NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 257: The Storm Begins_1
In the 519th year of the Great Xia dynasty, on the eighth day of the seventh month.
On this day, the barbarian tribes formally launched an attack on Great Xia. The Marquis of Pingxi led the Xuan Iron Army into a major battle with the barbarians at the border. For three consecutive days, they maintained the upper hand. Although the 600,000-strong Xuan Iron Army suffered casualties, they also drove the barbarians back progressively.
Upon receiving news of the victories in Tiandu, the capital of Great Xia, firecrackers blazed through the city, stirring the spirits and triggering a wave of cheers.
The civilians of Great Xia naturally knew about the barbarian invasion, and with the Marquis of Pingxi winning battles, the people were quite jubilant.
Even the crown prince within the imperial palace felt exceptionally good, preparing various rewards. As soon as the Marquis of Pingxi won a decisive victory, he planned to send these rewards to the border immediately.
For a while, the name of the Marquis of Pingxi echoed throughout Tiandu; countless citizens hailed him as the War God of Great Xia. As long as he was present, the border of Great Xia would be secure, and the barbarians would never be able to invade.
But the good times did not last. Just as the people of Tiandu celebrated joyfully, five days later, an urgent dispatch of eight hundred li arrived at the imperial palace in Tiandu.
A crushing defeat at the border!
Aligning with the Six Union God Sect, the barbarians set a trap at the border and sent as many as eight martial arts masters to besiege the Marquis of Pingxi!
Guarded by his generals and the Xuan Iron Army who fought to their last breath, the Marquis of Pingxi seized that one in ten thousand chance, escaping death by a hair's breadth. However, he sustained serious injuries and was hanging by a thread, lying unconscious on his sickbed until now.
Now, the borders of Yan State were in utter chaos, teeming with demons!
After the battle, the Xuan Iron Army lost over 300,000 soldiers. From the initial 600,000, fewer than 300,000 remained, each bearing wounds.
Read new adventures at empire
Moreover, not only was the chief commander at the border, the Marquis of Pingxi, on the brink of death, unconscious and possibly about to pass away at any moment.
Following their victory, the barbarian hordes pushed into DaHuang Mansion. The Xuan Iron Army was forced into a strategic retreat. Simultaneously, followers of the Holy Shadows Sect and the Black Sky Sect under the Six Union God Sect, as well as other demonic cult warriors, began to appear throughout the various prefectures in Yan State.
Swarms of demons emerged, plunging the entire Yan State into grave danger.
In just a few days, nearly two hundred thousand civilians perished, leaving countless bones to dry in DaHuang Mansion, blood flowing into rivers.
Such news could not be hidden, and once it spread, it threw the world into uproar.
The people from the thirteen states under Great Xia's rule, especially from the other two major mansions in Yan State, were in extreme panic. The whole of Great Xia was plunged into an atmosphere of personal insecurity and profound depression.
At this moment, an intense debate exploded in the royal court of Great Xia.
In the Great Xia imperial palace, in the Jinluan Hall, the crown prince Ji Yuan sat at the top, his expression extremely grave.
Below him, the court officials argued so heatedly they were almost at each other's throats, throwing around accusations. Eventually, it even seemed like some of the civil and military officials were about to come to blows.
The crown prince tried to intervene several times to calm the situation, but to no avail. Out of frustration, he also felt somewhat helpless.
"Silence!"
At that moment, King Huai spoke up. His expression was somber, his gaze sharp as an eagle's. A terrifying aura, which was surprising for this prince who was unfamiliar with martial arts, now seemed to emanate from him.
The moment King Huai's piercing gaze swept over a minister, the minister trembled and promptly shut his mouth, daring not to make the slightest sound.
The entire Jinluan Hall immediately returned to a solemn silence.
King Huai then gave the crown prince a glance, signaling that he could speak now.
The crown prince furrowed his brows and said, "My esteemed officials, the situation in Yan State is currently urgent, and the palace feels just as anxious as you do. But what problem can be solved by quarreling?"
"The most crucial issue at hand is, how should we break the deadlock in Yan State!"
Everyone in the Jinluan Hall understood that if Yan State were to fall, the impact on Great Xia would be immensely significant, far graver than when the Great Yuan delegation came visiting.
With Great Yuan casting covetous eyes on the eastern front and constantly monitoring the situation, if Yan State were to fall, the power of Great Xia would be greatly diminished. The hearts of the people would be more than half lost, and Great Yuan would surely not miss this golden opportunity, very likely launching a direct invasion into Great Xia.
At that time, Great Xia, which had endured for over five hundred years, might very well crumble.
The crown prince, including King Huai and all the officials in the Jinluan Hall, would become sinners, recorded in the history books, stigmatized for a thousand years.
Especially the crown prince, whose legacy in history books would probably be summed up in four stark words: The Monarch of Ruin!
At this point, Uncle Dingyuan and the Marquis of Wuwei stepped forward and said in unison, "The Marquis of Pingxi is a brave and adept warrior, one of the top three generals of Great Xia. The barbarian attack was originally being pushed back, and we were on the verge of a major victory.
It was the sudden interference of the demonic cults that caused the severe injury of the Marquis of Pingxi, leading to the pending fall of Yan State. In our opinion, it is all the fault of the Jing Tian Department."
"To our knowledge, the deputy commander of the Jing Tian Department, Qin Wu, sent Gu Chen to support Yan State, but such a disaster still occurred there. What does this tell us? It indicates that Gu Chen neglected his duties and indulged the demonic cults, resulting in this situation. We beseech Your Highness to punish Gu Chen harshly!"
The crown prince's face turned somewhat ugly at these words. At that moment., the Duke of the Liang State stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, in our opinion, now is not the time to pursue accountability. Moreover, we are not privy to the specific situation in Yan State and are merely hearing about it, not experiencing it firsthand.
We should not be causing further complications—the most pressing matter is to converge everyone's efforts into finding a solution to this crisis."
The crown prince nodded and said, "Your counsel is sensible."
Then Uncle Dingyuan said, "Prior to this, the Marquis of Pingxi had already sent messages requesting reinforcements, but Your Highness did not consent at the time. In my view, we should immediately send additional troops and dispatch a large army to the border."
The Marquis of Wuwei also said, "Your Highness, I've heard that the barbarian tribes have received an ancient divine legacy in the Great Hundred Mountain Range. It is for this reason that they have been able to recover the vitality they lost in the battle twenty-three years ago. Now, with the barbarian tribes joining forces with the demonic cults, their approach is fierce.
There might be peerless martial artists among the barbarians who have reached the stage of deity-like prowess. I believe that while deploying a grand army, we should also have Deputy Commander Qin Wu of the Jing Tian Department personally enter the battlefield."
At that moment, Minister Chen Yuanli of the War Department stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I concur with the opinions of the Marquis of Wuwei and the Uncle Dingyuan."
Following suit, a crowd of ministers voiced their agreements.
The Crown Prince furrowed his brows in thought, contemplating the feasibility of this course of action. After all, the Deputy Commander of the Jing Tian Department was a top-tier grandmaster at the Gang Qi Stage, who, barring any unforeseen circumstances, should always be stationed in Tiandu. Tiandu's significance was always the top priority from beginning to end.
But now, with Yan State in chaos and the situation grave, and the barbarians seemingly regaining—and even surpassing—their past strength with the ancient divine legacy, coupled with the involvement of the Six Union God Sect, for each day the situation dragged on, hundreds or thousands of citizens would die, further weakening Da Xia's national power.
Thus, it would be better to have Deputy Commander Qin Wu of the Jing Tian Department take action with maximum military power to suppress the chaos in Yan State; a swift and decisive resolution to solve everything.
The Crown Prince believed that even if the barbarians had received the legacy of the ancient divine in the depths of the Great Hundred Mountain Range, their top-tier fighters had nearly all perished in the battle twenty-three years ago and couldn't have recovered so rapidly.
If they had recovered, they wouldn't have sent an army of half a million barbarians to attack the border. The top-tier fighters could directly assassinate the Marquis of Pingxi—it wouldn't need to be this complicated, and the battle could end in an instant.
At this point, the Crown Prince turned to seek the opinion of King Huai.
King Huai slightly furrowed his brows, evidently also contemplating the feasibility of the matter. After a moment, he nodded in agreement.
Then, Minister Chen Yuanli of the War Department spoke again, "Your Highness, how many additional troops should be sent to Yan State?"
The situation in all thirteen provinces of Da Xia, aside from Yan State, was also highly tense. Moreover, the coffers had been greatly depleted over the years due to the fight against demons and spirits. This was why the Crown Prince had not agreed to the Marquis of Pingxi's request for reinforcements.
But now, the time had come when reinforcements were a necessity, and the number of troops to be sent was a significant matter.
Just then, Minister Chen Yuanli spoke again, "Another matter, Your Highness, my Lord, who will lead the troops in this reinforcement?"
With the current situation at the border, the Marquis of Pingxi was gravely injured and unconscious. Even with reinforcements, without a leader for the army, it would be futile.
Even though Deputy Commander Qin Wu of the Jing Tian Department was powerful in cultivation, he was not a skilled military commander, and his capabilities in commanding troops were not strong. He could manage a fight involving a few dozen or a few hundred men, but if it came to tens or hundreds of thousands, or even a million soldiers, he lacked that capacity.
That was why the Marquis of Pingxi was so invaluable to Da Xia.
"Let me go."
The Crown Prince's gaze shifted to the speaker, and it turned out to be the Duke of the Liang State.
Duke Lu Sheng of the Liang State said, "Before the Marquis of Pingxi, it was I who guarded the border and deterred the barbarians. Now, with the Marquis of Pingxi incapacitated, I am the most suitable candidate."
"No."
Upon hearing that the Duke of the Liang State wished to depart for the frontlines, the Crown Prince immediately refused, saying, "Duke of the Liang State, I know you are concerned for our country and our citizens, but you are of advanced age and should be enjoying your twilight years. The situation in Yan State is too dangerous; I cannot agree to this."
It was not only because of the Duke's age, but also because of his many years of combat at the border, which had left him with numerous hidden injuries. The reason why the Duke eventually retired to Tiandu was that in his last battle, he had been gravely wounded, causing major health issues, and even his cultivation had significantly regressed.
The Gang Qi Stage might suffice under normal circumstances, but in the current situation in Yan State, it would be of no use at all. Even the Marquis of Pingxi, a master of martial arts, was assassinated and grievously injured, let alone the Duke of the Liang State.
The Duke of the Liang State said, "Your Highness, do you believe there is another more suitable candidate besides myself?"
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's gaze swept over his ministers, hoping that someone among them would step forward to go to the border.
Regrettably, the Crown Prince was disappointed. Even now, no one volunteered. The situation in Yan State was too perilous; those who went were facing almost certain death, or even a fate of no return.
All these lords and dignitaries were advanced in age, accustomed to the comforts of life in Tiandu. While they could offer advice and speak freely, the notion of them personally embarking on a campaign, to suffer hardship in the desolate and variable climate of the border, was utterly impossible.
Seeing this, the Crown Prince's fist suddenly clenched, and his expression began to sour.
Nevertheless, the ministers, as if not noticing the Crown Prince's expression and gaze, kept their eyes glued to their noses and their noses to their hearts, standing there with downcast eyes, as unmoving as meditating monks.
At this moment, King Huai spoke up, "Let the Duke of the Liang State go. Among the ministers, he is the most familiar with the border. If we send someone else, they might spend a long time just getting acclimated, and we don't have that time now."
"Thank you, my Lord, for your support," the Duke of the Liang State immediately bowed in gratitude.
"But..." The Crown Prince frowned; the Duke of the Liang State was one of the few ministers who supported him and was both elderly and loyal to Da Xia. He genuinely did not want the Duke to take this risk.
However, as King Huai had said, there truly were no other suitable candidates besides the Duke.
"Let Qin Wu send someone from the Jing Tian Department in Yan State to protect the Duke of the Liang State," King Huai said gravely.
Clearly, even King Huai did not want the Duke of the Liang State to go to the border, but there was no better alternative at present.
Seeing this, the Crown Prince had no choice but to nod in reluctant agreement.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your support!" the Duke of the Liang State raised his voice in appreciation, clasping his fists in salute.