Zhang Dabiao saluted Lin Zhan and said, "Marshal, three-quarters of the battlefield map has been constructed. The remaining part is the rear of the Ten Thousand Races Allied Army, which we cannot scout with our current conditions."
Lin Zhan nodded and then looked at the three-dimensional map.
"Dabiao, the development of reconnaissance rockets needs to be expedited. Otherwise, we can't always rely on Leng family's Hai Dong Qing and Cloud Sparrow to scout terrain."
Zhang Dabiao quickly replied, "Marshal, the development of reconnaissance rockets has hit a bottleneck. We've solved the problem of terrain exploration, but we can't transmit the images back."
Lin Zhan narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment. "This is indeed a problem. Go find Xiao Ming and have him discuss with the little princess of the Immortal Tribe to see if the Immortal Tribe has any special formations that can solve this."
On the other side, Huo Qubing, along with Zhao Yun and Lu Bu, had managed to persuade the Flying General Li Guang to join them.
The group, along with their subordinate cavalry, totaling 23,000 men, set off towards the ice-bound snow mountain.
Huo Qubing's 8,000骠骑军 (mounted archers/heavy cavalry) were a mixed type of cavalry. Their defensive strength was inferior to heavy cavalry, but superior to light cavalry.
Furthermore, each of these 8,000 mounted archers was equipped with multiple weapons, including swords, shields, lances, heavy crossbows, horn bows, meteor hammers, and warhammers.
They could be considered an all-purpose cavalry, suitable for various situations, especially long-distance raids, without the need for frequent resupply of weapons and equipment.
Zhao Zilong's 5,000 cavalry were all lancer cavalry. Clad in scale armor and with swords at their waists, they held one-zhang-two-chi lances in their hands, serving as true charging warriors on the battlefield.
Lu Bu's 5,000 guards were all heavy cavalry. These burly men wore three layers of heavy armor and had replaced their lances with formation-breaking halberds.
Not only did they have large swords at their waists, but they also carried a one-handed battle axe and several throwing axes on their victory hooks.
They were clearly a force meant for charging into enemy camps and engaging in close combat.
Compared to them, Li Guang's 5,000 men were much simpler. Apart from a sword at his waist, he didn't even have a lance.
However, each man carried a two-meter-long alloy rune bow, and the horses they rode were platinum-grade wind element steeds, renowned for their speed.
Huo Qubing looked at Jiang Zheng beside him and said helplessly,
"The Marshal sent us out for two reasons: to probe the enemy's strength and to act as bait, luring the kings of the Ten Thousand Races to attack. We're doing a life-risking job. Why do you have to tag along for the fun, kid?"
Jiang Zheng said with a serious expression, "A general should personally enter the battlefield, charge with the soldiers, and understand true warfare, rather than engaging in armchair strategizing and commanding battles from an imaginary command center."
The others chuckled. Li Guang glanced at Jiang Zheng and said, "Why do I feel like you have a rebellious streak, kid? Are you planning to rebel against Marshal Lin?"
Huo Qubing turned to Jiang Zheng and said, "Now can you speak human language, kid?"
Jiang Zheng gave an awkward smile. Indeed, these old guys were hollowed out from their earlobes outwards; they were all too cunning to be easily fooled.
"My grandfather excels at large-scale engagements and defensive warfare. My philosophy slightly conflicts with my grandfather's, so I wanted to come out with you old ancestors to observe practical situations more."
"Slight conflict?"
Huo Qubing pouted, "You don't need to hide your thoughts, kid. However, you're quite a material, and I'm inclined to teach you."
"The current generation of young men in Huaxia are not lacking in generals, but they are lacking in marshals. The only ones qualified to be marshals are you and Lin kid. That chubby guy is still a bit short. He's second to none when it comes to doing wicked deeds, but if he were to lead troops in battle, he's still a bit lacking for now."
The group chatted as they traveled. When they were about 10 kilometers from the ice-bound snow mountain,
they stopped. Huo Qubing frowned and said, "The closer we get to the snow mountain, the colder it gets. The temperature here has dropped by about 20 degrees compared to when we left the fortress."
Among the few kings, Lü Fengxian's strength was the highest.
Lu Bu felt the cold air and said, "The current temperature is around minus 15 degrees Celsius. If we calculate based on this, the temperature at the foot of the snow mountain will drop to minus 50 degrees Celsius."
"The temperature on the snow mountain will be even lower. Once the temperature drops below minus 80 degrees Celsius, even our elite legions will not be able to fight for long."
Huo Qubing nodded and said, "Exactly. Moreover, our offensive against the snow mountain, attacking from low to high, is already an advantage. The enemy is not on our turf, so we cannot undertake such a disadvantageous endeavor."
"Furthermore, the Snow Demons on the snow mountain are a branch of the Demon Race, with powerful combat capabilities, and they are on their home turf. Let alone the armies below, even if we encounter an opponent of equal combat strength, the outcome is uncertain."
Lu Bu looked at Huo Qubing's serious expression and then said disdainfully,
"That's you. It doesn't include me."
Zhao Yun nodded in agreement, "Nor does it include me."
"I........."
Just as the Flying General Li Guang was about to speak, Huo Qubing interrupted him, "What do you mean 'you'? We're both birds of a feather, so let's not bring up 'you'."
Then Huo Qubing said to Jiang Zheng, "Kid, contact the command post and report the current situation to them."
Jiang Zheng quickly took out a military-grade rune communicator and reported the situation to the command post one by one.
Huo Qubing turned to Lu Bu and the others and said,
"Gentlemen, let's advance another 5 kilometers. Then, we'll summon the Wind God Pterodactyl Knights to bombard the area ahead with incendiary bombs and observe the temperature changes."
Huo Qubing's suggestion was met with agreement from the others. When Jiang Zheng hung up the communicator, they set off again with their troops.
After receiving Jiang Zheng's report, the command post
immediately had Zhang Dabiao inform Lin Zhan.
Lin Zhan looked at the three red arrows representing Huo Qubing's cavalry on the map and couldn't help but frown.
"The cavalry led by the骠骑将军 (mounted archer general) are all composed of peak platinum warriors, right? If they continue to advance and even this unit is affected by the low temperature, then this battle will be interesting."
"Dabiao, relay an order to the Wind God Pterodactyl Knight Regiment to begin bombarding the remaining distance to the snow mountain with incendiary bombs after Huo Qubing's cavalry enters within 5 kilometers of the snow mountain, and have Jiang Zheng record the temperature changes."
"Order General Ma Chao to lead his personal guard cavalry and place temperature monitors along the route of Huo Qubing's cavalry, extending the distance by 30 kilometers."
"Also, instruct the staff department to quickly produce a plan for precise strikes on the ice-bound snow mountain using烈火四号 (Blazing Fire No. 4)."
Having noted down Lin Zhan's orders one by one, Zhang Dabiao saluted Lin Zhan and then went down to execute them.
Lin Zhan looked at the map and muttered to himself, "Demon Emperor's Son, you better not disappoint me. If there are too few people in this first pass, it won't be much fun for me to kill them."