Sacrifice

"I'm not doubting your word." Xu Yuan smiled faintly. "As the commander within Beifeng City, Li Qingyan has to keep morale steady. There are many things she can't say outright." Pausing, Xu Yuan asked softly, "Has Li Qingyan sent scouts to inspect the barbarian army outside the city?" Yuan Hao answered without the slightest hesitation. "Heavy snow obscures all visibility. Immediately after the explosion south of the city, Her Highness Wuyuan dispatched two squads of aerial scouts to reconnoiter." "And?" Xu Yuan asked. "The casualties were heavy. Out of a hundred aerial scouts, only three returned." "Commandant Yuan." Xu Yuan raised a hand to cut him off. "I have no interest in the casualties. What I asked was how many troops are in the barbarian army outside the city." Yuan Hao started slightly, feeling an inexplicable chill run down his spine. It was not that he found Xu Yuan cold-blooded; rather, he worried that the Third Young Master, by probing into such matters, intended to interfere with military decisions. Even so, Yuan Hao answered honestly, "By rough estimate, there are at least upwards of four hundred thousand." "Wait." Xu Yuan interrupted again. "Right now, the heavy snow blinds everyone. Could these four hundred thousand be straw figures or some kind of decoy?" The corner of Yuan Hao's mouth twitched. He cupped his hands and replied, "Though vision is obstructed, the demonic beasts ridden by the aerial scouts reconnoiter using their calls. They confirmed that every single one is flesh and blood." Hearing this, Xu Yuan casually glanced back at Lou Ji standing behind him, seeking confirmation. Meeting his gaze, Lou Ji sent him a smiling voice transmission: *"Not necessarily. The barbarian shamans possess means to block detection. Zong Qingsheng nearly suffered a disastrous loss because of it. Mmh... he reported this to me through the Heavenly Communication Crystal."* Xu Yuan nodded noncommittally after hearing her. Seeing them exchange glances, Yuan Hao asked cautiously, "Third Young Master, if I may ask, why do you inquire about this?" Xu Yuan understood his wariness at a glance and gave a gentle smile. "Rest assured, I won't do something as foolish as an amateur directing professionals. I was merely asking. However, since the barbarian army is indeed real, why haven't they attacked the city yet when nearly two hours have already passed?" Yuan Hao lowered his voice and explained, "Third Young Master, preparing for a siege after a long march takes time. Men need rest, siege engines must be readied, and encircling the city requires coordination. Furthermore, the barbarians are currently deploying in formation to circle around both flanks toward the north to fully enclose Beifeng City. They are likely preparing to intercept the sect reinforcements coming down south before launching the siege." "..." A textbook encirclement to strike reinforcing troops. Xu Yuan sighed inwardly and asked intentionally, "Then according to that, those sects holing up three hundred li away in Houting County can be considered a stroke of blind luck? A distance of three hundred li... even with snow blocking the roads, with the speed of those elites, they should be able to arrive in two to three days, right?" Yuan Hao's expression grew somewhat stiff at Xu Yuan's question, and he replied in a hushed tone, "Third Young Master, the communication crystal in Houting County was destroyed during the previous fall of the city. After Her Highness Wuyuan recaptured Houting County, there was no time to re-engrave a new one. We can only send couriers on foot. But even if the message arrives, the blizzard north of Beifeng City makes it impossible to see beyond fifty feet. If they reinforce us rashly, they are very likely to be intercepted mid-march by the barbarians. At that point, their military array would collapse instantly." Xu Yuan listened attentively and gave a slight nod. "Is that so? I understand. You may go." Yuan Hao breathed an inward sigh of relief, cupped his hands, and moved to leave swiftly. Right then, Xu Yuan's voice came from behind him. "Yuan Hao, have the Black Scale Army inside the city launch a probing attack against the barbarians outside." "..." Hearing that order, Yuan Hao's heart plummeted. He remained silent. Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes. "Why aren't you answering?" Yuan Hao said solemnly, "Third Young Master, that is sending them to their deaths." Xu Yuan's pulse quickened slightly. He enunciated each word: "Commandant Yuan, this is a military order." Yuan Hao took a deep breath. "A general in the field can decline—" "Sister!" Xu Yuan's tone chilled. Lou Ji smiled faintly as her Intent locked onto Yuan Hao. Enduring the crushing pressure for merely an instant, Yuan Hao dropped to his knees under the overwhelming weight. After several seconds of silence, he ground his teeth and said, "A gen—a general in the field... must obey military orders." The moment the words left his mouth, the pressure vanished. Xu Yuan rose from behind the desk, walked over to Yuan Hao, and leaned down to look at him. "We are old acquaintances who have worked together before. I know why you rejected my military order. Heh... you think I'm issuing reckless commands—an amateur dictating to a professional, causing pointless sacrifices." Saying so, Xu Yuan patted Yuan Hao's shoulder, his voice heavy. "Commandant Yuan, the vantage point you stand on is not high enough yet. What you see is merely one corner of a vast theater. I can promise you that their sacrifice is necessary." "..." Yuan Hao looked as if he wanted to say something more, but in the end, he only asked, "If Her Highness Wuyuan questions this, how should this humble general answer?" Li Qingyan currently commanded Beifeng City. Deploying troops without authorization would certainly invite severe accountability. "Mmh... just tell her..." Xu Yuan straightened up and chuckled softly. "...that it was an order from the person in charge of the Chancellor's Manor in the Northern Border." "Understood." Yuan Hao crisply saluted with cupped hands, turned, and strode out of the chamber. *Click—* As the door shut, Xu Yuan sat back down behind the desk. Leaning lazily against the back of his chair, he rubbed his brow firmly. "Changtian..." Lou Ji asked gently out of the blue, "Why didn't you just tell Yuan Hao the reason?" "What reason?" "That the barbarian shamans have methods to block aerial scout reconnaissance." "Heh." Xu Yuan gave a low chuckle, turning his head to counter, "Sister, you've known about this for quite some time, haven't you? Why didn't you inform them of such crucial intelligence?" "..." Their eyes met in silence. "Tee-hee-hee..." Lou Ji's smile bloomed with mesmerizing charm. She stepped forward, casually perching on the corner of the desk, and looked at Xu Yuan with amusement. "Our little Changtian is just as cautious as his big sister~" The reason was simple: the Heavenly Communication Crystal. It was the top secret among top secrets of the Chancellor's Manor. In a wartime paradigm where delivering messages outside a city required individual cultivators to travel in person, the Heavenly Communication Crystal was the ultimate trump card. There were many clever people under the heavens. If they knew about the loss Zong Qingsheng had suffered deep in the northern snowfields the moment it happened, someone would inevitably deduce that the Chancellor's Manor possessed some form of mobile communication method. Crossing her arms, Lou Ji asked with a faint smile, "Then can your sister ask why you're doing all this?" Xu Yuan's smile faded, replaced by earnest gravity. "Naturally, I'm afraid that the Barbarian Heterodox King will pull a deception on me. Yuan Hao mentioned earlier that under cover of this catastrophic blizzard, an ambush against our flanks could easily collapse a marching array. "If the barbarians divided their forces into two routes—one circling south of Beifeng City while the other remains lurking near the Marquis and Mr. Zong—and I rashly ordered Mr. Zong and the others to return as reinforcements, everything would go up in smoke. "We must test the true strength of the barbarians outside the city, and sending too few men won't reveal anything." Lou Ji knitted her delicate brows slightly. "Is there a need to be in such a rush? Probing outside the city... if the barbarians truly brought all their tribes to bear, at least half of that sortie won't return alive." Xu Yuan stared down at his hands. After a long silence, he said, "The barbarians took a detour, so their supplies are definitely limited. Once they encircle the city and launch an assault, their true strength will naturally become evident." Xu Yuan lifted his gaze. "But right now, we need to race against time. "The moment we confirm that the barbarians' full main force has bypassed to Beifeng City, notify Mr. Zong immediately to march south!"