Chapter Forty-Seven Major Events
Large snowflakes finally began to fall, and the deep winter of the fourth year of the Zhaowu era of the Great Xia Dynasty had finally arrived. Qin Mo, while complaining about the Great Xia court's stinginess, instructed Wu Shengze to ensure the soldiers were protected from the frostbite. "Why the hell didn't they leave a month earlier? Just because the court only started supplying provisions after departing from the capital, so they could save a month's worth of provisions?"
In Qin Mo's memory, the distance from Guihua City to Wulan City was about a thousand kilometers, which translates to two thousand li in the Great Xia Dynasty. If the army marched sixty li at a time, it would take a month to arrive, which would likely be close to the twelfth lunar month by then. If the Great Xia army consisted entirely of cavalry, they could travel a little faster, about one hundred and twenty li at a time. Any faster, and the horses would suffer casualties; a military campaign is not a wartime raid where costs can be disregarded.
At this point, the preparations Qin Mo had made in Dayuan came in very handy. Leather boots, leather gloves, cotton-padded coats, plus a lot of sheepskins he had obtained in Guihua City, which could be strung together with rope to make a windproof sheepskin coat. Even the Imperial Guards of Daxia were almost like beggars compared to the Dayuan army. They were all suffering in the north wind, hoping to reach Wulan City as soon as possible.
Amidst the snow-covered fields, the large tent remained warm and inviting. The Great Xia Empire, having fought the orcs north of the grasslands for so long, knew the region intimately, and black coal had long been developed and utilized. Coal had played a fundamental role in the Great Xia's nearly thousand-year standoff with the orcs in the north. Without tall trees on the grasslands, the nearly one million Great Xia border troops would have long since perished from the cold without coal for warmth.
Kaihime skillfully massaged Qin Mo's arms, and with each occasional increase in pressure, Qin Mo would let out a comfortable groan... Qin Mo's muscles were very elastic, and a maid with insufficient strength would not have been able to give him a deep massage.
"How is your cultivation going?" There were only two people in the tent. Qin Mo was used to casually greeting Kaihime, since he would always speak to her whenever he opened his mouth.
"Your Highness, my cultivation is progressing very smoothly. My dantian has stabilized, and I plan to use my vital energy to temper my body in a few days." Kaihime stopped what she was doing, bowed respectfully, and answered. Whenever the topic of cultivation came up, she would bow first before answering, rather than giving a casual reply as she would in everyday conversation.
"Oh! You have good potential, but don't be impatient for quick success. You must hone your foundation to achieve greater things."
Qin Mo was telling the truth. Kaihime was able to enter the Dao on her own, which is quite remarkable. If nothing goes wrong, she will have no problem reaching the Profound Realm with just the "Breaking the Technique".
It's important to understand that while Human Realm cultivators are cultivators, in battle, if the enemy is ruthless and willing to pay any price, they can be overwhelmed by a hundred or so lives. Yellow Realm cultivators, however, are different. Unless the enemy also has cultivators, Yellow Realm cultivators can generally escape safely if they are determined to break through.
As for cultivators at the Profound Realm, they can move freely within an army composed of mortal warriors, which is why all officers above the rank of brigade commander in the Great Xia army are cultivators. It's not that you can stop high-level cultivators, but at least you shouldn't have your head taken so easily, causing the army to be unable to function properly.
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. I have taken it into consideration." Kaihime bowed in response and continued massaging Qin Mo, who was bathing. She tried her best to control her heartbeat, but after a while, beads of sweat began to drip from her nose, and her heartbeat became faster and faster.
Xu Liyan had subtly asked her several times how far she and the Crown Prince had progressed. After all, Qin Mo had never been close to any maids, and Kaihime was definitely the first. Just thinking about Xu Liyan's words made the weeds in Kaihime's heart grow wildly, impossible to suppress.
"Your Highness, it's late, and I still need to cultivate. Let's leave it at that for today!" Kaihime picked up Qin Mo's clothes, quickly dressed him, and fled back to her tent. She let out a long breath before her breathing returned to normal.
Qin Mo watched the departing figure and shook her head with a light laugh. No matter how mature she pretended to be, she was just a girl who was not even twenty years old. How many of the ups and downs of life had she experienced?
As the long night stretched on, Qin Mo focused on his cultivation, and the earth's elemental energy swirled, enveloping the large and small tents. One was a prodigy with exceptional talent, and the other was a transmigrator with unparalleled abilities. The two streams of energy seeped into their bodies, nourishing their dantian and physical forms, and fueling their yearning for the future.
When the second heavy snow fell, Qin Mo's Great Xia army finally arrived at the outskirts of Wulan City.
Ulan City, also known as Kulun, was a place where merchants from the Great Xia Empire would gather to trade with the Rakshasa Kingdom over a thousand years ago, before heading north to the trading city to ship their goods. However, after the orcs used bloody means to subjugate the Rakshasa Emperor, the Great Xia Empire closed its doors to trade with the Rakshasa Kingdom, turning Ulan City into a defensive stronghold within a thousand-mile radius. Through centuries of continuous repairs, Ulan City's area has grown to rival that of any prefecture within the Great Xia Empire.
Ulan City had many idle military camps, all built of thick adobe or brick. Qin Mo's large army was stationed in one of these old camps in the eastern part of Ulan City. They were to hold out until next spring, then go beyond the Great Wall to fight until autumn, until newly replenished border troops arrived to relieve them. In winter, another group of noble private armies would arrive again, repeating what Qin Mo had done today.
"Young Master, the Governor's Mansion has sent people, requesting that the leaders of each family come to the Governor's Mansion for a meeting." When Wu Shengze came to report, Qin Mo was watching his subordinates busily tidying up the vacant rooms, some starting fires, others finding water. Without a few people, it would be impossible to settle down.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com