Honghuang: Eat a Hunyuan Daluo

Chapter 284 The First Battle of the Great Tribulation, the Three Immortals Descend the Mountain

“Your Majesty is wise. My daughter’s marriage to the son of the Marquis of Xibo was due to mutual affection, and there was no other intention,” Su Hu explained.

"As far as I know, your daughter Daji has met Boyi Kao only a handful of times. How could there be mutual affection between them? Are you perhaps trying to fool me?"

Faced with Di Xin's aggressive questioning, Su Hu gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I do not wish for my daughter to enter the palace as Your Majesty's concubine. A ruler should cultivate virtue and govern diligently, so that all people will be pleased and obedient. Now Your Majesty does not follow the example of your ancestors and imitates the Xia king's debauchery and lust, which is the way to ruin. Moreover, if a ruler loves lust, he will surely overthrow the state. I fear that the foundation of the Shang Dynasty for more than 600 years will be ruined by Your Majesty! I do not want my daughter to enter the palace and live in fear."

After saying this, Su Hu slammed his head heavily onto the ground.

Upon hearing this, Di Xin narrowed his eyes slightly. He wasn't angry; he just found it somewhat amusing.

Because Su Hu's remarks were exactly the same as those of the so-called loyal ministers in the court.

How can a local lord say the same things as a court official?

Was it a pre-existing collusion with the ministers? Or was it something they heard from someone else?
Thinking of this, Di Xin's eyes became even more dangerous.

However, Emperor Xin did not execute Su Hu on the spot, as that would only give the feudal lords of the world a reason to rebel.

Di Xin then said in an icy tone, "I am the Emperor, how dare you disobey my orders? Are you plotting a rebellion?"

"Your Majesty."

"No need for further words, my mind is made up. Send your daughter here when you return!" With that, Di Xin turned and left.

Upon returning to the post station, Su Hu immediately summoned the generals who had come with him: "Gentlemen, Emperor Xin, this tyrannical and foolish ruler, knowing full well that my daughter was already engaged, still wanted to select her to enter the palace as a concubine. I spoke frankly and remonstrated with him, but this foolish ruler suspected that my marriage alliance with the Marquis of Xibo was an attempt to rebel, and forced me to send my daughter to Chaoge to fulfill his wish. Do any of you generals have any good strategies to advise me?"

The leading general said without hesitation, "My lord, if the ruler's heart is not upright, then his subjects will defect to foreign countries. Now the emperor values ​​beauty over virtue, so it would be better to rebel against Chaoge and defend our own country."

At this moment, Su Hu was in a fit of rage. Upon hearing this, he was so enraged that he blurted out without thinking, "Fine! That's exactly what I was thinking, but I can't do something so illicit. Tell my men to prepare the writing materials, and we'll leave the city now!"

Su Hu and his generals and entourage left Chaoge. Before leaving, he inscribed a poem on the wall of the Meridian Gate: "The ruler has corrupted the relationship between ministers and has ruined the five constant virtues. Su Hu of Jizhou will never pay homage to the Shang again."

Soon the poem appeared on Di Xin's desk.

“Your Majesty, your guess is correct. These feudal lords have indeed harbored rebellious intentions for a long time,” said Bigan, who had been secretly summoned to the palace by Emperor Xin.

Di Xin remained silent, but King Wu Cheng, Huang Feihu, knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, I request permission to lead an expedition and pacify Ji Province."

Di Xin did not directly grant Wu Cheng Wang's request, but instead turned to Bi Gan and asked, "What does Uncle Wang think about this matter?"

"I believe that killing the chicken to scare the monkey is a poor strategy."

"That's what I think too. Su Hu isn't very bright. He's being used as a pawn without even realizing it. If we just pacify Ji Province like this, it will only give others something to criticize. It's better to let the lords fight like dogs!"
"Isn't Su Hu quite respectful of Xiqi? Then let Ji Chang personally lead the army to attack Jizhou, while letting Chong Houhu supervise the battle. Jizhou is still under his jurisdiction, so letting him supervise is perfectly reasonable. I want to see how Su Hu will choose when faced with Xiqi's massive army."

The following day, Emperor Xin, who was attending court, angrily denounced Su Hu for his rebellion and for writing a poem at the Meridian Gate that insulted the court. He declared that Su Hu's crime was unforgivable and ordered Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West, to lead the campaign against Su Hu, with Chong Houhu, the Marquis of the North, overseeing the battle.

When the Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, and the Marquis of the North, Chong Houhu, received the king's order, they were both completely bewildered.

After the two men's subordinates investigated the matter, Ji Chang found Chong Houhu and said: "Lord Bei, I believe that Su Hu has always been loyal and righteous. Now he is accused of disobeying the monarch in the palace. There must be something fishy about this. Moreover, the poem written at the Meridian Gate may be a trick."

"If Your Majesty punishes a meritorious official, I fear the feudal lords will not submit. I request that the Marquis of the North join me in petitioning Your Majesty at court tomorrow, earnestly requesting that Your Majesty temporarily quell your rage and investigate the situation. If Su Hu deserves his punishment, then punishment may be carried out; if not, it should be stopped."

Chong Houhu, however, believed that the imperial edict had been issued and could not be disobeyed. Moreover, the evidence of Su Hu's rebellious poem was conclusive, and there was no need to argue against it.

Upon hearing this, Ji Chang became somewhat anxious: "Lord Bei, you are unaware that Su Hu is a loyal and virtuous man, and the people under his rule are well-fed and clothed. It is not a good thing for Su Hu to raise an army against the Shang Dynasty. Moreover, war is exhausting for the people and wastes resources. I urge you, Lord Bei, to..."

"Enough! No need for further words. My mind is made up, and I will not disobey the king's command. If the Marquis of Xibo is unwilling, I will lead my men to conquer Jizhou. In any case, Jizhou is my territory." After saying this, Chonghou Hu left without looking back.

Ji Chang sighed helplessly. He ordered his men to return to Xiqi to mobilize troops, but Chong Houhu had already led his troops ahead.

Meanwhile, Su Hu returned to Jizhou, where his eldest son, Su Quanzhong, led his generals out of the city to greet him.

After the father and son met, Su Hu told his eldest son about the events in Chaoge: "Emperor Xin is tyrannical. Because a treacherous minister reported his daughter's beauty, he wanted to take her as a concubine. I advised against it but was punished and was even forced to send my daughter as a tribute. I was unhappy and wrote a poem in rebellion. Now the tyrannical emperor will surely send troops to attack our Ji Province. You should all prepare to fight back."

Although Su Hu was not very bright, he was a kind and compassionate man who loved the people like his own children. As a result, no one in Ji Province betrayed him and they were all willing to stand with him through thick and thin.

Chong Houhu led 50,000 troops toward Jizhou without any concealment along the way. The sound of gongs shook the earth, and the flags fluttered like willows.

After marching for many days, the scouts reported that they had reached Jizhou, and Chong Houhu ordered them to set up camp.

Su Hu was alarmed when he heard that Chong Houhu had led the attack: "Chong Houhu is a highly skilled martial artist, and his men are all arrogant and fierce. Does anyone have a good plan?"

“Father, we are no match for the Northern Marquis’s army in a head-on confrontation. Why don’t we take advantage of their long march and their unsettled state to launch a surprise attack and utterly defeat their army, thus boosting our morale?” Su Quanzhong suggested.

After pondering for a moment, Su Hu agreed.

Subsequently, Su Hu and Su Quanzhong led their troops in a surprise attack.

However, Chong Houhu had been fighting for many years and had long been on guard against Su Hu's move. When Su Hu and his son led their army to the scene, they saw Chong Houhu riding his Xiaoyao horse, standing in front of the well-prepared army, waiting for them to come to them.

Upon seeing Chong Houhu's demeanor, Su Hu knew that Chong Houhu had been on guard all along. He bowed slightly on his horse and said, "My lord, how have you been?"

Chong Houhu ignored him and asked directly, "Su Hu, why are you plotting a rebellion?"

“My lord, Emperor Xin is now tyrannical, disregarding virtuous ministers, favoring treacherous officials, and indulging in beautiful women. He spends his days in a drunken stupor, indulging in wine and women. Now he even wants to forcibly take my daughter as his concubine. I am only fighting back for my daughter.”

Chong Houhu remained unmoved by these words: "Su Hu, no matter how much you talk, you cannot change the fact that you disobeyed the king's order and wrote a seditious poem at the Meridian Gate. You are a traitor and a villain, and your crimes are unforgivable! Who is willing to step forward and take down this villain?"

"This humble general is willing to go," said Mei Wule, a junior officer under Chong Houhu, as he stepped forward.

Su Hu's side naturally accepted the challenge from Su Quanzhong.

Su Quanzhong spurred his horse and brandished his spear, aiming straight for Mei Wu's chest. Mei Wu met the attack head-on with his axe. The two generals fought for twenty rounds before Su Quanzhong seized an opportunity and stabbed Mei Wu off his horse with his spear.

Seeing his son's victory, Su Hu laughed heartily and immediately ordered his men to beat the drums to cheer him on.

Generals Zhao Bing and Chen Ji from Ji Province followed Su Quanzhong and charged forward on horseback, brandishing their swords. Chong Houhu was not to be outdone and ordered his generals to attack. The two sides fought fiercely, with a dark cloud hanging over the sky, a thick fog of death, corpses strewn across the ground, and blood flowing into ditches.

With this battle, the calamity energy in the primordial world increased once again.

Some of the generals and soldiers who fell this time had their souls enter the Investiture of the Gods, becoming the nameless 84,000 evil spirits among the stars.

On the fairy island of Yingzhou, Yunxiao, who was in seclusion, slowly opened his eyes.

Yunxiao is following the path of creating her own Great Dao. Now, she has reached 95% of the Great Dao she created. With her current level of cultivation, she has also gained a vague sense of the changes in the tribulation energy between heaven and earth.

If that were all, it wouldn't have stopped Yunxiao's cultivation. The key is that amidst the surging tribulation energy, there seems to be a karmic entanglement binding the three sisters.

"Could it be that my two sisters and I will face further tribulations during the Investiture of the Gods?" With this thought, Yunxiao tried to divine the future, but to no avail.

Yunxiao couldn't help but frown. To be honest, she wasn't afraid of entering the tribulation; what she was worried about was her two younger sisters.

"Never mind! I'd better go ask Master!" After saying that, Yunxiao left his secluded cave and went to Bai Jing's secluded cultivation place.

"Disciple Yunxiao requests an audience with Master."

As soon as Yunxiao finished speaking, Bai Jing appeared.

"Greetings, Master." Yunxiao bowed respectfully.

"Get up! Yunxiao, you came to see your master because you sensed a change in the calamity energy of heaven and earth, right?"

Yunxiao shook his head: "This disciple came to see Master not because of the tribulation energy, but because this disciple sensed that I and my two younger sisters seem to be in the midst of the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation."

"Oh? You can actually sense the cause and effect here? It seems that your Great Dao is nearing perfection, Yunxiao."

After hearing Bai Jing's words, Yunxiao was certain that she and her two sisters were indeed caught in the tribulation. She asked with a puzzled look, "Master, we three sisters already have divine positions in the Heavenly Court, and Bixiao even holds the position of one of the Four Emperors. Why are we still caught in the tribulation?"

"The Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods has nothing to do with whether you have a position in the Heavenly Court. However, if you have a position in the Heavenly Court and choose to live in seclusion, you can be guaranteed to be safe and sound during the Great Tribulation."

"Then may I ask, Master, what should we sisters do?"

"You two have two choices. One is to avoid the calamity. As long as you three sisters do not leave Yingzhou Immortal Island, you can use the Heavenly Court's divine positions and the fortune of my Chaos Green Lotus lineage to avoid this great calamity of the conferment of gods."

The second one is the tribulation. Your eldest brother has already gone down the mountain, and you sisters can also go down the mountain. When war breaks out in the human world, you sisters can help the Yin Shang to quell the war and escape the tribulation.

Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. If one chooses to avoid the calamity, one will naturally not have to participate in the battle of the Investiture of the Gods. However, doing so may make it difficult to achieve a perfect Dao heart, and one's cultivation will not progress.

If one chooses to face the tribulation, their cultivation will advance further after overcoming it, but there is a risk of death.

Yunxiao fell silent upon hearing this.

After a moment, Yunxiao said, "Master, I am only seeking the Great Dao. I will participate in this Investiture of the Gods calamity. As for Qiongxiao and Bixiao, I will make a decision after asking them."

"That's how it should be. You may go now!"

"This disciple takes his leave." After saying this, Yunxiao bowed to Bai Jing and then turned and left.

Bai Jing didn't know what the three sisters talked about. Three days later, the three sisters bid farewell to Bai Jing and went to Chen Tang Pass.

Previously, the goddess Nuwa had instructed Bai Jing to arrange for his disciples to take Nezha, the reincarnation of Lingzhu, under their wing.

Lady Yin was already pregnant when Muzha was two years old, and now, according to the timeline, the fetus in Lady Yin's womb has been in the womb for about three years.

The Three Immortals went to Chentang Pass both to await the birth of their disciple and to prepare for the upcoming calamity.

Let's turn our attention back to Jizhou.

Chong Houhu fought Su Hu many times but could not defeat him despite prolonged attacks. Su Hu also launched several night raids on him, resulting in a major defeat for Chong Houhu.

Left with no other choice, Chong Houhu asked his younger brother, Chong Heihu, for help.

Upon Chong Heihu's arrival, he inflicted a major defeat on Su Hu's army, and Su Quanzhong was even wounded.

Ji Province was already in dire straits, but Su Hu did not despair, because he always believed that the Marquis of Xibo would stand with Ji Province through thick and thin.

However, at this very moment, Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, sent a letter.

When Su Hu opened the letter, he found it was a letter urging him to surrender: "Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, bows to Lord Su, the Lord of Jizhou: I have heard that 'all under heaven are subjects of the king.' Now that Your Majesty wishes to select a beautiful concubine, how can you hide from the nobles, officials, and commoners?"

Now Your Majesty has a daughter of virtuous character, and His Majesty wishes to select her to enter the palace. This is a wonderful thing, but Your Majesty has defied His Majesty and disobeyed the monarch. You even wrote a rebellious poem at the Meridian Gate, which has already angered the emperor. Your Majesty has forgotten the great duty between ruler and subject because of a daughter, which is truly wrong.

Moreover, if you were to offer your daughter to the King, there would be three great benefits: First, your daughter would receive the King's favor, and her father would enjoy the honor of being a concubine, becoming a member of the royal family and receiving a high salary—this is the first benefit. Second, the city of Jizhou would be stable, and the entire household would be at peace—this is the second benefit. Third, the people would be spared the suffering of war, and the army would be spared the bloodshed—this is the third benefit.

I hope Your Excellency will consider this carefully, lest you make a decision you will regret for the rest of your life.

After reading the letter, Su Hu felt a nameless rage. This Marquis of Xibo was truly an inhuman son. His refusal to let Di Xin send his daughter into the palace was at least 30% due to the fact that Daji was already engaged to Boyi Kao.

Ji Chang then sent such a letter, in which not only did he not mention the matter of helping Ji Province, but he also acted as if the marriage agreement had never existed.

"What a heartless and ungrateful Marquis of Xibo! How come I never noticed before?"

"Father, is the Marquis of Xibo not going to come to our aid?" Su Quanzhong asked weakly, his face showing signs of injury.

Seeing his son's state, Chief Husband Su sighed and handed the letter to Su Quanzhong.

Su Quanzhong quickly glanced through the letter and then fell silent.

After a long while, Su Quanzhong sighed and said, "Father, let's surrender! Without reinforcements, we will surely lose this battle."

(End of this chapter)