Chapter 573: Faction Strife, Unlucky Hou Tong |
Great Xia Year Thirteen, the seventh day of the first month, late night
In the middle section of the Bone-Eroding Path, Luo Yuan hovered in midair, his expression slightly hesitant, clearly wrestling with something in his heart. Behind him stood another man, Hou Tong, Commander-in-Chief of the Beizhao Army, who had switched allegiances in recent years.
Hou Tong saw the turmoil in Luo Yuan’s mind. He shifted forward a little and said in a low voice, “Since you have already made your decision, Lord Leader, why hesitate? Qiu Peng took it upon himself to promise the marriage alliance on the Lord’s behalf. Madam will find out sooner or later. Instead of letting others tell her, it would be better if you let her hear it from you first and make a good impression in front of her. As for whatever actions she takes afterward, we simply stay out of it…”
“I know!”
Before Hou Tong finished, Luo Yuan cut him off. He then drew a small breath and his frown slowly eased.
What Hou Tong said was right. They were already here; there was no point in hemming and hawing.
By now Great Xia’s development had produced a clear governing style from Lord Leader Xia Hong. To sum it up in one sentence: he handled only major decisions and did not involve himself in daily administration. He even trusted subordinates with some significant choices, for example during the three years when Xia Hong went off to Mo’ao Chuan.
Whenever power created a vacuum, someone would inevitably move to fill it—especially when Xia Hong deliberately decentralized authority.
Where people gather, politics follow. Today’s Great Xia had grown unprecedentedly large. At the top of Xia City’s power structure, factions could broadly be divided into two camps: Madam Li Xuanling and Department Chancellor Xia Chuan.
But everything began to shift two years ago when the former Department Head of the Penal Department, Li Tiancheng, passed away and Xiang Fuhai—recommended by Madam Li—assumed the position. Changes slowly followed.
Xiang Fuhai repaid Madam Li’s favor. When handling Penal Department affairs, he showed obvious bias. When issuing major regulations, he would first seek Madam Li’s opinion before reporting to the Chancellor.
After last year’s major case in the Tiger Nursing Forest, a single word from Madam Li made Vice Department Head Murong Ping unable to continue in office, demonstrating how deep Madam Li’s control over the Penal Department had become.
After the Penal Department, Logging Department Head Cheng Feng and Artisans Department Head Mu Dong gradually drew closer to Madam Li as well. Now these three departments basically followed Li Xuanling’s orders unquestioningly. In certain key decisions, even the Chancellor’s words no longer carried weight.
“You could see it back in the Longyou days. Madam is not one to be content with mediocrity. When the Lord suppressed everything before, it wasn’t a problem. But the Lord has been away only three years and already pulled three of the Eight Departments into her circle. Count the Xia Palace and Long Mountain Faction people, and her influence even shows signs of overshadowing the Chancellor. The key is, the Lord has shown no stance so far…”
After musing for a moment, Luo Yuan’s eyes flashed.
He, too, was one of the Eight Department Heads, in charge of the Hunting Department, overseeing tens of thousands of hunting teams. Having held high office for years, he understood the workings of power.
He did not believe that after the Lord’s return, Xia Hong could be completely unaware of the top-level split and remain silent. Silence could only mean tacit approval.
Power is the art of balancing. As Lord, Xia Hong would naturally be pleased to watch his subordinates vie for influence. Luo Yuan, as a department leader himself, was hardly blind to that.
Among the Eight Departments, Madam Li had secured the Penal Department, Logging Department, and Artisans Department. Of the remaining five, Garrison and Camp Supply were staunchly Chancellor’s camps. Zou Yuankai sent me word; Zhu Yuan has recently, under the guise of reorganizing the northern five towns’ household registrations, begun leaning toward the Chancellor.
That left only Yuwen Tao’s Military Department and my Hunting Department without a clear alignment.
The Military Department controlled the Xia troops. Who would dare meddle there besides the Lord? Both Madam Li and the Chancellor tacitly avoided intervening. Yuwen Tao was shrewd; he simply ignored the rivalry at the top and focused on commanding the army, keeping his distance from anyone.
So in the end, the only department without a faction was the Hunting Department.
Thinking this, Luo Yuan’s expression grew bitter.
He wanted to be like Yuwen Tao and stay out of it, but the Hunting Department didn’t carry the Military Department’s prestige. He lacked the privilege to remain neutral.
Madam Li or the Chancellor would not openly ostracize him, but the past three years’ year-end evaluations for the Eight Departments, along with regular appointments and dismissals, had made one thing clear: the Hunting Department no longer held the importance it once did.
When Great Xia’s scale was smaller, a department’s lack of favor had little consequence. But what was Great Xia now? Even the outcome of an ordinary senior council meeting could affect hundreds of thousands to millions of people.
The most direct sign of the Hunting Department’s decline was that Luo Yuan had lost his voice. When resources were scarce, he could not secure extra benefits for himself and his subordinates.
“You can’t hesitate any longer. Great Xia’s rising talents keep increasing. Although Qin Feng died in the Jinyang battle, his sons Qin He and Qin Shan remain, and many senior figures from Wuchuan are still around. Shangguan Yang was rescued by the Lord, Jinshan Town’s leadership will likely convert to Great Xia, and Li Yangtian of Longgu is another factor. In Great Xia, Sun Manifestation-level experts will soon be commonplace. If I keep wavering and Madam Li or the Chancellor favor someone else, I might not be able to keep my position as Department Head.
Besides, Qiu Peng’s unilateral promise of the marriage alliance on the Lord’s behalf could be an attempt to curry favor with Madam Li. Since the contest is already out in the open and the Lord has said nothing, then what is there to fear…”
With that thought, Luo Yuan’s mind cleared. The struggle and torment in his face vanished. He fixed his gaze northward.
“It should be about time. Hou Tong, take care of your affairs and leave! I’ll wait here alone for Madam.”
The news that Madam intended to bring the two young lords back to Xia City had been leaked to Luo An by his son. Luo Yuan had timed his arrival to wait ahead of them, and judging by the time, the arrival was indeed imminent.
Hearing Luo Yuan dismiss him, Hou Tong felt reluctant. He had proposed the idea to help Luo Yuan make a good impression before Madam, but Luo Yuan had already spoken. He could not stay, so he cupped his hands and bowed, “Then I will take my leave!”
Hou Tong had originally belonged to the Longbei Faction, but after Hou Jing stepped down as Deputy Department Head of the Hunting Department two years ago and Longbei’s influence waned, he transferred to Luo Yuan’s camp and was now considered part of the Rogge faction.
When a faction boss like Luo Yuan made a decision, Hou Tong had to obey unconditionally. Besides, his own words carried little weight now; even if he met Madam Li, he likely wouldn’t make an impression. Convinced of that, Hou Tong had no complaint. He needed to attend to matters in the Southern Foothills, so after parting with Luo Yuan he headed south.
Luo Yuan stayed and continued waiting for Madam and the two young lords.
The Bone-Eroding Path stretched just over one hundred kilometers. Back when the Black Wind occupied the valley, the slicing, bone-grinding winds meant even someone like Hou Tong—a Sun Manifestation-level cultivator with four jun strength—would need six or seven hours to cross it.
Now things were different. With the Black Wind expelled, the valley’s temperature had risen considerably. With the ability to fly, Hou Tong soon found himself less than a dozen kilometers from the southern exit.
“Madam probably won’t lower herself to interfere with the Lord’s marriage alliance with Caiqiu, but those under her command might. The Xia Palace, the Dragon Garrison Captains, and the Long Mountain Faction are tightly bound to Madam and the Second Young Lord. If the Lord successfully marries into Caiqiu, those groups will be most affected; they cannot sit idly by. It’s unclear what methods they might use to stop the alliance…”
As Hou Tong sped southward through the air, his mind never stopped working.
Great Xia’s size now nearly matched that of the feudal towns. The Lord’s elevation to feudal lord would be only a matter of time. As the realm grows, competing interests inevitably emerge, and issues involving court and succession are the most sensitive.
Since Great Xia Year Two, after Zhaoyang’s fall, Hou Tong had entered Xia Hong’s service. Eleven years had passed; he had fully integrated into Xia City and considered himself Xia people.
He had watched Hou Jing age and lose power, and he knew Hou Bing lacked either the capability or the means to revive Longbei. If Hou Tong wanted to climb higher, he needed a new patron.
“Hou Bing tried to reverse Longbei’s decline by dragging Yuwen Yong into seizing Guangningshan. It was a scheme to play Yuwen, appearing to revive Longbei but really signing its death warrant.”
After the Xia troops settled in Valley Village, Commander-in-Chief Yuwen Tao hadn’t given an explicit ceasefire order, but his troop deployments made his reluctance to push north clear.
Hou Bing’s initiative didn’t violate orders outright, but acting against the commander on the battlefield—no matter the achievement—wouldn’t end well later.
The real issue was the Lord’s attitude. Hou Tong had already asked people among the Dragon Garrison Captains about Hou Bing’s seizure of Guangningshan. The Lord’s verbal praise masked an actual negative stance, and he had even reprimanded Commander Yuwen Tao over it.
Yuwen Yong was the commander’s sworn brother. It was obvious who Yuwen Tao would blame.
“Good thing I cut ties with Longbei earlier. Hou Bing was too foolish. Qiu Peng’s move to appoint Hou Bing as Commander-in-Chief of Feipeng was a clear signal: the Earthen Slope faction was offering an olive branch. Hou Bing clung to Longbei’s withered limb and ended up offending Yuwen Tao. With the Lord’s attitude, he’ll soon be marginalized.”
Hou Tong shook his head at the memory.
Longbei actually had two designated armies. Hou Tong’s Beizhao Army had been established in Great Xia Year Seven with Hou Jing’s backing. The second, Zhuhan Army, evolved from Hou Bing’s Zhuhan squad and was only formed after Hou Jing personally pleaded with Yuwen Tao two years ago before stepping down as Deputy Department Head.
As Zhuhan squad’s founder, Hou Bing naturally became the first Commander-in-Chief of the Zhuhan Army. In recent years Great Xia’s expansion made Camp Supply’s responsibilities heavier. Qiu Peng had little time for military affairs, so last year he offered the Feipeng Commander-in-Chief position to someone. He chose Hou Bing.
Some events are unclear in the moment but become obvious in hindsight.
Two years ago, Qiu Peng arranged for Yuwen Tao’s cooperation to transfer Hou Bing from Zhuhan Army Commander-in-Chief to Feipeng Commander-in-Chief. It was clearly the Chancellor’s move to fold Longbei’s forces in, but Hou Bing failed to read the situation and still dreamed of hoisting Longbei’s banner. Now he reaps the consequences.
“Great Xia is prospering. Resources are overflowing. Gaining influence now may not show immediate effects, but when the camp reaches a bottleneck and resources tighten, influence determines priority allocation. It’s crucial to pay attention.
With my current strength and status, the Earthen Slope faction, Long Mountain faction, and Mirror Valley faction barely notice me. Voluntarily switching won’t gain me importance. The Rogge faction’s strongmen are few. Lord Luo is the best patron I can find.”
Hou Tong sorted his thoughts and brightened considerably.
Hou Bing had called him an ungrateful wolf in front of many of Zhaoyang’s old retainers. Hou Tong knew this but never cared.
Times change. If Hou Jing had still been Deputy Department Head of the Hunting Department, Hou Tong wouldn’t have joined Luo Yuan so quickly. And even if Hou Bing could have borne Longbei’s banner alone, matters would not have come this far.
The problem was Hou Bing’s stubbornness; he could not be relied upon.
People must look out for themselves. Old loyalties can be remembered, but since Hou Tong considered himself part of Great Xia, his career mattered most.
Bang!
Suddenly a thunderclap exploded overhead, snapping Hou Tong’s thoughts. The sound was enormous and alarmingly close. He was terrified and froze midair.
“Thunder?”
Hou Tong looked up, bewildered.
In the Ice Abyss’s extreme cold, thunder was exceedingly rare. At over fifty years old, he had seen thunder only twice in his life.
Both times had been when temperatures were relatively higher, during extremely rare heavy rainstorms.
The Black Wind had left the Bone-Eroding Path less than ten days ago. The valley’s temperature might be slightly higher than outside, but it was nowhere near a storm now. Why would thunder suddenly roll?
Crack……
As Hou Tong puzzled, a streak of blood-colored thunder tore the sky again. The thunder lingered long, as if it had carved a rift across the heavens.
Boom!
A dense, sanguine miasma poured from the rift, mixed with a sliver of white spiritual light. Hou Tong, suspended in midair, saw something that made him stiffen, and without much thinking he shot off toward the south at top speed.
“There’s someone in the white light—no… no… no, blood-colored thunder, a sky full of miasma, whoever came out of it—could that be a person?”
“Abominations. It must be Abominations. It looked at me. My blood feels like it’s freezing—Caiqiu’s Fang Bo didn’t make me feel like this!”
“This is so unlucky. How could I encounter such a powerful Abomination here, descending from the sky with no warning?”
“It’s over. It’s all over.”
Hou Tong raced south like a bolt of lightning, covering two or three kilometers in just five or six breaths. Even so, his face remained deathly pale. His pupils were filled with terror and his voice had become utterly frantic.
“What year of Great Xia is this? Where is this place?”
A cold, clear female voice sounded from above. Hou Tong’s frantic flight halted instantly. He froze in midair, realizing his body could not move. He felt like a bereft man; his pupils filled with despair.