Hanging River

The incident was deliberately staged on the Morton Family territory to implicate Lord Morton and his dim-witted son Alessandro, making them responsible for Princess Dafulin's death. As for Katharine, the plan was to find a safe opportunity to release her discreetly.

Su Ming pondered for a moment, "A brilliant plan!"

If Katharine survives while Princess Dafulin dies, the Star Empire won't pursue the matter to the death. Furthermore, the kidnapping of Katharine, mixed in with Dafulin's assassination, will seriously mislead the Cold Mountain Royal Family's investigation into the entire affair.

"As a result, Queen Katharine not only successfully slipped out of the encirclement, but also deliberately ran towards a sparsely populated area. We were afraid something would happen to her and the little prince, so we chased after them desperately, but the more we chased, the worse things got!" Jimite lamented, "One wrong step led to another!"

Therefore, the noble army that was severely damaged by Zijin was actually coming to Katharine's rescue!

Who would have thought!

Su Ming glanced at Zijin, "We risked our lives to search for her in the blizzard, but it was all for nothing?"

"What good will it do us lords, who are dependent on the Star Empire, if we let the Cold Mountain Kingdom provoke them!" Jimite said. "We're too busy supporting that mother and daughter to dare let them die!"

"..."

****

Su Ming followed Jimite's statement and quickly discovered the contradictions.

"Didn't your Black Graupel False Shadows unit successfully rendezvous with Katharine Turkmen City?" he questioned. "Why did you suddenly send out an ambush to kill her?"

Jimite looked at Su Ming with a puzzled expression. "Wasn't it already exposed by then? You and the Unicorn imprisoned Lord Bulenleifu's fragmented soul in Lisi City and even cursed him to death—didn't you interrogate his soul?"

"Hey!" Su Ming's eyes widened. "Is that so!"

There were too many things to do lately. After a series of battles, he forgot to ask Qiluo how the unicorn had dealt with the wisp of soul that had escaped from the Alessandro puppet.

"Hansite did mention to me that Qiluo caused some trouble when she was sending a certain soul back," Zijin said thoughtfully. "It seems she was referring to Bulenleifu."

Jimite looked incredulous. "No, you really didn't know?" He was filled with regret. "When I discovered the unicorn was with Katharine, I thought you had everything under control!"

Su Ming was also getting a headache from this logic. "So, you think it was Qiluo and me who were causing trouble, and that the Black Graupel False Shadows and the Noble Mage Corps were actually targeting us?"

"... Yes." Jimite sighed heavily. "I planned to capture the unicorn and follow the trail to find the alchemist behind it—but who knew that pulling on the vine would pull out you two giant crocodiles, Bone King and Bay Owl!" He couldn't help but complain, "You two have been far too low-key all this time!"

If he had really kept a low profile, he wouldn't have gotten involved in all this. Su Ming silently complained to himself. Besides, this Jimite's luck in scheming was hardly any better than Bulenleifu's.

"Bulenleifu, how come such a powerful fighter is so easily beaten?" Zijin was very puzzled. "And I was constantly on guard against him popping out of nowhere."

If she hadn't reached the Saint Rank, Zijin wouldn't actually be able to defeat this Grand Puppeteer, which explains why she was so wary.

"I also want to know how you killed him!" Jimite roared. "If Lord Bulenleifu were still alive, with his fighting prowess and strategic acumen, the outcome of this battle might not have been so certain!"

Su Ming and Zijin ignored him.

[If Katharine knew the details of what happened, her expression would be indescribable.] Su Ming said, [On the surface, we saved her, but in the end, she was just a victim of our actions.]

[Relax, don't bother the busy Queen with such trivial matters!] Zijin's lips curled into a sly smile. [Anyway, there aren't many people left who know the truth— Jimite has been working so hard these past few days, he should rest in peace!]

Su Ming did not object, determined to go against her conscience this once, [I hoped she would investigate the materials and processes for the Gospel for me.]

"She still hasn't paid me back!" Zijin said with a smile.

The two exchanged a glance and reached an agreement.

But there's still one thing left to figure out.

Su Ming stepped forward, grabbed Jimite by the collar, and his eyes sharpened. "So, the final question is, why did you try to assassinate Dafulin?"

****

At the Bubing City, Katharine was ushered through the gates and into the residence. She removed her cloak and handed it to a maid.

"Queen Katharine, the princess is waiting for you in the reception room," the secretary said, bowing.

This wasn't Katharine's first time at this place. She waved to her deputy, Ge'enda'er, and the rest of her entourage, signaling them not to follow, and walked alone to the reception room on one side.

The secretary hurriedly went around to open the door, and Princess Dafulin was sitting on the sofa, holding a glass of white wine, waving to her.

Katharine went in and sat down opposite Princess Dafulin, the secretary closing the door behind her.

There were no waiters in the reception room, only the two of them, suggesting a private meeting.

Katharine also adopted a languid sitting posture and poured herself a glass of red wine.

"You know about it?" Dafulin asked, speaking up first. "Green Bridge Hanging River."

Katharine cut to the chase, "We are aware that the Green Bridge Hanging River could damage the source of the Sang River, and we will absolutely not allow it!"

The Sang River is the most important river in the Northern Lands. It originates from the melting snow of the Dome Mountains, gathers many tributaries along the way, flows down the entire ice field, and finally empties into the sea at the Jishou Tidal Flats.

The Green Bridge Hanging River Project will cut off the water system flowing northward from the Dome Mountains, diverting it to converge on the southern Kingdom side. This will cause the upper reaches of the Sang River to lose most of its water source, thus drying up.

The room was brightly lit, but Dafulin's eyes were somewhat dim. She simply took a large gulp of her wine.

"What you're doing will affect agriculture on the third tier of the ice sheet, causing famine for its inhabitants!" Katharine continued.

Dafulin put down her glass and shook her head. "Actually, the consequences are far more than that."

She stood up and unfolded the map projection. On the map, the terrain of the ice plains from high to low, including the Dome Mountains Upper Ridge Mountains Middle Ridge Mountain Range Lower Ridge Mountains Range, Jishou Tidal Flats, was displayed.

Bubing City is located on the second step, between the Middle Ridge Mountain Range and the Upper Ridge Mountains. The winding Sang River flows past the city, traversing the entire ice field.

"Cutting off the water source at its origin will allow other tributaries to flow in, having little impact on the middle and lower reaches of the Sang River. But—" Dafulin suddenly stopped, focusing on the forests along the upper reaches, "The upper reaches of the Sang River dry up during the non-rainy season, causing the vegetation on both banks to wither. Then, when the rainy season arrives, rainwater sweeps away the soil, which is now unprotected by vegetation, and enters the riverbed. And, carried by the abundant rainy season water, it rushes downstream."

"A chain reaction of ecological disasters," Katharine murmured. "What a grand scheme."

"Sediment will raise the riverbed, reduce its flow capacity, and cause it to overflow and change course during the rainy season," Dafulin said. "And this disaster will continue to propagate downstream, with its impact growing larger and larger."

"What do you want to do?" Katharine didn't know how to comment. In just over ten years, this plan could turn half of the Northern Lands into a place of misery.

"The Green Bridge Hanging River Project was originally two separate things: ' Green Bridge ' and ' Hanging River.' It's true that ' Green Bridge ' will improve transportation in the Dome Mountains mining area, and it's also true that ' Hanging River ' will resolve the Kingdom's control over the Northern Lands." Dafulin sat back on the sofa. "By controlling the water source of the Dome Mountains, we can use it to coerce the Northern Lands lords into relinquishing some of their power."

"The lords won't agree. You'll have to cut off the water supply and activate the ' Hanging River ' to force them to submit," Katharine said. "These people never learn until they're faced with a death sentence."

"This is the inevitable process," Dafulin said.

"This process is a political tug-of-war for you," Katharine said angrily, "But for the people of the Northern Lands, it's famine and death!"

"Shasha, you can't possibly not understand this math problem, can you?" Dafulin said. "Only 10% of the Northern Lands currently belongs to the royal family. Even if the Northern Lands suffers some losses after the plan succeeds, we'll still get at least half. No matter how you look at it, it's a sure win."

Katharine braced her hands on the table, her knuckles turning white from the force. "Not bad, you're not the most disgusting politician I've ever met." She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "The current state of the Northern Lands is awful, and with your interference like this, the survivors might at least be somewhat human."

"There's no need to make excuses for us." Dafulin picked up her glass and downed the drink in one gulp, only to cough repeatedly from the strong liquor. "Rescuing the people of the Northern Lands is not the goal; everything is for the benefit of the royal family."

She wiped the wine stains from the corner of her mouth and continued, "However, the ' Hanging River ' plan is no longer needed. Half of the Lords' Alliance's elite forces have been wiped out, Lord Bulenleifu has died tragically, and Jimite is left to fight alone. At the same time, they provoked the royal family first, handing over their leverage. From now on, as long as we follow the established political and military operations, we can regain most of the power in the Northern Lands."

Su Ming and Zijin, by simply driving the White Bone Train back and forth once, achieved enormous results. The combination of a modern killing machine and Saint Rank necromancer was far too overwhelming for ordinary professional soldiers.

Although the Lords' Alliance had a total force of about 20,000, Su Ming and Zijin directly eliminated about 4,000, and with the harsh low temperatures, they annihilated a total of about 7,000 to 8,000. The subsequent raid by Price and others eliminated another 2,000, bringing the total to an estimated 10,000.

However, all of these casualties were targeted at the main combat forces. The reconstruction of the overall combat strength of the Lords' Alliance would take years, and the Cold Mountain Royal Family would not give them a chance to breathe.

"Congratulations!" said Katharine.

Dafulin reached for the bottle to pour wine, but was stopped by Katharine, whose cheeks were already flushed.

Katharine poured a glass of water and handed it to Dafulin, "If you can't handle strong liquor, don't bother with this."

Dafulin drank half a glass of water, which relieved her symptoms considerably.

"Am I a failure?" Dafulin covered her face with one hand; it was indeed the first time she had drunk such strong liquor.

"Where did you fail? Once you complete the Green Bridge section, your royal family's long-cherished wish will be fulfilled."

"Su Ming and Zijin won't agree," Dafulin said, shaking her head. "They won't cooperate with me."

Katharine hesitated, which was consistent with her judgment.

"Dafulin, I have a question," Kaisa suddenly asked, "Why would someone like Master Newman get involved in Hanging River Project?"

****

On Su Ming's side, both he and Zijin were shocked by the truth that Jimite had revealed.

"What a wicked scheme," Su Ming murmured. "No wonder you were willing to go to any lengths to assassinate Princess Dafulin."

"Our Lords' Alliance is only striving for survival," Jimite quickly replied.

"A bunch of scum," Zijin sneered. "You rotten lords should have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago." She unleashed a dark whip spell, raising her hand to lash him until his skin was torn and bleeding.

"What's wrong?" Su Ming asked, knowing that Jimite wouldn't provoke Zijin's anger.

"Dafulin's misuse of knowledge is a disgrace to scholars!" Zijin grew angrier the more she thought about it, and gave Jimite a few more lashes. "What a waste! You can't even execute an assassination properly! Hesitant and timid, it would have been so much easier to just slice Dafulin down with one stroke!"

Jimite was whipped until he curled up, clutching his head and screaming in agony.

Su Ming reached out to stop Zijin, "[Wait, don't kill her now.]"

He continued questioning Jimite, "What's the story with Master Newman!"

Jimite trembled, not daring to refuse, "Master Newman came to this side of the ice plains to survey the area, and we kidnapped him. Dafulin sent White Graupel Cavalry to rescue him, but I used a trick to lure them to the location of the White Bone Fortress."

"Then our necromancers and the White Graupel Cavalry got into a huge fight." Zijin was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth, and she raised her hand again.

This time, Su Ming grabbed her hand directly, saying, "[You'll die if I hit you again. Ask me first.]"

He used a Paralysis Spell on Jimite to relieve his pain. "How did Master Newman die?"

"We killed him," Jimite confessed. "If he had simply disappeared, Dafulin would have investigated relentlessly, so we had no choice but to kill him and dispose of the body."

Su Ming released Zijin's hand, a murderous glint in his eyes.

Jimite suddenly revealed a chilling smile. "Bone King and Scholar Bay Owl, I have something for you." He reached into his robes. "Only if you release my family and swear to give me a quick death!"

Zijin raised her hand to dispel the Paralysis Spell on Jimite, and then lashed out with her whip again, "Nothing can stop me from torturing you to death!"

Despite the excruciating pain, Jimite pulled out a black gem, clutched it tightly in his palm, and showed it to them. The gem, the size of a pigeon's egg, absorbed the surrounding light, its surface shimmering with dark silver patterns, as eerie as a cat's eye.

"Deep Soul Cocoon!" Zijin squinted.

"What's that?" Su Ming asked, not understanding.

"[A treasure that can preserve the soul.]" Zijin replied, "[A good thing.]"

Inside the gemstone, a cluster of tiny specks of light floated, pulsating subtly, as if something were asleep.