Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1821 - 1814: A Difficult Choice

Chapter 1821: Chapter 1814: A Difficult Choice

With a single command, behind Jiuyun Shuang, an orderly array of more than five thousand line infantry mixed with other troop types advanced with resolute steps, grandly charging towards the defenseless Yipa settlement.

For a moment, Jiuyun Shuang wanted to retract the attack order, as it involved over ten thousand elderly, women, and children.

But the circumstances did not allow him to relent; the new army needed bloodshed to grow, and destroying such a settlement would significantly weaken the combat strength of the Yipa army.

Although the Wen Family always loved to emphasize benevolence and righteousness, they treated their enemies more ruthlessly than anyone else when it came to their own interests.

This battle, devoid of suspense, lasted roughly a day, with the settlement of over ten thousand people suffering a devastating blow. The death toll exceeded four thousand, with many injured. Fewer than a thousand managed to flee.

Considering that his army was primarily composed of infantry, Jiuyun Shuang did not allow his soldiers to pursue but instead plundered and burned the entire settlement’s wealth.

Various production materials were looted, and those that couldn’t be carried off were set aflame, with the goal of ensuring this settlement could no longer provide logistical support to the front-line Yipa troops.

Jiuyun Shuang still held some conscience, stopping his soldiers from further assaulting the women, instead binding and detaining them in groups.

Without food, the survivors wouldn’t last long anyway.

However, the liberated slaves were jubilant; most of these were Kyushu people from the Yunbei States, who had been abducted into slavery.

The Dongsheng troops had no time to bother them, allowing them to gather leftover resources and go their separate ways since the border was not too far, and a few days’ travel would likely bring them to the frontier.

But because the army had no time to manage them, these slaves began to indulge, turning on the Yipa people who had once oppressed them.

In this respect, the Dongsheng troops turned a blind eye, only focusing on completing their tasks.

The settlement burned fiercely, with the sound of crackling flames and screams filling the air. The smell of charred protein permeated the atmosphere; piles of slaughtered cattle and sheep mingled with human corpses, their blood forming streams.

After completing everything, the Dongsheng troops began an orderly retreat to the landing point, awaiting transport by the Kunzhou.

Before engaging outside the borders, the Dongsheng troops had trained countless times to ensure that each landing and deployment of the army would not exceed half an hour.

Once the Kunzhou ascended, Jiuyun Shuang gazed at the flames and black smoke on the ground.

The liberated slaves continued to scurry around, plundering anything of value. Despite repeated warnings from the Dongsheng soldiers that the Yipa army was about to return, they couldn’t deter the slaves’ acts of near-revenge.

Once airborne, Jiuyun Shuang finally relaxed. He calculated that a day had passed since the army landed and fought.

Considering the distance from the border, the Yipa army should have already received news of the rear being attacked.

There were only two choices for them now: either return with the main force to protect the rear supply or advance into the central plains, sourcing from the enemy and resupplying locally.

Neither option was good news for Jiuyun Shuang, so once airborne, he immediately sent a messenger pigeon, hoping to learn of the border’s situation.

However, he was not too concerned, for he knew clearly that his father, Jiuyun Zheng, would never allow such a sizable Yipa force to invade.

In the past, Yipa raids mainly consisted of small detachments, never exceeding a thousand men.

But this time, the Yipa mobilized a full hundred thousand troops. If Jiuyun Zheng stood by, the entire Northern Province would suffer devastating plunder, a responsibility he could not afford.

As the largest family in the Northern Province, the Jiuyun Clan in fact consolidated the quotas of various major military clans in the Northern Province and naturally assumed the responsibility of protecting these aristocratic families.

The Jiuyun Clan could allow minor developments, but no large-scale plundering could be tolerated.

If ignored, the Jiuyun Clan’s reputation would suffer heavy damage. Once the major aristocratic families withdrew their quotas, the Northern Province cavalry, a source of pride for the Jiuyun Clan, would disband, severely weakening their power.

Thus, once the Imperial Court decided to use force against Yipa, regardless of Jiuyun Zheng’s reluctance, he had to participate in the war, even if only to block the Yipa tribes from invading.

Riding the Kunzhou, Jiuyun Shuang led the fleet menacingly towards the next settlement. By the time the second day dawned, a response from within the frontier finally arrived.

The letter indicated that the Yipa army had neither returned to assist nor directly invaded, instead hesitating on their original position.

Reading this letter, Jiuyun Shuang was overjoyed, slapping his thigh in excitement, "Good, hesitating is great!"

In military actions, hesitation is most dreaded.

Though both choices were bad news for Jiuyun Shuang, the good news was that the Yipa army had chosen neither, standing indecisively instead.

By now daylight had come, and the fleet, guided, arrived at the next Yipa settlement, once again using old tactics to descend through the clouds and suddenly appear on the ground amid the terrified gazes of the Yipa people.

This battle too held no suspense. Over the next five days, Jiuyun Shuang led over five thousand people hovering above the Yipa Grassland, hunting those defenseless tribes.

Most production resources were destroyed, including cattle, sheep, and horses. The Dongsheng troops relied entirely on plundered supplies for sustenance, only needing the Kunzhou fleet to replenish rapidly consumed ammunition.

The deeper they ventured into the Yipa Grassland, the farther they were from the Yipa main force, and consequently, the safer they became.

Thus, especially in later stages, they would not immediately ascend after raids but would rest and regroup on-site, setting out the next day.

In less than a week, over seven large settlements were completely destroyed by the five-thousand-strong Dongsheng troops, suffering incalculable losses.

At this point, the Yipa army could no longer hold out.

And at this critical juncture, Jiuyun Zheng sent an assistive move to his son.

Jiuyun Zheng mobilized all forces of the Northern Province, proactively setting up positions outside the frontier, posing as if to fight the Yipa army to the death.

This posture successfully intimidated the Yipa army, forcing them to assess the gains of a desperate gamble.

Frankly speaking, Jiuyun Zheng’s forces were not superior; a full-fledged fight might well be their best strategy.

Because Jiuyun Zheng had nearly mobilized all forces from the Northern Province, should they manage to crush the army before them, the Northern Province would be defenseless and ripe for the taking.

But with a formidable army threatening a death struggle in front and successive bad news from behind, the Yipa army’s commanders decided to retreat and assist the rear.

No matter what, the Yipa Grassland was their strategic rear; only a stable rear could ensure the front-line’s security.

Previously, the Yipa cavalry was invincible, thanks to their courageous characteristic and the high mobility of the Yipa horses.

However, no matter how mobile and enduring the horses were, they were ultimately no match for the Sky-clearing Beasts. The mere fact that the Sky-clearing Beasts could fly gave them an insurmountable advantage.

Previously, the Dongsheng troops hadn’t demonstrated this capability, creating an illusion for the Yipa people that they were the unmatched mobile force.

Now, with the Dongsheng new army using the Sky-clearing Beasts for rapid maneuvers, directly penetrating deep, the Yipa realized that compared to the Dongsheng army’s Sky-clearing Beasts, their mounts were definitively subordinate.

So after careful consideration, the Yipa army decided to retreat to assist the rear; under no circumstances could they afford to lose their rear.

In tactical and strategic terms, the Yipa commander’s order was undoubtedly correct.

Even if they could crush the Northern Province forces ahead and successfully invade the central plains, they would not find relief.

Bear in mind, the Jiuyun Clan isn’t just any State Clan. The family is intertwined with numerous aristocratic families across Kyushu, and they possess the immense status of being close to the imperial family.

Even if the Yipa forces successfully crushed the Northern Province troops and made it into the central plains, they would surely face assaults from other provincial troops.