When she asked whether Wei Yuan had known all along that he would be resurrected, Huaiqing instinctively frowned.
As things stood, there was in fact plenty of evidence proving that Wei Yuan had anticipated his own resurrection, and had even made preparations for it.
For example, Zhao Shou had borrowed the power of the Confucian Sage’s carving knife and the Lesser Sage’s confucian cap to cast laws follow commandments, and bring back a wisp of Wei Yuan’s soul.
There was no way Zhao Shou would not have told Wei Yuan about this in advance. There had been no reason to keep it from him.
And again, Song Qing had created the “shocking and outrageous” art of human body refinement. In a certain sense, it really did deserve to be called shocking and outrageous.
That definitely could not have escaped Wei Yuan’s notice.
With his ability for planning, he must have already incorporated it into his designs.
But Huaiqing still felt that something was off…
Right, the lotus seed. Back then, Duke Wei had specifically asked Xu Qi’an to assist Daoist Jinlian, and in return had obtained a lotus seed from him… Huaiqing remembered now. Through Xu Qi’an, Wei Yuan had asked Daoist Jinlian for a lotus seed.
Based on all these clues, it was not hard to infer that, even before setting out for the campaign, Wei Yuan had already prepared a plan for his own revival.
At the time, she had only thought that Wei Yuan had asked for the lotus seed purely because he liked to hoard rare goods. She had never expected such far-reaching designs. It was enough to make one sigh in admiration.
“First, tell me about the current state of the Great Feng.”
As Wei Yuan spoke, his gaze was directed towards Sangpo.
The Spring Sacrifice ceremony was being held there. From his revival to the moment the two of them sat across from one another and spoke, only eight minutes passed.
Just enough time to brew tea.
“It is a long story…”
Huaiqing considered for a moment, then said, “I’ll give you the key points.”
By “key points”, she meant the current state of the Great Feng, including what had happened on the battlefields of Qingzhou and Yongzhou, the Jianzheng’s “fall”, and the comparison in numbers and strength between the beyond-mortal experts of the Great Feng and Yunzhou.
Then there was the current tribulation-crossing battle.
That would help Wei Yuan grasp the overall situation as quickly as possible.
As for how she had ascended the throne, the shifts in power within the Great Feng court, and those ancient secrets, all of that was secondary.
“Better than I imagined.” Wei Yuan took a sip of tea and smiled:
“I mean the battlefield. For it to have reached the current situation, the Great Feng is only one breath away, and Yunzhou is half-dead as well. That is very good.”
At this moment, Huaiqing still did not understand what exactly was so “good” about it.
In a low voice, she said:
“Now, whether the Great Feng succeeds or fails depends on the tribulation-crossing battle in the northern frontier. But whether Luo Yuheng can successfully transcend her tribulation, we have no confidence in our heart. What does Duke Wei think?”
Huaiqing could hardly wait to hear Wei Yuan’s opinion.
But Wei Yuan did not answer. Instead, he asked:
“When Xu Qi’an advanced to second rank, did he seize the princess consort’s spiritual essence?”
He still habitually referred to Mu Nanzhi as the princess consort.
In her earlier account, Huaiqing had only said that Xu Qi’an had removed the Demon-Sealing Nails and then advanced to second rank. She had not mentioned Mu Nanzhi.
At these words, Huaiqing bit her lip and nodded once.
Wei Yuan’s expression relaxed slightly.
“What you should be paying attention to is not the beyond-mortal battle in the northern frontier. If there is nothing you can do to interfere, then there is no need to waste your mind on it. Because success or failure will not change according to your will.
“The same goes for me. This body is no different from that of an ordinary man. There is nothing I can do about the northern frontier battle.
“Xu Ningyan had you revive me because he wanted me to help resolve the war in Yongzhou.”
He looked over the ordinary robes Huaiqing was wearing and said with gratification:
“You did not disappoint me. You chose exactly the right moment to ascend the throne. Though, back then, I had thought you would support the Fourth Prince’s accession and manipulate the court from behind the scenes. Of course, if you had chosen to seize the throne after Yuanjing’s death, I had still left you a final safeguard.”
Huaiqing was taken aback. “Apart from the Nightwatchers’ hidden pieces, what other means had Duke Wei left behind?”
The reason she had chosen patience after the late Emperor’s death was because the Crown Prince had been the legitimate heir, and at that time the Great Feng had not yet deteriorated to such an extent, so the time had not been right.
Moreover, at the time Dragon Qi had collapsed, the Yunzhou rebels had been gathering force, and the late Emperor had all but drained the treasury dry.
When Yongxing ascended the throne, what he faced had been an utter mess. With his abilities, he absolutely could not have controlled the situation. So Huaiqing had believed that patience had been the best course.
She had not expected Wei Yuan to have left her a trump card as well.
“Since it was not used, there is no need to mention it.” Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes.
“When I said it was good just now, I meant that Yang Gong and the Great Feng soldiers had performed beyond my expectations, better than I had imagined. I had originally thought it would be a hard-fought battle, but the Yunzhou army is already at the end of its strength.
“But Baidi’s appearance was not something I had anticipated. As for the Jianzheng stumbling at the crucial moment, that is not surprising.
“If Xu Pingfeng dared rebel, then he must have had a way to deal with the power of a Master of Heaven’s Mandate. On this point, there was no need to peer into the future. Using your brain was enough.”
Looking at the female Emperor, whose expression had abruptly shaken, he smiled and said:
“Exactly. If I could think of it, would the Jianzheng not have thought of it too?”
Huaiqing was no fool. After a long silence, she said:
“You mean the Jianzheng did it deliberately, and stepped into the trap of his own accord… why?”
Wei Yuan shook his head.
“No one knows what that old thing is thinking. Just remember this hidden move. Keep watching, and naturally you will be able to guess.”
Huaiqing thought for a moment, then gave a quiet sound of assent, indicating that she had learned from it.
Wei Yuan continued:
“What is Baidi’s purpose in dealing with the Jianzheng, and in dealing with the Great Feng?”
This was also something Huaiqing had not mentioned earlier.
Knowing Wei Yuan would ask, she followed on smoothly:
“This matter is complicated. Has Duke Wei heard of the existence of the Gatekeeper?”
As Wei Yuan shook his head, understanding dawned on him.
“The Jianzheng?”
In front of him, Huaiqing had never once felt herself to be a clever person. Helplessly, she nodded, and immediately told him everything about the concept of the Gatekeeper, the truth behind the fall of the ancient gods and demons, and all related matters.
“So it was the same goal as the Beyond-ranks.” Wei Yuan suddenly understood. He drained the cup of lukewarm tea in one go and said:
“When the tribulation-crossing ends in four days, mm, send orders to Yongzhou immediately. Withdraw the troops overnight and fall back to defend the capital.”
How did he know that the Beyond-ranks and Baidi are after the same thing… Huaiqing had not read the letter Wei Yuan had left for Xu Qi’an, and after a brief moment of confusion, she was so shocked by his words that she stared at him open-mouthed. Frowning, she said:
“Yang Gong is gravely injured and unconscious. The defenders in Yongzhou are leaderless, and are waiting for you to take command of the overall situation. Yongzhou is the last line of defence. Why hand it over to the enemy for nothing?”
Wei Yuan slowly added more hot water and said with a smile:
“I intend to give Yongzhou to him.”
Seeing Huaiqing’s brows drawn tightly together, Wei Yuan explained:
“Xu Pingfeng is a second rank Arcanist. He presumably already knows I have been resurrected. Put yourself in his place. How do you think he would respond?”
Huaiqing analysed:
“He would strike quickly while you had only just resurrected, before you had time to take control of the situation and of the army. He would use speed against speed and seize Yongzhou. He would never give you time.”
Wei Yuan asked again:
“The Great Feng’s elite troops have already been spent. Do you think Yongzhou can be held?”
Huaiqing shook her head, pressing her lips together.
“But we could still drag part of Yunzhou’s main force down with us.”
Wei Yuan shook his head.
“That is not how wars are fought. There are not many elites left in Yongzhou, but there are in the capital. The capital still has ten thousand Imperial Guards. That is the Great Feng’s last military strength. The capital has reserves of the finest cannons and equipment, and the strongest city walls. It does not lack experts either. The mansions of princes and nobles keep quite a few experts.
“The capital also has a grand formation defending the city, personally carved by the Jianzheng. Without him directing it, the formation’s power is greatly reduced, but it is still a solid layer of defence. Add to that the strength of the Imperial Guard and the remnants in Yongzhou, and is that not more worthwhile than letting Yang Gong and the others die with the city?”
The city defending grand formation had been laid when the capital was first built.
When Emperor Gaozu founded the Great Feng and established the capital here, every Arcanist of the Sitianjian had been mobilised to take part in its construction.
Appropriate materials had been placed in the various stretches of wall, formations carved into them, and the whole thing coordinated personally by the first Jianzheng. Exactly how many formations were hidden within those seemingly ordinary towering walls of the capital, no one knew.
After the current Jianzheng had taken office, the capital’s formations had undergone a major overhaul, at the cost of nearly half a year’s tax revenue for the court.
Apart from the capital, only certain major border cities had formations, and even those were merely rough city-defence arrays.
The thing was simply too costly in labour and money.
But if we do this, then we will have no way back… Huaiqing frowned and said nothing, only to hear Wei Yuan continue:
“This is the most correct response. In Xu Pingfeng’s eyes, it is the choice I would make. That point is extremely important.”
Huaiqing frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Wei Yuan looked towards Yongzhou.
“It means a swift battle and a swift outcome.”
…
Late at night.
Forty li outside Yongzhou City, in the Yunzhou army camp.
Inside the command tent, more than a dozen generals had gathered. Compared with when they had first left Yunzhou, many of the generals now qualified to enter Qi Guangbo’s tent to discuss military affairs were unfamiliar faces.
Veteran commanders such as Zhuo Haoran and Wang Chu, men of deep cultivation and rich experience, had fallen one after another on the battlefield.
Those newly promoted were either weaker in cultivation, or lacking in experience in commanding troops and waging war.
Compared with the losses among the elite troops, the deaths of these senior generals were what pained Qi Guangbo most.
An experienced general could sometimes determine the outcome of an entire campaign. Otherwise, why would people say that while a thousand troops were easy to find, a good general was hard to come by?
But by this point in the war, the losses on the Great Feng’s side would only be even heavier.
Not only had their elite troops been spent, even Yang Gong, the Commander-in-Chief of Yongzhou, was hanging by a thread. At this moment, the Yongzhou army was leaderless. The highest-ranking official was Yao Hong, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Yongzhou, a mere scholar.
As for the Yongzhou Commander, he was even more a child of a noble clan who had been idling his life away on the merits of his ancestors.
Yongzhou lay close to the capital, linking north and south. Since ancient times it had been prosperous, and had rarely suffered the ravages of war.
Therefore, from top to bottom, the army’s combat strength was extremely weak, and it had always been a good place for the sons of great clans to gild their credentials.
After the battle of Xunzhou, the Great Feng’s truly capable elite forces had all but been wiped out. Taking Yongzhou was only a matter of time.
But the Yunzhou army had suffered heavy losses as well. The soldiers were utterly exhausted, and Qi Guangbo’s direct forces had been almost annihilated in Xunzhou.
Thus, although the Yunzhou army was camped outside Yongzhou City, it only stood in confrontation and did not begin battle, recuperating while waiting for the tribulation-crossing battle in the northern frontier to end.
But today, a piece of news that made the scalp of the Yunzhou high command go numb had arrived from the National Teacher.
Wei Yuan had been resurrected!
At a moment like this, Wei Yuan had been resurrected.
Anyone who came from the military knew Wei Yuan’s great name.
This military god of a generation, who had won the Battle of Shanhai Pass, was destined to be remembered in the history books.
Even if Yunzhou were to win the realm in future, when the court historians wrote the official histories, they still would not be able to avoid this supreme commander seen only once in a thousand years.
“What does the National Teacher mean?”
Yang Chuannan glanced south at Ji Xuan, then looked at Qi Guangbo.
Ji Xuan had returned to camp today, which meant that the beyond-mortal battle in Yongzhou had ended, but as there had been no news of Kou Yangzhou or Sun Xuanji dying in battle, it was not hard to guess that the two sides had only temporarily suspended hostilities.
Ji Xuan said in a low voice:
“The National Teacher’s meaning is that we must take Yongzhou at any cost. Then march north and confront the capital, leaving no chance for Wei Yuan.”
Qi Guangbo’s expression was grave, but his eyes shone brightly, his fighting spirit more vigorous than ever before, as he added:
“Take the capital, welcome His Majesty over, and hold the enthronement ceremony. At that point, once the National Teacher refines the capital’s fortune, the Great Feng court will have no power left to reverse the situation.”
Yang Chuannan nodded.
“That truly is the best method.”
The other generals said nothing, merely nodding.
They understood the National Teacher’s concerns. They could not give Wei Yuan time. The longer it dragged on, the more unfavourable the situation would become.
If the northern frontier tribulation-crossing battle were won, then all would be well.
But what if they failed?
If Luo Yuheng successfully advanced to first rank, then the battle at the beyond-mortal level would more or less be evened out. Add Wei Yuan’s strategic command on top of that… just thinking about it made their scalps tingle.
Originally, everyone had been extremely confident about the tribulation-crossing battle, but as time passed, most of them had begun to waver.
It was now close to ten days, yet Agaruka Bodhisattva and Baidi still had not killed Xu Qi’an and the others.
If they could have killed them, they would already have done so. The fact that there was still no result by now meant that the fighting in the northern frontier had certainly run into trouble.
Qi Guangbo said:
“Pass the order down. We attack the city at dawn.”
Ji Xuan said:
“The National Teacher and I will be responsible for holding back Sun Xuanji and that old bastard from the Wulin Alliance. You must all take Yongzhou as quickly as possible.”
Everyone answered in unison:
“For honour or death!”
…
A cold moon hung high overhead.
A lone rider galloped along a narrow mountain path, stopping from time to time to judge his direction by the position of the full moon.
After racing through uninhabited wilderness for an entire night, firelight finally appeared ahead.
The firelight grew brighter and brighter, and with it the outline of buildings came into view in the eyes of the rider in black.
It was an abandoned military town built in a mountain hollow.
The horse galloped along a little path strewn with stones and had just reached outside the military town when suddenly an arrow shot through the night and struck into the road ahead of the rider.
The rider on horseback yanked hard on the reins, and amidst the warhorse’s long neigh, brought it to an abrupt halt.
From the grass on both sides of the gravel path emerged more than ten armoured soldiers holding sharp weapons.
The armoured soldier in the lead shouted:
“Who goes there!”
The rider was not flustered in the slightest. In a steady voice, he said:
“By Duke Wei’s order, I have come to see your leader.”
He did not know who the leader was.
…
In the small building at the centre of the military town, Nangong Qianrou sat by a table, wiping down his gleaming war sabre.
Over these past five months, he had got into the habit of wiping his weapon before sleep.
He was waiting for the day when he could lead an army to trample the Church of the Warlock God flat, and avenge his adoptive father’s hatred in blood.
The halo of the oil lamp was dim and yellow, casting light over his stunningly beautiful face. His bearing was soft and feminine in quality, his skin snowy and his lips like cherry blossom, his brows and eyes as fine as a painting. Were it not for the sharp chill in his eyes, something no woman possessed, and the obvious Adam’s apple at his throat, anyone who saw him would have thought him female.
And a peerless beauty at that.
After meeting Sun Xuanji that day, he had followed the instructions in the brocade pouch left by his adoptive father and come to this abandoned military town.
Everything was here. There was enough grain to feed ten thousand troops for a full year. After all, this batch of provisions had originally been meant for an army of one hundred thousand.
Apart from grain, there were also candles, lamp oil, and corresponding daily necessities and supplies, though in small quantities.
When he saw these military rations, Nangong Qianrou had suddenly understood where the provisions that had vanished during the campaign against the Church of the Warlock God had gone.
But he had guessed only half right. These provisions were indeed the same batch that had vanished back then, but they had not been the grain cut off by Wei Yuan. The late Emperor had feinted road transport while arranging in secret for the provisions to be sent via canal transport.
Only for them to be intercepted on the way by men arranged by Wei Yuan.
The late Emperor cutting off the rations had been something Wei Yuan had anticipated.
Nangong Qianrou did not know what his mission was. Through Sun Xuanji, Wei Yuan had given him three brocade pouches. One of them had contained an address and an order for him to wait here for the right moment.
What moment he was waiting for, Nangong Qianrou did not know.
He had not opened the remaining two pouches.
Nangong Qianrou believed that if the time came, Wei Yuan would naturally have him open them, even if this great azure-robed strategist, who had never let a single calculation fail, was already dead.
At that moment, an armoured soldier knocked on Nangong Qianrou’s door and said:
“General Nangong, someone from outside seeks an audience.”
Nangong Qianrou’s hand stopped mid-wipe. He took a deep breath and suppressed the surging emotions in his heart before saying:
“Bring him in!”
Very soon, a man in black was brought in. Nangong Qianrou examined him, then started in shock.
“You?”
The man in black likewise looked him over. His expression went from confusion to astonishment, then shifted to sudden understanding.
“Gold Gong Nangong?!”
When the technique that concealed Heaven’s secrets was faced in person, it no longer worked on the observer.
But for everyone to remember, the person had to be exposed in public view, that is, before more than three people. (This was already mentioned at the end of Volume Two.)
Nangong Qianrou nodded.
“So you’re one of father’s hidden pieces as well. Does Princess Huaiqing know?”
“It’s Emperor Huaiqing now,” the guard commander corrected, then gave a bitter smile.
“She did not know before, but after Emperor Huaiqing took over Duke Wei’s hidden pieces, she learned of it. Her Majesty is benevolent and broad-hearted. She did not punish me and was still willing to continue entrusting me with important duties. However, she still does not know what task Duke Wei gave me before setting out on campaign.”
Her Majesty… Nangong Qianrou pressed further:
“What task did father give you?”
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