Chapter 30: One Year Later
A year had passed.
With lightning speed, the Dongyang King gathered the troops of the Zhenshui King, merging them into a formidable force. Within just one year, they conquered Yingnan Commandery and pushed their military toward Pingshan Commandery, Zhaoyang Commandery, and set their sights on Xitai Commandery.
After the Dongyang King launched his campaign against the fake emperor, the fake emperor was forced to divert troops southward, leaving them unable to suppress the unrest. The four counties in the northern region, which had been relatively stable, quickly descended into chaos.
If the Dongyang King succeeded in capturing Pingshan, Xitai, and Zhaoming counties, he would effectively encircle the imperial capital’s three counties, leaving the fake emperor with no path to retreat, signaling his inevitable downfall.
Pingshan Commandery, Jiangzhou District, Hening County.
Many refugees who had fled from the northern region settled in Jiangzhou, hoping for a brief period of peace. But now, with the threat of war encroaching, they were forced to flee northward once again.
It wasn't just the refugees—many locals from Jiangzhou also chose to leave their homes behind.
As the saying goes, "Bandits will pick and choose, soldiers will take everything."
For ordinary people, fleeing was often the only way to survive in the face of natural and man-made disasters.
A long line of refugees wound its way down the main road.
Qin Sang sat on a stone by the roadside, chewing on a blade of grass. His feet were clad in worn-out straw sandals, and he wore a coarse cloth outfit patched in numerous places. His face and hands were blackened with grime, and his eyes were dull and lifeless. His hair, unwashed for who knows how long, hung in greasy strands, emitting a sour odor.
Beside him, slumped against the stone, were Water Monkey Zhou Ning and another man. They were dressed similarly to Qin Sang, looking every bit like three desperate refugees sharing the same fate.
The other man was named Zheng Kun. He had trained under Bai Jianglan for many years and was one of the people Qin Sang had met on the ship. Like Water Monkey, he had also joined the Blood-Clad Tower and now served under Qin Sang.
In the past year, Qin Sang had adhered strictly to his principles. While he hadn't accumulated many merits, his intelligence was always accurate. A few critical pieces of information had helped the army break through several fortresses, earning him a place of recognition with the king.
Additionally, with the commandery lady's support, Qin Sang quickly rose through the ranks of the Blood-Clad Tower within a year. He was now one of the deputy leaders of the Military Branch, with the position of branch leader intentionally left vacant for him.
Qin Sang looked up at the sun, calculating the time. Though his gaze seemed vacant, he was actually keeping a close watch on the gates of Hening.
The main road connected all the way to Duling County in the south. The refugees on this road were not only from Hening County but also from those fleeing the disasters in Duling County along the way.
The Dongyang King’s army was divided into two main forces. The western army, led personally by Dongyang King, consisted of Zhenshui King’s main force and the troops that had surrendered in Yingnan Commandery. They had already achieved significant victories in Zhaoyang Commandery.
However, the eastern army was stalled at the gates of Duling County Seat, locked in a two-month standoff with the fake emperor's forces, unable to make any progress.
Duling was a strategically vital location, historically known as the throat of Pingshan Commandery and Jiangzhou.
Capturing Duling would leave Jiangzhou defenseless. As the largest and wealthiest of the three districts in Pingshan Commandery, if Jiangzhou fell, the fall of Pingshan Commandery would soon follow.
The fake emperor, desperate, had concentrated all available forces from Pingshan Commandery into Duling County. Despite numerous attempts to storm the city, the assaults had all failed, with heavy casualties.
Thus, a new strategy was devised—to secretly withdraw two flanking forces under the cover of night, sending them through the mountain paths to launch a surprise attack on Hening, with the goal of threatening Jiangzhou.
Hening, located in the heart of Jiangzhou, was left vulnerable as most of the district's troops were stationed at Duling. If Hening were captured, the defending forces at Duling would find themselves trapped, unable to advance or retreat.
The southern part of Jiangzhou was mountainous, and the Blood-Clad Tower had already scouted the routes. The chances of success for the surprise attack were high.
The combined strength of the two flanking forces was substantial. If the main army at Duling refused to retreat and instead reinforced Hening, they could secure it and disrupt enemy supply lines, making life difficult for their opponents.
Qin Sang, along with Zhou Ning and Zheng Kun, had infiltrated the refugee group. Their mission was to reach Hening as quickly as possible, assess the situation, and be prepared to open the gates when the two surprise forces arrived, ensuring the swift capture of Hening to prevent any disorder.
It was clear that Hening County had also taken precautions. The militia and constables at the city gates were on high alert, weapons at the ready, driving away any unknown refugees who approached. Entering the city was out of the question.
"It's almost 1 PM, where is that rascal Liu Ji?"
Qin Sang heard Water Monkey complain and glanced at him. Water Monkey, with his small stature and missing arm, looked utterly pitiful in his current state—worse than a refugee.
Since losing his arm, Water Monkey had become much more reserved, which was why Qin Sang had agreed to take him under his wing. But old habits die hard, and he still had a tendency to grumble whenever there was nothing else to do.
Water Monkey understood his place, so Qin Sang didn’t reprimand him. Instead, he said, "We’ll wait another hour. Old Zheng[1], keep a close eye on those wealthy families handing out porridge. We need to be inside the city before nightfall."
Liu Ji was a member of the Blood-Clad Tower. His ancestors hailed from Hening, but his family had split off when he went into business elsewhere. After joining the Blood-Clad Tower, he was assigned to return to Hening, reconnect with his ancestral roots, and lead a group to secretly settle there.
After arriving in Hening County early that morning, Qin Sang immediately sent out a secret signal to have Liu Ji bring them into the city. The agreed latest time for their entry was 1 PM.
"Got it!"
Zheng Kun grinned, rolled on the ground to his feet, and hobbled into the refugee line, waiting for the porridge distribution.
Feeling that sitting on the stone made him too conspicuous, Qin Sang jumped down and sat on the ground instead. He had Water Monkey keep an eye on the city gate while he closed his eyes to rest.
Traveling day and night with the refugees had severely disrupted his cultivation.
Qin Sang knew how to prioritize. Even though his work with the Blood-Clad Tower was demanding, he had never neglected his cultivation, going nearly the entire year without proper sleep.
During this year, Qin Sang had always lingered on the outskirts of battlefields, hiding on the fringes while allowing King Yan to harvest the souls of the fallen.
However, unsure of the depth of the Jade Buddha’s power, Qin Sang dared not let King Yan act unchecked. He would retrieve it each time a certain number of souls were collected.
With a steady supply of Soul Pills, Qin Sang had progressed rapidly. He was now at the peak of the second stage, and it wouldn’t be long before he broke through to the third stage of the Netherworld Scripture.
As for the Wisdom King Art, Qin Sang had tried a few times but couldn’t cultivate any true qi, confirming his suspicion that the qi produced by the Netherworld Scripture was different from true qi and internal force.
Since practicing internal martial arts would take time away from his cultivation of the Netherworld Scripture, Qin Sang had decided to abandon it.
He had, however, diligently honed his skills in the Soul Snatching Spear and Shadowless Steps, reaching a respectable level of mastery. Coupled with a few other martial arts he’d chosen, he was now capable of being considered a top-tier expert, even without relying on the Yan Luo Banner.
Just then, Qin Sang suddenly heard heavy footsteps approaching. Alert, he opened his eyes and saw another person, also disguised as a refugee, drawing near.
As the person came closer, Qin Sang frowned and whispered sharply, "Zhang Wenkui, weren’t you supposed to stay close to General Wang? Why did you leave on your own?"
1. This is the nickname of Zheng Kun. In Chinese culture, people often added words before one's name to show endearment in a way ☜
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