After all the cultivators had voiced their opinions and the options were weighed, Wei Yuan said, "Ding'an City will not be abandoned. Open the storehouses, take out the city-protecting formation dismantled from Hanyang Pass, and deploy it... here!"
Wei Yuan reached out and pointed to the high ground behind Ding'an City, drawing a circle that encompassed the rear half of the city, including the castellan's seat.
Wei Yuan continued, "Martial Uncle Yu, please lead a team to survey this area and see what kind of fortifications can be built as a secondary line of defense in the event Ding'an City falls.
"Martial Uncle Sun, we need to set up a wartime medical clinic immediately. I will allocate the area where Jia Wood Life-Mystic is thickest to you. You have at most thirty days; train as many apprentices as possible. They only need to know how to treat wounds."
Sun Yu nodded, then said, "I will also need a group of quick-witted people for caretaking duties. They must be literate."
Wei Yuan recalled how he had once suffered from an overdose of flesh-sprouting powder dumped on him back in the Hall of Xuanming, immediately recognizing the importance of proper care. He approved a quota of a thousand recruits for Sun Yu to select as he saw fit.
Old Daoist Chuhe, on the other hand, had already begun planting along the front lines. It was a type of briar grass that grew wild once scattered—a favorite food of the Shamans' poisonous monitors, which helped their digestion. But the batch bred by Old Daoist Chuhe was naturally mutated; any poisonous monitor that ate it would be poisoned and weakened for at least seven or eight days.
With the various matters settled, Wei Yuan hesitated for a moment before steeling his resolve. "Distribute armor and weapons to the mortals."
Everyone fell silent.
Cui Yu said, "Recently, mortals have begun attempting to leave Qingming. Several hundred have already been intercepted at the borders. How should we handle them?"
Bao Yun rolled her eyes at him. "Does that even need to be asked?"
Cui Yu immediately came to his senses. "I know what to do."
Wei Yuan cut him off. "Never mind, I will make this call. No one is permitted to leave Qingming. Gather all the elderly and children who cannot fight at all, and send them east to Xuanwei Seven for temporary shelter."
"What about the merchant caravans?"
"Caravans are free to come and go, but they may not take strategic supplies. Furthermore, lease their guard contingents—preferably on credit."
Wei Yuan proceeded to issue a rapid series of orders, mobilizing every ounce of Qingming's strength to prepare for war.
Finally, Wei Yuan fell into deep thought for a moment before asking Zhang Sheng, "Will Zhao send aid?"
Zhang Sheng said, "Zhao will come after we have been battered and crippled."
"Then we cannot count on them." Wei Yuan tapped his fingers absently against the table, then said resolutely, "Publicly appeal to the King of Zhao for aid! And while we are at it, appeal to the King of Ji and the Tang Court as well!"
Zhang Sheng said flatly, "Doing so is slapping the King of Zhao in the face in broad daylight."
"If they send reinforcements earlier, it won't be a slap in the face," Wei Yuan replied.
Li Zhi said, "There is still some chance Zhao will send reinforcements. Why don't we wait a bit first? Otherwise, with this approach, the King of Zhao might turn furious from embarrassment and refuse to send any troops at all. If Qingming falls, you will also lose a route of retreat."
Wei Yuan said coldly, "If Qingming cannot hold, what route of retreat would I need? But none of those sitting around will get to watch the tigers fight from the mountain. If Qingming falls, they can forget about saving face. The history books will be sure to leave a mark on them."
Li Zhi frowned. "Perhaps hold off on submitting a memorial to the Emperor of Tang?"
Wei Yuan said casually, "If I don't submit a memorial to the Emperor of Tang, how will the imperial historians record the shamelessness of the King of Jin, the King of Zhao, and the great clans?"
Cui Yu said, "I will ask the elders of my clan to step forward and see if they can persuade the King of Zhao."
Wei Yuan hesitated, then sighed. "All right, give it a try first. But you have only three days."
Once the council concluded, Li Zhi remained behind alone and said, "Worthy brother, why go to such lengths? What harm is there in letting Zhao look on with cold detachment?"
Wei Yuan shook his head. "Back during the Karma Great Curse, I had already had enough of bystanders watching coldly from the sidelines. Now that a formidable enemy bears down upon us, I must make use of every shred of potential strength. I want the King of Zhao to understand that failing to save Qingming will cost him as well!"
Li Zhi frowned. "Why are you so certain the King of Zhao will not dispatch troops?"
"Intuition."
Li Zhi was stunned, then sighed. "I originally thought that with proper persuasion, the King of Zhao would still enter the field once the battle reached its middle stage—at worst, by promising him more concessions."
Wei Yuan looked Li Zhi up and down, then suddenly asked, "Do you still have any protective magical treasures? Preferably scapegoat talismans or the like."
Li Zhi was somewhat baffled. "They were all used up during the Karma Great Curse last time. Why do you ask?"
"Hurry and prepare two more."
Li Zhi became instantly alert. "Do you think mortal peril hangs over me? But that doesn't make sense—why hasn't my karmic luck warned me?"
Wei Yuan was rather surprised. "Your karmic luck can do that?"
Li Zhi said, "The cultivation art I practice is unique, and karmic luck has many uses. When major danger approaches, I always experience a premonition in advance. Wait a moment, I have another magical treasure..."
Li Zhi retrieved a pitch-black pearl and said, "This is an Erhai Merfolk Pearl. If it is over a thousand years old, it can test one's current karmic luck. A one-foot beam of golden light corresponds to ten feet of karmic luck."
Holding the pearl, Li Zhi channeled his Dharmic power into it. The merfolk pearl lit up with only a faint, finger-sized glimmer, like a candle flame that could be snuffed out by the wind at any second. Judging from this light, Li Zhi's karmic luck at this moment was likely less than a single foot.
Li Zhi was greatly shocked. Wei Yuan, looking puzzled, remarked, "Could this magical treasure of yours be broken?"
Li Zhi tried several more times, but the result was the same each time. He shoved it into Wei Yuan's hand. "You try."
Wei Yuan channeled Dao power into it according to the chant. Suddenly, a blinding flash erupted before them, turning the entire world into a vast white void where nothing could be seen.
Caught completely off guard, both were blinded by the glare. When their sight finally cleared, they saw the merfolk pearl in Wei Yuan's hand had already shattered into pieces.
"It really was broken," Wei Yuan said, handing the fragments back to Li Zhi.
Li Zhi was at a loss for words.
***
In Haojing, imperial capital of Great Tang.
The throne of the Tang Son of Heaven sat vacant. On a dais one level below, another chair was placed, where a man with a purplish-red complexion, thick eyebrows, and qilin-like eyes sat in princely robes, high and aloof.
The one seated so grandly above was none other than the King of Jin of Great Tang.
This King of Jin was not that King of Jin; he was the grand-uncle of Emperor Xuan. By the ancestral laws of Great Tang, originally only members of the imperial family could be made kings. However, in the past, when the peerless, all-powerful chancellor Xu Yan had risen beyond any remaining honors, he was ultimately enfeoffed as the King of Jin, with his fief spanning what is today the Three Jin lands. After Xu Yan's death, the State of Jin was divided into three, becoming present-day Western Jin, Eastern Jin, and Southern Jin. All that remained of the original Xu family now was Southern Jin.
With the precedent of Jin established, the rulers of the Nine Kingdoms subsequently declared themselves kings one after another, and Great Tang's ritual system broke down completely. Later, the Nine Kingdoms began conferring kingships on their own as well, sending all manner of princes and dukes fluttering across the realm. Thenceforth, any kings enfeoffed by the Tang Court had "Great Tang" affixed before their title to distinguish them from the rest.
Emperor Xuan was already young. A year ago, the imperial throne suddenly collapsed, frightening him so badly that he fell ill and had remained bedridden ever since. The Empress Dowager, who had been ruling from behind the curtain, also took a fall and had to recuperate. The King of Jin of Great Tang took advantage of the opportunity to assume the regency.
The Hall of Imperial Governance of Great Tang stood thirty zhang high, a hundred zhang in length and width, supported by only nine massive pillars—a structure of magnificent and majestic proportions.
At this moment, from the very rear of the assembled ministers beneath the dais, a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and memorialized, "A memorial has arrived from Wei Yuan, Military Commissioner of Dingxi of Western Jin of Great Tang, reporting that the Shamans have invaded the Western Regions in force with overwhelming military strength that cannot be resisted alone. He requests that the Imperial Court dispatch troops for relief. Furthermore, he presents a tribute of one thousand bolts of cloud brocade and ten longevity-extending treasure pills!"
A hum of chatter immediately rippled through the hall as the ministers burst into discussion.
With the Tang Court in decline, all the officials discussed in court day in and day out were either the mundane affairs of the imperial direct domains or wars with foreign races. Yet truth be told, wars with foreign races had little to do with the Tang Court anymore; like Song, the Tang Court's territory was completely hemmed in on all sides and bordered no foreign races.
The eight kingdoms each fought their own battles against the foreign races, neither expecting aid from the Tang Court nor caring to heed the Tang Court's nagging. If the Tang Court were to send an envoy, they likely wouldn't even gain audience with a king.
The ministers discussed foreign campaigns merely to show that they cared for all under heaven, airing a few opinions and nothing more.
Thus, Wei Yuan's memorial petitioning the court for aid was an occurrence unprecedented in many years. The officials were thrilled, each inquiring who this Wei Yuan was, only to end up looking at one another in total bewilderment.
The minor official who stepped forward was merely a vice minister, but being in the Ministry of Rites, he was naturally half a rank higher than his counterparts in the other five ministries. This was a distinctive feature of Great Tang: rites were considered paramount, giving the Ministry of Rites elevated prestige.
Once the assembled officials quieted down a little, the King of Jin of Great Tang asked for their opinions.
The ministers debated for a time, some in favor and some against. Then, an elderly man of distinguished bearing stepped forward. He was astoundingly a cultivator of the Scenery Command realm as well, none other than the Grand Minister of Works, one of the current Three Excellencies.
Stroking his beard, he said slowly, "A border official submitting a memorial to petition for aid is a sign that the vassal states are waning and the Tang Court is reviving! This request must not be refused under any circumstances. Otherwise, it will surely chill the hearts of loyal subjects across the realm and make the Nine Kingdoms even more overbearing."
A military officer spoke up, "However, the Western Regions are distant. Reinforcements sent there must travel a million li; I fear distant water cannot quench an immediate thirst."
The Grand Minister of Works already had a plan in mind. "The Western Regions are a savage wilderness long outside the reach of civilization. They undoubtedly know nothing of rites or military science. The court need only send a thousand officers to the Western Regions to lead the local troops, accompanied by a senior general to oversee operations. This will both stabilize the situation and display the majesty of our Tang Court."
From his seat, the King of Jin of Great Tang nodded slowly. "The Minister of Works speaks reason. Let it be so: dispatch General Anyuan, Wei Boyang, leading one thousand imperial guards to the Western Regions."
A burly general stepped out from among the military ranks and said in a deep voice, "This general shall surely sweep away the foreign race and return victorious!"
The King of Jin of Great Tang said, "I hear the Western Regions are already Shattered Lands. General Wei, you must not be careless on this journey. If otherworldly abominations set their sights upon you, it will be no small matter."
"This general understands."
The ministers then discussed routine affairs of state for a while longer until the appointed hour arrived, whereupon the court was dismissed.
The King of Jin of Great Tang exited the Hall of Imperial Governance through a side door at the rear. This doorway had originally been reserved exclusively for the Emperor of Tang, but the Empress Dowager had used it during her regency, and now the King of Jin used it during his. Not a single person dared utter a word.
Stepping out of the Hall of Imperial Governance, the King of Jin turned toward the palace exit corridor and asked his attendants, "How is the Emperor's health today?"
"Still frail, Your Highness. He can only manage a few steps out of bed with difficulty."
"Instruct the imperial physicians to tend to his recovery with great care. Also, who is this Wei Yuan? Have a dossier on him delivered to my study."
A short while later, after reading through Wei Yuan's dossier in detail, the King of Jin of Great Tang instructed, "Have General Wei lead three thousand imperial guards and take a large ship—no, let him take my personal vessel!"
Somewhat surprised, the attendant took the order and withdrew.
The King of Jin suddenly sneered, muttering to himself, "Li Shenji, oh Li Shenji... if the fanfare isn't grand enough, how can I roast you over the fire?"
Chapter 479