Chapter 2748

"Good."

Soon, Mingke Xianren received Lingjinbao's reply.

"Three days ago, the Shen army attacked Wancheng, and two prisoners confessed this secret to save their lives. The Crown Prince verified it through a series of investigations, confirmed it was correct, and thus launched a night raid on Zhao Shuo's camp, pursuing him all the way here."

"The Earth Mother arrived at Kunlong Ravine five days ago, and the Crown Prince discovered his son's killer three days ago? The time in between connects, only two days apart."

"Yes!"

Judging by heart, how many such coincidences are there? The world is full of them to the point of being deadly.

Liu Qingdao secretly harbored some doubts.

Ah, but even if there is a conspiracy here, why would the Heavenly Demon or other enemies, upon discovering the Earth Mother entering Kunlong Ravine, not act directly against her, but instead use Zhao Shuo to lure He Yue over?

Why go through such a big detour?

Coincidentally, Zhao Shuo is still He Yue's enemy who killed his son, and coincidentally, Zhao Shuo is stationed not far from Kunlong Ravine.

The prerequisite for creating such a coincidence is that someone could calculate the exact time the Earth Mother would appear in Kunlong Ravine, so as to arrange plans in advance.

So we return to the previous question:

Can anyone really calculate that?

Theoretically impossible, Liu Qingdao believes; even if the Emperor himself came, he couldn't be sure, after all, one cannot be on site to personally clarify the situation in Kunlong Ravine.

But now there is an urgent choice:

He Yue has already sought help from Cangyan — help, or not help?

Privately and emotionally, He Yue is the Emperor's brother, He Changjue is the Emperor's beloved nephew.

Liu Qingdao knows that the Emperor and his father He Chunha once had some disagreements, but it had nothing to do with He Yue; he and this brother share deep affection, though separated by ten thousand miles they cannot often reunite, yet these years they have maintained correspondence and gift exchanges.

Publicly and rationally, Shen State is Cangyan's important foothold in the west against Bekka and for gathering intelligence. He Yue is the Crown Prince of Shen State, and his request cannot be easily ignored.

Could Liu Qingdao let the Earth Mother and Mingke Xianren stand by idly, or immediately burrow underground and leave?

Although the idea seems presumptuous, Liu Qingdao puts himself in the Emperor's place and assumes he would also order the Earth Mother's subordinates on the plains to assist the Shen Crown Prince in taking down the enemy.

As the head of the Bingyuan Si, Liu Qingdao has managed state affairs for many years and deeply understands the meaning of "weighing." A major undertaking, whether done or not, always has sufficient reasons. Now, a difficult decision is required.

He again pondered for a dozen breaths, then firmly said:

"Dispatch the personnel from the Earth Mother Plains to help him capture Zhao Shuo — the sooner, the better!"

Since we are helping, let's cut the knot with a swift blade.

The faster it is done, the fewer future troubles.

After Cangyan was founded, He Yue visited Jucheng three times, each time received by Liu Qingdao, so the two have had contact. Liu Qingdao has also heard of He Yue's past; without Mingke Xianren saying more, he can infer that this time He Yue is surely operating deep behind enemy lines alone, frantically chasing Zhao Shuo.

This is a major taboo in military strategy.

The sooner he captures Zhao Shuo, the sooner He Yue will be safe. The Emperor should also decide this way, right?

Mingke Xianren: "Yes!"

"Deploy nine hundred men to assist." Liu Qingdao immediately added, "You stay behind to guard the plains, and let Lingjinbao go with the troops."

Mingke Xianren agreed, rose, and left Panlong Secret Realm to go muster the forces.

Liu Qingdao exhaled a breath. He Changjue, at root, was killed by the Heavenly Demon; the Emperor's entire family, in this life, has been entangled with the Heavenly Demon.

……

The Earth Mother Plains have a garrison of one thousand five hundred men, among them five hundred Black Armor elites and one thousand Dragon God troops, used for garrisoning, quelling riots, and handling various emergencies. After all, the Earth Mother Plains is a moving fortress, not a true plain.

Upon Mingke Xianren's order, Commander Yangsheng summoned nine hundred men to go intercept Zhao Shuo's army, while the remaining six hundred continued to garrison the Earth Mother Plains.

Just as Lingjinbao interacted with He Yue and Mingke Xianren consulted Liu Qingdao, the Baling army continued to fly forward. They had speed talismans and various divine powers enhancing them, moving at astonishing speed, only twelve or thirteen li from the edge of Kunlong Ravine, and still rapidly approaching.

Meanwhile, Kunlong Ravine, or Liaotian Yuan, is itself vast in area, plus dense forests and rugged, winding terrain; from where the Earth Mother is by the lake to the edge of the ravine, even on horseback it would take over an hour. If the Cangyan army honestly rode horses there, Zhao Shuo's troops would have already dug into Kunlong Ravine, beginning Mobile Corps Commander warfare in the forest.

Thus Mingke Xianren could only summon the Earth Mother's little stone golem avatar, point to the sand table, and make a request:

"Help our garrison reach the edge of Kunlong Ravine at once to intercept this enemy army — can you do it?"

The little stone golem avatar's eyes flashed green light twice, as if assessing a method, then said:

"Can."

Although the Earth Mother's true form had gone to sleep, this avatar can use part of its divine powers and talents.

It brought the garrison to the plains, pointed to two large granaries, and said: "Enter."

The granaries on the Earth Mother Plains are made of local materials, entirely stone-cast. Elsewhere, building such granaries would take ten days, but here they are effortlessly pinched out by the Earth Mother, and stacked perfectly without a single gap.

Now is the farming off-season, so these two granaries are temporarily idle, each able to hold four or five hundred people.

Yangsheng led the troops inside, the granaries closed their doors on their own, then began to sink.

Under everyone's eyes, they sank into the ground.

Also, just a few dozen breaths later, at a mound on the edge of Kunlong Ravine, the ground suddenly moved, red earth was pushed upward, and several large trees fell.

Then, two pointed-roof granaries burst out of the ground.

When the doors opened, Yangsheng and the others paused in place for a few breaths, waited for the motion sickness from rapid movement to subside, then exited the granaries, calmed their mounts, and then galloped on horseback toward Zhao Shuo's army.

And on the Earth Mother Plains, the little stone golem avatar also woodenly said: "Delivered."

Good fellow, faster than immortal flight. Mingke Xianren gave it a thumbs-up: "Truly worthy of being the Earth Mother."

After the Earth Mother arrived at Kunlong Ravine, to absorb the nutrients of its birthplace, it would temporarily connect the plains with Kunlong Ravine. It is also innately gifted with earth mastery, thus able to extend this talent to a limited degree in Kunlong Ravine; though it may not be able to overturn heaven and earth here, the skill of shrinking land to a cun comes as easily as lifting a hand.

He Yue's army pursued Zhao Shuo from southeast to northwest, while the Cangyan army that had just emerged from Kunlong Ravine rushed from northwest to southeast, aiming to launch a pincer attack on Zhao Shuo together with He Yue!

The Cangyan army and Zhao Shuo's forces were indeed rushing toward each other from opposite directions; after only a few dozen breaths, they met.

The battle immediately commenced.

The orders received by the Cangyan army were not merely to hinder the enemy in anticipation of He Yue, but to launch a full-force attack immediately.

So when they appeared, they opened with the classic two rounds of mounted archery, arrows falling like rain, then brandishing swords and spears to charge forward.

……

Longxi West Town, inn.

Today there are not many guests at the inn, just a few scattered on the first floor. No one goes up to the second floor.

The door of the spacious guest room in the deep corner is tightly shut, and Dongmu Heng stares unblinkingly at the heavenly eye image received by the ever-bright lamp spirit.