Volume One: The Hidden Dragon in the Abyss Chapter 62: Strengthening the Army

“Enough.” Tianxingzi knew it would be difficult to persuade him, and could only take things slowly. “I also wanted to inform Your Highness that envoys from Jin are about to arrive, coming to invite you back. The realm, in truth, is yours for the taking, yet Your Highness’s ambitions do not lie there. However, only by reaching that point will you gain greater resources and accomplish more…”

The true intention lay elsewhere; once again, he was trying to persuade Wang Chuan to vie for the imperial throne.

He was not one to give up easily.

Wang Chuan was speechless, nodding slightly before ordering someone to see the guest out.

“I’ll keep an eye on the matter of the Jin envoys,” Yang Hao reported upon his return.

His business stretched across the land, and with it, his network of people.

One order issued, and responses came from all directions—everyone making their efforts.

“Yang Hao, I rarely speak of my family, and you know I’ve been away for more than ten years, never seeing them again, not even a single letter, though I know my every move is known by my father.” Wang Chuan sighed. “But why this time? Why insist on calling me back? Fraternal harmony, filial piety—these are but words to me now. I can hardly recall what kind of person he is, what he even looks like.”

“Every family has its own troubles.” Yang Hao sighed as well. “Your Highness must decide for yourself.”

“I will.” Wang Chuan tapped his forehead with a finger again. “Forget it—let’s wait until they arrive.”

He never let himself be troubled by such things and people.

Yang Hao nodded and made to take his leave.

“What do you think of that elder just now?” Yang Hao asked again.

“A friendship between gentlemen is honest and open. That elder knows Your Highness well, but it’s a pity he keeps hoping you’ll devote yourself to the world’s people.” Yang Hao said helplessly.

“And? Do you think I should actually do as he says?” Wang Chuan asked.

“Though I would wish it, Your Highness must decide for yourself,” Yang Hao replied.

“Why do you wish it?” Wang Chuan asked in puzzlement.

“Those who stand above command others—Your Highness already does this well. As for me, now that business has reached this scale, many things no longer require my personal involvement, nor do they hinder my cultivation.” Yang Hao explained, then smiled. “So, Your Highness need not worry. If possible, I hope you might help some people.”

“You see things quite clearly…” Wang Chuan mused. “Let’s speak of this later.”

The envoys from Jin had arrived; Wang Chuan could sense it.

And there were quite a few of them.

Yang Hao had yet to receive word, but these were critical times—he needed to train harder than ever.

He could feel something significant was about to happen. If nothing else, he hoped he wouldn’t become a burden to His Highness.

Clutching the spirit stone, he absorbed its energy. Suddenly, a chill swept into his hand and through his body, shocking him to his core.

A sudden radiance burst forth, transforming into a spread of purple light, the sun blazing like a wheel, burning fiercely across heaven and earth.

Something seemed to shatter deep within him—his qi sea and vital points collapsed into dust and then began to coalesce anew.

Yang Hao’s face turned deathly pale. His true qi nearly spiraled out of control, but he managed to suppress it with immense willpower.

Was the prince’s cultivation method always this domineering?

Yet, Yang Hao was a man who prized stability—both in business and life, disliking excessive risk.

He was a decent man, at least able to keep up appearances before me.

Sensing what Yang Hao was doing, Wang Chuan could only smile wryly.

At the frontier.

The streets and alleys were paved in ancient bluestone, the entire city exuding a quiet simplicity.

In this borderland, peace had reigned for too long.

But on this day, a long wind kicked up the dust, rising straight into the sky.

The sound of hooves echoed in the distance.

“Enemy attack!”

Cries of alarm rang out atop the city walls, chaos erupting, though under the officers’ orders, order was quickly restored.

The gates were shut tight, weapons at the ready.

From afar, a mass of armored soldiers became ever clearer. At first, they thought it must be Wei making trouble from that direction, but the troops bore black banners.

If they were bandits or marauders, their discipline was far too precise.

The army drew closer, dense and overwhelming in number, sending a chill down the defenders’ spines.

Most were lightly armored cavalry.

Fortunately, the city walls offered protection, and building siege engines would not be easy.

A report was swiftly dispatched—this army, as if sprung from the earth, was highly suspicious.

They stopped at a distance, watching—apparently not here to invade.

At last, a lone rider approached.

The officer atop the wall ordered his men to let the envoy come forward, curious to hear what he had to say.

“We are soldiers of Jin!” the rider announced, confirming their suspicions.

Black banners—so they were indeed Jin forces!

Damn, why had the Jin army suddenly appeared on Yu’s border?

Jin and Yu did not share a border, and even the quickest route would require passing through Wei.

And yet, there had been not a whisper of news.

Highly suspicious!

Damn it, what was their purpose?

Were they planning to invade Yu outright?

“What does the Jin army want here? Since the founding of our nation, we have never encroached upon each other’s lands,” the officer barked.

“We are under orders to bring our Crown Prince home! We ask that Yu hand over our prince whom you have detained—ten days’ time!” the Jin envoy declared. “If you refuse, our emperor will issue a proclamation to the world and send troops to pacify Yu!”

“Absurd! You Jin people come searching here, making baseless accusations!” the Yu officer sneered. “If you want war, then let it be war. Our mighty Yu commands a million bowmen, every man ready to ride and kill!”

With the ruler of Yu inspiring them, every soldier straightened his back, brimming with confidence.

Confronting an enemy stirred their blood.

He took a bow from his subordinate, nocked an arrow, and drew, aiming at the envoy.

The Jin soldiers stared back, cold and unmoved.

Thwack—

The arrow flew, knocking the plume from the envoy’s helmet.

Saying nothing, the Jin envoy reined in his horse and rode back.

Thus ended the first confrontation.

The Jin army began to withdraw, but did not retreat far. Instead, they camped twenty miles away, occupying favorable ground.

As if poised to strike at any moment.

“What on earth is His Majesty thinking?”

Several Jin commanders were discussing their next move.

“His Majesty’s strategies are unorthodox, favoring surprise and taking risks,” an older general said. “The imperial will is unfathomable. Our duty is to carry out our orders—to bring the Crown Prince home, and return safely from this perilous land.”

They were deep in enemy territory, isolated and unsupported.

Yu and Wei could both dispatch armies to crush them at any time—danger surrounded them.

Surviving would be no easy feat.

“Could it be His Majesty truly intends to use us as bait? Here, just the few of us, let’s speak frankly—we’re all in this together, and everyone wants to survive, as do the tens of thousands of soldiers under us! We are willing to die in battle, but not to perish in vain.”

Such a pointless sacrifice—tens of thousands coming to foreign soil, if surrounded by an enemy force…

It was intolerable.

“All right, let’s set suspicion aside—I’ll speak candidly.” The older general continued, “We all know how much rations we brought—it’s enough for precisely ten days! What does that tell you?”

He wanted them to think it through.

In truth, everyone understood, and just needed a nudge.

“Ten days—if, by then, the Crown Prince agrees to return with us, we’ll still be on the brink of starvation!” another general realized. “If His Highness comes with us right away, we might have a few days’ rations left. But the journey home will still take days.”

“A forced march, a thousand miles, might take three days—but Yu and Wei will hardly let us pass unchallenged, and they’ll surely know our predicament. We can’t stint on food—if morale collapses, there’s no recovering from that; it’d be like an avalanche,” another said.

“We must be prepared. If worst comes to worst, we’ll have no choice but to seize supplies. Twenty miles west is Yu, forty miles east is Wei! Decide now—will we seize them or not? Once decided, we’ll plan where, how, and when. The strike must be swift, or they’ll be on guard and we’ll have no chance.”

“Forgive me for speaking bluntly, but on the way here, I kept wondering—has His Majesty really abandoned us? Can tens of thousands simply be thrown away?” the elder general said.

“His Majesty has no choice. Here we are, cut off from all support. Jin is too far—provisions can’t reach us,” another replied somberly.

“Do you remember His Majesty gave us two orders? First: bring the Crown Prince home, unharmed! If he dies, we’ll all suffer—probably not by suicide, but on the battlefield. If anything happens to His Highness, the Emperor, who has sharpened his blade for years, will surely act… But I doubt it will come to that. With His Highness’s abilities, there’s scarcely anyone alive who could harm him,” the old general analyzed. “That brings us to the second order…”

But the second order was nothing of particular urgency.

The Emperor had sent them here to greet the Crown Prince, but in a foreign land that could become hostile at any moment—tens of thousands of them could be buried here.

“But if it’s just to bring back the Crown Prince, why make such a show of force? Why send tens of thousands two thousand miles out of the way?” a general wondered.

“This is a test for the Crown Prince, and for us as well. Since we set out, His Majesty has surely made other arrangements. If he’s taken this step, he’ll have calculated every eventuality,” the elder general said. “And with the Prince’s power, who could possibly hold him captive? Things have truly become complicated.”

“And I think His Majesty has deeper motives. Among us, some are loyal to the Crown Prince, some to the Fourth Prince, and others, like myself, are neutral, seeking only to keep clear of factional strife and survive. Let’s be open today—even if we don’t know why His Majesty picked us, or what outcome he wants to see, I hope none among us will, for the sake of ambition, harm each other or our tens of thousands of men.”