Hou Tong, who had remained at the same rank as Xia Hong, immediately nodded upon hearing this.
"To the north of Wushuang and Hanqiong are Zhaoyang, but they are separated by the branch of Long Mountain. This branch is about thirty to forty kilometers wide, and neither family has the capability to cross it, so they have to make a detour."
"It should be that they don’t have the capability for large-scale personnel movement!"
Xia Hong nodded slightly, then silently corrected Hou Tong’s words in his heart.
Small-scale personnel crossing and large-scale troop movement are two completely different concepts. The reason why the number of people in the Hunting Team at Ice Abyss Camp shouldn’t be too many is that once there are too many people, it will attract a large number of Cold Beasts.
Personnel movement follows the same logic, after all, they are all in the Earth-digging Realm; moving one batch after another is somewhat dangerous, while a massive movement might attract numerous Cold Beasts, so they have to detour.
While Xia Hong grasped the terrain of the central Longyou, he also understood why Long Mountain’s army chose to garrison there.
The plain in front is about five to six kilometers long horizontally, with only a few large trees in the middle and no other obstructions. Garrisoned here, they have a clear view of the entire plain passage situation, and any sizable personnel movement from Wushuang, Hanqiong, or White Abyss is clearly visible.
"Before Lord Hong arrived, I had been observing here for three days. I haven’t figured out who’s leading them, but at night they would send people out, even organizing small teams to hunt in the mountains. The total number is over two thousand five, with nearly half clad in Hundred-forged Iron Armor, they are clearly Longyou army soldiers."
Not only garrisoned, but they also organize people to hunt in the mountains.
This clearly shows their intention to garrison here long term.
A hint of appreciation flashed in Xia Hong’s eyes for Long Mountain’s quick decisions.
"Two thousand five hundred men, with nearly half being Longyou soldiers. Placing them here can sever the connections between the north and the center. People from Wushuang and Hanqiong would have no way to unite with Zhaoyang and White Abyss, and they have to constantly worry that the Longyou army might attack south at any moment. It seems you’re in a tough spot!"
Hou Tong showed a troubled expression at first but then quickly changed his expression and chuckled:
"It was indeed tough initially, but with Lord Hong here, it’s manageable."
"Oh, do you have a plan?"
Xia Hong raised his eyebrows slightly. After receiving the mission from Hou Hu last night, he directly followed Hou Quan to the Hanqiong Camp. As soon as he arrived at Hanqiong, Hou Tong immediately took him to see the garrisoned Long Mountain army here.
Although Xia Hong’s stay at the Hanqiong Station was very brief, he more or less perceived its situation as soon as he arrived.
Hou Tong led fifteen hundred from Zhaoyang, plus over a thousand from Hanqiong itself, totaling over two thousand five hundred in the Earth-digging Realm.
While the total number seems comparable to Long Mountain’s, if Hou Tong dared to bring his men to fight, Xia Hong would think he was insane.
The strength of the Longyou army is significantly greater than that of an ordinary camp’s Hunting Team. Although Xia Hong doesn’t have a precise concept, he is assured that, given equal numbers, they would certainly result in a one-sided slaughter.
Their average basic strength is at least thirty thousand jin, each equipped with a strong bow with thirty shi draw weight, coupled with Hundred Forged Weapons and Hundred Forged Armor. From cultivation to equipment down to personal quality, it can be said that professional armies like the Longyou army and the Blood Guard Army can comprehensively crush an army made up of ordinary camp Hunting Team members.
With equal numbers, there’s simply no contest.
Xia Hong estimated that at least a threefold, or even more, numerical advantage is necessary for both sides to possibly reach a balanced state.
Even relying on his full capabilities, this holds true.
In large-scale battles in the Earth-digging Realm, individuals like him with the strength of twenty-one mane hairs can naturally play a significant role, but fundamentally altering the course of the battle is entirely impossible.
Especially against elite troops like the Longyou army.
The Cold Resistance Level is strong, his strength of twenty-one mane hairs could easily take down a dozen people with a punch, but ultimately, he is still a mortal body.
As long as one is human, one would tire and get weary. Repeated punching would result in fatigue, and even if capable, the force would gradually diminish;
However, a thousand-man army is different. Their arrows can threaten you, maneuver around you, and attack in waves, wearing you down in a revolving manner. If you do not escape in time, you ultimately become a lamb to the slaughter.
This is why that night, upon seeing Hou Hu escape into the Blood Guard Army’s formation, Li Tiancheng immediately gave up on killing him.
This point is clear to me and surely clear to Hou Tong as well.
Hou Tong would not foolishly assume that he and his two thousand five hundred men could defeat Long Mountain’s army just by his presence. He must have a certain plan.
This is why Xia Hong immediately asked if he had a plan.
While Xia Hong contemplated, Hou Tong also revealed his plan.
"I have already sent people separately to Wushuang, Yang Lu, and Beehive to notify Wu Xiong, Han Jiuli, and Hou Ming, asking them to allocate forces to assemble at Wushuang first. Deducting those left to guard, the three groups should be able to draw out over three thousand men. Adding the two thousand five hundred from Hanqiong, we total over six thousand. With so many men, even at the cost of lives, we can bury the Longyou army. Additionally, with Lord Hong’s strength, we should be able to break Long Mountain’s blockade soon and join the leaders over there!"
Upon hearing this, Xia Hong’s expression showed little change, but upon hearing the line "even at the cost of lives, we can bury the Longyou," a trace of displeasure and repulsion flashed deep within his eyes.