Thousands of miles away, in Anyang City.
The wind and snow were even more violent than in Jiannan Circuit, and the sky was as gloomy as the bottom of a pot.
On both sides of the official road outside the city gate, there were dense crowds of ragged refugees fleeing famine.
The porridge distribution shed had long been smashed down, leaving only a few rotten wooden stakes. Broken straw sandals and broken tiles were scattered on the frozen mud, and cries and the banging of bowls by beggars mingled together.
The guards at the city gate, gripping their red-tasseled spears, impatiently pushed and shoved the surging crowd, smashing down anyone who was even slightly slow.
Amid the chaotic flow of people, two relatively short men, wrapped in thick, tattered sheepskin coats, were squeezing forward through the doorway with their heads down.
The two men were half a head shorter than the people from the Central Plains, with slightly high cheekbones and hunched necks. Their eyes, however, were restless, glancing at the weapons of the city gate guards, the arrow emplacements of the city defenses, and the miserable state of the displaced people.
After paying the city entrance tax, the two followed the flow of people and turned into a dark and secluded dead-end alley in the west of the city.
After confirming that no one was watching, the short, stout man with a short mustache pulled off the veil covering his mouth, revealing a sallow face. He spoke in a low voice in extremely broken and strange Central Plains Mandarin: "Brother Pu, it seems the news from the capital is absolutely true."
This person was none other than Inukami Jusaburo, Wa spy who had Great Yan.
Park Roejang, a thin Silla spy with sunken eyes and single eyelids, sneered, took out a small brass wine pot from his pocket, and took a sip. "The old emperor of Great Yan has suffered a stroke and is paralyzed, unable to speak or move his hands; the crown prince is imprisoned, and the crime of killing his brother cannot be cleared."
"Half of the sky in the Great Yan has collapsed."
Inukami Jusaburo rubbed his fingers, which were red from the cold, and lowered his voice. "Although the Great Yan Dynasty has blocked the news, our informants in the capital have found out everything clearly."
Among the adult princes, Prince An Gu Mochen, is the second prince and should rightfully inherit the throne.
Moreover, Anyang is only 800 li away from the capital, a journey that can be completed in three days by fast horse, giving it a significant geographical advantage.
"Once the old emperor breathes his last, the empire will most likely belong to Prince An."
"But don't forget about Prince Yi. Behind him are two powerful ministers, the Prime Minister and the Grand Commandant."
"Ha, you're looking at things too short-sightedly. Think about First Rank: one of them is called Prince Yi, and the other Prince An. What does that mean?"
"Not the fiefdoms of Yi Prefecture and Anyang?"
"Wrong. 'Yi' means to enjoy comfort and pleasure, which fits Gu Moran's style of doing things, while 'An' represents bringing peace to the world, which has a bigger vision!"
The emperor granted Prince Yi's request to marry the daughter of a high-ranking official simply because he didn't want Prince Yi to be punished in the future. This empire will surely belong to Prince An.
"The world belongs to him, but right now, Anyang City is quickly becoming a mess."
Park Roejang kicked at the frozen mud at the base of the wall and sneered, "I heard that His Prince An took fake medicine from a folk healer and went mad a few days ago in South Street, forcibly abducting a woman in the street. Now he's bedridden in the palace, only being supported by his advisors and the Princess."
"This is a golden opportunity." A glint of greed and ruthlessness flashed in Inukami Jusaburo's eyes. "The weaker he is, the more desperate he becomes, the more valuable what we have will be."
"Brother Dog is right."
"It's the Inukami."
"OK."
Park Roejang patted the leather bundle slung across his body.
Inside the thick leather case were several blue-and-white porcelain vases completely sealed with wax.
The bottle contained tiny, grayish-white pills that emitted a nauseatingly sweet aroma.
This was precisely the " Bliss Pills " that Silla and Wa merchants had obtained from the far west overseas.
When first taken, it can make one's blood boil and produce all sorts of blissful illusions, as if all diseases have been cured and divine power has possessed one's body. However, once taken for seven consecutive days, even immortals would find it difficult to quit.
If you refuse to take it the next day, at first it feels like ants and insects are crawling all over your body, and then it feels like you are being eaten by thousands of insects.
" Prince An wants to be emperor, wants immortality, and wants endless strength to fight for the throne." Park Roejang licked his dry lips. "We'll pretend to be 'divine physicians' from an overseas fairy island and go to contact that desperate Zhou Huaili, Zhou Huai-li."
"Once Prince An takes this Bliss Pills, won't the military power, finances, and coastal ports Great Yan of Anyang City all be at the command of our two countries?"
"Not bad." Inukami Jusaburo nodded emphatically, took out two sealed letters from his sleeve, and handed them to his attendant behind him. "Are the carrier pigeons ready?"
"Your Excellency, everything is ready."
"Send a letter back to our country immediately!" Inukami Jusaburo said in a deep voice, "In the letter, I will inform our court to immediately dispatch an elite delegation under the pretext of 'paying tribute at the New Year and visiting the Holy Body of the Great Yan Emperor' to enter the pass at top speed!"
The elephant that Great Yan is terminally ill; we must tear off the fattest piece of meat from its body before the Tubo completely devour the southwest!
"Fluttering--"
Two greyish-brown homing pigeons broke through the wind and snow, soaring into the sky from the dark alley and quickly disappearing into the vast northern clouds.
Park Roejang straightened his robes, tucked the porcelain bottle tightly into his bosom, and winked at Inukami Jusaburo: "Let's go, Inukami- nii. Let's go deliver this miraculous elixir that will send Prince An, who is on his deathbed, to his 'heavenly paradise'."
The two exchanged a strange laugh, wrapped their sheepskin coats tighter, and headed straight for the Prince An's Residence along the snow-covered streets.
The wind and snow howled through Bronze Gorge. Nearly a thousand soldiers from Yi Prefecture gripped their tattered spears tightly, and the suppressed breathing filled the mine pit.
These veterans had bloodshot eyes; they had been trapped on the cliff for two whole days and nights, freezing cold, with ice crystals seeping into their very bones.
Seeing the reinforcements break through the valley, the pent-up frustration and resentment in their chests instantly surged to their heads. Several squad leaders, carrying their dull-edged ring-pommel swords, were about to rush out.
"Stop."
Pu Yunshan pointed his longsword diagonally at the ground, let out a cold shout, and forcefully stopped the footsteps of the front-row soldiers behind the snow line.
Instead of issuing the order to charge blindly, he turned to the side, his ears twitching slightly, listening to the sounds coming from the depths of the canyon.
Through the gaps in the howling wind and snow, a dense and heavy clatter of hooves grew louder as it approached, accompanied by the rough and irritable shouts of the Tubo barbarians and the sharp crack of whips striking their warhorses.
"A large cavalry force is pressing in from behind, at least a thousand riders." Pu Yunshan withdrew his gaze, his tone completely calm, and turned to his side, "Brother Tuoba, where are the things?"
"It's all ready!"
Tuoba Mang grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and placed the heavy leather satchel on the snow.
The leather straps were untied, revealing neatly stacked black lumps of iron inside.
One hundred Subduing Fire Thunder, their iron casings gleaming with a cold, hard luster, their fuses carefully wrapped in thick oilcloth, not a speck of snow water touching them.
The trapped soldiers looked at each other, completely baffled as to what these black iron balls were.
Pu Yunshan reached behind his waist and took a short hardwood bow, then pulled a whistling arrow with a red cloth tied to its tail feathers from his quiver, nocked it, and drew the string taut.
"Call out--"