The Confluence, Dongqing Plain, Kuiwei Palace Mound.
As Zhao Zhenye rode his dragon-snouted warhorse across the land, he saw sentry posts and military camps spread out densely across the plains and hills like pieces on a chessboard. Based on a rough count of what was visible to the naked eye alone, there were roughly sixty to seventy thousand troops.
Various domesticated Confluence creatures wheeled through the skies overhead. Several of them were colossal, seemingly capable of occupying an entire mountaintop when landing. Smaller fowl cried out in rhythmic, alternating long and short calls from time to time, evidently relaying messages down to the ground.
Following a cavalry squad carrying the grand banner of the General of State Subjugation, he rode along the dust-churned road, navigating layers of sentry posts, trenches, and checkpoints fortified with bunkers and barrier netting, until they arrived before the central command tent.
At that moment, the reception drum outside the entrance sounded twice in quick succession, its hollow thuds reverberating straight into the inner tent.
The cavalry squad came to a halt, and every rider dismounted.
Removing his helmet, Gai Shuhe said, "Brother Zhao, I didn't have a chance to ask on the road. How do you feel? Has your trouble been resolved?"
"Many thanks for recommending that Chan temple, General Gai," Zhao Zhenye said. "It was very effective. The disturbance no longer troubles me."
Gai Shuhe nodded and said no more.
After waiting for a brief moment, the entrance flap of the tent was pushed aside, and an officer stepped out. Bowing with cupped hands toward the two men, he said concisely, "The general requests your presence."
The pair passed through the camp perimeter fence and drew aside the entrance curtain. On both sides of the path leading into the command tent stood a line of duty-bound warriors guarding the post, each clad in full-face heavy plate armor topped with a white plume, standing in opposing ranks holding battle-axes and halberds.
A single glance told Zhao Zhenye that these were elite soldiers picked from a hundred. Without a martial artist holding the line, a force like this could shatter an army of several thousand in mere moments, whether equipped with modern or traditional arms.
Reaching the end of the aisle, the tent curtain was lifted. Zhao Zhenye and Gai Shuhe walked together into the great tent. The interior was vast, easily capable of accommodating a hundred people. Seated in the center was the commander of this army: Su Kuo, the imperial General of Eastern Subjugation.
Even seated, this man appeared nearly three meters tall. Vast though the tent was, he seemed to command an entire side of the room on his own. Clad in dark armor inlaid with gilded accents, his complexion held a faint, pale greenish tint. Sitting there motionless, he resembled a temple deity's statue brought to life.
Zhao Zhenye looked at him. One did not achieve such a station without formidable personal strength; even Zhao Zhenye felt a faint prickle of danger.
Seated to Su Kuo's right was a woman veiled and dressed in traditional blue-green robes, a slender rapier resting at her side. She appeared taller than an average man, yet beside Su Kuo's immense frame, she looked remarkably petite.
Noticing the yellow finch embroidered on her cuffs, Zhao Zhenye narrowed his eyes slightly. Having dealt extensively with the former imperial house, he could tell she was an Embroidered Insignia Emissary dispatched by the throne.
These were internal guards reporting directly to the imperial house, holding no ordinary status. Deeply concealed though her presence was, there was no doubt she had attained the realm of Bearing the Mysterious Mechanism.
That meant, including Gai Shuhe, three "Mysterious Mechanism generals" from the former imperial house were gathered in this single tent.
Such an occurrence was extraordinarily rare.
He knew well that the number of martial artists serving the former imperial house fell far short of Great Shun's numbers. Every front line where they faced off was stretched to its absolute breaking point, requiring their top-tier assets to be parceled out with extreme care. If an issue arose anywhere, the central imperial leadership had to dispatch immediate reinforcements just to hold the line.
This was precisely why, once Wei Guochan fell, the former imperial house lacked the strength to reclaim the Jibei Dao Confluence. Nearly all of their forces were pinned down elsewhere, incapable of shifting position unless the central throne intervened directly.
Should crises erupt across several territories simultaneously, they would have virtually no way to cope, and a total collapse along their front lines might occur in an instant.
Fortunately for them, Great Shun was not a monolithic bloc either. Far from collaborating seamlessly, individual Center Cities could not even synchronize their communications; each remained an isolated information island.
Yet that had been in the past. The advent of the Skyline posed far too dire a threat. Any Center City linked to the Skyline could share technical resources and intelligence, pool its military might, and execute unified, coordinated commands.
Great Shun would not even need that many Center Cities connected. Marshaling merely one-third of its collective strength would suffice to crush the former imperial house in a frontal confrontation. It was little wonder the imperial leadership was growing frantic.
Evidently recognizing Zhao Zhenye from past dealings, Su Kuo raised a hand in greeting. "Mr. Zhao, thank you for taking the time to come. Please, take a seat."
Despite holding the prestigious post of General of Eastern Subjugation, he exhibited none of a military man's overbearing arrogance. His voice was courteous, carrying an air of respect toward talent.
Zhao Zhenye sat down to one side, turned toward Su Kuo, and said, "Thank you for the invitation, General Su. General Gai mentioned that you had an urgent matter to discuss with me. Now that I am here, may we speak plainly?"
"Mr. Zhao, this is not the first time we have collaborated," Su Kuo said. "I shall get straight to the point.
"Previously, General Wei advanced rashly, underestimating the enemy. His defeat and death cost us our territory within the Jibei Dao Confluence, ceding it to Great Shun. His Majesty was deeply troubled by this news. As his subjects, it is our duty to relieve our sovereign of his burdens." As he spoke, he raised his clasped hands toward the distance in respectful salute.
He continued, "Our imperial house possesses a secret repository within Jibei Dao. We originally intended to open a fissure through it. Once our army surged forth, the Three Mountains could be seized within a single day, securing that foothold to contest the rebel traitors once more.
"We secretly prepared this operation for over a year. Over the past six months, however, the traitors have been driving the integration of the information field. In the last few dozen days, it has expanded to encompass the Three Mountains and the surrounding expanse. Should the field become fully connected, it will completely blanket our repository's location. The moment we open the repository, the traitors would detect it instantly, rendering our grand strategy impossible to execute."
Gai Shuhe chimed in at this point. "Brother Zhao, since we can no longer seize the Three Mountains by surprise, we must adjust our tactics. Once the fissure opens, those rebel traitors are certain to mount an offensive. They do not know our true strength. We can mass our forces and lie in wait. If we can eradicate every Mysterious Mechanism martial artist who joins the assault, our original strategy can still be carried forward."
Zhao Zhenye remained silent after hearing this, his face impassive, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
Gai Shuhe looked at him. Seeing him make no reply, Gai Shuhe took the initiative to add, "Brother Zhao, this time I hope to invite you to coordinate with us in eliminating these rebels together."
Zhao Zhenye still did not answer, seemingly weighing his reservations.
Su Kuo spoke in an earnest tone. "We have collaborated with Mr. Zhao several times before and know you to be a man of your word. Thus, we sincerely invite your assistance and are prepared to offer terms that will satisfy you." Pausing briefly, he added, "Before my departure, His Majesty privately confided that for anyone who renders great merit, a granted fiefdom, a domain of ten thousand households, or command of an independent military office could all be bestowed."
These terms were exceedingly generous. In the former imperial house, such rewards would elevate a recipient to the status of a regional warlord.
Their great deference to Zhao Zhenye was not solely on account of his personal prowess; they were acutely aware that entities from the other world stood behind him. Securing his aid meant gaining a powerful, decisive ally.
Zhao Zhenye raised his head, glanced around, and asked, "Allow me to ask one question: are the personnel present in this tent the entirety of the forces deployed for this operation?"
"Is that not enough?" Gai Shuhe countered.
Zhao Zhenye shook his head. "In my view, no."
At that moment, the woman who had remained silent spoke up:
"We are intimately familiar with the situation in Jibei Dao Center City. The strongest Mysterious Mechanism martial artist among the rebel ranks is undoubtedly their Security Defense Department chief, Chen Chuan. His strength cannot be underestimated, and I have heard that Mr. Zhao has crossed hands with him before..."
Zhao Zhenye made no attempt to evade the topic. "Indeed. I lost that encounter."
The woman continued, "Taking his unpredictable strength into account, I can coordinate with Mr. Zhao this time to launch a joint attack against him.
"As for the Center City's other Mysterious Mechanism martial artist, Yao Zhiyi, he is stationed year-round in the Confluence and may not even arrive in time. Even if he does, General Gai can handle him. Furthermore, there is Zhuan Liang of the Purist Faction; His Majesty has specifically bound and dispatched an imperial yaogui capable of countering him.
"We have also factored in potential reinforcements from Haidong Dao. When the time comes, external friendly societies will create diversions to tie them down, leaving them incapable of intervening. Even if an unexpected development occurs, General Su will oversee the central army and can reinforce us at any moment. Can this still be considered insufficient?"
Zhao Zhenye pondered for a moment, then said, "Yuangan Company has a presence right in Yangzhi. Have you accounted for them?"
The woman replied with confidence, "The Yuangan Company establishment in Yangzhi is merely a branch office. We have informants within their headquarters and can confirm that within Jibei Dao, they lack any strength capable of rivaling us. Even if they muster some resistance, it poses no threat; our scouts and informants are posted on all sides. Should we receive word, we can launch swift raids and strike from multiple directions, preventing them from coalescing into an effective force."
Gai Shuhe said, "Brother Zhao, rest assured, we have accounted for everything we possibly can this time."
Seeing his confidence, Zhao Zhenye weighed the situation privately. These people had likely prepared contingency plans even without his involvement, meaning they almost certainly held hidden reserves they were unwilling to disclose openly.
In that case, it was worth a try.
Moreover, this aligned well with his own plans.
Setting that aside, he genuinely wished to fight Chen Chuan once more. In truth, he had replayed that battle repeatedly in his mind yet still could not comprehend how he had ultimately suffered defeat. If an opportunity arose to face Chen Chuan again, he had no intention of passing it by.
Slowly looking up, he said, "Since everyone has invited me with such sincerity, I agree to join."
At his words, smiles appeared across everyone's faces. Su Kuo was especially delighted and said, "Then it is settled, Mr. Zhao.
"Though our dynasty's situation appears precarious, you must understand, Mr. Zhao, that while we may suffer setbacks, we are far from defeated. If capable, ambitious individuals like Mr. Zhao join our cause, the day may yet come when we restore the state and reclaim all our ancestral lands."
Zhao Zhenye understood his meaning. Thanks to the existence of the Confluence's night and the vast strategic depth the former imperial house still held, even repeated retreats would not bring about their extinction so long as the imperial house survived. If they could hold out until the Great Impact arrived, the ultimate outcome was truly anyone's guess. Su Kuo's words were not mere boastful bluster.
He asked, "What day has been set to open the repository?"
Believing that one should not doubt those they chose to employ, Su Kuo concealed nothing and answered directly, "The middle of next month."
Zhao Zhenye considered this, his eyes narrowing slightly beneath his fringe of hair. The middle of next month meant there were fewer than twenty days remaining.
Chapter 1018