Final Preparations

In a pavilion in the east of the city, the wing room was quiet. Xu Yuan sat alone behind a desk piled high with dossiers, repeatedly verifying several crucial pieces of information within the records. He could draft the overarching plan, but whether it could actually be executed demanded a wealth of specialized knowledge. Forced into this position, there was much Xu Yuan had to learn on the fly. Fortunately, he had that older woman Lou Ji by his side. Lou Ji was far better than Luo Daofan, that old grandpa who knew nothing when asked. Whenever there was something he didn't understand, he could just ask her directly. She could answer the vast majority of questions, and even if she couldn't, she could immediately consult others via the Heavenly Communication Crystal. After compiling all the intelligence, Xu Yuan discovered that the Barbarian King was truly a desperate gambler. Throughout history, only a handful of battles had earned eternal fame through unconventional surprise moves; most who tried such gambits had only played themselves into an early grave. If their positions were reversed, and Xu Yuan stood in the Barbarian King's shoes... He would most likely have already taken his tribes under the cover of this heavy snow and retreated deep into the snow plains with the rich spoils they had previously seized. Everything cut both ways. By bypassing the steep mountain ranges to circle south of Beifeng City, the Barbarians had not only severed the supply lines of Great Yan's seven hundred thousand elite troops, but they had severed their own grain route as well. Had the garrison inside Beifeng City not been so hollow, or had the blizzards subsided during the month it took them to cross the mountains, all several hundred thousand of those Barbarians would have left their bones beneath these walls. As Xu Yuan was pondering, *Creak—* The door of the wing room swung open, and a voluptuous figure pushed her way inside. Hearing the sound, Xu Yuan immediately looked up and asked, "How is the situation?" Swaying her hips, Lou Ji walked over, took a seat across the desk, sipped some tea, and handed Xu Yuan a brief report. "They've pulled back into the city. The surprise assault, coordinated with our aerial demonic beasts from inside the city, caused quite a bit of chaos for the Barbarians. Here's a summary of how it went." Xu Yuan reached out, took it, and skimmed through. A clear picture formed in his mind. Aerial demonic beasts carrying Source Crystal bombs bombed the Barbarian military arrays deploying to the east of the city to draw attention, while three thousand heavy cavalry thundered out from the south of the city to carve a path, followed by seven thousand heavy infantry formed in battle arrays to press the attack. The moment the two armies clashed, though the Barbarians had some preparations, a breach was still torn in their battle array because they were in the middle of redeploying forces to encircle Beifeng City. Unfortunately, once the Barbarian host manifested their war totem, they immediately stabilized the front lines and dispatched wolf riders to encircle and crush the raiding Black Scale Army. After reading the report closely, Xu Yuan let out a sigh. "Barely over ten thousand Black Scale troops, and over half were lost in less than an hour. The Barbarians truly brought the bulk of their main forces." Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment before asking Lou Ji, "What about Yuan Hao?" "He's back, but the moment he entered the city, Wuyuan had him detained." Lou Ji sighed as she spoke. "Judging by Wuyuan's look, if Yuan Hao can't provide a reasonable explanation, she seems intent on executing him." Xu Yuan frowned. "Executing him?" Sortieing from the city to attack and achieving such results under absolute numerical inferiority, and even withdrawing half of his men—a general of Yuan Hao's caliber certainly shouldn't be executed like that. Seeing his reaction, Lou Ji smiled faintly and comforted him, "Of course, Wuyuan is probably just venting. After all, didn't you tell Yuan Hao earlier to pin the blame squarely on the head of the Chancellor's Manor in the Northern Border?" Xu Yuan felt a sense of relief. As they spoke, Lou Ji's brows arched slightly. She gave Xu Yuan a shushing gesture, retrieved the Heavenly Communication Crystal from her Sumeru ring, and said, "To what do I owe the honor of Your Highness contacting me?" "Chief Lou." Li Qingyan's raspy voice emerged from the crystal, curt and direct. "Did you order Yuan Hao to sortie from the city?" Lou Ji winked at Xu Yuan and replied with a coquettish chuckle, "You could say that. Is there a problem?" Li Qingyan's tone betrayed neither joy nor anger. "I do not know what you are scheming, but I do not wish to see this happen a second time." Lou Ji narrowed her eyes and asked, "I'm afraid I cannot make such a promise to Your Highness. Though I am rather curious—if it does happen a second time, do you plan to use the grand formation to slay me?" "......" Faced with this provocative remark, Li Qingyan made no empty threats; threats one could not carry out were the height of childishness. Lou Ji could not die. Anyone could die, but not her. Many Black Scale Guards operated via direct vertical communication. Without her, the entire intelligence network would be crippled. On this point, both sides understood perfectly. After a brief silence on the other end, the temperature in Li Qingyan's voice dropped slightly. "Send Xu Changtian back." *Pfft.* Lou Ji scoffed. "Didn't Your Highness just lend Changtian to me? I haven't had my fill of him yet." Li Qingyan's voice was measured and deliberate. "Tonight, I find myself missing my prince consort. It hardly seems appropriate for him to stay overnight with you, Chief Lou." Lou Ji replied with a sweet smile, "What's inappropriate about it? Changtian has loved sleeping in the same room as me since he was a boy." Li Qingyan's tone turned completely frigid. "Since you are so fond of him, once I am wed, why doesn't Chief Lou enter the household as a concubine?" "......" Just as Lou Ji was about to fire back with a biting retort, she saw Xu Yuan shake his head at her. In truth, Xu Yuan was quite content to watch the spectacle from the sidelines. When two domineering women clashed, this was the inevitable result—neither yielding an inch. If cultivation permitted, with Li Qingyan's temper, she would probably have come to blows with this older woman Lou Ji. However, Xu Yuan understood the true meaning behind their words. On the surface, Li Qingyan and Lou Ji appeared to be fighting over him, but in reality, one wanted to take him as a hostage to keep the Chancellor's Manor in check, while the other wanted to whisk him out of the city and flee. Seeing Xu Yuan's gesture, Lou Ji knitted her brows and sent a voice transmission: "Changtian, are you truly not leaving the city? If you don't go now, you really might never be able to leave." Xu Yuan smiled faintly and transmitted back, "Didn't you say earlier, Sister, that even the scions of sect masters and elders were stopped by Li Qingyan?" Lou Ji's voice turned slightly stern. "They were stopped because their status wasn't exalted enough. You are different, Changtian." "Sister, I know I'm different." Xu Yuan gave a soft chuckle, but then shook his head calmly and looked toward the south of the city. "In this position, one must bear its responsibility. Ten thousand soldiers of the Black Scale Army defied death at a single command of mine; I naturally cannot fail their sacrifice. I need to stay in Beifeng City and see certain things through." Lou Ji gave Xu Yuan a complex look. She terminated the connection with the Heavenly Communication Crystal and asked solemnly, "Changtian, with things taking such a turn, I have to personally transport the Cloud Qi Bombs and those Sumeru rings, so I won't be able to stay by your side afterward. Are you certain you want to do this?" "Yes." Xu Yuan nodded with equal solemnity. "Very well..." Lou Ji sighed softly. Xu Yuan smiled faintly and half-joked, "Thank you. I thought if I refused to listen, you were going to knock me out and carry me away." Lou Ji rolled her eyes. "I certainly wanted to, but your father told me to support your decisions. I'll give you the contact details for several undercover agents inside the city. If the city falls, they will do everything in their power to help you escape." Xu Yuan cut the chatter and tapped on the desk. "Sister, that's settled, then. Until we meet again. But before you leave, I have a few things for you to do—could you take a look and see if they're feasible?" Lou Ji pouted with a touch of playful grievance. "Our Changtian is getting better and better at ordering people around. Speak, then. If your sister can do it, she certainly will." "......" "......" "......" Once everything was arranged, Lou Ji gave Xu Yuan a generous embrace and departed. Xu Yuan rode alone in a carriage toward the Beifeng Commandery Office, where Li Qingyan was stationed. Half an hour later, outside the gates of the commandery office. Along this wide avenue, gazettes and official notices were posted on both sides. The rushing military patrols and the ruts of carts hauling siege-defense equipment had churned the snow into slush. After presenting the medallion of the Chancellor's Manor, Xu Yuan passed unimpeded into the commandery office. Inside, security was heavily fortified. Tall, burly soldiers kept their hands on their weapons, guarding their posts. The moment he stepped into the drill grounds outside the inner hall, Xu Yuan unconsciously halted in his tracks. Several burly men clad in thin hemp garments knelt in the snow with their hands bound behind their backs, while behind them stood armored soldiers holding broadswords. Their cultivation was not weak: two fourth ranks, two fifth ranks. Among them were officers of the Black Scale Guards, as well as officers of the Yulin Guards responsible for defending the city gates. Two of each. As he was thinking, the blades fell. *Clang—* Heads thumped to the ground and rolled across the earth, while crimson blood gushed from the severed necks, stark and jarring against the vast white expanse of snow. "......" Seeing this spectacle, Xu Yuan knew in his heart that this was Li Qingyan giving him a show of force, so he displayed just the right touch of astonishment. Holding it for three breaths, he composed his expression and, with a furrowed brow, resumed his steps forward. He suddenly realized just how much he had changed. Over this past year or so, he had grown accustomed to bloodshed, almost numb to the sight of heads rolling. Along his journey, his hands had been stained with the blood of many. There was blood of enemies, of innocents, and now of his own people as well. With a sigh, Xu Yuan climbed the stairs and entered the military council hall.