The Charges

Decades later, when the Qingming army marched deep into Western Jin once more, it had transformed into a force entirely unrecognizable from before. As the grand army set forth, its military aura stood square and unyielding, as if cast from iron. Viewed from afar amid the dust rolling across the earth, it seemed as though mountains of cast iron were slowly advancing across the land. At the same time, Wei Yuan, in his capacity as Prince Wei and Minister Overseeing the Grand Council of Military Affairs, issued several proclamations in rapid succession. Enumerating seven great crimes committed by Lu Changhe, he declared that he was relieving the monarch of his burdens and mobilizing troops to punish the rebel. The moment these proclamations went out, the world was shaken. Within the ancestral lands of the Lu clan in Ganzhou, amid a realm of ice and snow, there remained a pocket of land warm as spring, its pool smooth as a mirror. Beside the pool sat a youth, engrossed in fishing. In his hand was a bare fishing rod without any visible line, yet it was bent taut, as though some massive fish were struggling violently in the depths of the pool. Lu Changhe, wearing the guise of a youth, had a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, seemingly laboring under considerable strain. At that moment, several beautiful female cultivators hurried over. Halting several zhang away, they said respectfully, "Immortal Ancestor, we have assembled today's summary of key matters." Lu Changhe gave a slight nod. One of the female cultivators immediately reported the newly tallied revenues of the Ten Commanderies of Southern Gan. The northern autumn harvest had just concluded, marking the traditional time for tallying the year's yields. Across the Lu clan's traditional holdings in Ganzhou, total revenue this year had risen by thirty percent compared to prior years. This was an exceptionally conspicuous increase, driven primarily by gains in mineral output. The underlying reason was the introduction of Qingming's mining and underground blasting techniques, alongside large purchases of gunpowder from Qingming. Early on, Lu Changhe had ordered his craftsmen to replicate gunpowder. With his discerning immortal eye, he had easily deduced the formulation, even seeing through the composition of explosives Qingming synthesized from fertilizer. Once the formula was known, manufacturing should not have been difficult. Everyone thought so, including Lu Changhe. Yet after years of replication efforts, their output still failed to meet even a tenth of demand, while their production cost was over ten times that of Qingming's gunpowder. None of the craftsmen could pinpoint why, and every single spy dispatched into Qingming was uncovered, without exception. For spies caught prying into industrial and technical secrets, Qingming imposed only one sentence: decapitation. Regardless of identity or extenuating circumstances, every spy and informant was executed; no pleas for mercy were entertained. Under the surveillance of the Zhou Tian Celestial Stars Array, it was already easy for spies to expose themselves. What proved truly lethal was that Ji Liuli periodically performed divination for covert operatives using the Heavenly Secret Grand Array. Empowered further by Wei Yuan's mortal karmic luck, the Heavenly Secret Grand Array attained an extraordinarily high realm. Beneath the rank of immortal, no one could withstand its divination. Many highly trained spies, despite having taken no suspicious action and leaving no flaws, were nevertheless ferreted out and met bizarre ends. Thus, even to this day, Lu Changhe had never determined why Qingming's gunpowder could be produced in such vast quantities and at such cheap prices. He had attempted to divine the answer through his fishing technique, only for his rod to snap upon the first try. Lu Changhe instantly recognized that the karmic entanglement surrounding Qingming was terrifyingly immense, and he never dared attempt it again. Though this year's yields were substantial, the broader situation offered no cause for cheer, for all the increases were ultimately owed to Qingming. Now, Qingming had imposed a complete embargo on supplies, meaning that within half a month, most mines in Ganzhou would be forced to halt operations. Once the first female cultivator finished reporting the harvest, another stepped forward. She hesitated visibly, coming before Lu Changhe only after being firmly shoved forward by a peer. Lu Changhe frowned slightly. "Whatever it is, speak." Trembling with fear, the female cultivator said, "Qingming has mobilized a million troops, claiming they are on a punitive expedition against Ganzhou..." Lu Changhe grew noticeably impatient. "I know that already. Get to the point!" The young, alluring woman with a striking figure replied, "That man just issued a proclamation to the entire world, listing your seven great crimes. Using this pretext, he has launched a punitive campaign and invited the world to join the crusade." Lu Changhe let out a cold sneer. "What seven crimes?" The young woman's face turned deathly pale and her body trembled, but she had no choice but to answer. "First crime: disrespecting the sovereign." Lu Changhe merely sneered, offering no remark. The King of Jin was merely his junior, nothing more than a decrepit elder clinging to life. How could he possibly deserve an immortal's respect? "Second: defying the laws of the imperial court. Third: annexing farmland. Fourth: forcibly demolishing civilian homes... Sixth: abducting civilian women..." Lu Changhe began with cold amusement, but as the list continued, astonishment overtook him. What sort of absurd accusations were these? Those later offenses might believably be pinned on a county magistrate or local bullies, but to level them against an immortal, and to mobilize an army of a million under their pretext—was this not an utter farce? Who in the world would take such a proclamation seriously? As an immortal, Lu Changhe possessed thought as swift as lightning. In the span of a breath, countless notions flashed through his mind, and he instantly grasped Wei Yuan's intention! These charges were so petty they were like child's play; even the crudest layman could see it. Wei Yuan was proclaiming to the entire world that, in his eyes, Lu Changhe was worthy of only these kinds of crimes. What immortal? He was nothing more than lowlife scum. Having grasped this, a flicker of anger stirred within Lu Changhe's heart, though it went no further than that. Provoking even a trace of irritation from him was already a notable feat on Wei Yuan's part. Yet at that very moment, the female cultivator recited the final charge: "Seven: harvesting the vitality of beautiful descendants from his own clan..." *Snap!* The fishing rod abruptly snapped in two! The faces of the beautiful female cultivators drained of color; some even spun around to flee. Yet how could their speed rival that of an immortal? With a gentle flick of his fingernail, Lu Changhe struck down the group of women. They collapsed soundlessly to the ground, all breath extinguished. A deep purple flush surged across Lu Changhe's face before slowly receding. He closed his eyes, opening them after several breaths once his composure had fully returned. Tossing the broken rod into the pool, he manifested a new one in his hand. With a shift of his divine sense, several masked figures clad in black emerged from the shadows and dragged away the corpses. A moment later, several other female cultivators hurried over. Their appearances were completely identical to the women who had just been dragged away! One of them stepped forward, visibly cowed, and delivered a report on the defensive deployments along the Ganzhou front line. Lu Changhe listened in silence, offering no response. As the remaining women completed their reports one by one, he remained completely motionless. Feeling as though they had received a royal pardon, the women took their leave as swiftly as flight. *** Within the Hall of Mountains and Rivers in Qingming, Wei Yuan was reviewing war plans. For this campaign against the Lu clan, seizing fortresses and conquering territory on the battlefield were secondary considerations; the administrative strategies tailored to support the war numbered well over a hundred. In newly occupied territories, every resident's status would be thoroughly verified. All farmland belonging to the Lu clan would be confiscated, claimed by Qingming, and redistributed equally among landless paupers. All mines and workshops would likewise be confiscated and placed under Qingming's unified management. Meanwhile, a centralized grain-supply system would be instituted across occupied zones. Qingming would transport grain inward and distribute rations free of charge to the destitute, ensuring that every person within occupied lands had enough to eat. This was Wei Yuan's baseline. So long as individuals were not guilty of heinous atrocities, even shiftless idlers deserved the right to a full belly under Qingming's rule. Once implemented, these measures would instantly swing the hearts of the populace. As for the obstinate diehards of the Lu bloodline, Wei Yuan's handling was equally straightforward, summed up in a single word: execute. As for the pretexts and charges, Wei Yuan would pin them with resisting the royal forces if he was in a good mood; if not, he wouldn't bother inventing an excuse at all. Looking across the world today, who would dare criticize him to his face? Just then, a faint wisp of sword qi descended before Wei Yuan. From the sword qi emerged a palm-sized Zhang Sheng, who said coldly, "What is the meaning of those childish accusations you published?!" Wei Yuan started, asking hurriedly, "Are you talking about the seventh charge?" "No! Excluding the seventh."