Chapter 714: Chapter 697: Today’s Jiangshan

Northern Country’s scenery was stunning, with a thousand miles encased in ice and ten thousand miles draped in snow.

Student Zhao Changhe, who often found himself bereft of poetry at the times he needed it most, now rode his horse across the vast sky with these verses incessantly echoing in his heart, not missing a single word.

Partly because the author was the person he respected the most, but also because, at this moment, his mood resonated similarly.

Every time after meeting Tang Wanzhuang, he would unconsciously slow down his racing heart no matter how tense or anxious the ambiance was—she always had that magical effect.

Amidst the hurry and flurry of Qinghe Langya, people seemed to flit to and fro in the heavens, but in reality, they had no leisure to gaze upon the mountains and rivers below. Though this departure from the Capital City moved at a similar pace, his heart was much more at peace. Seated atop Wuzhui, his mood allowed for taking in the scenery, and so poetry flowed into his mind.

Such a vast world, such magnificent landscapes.

The country was so enchanting, it beckoned countless heroes to bow in competition.

Zhao Changhe didn’t know who could be called heroes in today’s world; not to mention comparing them to the poet, even against the Emperor mentioned in the verse, none seemed to match even remotely.

He once said the Worldly Society was disappointing, with only Yue Hongling reflecting the dreams in his heart.

Yet viewed through the perspective of the Worldly Society, individuals like Yuxu’s Li Shentong seem to possess a grand air about them; in that light, the Worldly Society wasn’t so bad after all. However, when he looked at the whole world, their stature seemed diminished by a level, and thus, the world was more disappointing than the Worldly Society, making the latter seem more beautiful by comparison.

Fortunately, there was still Tang Wanzhuang in this world, both past and present.

The Four Symbols Sect, which transformed from the Demon Sect to the National Religion, also showed a positive trend. Xia Chichi was wholeheartedly devoted to accomplishing what her father could not, aiming to restore peace and order to the world; Vermilion Bird was also focused on internal governance and resisting foreign invaders. The current Imperial court might be weak, lacking money, food, soldiers, officials—lacking everything—but it was starting to exhibit a vitality, a collective strength to strive for a common goal.

What Worldly Society, what world—the older generation’s Chaotic World List had gone, and even the blind were contemplating a reassessment…

Let’s wait and see what happens today.

Wuzhui paused in the sky between Hangu Pass and Tong Pass. Zhao Changhe looked down at the increasingly fortified defenses of Tong Pass, his expression ice-cold.

After all families had turned against each other, it was clear they quickly staked their territorial claims based on their geographic locations. Just as the Wang Family occupied the entire land of Qi and Lu, the Cui Family took over Hebei, the Yang Family He’nan, and the Li Family seized Central Pass. The two passes stood as the dividing line between the two families.

The gap between the two mighty passes was actually very close; one could see both ends at the same time from high above.

West of Tong Pass lay the Li Family’s territory, while east of Hangu Pass was the Yang Family’s domain; each family held one pass.

Originally allies, the two families were not united as one, each still had troops stationed in defense against the other, but neither had deployed a massive force. Since Cui Wenjing had dissuaded the Yang Family, the Li Family, with their keen instincts, did not need to know the decision Yang Jingxiu had made. They only needed to realize that the Yang Family had not joined forces with the Cui Family to fight during the battle of Langya to suspect that something had changed, and thus, they reinforced Tong Pass and tightened security.

Correspondingly, Yang Family’s troops had arrived at Hangu Pass, facing off against the Li Family. Of course, theoretically, they could no longer be called Yang Family’s troops, as it was too early for a restructuring, and the army here was still under the management of the Yang Family, including the logistics and supplies.

On the surface, it seemed like a standoff, but the Yang side was at a disadvantage. First, Hangu Pass had been abandoned for a long time and could no longer be considered a formidable barrier; its city walls were incomplete, not on the same level as Tong Pass. This knowledge was close to Zhao Changhe’s understanding in this life, determined by geography, which would lead to a similar inevitable outcome in any world’s culture.

Second, the Yang Family’s willingness to partition and struggle for dominance had never been strong, their preparations could not have been as substantial as the Li Family, who had been silently accumulating power. The disparity in military strength and provisions was significant, and relying on the Yang Family to hold the line was impractical. Once breached, it would lead directly to Luoyang.

Fortunately, the Li Family had detoured north of Taihang to directly attack the Capital and had been ambushed badly, suffering heavy losses from fires started by Vermilion Bird and were temporarily unable to organize a new offensive. However, their own strength was not that important; what mattered was that they had mixed with the tribal nomads. The loss of some light cavalry did not cripple the nomads, who still loomed over the north like dark clouds that left no room for breathing.

Before leaving the Capital, news from San Niang beyond the border had arrived.

Ba Tu had suffered a major defeat, losing the allegiance of the small tribes that had previously supported him, now aligned with the Great Khan Tie Muer, leaving only his own War Lion Tribe, which had also suffered heavy casualties and was fleeing in panic. They were chased all the way into the Northwest Great Desert, where the icy, snowy weather was miserable; it was not known how they would survive this winter month.

Ba Tu’s misery was one thing, but his previous role as guardian along the line between the Northern Border and the Southern Desert was not limited to the Yanmen barrier—after all, the location of the Capital itself was emblematic of the front line, with Xia Longyuan’s presence here always carrying a strong implication of the Emperor defending the nation’s gates. Now, with Xia Longyuan gone and Ba Tu gone, Central Pass had become a place that invited wolves. It was fair to say that the Yanmen defensive line alone was almost meaningless…

The only consolation was that Ba Tu ultimately had not perished, and the War Lion Tribe still existed, no matter how dire. As long as they survived without freezing or starving to death, they were like a needle hanging over Tie Muer’s side, making it difficult for him to charge south without concern.

After all, amidst the icy snowy weather, a surprise attack on Ba Tu was one thing, but assaulting Yanmen Pass or crossing mountains to strike at the Capital was clearly too difficult. Another stab in the back from Ba Tu would be more than anyone could bear.

For the moment, spring was not far away, and Tie Muer’s movements were likely to concentrate on finishing off Ba Tu before heading south in the spring—that was the proper military move. The wars of the past months had all defied common sense, and nobody would keep acting that way.

San Niang’s timely move northward had been critical; otherwise, had Ba Tu been killed and the War Lion Tribe annihilated, our current situation would have been much more difficult. As it was, we had a brief respite, allowing the newly shaken Dynasty to catch a breath, to absorb the victory at Langya and the Yang Family’s withdrawal, revitalizing the nearly paralyzed Capital City.

It also allowed Zhao Changhe and Vermilion Bird to leave the Capital to carry out their plans.

Zhao Changhe stared at the torchlights along Tong Pass for a very long time, suppressing the urge to descend and wreak havoc, finally he nudged his horse’s flanks and continued southwestward.

Although Desolate Calamity gave word to keep a tacit agreement, You could slaughter Tong Pass, and others might go and slaughter other places, which would lead to chaos… the opponent had no fewer masters than oneself, in fact, even more. His previous violation of the tacit understanding had been borderline, theoretically still within the bounds of the Earth List… Such a borderline could not be crossed again, to do so was unacceptable.

To say that Hangu Pass was weak might also not necessarily be true, during this time Yangyang was in Hongnong, not too far from this place… Perhaps the Yang Family side here could pull off an act that would give the Li Family quite a shock.

The Miao Region was very far away; even flying would take a long time, and Wuzhui also needed rest and food. Zhao Changhe did not force the issue and by nightfall, he had guided his horse to Xiangyang.

This too was part of his own territory. After initially killing Lv Shiheng, it was Tang Wanzhuang’s people who came to take over the governorship, with some of the city’s defenses still the responsibility of the Blood God Sect’s people. Although Xue Canghai had led most to the North, a small number remained for a sub-branch.

Zhao Changhe had only planned to rest here for one night before leaving, but unexpectedly, even this brief stopover led to new events.

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PS: Transition chapter at the beginning of the volume.