Northern Crisis
On the fourth day of the tenth month of the second year of Guiyuan, the capital received an urgent report from Wuzhou, stating that the Yuan Dynasty had mobilized 250,000 troops to march towards the Chamu River border, and the commander of the troops was the Yuan Dynasty's Grand Preceptor.
On the fifth day of the tenth month of the second year of Guiyuan, the Taiji Hall held its routine court assembly.
Before the assembled officials could present their reports, Xiao Liunian announced his own decision.
"I have decided to personally go to Wuzhou to join the soldiers in protecting the people and defending the territory!"
"When I went to Wuzhou, the affairs of the court were managed by Grand Tutor Wen Heng, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Liu Fuyuan, and Grand Commandant Hu Xian, with the assistance of other ministers."
"At this critical moment, I hope all my beloved ministers will unite as one to defend against the enemy!"
“Your Majesty, although the Yuan Dynasty’s army is pressing on our borders, we faced a similar situation more than twenty years ago. The Prince of Zhenbei led the Wuzhou army to successfully repel the enemy and even recovered the three cities that had been lost. The Prince of Zhenbei has guarded the northern border for many years, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.” Some people in the court did not approve of Xiao Liunian’s personal expedition and came forward to submit a memorial.
"Cen Rou, tell me why I absolutely must go!" Xiao Liunian said, turning his head slightly to the left.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
A man stepped forward from Xiao Liunian's left rear, bowed to Xiao Liunian, and then turned to face the assembled ministers.
This person was Cen Rou. When Shangguan Cai went to Jiangnan, Xiao Liunian ostensibly sent a thousand imperial guards to Jiangnan, but secretly arranged for Cen Rou to lead another group of people in plainclothes to protect her. Later, due to some special circumstances, Shangguan Cai's safety was guaranteed, so Xiao Liunian asked Cen Rou to hand over the secret personnel to Shangguan Cai and then return to the capital.
"Lord Zhao, you just said that was twenty years ago!"
"The situation is different now. The enemy has 250,000 troops, whose combat power is even greater than it was 20 years ago. Among the 150,000 troops of the Wuzhou Army, 50,000 soldiers were recruited within the last year. They are all new recruits with limited training time and have never been on the battlefield before. Their combat ability is limited. Judging from such a huge disparity in troop strength, the northern border is in imminent danger."
“If the northern defense line is breached one day, the Yuan Dynasty army will be able to march south. How many people will be slaughtered? How much wealth and food will be looted? How long will you gentlemen be able to live peacefully in this imperial city?” Cen Rou spoke each word with force and conviction.
"At this critical moment, Your Majesty, with your precious body, personally went to the front line. Firstly, it can boost morale and reassure the people. Secondly, Your Majesty is exceptionally talented. With Your Majesty here, our army will surely achieve a great victory!" Cen Rou bowed to Xiao Liunian.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" The court officials followed suit and bowed.
Early the next morning, Xiao Liunian led his troops out to war, and was seen off by Grand Tutor Wen, Minister Liu, and Grand Commandant Hu, along with other officials.
After Xiao Liunian led his army away, the officials left in an orderly fashion and began to go to their respective offices to handle their affairs.
"Lord Hu, what is your opinion on this war?" Wen Heng asked.
"I will see things the way Your Majesty sees them!" Grand Commandant Hu replied.
"Since Your Majesty is going on an expedition, I still need to discuss the subsequent supply of provisions with the Ministry of Revenue. I'll take my leave now!" Grand Commandant Hu cupped his hands in farewell and then departed.
"Grand Tutor Wen, I, Liu, will also take my leave!" Liu Fuyuan then departed as well.
"They're all old foxes!" Wen Heng sighed. He couldn't understand this new emperor at all. He took down the former Grand Tutor with swift and decisive measures, then sent Shangguan Cai to Jiangnan to handle tax issues, and later sent Shangguan Cai to Jiangnan as a resident official. It was as if he wasn't worried at all about whether these officials had their own selfish motives.
The position of Grand Commandant had been vacant for more than ten years. As soon as His Majesty ascended the throne, he promoted Hu Xian, the former governor of the southeast region, to the position. His Majesty has great ambitions, but it is unknown how far he will go in the future.
Enough! Enough! Enough! I hope this old man can hold on for a few more years and see where this country is headed!
——
On an open ground a hundred miles from Jinling City, Cen Mo was leading his troops to rest and regroup.
"Mumu, are we about to start our battlefield conquest dungeon?" Thirteen meowed from the side.
“Yes, it will start tonight,” Xiao Liunian replied.
"It's been a year since I last earned points, so it's time to level up and earn more points," Xiao Liunian said.
"Another upgrade?" the system slowly asked, puzzled.
"Hasn't all the power been unsealed?" The little head was filled with great confusion.
"Have you ever heard of a technique called 'Twelve' that allows one to use the power of others?" Xiao Liunian pinched his two hairy ears.
"There was a man named Linghu who practiced it, and there was also a woman who was killed so badly that only her name remained that she practiced it?" Maomao was shocked.
"More or less." Xiao Liunian nodded, but the nod was so wide that his chin bumped against Thirteen's fluffy head.
"Then who should we absorb?" With the current cultivation level of our host, those of too low a level are of little use; only those of higher level are useful.
"The Imperial Advisor!"
"The one who led the troops in the Yuan Dynasty!"
"He's so amazing!" Cat was stunned. Are there really that many experts these days?
"Yes, we'll leave tonight!"
"So take a nap." Xiao Liunian gently stroked the furry child's fur to lull him to sleep.
A while later, the fluffy creature successfully fell asleep, and Xiao Liunian put it into his spatial storage.
"Cen Mo!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"All the marching arrangements for the next few days are entirely in your hands. You must arrive at the Wuzhou military camp within ten days!" Xiao Liunian did not take Cen Rou with him on this trip, but instead took Cen Mo. Rather than going to the Wuzhou front, it was more suitable for Cen Rou's future development to stay in the capital.
When Xiao Liunian left, he entrusted 20,000 Imperial Guards and the four major camps outside the city to Cen Rou, and also left her a sword. Presumably, she should know what to do.
In Xiao Liunian's view, among the three younger generation of the Cen family, Cen Mo is the most outstanding in terms of military talent, Cen Rou is the most cunning and calculating, and as for Cen Li, the heir of the Prince of Zhenbei, what is he best at? Making money!
Xiao Liunian had investigated and found that the military funding shortfall in Wuzhou was secretly covered by this heir, with an annual deficit of almost 200,000 taels. What a talent!
The gold and silver mine distribution map that Xiao Liunian secretly handed over was also handled by Prince Cen Li.
Xiao Liunian felt that this young master was somewhat similar to Lan Sa. He wondered who would come out on top if the two of them competed on the same stage.
Late at night, Xiao Liunian activated the stand-in function, sending the stand-in with the army while he concealed himself and went to the vicinity of the Yuan Dynasty army's encampment.
After a long absence, Xiao Liunian, with the system, hid in a tree again, using the shadows to conceal his figure.
"Mumu, where is this Imperial Advisor?" Cat believed that between the host and the system, the host's information was more reliable.
“There are three large tents in the very center of the camp. One is their council chamber, another is the Third Prince’s resting tent, and the third is the Grand Preceptor’s tent. However, the Grand Preceptor does not rest here. His tent is in a group of tents to the left rear, which is also a simplified version of a laboratory.” Xiao Liunian was like a search engine, retrieving relevant knowledge about the Grand Preceptor from his memory.
"However, that was in the past, and the current situation still needs to be verified."
"How do we verify it?" With the host's strength, infiltrating silently and without alerting anyone should be a piece of cake.
"I discovered that the system has a mosaic function that can weaken one's impression in the eyes of others, commonly known as a generic face, so that one can walk by without being noticed. Let's try this function." This time, Xiao Liunian wanted to infiltrate openly and legitimately.
"Mumu, you're so arrogant!"
The system sighed, "Only those with power can be so capricious!"
"Disguise skill - mosaic function activated!"
As the system broadcasted, the cat returned to its internal space, while Xiao Liunian disguised himself as a soldier, infiltrated the military camp, and joined the patrol team.
"Mumu, what if they don't look at faces but just check the number of people?" asked the thirteen reporters who were tracking the situation in real time.
“Someone from this team went to the outhouse, and I knocked him unconscious and hid him while he was there!” Xiao Liunian said.
"He's a man!" the reporter emphasized.
“I know!” Xiao Liunian replied.
Just as the system was about to quietly grumble and sigh, Xiao Liunian uttered four words: "In urgent situations, expediency is key!"
"What if he's found in the outhouse?" the reporter pressed.
"Not for a while, my hiding place is very well hidden!" Xiao Liunian replied.
"You can figure out exactly where to hide it yourself!" Xiao Liunian refused to let the system continue its questioning.
After Xiao Liunian's squad finished their patrol, a new patrol team came to relieve them. While the squad members were returning to their tents to rest, Xiao Liunian used the excuse of going to the outhouse to leave the group.
"Mumu, are you going to go and fight the Imperial Advisor?" Cat's voice became soft, as if she was about to do something big in silence.
"Mmm," Xiao Liunian responded softly.
Xiao Liunian weaved through the military camp, dodging left and right, and finally arrived at the location of the Grand Preceptor of the Yuan Dynasty. Xiao Liunian slowed his breathing and moved lightly to avoid being discovered by the Grand Preceptor.
"Since you're here, come out," said the Grand Preceptor of the Yuan Dynasty.
Xiao Liunian remained in place and waited for a while. Then, a person appeared in the tent, and it was someone the Grand Preceptor knew.
"What brings you here?" asked the Imperial Advisor Gao Shi.
"It's too boring back here, let's come here and have a look!" the newcomer said.
"You should guard the rear!" the Imperial Advisor said sternly.
"Those fools in the court are now completely obedient to our orders, and the rear is perfectly secure!" the visitor said dismissively.
"The most urgent task at present is to quickly take Wuzhou and set up the relevant formations," the visitor said.
"A new emperor has ascended the throne in Jinling. This person is probably not simple!" the Imperial Advisor guessed. He ascended the throne at a young age and still holds great power. This emperor is not easy to deal with.
"Their combat strength is too weak, so what good is their intelligence?" the newcomer said arrogantly.
"If you've only come here out of boredom, then you should go back!" Grand Preceptor Gao Shi issued an order to leave.
"Mumu, they're saying your combat strength is poor." The system transmitted its voice in the space. They actually said their host's combat strength was poor, they must have never seen their host kill anyone.
"One of them is at level seventeen and the other at level fifteen. Moreover, the Grand Preceptor of the Yuan Dynasty is also a pharmacist. The Yuan Dynasty army's combat power has increased hundreds of times because of this person." Xiao Liunian felt that what the other party said was quite right. Not only Jinling, but the combat power of other countries was also very poor.
"Mumu, when do we make our move?"
"Now!"
Xiao Liunian took a deep breath and then quickly fled.
"Interesting. It seems to be a spy from the Wuzhou army. I'll go meet him!" The man instantly flashed out of the Grand Preceptor's tent and chased after Xiao Liunian. In the blink of an eye, only Grand Preceptor Gao Shi remained in the Grand Preceptor's tent.
Xiao Liunian led the people behind him toward the no-man's land, with the people behind them in hot pursuit.
After reaching a deserted area, Xiao Liunian stopped and prepared to wait for the pursuers to arrive.
"How do you want to die?" The newcomer, who was also the person in the Imperial Advisor's tent, was not in a hurry to kill Xiao Liunian. He planned to kill Xiao Liunian slowly, like a cat catching a mouse.
Xiao Liunian remained silent and launched an attack, immediately unleashing his ultimate move, "Equality of All Things," a rain of thousands of swords hurtling towards his opponent.
The newcomer was shocked and quickly moved to dodge the attack. However, Xiao Liunian seemed to have anticipated the newcomer's dodge and had been waiting for him. He then used his Dissolving Power Technique, and the newcomer felt his internal power rapidly disappearing. As his power disappeared, the newcomer aged instantly until he became a skeleton and then turned into ashes, which were scattered in the sand.
Villain! Villain! The leader really is the villain! The cats in the space howled silently once again.
After wailing for a while, I thought, "So be it, I'll be the villain. It's pretty fun."
After absorbing the power of the level 16 transformation, Xiao Liunian sat cross-legged and began to circulate his energy, making the power obedient and perfectly merging it with his own. However, although he could use it together with his original power after merging, this power from someone else was like it had an expiration date. After a certain period of time, it would automatically dissipate, and his cultivation level would revert to the previous level.
"Congratulations, host, on your successful upgrade! You have been awarded 100 billion points. Please check your account!" The system's internal broadcast announced that Xiao Liunian had temporarily advanced to the 17th level of the Complex Change Realm, and the points reward had been credited to his account. He wondered if the points would be deducted later.
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