All sides (extended chapter)

At that moment, Huaiqing felt a sudden "boom" in his mind, a sense of panic that his deepest secret had been ruthlessly exposed, and a slight feeling of helplessness arose.

He... he knew I was number one, he knew my identity all along?!

These past few days he's been secretly sending me letters, trying to meet me several times, but I've firmly refused. What was he thinking then? He must have been secretly laughing, no, maybe even laughing out loud.

He not only knew my identity, but he also revealed it to Li Miaozhen.

The eldest princess's beautiful and refined face froze, her eyes widening slightly. Given her cunning and shrewdness, this was an extremely poor performance.

Li Miaozhen's eyes widened immediately, and her mouth opened so wide it could fit an egg. She truly hadn't expected to hear such explosive news.

Number one is Huaiqing, a princess of the royal family, the eldest daughter of Emperor Yuanjing?!

After the initial shock, Li Miaozhen recalled her favorite sayings within the Heaven and Earth Society: "I want to assassinate Emperor Yuanjing," "Is Emperor Yuanjing dead?", "When will Emperor Yuanjing die!"

The Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect felt a tingling sensation on her scalp, and goosebumps rose on her neck. She felt an urge to rush out of the room and jump into the well.

The embarrassment almost made her want to disappear.

Huaiqing's eyes flickered for a moment, then he regained his cool composure and said calmly, "When did you find out, Young Master Xu, a student of the Cloud Deer Academy?"

Huaiqing is such a cunning old fox! Xu Qi'an's expression stiffened slightly, he coughed, and said calmly:

"Just recently, for example, His Highness is incredibly intelligent, and he instructed Lin'an to borrow books from the Wenyuan Pavilion."

As he spoke, Xu Qi'an glanced at Li Miaozhen beside him and thought to himself, "Great, we're all going to die together."

Huaiqing nodded, his expression calm. "Young Master Xu is indeed intelligent, worthy of being a scholar well-versed in the classics, no less so than your elder brother who single-handedly held off eight thousand rebels in Yunzhou."

Xu Qi'an nodded slowly. "You flatter me, Your Highness is the smartest person in the Heaven and Earth Society. You used the excuse of borrowing the autumn hunting map to arouse the interest of hunting in Lin'an, and you hid yourself very well."

Huaiqing said expressionlessly, "Does anyone else know that Young Master Xu is so capable?"

"No, stop talking," Li Miaozhen silently covered her face.

Xu Qi'an and Huai Qing both fell silent, their faces expressionless.

As long as we don't feel awkward, it's others who will feel awkward.

Xu Qi'an glanced at the eldest princess, whose expression remained calm and composed, and muttered a few words to himself:

If I hadn't seen you so stunned just now, I would have really thought you had no shame and a clear conscience.

Li Miaozhen cleared her throat, looked at them, and suggested, "What happened today should only be known to the three of us, how about that?"

"I have no objection." Xu Qi'an nodded "calmly."

Miao Zhen is such a great wingman!

Huaiqing nodded, glanced at him lightly, and said, "Who else knows your identity?"

Xu Qi'an replied, "No, just the two of you."

Lina is ignored.

After a moment of silence, Huaiqing steered the conversation back on track, asking, "Has the case been solved?"

Xu Qi'an hummed in agreement. "Before that, you two answer one question for me: Your Highness, did you obtain the fragment of the Earth Book six years ago?"

Huaiqing paused for a moment, then did not refute.

Xu Qi'an then asked, "Miaozhen, you were given the fragment of the Earth Book by Daoist Jinlian when he went to the Heavenly Sect, weren't you?"

Li Miaozhen couldn't hide her surprise. "How did you know?"

"My guess was right, it came together." Xu Qi'an let out a breath and said, "I have indeed solved the case. First, I need to tell you something: Daoist Jinlian is the head of the Earth Sect."

Huaiqing and Li Miaozhen's expressions froze instantly.

Huaiqing's expression was solemn and extremely serious as he asked, word by word, "What exactly is going on?"

"The leader of the Earth Sect has fallen into demonic possession, but not completely. His benevolent thoughts have split off and become the Golden Lotus Daoist. Miaozhen, you should still remember that when you were protecting the lotus seed, the Golden Lotus Daoist single-handedly entangled the Black Lotus and became entangled with his wisp of demonic thought." Xu Qi'an looked at the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect.

Li Miaozhen frowned. "I was indeed confused at the time. Even if it was just a wisp of demonic thought, it was still the thought of a second-grade demonic cultivator at the Tribulation Transcending stage. Daoist Jinlian isn't even a third-grade cultivator, how could he possibly contend with it? But..."

"You're just too lazy to use your brain!" Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

If Huaiqing had been there, he probably would have come up with more ideas, but unfortunately, Huaiqing was a weakling with no cultivation.

Xu Qi'an didn't pause and recounted his and Luo Yuheng's speculations to them in their entirety. During this recounting, Luo Yuheng concealed his merits and fame and did not appear.

He couldn't reveal his private relationship with the Imperial Advisor unless the Imperial Advisor allowed it.

Throughout the process, Huaiqing's expression changed drastically, from astonishment to anger to gloom. In the end, his face was ashen, and he remained silent, as if he had lost the ability to speak.

Li Miaozhen's expression froze: wide-eyed and mouth agape, like a solidified doll.

The leader of the Earth Sect appeared normal back then, but in reality, he showed signs of demonic possession. When Prince Huai and Yuan Jing met him in Nanyuan, they were corrupted and turned into a seemingly normal but actually psychologically twisted madman.

Therefore, the Prince of Huai, for his own selfish reasons, massacred the city to refine elixirs.

Therefore, even though Emperor Yuanjing knew that good fortune did not grant him immortality, he stubbornly refused to believe in such superstitions.

A normal person wouldn't do that, but what about a mentally disturbed, semi-mad person?

"So, the culprit behind all this is Daoist Jinlian," Li Miaozhen murmured with a sigh.

"So, the reason you asked me to meet you privately that day instead of using the Earth Script to communicate was because you were afraid of being seen by Daoist Jinlian. You don't trust Daoist Jinlian," Huaiqing said in a low voice.

"Yes, I'm not sure if Daoist Jinlian knows about these things. I... I'm starting to doubt him." Xu Qi'an sighed.

Huaiqing nodded. Anyone would have done the same. He thought the senior was trustworthy, but it turned out he was the culprit behind everything.

"Could the anomaly beneath the dragon vein be another incarnation of Daoist Jinlian?" Li Miaozhen asked.

Damn it, I haven't figured out the truth of the case at all, and I'm so far behind Xu Qi'an, all because he didn't share any clues with me. The Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect is trying to save face for herself.

"I don't know. I will explore the dragon vein again in half a month. This time there will be results." Xu Qi'an did not explain why there would be results this time.

Li Miaozhen and Huaiqing did not ask any further questions.

"So, the Soul Pill is actually what the dragon vein underground needs, and the pills Father has refined over the years are also like that?" Huaiqing pondered.

"That should be true," Xu Qi'an said.

After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Can Father... can he still remove the pollution?"

Xu Qi'an said, "First, we need to understand the nature of pollution. If a person's nature changes, it's very difficult to restore it. If he's being controlled, then perhaps Master Jinlian has a way."

The former is someone who has become bad, whose entire nature has been corrupted, making it difficult to recover. The latter, however, can be restored simply by removing the control.

Upon hearing this, Li Miaozhen interjected, "No, even if his nature is corrupted, if a high-ranking Buddhist School monk can help him, he can regain his true nature and see the light."

Huaiqing's eyes brightened slightly.

"By the way, should we tell Lina about these things?" asked the Flying Swallow Heroine.

"Why should I tell her?" Xu Qi'an retorted.

Huaiqing didn't speak, but the look in his eyes at Li Miaozhen conveyed the same meaning.

"Just call her when you need to fight. Don't use your brain and don't make things difficult for her," Xu Qi'an said.

That makes sense! Li Miaozhen nodded slowly.

After agreeing to wait for the situation in half a month, Xu Qi'an saw Huaiqing off from the mansion.

Before leaving, Huaiqing lowered his voice and said, "If the truth is revealed in half a month, you won't need to leave the capital."

The officials and the supervisor will certainly do everything they can to solve the problem of the Emperor's "half-madness".

"Are you reluctant to part with me?" Xu Qi'an smiled but did not answer.

After a pause, Huaiqing added, "During this period, I will review all the clues again, and I will notify you if there are any problems."

After saying this, she boarded the carriage and drove away from the street.

The dilapidated city walls, inside the barbican.

The high-ranking generals of the Great Feng gathered together and engaged in a heated argument.

Wei Yuan ignored him, standing before the geomantic map, lost in thought and silent.

Ten days have passed since the capture of Dingguan City. Under Wei Yuan's leadership, the army has been conquering cities and seizing strongholds, like a sharp knife piercing into the heart of the Yan Kingdom.

They have now captured seven cities and advanced hundreds of miles. The city they are currently in is called Xu City, which is the last pass of the Yan Kingdom's capital.

Just one step away from reaching the capital of Yan, Wei Yuan, in a mere ten days, utterly routed this nation known for its numerous formidable passes.

A serious disagreement arose among the army generals regarding whether to attack or not the capital of Yan.

Because the Great Feng army was in dire straits, lacking food!

"Why haven't the supplies arrived yet? According to the previous plan, the first batch of supplies should have arrived three days ago. We can't fight any longer; the battle lines are too stretched, and our supply lines have been cut off. Without supplies, artillery, and crossbow bolts, how can we fight?"

A young general stood up, his face grim, and said, "From Dingguan City to Xucheng, we have lost more than half of our soldiers. The capital of Yan is surrounded by mountains on two sides; with our current forces, we simply cannot take it. If nothing unexpected happens, there will definitely be a third-rank wizard in charge of the Yan capital."

This young general is named Zhao Ying. He comes from the Imperial Guard, is a fourth-rank expert, and is one of the best among the young and middle-aged men of the Great Feng Dynasty.

He advocated for retreat and was a leader of the conservatives.

The radical faction, led by Nangong Qianrou, advocated taking the initiative and conquering the Yan Kingdom in one fell swoop.

"Sixty li northeast lies the capital of Yan. After capturing Xucheng, our supplies of provisions and ammunition will be replenished, enough to sustain us for another battle," Nangong Qianrou said calmly.

"We were able to get this far because of the principle of 'speed is of the essence in war.' If we retreat, we'll give the Yan Kingdom a chance to regroup. But if we capture Yan Capital, our military supplies and provisions can be replenished."

Such a great victory was entirely due to my adoptive father's almost desperate gamble of swift and decisive action, which crushed the Yan army's morale. Now that the Fengtian army's momentum is unstoppable, it is time to press on with this momentum.

Once they retreat, their invincible momentum will dissipate, and facing the formidable and treacherous capital of Yan, and the reinforcements from Kang, victory will be difficult.

Zhao Ying glared fiercely at Nangong Qianrou and said in a deep voice:

"Speed is of the essence in war, but that doesn't apply to Yan Du. Yan Du is surrounded by mountains on two sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Flying Beast Army is stationed in the mountains, far surpassing other cities. In addition, we have slaughtered seven cities in succession. Along the way, civilians, martial arts practitioners, and defeated Yan soldiers have all been fleeing to Yan Du."

"If the city falls, everyone will die; that's their consensus. Now, Yan Du will surely be united in its resolve to defend the city to the death. Our forces can't take it down. And once we suffer heavy losses in the siege, that's when the enemy will counterattack, and we may face the crisis of total annihilation."

"It would be better to retreat for now, recuperate, replenish supplies and equipment, and then try again."

Yandu is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and most of the generals present lacked confidence, so there were more conservatives than advocating war.

The reason they are still arguing is simply because they still have expectations of Wei Yuan.

"Rest tonight, set off tomorrow, and bring the army to the city gates." Wei Yuan pointed to the capital of Yan Kingdom on the map.

The argument subsided.

Sixty miles away, the capital of the Yan Kingdom was built in a huge valley. A majestic city wall, stretching for three hundred feet, connected the two mountain peaks.

The mountains are steep and precipitous, the city walls are majestic and tall, and the city is equipped with artillery, ballistae, rolling stones and other defensive weapons, making it virtually impregnable. Any military strategist who sees this magnificent city will be amazed.

Throughout history, in the more than 1,400 years since the founding of the Yan Kingdom, this city has only been conquered once. That was during the most prosperous period of the Great Zhou Dynasty, when a prince of the Great Zhou royal family, a Daoist martial artist of the second rank, led his army to invade Yan Capital.

According to historical records of the Yan Kingdom, that battle was extremely fierce. The Witch God Sect lost one Rain Master (second rank) and one Spirit Wisdom (third rank). In the end, the Witch God himself took action and killed the peak second-rank prince.

It's not that Yan Du's defenses are weak, but rather that the opponent's combat strength has already reached the pinnacle of the Nine Provinces.

Capital city, palace.

Although the king of Yan Kingdom, Nurhega, had gray hair, he was still very strong. This king was extremely talented. In his youth, he followed the path of a warrior. After reaching the peak of the fourth rank, he made no further progress.

He then switched to the Sorcerer System, but after reaching the fourth rank, he encountered another bottleneck.

Dual systems are extremely rare. It's not that different systems will be incompatible, but rather that because cultivation is difficult, focusing on one system is the only way to go higher and further.

Nurhega, now over fifty, is no longer eligible for the third rank, whether in the warrior or Sorcerer System.

He didn't feel sorry for him. Third-grade experts were extremely rare, and it was normal not to achieve it. Moreover, with his dual system, his individual combat strength was stronger than any fourth-grade expert.

Nurhega sat on the throne, listening to the heated discussion among his ministers.

The Yan Kingdom's leadership was not discouraged or angry because of Wei Yuan's strength; they had long been mentally prepared for a major defeat.

"Wei Yuan has already captured Xucheng, and his army will be at the city gates tomorrow."

"How did he manage to capture seven cities in just ten days?"

Can the country be defended?

Inside the main hall, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy. The ministers of Yan Kingdom had grim expressions, as if facing a formidable enemy.

At this moment, some of the veteran officials seemed to have returned to the Battle of Shanhai Pass, recalling the fear and humiliation of being dominated by Wei Yuan.

"According to the reports brought back by the scouts, the Feng Army has at most 50,000 troops left. No matter how brilliant Wei Yuan is in warfare, it will be extremely difficult for him to break through the capital with only 50,000 troops."

"Now the entire city is united, and the garrison, military supplies, and provisions are plentiful. At worst, we'll fight Wei Zhongxian to the death."

"."

Nurhega couldn't help but look at the old man beside him, who was wrapped in a robe, wore a hood, and held a gold staff inlaid with jewels, and respectfully asked, "Grand Preceptor Irbu, what are your thoughts?"

In the three kingdoms of Northeast China, each kingdom had a third-rank spiritual master who served as the national advisor. They did not participate in political affairs on a daily basis, but their status was higher than that of the king of the kingdom, because they represented the main altar and the Witch God Cult.

Having narrowly escaped death in Chuzhou, Yierbu gripped his golden staff and said in a deep voice, "The 50,000-strong army of Kang has already entered Yan territory. Within five days at most, they will be able to encircle us."

Nurhega nodded thoughtfully. "Yandu has stood for over a thousand years, enduring countless wars, and has only been breached once. Wei Yuan cannot take the city in the short term. But for the Fengtian Army now, time is of the essence. They are running out of supplies."

The courtiers in the hall nodded slowly:

"In fact, if the Kang army simply cuts off their supply lines, and we hold the city, we can force Wei Yuan to retreat within three days."

"Let's see how Wei Yuan fights this battle."

Irbu's gaze passed through the palace gate and landed on the azure sky outside.

You slaughtered seven cities, weakened the fortune of my Witch God Cult, and now your sword is pointed at the Witch God. Wei Yuan, you thought you were invincible, that all your plans last year were flawless. Ha, little did you know that we were waiting for you.

To think that less than 100,000 troops could reach the main camp is wishful thinking.

On the ruined city wall, Wei Yuan, draped in a dark blue cloak, looked down at the soldiers of the Great Feng pushing flatbed carts, throwing corpses into deep pits and into torches.

Thick smoke rose, carrying with it the stench of burning flesh and blood.

Those who perished in the flames included not only the soldiers and civilians of the Yan Kingdom, but also the soldiers of the Great Feng.

In just ten days, the Great Feng army lost more than 40,000 generals and soldiers.

The soldiers moved in silence. The days of war, the baptism of blood and fire, had made them silent, their bravery hidden in this silence.

Nangong Qianrou came up behind Wei Yuan and whispered, "Father, after this battle, you will not escape the infamy recorded in history."

After massacring seven cities and staining hundreds of miles with blood, Nangong Qianrou believed that burying the surrendered soldiers alive was justifiable. The Great Feng was an isolated force deep in enemy territory, and not killing the surrendered soldiers would only bring trouble upon them.

They had to worry about surrendered soldiers rebelling, and now they had more mouths to feed, which consumed more grain.

But killing civilians is a cardinal sin in warfare, let alone massacring seven cities. Even if they return in triumph, they will be condemned by those moralists.

Since the start of the campaign, no supplies have arrived from Great Feng. Along the way, they have been burning, killing, and looting, using war to sustain war, and plundering all the food and military equipment of Yan Kingdom.

This is not a good sign.

The new generation of generals only knew it was their adoptive father's unique way of leading troops, and after tasting success one after another, they were overjoyed. But now, they are gradually realizing that something is wrong.

Therefore, the new generation of generals chose to withdraw.

If the new generation of generals are like this, what about the veterans like Nangong Qianrou who have followed Wei Yuan for more than ten or twenty years?

There will be no more supplies.

Wei Yuan's smile remained as gentle as ever, his tone as calm as ever. "We have brought as much grain as we need. Great Feng will not provide even a single grain."

"Who dares to cut off our supplies?" Nangong Qianrou's murderous aura was palpable.

"Who else in the entire Great Feng could it be?" Wei Yuan asked with a smile.

Nangong Qianrou's pupils contracted sharply.

"I know you wanted to take Yandu in one fell swoop, then seize it and use this strategic pass to deal with the Kang Kingdom's reinforcements, and then join forces with the reinforcements from Jing, Xiang, and Yu provinces to encircle the Kang Kingdom's reinforcements. Unfortunately, Yandu is a tough nut to crack, and we can't break through it. I've transferred all the troops from the three provinces elsewhere."

Wei Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he gazed at the raging flames licking at the pile of corpses. He said calmly, "Tomorrow, the army will advance fifty li and confront Yan Du for three days. After three days, you will lead ten thousand heavy cavalry away. The others are not to be concerned with; they must remain here."

As he spoke, he took out two brocade pouches from his bosom, one purple and one red.

"Three days later, open the purple pouch; it will tell you where to go. Once you reach your destination, open the red pouch; it will tell you what to do next."

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Xu Xinnian directed his soldiers to burn corpses and dissect warhorses; they had just won a small battle.

Annihilating 800 enemy troops while suffering 1,000 casualties on our own is already a very gratifying victory.

Several days have passed since the attack that night, which scattered the allied forces of the Yaoman and Great Feng.

The Jingguo army acted decisively, dividing its forces to pursue and kill them!

In the past few days, Xu Xinnian has gained a deeper understanding of the cruelty of war and witnessed the bravery of the Fire Armor Army. He has also witnessed the bizarre and terrifying way that wizards can awaken corpses and turn them into zombie soldiers on the spot.

With heavy cavalry and sorcerers capable of manipulating corpses, the Great Feng was essentially fighting with their lives on the line to achieve victory.

When the allied forces were scattered, Xu Xinnian and Chu Yuanzhen only had 600 Great Feng soldiers with them. Over the past few days, they have absorbed the remnants of the army and expanded their numbers to 1,700.

Now there are only 700 people left.

After burning the corpses, Xu Xinnian dismissed the patrol and immediately ordered his soldiers to set up pots to cook horse meat.

The soldiers skillfully cut the horse meat, and then several men worked together, wielding their swords that they had just used to kill people, to chop the horse meat into a pulp before putting it into a pot to cook.

This was a method devised by Xu Xinnian. Horse meat is coarse and tough, has a very poor taste, and is difficult to digest. It's okay to eat it once in a while, but if the soldiers eat horse meat for several days in a row, their stomachs will not be able to handle it.

He can't even poop.

Therefore, Xu Xinnian suggested chopping the horse meat into small pieces and then boiling it until tender to improve the texture and aid digestion.

"Without Brother Chu, we would have lost hundreds more men before we could wipe out this wave of enemy troops."

Xu Xinnian walked to Chu Yuanzhen's side, took off his water pouch, and handed it to him.

Chu Yuanzhen gulped down half a bag of drinks, then smiled somewhat forlornly:

"When I was young, I read a few military books and thought I was a genius at leading troops into battle. Now that I'm on the battlefield, I realize I'm not cut out for it. You, on the other hand, have grown rapidly. Which of these soldiers doesn't respect you?"

Xu Xinnian smiled and said, "Everyone has their strengths. If I didn't have this talent, my teacher wouldn't have required me to major in military strategy. I understand now that on the battlefield, stratagems are used in the minority. Most of the time, you have to rely on sheer force. Warriors and military strength play a crucial role. It's a pity that only three cannons and six crossbows were brought out."

If it were Xu Erlang before he went to the battlefield, he would probably be holding his chin up, looking proud, but saying some hypocritical words of humility. Chu Yuanzhen sighed again.

As they were talking, a scout came galloping up and shouted, "Commander Xu, we've spotted a remnant army of thirty men!"

The absence of bugle calls indicates that it is the Great Feng army, one of their own.

Xu Xinnian and Chu Yuanzhen stood up, the former pondering, "Let them come over."

After saying that, he turned to Chu Yuanzhen and smiled wryly, "It's alright, it's alright, there aren't too many people, we can keep up with the food supplies."

A moment later, the scout arrived with a remnant force of thirty men, who also carried a cannon and a dozen or so shells.

Their faces were etched with exhaustion, they were covered in dust, their armor was tattered and scarred, and each of them had wounds.

They appeared to have recently been in battle.

Looking at the steaming iron pot and smelling the aroma of the meat soup, the two hundred infantrymen swallowed hard.

Xu Xinnian stepped forward and said, "Whoever holds the highest rank, please come forward and speak."

A bearded man, who appeared to be nearly forty years old, stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble officer is Zhao Panyi, the commander of the Hundred-Household Office in Xi County, Yongzhou."

Xu Xinnian nodded and said, "I am Xu Xinnian, Assistant Surveillance Commissioner of Dingzhou and Junior Compiler of the Hanlin Academy."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Panyi's expression changed. He glared fiercely at Xu Xinnian, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.

Xu Xinnian was taken aback, a look of confusion flashing across his face. He frowned and said, "Commander Zhao, please wait. Do I know you?"

"I don't know him!" Zhao Panyi said in a muffled voice.

"I don't know you. I thought I'd stolen your wife without your knowledge, "Xu Xinnian thought to himself, his brows furrowing even more deeply.

"If you don't recognize him, what's the reason, Commander Zhao?"

"Speaking so eloquently, no wonder he's a scholar. That son of a bitch Xu Pingzhi actually produced a scholarly seed. I'd heard Xu Yinluo's cousin was also in the army, but I never expected to run into him today." Zhao Panyi sneered.

"I don't know you, but I know your father. We were brothers during the Battle of Shanhai Pass."

Is this how you treat your brothers? Xu Erlang was shocked.

"Does Commander Zhao have an old grudge against my father?"

"There's no old grudge, I just can't stand him being such an ungrateful wretch."

Zhao Panyi spat and said:

"During the Battle of Shanhai Pass, Xu Pingzhi and I were in the same team, along with another person named Zhou Biao. The three of us had an excellent relationship; we were brothers who could entrust our backs to each other."

"At the end of the Battle of Shanhai Pass, we were sent to intercept the corpse soldiers of the Witch God Cult. In the fierce battle, Zhou Biao took a knife for your father and died on the battlefield. Xu Pingzhi swore at the time that he would bring Zhou Biao's elderly mother to the capital to take care of her and raise his two children to adulthood."

"Damn it, I only found out later that this ungrateful bastard never went to Zhou Biao's hometown to pick him up. If I'm a dog, what good is my son? They're both rotten seeds! Even if I, Zhao Panyi, starve to death on the battlefield, I'd rather not eat a single bite of your food or drink a single drop of your soup. Bah!"