allonlinenovel Chapter 166 He has no choice but to retreat
Chapter 166 He has no choice but to retreat
Not only Qing Lan was watching Tang Ling's expression, but even Ye Huai couldn't help but look at Tang Ling. Qi Xiao saw it and circled two places on the map. He continued, "There is a hot spring hidden in the canyon of Fenglin Mountain. It is springtime all year round in the valley. We will station troops outside the canyon."
Qinglan was delighted to hear about the hot springs, and her expression immediately softened. However, when she heard Qi Xiao say that they would station troops outside the valley, she was puzzled: "Why not station troops inside the canyon?"
"The canyon is difficult to enter and exit, and the space inside is small, only accommodating a few dozen people at most. It's impossible to station troops there. When my senior brother and I were playing in the mountains, we built a thatched hut inside. After repairing it, we'll give your young master a place to live. However, the army can only be stationed outside."
Since Qi Xiao was to lead the army, he had to live and eat with his soldiers, sharing their joys and sorrows. If he hid in the valley, enjoying the best food and drink and the best service, he would be unable to win the support of his men, and the morale of the army would surely be broken. Tang Ling, a hostage of the Zhou Kingdom, was a different matter.
Qinglan nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Tang Ling didn't suffer, he would be willing to talk about anything.
"However, this canyon is located deep in Fenglin Mountain. There is no access to the mountain roads, so transporting food into it is a big problem."
Outside the canyon, Qi Xiao circled another area where the Hanchen Sect had once hidden. However, when Gu Shanmo led them into the mountains, there were less than a hundred Hanchen Sect members left. Those few dozen thatched huts could never have housed an army of thousands, let alone three months' worth of food for them. After the heavy snow closed the mountains, even hunting was nearly impossible, and food had to be transported into the mountains and stored.
"Brother, do you have any ideas?"
Bai Xiqiao stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Before the Dingyuan Army was disbanded, there were over thirty outposts in Fenglin Mountain, all with cellars for storing food and weapons. These two are closest to the canyon. Although they've been abandoned for several years, they should still be usable. As for transporting food into the mountains, we could try using the previously built plank road, but it hasn't been repaired or maintained for years, so I'm not sure if it's still usable."
Since Bai Liu's death, the Dingyuan Army was disbanded. Now, there are less than one-third of the outposts in Fenglin Mountain left, and there are only three garrisons left, all very close to Yuanzhou Prefecture. Fenglin Mountain has been deserted in recent years, which is why the spies of Qi State have been so rampant, pretending to be bandits and ruling the mountain.
"Let's give it a try. After we get off the boat, Senior Brother, you should go back quickly to explore the route. Lu Xiulin should have arrived a few days before us. He's from the Dingyuan Army, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to select the best soldiers to go into the mountains."
Bai Xiqiao nodded in agreement.
"Besides food, we also need medicine." Chi Yue pointed at the sheepskin map and said, "After crossing Fenglin Mountain, from north to south, the first pass is Jialin Pass, then Xingtian Pass. The shortest passage between the two passes is through a miasma forest. Without antidote, we can't pass. Besides the miasma forest, Qi State is full of mountains and forests full of poisonous insects and poisons, so we need to be prepared."
Chi Yue said the last words while looking at Qinglan. He brought Qinglan with him on the march not just to let him serve Tang Ling with food and drink. Military doctors are indispensable, but ordinary military doctors are not enough. There are many poisonous creatures in Qi State, and Qinglan is needed to save lives at critical moments.
Qing Lan responded, "I'll make a list and prescribe the medicine according to the prescription. Three months in the mountains is enough time for me to make the detoxification pills."
Qi Xiao didn't dare to relax at all. To be on the safe side, he instructed Bai Xiqiao, "Yuanzhou Prefecture may not have enough antidote herbs. When you pass through Fuzhou, ask Yue Zhilin to arrange some for you. It's better to have more than less."
Yue Zhilin was a smart man. He didn't ask too many questions and didn't say a single extra word.
It was already late autumn, with less than a month left until the snow closed the mountain. Thorough and complete preparations were probably impossible, but with their lives at stake, they needed to make as many as possible. Besides food and medicine, they also needed warm clothing, and so on. Fenglin Mountain was now barren, and Qi Xiao and Bai Xiqiao had never lived there for three months straight, so they were inevitably nervous, especially with an entire army lurking in the mountains.
Qi Xiao listed all the necessary supplies he could think of and asked Bai Xiqiao to arrange them. Time was tight and the task was heavy. Bai Xiqiao wanted to jump off the boat and swim back to Fuzhou immediately.
After Bai Xiqiao and Qinglan went out, Tang Ling took Ye Huai back to her room first, and Qi Xiao left Chi Yue and Zong Sheng behind.
In addition to supplies, there is something more important.
"Once we enter the mountain, we will lose contact with the outside world. We must cross Fenglin Mountain and enter Qi before the snow melts." Qi Xiao looked at Chi Yue. He didn't ask any questions, but was waiting for Chi Yue's answer.
"Before leaving Yuanjing, I sent a message to Qi, ordering the Xuanji Camp to wait at Jialin Pass."
"Are there any people from the Tiance Camp in Qi who can be used?"
Chi Yue looked up at Qi Xiao and replied after a moment: "Yes, yes, but..."
"The Wu Shi Pai is not working?"
Chi Yue hesitated for a moment and asked, "What does Your Highness want to do?"
"I want to know how many chips I have and what my chances of winning are."
Chi Yue lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then whispered, "The Tiance Camp only obeys His Majesty and Wu Shi Pai. I can't order them around."
"So, he will only obey me if he sees me in person?"
Chi Yue nodded.
Seeing Chi Yue's reaction, Qi Xiao had some guesses in his mind. This person hiding in Qi State's Tiance Camp was probably carrying out the imperial order of His Majesty. Just like Chi Yue had been in the Capital Affairs Office for a year, it was not easy to see him, and perhaps he could not be used.
"Can I see it?"
"Your Highness, please forgive me for being blunt. The rules of the Tiance Camp are to follow His Majesty's orders only. I am not very clear about the tasks of others, nor can I fully grasp them. If Your Highness needs to do something, you can ask me to do it. It would be unwise to place your hopes on others."
"I see." Qi Xiao tapped the table lightly and asked, "Can the Xuanji Camp obtain Qi's defense map before we arrive?"
The defense map is not the key to winning the battle, but the key to whether the battle can be started.
Qi Xiao and Tang Ling calculated that they could only bring a maximum of 10,000 men into Fenglin Mountain. If they ran out of food and supplies, they might only be able to bring 6,000 to 8,000 men, not even enough horses. The garrison at Xingtian Pass alone numbered 20,000 men. Defending the pass was easy, but breaking through it was difficult. Furthermore, they were few in number and lacked any heavy siege equipment, making a breakthrough through Qi's pass an extremely difficult task.
If they didn't have a defense map, they would be going to die.
"The deployment map is available now, but it needs to be confirmed. The Qi army's annual rotation time is not fixed. It is generally determined by weather conditions and the style of the commander. The Xuanji Camp will prepare the deployment map for Your Highness."
Qi Xiao nodded. He had no way out and no other choice. He had seen the strength of the Tiance Camp and hoped that the Xuanji Camp would not disappoint him.
"However, Your Highness, would you like to discuss this with Young Master Tang? The Xingluo Guard also has spies in Qi. If the two sides were to meet, it would likely lead to complications."
"I understand." Qi Xiao pressed his forehead. This was also a troublesome matter. Tang Ling should be saying the same thing to Ye Huai now. If this battle was to succeed, they had to unite with Xun Anhou's army. Timing was more important than anything else.
Qi Xiao waved his hand and asked Chi Yue to leave: "Let's leave it like this for now." Qi Xiao stuffed a sugar pill into his mouth and held it. He felt dizzy and supported himself on the corner of the table with one hand, feeling very tired.