Chapter 477

The Divine Martial State, Iron Cauldron Mountain City.

The capital of the Divine Martial State lies here.

Four-square, a completely black iron stone mountain, a thousand zhang high, a thousand li on each side, its summit flat as a whetstone, a mighty city lies upon it like a crouching demonic beast; the sky is thick with spatial gates opening and closing, constantly swallowing and spewing forth massive fleets.

Unlike the thinking of the Great Jin, in the Great Jin all important cities have their spatial gates set up a thousand li away, or even ten thousand li away; the more important the city, the farther the gate.

The Great Jin's principle is that, should an enemy ever invade through a spatial gate, sufficient distance must be left to give the city ample warning time.

But the Divine Martial State values martial power above all; confident they possess enough strength to suppress all directions, they therefore placed countless spatial gates directly above their own capital.

Once a certain Divine Martial emperor of the Great Martial dynasty shouted provocations at the Great Jin and Great Wei—if you dare, come invade Iron Cauldron Mountain City through the spatial gate; the brave youths of the Divine Martial will beat every invader bloody, leaving their corpses strewn across the field.

Stemming from confidence in their own martial power, Iron Cauldron Mountain City even only set up a few warning formations, cutting off internal and external communications, etc.; they hardly laid any of the other powerful offensive and defensive formations.

As a certain prince of the Great Wei Divine State put it—this bunch of barbarians of the Divine Martial know full well their formation skills are abysmal, so they simply couldn't be bothered to set up formations in the capital, lest they become a laughingstock.

Regardless of outside opinions, in short, Iron Cauldron Mountain City operates exactly this way.

A huge spatial gate suddenly opened like a lotus, bright light spewing out, accompanied by a dull thunderclap; a floating palace struggled out of the gate, then pushed aside masses of clouds and rosy hues, flying straight toward the imperial city at the heart of Iron Cauldron Mountain City.

Still tens of li from the imperial city, hundreds of escape lights shot up into the sky, blocking the floating palace ahead.

A single-horned dragon-horse stepped out from the palace, its four hooves supported by wisps of faint cloud, kicking up a gale that swept past those escape lights; a youth clad in purple-gold robes and wearing a crown waved his right hand, and a whip lash struck down heavily.

With a 'bang', among the escape lights that had flown up from underground to intercept the floating palace, a general clad in golden armor was lashed across the face by the whip, his skin split and flesh torn on the spot, one eyeball blown out.

"You blind thing, dare block my traveling palace? Today I have urgent matters, I can't be bothered with you; after today I'll settle accounts with you lot of lowlifes." The youth's face flashed with vicious energy; he shouted curses, spurred the dragon-horse into a mad dash to the imperial city gate, quickly tapped his escape light, eagerly leapt off his mount, and sprinted into the city.

One after another, floating palaces tore through the sky, swiftly gathering above the imperial city; youth after youth in royal robes eagerly entered the city, excitedly heading straight for the Divine Martial State's hall where state affairs are discussed, the 'Martial Cauldron Hall'.

The current Divine Martial emperor, Wuba, sat upright on a huge throne, a strange three-headed monster python coiled around his body; on the water-tank-sized heads were eyes as large as tea cups, spewing ferocious light, glaring fiercely at the officials in the hall and the princes all wearing delighted expressions.

Such is the atmosphere of the Divine Martial State; in the hall, both civil officials and military generals alike wear armor.

Nothing more than: generals wear full heavy armor, civil officials mostly half-body soft armor, and everyone carries a sword; even those civil officials often have faces full of muscle, their brows and eyes brimming with murderous aura.

The vast Martial Cauldron Hall, looking only at those inside, each one resembles a mountain bandit; the hall is practically a copy of a gathering of righteous outlaws—aside from the lovely flower-like palace maids, you cannot find a single refined person in the entire hall.

Heavy footsteps sounded; a man about two zhang tall, his royal robe stretched tight like a bodysuit, clutching a crown in his hand, his head a tangle of disheveled hair flung behind him, strode into the Martial Cauldron Hall and then 'thud' dropped heavily to his knees.

This fellow ran so fast that after entering the hall he knelt even faster, causing his massive body to slide forward on the smooth gold‑brick floor with a 'hiss' for one or two hundred zhang, sliding straight from the hall doors to the enormous throne.

The big man slammed his head hard onto the ground, emitting a loud 'thud'.

"Father… elder brother… is he dead?" The big man jerked his head up, his bear‑like rugged face showing an undisguised joy.

Not only him; the other princes in the hall all broke into smiles.

"Not dead yet. Alive, but heavily wounded. Perhaps only a breath left?" Wuba crossed his legs, vigorously patting the large head at the center of the three‑headed monster python coiled around his body.

"Heh, heheh, you little brat bastards, wishing misfortune on your elder brother just like I once hoped my own elder brother would die quickly." Wuba split his mouth in a loud laugh: "Hahaha, heaven follows human wishes; back then I had all but despaired, preparing to be a carefree prince who'd eat, drink, whore and gamble for life, never expecting…"

Wuba licked the corner of his mouth, drawing back his smile.

His eyes shot forth killing light, condensing into a nearly substantive chill over three feet long that spewed from his pupils; the chill ebbed and flowed, and instantly the civil and military officials and all the princes in the hall felt a chill run through their bodies, each lowering their heads in awe.

The Divine Martial State differs from the Great Jin.

The Great Jin has powerful ministers: the Left Chancellor Linghu Qingqing influences seventy percent of the military aristocracy, while the Right Chancellor Gongyang Sanlü influences seventy percent of the civil officials; the two chancellors working together often force the Great Jin emperor to swallow his anger, and major court affairs are not his to decide.

But the Divine Martial State is different.

In the Divine Martial State, which esteems martial power above all, the deathless elders of the imperial clan overwhelm every noble clan's elders with sheer strength.

And the Divine Martial emperor himself, aside from those deathless elders, is the absolute top expert of the Divine Martial State; with half‑step Divine cultivation and a national‑treasure divine artifact at his side, his word on the court is law, his will supreme, and no minister or prince can defy him.

"I don't want to talk about what happened back then. If you've got the guts, you can inquire behind the scenes." Wuba rubbed the huge snake head in his bosom, speaking low: "Back then I had the ability to snatch the crown prince's position… heh heh, what about you?"

All the princes lifted their heads at once, eyes blazing as they stared at Wuba.

"I dote on Duzun most… because his mother is indeed prettier than yours, and she's thoughtful, knows how to serve people. More importantly, his mother has no parents, so I needn't worry about palace kin meddling in politics." Wuba crossed his legs, shook his feet, and laughed "ga ga": "So although you all oppose it, I made Duzun the crown prince."

"He has always performed well. Really, it pleases me." Wuba said loudly: "But this time I am a little disappointed."

Kneeling on the ground, the big man, over two zhang tall, roared loudly: "Father, elder brother this time rashly advanced with light troops, losing soldiers and generals—not to mention he himself suffered heavy wounds; delaying military affairs thus is truly a heinous crime."

The big man pounded his chest: "I, your servant, dare not underestimate myself; I reckon I have some ability, and I willingly take my elder brother's place to go supervise the war… I am willing to issue a military pledge; as long as you give me sufficient troops, I will surely give the Great Jin a proper lesson."

Wuba shook the leg he had raised, glanced askance at the big man, and drawled: "Duzhou, do you think you're stronger than your elder brother?"

Duzhou lifted his head and shouted loudly: "Yes!"

Wuba gave a "heh heh" laugh, then asked the many princes in the hall: "And you?"

The princes, each built like an ox and tall as a horse, all sturdy as dragons and tigers, stepped forward together and stamped their feet heavily on the ground.

The Martial Cauldron Hall hummed and trembled slightly; the surrounding halls shook at once—when this group of Divine Martial princes unleashed their might, it was like a minor quake, showing just how strong they are.

"Father, your servant requests to go to battle!" This was the somewhat refined prince shouting.

"Father, elder brother is incompetent; I am stronger than him." This was the prince who wasn't very reserved, shouting.

"Father, the throne of the Divine Martial State can only be held by the strongest prince; Father, your choice of elder brother back then was a mistake. This time, please observe my performance…" This was the prince with a simple mind, shouting.

Wuba burst into "hahaha" laughter, then, from somewhere, produced a gold brick and flicked it out.

The prince who had been shouting indiscriminately was smacked on the forehead by the brick, sparks flying; amid the huge crash he spat white foam and flew backward, the brick directly blasting him out of the hall.

"Have I erred? I appointed whichever pup as crown prince—do I really need to ask you lot of pups?" Wuba roared: "This brat is…"

He slapped his own forehead, then Wuba laughed: "Hey, my thirteenth son, Duhuan… such a stupid boy; by my decree I will cut his fief by thirty percent and halve his private troops… his few uncles and maternal grandfather are still here, right?"

Wuba pointed at several officials among the civil ministers with extremely ugly faces and said bluntly: "You have such stupid grandsons and nephews; surely your bloodline is too poor, tainting my Divine Martial royal lineage… well, you few—those with rank will be demoted one grade, those without rank will be downgraded one grade in office; that's settled."

With a strange laugh, Wuba pointed at Duzhou and sneered: "Duzhou, you're the first to speak—good. I give you a chance: go fetch your elder brother back; the newly organized 'Exterminate Jin Army' will be under your command, with all arms and provisions openly supplied."

"Now, take your troops and attack the Great Jin at the utmost speed. Give them no time to react; I want you to burst into their heartland as fast as possible. Burn, kill, loot, plunder… remember, what does our Divine Martial State need most?"

Wuba stared fixedly at Duzhou.

Duzhou sprang to his feet; over two zhang tall, he is so stalwart, his divine might extraordinary.

Duzhou bellowed: "Seize money, seize grain, seize women…"

Wuba's five fingers bulged with veins; he directly crushed the snake head in his bosom into powder, blood spraying all over him, and he jumped with rage: "You idiot, seize people, seize talent! Alchemists, formation masters, weapon smiths, talisman crafters… in short, seize every useful person and bring them back!"

"Also, bring the secret 'Earth Plague Powder' and spread it over every fertile field in the Great Jin for me."

Having scattered the Soil Plague Powder, within a hundred years not a blade of grass will grow; I will make Great Jin fall into famine, throw them into chaos!" Wu Ba pointed at Wu Duyao and shouted angrily: "Hurry up and go; I want to see, when the Great Jin army on the Three Kingdoms battlefield runs out of sufficient food supplies, how will they fight us?"

Wu Duyao got a scolding, but his enthusiasm didn't wane; after changing clothes he was still lively and jumping about.

He loudly agreed, took the imperial edict and military command token that Wu Ba threw at him, turned and ran off. As he walked, he loudly shouted: "Where are my trusted aides? Hurry and follow me into battle, hahaha, promotions and riches, I have promised you wealth and honor—this time let's see if you can grab them!"

Wu Duyao left.

Inside the great hall, all the Great Wu princes were anxious.

A prince with a pale complexion and a hint of shrewdness stepped forward two paces, and loudly said to Wu Ba: "Father Emperor, we were not informed of the earlier surprise attack on Great Jin; you let the eldest brother oversee this matter, and we younger brothers have accepted it."

"The eldest brother has blundered this time, delayed the military opportunity; this matter has spread far and wide... What merit or ability does Wu Duyao have, that he could..."

Wu Ba extended his bloody finger and pointed hard at his own son: "Shut up, I order you to shut up... I am the Divine Emperor of the Great Wu Divine State; I do as I please. Not telling you about this earlier was my pleasure. Today I have Wu Duyao replace your eldest brother—that too is my pleasure."

"My words are the imperial edict; my will is the supreme heavenly Dao. In the Great Wu Divine State, who dares to oppose my will?"

"Hmph!" Wu Ba snorted coldly a few times, then lowered his voice: "But I can also understand what you lot of little bastards are thinking—hey, you're all eyeing the position beneath your eldest brother's seat, aren't you?"

He vigorously shook his blood‑stained palm, and Wu Ba said lazily: "Don't say I'm being unfair as a father; the army that destroys Jin has already been given to Duyao—you can forget about it. But I grant you the right to recruit troops, and unlimited command over them."

A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and Wu Ba roared: "You can recruit as many troops as you want, no upper limit! As long as you can raise them, I will provide sufficient arms, sufficient food, sufficient warships; take them and attack Great Jin!"

"This time, whoever achieves the greatest merit, whoever captures the most talent, whoever kills the most of Great Jin's troops, whoever destroys the most of Great Jin's land... I will record each and every one."

"Whoever achieves the greatest merit and manages to return alive shall be the Crown Prince of Great Wu!"

Inside the great hall, dozens of Great Wu princes shouted in unison, each like an orangutan in heat, wildly pounding their chests and continually letting out loud roars.