Chapter 340: Conditions

Several thousand light cavalrymen clad in brightly colored uniforms advanced toward the realm of Qingming in a brisk trot. At the edge of the border, they were intercepted by a twenty-man patrol squad.

The patrol captain stepped forward to meet the cavalry and barked, “Halt! This is the territory of the Military Commissioner of Dingxi. Who are you, and why have you come here?”

The leader of the cavalry replied calmly, “Are your eyes so blind that you don’t even recognize the banner of the Xu Clan? No one has ever dared to block the Xu Clan’s troops in the western regions, so you must be blind, and your eyes are useless! Gouge them out!”

Two sharp arrows suddenly flew through the air, piercing the patrol captain’s eyes and burrowing straight into his brain!

The captain fell backward, face up and dead. The patrolmen behind him, both shocked and enraged, immediately sent several men to flee and report the incident, while the rest braced themselves for battle while gradually retreating.

The cavalry leader twisted the corners of his mouth into a savage grin. “This lot has a backbone, it seems. Well, kill them all.”

Moments later, the cavalry continued on their way, leaving twenty spears standing upright by the roadside, each impaled with a corpse.

After penetrating more than 10 li into the realm of Qingming, the cavalry force was finally intercepted by a military unit.

Although the unit before them numbered only 2,000 men, their clothes looked neat and uniform, their armor were expensive cuirasses, and they were wielding oddly-shaped weapons that might well be the legendary firearms.

The cavalry leader furrowed his brow slightly, but did not launch a rash attack. Instead, he leaped from his horse and walked alone toward the enemy formation. A man from Qingming’s defense force also stepped forward to meet him.

Seeing that his opponent was merely an early-stage Dao Foundation stage cultivator, the Xu Clan cavalry leader pointed a finger at the man’s chest and said, “Go back and tell your so-called military commissioner that the Xu Clan’s main army is on its way! If he doesn’t want to die, then he’ll open up the realm for inspection. These are our specific demands!”

He slapped a piece of jade paper into the other man’s lap, then led his troops away.

Moments later, the jade paper was laid out before Wei Yuan and the cultivators of the Palace of Absolute Beginning.

The jade paper listed dozens of demands, including:

Open the entire realm for inspection.

All cultivators must open their seas of consciousness for inspection.

All cultivators must have restrictions implanted in their bodies and sign a blood pact guaranteeing they will not engage in any actions detrimental to the Xu Clan.

All Palace of Absolute Beginning cultivators must go to the Xu Clan’s ancestral home to cultivate.

......

After reading through the terms listed on the jade paper, Wei Yuan said slowly, “They’re clearly forcing me to go to war! Have the scouting riders returned yet?”

Cui Yu replied, “One group has already returned. We currently know that the Xu Clan has mobilized a total of three hundred thousand troops—comprising both Western Jin’s official forces and their own private army—along with five hundred thousand laborers transporting supplies. They claim to be a total force of one million. The specific composition of their forces would require further reconnaissance.”

Wei Yuan remarked, “The Xu Clan has mobilized a full three hundred thousand troops without an edict from the King of Jin. It seems that His Holiness is having a rough time himself!”

Cui Yu replied, “That’s quite normal. Take our Ji Zhao, and Cui Clan for example. At our peak, we could mobilize a million troops. It’s just that the King of Zhao bears the surname Lee, so we need to inform him about our operation beforehand. However, we don’t actually need an edict from him.”

It was only then Wei Yuan began to grasp the true extent of the noble clan’s power. He thought that they were already powerful enough when he learned that they refused to pay any tribute to any state, but to mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops at will? They were essentially states within a state.

Just then, an attendant suddenly arrived and reported that Lee Zhi, Military Commissioner of Zhenshan of Zhao, sought an audience with him.

Wei Yuan was overjoyed and left to greet him in person. Moments later, the two entered the council chamber together. Everyone present was fairly familiar with Lee Zhi at this point.

After exchanging greetings, Lee Zhi got straight to the point, “I’ve heard that the Xu Clan is launching a major invasion, so I’ve come specifically to offer my assistance.”

Wei Yuan handed him the jade paper and said, “These are the Xu Clan’s demands. Feel free to take a look.”

Lee Zhi took the jade paper, read it carefully, and pondered for a moment. He then said, “They intend to launch a devastating offensive and subdue you completely in a single battle. It seems that my assessment was correct—the Xu Clan’s primary objective isn’t here. They wish to achieve a swift victory here so they may redeploy their forces northward.”

“Does the Xu Clan have other fronts?”

Lee Zhi replied, “Of course they do. Your Qingming has only been established for a few months—not even a year. Before this, the Xu Clan had been locked in a century-long struggle, both open and covert, with the King of Jin and the Lü Clan over the three commanderies of Gan Province. In fact, the Xu Clan had already secured victory until the Shamans suddenly invaded, capturing the four commanderies of Ningxi and dealing them a severe blow. As a result, they lost the province they had just gained.”

“Gan Province? Isn’t that where the silver mines famous across the entire human realm are located?”

Lee Zhi nodded. “That’s the one. The two commanderies bordering it are also rich in mineral resources. These three commanderies alone yield an annual revenue of fifteen million taels of immortal silver. In comparison, your Qingming is practically destitute.”

Lee Zhi wasn’t just a core disciple meticulously nurtured by the Four Sages Academies, he was also walking the path of the King of Humans. Thus, he understood the broader political landscape of the human realm far better than the cultivators of the Palace of Absolute Beginning.

“Brother Lee, it’s probably unwise for you to go to war directly with the Xu Clan, right?” asked Wei Yuan.

Lee Zhi nodded and said, “That is why I’ve purposely brought just five thousand elite light cavalry this time. I plan to adopt a flexible strategy: we’ll disguise ourselves as horse bandits and seize every opportunity to disrupt the Xu Clan’s rear supply lines. As long as you, my worthy little brother, can hold the front lines, it’s only a matter of time before the Xu Clan’s supply lines are destabilized, and their forces are forced to withdraw.”

“This is no trivial matter, Brother Lee. Are you confident about your strength? If you were to fall into the Xu Clan’s hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

Lee Zhi laughed. “The men I’ve brought with me are all elite troops from Southern Qi. As if the Xu Clan’s rabble would be a match for us! As for high cultivators, I have the protection of the Academies’ elders, as well as the men sent by my father. Unless a True Lord intervenes in person, the Xu Clan shouldn’t be able to do anything to me.”

Wei Yuan said seriously, “In fact, a True Lord of the Xu Clan will most likely intervene from the shadows.”

Lee Zhi let out a chuckle and replied, “I’m still not afraid, thanks to you! After all, why would the True Lord target me when their loathsome enemy is right in front of them?”

After agreeing on a method for exchanging intelligence, Lee Zhi led his troops away. They had already changed their attire and were currently taking a wide detour to the rear of the Xu Clan’s main army.

......

Qianqiu City, Ning Province.

Inside the Bureau of Military Affairs, dozens of figures radiating powerful auras sat in a circle, all gazing at the massive sand table before them. The sand table depicted the terrain of the northern regions of the Jin State and the Liao realm lying far to the north.

A man seated at the head of the table said slowly, “The Lü Clan seems convinced that the Immortal Ancestor is gravely wounded. Not only do they refuse to return the three commanderies of Gan Province, they are frequently reinforcing their defenses. If we cannot resolve this swiftly, the situation may take a turn for the worse.”

“The Lü Clan has already suffered heavy losses on the northern frontier—how dare they act so brazenly?”

“The old ghost from the Lü Clan is no match for the Immortal Ancestor. He’s occupied the three commanderies for several years, and he’s still not satisfied! He truly is courting his own destruction!”

The man at the head of the table pressed his hands downward. Once silent fell, he said, “The Immortal Ancestor’s plans are far-reaching; all of this was already within his expectations. I now order Xu Zhongnian to launch a full-scale offensive. If Wei Yuan knows his place, he’ll get to preserve Qingming. If he does not, then shatter the realm stone and bring it back. True Lord Qiu Niu[1] will go to the western regions to act as the trump card, while I will head north to oversee the battle. Heh, it’s been a long time since I’ve sparred with my old rivals from the Lü Clan.”

Someone said, “If we act without any restraint, I fear the Palace of Absolute Beginning might take action.”

The figure at the head of the table replied, “There’s no need to worry. The Palace’s northern mountain gate is teetering on the brink of collapse; all their True Lords are giving it their all just to keep it from falling. It would be suicidal for them to come and challenge us at a time like this.”

Everyone agreed wholeheartedly, and one person laughed, “The Palace of Absolute Beginning has gone far too long unchallenged! It was always a matter of time before they took a hard fall. Back when they established the northern mountain gate, they had intentionally set it ten thousand li deep solely to block our path—they never imagined a day like this would come, did they?”

“They lack the ability, yet they want to hog it all for themselves—serves them right, I say! With them drawing all the aggression and being a thorn in the side of the Northern Liao, we are free to act as we please. No matter what we do, they’ll just have to put up with it!”

“Haha, wouldn’t it be a grave act of filial disobedience if they were to lose the treasure soil formed from their Founder’s body?”

“When their northern mountain gate collapses, I swear I’m going to take a piss there and moisten the treasure soil formed from their Founder’s body!”

......

The realm of Qingming had already begun full-scale preparations for war. Only the armament workshop was operating at full capacity, and all other operations had been temporarily suspended. All manpower had been redirected toward the war effort.

The Xu Clan’s main army would be marching through the defensive city, Xuanwei Three. Strategically speaking, nothing much had changed. Wei Yuan had stationed 10,000 troops here in the underground, just as they were when facing the Shamans. But tactically speaking, the realm’s military equipment had undergone a complete transformation. Every soldier was now equipped with a new-styled firearm capable of reloading, with an ammo reserve of 5 rounds each.

In addition, over 20,000 obsolete firearms had been stockpiled here. Even if the Xu Clan’s invading army turned out to be on par with the northern frontier’s forces, they would never be able to capture Xuanwei Three without suffering at least 60,000 to 70,000 casualties.

Watching his troops enter Xuanwei Three, Wei Yuan had a sudden thought: If they had possessed this level of firepower back then, Yun Feifei would not have perished.

20 li behind Xuanwei Three lay Wei Yuan’s pre-designated battlefield for the decisive battle. The terrain here was flat. Although it was somewhat close to Xuanwei Three, Wei Yuan was confident his opponents would not be able to resist the temptation of deploying their cavalry here.

At the same time, more than 100,000 men were working day and night on the battlefield. In just one day and night, they had dug more than ten interconnected trenches that were as dense as a spider’s web.

The Xu Clan’s main army did not move quickly. It took them three days to finally reach the realm of Qingming and set up camp outside.

At dawn the following day, the vanguard—comprising 10,000 heavy cavalry and 50,000 light cavalry—made the first move. The charged past the borders into the realm of Qingming and officially kicked off the great battle.

In the center of the cavalry formation, Xu Zhongxing, Garrison Commander of Hanyang Pass, surveyed the surrounding troops and remarked, “It’s been several years since I last personally led an army into battle.”

A fierce general riding beside him also reflected, “Back in the day, we were fighting the Shamans to the death. I was struck by a blood curse that time and nearly died. If you hadn’t carried me on your back and brought me home, I wouldn’t have lived to see today, Big Brother.”

Xu Zhongxing let out a quiet sigh and replied, “We’ve finally returned, yet our opponents turn out not to be Shamans.”

Fan Donghe cautioned, “Be careful with your words, Big Brother. Those elders following the main army have been looking for any slip-up on your part the moment they joined us.”

Xu Zhongxing snorted disdainfully and replied, “They’re just after the one hundred thousand elite troops I’ve trained.”

Fan Donghe spat just as disdainfully at the ground. “Do they really think they’re capable of commanding the elite troops we’ve trained? When we were fighting a bloody battle against the Shamans back then, why didn’t we see them come to lend a hand?

“Worst of them all is that refuse-to-die, Xu Qirui[2]. Heavens, his mystic energy is so filthy, and the first thing he did upon showing up is to demand thirty pairs of virgin boys and girls! What the hell were the heavens thinking, keeping such a monster alive? The heavens really have no eyes, do they? Otherwise, such a guy would’ve been wiped out by a heavenly tribulation long ago!”

Xu Zhongxing sighed. “You should watch your tongue, too.”

Fan Donghe grumpily obeyed before changing the subject, “To be honest, I actually have quite a bit of respect for Wei Yuan. I just hope he won’t do anything foolish and choose to preserve Qingming. It would truly be a shame if it were to be shattered.”

“As if. He’s not the type to compromise just to keep the peace.”

“Why do we have to attack Qingming first? Couldn’t we have just gone straight to Gan Province?”

Xu Zhongxing sighed. “This is the Immortal Ancestor’s obsession—there’s nothing we can do about it.”

At that, both men fell silent.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out among the vanguard. The two spurred their horses forward to the front of the column, where they saw an ancient tree by the roadside with more than a dozen people hanging from it. They were all envoys Xu Zhongxing had sent to persuade the enemy to surrender.

Gazing at the corpses fluttering in the wind, Xu Zhongxing said calmly, “It seems this battle is inevitable. Let’s go and test the capabilities of the Palace of Absolute Beginning. I hope that the disciples and successors of that old scoundrel, Fen Hai[3], won’t let me down.”

1. Bull Capturer... or Captive Bull?? Either way what a weird name/title lol. ☜

2. Qirui means Seven Auspiciousness. ☜

3. If you remember, Fen Hai and Lan Hua once went to his headquarters and held up his office for days, paralyzing all operations. ☜