Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 126 Encountering the Blackwater River (Part 12)
Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Fadi sent troops to attack and threatened the Kingdom of Huoluo to dismantle the bridge.

In the past, Huoluo Kingdom did not have a bridge, and those who wanted to trade with Chechi Kingdom had to pass through Fadi Kingdom upstream.

This back-and-forth journey was not only extremely roundabout, but also resulted in significant exploitation by the conquering state, leading to severe losses.

Now that there is a bridge, the Kingdom of Huoluo can pass directly across it without having to go through the Kingdom of Fadi.

However, this also meant that the Kingdom of Fadi could no longer extract benefits from the Kingdom of Huoluo.

The Kingdom of Fadi therefore sent troops to attack and threatened the Kingdom of Huoluo to destroy the bridge.

Upon learning of this, the King of Huoluo naturally refused and ordered the dispatch of an army of 5,000 to the border to defend against the attack from Fadi.

When Ao Tu received the news, the armies of the two countries were already facing off at the border.

Current progress: 325 days

The imperial envoy arrived at Aotu with a personal letter from the King of Huoluo. In the letter, the King of Huoluo was extremely humble and full of praise, promising incense offerings and other gifts. All he wanted was to ask for the help of the deity Aotu to ensure that Huoluo could win the war.

Ao Tu flatly refused, saying, "I cannot arbitrarily interfere in the battles between mortals."

The imperial envoy pleaded, "Lord Dragon God, this bridge was built under your supervision. Are you really going to allow it to be demolished?"

Ao Tu said, "This bridge was built to allow the Holy Monk to pass through, and only then will it benefit your country. If your country fears the Kingdom of Fadi, you can dismantle the bridge at any time, and I will not stop you."

Upon hearing this, the imperial envoy shook his head and said:
"Our country has suffered from the exploitation of the Fa Di Kingdom for too long. Now, thanks to the help of the Dragon God, this bridge has been built. This is an opportunity that has come once in a thousand years. How can we give it up? His Majesty has now ordered that we are willing to use the strength of the whole country to defend the bridge to the death and never allow the Fa Di Kingdom to bully us."

Ao Tu said, "The Kingdom of Fa Di attacks for profit; your Kingdom resists for the sake of your country. If the stalemate continues, you can achieve victory."

The imperial envoy said, "Thank you for your kind words, Dragon God."

Ao Tu remained silent.

The imperial envoy left somewhat disappointed. Since the Dragon God was unwilling to help, the only option left was for the Kingdom of Huoluo to rely on its own strength to resist the Kingdom of Fadi.

On the other side of the Blackwater River, the migrant workers continue to work tirelessly every day.

The bridge is almost finished, with only a little bit left to go. It should be completed in about four or five days.

Soon Tang Sanzang will be able to pass through here and continue his journey westward.

However, Tang Sanzang was not happy.

As night fell, Tang Sanzang tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Wukong asked with concern, "Master, what's wrong?"

Tang Sanzang looked out the window and said, "I can't sleep."

Wukong asked, "Is it because the two countries are at war?"

Tang Sanzang sighed and said, "Yes! When two countries are at war, countless people will die. Do you think this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't built this bridge?"

Bajie opened his eyes, pouting, and said:

“Master, why are you worrying about this! How can we be blamed for the war between those two countries? In my opinion, this is a long-standing feud between them. Even without this bridge, they would have fought sooner or later.”

Sha Wujing also woke up and said:
“Master, Second Senior Brother is right. Even without this bridge, the two countries would have been at war sooner or later because of the actions of that Fa Di Kingdom.”

Tang Sanzang sighed, "That may be true, but what have the common people done wrong?"

Wukong said, "Master, don't worry. The one who tied the knot must untie it. This was caused by that little alligator dragon. He will definitely have a way to settle things. Wait for me to go find him."

Tang Sanzang said, "I will go too."

Wukong said, "Alright, let's go, Master."

Wukong led Tang Sanzang out the door. Seeing this, Sha Wujing called to Bajie:
"Second Brother, Master and Eldest Brother have both left. Let's go take a look."

Bajie said, "What's so interesting about this? Let me sleep a little longer."

Sha Wujing said, "Second Brother, if you're not going, then I'll go first."

Sha Wujing got out of bed and followed.

Pigsy asked, "Brother Sandy, Brother Sandy?"

Sha Wujing has already gone with them.

Seeing that he was the only one left in the room, Bajie rolled around on the bed, unable to sleep, so he got up and followed him.

Meanwhile, Wukong, accompanied by Tang Sanzang, came to find Ao Tu in the middle of the night.

Ao Tu had been waiting for a long time. He invited the two in and said with a smile:
“I knew the holy monk would come; it must be about the war between the two countries.”

Wukong said, "You rascal, what's your plan? Tell me quickly, stop keeping me in suspense."

As they were talking, Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie also arrived.

Ao Tu invited the two of them in and seated them, saying:

"It's not difficult to resolve this matter. That Fadi Kingdom is being a bit too aggressive. We just need to dampen their arrogance."

Wukong asked, "How exactly did you get frustrated?"

Ao Tu said, "Isn't that easy? Great Sage, just put that golden cudgel on the mountain, make it fifty miles long and two miles wide, push it down, and press it into the camp of the army of the Fa Di Kingdom. I guarantee that the swords of the Fa Di Kingdom soldiers will break, the knives of the soldiers will be broken, the spears of the soldiers will be broken, the bows of the soldiers will be shattered, and all the soldiers will be turned into mud. The king and his ministers of the Fa Di Kingdom will be terrified when they hear this, and will never dare to start a war again."

Wukong laughed and said, "Good! Good! This is a good idea! As long as Master agrees, I will go there right away and get the job done in no time."

Bajie laughed and said, "If we fight like this, we don't need our eldest brother to go. I, Old Pig, can stand on the clouds, stretch out my precious Golden Rake, and sweep it down to pick up the camp of the Fa Di Kingdom like hay. It's much faster than when our eldest brother uses his Golden Cudgel."

Sha Wujing said, "I think it's a good idea!"

Tang Sanzang sighed helplessly:
“You lot, no matter which country’s army it is, in the end it is the common people who suffer. How can we monks act like this? Is there no way to avoid war?”

Ao Tu laughed and said, "As expected of a holy monk, you have such a compassionate heart. There is a way to avoid fighting, but the holy monk must personally go into danger."

Tang Sanzang said happily, "If I can stop the war between the two countries, I am willing to risk my life."

Ao Tu said, "The solution is not difficult. We just need to ask the Holy Monk to go to the Kingdom of Fadi and persuade its king to stop the fighting."

Tang Sanzang said, "This... I'm afraid the king of the Kingdom of Fadi will not easily stop the war."

Ao Tu said, “Holy Monk, do not worry. You are the younger brother of the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty. The King of Fa Di Kingdom will not dare to be negligent and will certainly treat you with courtesy. This humble god will go to the border with the Great Sage and use a brilliant plan to make the two armies stop fighting. What Fa Di Kingdom seeks is nothing more than profit. If they fight for a long time without success, and with the Holy Monk's persuasion, they will surely withdraw their troops.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang thought for a moment and agreed, "In that case, this humble monk is willing to go."

The next day, Tang Sanzang told the imperial envoy about the matter. The imperial envoy was overjoyed and immediately reported back to the king.

The king was overjoyed upon learning this and sent a special envoy to escort Tang Sanzang to the Kingdom of Fadi.

Wukong instructed Bajie and Sha Wujing to accompany and protect their master.

Tang Sanzang arrived in the Kingdom of Fadi and requested an audience with its king.

The king of the Kingdom of Nafadi was an arrogant and domineering man. When he heard that Tang Sanzang had come as an envoy for the Kingdom of Huoluo, he was displeased and, without carefully reading the report, wanted to send someone to kill Tang Sanzang.

Upon learning this, the minister of the Kingdom of Fadi hurriedly said:
"Your Majesty, you mustn't kill him!"

The King of Fadi said, "Why can't we kill a mere monk?"

(End of this chapter)