Chapter 403
Chapter 403
Like Shen Lang, King Arutai of Qiang was burning with anxiety. He was worried that Monk Gounan, in his fierce fighting, might kill Prince Aruna. Prince Aruna of Wei had to be killed by Arutai himself. Otherwise, he would not be worthy of being the King of Qiang. Hearing the clamor of battle from the mountaintop, he grew restless. The three women of the Su Clan were still kneeling on the ground, clinging to Arutai’s legs, weeping and begging him not to ascend rashly. Just then, a scout galloped up to him.
King Arutai boomed.
“What is it? What’s the situation on the mountain?”
The scout reported, “The monk soldiers of the Great Calamity Temple have clashed with Prince Aruna’s army.”
“Are there any traps or snares?”
“None. The Great Calamity Palace on the summit is nothing but ruins and collapsed walls. The monk soldiers of the Great Calamity Temple are fighting so valiantly that Aruna’s army is no match for them.”
King Arutai’s heart grew even more anxious. He absolutely could not let Monk Gounan kill Aruna. Finally, he let out a furious roar.
“All forces, charge! Kill the Prince of Wei! Kill Aruna and declare to the world who the true King of Qiang is!”
Hearing this, the three women of the Su Clan desperately clung to Arutai’s legs and cried out.
“Your Majesty, you must not be rash. Can’t you wait until Monk Gounan and Aruna have both been wounded in their fight, and then go and take control of the situation?”
“Your Highness, Shen Lang is incomparably cunning. He may have set a trap, you must be careful!”
The three women were sobbing so hard they could barely speak. King Arutai swung his legs forward, flinging all three peerless beauties of the Su Clan away.
“Haha, all of you from the Su Clan are as timid as mice. Because of you, I have been ridiculed by that bald monk from the Great Calamity Temple. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. You Su Clan want Prince Aruna of Wei to die at the hands of Monk Gounan of the Great Calamity Temple, don’t you? That way, I would not be a legitimate King of Qiang. But the gods have guided me. They have told me to begin my great enterprise of conquest from the Great Calamity Palace! All forces, charge and kill the enemy!”
At King Arutai’s command, his massive army charged madly toward the Great Calamity Palace on the summit. They were an innumerable, densely packed host. The area was not far from the palace on the summit, so a wide road had been paved. The path was a full three to four meters wide, but it was also quite steep.
“Charge! The gods are watching over us!”
King Arutai’s army, a dense, dark mass, surged toward the mountaintop like a long dragon. Because of their sheer numbers, they still stretched for several miles, but they were packed tightly enough. The king charged at the very front. Though there was still quite a distance to the Great Calamity Temple on the summit, Arutai felt as if he could conquer the world.
*The gods are watching over us. From here, I will achieve my great enterprise of conquest! Kill Aruna, kill Shen Lang! My, Arutai’s, great army will sweep through the State of Yue, and it will become my hunting ground. I will kill the men of Yue and trample their women. Countless infants will cry, and countless children will be orphaned. I will make the people of Yue tremble at the mere mention of the name Arutai, make them kneel and prostrate themselves on the ground. O, heavenly gods, I have come!*
But just then.
*Rumble!*
It was not the low, heavy sound of thunder from the sky, but a heavy rumbling that shook the earth itself. At more than ten locations about a hundred meters from the summit, gunpowder exploded with immense force. Snow that had accumulated for hundreds, nearly a thousand years, erupted violently with the explosions. Even the rocks deep beneath the snow were blown apart. The blasted rocks, along with the vast amount of snow piled atop them, began to roll madly downhill, sweeping everything away.
Arutai’s army still had several hundred meters to go to reach the mountaintop. But the sudden avalanche caused the thousand-year-old snow to crack and collapse, and the collapsing snow tumbled further and further down. More and more snow, spreading wider and wider, cascaded down, becoming a colossal avalanche that was horrifying to behold. It began like a furious wave but soon resembled a tsunami reaching for the sky. The avalanche swept everything below with a force that could shake the heavens, hurtling downward in a mad rush. This was what it meant for heaven and earth to collapse. The avalanche, which was initially only a few hundred meters wide, grew in scale until it was soon several thousand meters across, and then the entire face of the snowy mountain began to give way.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
The entire ground of the great snowy mountain shook violently. King Arutai was completely stunned, as were his twenty to thirty thousand troops. They could not believe the scene before them. Countless waves of snow, like monstrous beasts, sought to swallow the entire world. Shen Lang had worried the avalanche might not be large enough and had tried to gather the king’s army together, but that had been an overly cautious thought. The avalanche he had triggered was far larger than he could have ever imagined.
*Rumble.*
In the face of a force that could shake the very heavens, any struggle, any attempt to flee, was futile. Among the king’s countless soldiers, some knelt and wept, while others fled in a mad panic.
“The gods are angry, the gods are angry! We have to run!”
“Let’s kneel and beg the gods for forgiveness!”
King Arutai’s army of tens of thousands completely broke down. Whether they tried to flee or beg for forgiveness, all their actions were meaningless now. The heaven-shattering avalanche, like a ferocious wave, like the wrath of the gods, swept over everything a few seconds later. And then, everything was gone. King Arutai’s army of tens of thousands had been annihilated.
***
Inside Skywind Fortress in the Leizhou Archipelago.
Wu Mu, the King of Wu’s cousin, Marquis of Nankang, and commander of the attack on the Leizhou Archipelago, was in the middle of a game of Go. His opponent was his cousin, Wu You. To be honest, neither of them particularly enjoyed playing Go. But since the King of Wu loved it, all the high-ranking officials of Wu had no choice but to enjoy it as well.
“Did he agree?”
“Yes.”
Wu You nodded in response to Wu Mu’s question. If the plan to seize Raging Tide City had an eighty to ninety percent chance of success before, it was now an absolute certainty.
“Qiu Hao, are you really going to keep that piece of trash? He betrayed Qiu Tianwei in the past, and now he’s betrayed the State of Yue. Next time, he’ll betray us.”
“We are in dire need of talent, so killing Qiu Hao is not easy. If we kill him, who will dare to defect to our State of Wu in the future? The State of Yue has no navy, but His Majesty values the sea. Our navy has only recently been formed, so we can’t do without Qiu Hao in naval battles.”
“It’s a shame that Qiu Yao’er left.”
“It’s a blessing that Qiu Yao’er left.”
Indeed, it was a blessing that Qiu Yao’er had left. Otherwise, the waters around Raging Tide City would have been her domain forever. Qiu Yao’er was invincible on horseback, on land, and at sea. If she were there, no one would even think of attacking Raging Tide City in the first place.
Wu You asked, “Commander, if Jin Shiying defects, will you really give him an important position?”
“Why? Have you developed feelings for him?”
“Would you believe me if I said he’s the best man among those I could choose? A man nearly thirty who has never touched a woman in his life.”
Wu Mu frowned. As the proud Marquis of Nankang of the State of Wu, he absolutely did not want to discuss matters between men and women, especially not in front of his cousin.
“If the Jin Clan weren’t in a desperate situation, he would never have betrayed them.”
“Don’t let your emotions guide your work. It will cloud your judgment.”
“The most important thing in a woman’s life is to marry a good man. Not only is he a good man, but he’s also the one you all chose for me. If I hadn’t been involved in this, would he have defected?”
“If he pledges his loyalty to the State of Wu, I will naturally place him in a key position and make him my confidant. The future of Wu will ultimately be led by the young, not those old men.”
This statement revealed the struggle between the new and old generations within the court of Wu. But it was a normal state of affairs. The previous King of Wu had been traditional and conservative, favoring conservative old ministers. In contrast, the young King of Wu, having only recently ascended the throne, was determined to innovate and often made risky decisions. However, the ministers already occupying the court were mostly conservative old men who constantly held the king back. As this situation repeated itself, the young king had no choice but to appoint a large number of young, ambitious ministers to replace the old ones. Wu Mu was one of those newly appointed young ministers.
Although called a young minister, at twenty-nine, he was not exactly a youth. He had memorized the arts of war and possessed formidable martial skills. He had served in the army for over a decade but had only become a commander in his own right for a few years. Thus, he was now eager for talented individuals to place under his command. Jin Shiying’s defection was, therefore, of great importance to him.
This battle to capture Raging Tide City was, for Wu Mu, a battle that would decide his fate. He had never before commanded such a large battle on his own. When he was the crown prince, Wu Qi had repeatedly stated the importance of the sea and the need to seize the Leizhou Archipelago to contain and encircle the State of Yue. However, the previous King of Wu did not value the sea and was only interested in land. After the new king ascended the throne, he mobilized various political resources to form the current navy and appointed Wu Mu as its commander. After several long years of training, he was able to raise a navy of over six thousand men.
To maintain the secrecy of this operation to capture Raging Tide City, the King of Wu did not consult with the court ministers, only discussing and deciding the matter with the Imperial Secretariat. The various old ministers of the Secretariat initially objected but could not hold out in the end, eventually advising the king to use a veteran general. The King of Wu hesitated for a long time. He felt that veteran generals were too conservative and not skilled in naval warfare.
In contrast, although Wu Mu’s navy had never experienced a real naval battle, his soldiers had been training for years. Most importantly, Wu Mu was one of the king’s own men, representing the new guard. Eventually, the King of Wu gave Wu Mu a chance, appointing the twenty-nine-year-old as the commander for the subjugation of Raging Tide City.
A scholar dies for one who truly knows him. Similarly, Wu Mu was naturally moved to tears by the King of Wu’s trust and poured his heart and soul into conquering Raging Tide City. This battle was not only related to his career path but also to the king’s honor. If he lost this battle, Wu Mu’s future would be over, and the king would face a counterattack from the conservative old ministers in the court.
In fact, Wu Mu had handled things quite well so far. Though young, he was extremely cautious with every step he took, taking some risks but always acting with prudence. A few months ago, he decided to use a honey trap against Jin Shiying. Moreover, the woman he chose was not some vixen who could seduce any man, but his innocent and beautiful cousin, Wu You, who could move a man’s heart. Not only that, but he also had Wu You disguise herself as Jin Mulan. After several long months, they finally had Jin Shiying in their grasp.
From the beginning, Wu Mu judged that a man like Jin Shiying could not be tempted by profit, but had to be moved by emotion. He had Go Duhwan assassinate Jin Zhuo and convinced Qiu Hao to betray the State of Yue. And now, with Jin Shiying also defecting to Wu, even though he was a young commander, he had laid his groundwork more carefully than a veteran general. Now that everything was in place, the battle for Raging Tide City was already ninety percent won.