The Imperial Study.
The eunuchs brought in a sandbox and small flags, arranging them according to the Emperor’s instructions. The red flags represented the Great Feng army, while the blue flags represented the Yunzhou army.
In addition, there were pieces for the Southern Marches, Western Regions, Church of the Warlock God. Altogether, it was like a miniature version of the Jiuzhou continent.
Among them were over a dozen black flags with gold edges, bearing characters such as “Luo, Zhao, Xu, Kou, Jin, A, Sun” and so on.
Huaiqing waved her wide sleeves, and the eunuchs in the hall withdrew one after another.
When the Imperial Study was quiet, Huaiqing pushed the “Luo” flag to the northern border, then moved its respective allies and enemies into position.
To clear away all miscellaneous beyond-mortal figures and battle only the Baidi and Agaruka Bodhisattva to the death was, in the Great Feng’s view, the best scenario.
But perhaps, the enemies might see things differently.
So, Huaiqing moved the “Baidi” and “Agaruka” flags to Yongzhou.
If the Yunzhou army took the chance while Luo Yuheng was undergoing her tribulation to concentrate all their power and seize Yongzhou in one stroke, then in Huaiqing’s view, that was an acceptable loss.
Let alone losing Yongzhou, even if the capital itself was surrendered, Huaiqing would not bat an eyelid.
Because Xu Pingfeng could not refine the fortune of Yongzhou and the capital within thirteen days. Capturing Yongzhou would only be a short-term occupation, in exchange for Luo Yuheng’s successful tribulation, rising to first rank, and becoming an Earthly Immortal.
By then, the Great Feng would be fully capable of striking back.
This was her sense of the bigger picture.
Then, Huaiqing moved the “Luo” piece to the Southern Marches. What if the location of the battle was arranged in the Southern Marches?
Here were all allies of the Great Feng.
This option, both the pros and cons are clear. The Buddhist sect still has two first rank and one second rank, while the shaman clans, though many beyond-mortal experts, only have one third rank capable of joining this level of battle. The lone second rank, Heaven Gu Grandma, is not skilled in fighting
The key is that Xu Qi’an cannot mobilise the power of all living beings in the Southern Marches, so although it boosts the number of our beyond-mortal experts, high level power would actually decline.
Huaiqing shook her head.
Moreover, the shaman clan beyond-mortal experts might not be willing to help, since for them, it was risking their lives at any moment.
Besides, she had another worry, nobody knew whether that one in Ananda still had enough strength left to manifest the Dharma Aspect of the Great Sun Tathagata.
If Shenshu joined the fight, but that one still had strength left and manifested the Dharma Aspect of Great Sun Tathagata, then all would be lost.
Thinking it over, the safest method was to let Luo Yuheng choose the north as her tribulation site.
So Huaiqing moved the pieces back north, placing Agaruka, Baidi, and the four beyond-mortal Xu, A, Jin, Zhao alongside the “Luo” piece.
“Xu Qi’an…”
Huaiqing closed her eyes and murmured:
“Are you truly confident, or have you already put all your eggs in one basket?”
…
Xu Manor.
A column of Imperial Guards hurriedly entered the Xu mansion.
That moment, in the inner hall, Auntie was still eagerly asking Mu Nanzhi for tips on flower cultivation. The outer and inner courtyards of the Xu Residence were blooming with magnificent flowers, and in the bleak final days of winter, the place looked almost like an immortal realm.
“Big Sister, you must teach me! How can I learn such magical techniques?”
Auntie now adored the Flower God, addressing her constantly as “Big Sister”.
Her unlucky nephew brought people home every few days, first the polite and courteous Li Miaozhen, who would bad-mouth her in that little mirror behind her back.
Then the bottomless pit Lina, who only knew how to eat, feasting on noble fish and meat daily, and even colluding with that wicked girl Xu Lingyin to steal her beauty pills.
She disliked the first two, but really liked this Mu Nanzhi.
They were about the same age and shared common interests.
“Aunt Mu, what is your relationship with my big brother?”
Beside them, Xu Lingyue asked with a look of innocence and gentle harmlessness.
Xu Lingyue didn’t really think her big brother would take a liking to such an unremarkable woman, whose age rivalled their mother’s.
But this woman was clearly married, so why did she insist on living at the Xu Residence?
“No particular relationship; he just pesters me all the time.” Mu Nanzhi replied.
Auntie at once grew angry, apologetically grasping Mu Nanzhi’s hand:
“That useless boy, so shameless! It’s my failure to raise him right, it’s my fault. Sister, you tell me: how did he pester you? I’ll make him kneel in the ancestral hall for three days and nights when he returns!”
Just then, the steward entered, leading the Imperial Guards.
The three women in the hall rose at once, gazing outside in bewilderment.
The Imperial Guards halted outside, splitting into two lines. When the clink and clash of their armour ceased, their leader strode into the hall, bowed with clasped fists and said:
“By order of Her Majesty, the Xu family women are to be escorted to the palace.”
…
That day in the capital, from the camp commander of the Imperial Guards to all the officials of the court, the families of all those in positions of true power were brought into the palace.
Both the treasury and the granaries were inscribed with teleportation arrays.
The court had already made preparations for the worst-case scenario. If Luo Yuheng failed her tribulation and the Great Feng’s beyond-mortal experts fell, the capital’s true power-holders would immediately relocate.
This battle, for the female Emperor, the officials, and the court, was a struggle that wagered the fate of the nation.
But for commoners at the bottom of society, today was no different than yesterday. Life was not exactly prosperous, but it was safe and happy.
At most, they would chat about the southern war over tea or a meal, complaining that the court still hadn’t delivered news that Silver Gong Xu had wiped out Yunzhou’s meagre army of a hundred thousand single-handedly.
…
Lingbao Temple.
Luo Yuheng stood by a small pond, looking at the young man opposite her, and reached out:
“Come back!”
The divine sabre above Xu Qi’an’s head “sheathed” itself, returning to its master, trailing red and white matter behind.
“My brain matter…”
Xu Qi’an hastily caught it, absorbing the vitality in the blood and brain matter, then squatted to wash his hands clean.
As he did, the wound on his head closed and healed, leaving no trace.
Luo Yuheng flicked her hand, shaking the blood from the sabre, and snorted coldly.
A mighty Human Sect daoist leader, yet so selfish… Xu Qi’an silently lampooned, then instinctively looked around, and, not seeing Protector Yuan anywhere, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
On second thought, he felt a bit bitter. He was a second rank expert, yet had actually been traumatised by a monkey.
Luo Yuheng narrowed her eyes and, in an icy tone, said:
“What nonsense are you thinking now?”
“I was admiring how breathtakingly beautiful the National Teacher is. Becoming your Dao companion is the greatest fortune of my life,” Xu Qi’an shamelessly replied with a grin.
Luo Yuheng said coolly,
“Then call off your betrothal to Lin’an.”
Xu Qi’an gave an awkward laugh, and his smile faded. He scratched his head and sighed,
“All I can give her is a title.”
Luo Yuheng gave him a deep look.
Xu Qi’an stood up, crossed the small pond in one stride, gazed into her flawless, elegant face, and softly said,
“What I can give you is to live and die together.
“In this battle, if I live, you live. If you die, I die.”
Luo Yuheng pressed her lips together, suddenly lowered her head, as if she dared not meet his eyes, and gazed at the rippled surface of the pond, murmuring a soft “mm”.
The two of them transformed into a rainbow and vanished from the sky above the capital.
…
The tribulation had yet to begin, but Yongzhou had already been plunged into the flames of war.
The Yunzhou army bypassed Xunzhou and massed outside Nangguan City, eighty li southeast of Xunzhou.
They launched an assault with lightning speed, capturing Nangguan City, whose defences were not particularly strong, within half a day.
After taking the city, the Yunzhou army did not occupy it, but carried out a massacre.
They then plundered the remaining population and resources before retreating en masse, leaving behind a ruin.
This was a classic pillaging tactic, concentrate your strength, strike once, and leave, using the plundered resources to sustain the war, while at the same time forcing the defenders to exhaust themselves rebuilding and repairing the city walls.
Foreign tribes often used this strategy, the core idea being “the barefooted need not fear those with shoes.”
After the massacre, scouts from the Great Feng army infiltrated Nangguan City to investigate. They found that what was once a city of tens of thousands was now nothing but broken walls and ruins.
Not a chicken or dog remained in the city. The houses had collapsed and burned, and the corpses of defenders and civilians were piled up like mountains, an entire twelve cairns of severed heads.
Before each cairn, a wooden plaque had been erected, inscribed in characters of blood:
“Slayer of the city, Zhuo Haoran!
“Cairn raised to mark my battle merits.”
Yang Gong, the highest commander of the Yongzhou front, convened his staff late into the night. While persisting with a strategy of scorched earth and firm defence, he allocated thirty percent of his forces to supporting reinforcements, harassing the enemy, and cutting off Yunzhou’s supply lines.
The war had shifted from a defensive siege to a mixture of field battles and city defence.
Xu Erlang led four thousand cavalry and five hundred artillerymen, roaming the desolate battlefield.
During the defence of Qingzhou, Xu Erlang had demonstrated excellent command ability. As a result, he and several members of the Heaven and Earth Society each led a cavalry detachment, carrying out guerrilla warfare.
Aside from his own abilities, there were two other reasons why Xu Erlang was entrusted with this important task.
Master Hengyuan was in his contingent, and Hengyuan could communicate with the other members of the Heaven and Earth Society. This allowed messages to be relayed extremely quickly, making it easier for the teams to coordinate.
On the battlefield, this was an unreasonable advantage.
Even more unreasonable was that Xu Xinnian had a mirror, a magical artefact that allowed him to observe the land within a radius of a thousand li.
The Huntian Divine Mirror!
This was the “hack” that Xu Qi’an entrusted to his cousin before leaving.
With the Huntian Divine Mirror, he could launch surprise attacks on the enemy and catch them off guard, or fall back and avoid direct confrontation to protect himself.
That was why Xu Qi’an had insisted on keeping the Huntian Divine Mirror, it was simply too important in wartime.
“Amitabha!”
Master Hengyuan put away the Earth Book fragment, pressed his palms together in compassion, and chanted the Buddha’s name.
Xu Erlang turned his head and asked,
“Master?”
Master Hengyuan sighed,
“Daoist friend Li Miaozhen just went to Nangguan City and described its horrors through the Earth Book. This monk could not bear to see more.”
Xu Erlang was moved and probed,
“Let me take a look?”
Master Hengyuan nodded and handed over the Earth Book fragment.
Xu Erlang took it and focused on the jade mirror. Lines of small characters emerged on the surface.
【TWO: The Yunzhou army has finally revealed its true nature. They did not even spare women and children, wiping out everyone in Nangguan City. Such traitors and rebels, especially that Zhuo Haoran, this old lady is going to kill him with my own hands.】
Li Miaozhen was trembling with rage.
【FOUR: The Yunzhou troops are on the rampage, slaughtering cities to boost morale. I have a feeling this battle in Yongzhou will be even more brutal than Qingzhou.】
【SEVEN: Why don’t we go assassinate Zhuo Haoran?】
Having just heard his junior’s description, Li Lingsu was feeling stifled, clearly, he had not yet mastered detachment and was still swayed by emotion.
【FOUR: First, you have to locate him. There are Vermillion Bird Army scouts patrolling Yunzhou territory. If we can find him, he can spot us too. Pinning down Zhuo Haoran will be very difficult.】
Zhuo Haoran… Xu Erlang subconsciously touched his chest, recalling the day Songshan County fell.
That Zhuo had suffered a huge setback at Songshan. After the city fell that day, Zhuo Haoran had massacred the defenders and civilians, chased Xu Erlang for dozens of li, and nearly killed him with a single sabre blow.
Li Miaozhen cursed for a while and made an agreement with the Heaven and Earth Society members: if Zhuo Haoran’s whereabouts were discovered, they would immediately lead troops in a surprise attack to kill this mad butcher.
The Earth Book group soon fell silent, no one else sent new messages.
Xu Erlang returned the Earth Book fragment to Master Hengyuan and asked,
“Master, why don’t you do as they do and lead an army?”
Hengyuan shook his head.
“This humble monk is but a Warrior Monk. I do not understand such matters.”
Xu Xinnian nodded, but then felt warmth on his chest. He hurriedly took out a bronze mirror missing half its face.
“You brat, you do not even have Dragon Qi, and you think you deserve to have me?”
A mouth appeared on the Huntian Divine Mirror, spat, and scolded,
“I am a treasure you will never possess. If you want to use me, pay up, nourish me with your Qi!”
Qi was not as potent as Dragon Qi, but it was also pure and overwhelmingly yang energy.
Hengyuan heard this and said,
“Let this humble monk do it.”
Xu Erlang was a Confucian disciple, he had no Qi.
Xu Erlang frowned.
“My elder brother told me that you already made a deal with him, and that you are only staying with me temporarily. Are you trying to cheat me by bringing this up now?”
“So what if I am?” The Huntian Divine Mirror acted just like someone with nothing to lose.
Xu Erlang glanced at it. “I think you’re looking for a scolding.”
…
“Enough, enough, your little human tongue is certainly sharp!”
Not ten minutes later, the Huntian Divine Mirror felt like it had become the pariah of the magical artefact world and said angrily,
“I cannot be bothered to argue with you! Don’t call me unless you need me.”
“Wait!”
Xu Erlang unscrewed his water pouch and took a sip.
“Show me your skills first.”
The Huntian Divine Mirror thought about it, this was nothing major, and replied,
“Watch carefully!”
The bronze mirror instantly turned glassy, sending forth ripples like water which gradually smoothed out to reveal an image.
It was a military tent with sand tables, maps, and armoured weapons. On the bed, a burly man wore a vicious look as he tormented a thin, frail youth.
That youth’s face was white, cold sweat beaded on his brow, he seemed to be in considerable pain.
“Why are you showing me this?” Xu Erlang felt insulted and grew angry.
Amongst the nobles and the army, fondness for young men was not uncommon, nothing strange about it, but Xu Erlang suspected this wretched mirror of sneering at him.
The Huntian Divine Mirror was momentarily puzzled and felt a bit wronged.
“You don’t like this? Your elder brother really enjoys watching men bathe.”
Question marks flew through Xu Erlang’s mind. His mouth twitched.
“Big brother is big brother, I am me, we are not the same.”
He did not believe what the mirror said, but it did not stop him from telling his father and mother when he returned to the capital, thus putting his elder brother on trial and making him hang his head in shame, just as Xu Erlang once had.
At that moment, Xu Erlang saw that, within the mirror, the burly man had stopped his actions, thrown back his head, and wore a look of satisfaction.
The man’s features were rough, his left eye was white and sightless, and there was a long sabre scar on his cheek.
Zhuo Haoran!
…
The Yongzhou border.
Kou Yangzhou stepped into Qingzhou territory and then let his Qi burst forth to its fullest.
A moment later, a figure in white appeared in the air, accompanied by a handsome young man with a sabre at his waist.
Xu Pingfeng and Ji Xuan.
The old scoundrel with silver hair like frost sneered,
“I’m here, come fight me!”
Then he stepped back a pace.
“I am back again, come on then!”
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