Chapter 703: 703
It was deep in autumn and the wind had just begun to rise . The cold air whistled along the heavenly meridians from the north down to the south . It swept past the northern wastelands and passed through countless unbroken li of the North Sea and large lakes, coming to the north of Cangzhou . Cangzhou was to the north of the Qing Kingdom, it was the city closest to Northern Qi . Looking purely at the geographical environment, it should be to the southeast of Shangjing City, however, because each year the icy wind came south, thus, it was even colder than Shangjing City here .
All around, the autumn trees had long lost all their leaves . The fields beneath the city had snatched their only harvest at the end of summer and now it had become a stubble land that was also covered with a layer of frost . It looked very pitiful .
Snow had already fallen a number of times . Passing over the fields of the Qing Kingdom, show still covered the distant mountains all around and it appeared very quiet . It was on this snowy plain that one could faintly see many black dots and Northern Qi military flags fluttering in the snow and wind .
A general on the Cangzhou city walls looked over with narrowed eyes . The scouts had long made their report . This time, the troops coming south from Northern Qi moved like a carpet over the ground, densely packed in uncountable numbers . They had probably gathered together the entire force of the Northern Qi army in the south .
The Northern Qi people were coming! The soldiers of Cangzhou City were not scared . Although the enemy was powerful, they still did not feel a glimmer of fear because in these twenty years, the two sides had engaged in countless battles but the Northern Qi people had never won the upper ground . Even during these years when Northern Qi's famous general, Shang Shanhu, had been moved by the Northern Qi Emperor away from the northern border to the south, they were still unable to take a single step forward when faced with the Qing army's strict defense .
The only thing that made the Cangzhou general feel slightly worried was the man called Shang Shanhu . After the Qing Emperor stopped personally leading troops 20 years ago, the only person in the world who could be regarded as a military god was probably General Shang Shanhu . This was an honor that he had won after years of bloody battle with the Man people in the north .
These years, the Northern Qi army's morale and equipment have clearly been vastly inferior to that of the Qing Kingdom's yet they still managed to maintain a balanced situation in the Cangzhou region . This was all because of the person named Shang Shanhu . This person commanded troops like a god, and was particularly good had dividing and conquering . Without truly using up all their strength, they had managed to keep two of the Qing Kingdom's border armies on this side .
Every year there were small clashes and skirmishes but each side guarded their border tightly and there were no large military actions . In the opinion of the Qing Kingdom, they were just making preparations, accumulating grain and weapons as they waited for the Emperor to send out the final order to move out . The Emperor was still tidying up court politics so the vanguard army of the Qing Kingdom also waited . But unexpectedly, the Northern Qi people had come before they even attacked .
According to the precedent set by previous years, once it was autumn, both sides would stop their harassment and probing . General Shang Shanhu would be summoned back to Shangjing City to take his annual leave . How come he had suddenly come back from Shangjing City this year?
The earth slowly started to tremble . The trembling was not very loud and the noise was not very startling . The black lines on the snowy mountains in the distance gradually moved closer to Cangzhou . As the distance gradually reduced, the soldiers on the Cangzhou city walls could gradually see the countless dense black lines, a military formation like a rain cloud, diverging into individual military camps which separated into individual Northern Qi soldiers wearing armor, holding weapons, and with a solemn expression on their faces . The soldiers on the Cangzhou city gate even felt that they could clearly see the frost gathered on the Northern Qi soldiers' eyebrows as well as their pale hands holding the long spears .
A tense and oppressive atmosphere quickly spread across the Cangzhou city gate . Immediately after, the signaling officials holding signal flags ran back and forth in the dozen corner towers accompanied by the officers' low shouts .
The Cangzhou general put down the telescope specially made by the palace treasury and furrowed his brows deeply . Muttering to himself, he wondered, "What do these Northern Qi people want to do?"
The temperature on the city walls was very low . The words he spoke immediately became a cloud of fog and enveloped his face, just like the dense Northern Qi army far away outside Cangzhou City, it covered the true appearance of matters made many countless people feel confused .
The general slowly grasped the sword hilt by his waist and he narrowed his eyes at the intimidating Northern Qi people beneath the snowy mountains as if he wanted to see through to their true intent . Were they actually launching a large-scale attack on the south? The general did not believe this because he believed that the famous general, Shang Shanhu, would not be so muddle-headed . No matter how well the famous Northern Qi general could command troops, he could not mobilize so many troops to attack the Qing Kingdom in this late autumn and brutally cold weather . This was a way to seek out death .
Attack the city? The soldiers of the Qing Kingdom also did not believe it because even though the Northern Qi army that appeared outside Cangzhou City was intimidating and had about 40,000 people, this field army did not prepare sufficient city attacking weapons . What were they going to use to bring down Cangzhou City?
Cangzhou Cty had a full 20,000 elite soldiers ready to go!
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"General, the Northern Qi has entered deep into our territory," an official reminded beside the general and his brows twitched a few times . It was very clear that he was somewhat angry about Cangzhou's inaction . The Northern Camp watched as the Northern Qi army invaded their borders yet there was not the slightest reaction, such humiliation was one that the Qing Kingdom had not suffered for many years .
However, the Cangzhou general made no reaction . He knew that the conservative response these two days had already angered many proud Qing generals . But he knew he was up against Shang Shanhu, particularly with such an unforeseen large-scale Northern Qi army movement that had appeared as suddenly as snowflakes, it made him very cautious . He could not guess what the other party wanted to do .
The Northern Qi army split into three groups and broke through the boundary between the two countries as quickly as they could, invading into the territory controlled by the Qing Northern Camp . This was a large scale movement that Northern Qi had not performed in 20 years yet before all of this, there had been no whisper of this from either the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council or the military's own intelligence system .
Northern Qi's one hundred thousand strong army forcefully entered their territory . Although they appeared intimidating and majestic, it was impossible for them to head directly south . Any military action always had its objective, so… what was the objective of Shang Shanhu's shocking action this time?
There were 20,000 soldiers inside Cangzhou City while the powerful strength of the Northern Camp was scattered in four army camps with Cangzhou as the nucleus . In front of the city, there were 40,000 aggressive Northern Qi soldiers but entering with a split force deep into the Qing Kingdom territory, were they not worried that the Northern Camp would summon soldiers from all around and surround them?
At this time, it was deep into autumn, the cold was deep and the dew was heavy . Entering deep into enemy territory alone, there would be major problems with the Northern Qi's logistics . As long as Cangzhou City sealed their city and drew Shang Shanhu to attack them, the Northern Camp's various army camps could surround them . This way, what else could the 40,000 Northern Qi soldiers do other than retreat first?
They would not achieve anything yet they had mobilized so much military power and wasted so much grain and energy . Shang Shanshu… what exactly was he thinking?
The Cangzhou general's brows were furrowed very tightly . Looking at the Northern Qi people who were preparing to set up camp far away from the city, he sank deep into thought, completely ignoring the general's angry expressions…
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It was already the fifth day . The biggest military action Northern Qi has taken in 20 years had, unexpectedly, been met with the Qing army's most enduring reaction . Cangzhou City sealed itself and the various army camps of the Northern Camp only waited with strict defenses . They watched as the Northern Qi people stepped onto their land but did not make any strong reactions .
This was completely at odds with the Qing soldiers' pride and courage . It even made the Northern Qi troops silently advancing into Qing territory, constantly waiting to cross swords amidst blood and fire with the Qing army, feel that something was strange and unusual .
In a small city 60 li from the borders of both countries, the Northern Qi army's base was set there . In a commandeered private residence, snow coal was burning in a fire basin . An internal red seeped out through the silvery outside of the coal and it filled the room with a warm sense of spring .
However, the high-ranking Northern Qi generals in the room were not warming themselves by the fire . They stood by a table and were worriedly looking at a southern military camp that had been spread across the table, occasionally, they slanted a glance at the man sitting in the large chair .
Shang Shanhu sat in the chair with his eyes slightly closed, it seemed that he was thinking deeply but it also seemed that he was deeply asleep . Suddenly, he slowly opened his eyes and asked, "It has been five days since the three groups have entered, have there been any movement from Cangzhou?"
The voice of the foremost Northern Qi general was not loud but it was very deep and resounding .
"Report, Commander . Cangzhou City remains sealed," a general replied respectfully . "According to your orders, the three groups of soldiers did not dare to enter too far except… the Cangzhou group . "
"Who would have thought that our southern peers would be even better at enduring than in the past?" Shang Shanhu stood without expression and approached the table . He pointed at a spot on the map and said, "However, the Qing people are proud and arrogant and this is battle of power, with no way to use tricks . The Cangzhou general can hold out for two more days at most, it will be impossible for them to wait for the arrival of an edict from Jingdou . They must come out in battle… otherwise, it will not be able to offer an explanation to the Qing court . "
"What if they continue to stay in the city and refuse to come out?" Shang Shanhu's trusted aide asked with worry . "This time, we have committed our full strength . If the other side waits a few more days and the army camps of the Northern Camp sees through the illusion of the other two groups and directly surrounds us . If we mistime anything… we'll likely suffer heavy casualties . "
Not only were the generals of the Qing Kingdom's Northern Camp unable to understand the Northern Qi army's sudden large-scale movement this time, even these Northern Qi people did not understand why they had to suddenly send out troops right now and in such cold weather and with such great risks to enter deep into Qing territory . Although this did vent a lot of anger, as military personnel, what was needed was actual results rather than paying out thousands, even tens of thousands, of lives to take a stroll in front of the other's city and show off their power .
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