Dragon Canon

At Hanyang Pass, the garrison commander Xu Zhongxing stood on the wall, gazing into the distance.

At the edge of his vision, a sea of banners emerged from the distant fog, and countless cavalry charged toward Hanyang Pass, their army aura as immense and imposing as a mountain!

Xu Zhongxing pupils contracted slightly. He wasn’t expecting such an army aura at all. The Hanyang garrison currently numbered 50,000 troops. Had it been the original force, it might have been able to put up such an army aura. Unfortunately, Chen Dao and Yue Jinshan had drawn off many of the elite troops when the seat and new commanderies were established. As a result, the garrison’s army aura was far weaker than before. They would have to muster 30,000 or even 40,000 men to generate one matching the force on the distant horizon.

Of course, it was possible to obfuscate or exaggerate an army aura, and this army was currently on the march. Although there was the possibility they were putting on a show before the pass, it essentially represented their true strength and morale.

Beside him, Fan Donghe wore a grave expression. Moments later, he said, “This is a fierce, disciplined, and extremely powerful army.”

A skirmish general remarked, “It’s fortunate they’re willing to serve the court. With them holding the line in the west, our lives will be much easier.”

Fan Donghe gave a dark chuckle and said, “Easier? That remains to be seen. A wolf may hide its ambitions for a period, but it is only a matter of time before it is exposed.”

The force quickly drew nearer. Now, even the ordinary soldiers could see the massive character “Wei” emblazoned on their deep blue banners.

The force consisted entirely of cavalry—some 3,000 riders—all clad uniformly in blue armor with red trim. Although they were marching at a steady pace, their hooves stamped like thunder, and the air was thick with a murderous aura!

Shortly after reaching the outskirts of the pass, the troops changed course. Instead of entering the pass, they chose to circle around the city. The relevant documents had already been delivered to Hanyang Pass, so the generals within the pass all knew that this was the contingent escorting Wei Yuan, the Military Commissioner of Western Pacification, to the capital to pay his respects to the King of Jin.

Xu Zhongxing suddenly remarked, “Back when he journeyed west alone, I didn’t even know such a man existed. I never imagined he’d amass a cavalry force no weaker than the Nine Armies in less than a year!”

“Hmph. It might just be all show. If our elite troops hadn’t been redeployed, we’d be just as formidable!” retorted a commandant, clearly unconvinced.

Fan Donghe shot him a fierce glare before continuing to observe the cavalry. The more he looked, the more he frowned. “Something’s strange about this army aura. How can it be so strong when there are so little people? It’s almost absurdly strong.”

Xu Zhongxing had far superior eyesight, and he replied calmly, “That’s because there are many, many Dao Foundations among them. Perhaps eight hundred, perhaps even a thousand. The army aura is obscuring them, so it’s a bit hard to see clearly.”

Fan Donghe was startled. “That many!? Where did he find so many Dao Foundations? Could it be that every Dao Foundation in the entire Shattered Realm has gone to him?”

By now, the cavalry had already circled around the city gates. Watching the Wei banner grow smaller in the distance, Fan Donghe suddenly remarked, “Raising a tiger only invites disaster! How could His Majesty have appointed him as a military commissioner? It’s sheer folly!”

Xu Zhongxing shot him a fierce glare[1], and only then did Fan Donghe realize his mistake. Fortunately, he was surrounded by brothers-in-arms who he had fought alongside with for years. They probably wouldn’t report this to his superiors.

In the midst of the cavalry formation, Wei Yuan sat upright on his blue steed and advanced at a leisurely pace. He couldn’t feel the slightest jolt from the ride at all. At the moment, the army aura was uniting his troops into a single, cohesive entity. It might look like their pace was slow, but it was really the opposite. Moreover, they were a cavalry force. They could cover hundreds of li in just two hours.

Wei Yuan could sense that they were moving further and further away from the realm stone, Qingming. The Great Realm was gradually falling silent, his Dao energy was steadily diminishing, and even his body was growing weaker over time.

Riding next to him, Cui Yu sensed this and asked, “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. I just feel a bit weaker, that’s all.”

Cui Yu sighed. “If you ask me, we should have mobilized the entire army. Why keep such a low profile? There are plenty of people just waiting to cause you trouble in the Jin capital.”

Wei Yuan replied, “No, this number of troops is just right. Otherwise, the King of Jin might actually regret his decision. As for the troublemakers, heh, it won’t go as easy as they think.”

Cui Yu said, “There are traitors within the realm. They’ve spread the fact that you weaken outside of Qingming throughout the entire Jin capital. Already, many young men are rallying to fight you, hoping to make a name for themselves and use the opportunity to undermine the Palace’s prestige. When we get back, I believe it’s time we thoroughly purge our ranks.”

But Wei Yuan shook his head. “It’s unnecessary. There are already so many among us, and there will only be more in the future. Some people will inevitably slip in, just as some will inevitably leave us. Let it be.”

Cui Yu turned and said, “There’s another thing. When you assigned official posts this time, you didn’t reserve any positions for your fellow disciples from the Skyblue Hall. They’re privately a bit dissatisfied.”

Wei Yuan replied, “They arrived late and were sidelined by me for a while. They’ve basically done nothing during this time, so why should I give them any position? Don’t worry about them. There are plenty of battles ahead of us. Once they’ve earned their merits, there will naturally be positions for them. How is the situation in the north?”

Cui YU replied, “The Liao launched a massive southward invasion. The Western Jin’s frontlines had collapsed, and they only managed to stabilize the situation after reinstating King Ying[2]. They’d retreated several thousand li in a row and freed the Liao main force to launch a full-scale assault on our northern mountain gate. Most of the Palace’s forces had been redeployed to the north, and I heard that the situation there is quite dire. One of the reasons the King of Jin is holding an autumn hunt is to boost morale.”

“The autumn hunt....” Wei Yuan knew that that was the true highlight of this journey.

Thousands of iron cavalry rode day and night, covering over 100,000 li in a matter of weeks. As the climate shifted from sweltering humidity to biting cold and dryness, a massive, deep-gray city finally came into view before Wei Yuan. They called it Yingdu.

Yingdu, the capital of Western Jin, had originally been nothing more than a small frontier town. A thousand years ago, after the Lü clan came to power, they surprised everyone by establishing their capital in Ying—a small town that at the time had a population of only ten thousand.

Located on the edges of the northern plains, Ying had only been several hundred li away from the nearest Liao pastures back then. A Northern Liao iron cavalry could have reached the city gates in a single charge.

Over the following century, multiple generations of King of Jin had kept their armies on high alert, driving the Northern Liao forces back ten thousand li and laying the foundation for the current domain of Western Jin. In the generations that followed, some Jin rulers were incompetent, while others were diligent. At its greatest, Yingdu was a whopping 30,000 li from its closest border, and at its weakest, only 2,000 li.

The Northern Mountain Gate of the Palace of Absolute Beginning was also situated on the northern plains. The relationship between Western Jin and the Palace of Absolute Beginning fluctuated between closeness and distance, but overall, they had always been allies who watched over and aided one another and served as mutual pillars of support.

Over the course of several centuries, Ying transformed from a small town of 10,000 people into the vast metropolis of 2 million it was today, becoming a renowned city of the Great Tang.

At the western gate of Yingdu, the afternoon sun was streaming through the windows of a gatehouse and bathing its interior in a warm glow. The royal guard general on duty was leaning back in his chair and feeling his eyelids growing heavier by the minute.

Suddenly, a bugle horn rang out, jolting him awake and causing him to leap to his feet instinctively. An enemy attack?

A soldier burst into the gatehouse, shouting, “General Lin, there’s an army aura up ahead! It’s moving incredibly fast!”

General Lin grabbed his saber and rushed out of the door, gazing into the distance. Sure enough, an army aura had appeared on the distant horizon. It soared straight into the clouds and radiated clear, murderous intent.

General Lin was a veteran of countless battles. He had only recently been withdrawn from the northern border due to injury and reassigned to the royal guards. Thanks to his deep experience, he could tell at first glance that it would take at least 20,000 Liao barbarian cavalry to generate such an army aura.

Something wasn’t right, though. It was true they had just suffered a crushing defeat and ceded thousands of li of ground, but the front lines were still 10,000 li away from the capital. How could a Liao cavalry suddenly appear so close to the city?

As the soldier had reported, the army aura was moving at a remarkable speed. When the army finally came into view, General Lin strained his eyes to their limits and finally made out the deep blue armor trimmed with red, as well as the surname Wei on the banners.

A thought suddenly struck him. He pulled out his military register and flipped through it rapidly. His tense face finally relaxed, and he snapped at the soldier standing next to him. “You gave me a scare, dammit! That’s Military Commissioner Wei’s banner! Next time, make sure you take a proper look before blowing the horn!”

Suddenly, a commanding voice rang out from behind him. “Why was the alarm sounded?”

He turned around and saw a dark-skinned general with a square jaw standing behind him. Despite not raising his voice, he naturally exuded an air of authority. General Lin immediately stood at attention and answered, “Greetings, Commander of the Right Guard! It appears to be Military Commissioner Wei’s forces. My men failed to identify them clearly and sounded the alarm by mistake.”

The square-jawed general walked over to the edge and gazed at the incoming tide of iron cavalry. His pupils contracted, and he said slowly, “As expected of a border army—they are indeed fierce and formidable!”

The comment caught General Lin by surprise. “Border army? But they aren’t listed in the roster.”

The square-jawed general replied, “Consider their location—What else could they be if not a border army? This Wei Yuan....”

He left the sentence unfinished.

Moments later, the gates of the Jin capital swung wide open, and the iron cavalry of thousands poured into the city. General Lin stood on the city gate and watched as the riders galloped past one after another. The murderous aura they gave off was so thick it was suffocating.

Beside him, a young officer quietly stuck out his tongue and remarked, “Heavens above! Just how many people have they killed to accrue such a heavy murderous aura?”

General Lin replied, “How else could they have wiped out General Yue’s cavalry force of 10,000 entirely?”

“What? It was them?” The young officer’s mouth fell wide open.

General Lin nodded and said, “They’ve only recently come under Western Jin. Under no circumstances should you provoke them.”

The young officer smiled wryly. “How much gall would I need to have to dare provoke these gods of death?”

General Lin relaxed. However, he knew that there were plenty of audacious souls in the royal capital.

After Wei Yuan handed over the entry documents, his large cavalry force was led to a military encampment. Yingdu had additional walls built outside the main city walls, forming several citadels. These citadels were essentially oversized barbicans housing military encampments, and the large contingent Wei Yuan was stationed within one of them. He himself was permitted to take 100 personal guards with him and stay in a posthouse inside the city as he awaited an audience with the King of Jin.

After 1,000 years of development, the royal capital had become a bustling metropolis. Although the front lines had suffered repeated defeats, feasts and banquets were still taking place everywhere within the city.

One mansion house was ablaze with light, and a banquet was in full swing within a picturesque pavilion suspended halfway over a small lake. The guests were mostly young men, all of whom were dressed in lavish attires. One glance was enough to tell they came from distinguished backgrounds.

At the head of the table were three seats. In the center sat a young woman. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what about her was so beautiful, but the more one looked at her, the more one wanted to look at her. She was none other than the Princess of Ning of the State of Zhao.

The young man to her left wore robes embroidered with a cyan dragon. He was the 15th son of the current King of Jin. The young scion to her right exuded a profound aura, and his complexion glowed faintly with a jewel-like radiance. It was clear that he possessed exceptional cultivation. The fact he was allowed to sit beside her proved that his lineage was equally extraordinary—he was the heir of King Cheng.

Apart from these two, everyone else sharing a drink with the Princess of Ning was also of illustrious birth.

There were still a few empty seats at the time. It was at this moment a servant announced in a loud voice, “General Wang, Commander of the Right Guard of the Royal Guard, has arrived!”

A burly man with a square face stepped into the pavilion. Although he wore no armor, his military bearing was unmistakable. He first bowed to the 15th prince, then took his seat at the table.

Since everyone present was acquainted, one of the scions asked, “General Wang, I heard that a certain barbarian surnamed Wei from the western regions has entered the city today. He even scared the gate guards so much that they mistakenly sounded the alarm. Is he really that formidable?”

The square-jawed general replied, “They are indeed a fierce and formidable army.”

Another scion snorted and sneered. “No matter how skilled this fellow may be, he still dared to offend the Princess of Ning. This young master can’t wait to experience the supreme martial arts of the Palace of Absolute Beginning firsthand!”

The scion had spoken without restraint, causing the expressions of those at the table to grow somewhat awkward.

Generally speaking, the aristocracy of various nations were quite unconstrained. This was especially true among the royal families where many of them, male or female, led lives of unrestrained indulgence. For instance, it was not uncommon for a princess to have had countless lovers before she even turned 20.

That day, news of the Zhao delegation being hijacked by the Heaven Fighting Gang and the Princess of Ning being humiliated as a result had spread faster than a message delivered by a flying sword. The crowd actually didn’t care that the princess was humiliated; they had treated it like she’d been bitten by a dog, or had simply chosen an unsavory companion in a drunken stupor.

What they really relished discussing was how the bandit had completed his deed in a matter of breaths; from the moment he climbed into the carriage to the moment he stepped out. The royal capital was teeming with well-connected, incredibly influential individuals, and they all knew about the Heaven Fighting Gang’s true origins. Naturally, they knew exactly who had broken into the princess’ carriage.

The rumor was only compounded by Feng Lin—the general who had lost his post due to dereliction of duty—who stubbornly insisted from his prison cell that he had definitely heard noises from inside the carriage, and that the horse bandit had definitely carried out the deed. Thus, the incident became a laughingstock and a curious anecdote that rapidly spread throughout the entire Western Jin official circles like wildfire following Wei Yuan’s appointment as a military commissioner.

Even before Wei Yuan’s iron cavalry had entered the capital, the nickname “Three Thrusts Wei” had already spread throughout the royal city.

1. If you noticed, it’s the same sentence as above earlier. They’re passing down mannerisms lol. ☜

2. Did I ever mention why I chose to name someone King of XX and others King XX? This is the reason. Despite sharing the same title one is an actual king of a state and the other is not. This novel is already confusing enough in Chinese and I believe neither you nor I need more of it in the translation. ☜