The message swept across the Western Qin Empire like wildfire.
The United Five Provincial Armies that were on the punitive expedition against Lord Zhenxi’s rebellion unexpectedly suffered a huge loss after they raided their way into the heart of Fufeng City and absolutely took the upper hand. Among them, the forces from Qianyang and Qishan that added up to four hundred thousand soldiers were completely annihilated. Except for the Commander in Chief, no one in the two armies were spared. As to the main forces from Jintai and Chang’an, over half of them were lost. Jin Xingwen, the magistrate of Jintai who was also called the Domineering Punch Master, was killed, while the Secular Sword Whiz, Li Gang, the magistrate of Chang’an, was maimed…
The United Five Provincial Armies almost disintegrated overnight.
The successful counterinsurgency that can be expected almost any day suddenly took a turn for the worse. Lord Zhenxi’s dying regime attained a chance to catch its breath. Now, his force was like a carbuncle protruding from the heart of the entire northwest of the Western Qin Empire which could not be removed for the time being.
The rebel armies that had been defensive and the counter-rebel armies that had been offensive suddenly swapped their positions.
The explosive news soon spread across every province, leaving the whole empire in astoundment.
Lord Zhenxi leading two provinces to rebel was, in the first place, a sensational move that the Western Qin Empire had never seen since its rejuvenation. It could be said to be a very sinister omen. As the emperor was still in closed-door training, the crown prince who was temporarily in charge of state affairs issued an order with the cabin to send the five provincial armies on the punitive expedition. Everyone just assumed that was just a gesture to meet the official procedure requirements and the downfall of Lord Zhenxi was around the corner. But to their stupefaction, the latest news they got on the prolonged counterinsurgency was the crushing defeat the United Five Provincial Armies suffered.
What a burning shame it was!
After that tragic battle, it was very difficult for the Western Qin Empire to organize another attack upon Lord Zhenxi in a short time. At least in that winter, the royal family of the Western Qin had no way to launch a second large-scale military operation, for it took time to transfer armies from remote provinces and that also involved intricate conflicts of interests of local governments as well as endless bargaining.
As long as the emperor had not come forward, the military action that called for the support of the whole empire only proceeded bit by bit.
And what was more critical was, most of the provinces near Fufeng had no ability to initiate a second suppression against Fufeng City, as over half of the United Five Provincial Armies were lost. They were basically devoid of military forces. By contrast, Lord Zhenxi’s army had rooted a good number of military equipment, which guaranteed them a safe winter. And when the next spring came, Lord Zhenxi’s army, after a whole winter’s rest, would certainly have gained a firm foothold in Fufeng. When that time came, what kind of combat ability his forces would have? Only the thought alone was scary enough.
Of course, the above was the longterm consequences that would only make the top-leveled officials suffer headaches.
The thing that more people were curious about was actually why the United Five Provincial Armies was defeated.
Because they all reckoned the result of the war was without suspense.
Lord Zhenxi launched the military rebel in haste. He certainly had no sufficient preparations for the mission. Given that Fufeng and Fengxiang had been governed by the Western Qin royal family for years, the public attitude for or against the government was not something Lord Zhenxi could control, so he only held a majority of the local armies at his command. Many administrative units and officials at the primary level were not necessarily in his league. Adding that the United Five Provincial Armies outnumbered the rebel army, those fence-sitters who first betrayed the empire swiftly betrayed Lord Zhenxi as well. Although his force was not completely like a cluster of loose sand, the cohesion in the rebel army was pathetically scarce. That was proved by the unstoppable recover of Fengxiang the United Five Provincial Armies achieved at the very beginning of the war.
Despite that, the one who laughed to the last moment was, against all odds, Lord Zhenxi.
The sudden rout of the United Five Provincial Armies allowed Lord Zhenxi’s army to take up Fengxiang again. Furthermore, they directed the war into Jintai and Qishan. Although they were unable to launch any massive invasion, they had already turned from the defensive to the offensive.
Lord Zhenxi’s cavalries even plundered all the provinces nearby, causing those places to sink into an abyss of misery.
Like a ton of fry being thrown in a pond, his spies, agents, and scouts quietly sneaked into the nearby provinces in droves and stirred up some small-scale commotions from time to time, rendering the officials at all levels in the Western Qin Empire deeply troubled…
Bundles of news came out from all provinces every day.
And one of the pieces of news shocked everyone.
It said that on the night of the sudden rout of the United Five Provincial Armies, at the main battlefield about a hundred miles away from Fufeng City, the capital of Fufeng Province, a strain of the Extra-terrestrial Devils’ aura had been detected. That meant the power of some Extra-terrestrial Devil had appeared…
…
…
“Extra-terrestrial Devils? What are they?” Li Mu asked with great curiosity.
He was at the bar on the first floor of the Longcheng Inn sitting at the center of the Longcheng Pass, a significant county at the border of the Western Qin Empire.
Guo Yuqing was sitting opposite him. Looking slightly gloomy, he answered, “They are some very horrible creatures living in outer space. To us who live on the Divine Land, they are invaders, killers, doom bringers, and common enemies across the land.”
At that, Li Mu was even more intrigued.
They were from outer space, and that must be the vast universe.
“I am also from outer space. If under that standard, I am also an Extra-terrestrial Devil, aren’t I?”
“In that case, if Lord Zhenxi sought refuge with the Extra-terrestrial Devils, he would be asking for his doom, wouldn’t he?” Li Mu continued, “Surrendering to the common enemy across the land has not much difference from betraying this world, has it? Well, any force on the land must want to do him in.”
Guo Yuqing said, “The rules of this world aren’t that simple. Since primitive times, Extra-terrestrial Devils have begun to occasionally descend on the Divine Land. After so many centuries, the number of Extra-terrestrial Devils lurking in our world is too big to count. Some have accommodated themselves to our world, some are still hiding in the dark and spying on us. Throughout history, numerous sects and dynasties were built up by Extra-terrestrial Devils. They have infiltrated this world, and their control over our land is all-pervasive. For example, before the Western Qin Empire was erected, the Great Moon Empire that reigned this territory was established by a force of Extra-terrestrial Devils, which lasted for three thousand years…”
“I never knew that!”
Li Mu expressed his surprise explicitly.
He found the Extra-terrestrial Devils kind of similar to the fraternities, the Knights Templars, the Rothschild Family, and the ancient nobles in Europe. As rumor on Earth had it, those forces secretly controlled the development of Earth, the succession of governments, and even plotted on and incurred the First and the Second World War.
“In this way, isn’t the so-called Divine Land mainland just a test field of the extra-terrestrial forces?”
“But thankfully, it’s not easy for the Extra-terrestrial Devils to come to the Divine Land. They have to undergo tribulations for it. One slightest mistake could cause them to be reduced to dust.” Guo Yuqing said with relief. “Mother nature has set its own rules for the give-and-take game. So, during the long decades, only a limited number of Extra-terrestrial Devils have made it to our world. Otherwise, the whole Divine Land would have already become devils’ paradise.”
“Now you’re talking!”
Li Mu nodded avidly.
It seemed that the rebellion Lord Zhenxi launched was not a simple incident at all.
“By the way, big brother, as you just mentioned that the Great Moon Empire once ruled the Western Qin’s territory, is it possible that the mysterious devil traces spotted outside Fufeng City were left by the remainders of the Great Moon Empire?” Li Mu let his mind go wild and blurted out, “Lord Zhenxi can’t have been in collusion with what was left of the Great Moon Empire, can he?”
Guo Yuqing gave Li Mu an appraising look despite himself.
He knew he should look upon his usually carefree and playful third brother in a different light from before. “His insights of politics are quite clear!” As a matter of fact, he was holding the same view.
The two set off a day ago and traveled through a day and a night. Today, they just arrived in Longcheng Pass.
They then came to the agreed spot at the agreed time to wait for Qiu Yin, their second brother.
On their way, they heard loads about the defeat of the United Five Provincial Armies. Half of them were true and half of them were rather exaggerated. Those stories gave them a sense of turbulence, as though the Western Qin Empire had entered an eventful era.
Nonetheless, what was the truth and how long Lord Zhenxi’s force could hang in there when the empire armies recovered were not the questions the two cared about. As to the plot of the remainders of the Great Moon Empire, that was just a far-fetched idea. They were still waiting for Qiu Yin’s arrival. After all, going up to the vast pasture in the northeast to rescue Shangguan Yuting was the most urgent task they got at that time.
However, to the two’s bewilderment, even when the appointed time passed and dusk fell, Qiu Yin, the Broadsword Man, did not turn up.
Something must have gone wrong.
Because Qiu Yin was always punctual. Unless something really serious had occurred, he would not miss an appointment.
Just a day ago, they received Qiu Yin’s message saying everything was fine and he had already sorted out all the business in Guanshan City and was on his way to Longcheng Pass. So, it was unlikely that anything serious had happened.
In this world, if there was an event that would make Qiu Yin ditch an appointment, then it was a huge event.
They waited there until the dark descended, but Qiu Yin did not show up.
After a quick discussion, Li Mu and Guo Yuqing decided to stay in Longcheng Pass that night and see if Qiu Yin would catch up with them the next day.
The two then checked into the Longcheng Inn.
Miles away from Longcheng Pass was the vast pasture.
For Guo Yuqing, it was the first time during many years to be so close to the vast pasture. He felt all kinds of feelings welled up in his heart. After he found his room and settled down there, old memories flooded to his mind, so he was no longer in a mood for a walk outside.
Unlike him, Li Mu had never traveled to the border area of the Western Qin Empire before. Naturally, he was curious about everything. Later, he left the inn alone to wander down the streets. There were many people on the road. Although it appeared not that busy like Chang’an, it was beautiful in a different way.
Street stalls and peddlers could be seen frequently, too.
Since Longcheng Pass was a crucial county in the border area, those stall owners and peddlers were all longstanding businessmen with the approval of the border army. And the county would be placed under a curfew once it was eleven in the evening about Earth time.
At that time, there was still an hour to go before it got dark.
Li Mu had some snacks at a few randomly-picked food stalls. The food there tasted so-so. And that reminded him of the vegetable noodles he had at Granny Cai’s food stall in Peace County. Since the parting at the military cemetery in Chang’an, Granny Cai and her granddaughter and the border military officials led by Wu Beichen headed for the border area. In theory, they should be in one of the counties at the borders. Li Mu wondered if they were in Longcheng Pass.
He took a quick walk around the county. It turned out that Longcheng Pass was not large and had no tourist treats. Therefore, when it got a little dark, he decided to go back to the inn and take a rest.
But quite coincidentally, right at the moment, Li Mu spotted a familiar figure.
It was Wu Beichen!
The passionate border military official who stepped forward to reapproach Qin Lin, the overbearing prince of Lord Zhenxi, at the front gate of the military cemetery.
“He is truly in Longcheng Pass?”
“Then, Granny Cai and her granddaughter, Caicai, must also be here, right?”
Li Mu felt a surge of delight and walked to that man to greet him.
“You are… Ah, Your Honor Li!” Wu Beichen recognized him immediately. He was very surprised to see him.
Li Mu said, “Hello, Leader Wu. Well, you got a promotion? Haha, your strength has grown considerably as well! Yes, you are at the peak of the Great Master Realm now. Seems that your practice is going well lately.” It was obvious that Wu Beichen’s cultivation had progressed a great deal.
“That is all attributed to Your Honor’s help.” Wu Beichen replied respectfully.
