Pre-Qin Mythology: Starting with the River God

That night, on the battlefield of Jingmen—

Because of Quan Ming's counterattack, the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Yong Kingdom's allied emperor were defeated and scattered in one fell swoop. The Yong king was also injured and fled back to the Yong Kingdom. At this moment, the morale of the emperor's camp was very low.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the King of Chu attacked and occupied the area south of Mount Luo, the heartland of the Luo Kingdom.

Separated by Luoshan Mountain, torches illuminate the area.

This serves as a warning, and it allows us to confront the emperor's army.

What should have been a joyous and celebratory moment turned into a heated debate within the military camp, with each minister and general holding their own version of events, yet all unanimously agreeing on the same point.

"Your Majesty, those are over ten thousand ghost soldiers, and they even have heroic spirits assisting them!"

"Even if you trust Quan Xian deeply, you cannot allow him to control such a large army and govern the Naluo River region... How can I, Chu, take over?"

Several clan-based generals were bowing before the hall.

He recited the speech he had prepared in advance during his secret meeting with the clan members earlier that day.

King Xiong Tong of Chu sat upright in the main seat of his tent, his eyes lowered and silent. He held the right-hand command token that he had just been stripped of for the crime of losing the territory. As he gently tapped the table, he could feel many eyes staring at the token in his hand.

……Oh.

Xiong Tong's eyes were heavy, but he was not angry.

On one side, Qu Xia, who had been at odds with Quan Ming, remained silent, seemingly waiting quietly for the King of Chu's arrangements.

The generals, getting quite excited, were already saying, "Quan Xian has hidden over ten thousand armored soldiers without reporting it, which suggests he harbors rebellious intentions."

Xiong Tongcai raised his hand, his eyes sharp, and said with a smile, "You're so worried about Quan Xian leading over ten thousand armored soldiers to guard Luo River, then... why don't you all volunteer to fight when the ruler of Yong Kingdom leads tens of thousands of armored soldiers to attack?"

This!

The faces of the generals turned red.

This statement implies that they are only good at fighting amongst themselves, but when faced with external enemies, they are like cowards hiding in the mud.

Indeed, they were saying all this for the Luo Shui waters that Quan Ming currently controls. That was truly a "no man's land," and any clan that gained control of it could rise to the top in one step.

Moreover, immortals and gods cannot obtain fiefdoms; they must coexist with mortals.

The Nara River basin must always be managed by the people.

With over ten thousand Yin soldiers at Quan Xian's command, Quan Xian was bound to be hesitant... What worried these clan members was whether they would listen to Quan Xian or them... Over ten thousand Yin soldiers, plus over ten thousand heroic spirits, this was no joke.

It can be said that the entire Chu state had so many immortals with private armies.

Only Quanming is included.

Why?

Because Quan Ming is the ancestral god of the Quan people, and those private soldiers are all Quan people, carrying the legacy of the Quan Kingdom!

Just like the Corpse Domain before, it is tainted with the remaining fortune of the Quan Kingdom. Even Qu Xia has no way to deal with it unless he kills all the Quan people. Only then will this fortune dissipate and the private army under Quan Ming's control be completely destroyed... Otherwise, just wait for the Quan people to turn against him and bring about his own destruction.

Moreover, at this moment, most industries in Quan County are linked to Quan people and require Quan people to work.

Kill the powerful?

It goes without saying how furious the clans with property would be. Those clans without property who wanted to kill the powerful would have to get past them first, otherwise…

Besieged by numerous clans!

This is a consequence that no clan can afford!

"Your Majesty... but this matter needs a conclusion. Now that Luo Shuidaotian has been defeated by Quan Xian, it is the perfect time to send troops to occupy it. With this passage, we can build a pass and completely cut off Yong Kingdom's southward expansion. Our Chu Kingdom can then confidently expand in the north and east..."

The southward expansion of the Yong state had always been a major concern for the Chu state.

Now that the boulder had a chance to be removed, the generals were naturally excited. If any of them could become the commander guarding the pass, they would have an irreplaceable position in the Chu Kingdom, and their families could be guaranteed prosperity for at least a hundred years...

A fleeting look of greed crossed his mind.

At this moment, the King of Chu had two items in his possession that were being eyed by the clan.

One of them is the position of the right collar.

Secondly, there is Luo Shui's appointment.

However, it was clear to everyone that the King of Chu wanted to promote his own confidant, so they all looked to Luo Shui for this suddenly available lucrative post.

However, Luo Shui's immortal power must be suppressed.

Those ghostly soldiers and heroic spirits were truly terrifying, and they had no confidence to face them, so they could only rely on the power of the King of Chu.

"Haha...conclusion?"

Xiong Tong laughed a few times. He knew what the clans wanted, and he also knew what Quan Ming wanted.

Compared to this group of clans that he found repulsive, he preferred to satisfy Quan Ming, who had a face as handsome as a god.

Of course, he also had his own doubts.

Is this also part of Quan Ming's... scheme?

The clan's greed for Luoshui threatened him, and in order to control the clan, he heavily relied on Quan Ming. Thus, all the troubles fell on him, the King of Chu, while the benefits went to Quan Ming.

The King of Chu thought about all of Quan Ming's faults.

His expression darkened.

That's how it is, and that's all there is to it. This guy had this plan when he asked him to appoint Narcissus, but the King of Chu still rushed to do it.

Ugh……

That's enough. "Using the immortal to control the man" is also "the man controlling the immortal." As long as the man is kept in the land of power, no matter how many soldiers Quan Ming has, they will still be his men and will not betray him.

Thinking this, the King of Chu raised his hand to stop the chattering group.

He looked at Qu Xia.

What are Mo Ao's thoughts on the Luo River?

Upon hearing this, Qu Xia, who had been silent for a long time, showed a look of helplessness in her eyes.

He saw things more clearly than the King of Chu.

Because he already understood.

Quan Ming's plan for Luo Shui began the moment he first participated in the Dao Tian Conference, when he used Luo Shui to guard the area north of the river.

Then it was Shao Siming who requested to be transferred to guard Quanshui Town.

Then Qu Wan disobeyed his orders and insisted on conspiring with Quan Ming to carry out a business strategy in Quan County.

"..."

Qu Xia opened his mouth but remained silent.

He knew that, given Quan Ming's shrewdness and his tendency to think three steps ahead, now that Luo Shui was in their hands, how could he allow them to boss him around? If he intervened, he would likely be dragged into the mud and become another example of being used.

Now, most of his energy is focused on the battle with the emperor, and he has no intention of suppressing Quan Ming.

Therefore, he said, "I have not thought much about it; I will simply follow Your Majesty's words..."

Unwilling to give up, Qu Xia struggled for a while and proposed a delaying tactic: "However, I would like to advise Your Majesty that the battle against the Emperor is still unresolved, and any talk of conquest is just empty talk. It would be better to wait until the Emperor is defeated before discussing the Luo River... At present, it is not wrong for Quan Xian to guard the Luo River. He should be treated as an exception and not send an army commander to manage it for the time being. We can simply reinforce the Quan River pass..."

At this point, one of the civil officials in the military camp who had not participated in the struggle for control of Luoshui stepped forward.

Dou Bo strode out.

He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have a nephew in my clan, who is none other than General Dou Lian, who fought alongside Quan Xian to command the Quan army and defeat the Yong Jun in the battle against him... Ahem, these past few days, Dou Lian's mother has fallen seriously ill. I beg Your Majesty's permission to temporarily go to Quan Shui Pass to assist with its reinforcement, and to temporarily send Dou Lian home to visit his mother, so as to fulfill his filial duty."

Dou Lian?

Oh... that kid who took advantage of Quan Ming knocking out the Right Commander of the Wei Clan and ordered the soldiers to move.

Ok……

Xiong Tong glanced at Dou Bo and knew that this was an attempt to curry favor. But after thinking about it, he figured it didn't matter who he gave it to. He was fair in his rewards and punishments, and besides, the Dou family was much more obedient. Dou Lian was assigned to Quan County to take charge of military power because of this... Moreover, although Dou Lian was close to Quan Xian, he always handled official business and never made any mistakes in military affairs.

"Your filial piety is commendable."

"In that case... grant Dou Lian a five-day leave, and entrust the task of reinforcing the Quanshui Pass to you, Dou."

"As for the Luo River basin."

"Mo Ao is right. At this moment, the battle for the Emperor is of utmost importance. It is more important for powerful immortals to hold weapons and command troops. All matters of rewarding merits can be discussed after the battle."

"You may leave now. I need to discuss matters concerning the Right Command with Mo Ao."

"Dou Bo, you shall stay here."

Seeing that the King of Chu had already given the order, the crowd looked around, had no choice but to hide their resentment, acknowledge him, and withdraw one by one.

……

……

Small Theater——

On the Luo River, Quan Ming was patrolling the area in a small bamboo boat when suddenly Dou Lian, a young general, arrived with a message.

Upon inspection, it turned out to be a letter from King Xiong Tong of Chu.

The letter stated:

Today, all the generals under my command want to come to Luoshui to serve as commanders, but I have stopped them all. I intend to let you come as the wartime commander to guard this place, and then I will make further appointments after the war with the Emperor.

However, I know that you want the power of the Luo River to connect with the Quan River and enhance your divine power.

This king grants your permission!

Furthermore, I hereby grant you permission to appoint a commander of the Luo River to establish a fortified pass at the junction of the waters of the Luo, Lu, and Yong kingdoms, in order to prevent the Yong kingdom from invading.

Naturally, I have made such a concession, and I hope that the Immortal Quan can understand my situation.

The Luoshui Pass needs to be guarded by Chu troops in order to stabilize the country.

……