Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 995: Chapter 699: Second Young Master Is Still as Bold as Ever!

On the other side, Yang Mingzhi also arrived at Chongshan Town,

Yang Mingzhi brought with him two thousand soldiers who arrived at Tenglong Guard by warships of the Divine Wood Island Navy, and then transferred to medium-sized ships directly to Chongshan Pass along Ying River.

The two thousand soldiers may not seem like many, but they are elite troops from Divine Wood Island.

Among them are one thousand strong archers and one thousand sword shield soldiers, meaning Yang Mingzhi has brought all the archers from Divine Wood Island.

At the north pier of Chongshan Pass, two thousand soldiers in leather armor disembarked one after another, while Han Fei stood on the pier, looking at each soldier, his eyes flashing with brilliance.

Moments later, he saw the figure of Yang Mingzhi and immediately stepped forward to greet him.

"Greetings, Second Young Master!"

Yang Mingzhi, dressed in a gilded mountain patterned armor, strode off the ship, and upon seeing Han Fei, he laughed heartily.

"Haha, Brother Han, long time no see!"

Han Fei was about the same age as him, seemingly only two years younger.

The two naturally knew each other well, back when Yang Zhenshan was in An Yuan City, Han Fei often ran errands behind him, and in fact, Han Fei, like Li Chang and Wang Lei, was one of Yang Zhenshan’s personal followers back then.

Even though they hadn’t met for many years, seeing Han Fei again did not feel unfamiliar to Yang Mingzhi at all, but rather very congenial.

"Second Young Master is still as straightforward as ever!" Han Fei also chuckled.

"Haha, quite a few familiar faces!" Yang Mingzhi looked at the people behind Han Fei.

Although most of the soldiers from Chongshan Town had been transferred away, there were still many familiar faces of Yang Mingzhi, even quite a few young scions of the Yang family who had emerged in recent years.

"Greetings, Second Young Master!" everyone bowed in unison.

"Haha, good, good~~" Yang Mingzhi laughed heartily.

After exchanging pleasantries, they headed towards Chongshan Pass.

There was no need for Yang Mingzhi to worry about the two thousand Divine Wood soldiers, Han Fei had already made arrangements; their camp was near the dock, and it was well-equipped, lacking for nothing.

For Yang Mingzhi, coming to Chongshan Pass was almost like coming home. Looking at the familiar city walls and barracks, Yang Mingzhi couldn’t help but reveal a nostalgic look on his face.

Moments later, they arrived at the General Mansion, where Han Fei had prepared food and wine to welcome Yang Mingzhi.

After a round of drinking, Yang Mingzhi took a nap, and only then did he begin to discuss serious matters with Han Fei.

In Han Fei’s study, Yang Mingzhi held a bowl of clear tea, casually looking at the arrangement of the room as he asked, "Tell me about our operational plan this time!"

Han Fei, however, said with a serious expression, "General Zhou gave us the order to advance west from Daning Guard, first attacking the Tatar Tribe, then moving north to attack the Chi Thorn Tribe!"

The Tatar Tribe is located south of the Monghe Mountain range, roughly directly west of Chongshan Town’s western route.

The last time, Yang Zhenshan bypassed the Monghe Mountain range from the northern snow plains, this time they are to go from the south of the Monghe Mountains, attacking the Tatar Tribe first.

As for Menghe Mountain Pass, unless they were foolish, they wouldn’t attack Menghe Mountain Pass.

"Just the Tatar Tribe and Chi Thorn Tribe?" Yang Mingzhi chuckled lightly.

"Of course not, General Zhou ordered us to act according to circumstances, but the premise is we must wipe out the Tatar Tribe and get close to the Chi Thorn Tribe!" Han Fei explained.

This time, in the campaign against the Wuliang Royal Court, Da’an will deploy three routes of troops, with Chongshan Town launching an attack from the east, targeting the Tatar and Chi Thorn Tribes.

Beiyuan Town will attack from the south, targeting the Wanggu Tribe, and after annihilating the Wanggu Tribe, they’ll advance west to approach the Kerelie Tribe’s banner land, Bayandelei City.

At this time, the Wuliang Royal Court is gathering a large army north of Longbei Town, stationed southwest of Bayandelei City.

Zhou Lan will lead the newly organized imperial guard to support Longbei Town, in an attempt to block and pin down the Wuliang Royal Court’s forces in Longbei Town.

Even with Zhou Lan guarding Longbei Town, it would be difficult to resist the Wuliang Royal Court’s massive forces, so the strategic goal for Chongshan Town and Beiyuan Town is to force the Chi Thorn Tribe, Tatar Tribe, Wanggu Tribe, and Kerelie Tribe to retreat, thus alleviating the crisis in Longbei Town.

Of course, if Chongshan Town completes its designated tasks, it could seize opportunities to achieve more military merits.

Yang Mingzhi had no objections to Zhou Lan’s plan, but he certainly wasn’t content with just capturing the Tatar and Chi Thorn Tribes.

It’s not often that he gets the chance to lead an army into battle, so he naturally wants a few thrilling fights, and he has two thousand elite soldiers from Divine Wood Island under his command, he wants to let these two thousand troops show their divine might, to verify the results of his training over the past two years.

In Han Fei’s study, there was a map of the Wuliang Royal Court; Yang Mingzhi walked over and quickly glanced over it.

In fact, he knew the Wuliang Royal Court well, but his understanding stayed in twenty years ago, and some places are different from twenty years ago.

"What about the Wula Tribe? Not dealing with them first?"

The Wula Tribe is still on the west bank of Sari Lake, across the lake from the current territory of Chongshan Town.

Logically, attacking the Wula Tribe would be the easiest, quick and simple, without any obstacles, or detours.

Han Fei’s expression was somewhat odd, "I just received news a couple of days ago, the Wula Tribe has already migrated north!"

Yang Mingzhi was taken aback, "They’re running again?"

"It seems so!" Han Fei said somewhat helplessly.

The Wula Tribe’s ability to escape is truly unparalleled; first, they ran from the East Sea Hu Clan to seek refuge with the Wuliang Royal Court, then when Yang Zhenshan led his army to Menghe Mountain Pass, they fled to the snow plains, and now they seem to want to hide in the snow plains again.

"We can’t let them run anymore, keep an eye on them!" Yang Mingzhi said quietly while looking at the map.

"Is Second Young Master intending to...?" Han Fei asked.

Yang Mingzhi pondered for a moment and said, "It’s about time we resolved the issue with the Wuliang Royal Court; in the past, there was no way to settle it, but this time we might have the opportunity to completely resolve the Wuliang Royal Court!"

"Even if we can’t completely eliminate the Wuliang Royal Court, we must capture all the regions east of the Menghe Mountain range and control the Menghe Mountain Pass!"

"Of course, if we can thoroughly resolve the Wuliang Royal Court, that would be even better! Expand Da’an’s territory all the way to the Mulu Ridge and occupy Yemi City!"

He reached out and drew a line on the map, from the Menghe Mountains to the Mulu Ridge.

From Zhou Lan’s orders, it is clear that Zhou Lan wants to block the Wuliang Royal Court’s attack, crush the Wuliang army, and prevent an allied attack on Da’an from the Wuliang Royal Court and Jiangnan’s Chen Hengchang.

Zhou Lan isn’t wrong. Given the current situation of the Da’an New Dynasty, this approach is the most appropriate.

However, Yang Mingzhi has a different view. Longbei Town is too far from Chongshan Town, making it difficult for them to provide direct support, and going to Longbei Town to support is not as beneficial as advancing on Yemi City.

Yes, Yang Mingzhi has set his sights on Yemi City. Since Yang Zhenshan was able to launch an attack on Yemi City four thousand miles away in the past, why can’t he do the same?

But his goal is not to raid Yemi City, but to completely occupy Yemi City and drive the Wuliang Hu Clan west of the Mulu Ridge.

Once Da’an occupies the areas east of the Mulu Ridge, it would be highly advantageous for Da’an.

Firstly, the northern frontiers of Da’an would no longer be harassed by the Hu Clan, with the territory reaching the edge of the snowy plains. Although the snowy plains also have many forces, those forces prefer residing within the snowy plains and won’t come south to raid.

This way, the pressure on Da’an’s northern defenses would lighten significantly, needing only tens of thousands of border troops for any unexpected needs.

Secondly, Da’an would gain vast fertile lands and grasslands. In the future, Da’an can move people to the north, cultivate more fields, or build many ranches to raise horses, cattle, and sheep.

Just like the territory originally belonging to the East Sea Hu Clan, it would become a thriving land.

Not to mention other places, but take Sari Lake, both sides of the Menghe Mountain range, the Wangu Tribe’s banner lands, the Kerelie Tribe’s banner lands in Bayandelei City, and the areas surrounding Yemi City in the Mulu Ridge. These places have a lot of good fields, and abundant water resources, with fertile grasslands.

Such a vast region could easily support two or three million people.

Moreover, whether in the snowy plains or this expansive grassland, there are many special products, such as herbs, furs, ores, jade, and more. These signify a substantial wealth and can provide Da’an’s maritime trade with richer goods, and naturally, also provide more goods for the Yang family trading house.

Therefore, Yang Mingzhi wants to help Da’an claim this territory and completely wipe out the Wuliang Royal Court.

Han Fei isn’t surprised by Yang Mingzhi’s thoughts. He pondered for a moment, "It’s not impossible, but our forces are a bit stretched!"

Yang Mingzhi waved his hand, "No matter. This time, I’ll personally lead as the vanguard. You just need to follow behind us!"

"By the way, how is Wu Tuo’s health?"

He is very confident about the upcoming battle. More accurately, he has great confidence in his two thousand elite soldiers.

"He should be in good health; I haven’t heard anything wrong with him!" Han Fei replied.

Wu Tuo, at his current age, should be over sixty. Since he is not an Innate Martial Artist, he has now entered his twilight years.

Yang Mingzhi nodded slightly. His inquiry about Wu Tuo’s health wasn’t out of concern, he hoped Wu Tuo would perish soon. Once Wu Tuo dies, there would be chaos within the Wuliang Hu Clan for a while.

Unfortunately, Wu Tuo’s health seems unlikely to deteriorate in the short term.

"How many troops have you gathered on your side?" Yang Mingzhi continued to ask.

"There are thirty thousand already gathered at the Daning Guard, and an additional fifty thousand new troops are en route to the Daning Guard! As per the plan, all troops will congregate at the Daning Guard by August 28!" Han Fei stated.

Today is already August 18, only ten days away from August 28.

If Yang Mingzhi hadn’t arrived yesterday, Han Fei would have had to set off for the Daning Guard today.

Yang Mingzhi nodded, "Then tomorrow we head to the Daning Guard. Upon arrival, we rest for a day and immediately march!"

"So urgent?"

"Haha, the sooner we strike, the less pressure General Zhou will bear!"

Han Fei was a bit concerned, "The new troops might not make it in time!"

The new troops have just been assembled, and although they originate from the Chongshan Town garrison, they still need time to train and integrate.

"No worries, you lead the thirty thousand veterans and accompany me, let the new soldiers and the civilian laborers follow behind!" Yang Mingzhi instructed.

Han Fei deliberated but couldn’t help but advise, "Second Young Master, maybe we should be more cautious."

Yang Mingzhi laughed heartily, "Don’t worry, this isn’t arrogance; I’ve thought it through carefully on the way here."

He really did think it through, he pondered over it on the ship as he journeyed here.

Actually, he could broadly guess Zhou Lan’s orders and plans because there aren’t many choices for Chongshan Town to attack the Wuliang Royal Court.

Either bypass the Menghe Mountain through the snowy plains or take the smaller paths through the Menghe Mountains again, or start with the Tatar Tribe first.

The first two routes had already been taken by Yang Zhenshan before, and the Ci Clan would likely be on guard. The last path is a necessary route for this battle.

The strategic objective is different this time. Last time, Yang Zhenshan’s objective was to force the Wuliang Royal Court to retreat. However, this time, Zhou Lan aims not only to force a retreat but also to weaken the Wuliang Royal Court’s forces as much as possible to prevent future raids on Da’an’s Northern Border.

As for his decision to lead two thousand soldiers as the vanguard, that is also a carefully considered choice.

The prowess of these two thousand soldiers goes without saying, but their fighting spirit is considerably lacking. They haven’t endured battles as brutal.

They need the battlefield experience, much like when Yang Zhenshan led over a thousand soldiers to annihilate seven tribes in eight days.

This is their final training, a training from real combat.

If they can pass this test, they’ll become a true iron army.

Once Yang Mingzhi and Han Fei reached an agreement, they immediately set things into motion. The next day, Yang Mingzhi led two thousand elite soldiers from Divine Wood Island, while Han Fei, accompanied by three thousand cavalry from the Camp, rushed to the Daning Guard.

The camp under Han Fei had already been dispatched to the Daning Guard; the three thousand cavalrymen with him now serve as his personal guard camp.