Longzang

Chapter 1088 Large-Scale Invasion
Wei Yuan's brazen invasion shook the entire Ji Kingdom, and Cangwu was furious.

However, even though he stood beneath the celestial heavens, he had no way to deal with Wei Yuan, who was hidden in the square and upright military aura of the lower realm.

The aura of Qingming's various armies is now concentrated and undispersed, all perfectly square and orderly. Their aura is so strong that even the nine armies of Da Tang cannot match it.

Within Wei Yuan's central army, a vast expanse of metallic luster emanated from the military aura, with flames rising within and numerous monstrous creatures faintly visible. This military aura was so powerful it seemed poised to possess sentience—truly terrifying!

Amidst this unprecedented military atmosphere, Cangwu suspected that even if he were an immortal, the power of his attack would be reduced by forty percent.

At this moment, colorful mist surged around Wei Yuan, constantly displaying scenes of prosperity and grandeur, signifying his overflowing good fortune. Moreover, the translucent blue spear that Wei Yuan held in his hand made Cang Wu's eyes twitch; even from a distance, it felt as if sharp needles were piercing his eyes.

Cangwu recalled the old story of Wei Yuan, who, harnessing the fortunes of millions and traversing the causal connections, slew six powerful figures with a single spear thrust. The current Wei Yuan was clearly even stronger than before, and the power of that reverse-attack spear strike was growing ever greater; even Cangwu didn't want to take it head-on. Moreover, the spear in Wei Yuan's hand was obviously strange. Although its rank wasn't particularly high—probably not even reaching the threshold of a celestial weapon—Cangwu suspected that the spear was probably a one-time use item.

Thus, the human and the immortal stood facing off in the heavens and the earth, neither able to gain the upper hand. Meanwhile, the million-strong army of the Azure Netherworld surged forward, charging through the vast, uninhabited territory.

……

The atmosphere in the Ji Kingdom's court was extremely oppressive.

The newly appointed Minister of War stepped forward and reported: "I have already deployed 700,000 troops to garrison the area and intercept the enemy. Another 3 million troops are being mobilized, but it will probably take three months to fully arm and train them."

“Three months? Wei Yuan is advancing a thousand miles every day. In three months, he will have reached the capital!” King Ji was furious.

Prince Ji slammed his hand on the court desk and demanded, "What about the 200,000 border troops we intercepted earlier?"

The Minister of War forced himself to say, "They should have already engaged the enemy, but... there's been no news from the front lines yet."

The ministers all knew perfectly well that the 200,000 men had probably been wiped out long ago, and there would be no news of them.

The Minister of Rites stepped forward and reported: "The envoy sent to the Tang Palace has sent back news and is still waiting for news. He has been staying at the post station for ten days, but has neither seen Emperor Jing nor the Regent. All the other officials in the court are also avoiding seeing him."

Prince Ji narrowed his eyes slightly; this was within his expectations. After all, the Tang dynasty was in decline, and even if they met, they would only be able to obtain an imperial edict and have a legitimate claim.

Just as the court officials were at a loss, a minister suddenly entered the hall and reported: "Your Majesty, Wei Yuan has sent a proclamation, specifically demanding the fiefdoms of Xiang and Han prefectures, and has also raised the banner of 'purging the court of corrupt officials,' demanding that the culprit be brought to justice..."

The man glanced furtively at Sun Chaoen before continuing, "...requesting that Lord Sun and over thirty others be handed over to him for disposal."

The court officials were somewhat surprised, many wore complex expressions, and several officials couldn't hide their schadenfreude. Prince Ji's face darkened, and he said, "The villain's demands will certainly not be met!"

Many ministers secretly worried that, given Wei Yuan's current military strength, he would likely have to hand over Sun Chaoen sooner or later to avoid disaster. After reaching this conclusion, the ministers resolved that they must not offend Sun Chaoen at this time, lest he become desperate and take someone down with him before he dies.

At this moment, the Minister of Works stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, the thousands of craftsmen who built the Cloud Terrace and Golden Palace also came from Qingming. This is a serious threat! They should all be arrested and imprisoned immediately, as they will be useful bargaining chips against Wei Yuan in the future..."

Before he could finish speaking, Prince Ji's face darkened, and he shouted, "Drag him out and give him fifty strokes of the cane!"

The newly appointed Minister of Works never expected such a disaster to befall him. He was dragged away while crying out that he was innocent. Several other senior officials stepped forward to plead for him, but before they could say more than a few words, Prince Ji said, "Drag them all away and give them fifty strokes of the cane!"

The officials were taken aback, and then several civil officials were eager to try.

Upon seeing this, Sun Chaoen stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I have heard that Du Zhifeng, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, recently lost his uncle. Du was raised by his uncle and treated as his own son. By reason and in principle, Your Majesty should allow Du to return to his hometown to observe mourning for three years.”

Du Zhifeng was in charge of compiling historical books, and his family had been historians for generations.

As soon as Sun Chaoen raised the suggestion, Prince Ji immediately granted it. Du Zhifeng had no choice but to express his gratitude.

No sooner had King Ji suddenly turned his anger on his ministers and unjustly flogged them in court than Sun Chaoen suggested replacing the historians. Clearly, this was an attempt to suppress the matter and ensure King Ji's reputation remained intact. According to the established practice of the Great Tang Dynasty, historians from the nine kingdoms held exceptional positions, often inherited through family lineages, and were closely connected. Therefore, attempting to conceal atrocities by suppressing a single family of historians was largely futile; in fact, historians from other kingdoms would likely exaggerate the severity of the abuses. Many tyrannical and incompetent rulers from the nine kingdoms were thus condemned in the annals of history.

Now, King Ji is about to repeat the same mistakes, and the ministers dare not speak out against it. They are all intelligent men, knowing that King Ji, a ruler in chaotic times, often kills without hesitation, and to offer advice now would be tantamount to courting death.

Through this incident, the officials understood Prince Ji's determination to build the eighty-mile-long Cloud Terrace and Golden Palace. No one dared to oppose it anymore, and no one dared to try to make a profit here like the Minister of Works.

Finally, it was the Minister of Revenue who broke the deadlock, stepping forward to report: "The rebels have raised an army of a million, which seems impressive. But in my humble opinion, their weaknesses are also obvious. A million-strong army of tigers and wolves will cost far more than ten million. Every day the army moves will consume a huge amount of military resources. Qingming is just a small corner of the country, and I expect that their military campaign cannot last long! As long as we fortify our defenses and carry out a scorched-earth policy, the rebel army should retreat on its own before long."

Prince Ji nodded, agreeing that there was some truth to what he said.

The ministers discussed for a long time, but unsurprisingly, they came to no conclusion.

……

At the border, Wei Yuan commanded the central army, with Cui Yu as his deputy, responsible for coordinating the army's advances and counterattacks. Faced with the overwhelming tide of Qingming steel, Ji's elite border troops had initially planned to defend themselves with their fortified fortifications.

But in the face of the Azure Cannons, the Ji Kingdom's border troops and their fortifications looked like a joke.

When the artillery barrage, which had lasted for half a day, subsided, the Ji Kingdom's border troops and positions had vanished, while the Qingming army continued its advance, steel chariots rolling over the scorched earth. As for what lay in the scorched earth—fragments of military flags or severed limbs and flesh—it would all be crushed under the heavy tracks.

Since the bloody battle with the mountain people five years ago, Wei Yuan has learned his lesson and spent the last five years working hard to develop the steel and gunpowder industries and enhance the firepower of heavy artillery.

The standard ground offensive tactics developed by Qingming now require a heavy artillery piece every three zhang (approximately 10 meters) of front, with a basic ammunition load of one hundred rounds. Smaller cannons can be interspersed among the heavy artillery pieces to increase firepower density.

In the current battle against Ji State, Qingming's new tactics seem to be quite effective. Before the infantry even get up there, the enemy has already been overwhelmed.

After each unit of the Azure Nether Army advanced to its designated location, they began to rest and reorganize. The army deployed defensive lines on the outer perimeter using tanks, while marching tents were erected in the inner area. Then, cooks unloaded barrels of military rations from wagons.

Several burly soldiers passed by. One of them twitched his nose, sighed, and said, "More canned meat. Don't you have anything new to offer?"

Several soldiers nearby sighed, while an old soldier said, "Maybe the after-meal fruit will have some new twists."

Another sergeant sneered, "There are only three or four kinds in total. What new things can we expect? Let's wait for the desserts!"

Suddenly, one of the older men remembered something and said, "Wait a minute, we had dessert yesterday, so we have to wait another three days!"

After the group left, more soldiers passed by, and seeing the monotonous daily meals, they all sighed.

……

At the rear command post, Wei Yuan was surrounded by countless orbs of light, while Cui Yu manifested celestial soldiers, both handling military affairs.

Wei Yuan was merely present to restrain Cangwu and prevent him from using his Daoist troops again. Most of the actual military affairs were handled by Cui Yu.

Wei Yuan was handling things with ease, while Cui Yu was giving it his all. The Twelve Nights' Heavenly Soldiers were working intensely, but they still couldn't keep up.

In a moment of desperation, a small black child appeared beside Cui Yu, leading a black dog, and joined in the work.

Wei Yuan was greatly surprised and very curious about how this little heavenly soldier came to be. He looked at the Twelve Six Ren Night-Walking Heavenly Soldiers, then at the little heavenly soldier, and felt that the little heavenly soldier's appearance was somewhat similar to that of some of the greater heavenly soldiers.

Cui Yu remained expressionless, refusing to answer any questions related to this matter. Nevertheless, with the addition of a little heavenly soldier and a dog, Cui Yu's Dharma form finally took another step forward, officially entering the realm of immortals.

(End of this chapter)