Dragon Canon

The true main force of Qingming was currently training to adapt to the sudden surge in combat power and to cope with the weakness that followed the activation of “Life is a Flash”.

To ensure that the training was effective, Wei Yuan activated “Life is a Flash” several times a day—each session lasting three breaths—whenever he was present in the realm.

Fortunately, since the duration was brief, and the scope had been deliberately limited, the resource consumption was manageable.

In addition, these eight thousand men were training to use steel-barreled firearms as well. However, the number of firearms were limited; so far, only a little over a thousand had been produced, which was far from sufficient. The members of the Palace of Absolute Beginning were currently racking their brains to figure out how to manufacture more firearms.

Originally, Wei Yuan had planned to seize two additional mines from the Xu Clan. The iron and copper they would gain from those raids would have made up for the shortage. However, his plans were interrupted by Xu Xinhui’s sudden appearance.

The swordsman’s arrival had put Wei Yuan on high alert: it would seem that the Xu Clan could no longer sit idly by and was about to make a major move.

Hanyang Pass.

As the sky began to clear, General-in-chief Xu Zhongxing and his deputy, Fan Donghe, walked to the flying ship dock at the edge of the city where thousands of soldiers were waiting. Following them were officials of all ranks from the General-in-chief Office, all of them dressed in full regalia.

After waiting a full hour, several massive flying ships appeared on the horizon. Their hulls were painted deep blue and adorned with red patterns—it was the emblem of the Western Jin royal court.

The ships landed one by one. Royal guards clad in blue armor and red cloaks disembarked the first two and spread out immediately, securing all key access points around the dock. Only then did the two remaining giant ships in the air slowly descend.

Carpets had already been laid out all the way to the airships.

The hatches slowly opened, and two high-ranking court officials appeared at the entrance. One was a civil official, and the other a military officer. Both possessed an extraordinary presence.

“You first, Lord Yue!”

“No, you first, Lord Chen!”

The two high-ranking officials exchanged a few polite pleasantries before stepping down from the flying vessel together and walking side by side.

Xu Zhongxing had long stepped forward with dozens of officials to greet them. Bowing deeply, he said, “Greetings, Lord Chen, Lord Yue. I have been waiting for you.”

The civil official was a lean, elderly man. Seeing how deeply Xu Zhongxing was bowing, he reached out to help him up. The general-in-chief rose with the gesture, playing out the full ritual of the court etiquette. Yet, just as their robes brushed against one another, the corner of Xu Zhongxing’s eyes twitched imperceptibly.

The civil official said slowly, “The royal court has decided to reestablish the Four Commanderies of Ningxi. Lord Yue and I have been appointed to establish our headquarters and govern the region. Ningxi had been under enemy control for many years; now that it has been restored to royal administration, there is much work to be done. On this occasion, we must rely heavily on General Xu’s assistance.”

Xu Zhongxing replied, “This is simply my duty. Please feel free to give me your orders, your lordships.”

“First, we must immediately deploy fifty thousand elite troops from Hanyang Pass to escort local magistrates to their posts. This is a matter of great importance, so we will need General Xu to dispatch as many elite troops and capable officers as possible.”

Xu Zhongxing winced at the news; his garrison numbered only tens of thousands of elite troops, and more than half were being withdrawn at once. Still, he knew better than anyone what lay beyond the pass, so he replied immediately, “Rest assured, Lord Chen. You may select any elite troop you wish from the garrison headquarters.”

The civil official nodded before continuing, “There is one more matter. The local magistrates have arrived in such a hurry that many of them have not yet had the time to assemble their staff. We would need to draft five hundred capable officials from your command to accompany the magistrates to their posts. They may return once the situation in the region has stabilized.”

This was a straightforward request. Xu Zhongxing readily agreed as well.

Seeing his prompt agreement, the civil official gave a slight nod and asked, “I hear things haven’t been very peaceful at your garrison headquarters as of late?”

Xu Zhongxing gave a bitter smile. “Two stubborn Truemen from the Palace of Absolute Beginning have been causing endless trouble. This subordinate has been unable to deal with them.”

“Which two Truemen?”

“Fen Hai and Lan Hua.”

The civil official raised his long eyebrows slightly. “The Skyblue Hall? What a coincidence.”

The military commander who had been keeping silent this whole time opened his eyes slightly. A cold glint flashed within them as he said in a deep voice, “Indeed, it is a coincidence. Take us to them.”

Xu Zhongxing immediately led the way.

Moments later, a deafening explosion echoed throughout the entire Hanyang Pass. A column of fire shot skyward from the garrison headquarters, reaching dozens of zhang in height and shaking the entire city!

Amidst the flames, a crimson beam and an aqua-blue beam shot skyward, hurtling into the distance before vanishing without warning.

By the time the flames had died down, nearly half of the garrison headquarters had been reduced to ashes.

Xu Zhongxing and the two high-ranking officials emerged from the fire. The general-in-chief gazed in the direction where the two beams of light had vanished and muttered bitterly, “Those two old scoundrels sure are quick on their feet! They got off easy!”

The military commander grunted and said, “We are merely letting them know the royal court’s resolve to reclaim Ningxi is firm. Whoever dares to obstruct us will be struck down with thunderous force!”

The civil official smiled faintly and assured Xu Zhongxing, “There is no need to feel regret, Lord Xu. They’re not walking away from this easily.”

Xu Zhongxing’s heart stirred, and he lowered his voice. “Does this mean that the royal court has resolved to take action against them?”

The civil official shook his head. “I wouldn’t go that far. As long as they’re willing to withdraw from Ningxi, everything shall proceed according to the established protocols. Speaking of which, I’ve informed you of our bottom line, but you must not speak of it to anyone else, Lord Xu.”

“Do not worry, Lord Chen. This subordinate understands.” Xu Zhongxing naturally knew exactly what the civil official meant by those words.

One day later, the western gate of Hanyang Pass swung wide open. Twenty thousand troops marched out in formation from within the pass, then split into dozens of groups of varying sizes. While escorting officials of all ranks, they set off for different regions.

Another day passed, and thirty thousand elite troops marched out of the pass and traveled westward for fifteen hundred li. Chen Dao, a Hanlin Academy member[1], proclaimed the royal edict to heaven and earth before planting the realm stone, Clear Spring, thereby establishing the administrative headquarters.

Chen Dao assumed the post of inspector-general, while General Yue Jinshan, General of the Northern Frontier, who had been reassigned from the front lines of the northern frontier, took up the position of general-in-chief. With this, it was proclaimed that Western Jin had formally reclaimed Ningxi and reestablished its provinces and commanderies.

Under their command, the commandery administrators of the four commanderies led dozens of officials of various ranks to their respective posts. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of troops were marching ceaselessly toward Hanyang Pass, including units that were clad in full cotton-lined iron armor. They were clearly border troops transferred from the northern frontier.

Realm of Qingming.

“Reestablishing the Four Commanderies of Ningxi?” Wei Yuan was patrolling Yong’an City when he heard the unexpected news.

Moments later, all members of the Palace of Absolute Beginning gathered on the central peak to discuss this sudden turn of events.

This move by Western Jin had come out of nowhere; none of them had received any prior notice. By the time they found out, Chen Dao had already planted the realm stone and officially established his administrative headquarters.

Wei Yuan stared at the map, his brows furrowed. A moment later, he marked a point on it. As the master of Qingming, he could sense the activation of any other realm stones in the vicinity. That was how he had pinpointed the exact location of the new administrative office. However, this was an open secret; it would soon be known throughout the world.

Judging by the map, the new administrative office was located approximately 3,500 li from Qingming. Based on the normal standards for realm stones, there might be room for one more realm stone in between. However, assuming Qingming eventually evolved to cover 10,000 li, it would definitely encompass the new realm stone.

In truth, Wei Yuan had established Qingming out of desperation and lack of choice. Otherwise, from a long-term perspective, the realm stone should have been established at least several thousand li further to the west from its current location. Ideally, it should have been established 11,000 li away from Hanyang Pass.

After establishing Qingming, Wei Yuan and all members of the Palace of Absolute Beginning had effectively regarded the Shattered Realm—all 6,000 li of it—as their own. Not only that, they intended to expand an additional several thousand li in every direction as well. However, Western Jin’s reestablishment of the Four Commanderies of Ningxi had, in effect, incorporated Qingming into their territory.

This matter was of such great significance that everyone was unusually solemn. Even Ji Liuli had set aside her usual frivolity and pondered it seriously.

Zhang Sheng asked, “This is an event of incredible magnitude. Did you truly not sense even the slightest sign?”

Ji Liuli shook her head. “The Emperor of Tang and the rulers of the nine states are bearers of the Mandate of Heaven. They naturally do not appear in the calculations.”

This was the first time Zhang Sheng had heard of such a thing. He asked in confusion, “The Emperor of Tang is one thing, but how can the rulers of the nine states also bear the Heavenly Mandate? Does this not imply that they, like the Emperor of Tang, are the rightful heir of heaven and earth?”

“This is why the nine states have been growing in power until they’ve effectively sidelined the House of Tang. The founder didn’t tell me the specific reasons; it seems to be a very important secret.”

Frowning, Wei Yuan remarked, “This is too serious a matter; we must report it to the Palace and see what the True Lords have to say.”

Both Zhang Sheng and Ji Liuli nodded.

Wei Yuan continued, “At present, we know absolutely nothing about this matter. Thus, we must find a way to obtain at least some intelligence—such as the names of the general-in-chief, the inspector-general, and the commandery administrators, their backgrounds, the number of troops they’ve deployed for this campaign, and so on.”

This was an urgent priority. Since everyone had, to an extent, their own sources, they all started considering who they should approach to gather this intelligence.

Wei Yuan added, “That said, we cannot simply sit idly by and wait for disaster to strike us! There’s still plenty of masks left, so I want all of you to take one each. Today, we’re going to sweep through all the mines, merchant caravan encampments, villages, and towns on the list. Then, we’ll consolidate our forces and take Willow Ash Town!”

Cui Yu asked, “What about the Xu Clan of Ningxi?”

“I have Xu Jingfeng announce that they should ‘prioritize their own safety’ and order everyone to stay inside the Xu Clan estates. Once we’ve stripped Willow Ash Town bare and migrated everyone to Qingming, then we’ll hand the land back to them.”

Wei Yuan then reached out and drew a large circle on the map that encompassed several hundred li around Qingming, declaring, “In short, I want them to be unable to find a single village or secure even a single scrap of supplies in this area!”

Cui Yu was somewhat taken aback. Was it just him, or was there something off about the tone of his words[2]?

1. An actual post. Employed as imperial secretaries starting from Tang. ☜

2. Don’t you know that your brother is born to be a rebel? ☜