amaotonovel Chapter 1108 Encountering Difficulties
Chapter 1108 Encountering Difficulties
Xie Shang traced the location marked with his fingertips over the Northern Owl Kingdom's camp, finally stopping at a narrow valley.
“Flying Eagle Gorge…may be our breakthrough point.” He read aloud the markings on the map. “This is the only way for the Northern Owl’s supply route. Mr. Ge, don’t forget that the Northern Owl army is currently in our Great Zhou territory. The people of Great Zhou are the ones who know the terrain best. We cannot let them swagger around on my territory. The weather and environment are not the main reasons and can be completely overcome.”
Ge Ming did not leave but silently stayed by his side. He understood the emperor and could not sleep peacefully without coming up with a solution to break the deadlock.
“That is true…” He leaned closer to examine it closely, his brows furrowed. “But the two sides of the canyon are definitely heavily guarded by the Northern Owl Kingdom, making a strong attack difficult. Moreover, the canyon is more than thirty miles deep. If our army rashly ventures deep into it, we may be trapped like turtles in a jar. Furthermore, the ice and snow inside the canyon are so deep that it is impossible to walk. If our army goes there, we may not return and will only be sending our troops to their deaths in vain.”
Xie Shang didn't respond immediately. He stared at the winding line on the map and suddenly asked, "How much earlier did the snow in the Northwest arrive this year compared to previous years?"
“It’s almost a month early,” Ge Ming replied. “Based on past experience, the real winter won’t arrive for another half month, but this year… it’s hard to say. The Northern Owl Kingdom chose this time to send troops to break through the pass because they calculated that our Great Zhou soldiers are weak in cold resistance and cannot adapt to the extreme cold climate. In addition, the native people in the Northwest united to open the city gates for the Northern Owl Kingdom, which put Great Zhou in a very passive position.”
Outside the tent, the crunching sound of patrolling soldiers stepping on the snow could be heard, interspersed with suppressed coughs; most of the soldiers had caught a cold.
Xie Shang turned around and picked up a military supplies list from the table. It read alarmingly: 30,000 cotton-padded clothes are in short supply, frostbite medicine is exhausted, food and fodder are only enough to last for 15 days, the number of wounded soldiers in the previous dozen battles is increasing, and there is not enough medicine. Once the medicine is cut off, the wounded soldiers will freeze to death. There is an urgent need for countless firewood.
When will the supplies arrive from Jiang Jinyan's side?
Ge Ming said in a deep voice, "At least twenty days. If the weather is bad and heavy snow closes the mountain, there is only a 20% chance that it will be delivered in twenty days, and it is impossible to deliver it completely. It would be good if half of it could be delivered."
Ge Ming calculated based on the terrain and climate conditions of the Northwest that Jiang Jinyan's grain transport team could not afford to have any mishaps on the road.
In other words, the soldiers would run out of food in another two weeks.
Silence fell inside the tent.
After a long while, Xie Shang suddenly said, "Mr. Ge, do you still remember how I repelled the Hu soldiers when I was fifteen years old?"
Ge Ming was taken aback. "Of course I remember. His Majesty only brought a few hundred hidden guards. On one side, they burned the Hu army's food supplies and cut off their retreat. On the other side, they captured the Hu chieftain alive, beheaded him, and hung his head on the Great Zhou army flag. When the Hu army saw that their king was dead, their morale immediately collapsed... His Majesty fought that battle very well. In the end, the Hu soldiers fled back to the border in a panic. The Hu tribe changed their leader and did not dare to set foot in Great Zhou for more than ten years."
Xie Shang did not want to claim credit. That battle also distanced him further from his father, the emperor, and he suffered for more than ten years.
He has now let go of his resentment. Whether it was his father or himself, their original intention was to protect the Great Zhou. His father was afraid that he would overestimate his abilities and die under Hu Jun's blade.
Xie Shang continued, “The Hu army is also good at winter warfare. They are strong and brave, and are indeed not easy to deal with. I was able to capture the Hu king by using saltpeter to destroy his retreat route. So I still want to use sulfur.”
Ge Ming said, "Times have changed. Sulfur is not easy to explode in extremely cold weather, and it would be a burden instead."
A glint of light flashed in Xie Shang's eyes; he had already come up with a solution.
He walked back to the map and pointed to Flying Eagle Gorge: "The Northern Owls are strong and well-equipped. They are adapted to the climate and have ample supplies, so they stored their supplies in Flying Eagle Gorge, a natural stronghold. But they have a fatal weakness."
"What weakness?"
“They’re too confident.” Xie Shang’s lips curled into a cold smile. “They believe that the Great Zhou army wouldn’t dare to launch a preemptive strike in the dead of winter, and that we can only passively take a beating.”
He moved his fingertips upstream along the canyon. "Their granaries, stables, and main camps are all built in sheltered, sunny locations. That's common sense. But what if the wind direction changes?"
"Your Majesty means... a surprise attack with sulfur?" His brows furrowed even more. "In this climate, it's not easy to ignite, and it's extremely easy to be exposed. If the surprise attack fails, such terrain will only lead to our deaths and the annihilation of the entire army."
Xie Shang said, “There is a fire attack method that requires mixing sulfur, saltpeter, oil and other substances into a special pottery jar, lighting it and throwing it into the enemy camp. It will not be extinguished by water, but will explode and burn. However, due to the danger of preparation and the difficulty of transportation, almost no one uses it.”
“The large quantity of sulfur we transported from Xichuan was severely damp. This is just right, as damp sulfur burns slowly but produces extremely heavy smoke. If people inhale the thick smoke, they are very likely to have difficulty breathing and suffocate. The northwest wind is strong, so if we can blow the smoke into the canyon, we can take precautions and then mix it in.”
Ge Ming looked at the topographic map, his eyes gleaming. "If His Majesty's method succeeds, it would be a good idea, but we need to wait for the winds to blow in the right direction to advance the plan."
Xie Shang said in a deep voice, "Both the right timing and the right location are indispensable."
The next morning, the snow fell even heavier, and the silvery white snow illuminated the world. In such weather, even the most valiant Northern Army would be unable to advance.
For a time, the two armies were locked in a stalemate.
Xie Shang summoned his generals, but instead of mentioning the previous night's plan, he issued an order: the entire army must reinforce its defenses.
"Although we have defended Pingcheng, we have lost Hezhou and other places. I am determined to reclaim the territory of the Great Zhou."
Upon hearing this, some soldiers were puzzled. "Does His Majesty intend to defend Pingcheng to the death and has no plans to negotiate peace?"
Xie Shang's gaze swept over the generals discussing below the stage. "It's not just about holding out to the death. Issue the order that from today onwards, the daily morning training will be changed to marching in the snow. No cotton-padded clothes, just single-layer clothing."
The soldiers were in an uproar!
The soldiers were already blue with cold, and their lips were cracked.
Now that the enemy is in front of us, they could break through the city gates and invade the Great Zhou at any time.
General Wang said, "Your Majesty, marching in this weather wearing only a single layer of clothing will freeze people to death!"
“It’s all about freezing.” Xie Shang’s voice was cold and hard. “The reason why the Northern Owl soldiers are not afraid of the cold is because they have been rolling around in the snow and ice since they were young. What the men of the Great Zhou lack is not physique, but resilience.”
He stepped down from the platform, approached a shivering young soldier, took off his own cloak and draped it over the soldier's shoulders. "Are you cold?"
The soldier's teeth chattered. "Your Majesty, it's cold..."
"Remember this cold." Xie Shang patted his shoulder. "Ten days from now, I will make sure you can travel thirty miles in the snow wearing only a single layer of clothing."
The military order is like a mountain!
Although the generals were worried and many did not understand the emperor's order, none of them dared to refute it.