Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 149 War Clouds Gather

Seven days after the fall of the Styx Ancestor.

Dingbei City, General's Mansion Council Hall.

Lin Chen, unusually, did not lie down on the armchair, but sat upright in the main seat, listening to reports from all sides.

Below, to the left and right, Zhuge Liang, Li Chunfeng, Zhao Zilong, Zhou Zhenshan, the Eight Vajras, and other civil and military officials sat in rows.

Qin Shuyan and her two daughters also sat in the side seats to participate in the discussion.

After this period of training, they have gradually adapted to military affairs.

"My lord, the three northern continents are now largely stable," Zhuge Liang said slowly, holding a feather fan.

"After reorganization of the 200,000 border troops, including the old, weak, sick, disabled, and unreliable, as well as the recruits in recent days, there are now 168,000 soldiers available."

Additionally, there are 8,000 Tiger Warriors and 500 Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, totaling 176,500 men.

He paused, then continued:

"In terms of provisions and military equipment, the proceeds from the confiscation of the Cui family's property, plus the allocations from the imperial court, are enough to support the war for six months."

The city's defenses, reinforced by Fellow Daoist Li, have been restored and strengthened, making them capable of withstanding attacks from peak Celestial Realm experts.

Lin Chen nodded: "What about Beishuo?"

Ye Qingying stood up and placed several confidential reports on the table:

"Wanyan Honglie has retreated fifty li from the Langshan camp and re-established camp on the Black Stone Plain."

The entire 250,000-strong army of Beishuo has assembled, including 5,000 Iron Wolf Guards, 10,000 Blood Eagle Cavalry, 80,000 Heavy Infantry, and the remainder are regular border troops.

She paused, then continued:

"Among the experts, those confirmed include:"

Tuoba Lie, the Northern Sword Emperor, ranked tenth on the Heavenly Ranking and was in the late stage of the Celestial Realm.

Tu Wanjun, the "Blood Hand" national advisor of Beishuo, is in the mid-stage of the Celestial Realm.

The Northern Shuo royal family worships the "Ghost Shadow" Yin Wuming, who is in the early stages of the Celestial Realm.

Furthermore…it is suspected that experts from Zhongzhou have secretly arrived, but their specific identities and numbers have not yet been ascertained.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Five thousand Iron Wolf Guards, ten thousand Blood Eagle Riders... The old emperor of Northern Shuo has really pulled out all the stops."

Zhou Zhenshan said in a deep voice, "Lord Duke, the fact that Beishuo has mobilized all its forces this time is probably not just for the purpose of seizing the northern border."

The Northern Shuo, with its wolfish ambitions, has always wanted to annex Dayan and unify the Eastern Region.

If this battle is lost, the Northern Shuo will suffer a severe blow.

If they win, they could very well advance straight into the capital.

"Quite an appetite," Lin Chen chuckled. "Unfortunately, he's picked the wrong opponent."

Then, he looked at Li Chunfeng:

"Mr. Li, if the Northern Shuo's 250,000-strong army launches a full-scale attack, how long can our city's defenses hold out?"

Li Chunfeng pondered for a moment and said:

"If it were a normal siege, with the existing formations, holding out for three months would not be a problem."

However, if a Celestial Realm expert breaks the formation, or if the opponent has a formation master, the time will be greatly shortened.

"Three months..." Lin Chen stroked his chin, then stood up and walked to the map of the northern border hanging in the hall:

"Gentlemen, what do you think we should do in this battle?"

Zhao Zilong spoke first: "My lord, I believe we should adopt a defensive strategy as our offensive strategy."

The Northern Frontier is facing a long and arduous campaign with a long supply line. If the siege drags on, internal strife is inevitable.

At that time, our army will be well-rested and ready to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop.

Zhuge Liang shook his head: "General Zilong's words are reasonable, but too conservative."

Since the Northern Shuo dared to send out their entire force, they must have a backup plan. If we wait until they are fully prepared, things might change.

He gently waved his feather fan: "I believe we should take the initiative and defeat the main force of Beishuo in open battle."

Once their main force is defeated, the rest are not a concern.

"Field combat?" Zhou Zhenshan frowned.

"Mr. Kongming, the Northern Shuo has an army of 250,000, including 5,000 Iron Wolf Guards and 10,000 Blood Eagle Cavalry, all of whom are elite. Our army has no advantage in open field battles."

"Therefore, we need to plan." Zhuge Liang pointed to a spot on the map.

"The Blackstone Plains are open and suitable for large-scale battles, but if we can lure the enemy into Eagle Falling Gorge..."

"No." Lin Chen shook his head. "The Eagle Falling Gorge has been destroyed, and the terrain has changed drastically. It's not suitable for setting up an ambush."

Moreover, Wanyan Honglie wouldn't fall for a trick he'd already used once.

He looked at everyone, his eyes flashing slightly: "Actually, it doesn't have to be that complicated."

We have an army of 170,000, with Mr. Li setting up the formation, and Zilong and the Eight Great Vajras leading the charge.

With Li Bai in charge... a head-on confrontation might not necessarily result in defeat.

Everyone looked at each other.

Should they directly confront 250,000 elite troops from Beishuo?

That's far too presumptuous.

But Lin Chen's next words cheered them up.

"Of course, we're not going to foolishly rush in and fight head-on." Lin Chen pointed to the map.

"Although the Northern Shuo army is large, its composition is complex."

Iron Wolf Guard, Blood Eagle Cavalry, Heavy Infantry, Regular Border Troops... there must be gaps between these units.

We can divide and conquer them.

He looked at Zhuge Liang:

"Mr. Kongming, you are skilled in strategy, so I entrust the overall planning of this battle to you."

I need you to produce a detailed battle plan within ten days.

"I accept the order." Zhuge Liang bowed.

"Zilong, you are in charge of the training of the entire army, especially the coordinated operations between the Tiger Legion and the Border Army."

Within ten days, I want to see an army of 170,000 men at my command.

"This subordinate obeys!"

"Mr. Li, you have set up a series of complex formations along the border, which must be able to defend as well as support the attack."

In addition, prepare several large-scale killing formations for use in critical moments.

"Li understands."

"General Zhou, you are in charge of logistics and ensure the supply of food and military equipment."

This battle won't be easy; we can't afford any mistakes.

"This humble general swears to die rather than fail in his mission!"

Lin Chen then looked at the Eight Vajras:

"The eight of you will each lead an army and cooperate with Zilong in training."

Ten days from now, I want to see an iron army capable of fighting tough battles.

"yes!"

Finally, Lin Chen looked at Qin Shuyan and the other two women:

"Third sister-in-law, fourth sister-in-law, sixth sister-in-law, you are in charge of intelligence gathering, treating the wounded, and... keeping an eye on me, don't let me slack off."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Qin Shuyan blushed and scolded, "Eighth Brother! We're talking about serious matters!"

Lin Chen shrugged: "This is the important matter."

I'm lazy; without you guys watching me, I could lie around until the war is over.

After the laughter subsided, the atmosphere in the hall became much more relaxed.

Lin Chen sat back down in the main seat and said solemnly:

"Alright, everyone get back to work. We'll discuss the campaign plan in ten days. Meeting adjourned!"

Everyone bowed and withdrew.

……

For the next ten days, Dingbei City and its surroundings were bustling with activity.

Zhao Zilong personally trained the entire army and taught the Tiger Warriors' battle formations to the border troops.

Although the individual combat strength of the border troops was not as good as that of the Tiger Army.

But when 160,000 men formed a battle formation, their momentum was overwhelming, and they even faintly condensed the phantom of military spirit.

Li Chunfeng set up thirteen large formations on the border, including the "Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation," the "Five Elements Bewildering Formation," and the "Heavenly Thunder Demon-Slaying Formation," which were interlocked and integrated for both offense and defense.

The formation covers an area of ​​hundreds of miles and, once activated, can trap and kill an army of 100,000.

Zhuge Liang, meanwhile, devoted himself to devising battle plans, discussing them with Zhou Zhenshan, Zhao Zilong, and others until late at night every day.

The map on the table was densely marked, and various simulation plans were piled up to half a person's height.

The eight warriors each led an army, training day and night.

The fierce style of the Tiger Warriors gradually infected the border troops, and the morale of the entire Northern Army was transformed.

Qin Shuyan and the other two women were also busy.

Qin Shuyan oversaw the logistics accounts to ensure that every penny was spent wisely.

Xiao Yulou assisted in training the scout team to improve their reconnaissance capabilities.

Ye Qingying integrated the intelligence networks of Tingfenglou, the Duke's Mansion, and the Bad People, and intelligence arrived like snowflakes every day.

Lin Chen... Lin Chen was indeed slacking off.

But his way of being lazy was to lie in the yard and sunbathe, while his divine sense covered the entire city, sensing the changes in every corner.

On the third day, Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, and chuckled softly:

"Finally couldn't hold back anymore?"