Chapter 400
Chapter 400
One of the old ministers listening to the King of Wu offered a different opinion.
“Yanzhou should be empty right now. Why not strike there instead? Reclaiming Yanzhou would restore the glory of our ancestors and avenge our past humiliation.”
“Which do you think yields a greater reward? Defeating Ning Yuanxian, or defeating Bian Wu?”
Naturally, defeating King Ning Yuanxian of Yue would be more rewarding. He was the king. The King of Wu asked again.
“Between Bian Wu and Ning Yuanxian, who would be easier to attack?”
Of course, it was Ning Yuanxian. Although he knew martial arts, he was still a king of scholarly background. Bian Wu, on the other hand, was a renowned general of his generation, and attacking him would be incredibly difficult. The King of Wu asked once more.
“Which is more formidable, Yanzhou or Shangye City?”
Yanzhou was clearly more formidable. The terrain of Tianbei Province was flat, so once breached, an army could advance with unstoppable momentum. With an overwhelming presence, the King of Wu silenced his numerous confidants and old ministers, leaving them with no room for rebuttal.
“Issue the decree. Mobilize thirty thousand troops from the west and have them station at my barracks!”
The King of Wu had issued the decree; it could not be rescinded. Upon the order, thirty thousand soldiers of Wu’s western army set out with great fanfare, marching east toward the King of Wu's camp.
And so, Ning Yuanxian’s great gamble had succeeded. He stood before a map, his entire body trembling with unparalleled excitement, calculating the position of Wu’s western army. Time was now of the essence. Those thirty thousand troops could not be allowed to reach the King of Wu’s camp. If they did, the King of Wu would command a force of one hundred fifty thousand. If he then launched an attack on his own camp and a real battle ensued, the State of Yue would suffer immense losses.
Bian Wu had to move before Wu’s western army arrived, launching a fierce assault on the territory of Wu, killing and trampling everything in his path.
The thirty thousand soldiers of Wu’s western army drew closer and closer to the King of Wu’s camp. Four hundred *li*, three hundred *li*, two hundred *li*… The time had come!
King Ning Yuanxian of Yue issued his decree.
“Order Bian Wu to raid the western border of Wu—kill them, burn them, plunder them! Speed is of the essence for an army. Do not capture cities, do not linger on the battlefield. Just charge, charge, and charge! Kill until the blood of Wu runs cold, kill until the King of Wu is scared out of his wits!”
Two days later, Bian Wu received the King of Yue’s decree. He had long since sharpened his sword and prepared his troops. He led five thousand of his most elite warriors, equipped with the latest armor and battle swords provided by the Jin Clan. Once Ning Yuanxian’s order was given, Bian Wu would lead twenty thousand troops out of Yanzhou, storm the western border of Wu, and annihilate the enemy in an instant, striking terror into Wu like a bolt from the blue. They would kill and burn as they went. Kill, kill! They would not attack fortified cities, nor would they plunder urban centers. They would raid along their path and plunge a dagger straight into the heart of Wu. Countless heads would roll, bodies would pile up like mountains, and the blood of the enemy would flow like a river.
***
The Great Snow Mountain.
Shen Lang marched with great difficulty. At first, the ascent was easy, but after reaching the mountainside, the terrain grew increasingly treacherous. The higher he climbed toward the summit, the thicker the snow became. The six-foot-wide mountain path carved by the Great Calamity Temple was quite broad and flat. However, it had been abandoned for so long that it was buried under a thick layer of snow. Shen Lang had to clear the snow as he marched. No matter how diligently he had prepared, it seemed he had underestimated the severe cold of the mountain peak. At this rate, he could cover no more than twenty *li* a day, and his pace was bound to slow down even further.
This was Shen Lang’s first time on the Great Snow Mountain since coming to this world. The magnificent spectacle truly inspired a sense of awe. As far as the eye could see, an endless expanse of pure white snow stretched out. Shen Lang couldn’t help but admire the Red Army of his past life. Tens of thousands of them had crossed a pathless snow mountain. Of course, the Great Snow Mountain he was climbing was larger than the one the Red Army had crossed, but thankfully, the Great Calamity Temple had carved a flat road. Walking on the six-foot-wide path, Shen Lang couldn’t help but marvel at the temple.
‘Were you all truly mad? Why build a palace on such a high mountaintop? And this mountain path is at least a hundred *li* long. How on earth did you manage to build it back then?’
Shen Lang couldn't imagine how much manpower the Great Calamity Temple had mobilized to build this path, nor how many people had died in the process. But recalling Earth’s history, thirteen hundred years ago, the Tibetan Empire had built a massive palace complex of three hundred sixty thousand square meters on a mountain 3,700 meters above sea level. That was far more impressive than the Great Calamity Palace before him. At its peak, the Tibetan Empire’s population was only a few million, yet they had constructed such a marvel.
After five long days, Shen Lang finally reached the summit of the snow mountain. Of course, it was just one of the many peaks of the Great Snow Mountain; far in the distance were even taller and larger ones. And there, Shen Lang finally laid his eyes upon the long-famed Great Calamity Palace. It was one of the largest palace complexes ever built in the eastern world. Though now half in ruins, the sight of the Great Calamity Palace sent a shiver through him. Compared to the palaces of the Tibetan Empire on Earth, the Great Calamity Palace was built at a much higher altitude. Its area was smaller, however; Shen Lang estimated the complex to be about two hundred thousand square meters, roughly three hundred *mu*.
The squares of the Great Calamity Palace were immense, and there were three of them in total. One stood before the palace itself, another a few hundred meters lower in front, and a third in the back. At first, Shen Lang didn’t understand why they had built several squares below when pilgrims could simply go to the one in front of the palace. But after examining the structure more closely, he understood the reason.
First, a large amount of stone was needed to pave the road when building the Great Calamity Palace. So, they quarried the stone directly from the mountain itself, and the excavated areas became large flatlands, which were then turned into squares. Moreover, these squares had even been fortified with ramparts, all built to defend against enemy forces. To take the Great Calamity Palace, one first had to break through these two defensive lines of ramparts. Of course, the ramparts on those squares were now in ruins. After two major battles, they had been all but dismantled.
***
Shen Lang and Aruna’s allied forces stationed themselves in a relatively intact palace within the Great Calamity Palace complex. The warriors of the Heavenly Dao Society, as if familiar with the place, opened an underground palace and brought out cotton clothes, provisions, and iron cauldrons. Not only that, but there were also countless piles of dried yak dung for fuel. Aruna asked Shen Lang in disbelief.
“Did you hide all these things here beforehand?”
Of course. After deciding that the Great Calamity Palace would be the burial ground for the Qiang King’s army, Shen Lang had mobilized vast resources to prepare everything. Aruna was truly a foolish queen. The jerky and dried dung had been purchased by Shen Lang's men from her own tribe, then hidden in the underground storerooms of the Great Calamity Palace by the Heavenly Dao Society.
Shen Lang asked, “How far are the enemy from us?”
Ying Yang replied, “They are still very far. It will be two days before they arrive!”
“Send scouts to set up a defensive line on the square below the Great Calamity Palace. Report immediately if you see any enemy movement.”
“I will go myself!”
Ying Yang and Wu Lie led a group of elite warriors down to the square below to establish a defensive line. Aruna asked Shen Lang, “So, what should we do now?”
“We eat, we sleep, we wait for the enemy to arrive, we kill them all, and then we leave!”
“We’re not going to fight them?”
“There’s no need for any fighting at the Great Calamity Palace, is there?”
There probably wouldn’t be a fight. The moment the enemy arrived, a world-shattering roar would echo, the mountains and the earth would tremble, and the enemy would be annihilated.
***
Two days later, Wu Lie reported.
“The enemy has arrived!”
Shen Lang took a deep breath. It was time to perform another miracle, the slaughter of an army of tens of thousands in an instant.
***
Inside Raging Tide City.
“The flags on the city walls are about to change again!”
A shopkeeper sighed as he locked the main door of his shop. By now, almost everyone in Raging Tide City was convinced that Marquis Jin Zhuo had been assassinated. The Marquis had not been seen for a long time, and the one currently in charge of the Grand Citadel was his daughter, Lady Jin Mulan. Everyone knew the princess of Xuanwu was not a talented actress. Every time she met with people, despite her best efforts to conceal her emotions, she could not hide the look of sorrow and anger. The large eyes of the peerless beauty were always tinged with red.
If Marquis Jin Zhuo wasn't dead, why would she be so sad and angry? Could her husband have had an affair? Not only that, but all the warships of the Jin Clan that sailed the seas had returned to port and were docked. The Jin Clan’s army had withdrawn entirely into the three citadels. Now, the Jin Clan had lost control of the seas, and Qiu Hao, the lord of Skywind City who had surrendered to Wu, roamed the waters freely.
Currently, not only the merchant ships of the Heavenly Dao Society but all merchant vessels were docked. Even the sea vessels that ferried people from Yangwu City to Raging Tide City had ceased operations. This was because Qiu Hao had declared that not a single small boat was to be on the sea until the battle was over. Qiu Hao had stated that, with the exception of Wu’s fleet, no ship was to appear in the waters near Raging Tide City. Any ship spotted would be sunk without hesitation.
Everyone knew that the grand army of Wu was taking its final rest on Skywind Island, not far north of Raging Tide City. After reorganizing, they would soon march south in great force to land at Raging Tide City. When that happened, another earth-shattering battle would unfold. It hadn’t been long since the last battle; only half a year had passed since the Jin Clan seized Raging Tide City, and now it was about to change hands again?
But it didn’t matter. They would just close their businesses for about half a month, and after the battle was over, everyone would resume business and make money. They would just be paying taxes to a new master. If they had known this would happen, they wouldn't have sent so many gifts to that pretty boy, Shen Lang. That scoundrel took the gifts but offered no favors; they might as well have thrown them to the dogs. Soon, when Wu took over Raging Tide City, they would all have to bleed themselves dry preparing gifts once more.
Many had heard the rumor that the commander leading the Wu army this time, Wu Mu, was the King of Wu’s cousin. After he captured Raging Tide City, he would become its new master. There were even rumors about the official title he would hold: Prefect of Leizhou and Admiral of the Navy. See, Wu was different. Under the State of Yue, the Leizhou Archipelago was merely two cities within Nujiang Commandery, but under Wu, it would be elevated to a full commandery. Many of the great merchants were already inquiring about Lord Wu Mu's preferences, contemplating what gifts to send to win his favor. This was because every merchant believed in their hearts that the Jin Clan was finished and would undoubtedly lose this battle.
They bolted the doors of their shops, hid all their valuables in their cellars, and for the time being, they would simply lie low to avoid the war. It was unlikely that the trouble would reach them. The last time the Jin Clan took Raging Tide City, they hadn’t plundered the merchants' wealth, so Wu probably wouldn't either.
As the shopkeeper was locking the last shutter of his shop, a shadow slipped inside. But the shopkeeper, as if seeing nothing, finished locking the final shutter.