Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 297 Bad Luck

Wu Tong descended Huangcheng Mountain step by step, and stopped when he reached the foot of the mountain.

Although he had rested for a few days in the Dragon God Temple, his physical condition was still very bad. Three penetrating wounds, displaced internal organs, disordered veins, and erratic internal energy made this wise and decisive man, while enduring the pain, full of resentment towards the emperor he had painstakingly tried to protect.

Now, the imperial city is empty. Two months ago, the emperor took his newly acquired concubine from Guifang to the Eastern Palace, which is 600 li away from Chang'an, to escape the cold.

This was an emperor who had absolutely no sense of responsibility.

People all over the world died or were injured because of him...

Wu Tong could only manage to begin before he choked up and couldn't continue, because his heart was also aching terribly. Five days ago, during that fierce battle, when the metal shards, like a rain of pear blossoms, pierced through his body, he felt that he was about to die. He felt that if he also died in battle, he would have done right by everyone, including those who had lost their lives to He Junnian because of their weakness.

Now that I've survived, my mindset is different.

So he took out a Molotov cocktail and threw it into the dilapidated Meridian Gate by the roadside.

The Meridian Gate was made of wood, as were the corridors on both sides. The wooden Meridian Gate, the wooden corridors, and the wooden palace together made it a perfect arson site.

When the Meridian Gate caught fire, Wu Tong didn't look at it. He continued walking forward step by step. As for where he was going, Wu Tong didn't know. Right now, he just wanted to keep moving forward.

The Panxing Tower has become a pile of ruins. Although it has been drizzling every day in Chang'an these days, wisps of smoke are still rising from the ruins of the Panxing Tower.

As evening fell, a light rain arrived as expected. Wu Tong found an ancient zither in the ruins. The tail was charred, but the rest of the instrument was intact, except that one string was missing.

With each string missing, a note is lost. Wu Tong cut off a lock of hair and quickly wove it into a string, which he then tied to the bridge. After adjusting the sound slightly, he sat in the muddy water, placed the Jiaowei Qin (a type of zither) on his knees, and plucked the string. The music was melodious, but ultimately, a note was missing. The string he had made up with his hair was ultimately dull and silent, making the music out of tune.

"Your hopes have been dashed, haven't they?"

Upon hearing Yun Ce's voice, Wu Tong glanced back at him, then turned her head back.

"To be honest, I'm really surprised you're not dead."

Wu Tong continued to pluck her strings, ignoring Yun Ce's greetings.

"Is Panxing Tower finished? It should still have some foundation. Why don't you come and work for me?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Tong turned around and looked at Yun Ce, saying, "There are many heroes in the world, why should I submit to you? Just because your Yun family has a million acres of fertile land and a hundred thousand servants?"

Yun Ce laughed and said, "Isn't that enough?"

Wu Tong shook his head and said, "It's not enough. The Han Dynasty has 500 military prefectures. Although Chang'an has been destroyed, Luoyang can still serve as the capital. However, there are only 267 military prefectures in the north. If the Guifang people want to occupy them, it will take at least 30 years. If the Guifang people want to annex the military prefectures in the south of the Han Dynasty and unify the country, it will take at least 50 years."

Even considering that these eighty years have been a period of time, and that the Guifang people were invincible in battle and conquered every city they attacked, this is still a significant period of time.

As the Guifang people continue to advance southward, their fighting force will inevitably become more dispersed. The further south they go, the more dispersed their fighting force will become, and it will take them much longer to conquer the prosperous south.

I don't think the Guifang people can maintain their fighting spirit for a hundred years.

As for your Yun Clan Manor, on the front line of defense against the Gui Fang, with the Iron Enclosure Pass breached, the next target is the Great Wall defense line. Your Yun Clan Manor is situated between the Great Wall and the Iron Enclosure Pass; how could it possibly withstand the newly arrived elite Gui Fang army?

With Lei Ming's help, Yun Ce dismounted and came to Wu Tong's side, saying, "You're just too rational. Let me tell you, people with dreams are noble, and people who wholeheartedly strive to realize their dreams are great."

For example, I want to build a city, a city I call Cloud City, where I want to replicate the glory of my ancestral land so that I won't miss my hometown too much.

Wu Tong, I actually envy you for still having the opportunity to "trample the bones of nobles and officials on the streets of heaven," to overthrow everything bad, corrupt, foul, and unjust and start anew.

There is still a chance to build a completely new, hopeful, and even clean society.

Therefore, I welcome the current rebellions, infighting, uprisings, and chaos in the Han Dynasty.

If it's bad, just destroy it and build a new, good one. It's not a big deal.

Just as you said, the chaos won't stop anytime soon. The Guifang people need time to conquer the Han Dynasty. Since we have time, we have the opportunity to rearrange ourselves. The world is not yet settled, so we still have a chance.

Wu Tong looked at Yun Ce and said, "So, the ancestral land will never again experience a chaotic situation like that of the Han Dynasty?"

Yun Ce nodded and said, "With the continuous advancement of science, it is no longer an era in which the one with more people has the advantage. The power of weapons can easily erase the gap in numbers."

When I was wandering the desolate plains of Chuyun Prefecture, I once saw a group of ragged refugees dancing and using rudimentary weapons like bamboo poles and wooden forks to defeat a cavalry unit. I was incredibly excited watching them. So, even though Han society is far inferior to our ancestral lands, I still cheer for you, because you still have a chance to start over.”

"Isn't our ancestral land good?"

“Very good, extremely good, even the best society in five thousand years.”

Wu Tong laughed and said, "You want to transform the Great Han into the ancestral land as well?"

Yun Ce smiled and said, "Yes, we can work together." "For your Yun City?"

"Cloud City for all of us."

“Very well, I can go to Yun Family Manor, but you must first heal my broken body.”

"Huh? Where's Peng Zeng?"

Wu Tong put down the guqin, hugged his knees, and sighed, "During the war in Chang'an, there were many wounded, and those in high positions suffered heavy casualties. Do you think Peng Zeng, this human-shaped medicine, still has a chance to survive?"

Yun Ce sighed and said, "He's dead?"

Wu Tong shook his head and said, "He was taken away from Panxing Tower. I heard that not a single inch of his body was wasted; it was divided up cleanly."

Yun Ce smacked his lips and said, "I actually miss him quite a bit."

Wu Tong coughed twice and said, "I miss him even more than you do. Every dying person in Chang'an misses him dearly."

Yun Ce took out a small, round jade bottle from his pocket and handed it to Wu Tong, saying, "This is the last thing Peng Zeng left me."

Wu Tong opened the bottle and carefully applied the medicine to his wound. Feeling the soothing warmth of the medicine, he sighed again and said, "I really miss him."

Yun Ce said, "Chang'an City is sealed off. Unless you ride an eagle, you can't get out. Do you have any ideas?"

Wu Tong smacked her lips and said, "It used to exist, but unfortunately, I destroyed it just now."

Yun Ce looked up at the raging flames engulfing the imperial city and said dejectedly, "Does the imperial city have an exit?"

"Of course the imperial city has an exit, and the Grand Marshal's residence also has an exit. Should we go and kill the Grand Marshal, and then leave through the tunnel?"

Yun Ce laughed and said, "Chang'an City has existed for thousands of years. Since it has two exits, I think it should have more exits. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Wu Tong nodded and said, "That's a good point. Once I've recovered from my injuries, shall we go explore the Situ Mansion? For many years, the Situ Mansion has been the least wealthy and the most shabby among the Three Dukes."

Logically, someone holding one of the Three Dukes' ranks shouldn't be poor. However, even after this Minister of Works' death, the rebel army only found a little over a hundred taels of gold and tens of millions of copper coins in his home—a sum utterly disproportionate to his status.

Yun Ce had Lei Ming help Wu Tong onto the back of the chestnut horse, while he himself held Huo Wudi's hand and, led by Wu Tong, headed straight for the legendary Situ Mansion.

When Yun Ce arrived at the Situ residence, he felt a little bored.

Because this dilapidated two-story building in front of him was the place where he had previously stayed.

"This is the Situ residence?"

Wu Tong said in a nostalgic tone: "Zhou Situ was as incorruptible as water throughout his life. He was famous throughout the world for his morality and literary works. He was indifferent to fame and fortune, and lived a simple life. He ate tree powder and wore tree clothes. He was known as Zhou Situ, the one who wore tree clothes."

Sadly, this upright gentleman ultimately died at the hands of ruthless, mutinous soldiers.

Yun Ce laughed and said, "How many years has he been honest and upright?"

"Sixty years, a cycle of sixty years. Alright, put me down. Let's search carefully for the tunnel that Zhou Situ built by exhausting his family fortune, which connects to the outside of Chang'an City."

Yun Ce laughed loudly: "You're starting to doubt this moral exemplar?"

Wu Tong nodded and said, "It is worth having some doubts. People in his position don't have much desire for money. But to say that he only left behind a little over a hundred taels of gold and a pile of green coins after his death, I still don't believe it. I always feel that this deceased Lord Situ may not have been as upright and honest as I thought."

Back in the dilapidated courtyard, even though they weren't feeling well, Yun Ce and Wu Tong still started pacing around.

Each time their feet touched the ground, the earth would tremble slightly.

Therefore, after walking less than a hundred steps, Wu Tong sat down on the ground, drenched in sweat.

Yun Ce wasn't much better off; after persevering through the front yard, he too sat down wearily next to Wu Tong.

Wu Tong glanced at Yun Ce and said, "So you were also seriously injured?"

Yun Ce said, "He Junnian is really too difficult to kill."

Wu Tong sneered and said, "A missing arm, a missing leg, and a missing eye—the Guifang people have always admired strength. As a god, he cannot shed a single drop of blood. Once he sheds blood, he will no longer be a god and will be dragged down from his altar by the Guifang people who worship him."

Not to mention, he himself is a Han Chinese; how could the Guifang people continue to believe him?

Yun Ce laughed and said, "Didn't you hear what he said before he left? He's going to launch a war between the Gui Fang and the Han Dynasty. Only in this way can he be saved from the assassination attempt five days ago."

(End of this chapter)