had charged southward at full speed, leaving almost no one behind to guard it. Anyone with even a modest knowledge of warfare knew this land needed no defense: if someone entered, the cavalry would simply wheel around and wipe them out. Yet now, Xiaoyu had suddenly thrust into Yunmo Commandery, setting down right in its center. While floating boats were not swift, they flew through the air, vastly outstripping ground forces. The Northern Liao army had failed to react entirely; by the time military dispatches reached the various princes and generals, days would have passed. At this moment, throughout Eastern Jin's court and among the surrounding commanding generals, everyone held their breath, waiting to see the fate of this isolated Qingming force. Out on the desolate expanse, dozens of specially designed flying boats settled slowly and landed precisely upon markings already drawn on the ground. Once grounded, the interior bulkheads slid open, disgorging large contingents of soldiers. Massive drills extended from beneath the hulls, boring holes into the earth to drive anchor piles, securely tethering the floating boats to the bedrock. These specialized floating boats formed a ring, creating the embryonic layout of a fortified city. Inside, many template cultivators were still dressed in their road-construction work uniforms, not having had time to change into military attire. The terrain here had long since been surveyed, and the construction plans were finalized; the engineering cultivators simply had to build according to the blueprints. Xiaoyu personally scouted the surrounding terrain, arranging outer defensive positions to serve as fulcrums of support for the city. Soon, an immense roar drowned out the city. The engineering cultivators piloted various engineering magic tools, drilling holes and excavating trenches across the frozen, hardened earth. Row after row of narrow boreholes spread outward; as soon as one was drilled, someone behind slid slender tubes of explosives into it. A moment later came a deafening blast. Dust and smoke shot dozens of zhang into the air, tearing a deep trench over a hundred zhang long into the solid ground. The engineering cultivators then leapt into the smoke-billowing trench, expertly widening and reinforcing it with prefabricated support frames, completing a trench line. Flanking both sides of the trench, multiple bunkers were erected, working together with the trench to establish a lethal zone. All the bunkers were prefabricated, delivered in several sections that only needed to be assembled. Earthworks were accomplished mainly through blasting, and construction relied primarily on templates. In less than a few days, a fortress rose from the ground, surrounded by a spiderweb of trenches flanked by hundreds of bunkers. Within the city, multiple heavy artillery positions were established, mounting hundreds of cannons alongside an erected defensive city formation. With the transport capacity of the floating boats, Xiaoyu's fifty thousand men would have required fifty boats at most. Yet Xiaoyu had brought a full two hundred. The surplus hundred and fifty boats carried heavy artillery, ammunition, engineering magic tools, and prefabricated fortifications. The defensive tactics Wei Yuan had once used at the Northern Mountain Gate against the Liao Clan had been deployed once again—upgraded, refined, and carried to new heights. Within the Liao domain, the Wise King of the Left slowly opened his eyes. Glancing at the sand table in the center of the hall, he took in the recent troop movements. Frowning slightly, he said, "An isolated Qingming force penetrating deep, building a city right in the heart of our army's rear—such insolence! Where are the nearest troops, and how soon can they arrive?" A general in the hall answered, "The closest is the Tengger Tribe with three hundred thousand iron cavalry. They can arrive within five days." "Qingming has only had a few days to establish a footing; in a few more, they'll have built little more than a cluster of tents." After a brief moment of thought, the Wise King of the Left made his decision: "Pass my order. They are to arrive within five days and tear down that city within three." "Understood!" Meanwhile, in the heart of the desolate expanse, the fortress neared completion. The floating boats Xiaoyu had brought were newly developed fortress ships, transforming into steel bastions the moment they touched ground. With construction entering its final phase, Xiaoyu was making final adjustments to the heavy artillery units' positions to ensure sufficient fire coverage along every angle of likely Liao approach. Just as Xiaoyu took to the air to survey the perimeter, two monks flew swiftly toward him, calling out, "An order from the Realm Lord!" Xiaoyu's heart stirred. He wondered what matter was grave enough to warrant using the Arhat dedicated line. A disciple of Arhat Miluo Guangjia stepped forward with a solemn expression, pronouncing each word distinctly: "The Realm Lord decrees: Heavy Artillery Position No. 2 north of the city is improperly positioned. Move it three hundred zhang to the west."