Volume One: Chaos in Yanyun, Chapter 116: The Falling Smoke of War (Part III)

For several days, Feng Qi had not attended the morning court. By protocol, this was naturally unacceptable, but the explanation provided by the Grand Marshal’s mansion was reasonable and sound: the Heir of Yanbei was so devastated by the war that he had fallen into a coma and had yet to awaken. This left the Ministry of Rites and the many ministers who were at odds with the Grand Marshal with no room to level any harsh criticisms.

Even if they had tried, it would have been futile. Their knowledge was limited; they were unaware of the specific role the Divine Emperor had played in these events. In their eyes, Yanbei had paid a heavy price in this war of national defense: six hundred thousand Yanbei troops had almost entirely stained the yellow sands with their blood, all the powerful cultivators belonging to the Yanbei Prince’s mansion had fallen in battle, and the strongest sect in Yanbei had been wiped out in a single day.

Out of sympathy, they were unwilling to continue impeaching the house of Yanbei at such a critical moment.

They were civil officials. Naturally, they felt wary of regional feudal lords who possessed excessive power and influence; this was part of their duty to the throne. But this did not mean these ministers were fools. They knew better than anyone that the possibility of the border armies rebelling was extremely low. The reason they had been so confrontational earlier was merely to forestall future trouble.

Now that the initial trouble had vanished, a greater one had arrived.

The Minister of War, clutching his bamboo scrolls, stepped into the aisle and said, "While the northern front has temporarily stabilized, Guangnan remains deeply mired in the entanglement of the Nanhai demon race, and Xu Huaiyu on the western front must also recover territories encroached upon by the Blood-Weeping Pavilion. Your Majesty, a northern expedition at such a hurried pace is not the best strategy."

The Minister of Works echoed this sentiment: "Indeed, Your Majesty. This war of national defense has exhausted our people’s strength. Furthermore, Wuyang and its surrounding cities must undergo reconstruction, which only compounds the current hardships. If we launch a northern expedition now—preparing reserves, manufacturing armaments, and transporting provisions—it will inevitably consume even more of the people's resources. It is truly a tragedy for the common folk."

Besides these two ministers, many others voiced their opposition. Some argued that the situation was unclear and that a northern expedition should not be launched lightly. Others believed that times were difficult and that the people should be comforted first. There were also other reasons, all of which made the Divine Emperor’s head ache.

He glanced at Feng Changkong and thought, *Why are you playing dead now?*

Feng Changkong pursed his lips and stepped forward. "I believe this northern expedition is the most urgent priority at this moment."

"Firstly, Yanbei was originally the territory of the Divine Dynasty, and it has now fallen into the hands of foreign races and rebels. As sons of the Divine Dynasty, we must reclaim it; the ancestral foundation cannot be surrendered."

"Secondly, the rebels of Bohai have slaughtered loyalists. If they are not met with divine retribution, they must be dealt with by the laws of the Divine Dynasty. To let them remain at large is an immense challenge to the majesty of the Divine Dynasty and the integrity of its laws. If this persists, public morale will inevitably decline, leading to chaos everywhere."

"Thirdly, our dynasty has just experienced a great victory at Wuyang, defeating a powerful enemy from the Underworld despite the disparity in strength. Morale is currently as high as a rainbow, and the people’s expectations are aligned. This is the moment to strike while the iron is hot and achieve total victory. If we miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to build such magnificent morale and such unified public sentiment again."

"Fourthly, although the imperial capital was breached and our human, material, and financial resources have suffered severe damage, the garrison at Wuyang city remains intact, and the two great city-defense armies are completely unscathed. Conversely, Bohai and the barbarian tribes were already sparsely populated, and having suffered through the Battle of Yanbei, they have lost half of their vital strength."

"Fifthly, they have only just occupied Yanbei and do not have full control over the land. There are still many people in Yanbei who are loyal to the Divine Dynasty; they will provide us with the necessary support."

Feng Changkong cleared his throat and declared sternly, "The timing, the geographic advantage, and the support of the people are all on our side. What reason do we have not to send our troops?"

The Minister of Works sighed and said, "It is true that our manpower is insufficient. If this leads to failure in the northern expedition, who in the world can shoulder that responsibility?"

Before Feng Changkong could respond, the Minister of Revenue also spoke: "Although the national treasury is still relatively full, the costs of post-war reconstruction are immense. Furthermore, with the need to repair the city-defense formations and the infrastructure of Wuyang, the Ministry of Revenue cannot raise the funds for a northern expedition in the short term."

Feng Changkong narrowed his eyes. "Could it be that you lords wish to hand Yanbei over to others?"

If Feng Qi were here, he would surely have found this hard to suppress a laugh. Yanbei was a place you and the Emperor had conspired to sacrifice temporarily—why the need for such righteous indignation?

But the others did not know as much as Feng Qi.

Thus, someone replied, "It is not about handing over Yanbei, but rather delaying this matter. One must endure small grievances to avoid ruining the greater plan. War is taxing on the people and depletes our wealth. As officials, we must consider the people more."

Hearing this, the Divine Emperor raised an eyebrow. Feng Changkong, seeing this, knew the Divine Emperor was about to step in himself, so he remained silent.

Seeing that Feng Changkong did not continue to retort, the official thought he had successfully persuaded the hard-working Grand Marshal and became somewhat smug. He pressed his advantage: "In my humble opinion, it would be better to increase troops in the Honghuai, Ji, and Liu provinces, as well as the Qinling line, to first stop the possibility of the Bohai rebels spreading the flames of war. Once the Prince of Guangnan quells the demonic disaster, he can send troops directly toward Jiangnan. Simultaneously, if Ji province sends troops toward Kaifeng, Liu province toward Hangzhou, and Honghuai toward Yanyun, then within a few days, the rebellion can be quelled."

Feng Changkong could not help but roll his eyes. Setting aside how many troops would be needed to contain the expansion of war from Bohai, the barbarians, and the Xuhai region, waiting for that fellow Xu Chi to pacify the demonic disaster would take an unknown amount of time. Doing this would not only consume a massive amount of supplies and manpower but would also hand the initiative over to the enemy.

The Divine Emperor coughed twice and spoke with a serious expression: "Listening to what you all have said, it seems you are all acting for the sake of the Divine Dynasty and the people. I have two doubts that remain unresolved."

"You keep saying you are acting for the Divine Dynasty, but I am confused: is Yanbei not territory of the Divine Dynasty?"

"You speak repeatedly of the people, but are the people of Yanbei not subjects of our Divine Dynasty?"

The Divine Emperor stood up and walked down from the dais. His expression grew gentler, but his voice became colder and sharper. "You are all people who live in the clouds. Among you, how many have truly gone deep among the masses to understand their joys and sorrows, or to comprehend their thoughts and desires?"

"If you have never been among the common folk, how can you know that the will of the people is surging, turning toward the external enemy?"

"Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. The will of the people is to sweep away foreign insults and raise the prestige of our nation! You do not even understand this, yet you dare to speak the words 'for the country and the people' so pompously in my presence?"

"The matter of the northern expedition shall not be debated further. Draft the decree: appoint Grand Marshal Feng Changkong as the commander-in-chief of the northern expedition, leading the Xingtai Army and the Yulin Army to march against the Bohai rebels; order the Minister of War, Li Lin, to coordinate military measures and discuss strategy; have the Minister of Revenue prepare the military equipment and support the logistics..."

The Divine Emperor’s voice rang out continuously, each sentence pinning a specific task to a specific person.

Prime Minister Murong remained silent from beginning to end, but seeing his calm and collected demeanor, one could guess that this imperial decree was the result of his discussions with the Inner Cabinet.

Good heavens, they hadn't leaked a single word, leaving the ministers to act so inappropriately before the Emperor. Being inappropriate was one thing, but the fear was that if the Emperor grew suspicious of them, it could lead to a loss of favor.

To accompany the Emperor is like accompanying a tiger.

The fate of a minister who has lost favor is never pleasant. Thinking of this, they felt even more guilty, reasoning that the only way forward was to fulfill the Emperor’s commands perfectly. If there was not a single flaw, perhaps the Emperor would not make things difficult for them.

...

...

Yanbei, deep within the Forest of Strange Stones.

The Forest of Strange Stones was one of Yanbei’s wonders. Legend has it that ancient masters once battled here, and the Taoist techniques left behind after thousands of years of baptism had not dissipated; instead, they had formed a strange force field that shrouded the area. Under the interference of that field, neither divine sense nor standard directional instruments worked here.

Moreover, the forest was vast, making it a refuge for outlaws in Yanbei. It was rumored that the Master of the Blood-Weeping Pavilion had stayed here for a time to avoid the pursuit of the Snow Cloud Sect’s Ten Thousand Sword Formation. Even the Ten Thousand Sword Formation could not probe the depths of this place, and in the entire Divine Dynasty, this was the only such location.

But at this moment, those hiding here were not outlaws.

"Awake?" Feng Juanlang had caught a rabbit from somewhere and was roasting it expertly over a fire.

Feng Yang opened his mouth, but found he could not speak; his throat felt as if it were being seared by flames. The water skin was not far away, and he wanted to reach for it, but found his entire body aching and weak.

"Don't move." Feng Juanlang secured the roasted rabbit and walked over to hand the water to Feng Yang. "You have the Ten Absolute Veins, and having suffered such heavy injuries, it’s a miracle you didn’t die on the spot. If you move around, you might really end up here."

Feng Yang gulped down several mouthfuls of water, feeling the burning pain in his throat ease slightly, and asked, "Where is this?"

Feng Juanlang did not look back. "The Forest of Strange Stones."

Feng Yang was silent for a while. "What happened to Yanbei?"

Feng Juanlang said softly, "Since you did your best, why ask?"

Feng Yang said, "If I don't ask, my heart will not be at peace."

Feng Juanlang sighed and said, "After your Ten Absolute Veins flared up and you fainted, the army was scattered. In the chaotic battle, no one knew who was who. Xisha had no choice but to order a retreat. During the retreat, we were ambushed by several large barbarian tribes and could only flee in all directions. Our unit was the most closely pursued, and in desperation, Xisha had to entrust you to me, telling me to take you and escape first while he led the remnants to buy us time."

In that situation, buying time was synonymous with death. Thinking of his third uncle, whom he didn't see often but who had always been very loving toward him and his brother, Feng Yang fell silent again. His heart ached as if pierced by a sharp blade.

"And Yanyun?"

"I don't know... but I imagine it has already fallen." Feng Juanlang’s expression was complex. "The Tyrant Spear wailed; the Great-Uncle has likely died in battle. When the number of top-tier experts is unequal, it is very difficult to hold Yanyun."

He paused, then continued, "Besides, I can no longer sense the Wind and Sand Formation."

Hearing this, Feng Yang looked up at him. The Wind and Sand Formation could only be sensed by the main controller; even his mother couldn't sense it. Why could you?

*So, the stolen formation hub was with you all along.*

*No wonder the Wind and Sand Formation could never unleash its full power.*

Thinking of this, Feng Yang suddenly felt it was a pity. But it was only a pity. He had always known that the Wind and Sand Formation was missing a hub, and his father had tried every means to compensate for it over the past decade, making it a minor issue. Since it was minor, it naturally shouldn't affect the overall situation.

But he still couldn't help but wonder: if the Wind and Sand Formation had been at full strength, could it have trapped that Dao-Combining expert who entered the formation? Could it have provided more assistance to the Yanbei soldiers?

"Don't dwell on it; it's meaningless."

"I know, I just can't help it."

"Can't help it... then think of something else."

"Like what?"

"Like how to kill those enemies who have invaded Yanbei!"