Dragon Canon

Fully loaded grain cart after fully loaded grain cart returned to the realm, but they could not solve the food crisis it was facing.

Each military fort held only ten days’ worth of provisions, with not a single grain to spare. The rations for four thousand soldiers for ten days would last ordinary civilians thirty days if they ate sparingly. If someone were to perform the calculations, they would find out that Wei Yuan’s efforts over the entire day amounted to just one day’s worth of food for the entire realm.

They had seized a considerable amount of weapons and armor, and they were undoubtedly valuable. Alas, they were useless for sustenance.

The largest granary in Ningxi Commandery was still located in Willow Ash Town, standing right next to the commandery office and adjacent to the military camp. Wei Yuan’s original plan had been to launch a direct raid on the town, but upon further reflection, he realized the consequences would be too far-reaching. Just as Wei Yuan was hesitating, another ten thousand reinforcements had arrived at Willow Ash Town.

According to intelligence from Xu Jingfeng, the newly arrived force of over ten thousand troops consisted of border troops transferred from the north—meaning that they were battle-hardened elite soldiers. The high-ranking military officer leading them bore the surname Hsu and hailed from the main branch of the Hsu Clan. That such a force was deployed in Ningxi carried a very clear message of intimidation.

That was why Wei Yuan turned his attention eastward, first dismantling the blockade that Yuan Qingyan had painstakingly built into shambles. His next action would depend on the commandery administrator’s response.

When Yuan Qingyan received the battle report, he had been both shocked and enraged. He did not think that Wei Yuan would actually dare to attack royal forces—wasn’t this tantamount to rebellion[1]?

Him smashing a teacup out of anger one part genuine and two parts an act, though. In the past, many of his political rivals had fallen for his acting and mistakenly believed him to be hot-tempered and easy to deal with. They grew complacent and tried every means to provoke him, only to unwittingly fall into his trap.

At the moment, Yuan Qingyan was pondering how to draft his memorial; what wording would enrage the King of Jin enough to take dramatic action. Ideally, His Majesty would directly dispatch the troops to crush Qingming—the thorn in his side—once and for all.

If he could force Wei Yuan to give up his position as the realm lord, then Yuan Qingyan would naturally be the only suitable candidate to take over.

But before that, he needed to deal with the clown dancing at his doorsteps, Xu Jingfeng.

Once the servants had swept up the broken glass from the floor, Yuan Qingyan turned to General Hsu and said, “Xu Jingfeng has shown contempt for this official and acted with audacity. I ask General Hsu to step forward and arrest him.”

General Hsu replied, “I’m not going.”

Yuan Qingyan’s eyebrows shot up in anger, and he asked coldly, “What did you say, general? I didn’t catch your words!”

General Hsu raised his voice and repeated, “I’m not going!”

Cold, bitter laughter escaped Yuan Qingyan’s throat. “Are you openly defying orders, General Hsu?”

General Hsu pointed a finger skyward. “My superior is Commander-in-chief Yue. I only accept orders from him. You, a merely commandery administrator, have no authority over me. Even if you did, do you really think I’d accept an order that’s clearly suicidal?”

Yuan Qingyan’s expression stiffened as he asked, “What makes you say that, General?”

“The Xu Clan of Ningxi has been established here for hundreds of years; those estates have always served as the home base of their branch family. Moreover, the Xu Clan is an aristocratic family. You expect me, a late-stage Dao Foundation stage cultivator, to enter a place they’ve managed for centuries and arrest their patriarch? I’d advise you not to go in either, Lord Yuan. The ancestral home of a distinguished clan is no different from a tiger’s den. Even an Avatar might not be enough to control the situation.”

General Hsu then let out a cold chuckle and pointed at the general opposite him. “Besides, your dog is sitting right across from me. Offending the Xu Clan is exactly the kind of thing he’s suited for. Otherwise, what’s the point of keeping him?”

The general’s face turned blue and white. “This humble general does not remember offending you, General Hsu.”

General Hsu snorted derisively and replied, “I don’t care if you’ve offended me or not. I just don’t like the look of you right now. What are you gonna do about it?”

The general turned his head away, unable to bear looking at him.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the hall. A messenger soldier sprinted in and handed over an official document. These messenger soldiers all possessed Dao Foundations and fell under the jurisdiction of the commandery seat, tasked specifically with delivering important official documents.

Yuan Qingyan opened the document and read it carefully. Then, he said, “This is a joint official dispatch from Inspector-General Chen and Commander-in-chief Yue. They are extremely furious about the bandits’ attack on the military encampments and have ordered us to rebuild the fortifications. They’ve also set a deadline for us to apprehend the horse bandit group, Heaven Fighting Gang. General Hsu, the document explicitly states that I am authorized to mobilize the troops within the commandery for this matter. Would you like to take a look?”

General Hsu took the official document and examined it carefully. A short while later, he snorted and handed it back to Yuan Qingyan, saying, “I’m only responsible for matters concerning the military forts and the horse bandits. The Xu Clan’s ancestral home has nothing to do with me. Whoever wants to offend the Xu Clan can go ahead—just know that I’m not getting involved.”

Yuan Qingyan’s smile was just surfacing when General Hsu’s remark stiffened it. He forced himself to suppress his anger and said, “In that case, I shall trouble General Hsu to take charge of the few military forts to the east.”

“Relax. With me in charge, there won’t be any more incidents where an entire camp of people is stripped bare.”

..................

Dingbian City, Anzhao Commandery.

Dingbian City was bustling at the moment, with rows of tents stretching endlessly, and structures of all sizes rising from the ground. The choice to establish the commandery seat here had been carefully considered by the court’s high-ranking officials, as it strategically controlled the key passes in all directions.

At present, there were more soldiers in the city than there were civilians. Over 100,000 troops were currently stationed within the garrison, along with over 30,000 wounded soldiers. Outside the city walls, vast burial grounds had been cleared, as the bodies of 20,000 fallen soldiers still awaited interment.

A dozen or so figures soared through the air above the garrison, landing before the gates of the garrison headquarters. The guards on duty immediately saluted upon seeing them, addressing one of them as “General Yue.”

The leader was none other than Yue Jinshan. He waved his hand, signaling his entourage to wait in the side hall, while he himself, accompanied by two aides, entered the study in the rear courtyard. In the study, Chen Dao was reviewing official documents. Upon seeing Yue Jinshan enter, he rose and asked, “Is the campaign proceeding smoothly?”

Yue Jinshan replied, “The Shamans have retreated for now. But really, we didn’t win—it was just a draw. The commander leading the Shaman forces this time is formidable. Not only hasn’t he made a single mistake, he almost ambushed me.”

Chen Dao chuckled. “You always say you were almost ambushed, but I’ve never seen you actually get ambushed before.”

“Where is that eunuch surnamed Zhao? Has he left yet?”

Chen Dao hurriedly admonished him, “Watch your tongue!” before glancing at his two aides.

Yue Jinshan said nonchalantly, “They’ve been through life and death with me. They’re trustworthy... never mind. You two, stand guard outside for now. I need to discuss confidential matters with Lord Chen.”

Once the aides had left, Chen Dao unfolded a map and said, “We have a troublesome matter at hand. That Wei Yuan has practically uprooted the entire line of military forts on the east side of the realm. He is terribly audacious.”

Yue Junshan replied, “He didn’t take any lives; merely seized the supplies and valuables. He knows his limits.”

Chen Dao remarked meaningfully, “This man is defiant and unruly, and he’s backed by a major sect. If the noble clans hadn’t sided with us this time, we’d likely be facing yet another situation where the tail wags the dog.”

“What do you plan to do?”

Chen Dao said slowly, “Although Yuan Qingyan is an annoying man, he does have insight and ability. It is clear that his move of cutting off the enemy’s food supplies had struck them right at their weak spot. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone so far as to attack our military forts and seize our provisions. If it weren’t for the ongoing Shaman invasion, this crime alone would be enough to sentence him to death. Even the Palace of Absolute Beginning would have no choice but to decide between sparing his land or sparing his life.”

Yue Jinshan frowned. “You lot... Yuan Qingyan is no good. When I was locked in a bloody battle with the Shamans, he hadn’t sent a single soldier or officer my way. Yet when it comes to dealing with his own race, he’s got plenty of tricks up his sleeve!”

Chen Dao chuckled. “I know you’re implying that me and my lot are all terrible folk, but think about it—how will this territory be handled when the Shamans retreat? Surely you wouldn’t want a lawless enclave within your own jurisdiction?”

“Why not just follow precedent?”

Chen Dao replied softly, “If we follow precedent, this land might not necessarily belong to us.”

Yue Jinshan’s brow furrowed deeply.

“That is why I think the strategy to cut off his food supplies is excellent. We must continue using it. Send some battle-hardened veterans to infiltrate the military forts and wait for him to attack. As long as I can get my hands on some solid evidence against him, I’m confident he’ll have no choice but to comply!”

Yue Jinshan asked, “What if he doesn’t come?”

Chen Dao smiled faintly and said, “He has no choice but to come. I’ve received reliable intelligence that the realm now has only a few days’ worth of grain. There are no grain reserves within hundreds of li of Qingming. The only provisions to be found are within the forts. If he doesn’t come, he’ll have to watch over a hundred thousand people starve to death. That is why I believe the Heaven Fighting Gang will launch a full-scale assault in two or three days at the earliest, or five at the latest. It will undoubtedly be a fierce battle. I’ll be counting on you then, General Yue.”

Yue Jinshan replied calmly, “If he truly dares to attack the main camp, I will ensure he never returns.”

Chen Dao nodded and said, “It would be best to capture him alive. Once we have him, we need not worry about the Palace of Absolute Beginning refusing to submit.”

In just a brief dialogue, the scholar and the warrior had laid a meticulous trap for Wei Yuan.

Meanwhile, in the vast expanse of the Shaman realm, several riders were making their way eastward through mountains and forests. Wei Yuan had brought only Hsu Yi and Wang Yu along on this journey. All three of them possessed profound cultivations, so it was easy for them to empower their warhorses with Dao energy and traverse mountains and ridges like they were walking on level ground.

“Where are we going, realm lord?” Hsu Yi asked curiously.

Wei Yuan replied, “To visit an old friend and gather some provisions along the way.”

“Couldn’t we get them from the military forts again?”

Wei Yuan explained, “Yuan Qingyan isn’t stupid. The fact he didn’t leave much grain in the forts proves that he wanted us to attack him. He just didn’t expect us to wipe out five of his forts in one go and escalate things to the point where he looked incompetent. Right now, I suspect he’s busy rebuilding the military forts, and he has prepared a nasty surprise for us. Unless we bring out all of our elite Dao Foundation troops, we likely won’t be able to handle that surprise.”

“The realm lord is truly incredible, anticipating the enemy’s every move! You’re far more capable than that so-called commandery administrator!”

Looking at Hsu Yi’s expression of admiration, Wei Yuan shook his head internally. He might have believed her if it wasn’t for the fact that the blue qi he received from Hsu Yi remained a faint wisp. In contrast, the blue fortune contributed by the taciturn Wang Yu was on the verge of condensing into a drop of great fortune.

The three of them traveled at full speed, covering over a thousand li in half a day. Soon, they reached the capital of Bianning Commandery.

Compared to Willow Ash Town, Bianning’s capital was far more prosperous. The city originally had a common population of twenty thousand. After it was officially designated as a capital city, thousands more moved in including officials of all ranks, guards, soldiers, and their entourages. Many scattered commoners from the surrounding areas had also relocated there.

It was nearing dusk when a squad of soldiers escorted an official palanquin to the entrance of a newly built residence. They disembarked in the front courtyard.

A slightly plump official stepped out of the palanquin. He was rather handsome. As soon as he stepped down, the housekeeper came forward and said, “There are three people claiming to be your old acquaintances, master. I’ve had them wait in your study.”

The official’s face darkened, and he said coldly, “Over the past few days, at least eighty—if not a hundred—‘old friends’ have paid me a visit. If you let them all into my study, when am I supposed to get any sleep?”

“How could I be so inconsiderate?” The housekeeper hurriedly replied. “But these people really are extraordinary.”

The housekeeper presented him with an object: a heavy bar of immortal silver. The official knew at a glance that it weighed at least fifty taels!

The official flicked his sleeve, and the silver vanished. The motion was as effortless as a drifting cloud and devoid of any trace of earthly vulgarity—he must have practiced it for at least two decades!

The official’s face lit up with a smile, and he exclaimed, “Old friends have come to visit—how could I possibly keep them waiting? Quickly, take me to them! And tell the kitchen to prepare a feast. Tonight, this official intends to drink until he’s thoroughly drunk!”

The housekeeper led the official to his study. The moment he saw the people inside, the official froze in place.

Wei Yuan rose to his feet and bowed, smilingly slightly. “It’s been a while, Magistrate Sun.”

1. I should note that this would be a rebellion against Tang, not Western Jin. Wei Yuan is not a citizen of Western Jin, but Western Jin is part of Tang. ☜