"In addition, if Leiyin Temple dispatches troops to support the two counties, they will immediately relay the information back; if Leiyin Temple doesn't send reinforcements, they will promptly spread rumors throughout the other three counties, unsettling the people of Jianye Prefecture, ideally inciting chaos in each county and making our city siege even smoother."
Warfare involves more than just the clash of armies; intelligence gathering and unsettling public sentiment are key factors that determine victory or defeat. The entire Hou Clan, including the Black Feather Guards and especially their own White Feather Guards, are the most elite Martial Artists of the Hou lineage. Having cultivated in Five Elements Heaven for over twenty years, now virtually all have reached above the Gang Qi Second Realm, with Grandmaster Realm Martial Artists making up half of them. Assigning them to intelligence gathering and rumour-spreading missions is simply perfect.
Thump... thump... thump...
At just the right moment, as the four were nearly finished talking, a slight tremor came from the ground, unmistakably the sound of an army on the move. Hou Yuxiao sensed the approaching army five miles away, his pupils flashing with a faint glow.
"Big Brother, we have arrived!"
As Hou Yucheng's voice came, Hou Yuxiao turned to look at Old Fifth, signaling gently with his eyes toward the boundary stele.
Hou Yuduan understood tacitly and nodded, a sudden burst of brilliance emanating from the Mysterious Gold in his hand. Thousands of golden threads shot out instantly, and the illusory golden screen light on the boundary stele, as if intervened by external forces, began to skew and twist, with the arcs growing larger and larger...
A faint sound of breaking was heard, and although it seemed unchanged from the outside, Hou Yuxiao and the other three saw clearly that the layer of golden virtual screen light had shattered...
"Second Elder, Old Fifth, by all means, seize Jiuchi with the quickest speed. Keep me informed of the battlefield situation through the clan's token, and at any sign of trouble, I will come to support immediately!"
Hou Yucheng nodded in compliance, exchanging a glance with Hou Yuduan, then turned around to face the rear. The massive Red Flame Army was charging towards this direction. He gathered his energy into his throat and shouted fiercely: "Five towns' troops advance southwest at full speed, and within half an hour, reach Jiuchi County City. Any delay will be punished according to military law!"
If Hou Yucheng's military order was ground-shaking, then the unified shout of fifty thousand soldiers was enough to change the colors of heaven and earth. Around the entire army, within a radius of several dozen miles, the sky cleared of clouds, the ground quaked in unison, and the momentum reached an extreme.
This is still without releasing their full vigour; if their cultivation were fully displayed...
The war horses beneath the Red Flame Army burst into full gallop, like a blood-red torrent breaking through the boundary line between Jianye Prefecture and Xingnan Prefecture. Hou Yucheng, Hou Yuduan, and Hong Ju turned around to bow formally to Hou Yuxiao, then flew over the army towards the southwest.
It certainly isn't a matter of minutes to move fifty thousand Red Flame troops. Even riding top-quality war horses at full speed, Hou Yuxiao and Hong Kui stood in place, waiting for nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn before the fifty thousand troops disappeared from their sight.
Hou Yuxiao's pupils flashed with a cold, piercing light. To outsiders, the Hexi army seemed to have been dormant for three months, but in reality, they had been grinding in Five Elements Heaven for twenty-four years. He had ample confidence in capturing Jianye Prefecture. Now the key is how long it would take, and to what extent Leiyin Temple would be fought...
"Masters of the Four Holy Lands, don't let me down!"