The Plan

Lou Ji did not answer Xu Yuan's question. Yet the moment he asked it, Xu Yuan already knew the answer in his heart. Countless thoughts swirled through his mind. Seven hundred thousand elite soldiers of Great Yan. This was not like the ancient wars of his past life, where armies merely claimed to be seven hundred thousand strong. Every single position was accounted for—every man was a bona fide veteran warrior. Beifeng City was both the gateway to the three northern provinces and the sole supply route continuing further north. If it fell, that colossal army of seven hundred thousand would be stranded in the northern snowfields without provisions. In such disastrous blizzards, the barbarians could traverse through the mountain ranges and take detours, but could Great Yan's seven hundred thousand troops march through in organized formation? Their very physiological structures were entirely different. If they truly attempted such a thing and were caught by the barbarians amid the snowy crags and ravines, it would result in a catastrophic rout. Amid the silence, Lou Ji drew several dossiers from her Sumeru ring. "Changtian, this is the general situation in the Northern Border. Big Sister already gave Wuyuan a copy earlier. Take a close look as well." Xu Yuan forced himself to steady his mind, reached out to take them, and read through in silence. Though he wasn't sure what he could accomplish, getting a clearer grasp of the situation was never a bad idea. As he read, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly suffocating. Yet it was far from the only place smothered in gloom—the ominous shadow of the city's fall now hung over the entirety of the giant Beifeng City. Having finished reading in silence, Xu Yuan raised his eyes. "As things stand in Beifeng City, are you the one calling the shots for our Chancellor's Manor?" "I used to be, but not anymore," Lou Ji shook her head. "Who is it now?" Xu Yuan asked. "..." Lou Ji said nothing, her eyes staring straight at him. After a quiet beat, Xu Yuan clicked his tongue and pointed at himself. "I'm in charge now?" "Naturally," Lou Ji confirmed. "Your father gave instructions beforehand: once you arrived at the Northern Border, all decisions on this front would be yours to make." Hearing this, Xu Yuan hesitated slightly before asking, "The supply route has been cut—does Father know?" "Naturally he knows," Lou Ji answered. "What did he say?" Xu Yuan pressed, sensing his father must have kept some contingency in reserve. Lou Ji paused for a moment and let out a sigh. "He said it depends on your own judgment, Changtian. He said it's time you learned to stand on your own two feet." Pausing, Lou Ji continued deliberately, "Whether to stay and hold Beifeng City, have me escort you south in flight, or head north to join Zong Qingsheng—it's all up to you." "..." Xu Yuan's mind went blank for a second. Though full-scale battle had yet to erupt, the Barbarian King's audacious gamble had already driven the situation to the brink of collapse. There were barely over a hundred thousand soldiers inside Beifeng City. The only ones who could be called elites were the ten thousand Black Scale Army troops under Yuan Hao, and just over twenty thousand Feather Forest Guards resting in the city awaiting reinforcements. The remaining troops stationed by the various sects were second-rate forces at the Seventh, Eighth, or Ninth Rank of cultivation. With the city gates blown wide open, could they hold? Or rather, how long could they hold? The intelligence Lou Ji had just handed him estimated the barbarians' current numbers. Even after the attrition of several battles, the tribes united under that Barbarian King still fielded between four hundred thousand and six hundred thousand able combatants. And now this mess was being dumped on him? Testing him? With a test like this? What if he screwed it all up? "..." Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan didn't shirk, nor did he waste words asking what would happen if he failed. He rose and walked to the window, gazing out at the vast expanse of white. Lou Ji's quarters were located in an attic on the city's east side, overlooking most of the ancient, snow-shrouded city. The shifting movements of troops did nothing to spoil the quiet beauty of this thousand-year-old city in the snow. After watching for a long while, Xu Yuan suddenly turned back to Lou Ji. "Now that I'm in charge, will you listen to me as well?" Seeing the calm composure on Xu Yuan's face, Lou Ji crossed her legs and curved her crimson lips into a subtle smile. "Changtian, if you want Big Sister lying on her back right now, she definitely won't lie on her stomach." "..." Hearing this, Xu Yuan chuckled softly without taking the bait. What time was it, and this woman still had the mind to crack dirty jokes? Still, it seemed the Black Scale Guards would follow his orders. With the general outline of his plan taking shape in his mind, Xu Yuan tapped his fingertips against the wooden windowsill and looked toward the mountain-high city walls in the distance. "Sister, when I was a child, Xu Changge brought me here to see the sights. He told me that once Beifeng City fell, there would be no natural barriers left to defend the plains behind it." Lou Ji rose and walked to his side. "That is indeed true." Xu Yuan smiled faintly and turned his head to ask, "So, do you think Li Qingyan... will defend Beifeng City to the death?" A flicker of surprise showed in Lou Ji's emerald eyes, and she asked with a strange expression, "Why do you ask that, Changtian? The importance of Beifeng City goes without saying. If it falls, Marquis Wucheng and Zong Qingsheng on the northern snowfields truly will be cut off and left entirely on their own." Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Indeed." Seeing this, Lou Ji narrowed her eyes and asked, "Have you figured out what to do, Changtian?" Xu Yuan shook his head. "I have a rough outline, but there are still many things I need to confirm." Lou Ji's gorgeous eyes glittered with intrigue. She giggled, swaying slightly. "So, what do you want Big Sister to do, Changtian?" Xu Yuan pondered for a moment. "No rush. First, have Yuan Hao come here." Lou Ji considered briefly, then murmured, "Right now, he's probably been summoned by that future wife of yours to attend a council of the city's senior generals." "Heh... then have him come find me once the meeting is over." With that, Xu Yuan said no more, gazing silently at the towering city walls. Out of nowhere, one of the few memories he had of that Barbarian Heterodox King surfaced in his mind. "Vast as the world is, there is no place to sustain my Sacred Race! What wrong have I committed by fighting to carve out a living space for my people? Even if I perish, thousands of years from now, another Sacred King will still breach the gates of Beifeng City!" In Cangyuan, those were the dying words spoken by the Barbarian Heterodox King before he took his own life upon defeat, having endured the protagonist party's righteous preaching. Thinking of this, Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt a flicker of curiosity toward that Barbarian Heterodox King. Now that game data had become reality... A man who would gamble the destiny of an entire nation on a single war... A madman indeed. Half an hour later. The room was quiet, wisps of sandalwood incense curling upward from the burner. Xu Yuan sat behind the desk browsing the intelligence dossiers Lou Ji had provided, with Lou Ji standing beside him and Yuan Hao kneeling on one knee before the desk. After a long while, Xu Yuan set down the dossier in his hands and spoke softly, "Li Qingyan claimed at the council that even without external aid, Beifeng City could still hold for over a month. Yet your judgment, Commandant Yuan, is that it can hold for seven days at most?" Yuan Hao cupped his fists, nodding grimly. "Third Young Master, every word I speak is the unvarnished truth. The southern gate cannot be closed; it can only be held by throwing in lives. With the forces currently inside the city, seven days is the absolute limit. However, if the sects in the city unite without fearing casualties, that timeframe could perhaps be stretched another two to three days."