Arrival at His Fief
Zhu Wushi turned around and said to Bai Yi.
"Shadow Kill Hall, you've got some skills, you're pretty fast."
Beside Zhu Wushi, a dozen headless corpses were piled up, clearly crushed to death by Zhu Wushi, their blood staining the ground.
Upon receiving the message from Great Feng, Zhu Wushi decided to first talk to the Shadow Kill Hall. He arrived here within an hour at most, but the Shadow Kill Hall had already left. Those guys are really well-informed!
Bai Yi looked around and said.
"Whether it's the former Hall Master of the Shadow Kill Hall, Han Wuguang, who was once one of the Nine Heavens King of the Deceive Heaven Alliance, or the current Hall Master Qiu Jiuyang, they are not simple characters. It is precisely because of these two that Shadow Kill Hall has been able to rise again in recent years."
Let's go. We can't count on the Shadow Kill Hall anymore, but at least they have a reason to wait until later to make their move."
Zhu Wushi nodded, and after returning to Hanshan City, Zhu Wushi found He Ming.
"Tell the spies in You Province to find out the Shadow Kill Hall's movements."
After He Ming left, Zhu Wushi sighed.
"The task is arduous and the road ahead is long!"
The Dragon Guard Manor has been expanding, but in some aspects it still can't compare to these local forces. For example, this time, he had only just learned of the Great Feng's movements Shadow Kill Hall had already fled.
There's no other way. The Dragon Guard Manor is new to this area, and its 50,000 troops are mostly scattered across the three states. They are not concentrated, and in a single state, they are still no match for the local forces. They need to develop slowly!
On February 18th, the east wind thawed the ice and scattered it as rain. Hanshan City, all the forces of Hanshan Prefecture had arrived. Qian Sheng of the Qian Family, Teng Xiong of the Divine Fist Sect, and Prefect Zhou He also brought a group of officials from Hanshan Prefecture. The Lu Family, where Prefect Lu Shuangxing was from, also had an Ascension Realm.
Zhu Wushi, Bai Yi, and the others were also among them. Looking at the Qin flag fluttering in the wind in the distance, although everyone had smiles on their faces, there was a heavy look in their eyes. They stood straight and waited quietly.
The Black Armored Army marching ahead slowed down and moved to the sides, making way for the Ghost Servant who drove their carriages slowly past the armies on both sides to the very front of the procession. With the carriages at the head, the procession headed towards Hanshan City.
Li Xunhuan leaned leisurely against the carriage beside the Ghost Servant, seemingly doing nothing. The curtain of the left window of the carriage was lifted, and Qiuyue poked her little head out to look around before shrinking back in.
Inside the carriage Chu Xuanao lay leisurely in Shuangxue's arms, his eyes closed as if he were still asleep.
Qiuyue looked around outside, then turned back and whispered to Chu Xuanao.
"Your Highness in Hanshan City. Lord Bai, Lord Zhu, and a group of officials are already waiting at the city gate to welcome Your Highness."
Chu Xuanao suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head, stretched his body slightly, and said with emotion.
"Finally here! This past month has been so boring!"
That evening, after leaving the capital, Zhu Wushi made a video call to inform him that the Great Feng had taken action. He then ordered his troops to march quickly, and after a month of rapid marching, they finally arrived at Hanshan City.
The January march was uneventful, except for the slight jolting of the carriages. There were no assassinations, strange occurrences, or fortuitous encounters like those in the novels I had read in my previous life. Nothing happened, making it quite boring.
Most people, when they saw the army's banner with the word "Qian" and the word "Qin" hanging high, hid far away, wishing they had two more legs and could fly up and run.
When the carriage stopped Hanshan City, everyone bowed and greeted it respectfully.
"Welcome, Your Highness, Prince of Qin."
Chu Xuanao slowly stepped down from the carriage, his face expressionless, exuding a cold and dignified air, and said in a deep voice.
"Rise, everyone! Let's enter the city!"
After entering the city, a welcoming banquet was inevitable, and people got to know the various forces. Of course, after Zhu Wushi and others had cleaned up the area, everyone in Hanshan Prefecture was now behaving very well.
By the time Chu Xuanao returned to the Prince's Mansion, night had fallen. He sat in the main hall, looking at the people in front of him, all of whom were from his Prince of Qin's Manor.
Li Xunhuan, Ghost Servant, Zhu Wushi, his Maternal Grandfather Bai Yi, Menban and Sledgehammer, Teng Xiong, and Bai Wangye, an Ascension Realm from the Bai Family who has reached the pinnacle of cultivation, Cheng Shifei, Duan Tianya and Seven Balefuls.
It can be said that apart from himself and Qiuyue Shuangxue and Xiao Dezi who serve him, the weakest person in this room is at the Manifestation Realm, and the strongest, Li Xunhuan, has reached the late stage of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.
Unparalleled wasn't there. That kid didn't like these schemes and plots. At the welcoming banquet, the little guy just ate without saying a word, disdaining to talk to anyone. Back at the palace, he dragged his Maternal Aunt to practice swordsmanship.
Chu Xuanao looked at Zhu Wushi and asked.
"Tell me, how have things been lately?"
Zhu Wushi's expression was somewhat off, and he said in a deep voice.
"Your Highness, everything in Hanshan Prefecture is normal. Prefect Zhou He has been managing Hanshan Prefecture without any mistakes or problems these days. He is quite a talented person."
Meanwhile, the troops of Great Feng have been assembled and are beginning to reorganize. A major battle could break out at any time. In the past month, the Shenying Marquis Manor, Prefect Lu Shuangxing, and General Qian Shan have organized several small attacks and clashed with Great Feng three times.
They tried to disrupt their plans, but with little effect, resulting in two losses and one victory.
Both sides have now ceased hostilities for the past few days, allowing their troops to rest and regroup in preparation for the upcoming major battle.
Zhu Wushi paused at this point, then continued.
"In Hanshan Prefecture, the Shenying Marquis Manor has sent 40,000 soldiers from the You Province Border Army from the Youzhou Grand Camp. General Qian Shan has also transferred 10,000 troops from Youtai Prefecture. With the natural barrier of Cold Mountain, there is no problem in defending Hanshan Prefecture."
However, the Blood Lotus Sect has been quite active lately, frequently appearing in both You Province and the Eastern Border of Great Feng.
Upon hearing this, Chu Xuanao nodded. He wasn't too worried about Hanshan Prefecture. Cold Mountain wasn't a single mountain, but a rugged, steep, and continuous mountain range. With Cold Mountain there, the price the Great Feng army would have to pay to conquer Cold Mountain was unimaginable.
Once you reach the top of Cold Mountain, you'll find an endless Xuanshan Plain. If an army were to arrive, they would be able to see it immediately, even before the soldiers arrive.
With 40,000 You Province Border Army, plus 10,000 troops transferred from the prefecture and 20,000 local troops from Hanshan Prefecture, a total of 70,000 troops are enough to guard Cold Mountain.
Moreover, Chu Xuanao had no intention of defending. As soon as the Great Feng army arrived, he would summon the Bingzhou Wolf Riders. Fifty thousand cavalrymen would descend from the sky onto the open plains. He dared not even think about it.
Once Lu Bu appears, he can immediately shout, "I will dominate the battlefield!"
As for the Blood Lotus Sect, there's nothing we can do about it. Those guys are a pile of shit, purely disgusting. Wherever the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, as long as there's an opportunity to cause trouble, they'll definitely be there.
The cults that have been recognized by countries and parties around the world over thousands of years are not without reason.
It's fair to say that if the Blood Lotus Sect hadn't interfered, any trouble wouldn't even be considered trouble; in fact, some might have questioned its very existence.
After chatting with everyone for a while, Chu Xuanao waved his hand and said.
"Alright, it's getting late, everyone should rest!"
Xiao Dezi, Qiuyue Shuangxue, you can go down now too!
After everyone left, besides Chu Xuanao himself, only Li Xunhuan, Ghost Servant, Zhu Wushi, Cheng Shifei, and Duan Tianya remained in the room.
Chu Xuanao looked at Zhu Wushi and asked.
"Yuan Tiangang has already left?"
Zhu Wushi said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Your Highness, the Palace Master went to Great Feng the day before yesterday."