Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 225 Wu Hengyu, who was held back

In April of the fifth year of the Tongzheng calendar, from the perspective of all parties in the world, Nanzhen was preparing for its own war of survival; so they all paid attention to the situation in the east, after all, the "Wu brothers" were once one.

However, Wu Hengyu did not seize the opportunity to advance westward. This was because, in Yaodu, Prince Xusi suddenly turned against him, showing no mercy to Wu Hengyu, who had once supported him, and accusing him of eight major crimes: first, weakening the emperor's royal aura; second, plundering important state artifacts; third…

For Wu Hengyu, who was in a state of "strategic conservatism," a collective commotion broke out under his command, with demands to send troops to purge the court of corrupt officials.

Within the Bo Kingdom, everyone followed Wu Hengyu's lead, elevating his reputation to an extremely high level. The exaggerated public opinion over the years made it seem as if the entire Bo army was lifted up solely by Wu Hengyu's reputation! Wu Hengyu was a sacred and inviolable "tower," and anyone who dared to touch him would be subject to conquest by the Bo army.

Why? Because once a person makes a public appearance, he will inevitably receive both praise and criticism. When the stubborn Wu Hengyu fully accepted the praise that was meant to kill him, then those who praised him could use the pretext of "Wu Hengyu's dignity being offended" to coerce him into sending troops in foreign affairs.

Xuan Chong's small amount of modern industrial and commercial activity in Bohai, which aligned with military considerations, naturally developed into a fanatical "militarism." This fanaticism manifested towards weaker enemies, while he showed hesitation and opportunism towards stronger ones.

After the goods of merchants traveling from Yaodu to Bohai were looted, some merchants immediately rushed to the Bohai King's palace to complain, saying, "This isn't just kicking my butt, it's slapping you in the face!"

Therefore, after April, as the people of Bohai were in a state of high spirits, Wu Hengyu's army moved! However, they did not directly attack Heluo, but instead turned their forces south. The reason was that the Yan family had supported the rebellion of Prince Xu Si in the north. The Yan family now controlled Ningzhou, Yuzhou, and Jizhou, and Wu Hengyu was attacking Yuzhou.

…500,000 coins, spreading rumors…

After Zhao Cheng confirmed that Wu Hengyu's troops had begun their southward campaign against Yuzhou, although he was somewhat surprised, everything was still in accordance with the plan.

Regarding Bo County, Zhao Cheng has "insiders" working on it.

Xu Siwang's betrayal was orchestrated by "Jian" at great expense, with the aim of forcing Wu Hengyu's troops to mobilize. This was originally intended as a backup plan for the final battle with Wu Hengyu! But now, with Xuan Chong's return, it had to be launched ahead of schedule.

Regarding the decisive battle with Wu Hengyu, Zhao Cheng's plan was very clear: to create a "strategic trap" to confine Wu Hengyu's invincible army to one place.

The Heluo region, where Yaodu is located, is a good trap. Because Wu Hengyu has drained the royal aura of this place, the local noble families and common people are no longer willing to communicate with Wu Hengyu. When Wu Hengyu's troops come, they will inevitably face the mess he left behind and be trapped in it for a long time.

Wu Hengyu has not returned to Yaodu, but has gone to Yuzhou; this is not bad for Zhao Cheng, because Wu Hengyu will not have time to deal with him for at least half a year.

Zhao Cheng mobilized the troops in the west, almost imitating Xuan Chong's management (the old version), and issued a general mobilization order, beginning to control the strategic material carts and horses in several prefectures.

Of course, Zhao Cheng's premature detonation of the "mine" he had planted was out of necessity. After all, Xuan Chong had begun stirring up trouble as soon as he returned from the south.

In the eyes of the world, it is now a battle between a dragon and a tiger, with Hao being the dragon and Bo being the tiger.

Xuan Chong, that dog, suddenly appeared from the west, ignoring the dragon's tail whip and interfering in this battle for supremacy, to help Wu Hengyu play a supporting role.

Zhao Cheng: "Ah, among the Wu brothers in the past, Yuan Chang repeatedly assisted Heng Yu (in battles), leading the world to misunderstand him."

…The perspective shifts to the southeastern route…

In May of the fifth year of the Tongzheng calendar, Wu Hengyu's 20,000-strong army marched south towards Yuzhou. The army was filled with jubilation, just like when Xuan Chong led his troops into the southern frontier. — Now, the troops stationed in the southern frontier were all second-rate units.

Wu Hengyu's army headed south along the waterway, since his beloved "Yu Li" was associated with water, and he himself had traveled through the waterway of the Great Cave Heaven.

At this time, the merchants in charge of water transport in the Bo Army were the same merchants who had sent troops north to Bo County to exchange military tickets.

At this moment, the merchants' cargo ships were piled high, but their ambitions were also overflowing.

Unlike the business situation in Zhendi, where Xuanchong constantly "optimizes" (harvests) merchants, the merchants in the north who have aligned themselves with the Dongshi Army have remained stable and rooted.

These merchants have always enjoyed a favorable business environment, unlike Xuanchong which has implemented "anti-monopoly, forced sales zoning," and "forced diversification of various commercial sales channels."

Wu Hengyu's "lenient governance" has led to the formation of eight powerful merchants in Bohai. These merchants' businesses are involved in multiple industries such as salt, iron, medicine, cloth, timber and jade, and they have developed into a monster.

Over the years, this monstrous business organization has long become an indispensable pillar of the East City Army.

Of course, wealthy businessmen who haven't been regularly exploited will naturally want more say once they have more money and power.

In this war to the south, they need to clarify some of the power dynamics within their ranks first.

In the southward-bound army, the heads of the eight major merchants were gathered on a small merchant ship. Apart from their headdresses, their clothing was not much different from that of the cooks outside. This was the trading culture promoted by Xuan Chong back in the day. But the things they were discussing now were all incredibly expensive.

Merchant 1: "This time in Yuzhou, I'll contribute 70% of the ships heading south, 70% (holding up his finger). I don't want much, just this much!" He raised one hand.

Merchant 2 scoffed, tossing a peanut into his mouth. "You say this number, so it has to be this number? When a large army is mobilized, it's all about ships. The packhorses heading south, the sacks, the carts—aren't those all crucial for transporting supplies?"

Merchant 3, talking to Merchant 2 who was eating peanuts, said, "Master Long seems to have a lot of guts—(Merchant 3 was quite dissatisfied with Merchant 2's sudden acquisition of several hemp mills in his business empire before the war)."

At this moment, the wealthy merchant 4 saw signs of an argument: "Gentlemen, let's do business together; let's not take this to the Prince of Bo. I suggest we shake hands privately (gesturing with our hands in our sleeves to indicate our desired prices)."

As the eight cuffs intertwined, it was clear there was no honesty, so everyone laughed and decided to rely on their own abilities.

…from commerce to the military…

Wu Hengyu's army was stationed along the Jinghe River, and his geomantic map showed that the city of Yuzhou was ahead.

While the King of Yaodu has rebelled, Yaodu is no match for Wu Hengyu.

In his younger days, Wu Hengyu would have only sought cruel revenge against those who betrayed him, slaughtering all who dared to defy him. But now, in his forties, he finally put away his sword.

After transmigrating from the original world, Wu Hengyu had a persistent feeling that his nemesis would also transmigrate here.

In his youth, he had wondered if this person was his cousin. But after decades of getting along, he was certain that "Xuan Chong" was not him. Xuan Chong had never competed with him for the top spot, and even now he avoided him. He had become king, but in Nanzhuo, he was merely a "Duke".

He was now certain that his true adversary was the great general of the Hao Kingdom. The two were destined mortal enemies.

Wu Hengyu looked at the silk scroll. The events that were happening in Yaodu at this moment brought more memories of his past life to the surface of his mind.

Wu Hengyu: "It seems he planned this out for himself in his past life."

Wu Hengyu looked towards Yuzhou and whispered, "In this life, you are called Zhao Cheng? Hmm, that's certainly the right name. I underestimated you in the last life. In this life, I can't let you set up an ambush again."

…commerce has influenced the military…

On May 14, the Bo army bypassed Zhao Cheng's fortified area, launching a frontal attack with 15,000 troops, while 5,000 troops circled around to the rear of Yuzhou. All three cities were bombarded by artillery fire and captured in one battle.

After the Bo army marched south, they breached the core city of Yuzhou.

The standardized artillery siege system left behind by Xuan Chong is still in operation, which has prevented Wu Hengyu's army from being a mere "ant" in recent years.

The cannons pounded the city walls one after another, and the royal flags on the walls were already waving in chaos. The soldiers defending Yuzhou also threw away their armor, because under the cannon fire, armor was of little use.

Once the Dongshi army had scaled the city walls, they planted their flags on them in no time; however, the army soon became busy discussing the distribution of slaves and maids within the city.

In recent years, factionalism has become very serious among Wu Hengyu's troops; due to the different business relationships behind each general, the distribution of benefits has become more complicated.

The Eastern City Army lacked a mechanism for rapid and decisive action to determine the distribution of spoils of war. This prevented the army from quickly attacking another location after capturing one; the army had to carefully plan internally before launching an offensive.

Therefore, Wu Hengyu's plan to further strategically bypass the Heluo barrier and attack Zhao Cheng's heartland after taking Yuzhou was not feasible in terms of time.

…religion and politics…

Wu Hengyu's Bo Army did not march east to cooperate with Xuan Chong during the decisive battle of Zhenhao, which was to some extent related to the sect.

After all, in this struggle for power, some sects are pressuring Zhao Cheng, while others are betting on Wu Hengyu. For example, the outer disciples of forces like the Cixin Sect who have descended the mountain are all in the Eastern Market Army.

As for why these sects are only willing to support Wu Hengyu among the two martial arts masters in the world?

The high-sounding explanation is that the five major orthodox sects in the world have long since blacklisted Wu Yuanchang, who was willing to make peace with the Southern Barbarians. The Cixin Sect and other Northern Daoist sects, in order to align themselves with the orthodox sects, also abandoned Xuan Chong.

But this doesn't actually make sense. According to this logic, the reason Wu Yuanchang turned against many sects was because of "Wu Hanluan's evil deeds." If the Daoist disciples of the Cixin Sect truly wanted to unite, they should have abandoned Wu Hengyu.

The real reason is that Xuan Chong chose to sever the foundation of the Daoist sect in the process of opposing all Daoist sects in the world.

Xuan Chong built the "Liangtian Pavilion" university under his rule, which was seen by the Taoists as a great promotion of unorthodox sects. However, the rise of unorthodox sects was not simply a matter of misleading students. The tools of unorthodox sects were used to expand the human path to various sacred mountains and rivers on a large scale.

When wooden oxen and flowing horses, and mechanical birds entered the former territory of the immortals, the evil spirits of the human world also permeated the spiritual veins of various places.

Spiritual energy does not contend with malevolent energy. When spiritual energy mixes with malevolent energy, many orthodox Taoist spells become difficult to execute; and it becomes even harder for new disciples to draw spiritual energy into their bodies, leading many disciples to be misled by the evil demons of the Evil Moon, becoming impatient for quick success and embarking on the evil path.

Not to mention Xuan Chong's famous line back then, "For the sake of all living beings, please, all immortals, go first."

As the master of destiny, Xuan Chong's "unrestrained" words are quite powerful; all the major sects are now being targeted by Xie Yue's gravitational pull.

The collective entry of the five major sects into the mortal world is now seen by the second-generation disciples as being related to Xuan Chong. In the past, when the world was in chaos, the major sects were indifferent, simply closing their gates and waiting for disciples from powerful clans to come and serve them. But now—that's why they are actively vying for destiny, leading to this great calamity affecting all the immortal sects in the world. Meanwhile, in the "Liangtian Pavilion" academy in Zhenzhou, larger and newer observation equipment for observing the heavens and earth is being built, and resources from the southern border, such as the Grass Returning Pill, are being processed into "unique tonics," and a model of a dam that cuts off mountains and rivers is being constructed.

The outer disciples sent by the orthodox immortal sects are like quack doctors, swindling and deceiving people. Many of these outer disciples even go so far as to enroll in the Liangtian Pavilion. Outer disciples: This isn't changing sects; it's infiltrating behind enemy lines.

Back then, the Chan and Jie factions also engaged in a similar "Daoist struggle." Three generations of disciples from both factions switched sides in their quest for the Great Dao. Of course, those who ultimately betrayed Jie and joined Chan survived, while those who betrayed Chan and joined Jie met with tragic ends.

In other words, in the eyes of the sect, the real cause of the great calamity lies with Xuan Chong, and if Xuan Chong wants to "revive the unorthodox sects," he must "sever the orthodox sects."

Perhaps after Xuan Chong's defeat, he retreated alone to the southern border. The Cixin Sect would send disciples to settle the good deeds of that year. Of course, it is also possible that they would use Xuan Chong's remaining fortune (charisma) to plan for the sect.

…In the midst of conflict, all sentimentality vanishes…

Just as Wu Hengyu captured Yuzhou City, the sect forces behind him were also taking action.

This is also a system left behind by Xuan Chong, namely that the northern army must have accompanying Taoist priests to the countryside to find suitable places in the mountains to build Taoist temples, provide relief to children, and open pharmacies. These outer disciples of the northern sects all have some side sects to some extent! Of course, they are under the control of the inner sect and do not dare to take sides in the "Chenhao Controversy" at present.

After the fall of three cities in northern Yuzhou, on Yaoguang Mountain, a cultivator with only Qi Refining stage cultivation, who called himself Luo Daoren, discussed the current fortune of the mountains and rivers with many fellow cultivators from the mortal world.

As the outer disciple, who called himself Luo Daoren, initiated the Mountain and River Calculation, the power of the mountains and rivers began to circulate, causing a low-frequency earthquake in the area. It was as if the earth was rumbling, a rumbling sound like the whispers of the earth.

The great cultivators of various sects, whose cultivation has reached the profound level, use the stars in the sky to perform divination, which is to calculate "fate".

Disciples who are engaged in worldly affairs use the principles of humanity to calculate the direction of the "killing calamity" by observing the terrain.

One should not look down on the divination skills of these outer disciples simply because a great cultivator has higher cultivation level, because the two sides have different perspectives.

Those sect leaders calculate destiny as if they were counting fish on the shore; their calculations of destiny are like looking down at how many fish there are in the water. They may be looking at the surface of the water, but they cannot know the direction of the undercurrents because they do not want to get involved.

These disciples who have entered the world, although their cultivation is low, like a small fish, are in the mortal world, just like fish in water, and can sense the undercurrent of killing.

However, as a "small fish," one can sense the undercurrent but cannot understand its source.

Luo Daoren's calculations revealed a severe "bloodshed" looming over the local people, a significant portion of which originated from Wu Hengyu. Another 30% came from various factions across the land. The remainder stemmed from local conflicts and infighting.

He stared at the compass and sighed. In his understanding as a rogue cultivator with such cultivation, the world's calamity could not be resolved in a short time.

After Wu Hengyu enters Yuzhou, he will be entangled with Zhao Cheng in the west for decades. As a result, the bloodshed and disasters of the people here will continue for a long time.

After the ritual was completed, Luo Daoren descended the mountain and said to the Bo Army soldiers who had followed him, "The Hao Kingdom is a formidable enemy of the general. Please make thorough preparations."

The sergeant relayed the message to a Bohai Army general in a camp five kilometers away.

The general put down the Taoist book in his hand, revealing a familiar face: Hong Qiang (Chapter 120).

After hearing the information calculated by the Taoist disciples as described by the soldier, Hong Qiang frowned and said, "So, the False Hao is our country's ultimate enemy?"

Among the sects that helped Zhao Cheng seize the destiny, the Five Elements Sect and the Linghua Sect had already dispatched their disciples to Nanzhen to "follow the will of Heaven." The sects that assisted Wu Hengyu were the Qinghua Sect, the Shaoyang Sect, and the Cixin Sect.

In this "battle for the Dao," the high-ranking members of the major sects attempted to unite as one, discussing how "everyone should keep their subordinates in check and avoid provoking bloodshed."

In reality, the outer disciples of each sect are like fish in the mortal world, forming one "whirlpool" after another as the mortal world surges with its giant waves, making it difficult for them not to be drawn into it.

Such situations occurred during the conflict between the Chan and Jie schools.

Although the top-level experts of the Chan sect had already agreed on the "rise and fall of the hexagrams" at that time, and the second-generation experts had always referred to each other as fellow disciples, disagreements arose among the third-generation disciples due to their respective allies, ultimately leading to a bloodbath.

The calamities of the mortal world are like a raging wave, ready to capsize even the great cultivators on board. At that time, "humans" and "fish" will be almost the same.

At this moment, the sect leaders of various sects, who were divining the fate of heaven in the heavens, were finding that the result of their calculations was constantly shifting. It wasn't that the sky was obscured by dark clouds. Rather, the "dry shore" beneath the feet of the sect's top experts was not a shore transcendent and independent of the mortal world's currents, but merely a boat. Their disciples, transformed into fish underwater, were pushing the boat, causing it to sway back and forth.

…and the boat is rocking, the fish are startled, not only by the waves of the mortal world, but also by the sinister hand hidden in the waves…

In the adjacent tent, a place that the sect disciples would never have expected, some unorthodox sects were also in Wu Hengyu's camp.

The Taoist priest, wearing a mask, led a group of "bad people" (a group of practitioners of unorthodox methods), who were previously embroidered messengers who followed Su Kang in committing evil deeds.

After the rebellion of the rebellious Situ, they were left homeless, like stray dogs. Later, through all sorts of strange encounters, they all came under the command of Xiandaoren.

Some of them found fragments of magical artifacts, then swindled and cheated people in the martial arts world for a while before finally joining the Bo Army.

Some of them were bullies in local mountain strongholds. After being caught and beheaded, they tried to play the trick of having their heads fly out and then fly back, and were then captured and conscripted.

These "bad guys" who were recruited each had their own unique skills, but ultimately, they all relied on the magic that Xiandaoren secretly passed down to them to conceal their identities.

These old men who pass on their magic are: some are rune spellcasters who have sealed various old ghosts in their bodies; some are alchemists with pale faces; some are puppeteers who walk with a creaking sound; and some are even Gu masters whose ear holes have Gu worms going in and out.

Even after they finally pledged allegiance to him, Xiandao did not appear to them in his true form to transmit the Dharma.

Xiandao Ren greatly admired the way his subordinates carefully treasured their trump cards, and even occasionally tried to use them to their advantage.

…Xiandaoren: The plot needs a dramatic twist…

Just as the outer disciples of the Cixin Sect were calculating the calamities that befell the common people, Daoist Luo was unaware that his clothes were contaminated with a magical Gu called "Clever Worm." This Gu could eavesdrop on sounds from a hundred miles away. The worm would burrow under a person's skin, vibrate, and mimic the speaker's voice, feeding back the information it had detected to its master.

The Gu keeper relayed the message to Xian Daoren, who gazed at the horizon, at the place where those high-ranking Nascent Soul cultivators and above resided. Xian Daoren said, "You all desire to seize the fortune, yet you're unwilling to even touch a drop of water."

Xian Daoren smiled mockingly at the current situation in the sect, where the higher-ups were hesitant and the lower-ups were on the verge of conflict.

Xian Daoren ordered a disciple on his left who was completely shrouded in a cloak: "Xu, sneak into Ningzhou City and deliver a message to Dujuan."

The rogue named "Xu" was taken aback upon hearing this.

Xian Daoren looked at the former heir of the Prince of Da Yao and said gently, "You, Da Yao, still have a hundred years of good fortune. Once this matter is settled, I will help you reconnect with your marriage."

This person called "Xu" is actually named Jiaqiayang (Chapter 96). His body trembled, and this seemingly wooden puppet-like fellow seemed to have been wound up inside. He raised his head and revealed an expectant look, then silently turned into a shadow and left.

As Xian Daoren was planning his next move, the golden light around him suddenly vanished, and he spat out a mouthful of blue blood.

He looked fearfully at a certain spot in the center of the evil moon in the sky, his eyes filled with disgust.

There, the Chaos Lotus was thriving, with some branches extending from the Lord of Decay's domain into the domain of the Pure Treasure Daoist.

Compared to the prestigious sects who held a deep-seated, irreconcilable hatred for "Nanzhuo," the Daoists felt a physical discomfort with Xuanchong's group.

Ever since the Chaos Green Lotus was implanted in Xie Yue, Xian Daoren has been warned immediately whenever his plans involve Xuan Chong.

As a result, Jiamu De and Gongshu Wang, who had once studied evil magic, had all their "earth-shattering plans" forcibly frozen because they were involved with Xuan Chong.

However, in recent months, Xuan Chong has officially entered the world, and all major events in the world are being drawn by "Nan Chong". Where is Xuan Chong not?

Xiandaoren's scope of planning has become increasingly narrow, to the point that he is now more like a shaman performing rituals in the countryside, unfit for the grand stage of state sacrifices.

…Butterfly Flight…

Just as the Yan family was in a state of chaos due to Wu Hengyu's sudden change of heart, Emperor Tongzheng and the Empress Dowager escaped from Jizhou, breaking free from the Yan family's control. After traveling eight hundred li down the river, they were captured by Wu Hengyu.

Wu Hengyu was not interested in the bargaining chip that had jumped into his hands; having suffered a loss at the hands of Prince Xu Si, he planned to give Emperor Tongzheng a cup of poison once the war here was over.

However, Xian Daoren advised, "General, you might as well meet this former emperor and the Empress Dowager."

Consort Li met with Wu Hengyu in the camp and explained things to him in detail.

No one knows what happened, but Wu Hengyu, who was always decisive and ruthless, was actually persuaded.

After leaving the camp, he instructed his men, "Treat Emperor Tongzheng well."

Wu Hengyu confirmed the bloodline connection between Emperor Tongzheng and his own family through Si Tianchen's divination, and revealed an amused smile: "Not bad, it really is an unexpected surprise."

...An ant that has lost its protective charm and is about to be crushed...

The Yan family of Ningzhou belatedly learned that Empress Tongzheng and Empress Tongzheng were gone; just as the Yan family patriarch was issuing a murderous order, "We must see them alive or dead,"

The lord of the Yan family looked at the incomplete map of mountains and rivers, and saw that his territory was now covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

(End of this chapter)