Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 777 (1): War in a World of Gods

Although, in the grand scheme of things, Zhao Changhe could be considered a pawn in Ye Wuming’s game, in this particular matter, the roles were reversed. Instead, it was Ye Wuming who became a piece on Zhao Changhe’s board, willingly and even meticulously playing along, using her opposition to Jiuyou to further his strategy.

Every time the blind woman thought about this, an inexplicable sense of strangeness welled up within her. It was as if she could see a man striding through the wind, frost, snow, and rain, relentlessly chasing after her, attempting to drag her down from her lofty perch in the clouds and press her beneath his throne.

Xia Longyuan and the others had fallen far short, yet Zhao Changhe was doing precisely that.

And though she fully understood his intentions, though she was fully aware that these intentions also contained rather indecent notions, she still chose to play the role of his chess piece this time, watching his performance with anticipation, hoping he would not falter at a critical moment.

The feeling was truly bizarre.

On Zhao Changhe’s side, the decisive battle was already imminent. This was not a war destined to drag on indefinitely. Though its flames had spread across the entire land, regardless of who won or lost, the conflict would reach its conclusion swiftly.

In another part of the battlefield, Huangfu Qing and Zhao Changhe’s forces had been advancing for many days. Thanks to their cavalry’s rapid movement, they had already bypassed the Grasslands Corridor and entered the steppe north of the Gobi.

Zhao Changhe dared not unleash his Overlooking Eye to sense the battlefield from afar, and likewise, Timur, Bo’e, and their forces also refrained from expanding their divine senses recklessly. As a result, neither side had a precise grasp of the other’s exact movements. However, this actually worked to Zhao Changhe’s advantage. Sisi’s birdmasters had already caught sight of distant mountain ridges, the Sacred Mountain revealing the edge of its silhouette.

As for Timur’s own birds... most of them had turned into delicious spit-roast dinners.

Tngri, being at a level above all others, was theoretically capable of perceiving Zhao Changhe’s movements while remaining unseen himself. At least that was the theory, but in practice, he was not high enough above everyone else to be completely and entirely undetected. And neither Zhao Changhe, Vermillion Bird, nor Yue Hongling had felt the presence of prying eyes. This suggested that even Tngri had not extended his divine sense to survey them.

According to the message delivered by Lady Three through the secret technique of the Four Idols Cult, Tngri had merely dispatched a weaker soul fragment to restrain her. If that assessment was correct, there was only one conclusion to be drawn, and that was that his injuries had yet to heal. Fearing a repeat of his disastrous defeat in the battle overseas, he dared not recklessly descend upon their path, where a whole group of Profound Control Realm figures awaited.

This was precisely why everyone had insisted on launching the northern campaign now.

In theory, Timur was now as blind as the blind woman herself, completely incapable of grasping the movements of Zhao Changhe’s army.

“However, this is a deception.” Back when they were still galloping across the Grasslands, Huangfu Qing had already made her judgment regarding Zhao Changhe. “That clash between Timur and you that day was nothing more than a deliberate misdirection.

“This is their home ground. The tribes of the Grasslands have all evacuated, and the water sources have been completely contaminated. There’s no way they haven’t made thorough preparations. Tngri, by nature, should be a god of the elements, closely aligned with our five elements. Every water source we seek, every single blade of grass, could very well be Tngri’s eyes and ears. In other words, they’ve been aware of our movements all along.”

In these past days, Huangfu Qing had increasingly demonstrated her capabilities as the supreme commander, and Zhao Changhe agreed with her assessment.

Timur’s strategy for this battle relied on the tried-and-true well poisoning tactics to wear down their forces over time. For Zhao Changhe’s army, this method was proving to be a nightmare. They had been marching for days, and apart from the initial skirmishes against some minor tribes in Monan, the landscape had been nothing but endless, desolate plains. There was not even a trace of dung to be seen. The sheer emptiness was driving the soldiers insane.

Xue Canghai was about to explode from frustration. He had expected crossing the frontier to mean intense battles of the highest caliber, only to find himself on what felt like a sightseeing tour, except they were touring non-stop and there were no sights to see. Day after day, he saw nothing but the vast, open wilderness. At first, the scenery had been breathtaking, but after nearly two weeks of it, he was ready to lose his mind.

A mere sightseeing trip was one thing, but the real issue was the lack of food and water.

Yes, they had storage boxes, but the common soldiers did not know about them. A handful of high-ranking officers were aware, but the supreme commander had strictly forbidden their use. No one was even allowed to mention them.

As a result, the entire army had been surviving on the rations and water they had carried at the time of departure, along with whatever supplies they had looted from the defeated southern Grasslands tribes. But those had long since run out. Now, a force of tens of thousands was sustaining itself by hunting whatever wild horses, deer, or wolves they could find on the Grasslands. It was a way of life that was barely fit for human survival.

Water was an even bigger problem. It was not that there was none at all, but every known source had been poisoned, hence the name of this particular tactic. Fortunately, it was spring, and the Grasslands occasionally saw rainfall. The once-dreaded rainstorms had now become a blessing. Soldiers that had once loathed marching in the rain now found themselves praying for it, desperate to collect even the smallest droplets.

After nearly two weeks of this, the morale of the army was nothing like when they had first set out. Every soldier looked drained and sluggish. Huangfu Qing, however, remained indifferent, maintaining discipline through sheer force of military law.

If not for the fact that they had been traversing the Grasslands, allowing the horses to graze freely, they might not have made it this far. But even so, warhorses could not survive on wild grass alone. This was no way to sustain a cavalry force.

Despite the vastness of the Grasslands, Timur’s orders could not reach every corner. Occasionally, they would come across a small tribe that had not evacuated, and the Han army would pillage them clean. These rare encounters were the only thing keeping the soldiers from starving, but it was never enough to sustain an entire army. The men could only take turns sharing the meager spoils. The grand ideal of “living off the enemy” had turned out to be nothing more than a cruel joke.

No one knew how the western army was managing its supply lines. Perhaps they had transported provisions during their march beyond the frontier. In any case, they could not possibly be suffering as much as the eastern army.

Many of the soldiers thus could not help but start having doubts. This is the first time the supreme commander is leading an army. Can she really lead us? Does she know what she’s doing?

It was not just the soldiers complaining, many of the officers were fuming with resentment as well. Several had secretly approached Zhao Changhe to voice their grievances, only for him to shut them down with a single question: “What do you expect me to do? Magically conjure food out of thin air? This is Timur’s war of attrition. We’re stuck in a contest to see who can endure longer.”

As reasonable as that sounded, the reality was harsh. Timur’s people might eventually suffer from the effects of this strategy, but for now, at least, they still had food. Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe’s forces were on the verge of starving.

“Don’t worry. At this pace, we’re nearing their sacred mountain—”

“And what if they abandon it? If the people are gone and the mountain is empty, we’ll all starve to death there. Do you expect us to hunt tigers, like His Highness did back in Beimang?”

“That was your empress’ story, not mine. Thanks.”

“...”

Zhao Changhe could only offer reassurance: “Relax. Faith matters. A temple is significant to believers. They won’t abandon it so easily and leave us grasping at thin air.”

“The faith of Tngri isn’t like that. They won’t give us such a clear target to strike. The temple doesn’t hold the same importance for them!”

“Then what do you propose?”

The generals exchanged glances, saying nothing.

Are we supposed to retreat? Was this whole campaign a mistake from the beginning? Wait... isn’t there supposed to be storage pouches? Were they lying? Do those truly even exist?

Just as the mood was darkening, a scout galloped in from the front lines, shouting in elation from a distance, “Supreme commander! We’ve spotted another cluster of small tribes!”

The surrounding officers instantly perked up. Without hesitation, Huangfu Qing waved her hand. “Go!”

Xue Canghai let out a howl, brandishing his blade as he led the charge. The distant tribes noticed them almost immediately and scattered in a desperate attempt to flee, but the Han cavalry pursued them relentlessly.

Encounters like these had become the army’s rare opportunities to replenish supplies, so much so that many had begun treating this entire campaign as a desperate hunt for these small tribes rather than an actual war. No one thought too deeply about it.

Only the guides from Batu, assigned to lead them, appeared uneasy. One of them hesitantly approached Huangfu Qing. “Supreme commander, by constantly chasing scattered tribes, we’ve deviated westward from our original path. We were never supposed to go this way...”

Huangfu Qing nodded slightly and said, “It’s fine. I’m aware. We don’t necessarily have to strike straight at the temple. That may not hold as much significance as we assumed. If heading west leads us to a concentrated enemy force, it might be even better—”

Before she could finish, Sisi’s birdmaster rushed over. “Supreme commander! Our birds have spotted a large population and numerous herds of cattle and sheep ahead! It looks like a major tribal settlement!”

Huangfu Qing and Zhao Changhe exchanged a glance. Even the most seasoned generals around them, those who usually maintained their composure, could not hide the gleam of excitement in their eyes.

A large number of cattle and sheep meant that this was not a military force; instead, it was a major tribal settlement.

Timur’s strategy of consolidating his forces would not have left all his people gathered in a single location. No place could sustain such a massive population in one settlement. Instead, he must have divided them into several large areas for resettlement.

Had they just stumbled upon one by sheer luck, while chasing down the smaller scattered tribes?

This was the first truly significant target.

If they could crush this major tribal settlement, the entire purpose of this campaign, which was crippling the northern barbarian’s ability to march south, would already be accomplished. In terms of military achievements, this would be nothing short of plowing through their heartlands.

Huangfu Qing’s voice was calm but firm as she said, “Scout further. See if there are any signs of the northern barbarian’s main forces.”

The birdmaster replied, “There are no military movements within several hundred li... though there are, of course, soldiers guarding the settlement. That’s normal.”

Vermillion Bird remained impassive. “Wait for Xue Canghai’s unit to return.”

Not long after, Xue Canghai came back in high spirits from his pursuit of the smaller tribes. “Supreme commander! We saw the outline of a massive settlement! Our scouts have also spread out to check the surroundings. Aside from the settlement itself, there’s no sign of any other military forces in the area.”

“What about the number of troops stationed there?”

“We didn’t dare get too close, so we’re not sure.”

Vermillion Bird turned to the birdmaster. “What did your birds see?”

Unfortunately, their birds could not distinguish between ordinary herders and armed warriors, so the birdmaster could only shake his head.