Chapter 743: The Great Battle Rages |
“Water from afar cannot quench a thirst nearby”: distant plans won’t solve an immediate problem.
No matter what Wu Gun Lin did, the Song Kingdom’s main pressure still came from Jin Jue’s offensive.
The situation was critical, and the people of the Song Kingdom were terrified. Mu Zho Zheng found no peace. He had previously found it difficult to send away his beloved concubine and endure such humiliation. Only now, to preserve his position, he was ready to send not just one, but several.
Now, the Song Kingdom was not as formidable before the Yan Kingdom as it had been. They were willing to kneel before the Yan Kingdom, if only their alliance would help them withstand the current threat.
Now, only the Yan Kingdom could save the Song Kingdom from its current predicament. However, the Yan Kingdom was currently fighting the Zhao Kingdom and could not offer assistance. Shang Jian Xiong was not his own master right now, and he could be understood.
It wasn’t that they disregarded their alliance; they simply couldn't ignore the Zhao Kingdom’s invasion and had to stop it.
The Song Kingdom sent envoys to Shang Chao Zong and Meng Shan Min, and even to the three sects.
But it was all in vain. The Yan Kingdom could not fight on two fronts. They had barely managed to divert the Han Kingdom’s attention elsewhere. Why would they now draw attention back to themselves? Were they courting death? The other kingdoms were far away. And water from afar cannot quench a thirst nearby. If the Yan Kingdom again attracted the Han Kingdom’s attention, who would then save the Yan Kingdom? The Song Kingdom?
Currently, the most dangerous threat to them was the Zhao Kingdom. Stopping the Zhao Kingdom was a matter of life and death. Would they really pay attention to the Song Kingdom now?
It was fortunate that the Song Kingdom had not changed its commander. Luo Zhao still stood firm in defense of the Song Kingdom.
Leading his troops, Luo Zhao demonstrated excellent combat abilities.
He took only a million men from the Yan Kingdom and immediately pitted them against the Han Kingdom’s forces.
Luo Zhao also left about 200,000 warriors to fight Wu Gun Lin. Whether they defeated him or not didn’t matter. The main thing was for them to buy him time while he resisted the Han Kingdom in the north.
Thus, fierce battles continued in the north. Two million warriors confronted Jin Jue’s four million warriors. Many warriors perished every single day.
Jin Jue did not wish to see this. That was why he had led Wu Gun Lin eastward, so that he could hinder Luo Zhao from the south. This way, they would corner the Song Kingdom from two sides.
But Wu Gun Lin did not help him!
Jin Jue could do nothing to Wu Gun Lin now. Nevertheless, he urged him to attack Luo Zhao.
Nonsense! Wu Gun Lin, having deceived both the Han Kingdom and the Song Kingdom, now led the people of Cangzhou as he pleased.
Jin Jue had a headache. He had thought he would swiftly break the Song Kingdom's defenses, but his battles had dragged on considerably.
Very well! Jin Jue began to ask him a second time, this time lowering his demands. He hoped that Wu Gun Lin would simply launch attacks from the south, without fighting to the death.
Wu Gun Lin agreed, but it seemed he exerted no real effort at all. It was as if he and the Song Kingdom had agreed to spar amongst themselves. They would attack, then retreat.
Jin Jue grew angry, but Wu Gun Lin was supported by the Heavenly Maiden Doctrine. And the Unsurpassed Palace and River Valley were in no way inferior to it. Thus, Jin Jue could do nothing.
How could this be? In the end, Jin Jue persuaded the Unsurpassed Palace and River Valley to make concessions and hand over five provinces to Wu Gun Lin.
But Wu Gun Lin would not agree. He demanded fifteen provinces!
Fifteen provinces? That was almost half of the Song Kingdom! "We are toiling here, and you come and immediately want to take half? How could the Unsurpassed Palace and River Valley agree to this? They definitely cannot accept it. It would be better if the Song Kingdom was gradually broken!"
Wu Gun Lin had already helped the Heavenly Maiden Doctrine swallow such a large chunk. Now, the Heavenly Maiden Doctrine was unwilling to easily give up an even bigger piece.
Wu Gun Lin also urged the Heavenly Maiden Doctrine to continue the dispute. The Heavenly Maiden Doctrine understood what he wanted. He wanted them to stall for time. And when the time came, the fifteen provinces would already belong to the Heavenly Maiden Doctrine.
And the Song Kingdom rejoiced at this. Since Wu Gun Lin was not helping the Han Kingdom, that was already good. Although Wu Gun Lin remained a thorn in the Song Kingdom's side, for now, the Song Kingdom paid him no mind.
Wu Gun Lin used despicable and low tactics, but they were effective. And the probability of the Heavenly Maiden Doctrine absorbing fifteen provinces was already high. Therefore, they continued to argue with the two sects.
The Heavenly Maiden Doctrine even thought that giving up Hui Qing Ping had been quite profitable. Wu Gun Lin had brought them good gains, which was why they were so pleased.
Hui Qing Ping also seemed to realize that Wu Gun Lin was very beneficial to the doctrine. She didn’t know if it was good or bad for her that she had married him, but she had already begun to treat him differently. She even began to help him.
To appease Hui Qing Ping, the Heavenly Maiden Doctrine returned to her the right to manage the disciples under Wu Gun Lin. They restored her position from Qi Bi San.
And Hui Qing Ping's disciples, in turn, received important posts in the sect. All of this was thanks to Wu Gun Lin. What did this mean? It meant that as long as Wu Gun Lin occupied territory, Hui Qing Ping would wield significant influence in the sect. Fifteen provinces—how powerful would her voice be in the sect? No weaker than when she was formerly an elder.
Hui Qing Ping herself had not imagined it could be this way. She had thought it was all over for her. She had believed she could never rise again after this Wu Gun Lin.
She had transformed from an elder of the Heavenly Maiden Doctrine into Lady Wu. But now her position was being restored, and after a series of diverse interactions with Wu Gun Lin, she no longer knew what to say.
However, her disciples rejoiced greatly for their teacher, and they respected her husband!
Furthermore, Hui Qing Ping discovered once again that her husband, who appeared to be an uncouth and uneducated boor, actually used everything to his advantage.
Wu Gun Lin secretly sent men from the Tongxiang Palace to the Qi and Wei Kingdoms, asking the two kingdoms for provisions and horses.
He had so many people, and he had enough money. But money alone couldn't buy anything now. Therefore, he hoped to receive support from the two kingdoms.
The Wei and Qi Kingdoms sent their people to support the Song Kingdom. They did not want the Han Kingdom to so easily defeat the Song Kingdom. And here was Wu Gun Lin, a puppet of the Han Kingdom, which astonished the two kingdoms.
Wu Gun Lin’s man said that Wu Gun Lin sought independence!
If this was disadvantageous to the Han Kingdom, it would be advantageous to the Qi and Wei Kingdoms. They certainly wished to see a sphere of influence that would hinder the Han Kingdom. Therefore, they agreed to provide provisions and horses to Wu Gun Lin.
Wu Gun Lin dared not hide this from Hui Qing Ping. No matter what, they were already in the same boat. And there was little he could hide from her. Moreover, he would later need the support of the Heavenly Maiden Doctrine. So, he hoped that Hui Qing Ping would help him withstand the pressure from the Han Kingdom.
Unbeknownst to herself, Hui Qing Ping had found life again. Wu Gun Lin had revived her.
They became each other’s support, and began to secretly confide about the future. Hui Qing Ping did not seem to realize how deeply she had been drawn into Wu Gun Lin's schemes. Previously, he had been repulsive to her, but now she was gradually accustomed to him. She no longer resisted when he came to sate his desires with her. She even reciprocated his affections. They were truly becoming husband and wife.
At the same time, Wu Gun Lin developed a headache. Hui Qing Ping knew what kind of man Wu Gun Lin was. Therefore, she began to keep a close eye on him. She did not want him to have relations with anyone else, so she stationed her female disciples around him, ensuring he had no opportunity to satisfy his urges with others. Thus, Wu Gun Lin suffered, for Hui Qing Ping alone was not enough to sate his hunger. But there was nothing he could do for now.
However, no matter what, the two people had truly begun to resemble a married couple.
...
The Song Kingdom struggled, while the Yan Kingdom fought fiercely.
Shang Chao Zong and Meng Shan Min battled the Zhao Kingdom. One in the south, the other in the north. Both coordinated their actions, attacking from two sides.
Shang Chao Zong led the Southern Domain’s forces in an assault. Meng Shan Min attacked from the north with other armies.
Fierce battles raged on the front lines. Five hundred thousand warriors from the Southern Domain gathered against the Zhao Kingdom’s million-strong army.
From the Southern Domain, the sound of drums boomed. Shang Chao Zong, clad in armor, mounted his horse. Feng Ru Nan, also armored, mounted her horse as well.
“Kill!” Shang Chao Zong roared, waving his sword, and led the army forward. Feng Ru Nan followed him.
The husband and wife led a cavalry detachment, charging toward the enemy.
“What is this?” Standing at the rear of the detachment, Huang Li was startled. He asked Shang Shu Qing, who was also in armor: “Why are the Prince and Princess charging forward? Don’t they have other duties? They are charging directly into danger! Why didn’t the Princess stop them?”
Shang Shu Qing bit her lip and rushed to a cart. She climbed onto it, pushed away the warrior who was beating the drum, and looking towards the front lines, began to strike the drums with all her might.
“Follow me quickly!” Huang Li waved his hand and led the Dachang Mountain cultivators. He followed Shang Chao Zong.
After they routed a small Zhao Kingdom detachment, news reached the Zhao Kingdom's command that Shang Chao Zong and Feng Ru Nan had personally joined the battle.
Zhao Xing Yan, commander of the Zhao Kingdom’s southern forces, rejoiced: “Are they tired of living? The heavens are helping me! Capture the bandit leader, and the bandits will lose. Capture Shang Chao Zong, and we will defeat the Southern Domain!”
To capture Shang Chao Zong, a massive number of cultivators from the Zhao Kingdom converged from all directions. They moved with remarkable speed.
A thundering crash sounded, and Shang Chao Zong, encountering a large concentration of enemies, fell from his horse. More precisely, his horse was split in two by an enemy cultivator.
Shang Chao Zong quickly got back on his feet, swinging his sword, and began to fight the Zhao Kingdom warriors. The sword flashed, drawing much blood. Feng Ru Nan also used her spear to break through the encirclement.
A huge number of Zhao Kingdom cultivators were heading this way. The Yan Kingdom cultivators were not idle either and protected them. As for the common soldiers, they were simply mowed down like grass before a scythe. They could not withstand the power of the cultivators' Qi.
At the crucial moment, a powerful stomping sound, shaking the earth, erupted from behind the Southern Domain’s warriors. A mighty army galloped forward. The cavalry, like a surging river, split into two streams.
On the left were warriors dressed in blue armor.
On the right were warriors dressed in gray armor.
“Yinyang! Yinyang! Yinyang...”
The cavalry on the left side continuously roared.
“Wuli! Wuli! Wuli!...”
Shouts echoed from both left and right, causing the warriors ahead to part, yielding the way to the cavalry.
“Yinyang and Wuli Guards!” Zhao Xing Yan, standing on a cart and looking into the distance, was alarmed. He understood Shang Chao Zong’s plan. Shang Chao Zong had used himself as bait to lure a massive number of cultivators there. His hands trembled: “Disaster!”