Chapter 1382 - 46: Shouzhe’s Victory from a Thousand Miles Away

And what they call "death-row inmates" are just a facade.

Ultimately, the laws of Southern Qin are designed to serve the great nobles, so how could there be so many actual death-sentence criminals? To make up the numbers for the Corpse Puppets, they often gather slaves who have no human rights and mass-produce them into Corpse Puppets.

This Corpse Puppet Battle Group has always been a significant headache for the entire Daqian.

Fortunately, there are costs associated with crafting Corpse Puppets; it consumes not only population but also quite a number of materials. Although the materials used for ordinary Corpse Puppets are relatively common and not expensive, at scale, the financial expenditure is still enormously significant.

Moreover, materials don’t appear from thin air. The growth of Yin Kui Wood takes time, and the mining and preliminary forging of Yin Attribute Ore also require time. Short-term mass material consumption can drive up prices, and the crafted Corpse Puppets will gradually decompose over time, reducing their combat effectiveness... Given these factors, even the Corpse Puppet Legion cannot spawn endlessly.

Otherwise, if they could create millions upon millions of Corpse Puppet armies, even Daqian would have to retreat into its shell.

"Shi Zhao, you and Emperor’s Son An have been working on tactics mysteriously." Prince Yongheng asked, "Can you explain the specifics of this ambush? Although Nether Gate Ridge is treacherous, with the strength of our vanguard ambush forces, it will be difficult to gain an advantage against such large numbers of Southern Qin troops."

Prince Yongheng understood that the highest commander of the vanguard forces was nominally he, the Commanding Prince, but in reality, it was Wang Shizhao. Emperor’s Son An feared that Wang Shizhao might not have the age, cultivation, or experience to hold the subordinates’ respect, which was why he, a newly appointed prince, was sent to set the tone.

The specific tactical arrangements were still the responsibility of Wang Shizhao.

"Gentlemen, this battle is of great importance, and the underlying principles of the specific combat plan are complex and must not be leaked. Therefore, tactical strategies have been kept strictly confidential." Wang Shizhao stood up and bowed apologetically, saying, "This is an unavoidable measure, and I hope everyone can understand."

"Commander Wang, no need to worry." Seeing this, Battle Group Leader of Azure Dragon Third Corps, Prince Ning, swiftly stood up and returned the courtesy, saying, "Our duty as soldiers is, first, to obey orders and, second, to maintain secrecy. No matter how absurd the orders, as long as they are legal, even if the road ahead seems like a dead-end, we soldiers will charge forward relentlessly."

"Prince Ning is indeed a true fierce general of the battlefield." Wang Shizhao complimented the other before sitting down again, stating solemnly, "For the sake of overall interests, our Azure Dragon Third Corps, White Tiger Battle Group, and Xiqu Battle Group, these three groups are nominally the hunters but are actually the bait."

"Bait?" Prince Ning’s face darkened, "One ace group and two main groups are being used as bait?"

"If not, how could we make Murong Kaifong tempted?" Wang Shizhao replied indifferently.

"If the three battle groups serve as bait, then who acts as the hunter?" Prince Yongheng frowned slightly, "The distance from Sword Ridge Pass in Daqian to Nether Gate Ridge is six hundred li in a straight line, and the mountain paths are winding and difficult to traverse, making marching challenging. The actual distance is even more than a thousand li, so deploying troops from Sword Ridge Pass for an encirclement would not be timely, right?"

"Your Highnesses, please be patient." Wang Shizhao said, "Nether Gate Ridge itself is a massive ’hunter’.

"How is that possible?" Prince Yongheng became intrigued, "Is this another idea from Shouzhe?"

During the past struggle of the Emperor’s Sons, the battle between Prince Dexin’s and Prince Desun’s factions was intense, but most of the princes and the elders in the capital remained spectators, with Prince Yongheng being no exception.

It’s not that they didn’t want to get involved, but national policy and Emperor Longchang did not allow it.

Counties were relatively better off, but princes, especially a Great Celestial Pride like Prince Yongheng, were secretly monitored by people from Emperor Longchang and weren’t allowed to openly interfere in the struggle of the Emperor’s Sons.

In the end, they were voters, referees, and were supposed to remain neutral. Once they personally took sides, they could no longer ensure fairness and impartiality.

But even without participating directly, many of the things that happened at that time are still vividly remembered by the bigwigs today.

Since joining the capital, Wang Shouzhe settled into the Four Seasons Garden of the Duke Dingguo’s Mansion, but he stirred the entire Imperial City into chaos, his methods were truly impressive.

The manner in which he could change the situation with a flip of his hand was enough to make even observers like Prince Yongheng anxious.

If possible, nobody in Daqian would want to cross Wang Shouzhe.

"Your Highness, to speak of this matter in detail, we must start with the struggle of the Emperor’s Sons." Wang Shizhao said, bowing as he began to explain, "The struggle of the Emperor’s Sons represents the transition of new and old power and is the most chaotic and vulnerable period for Daqian."

"To prevent Southern Qin and Western Jin from taking advantage during that time, our Wang Family began researching how to resist Southern Qin and Western Jin since then and made some preparations for it. We’ve mapped the buffer zones at the borders with Southern Qin and Western Jin in detail and studied the geographical environments of each location."

"Nether Gate Ridge is home to countless hot springs and numerous geysers. My grandfather hypothesized that beneath it lies an active mantle plume. Therefore, decades ago, we entrusted the Longzuo Wang Family and the Southern Desert Wang Family to conduct an in-depth survey of the depths of Nether Gate Ridge and calculated several weak points of this mantle plume..."