Chapter 484

Great Wu military camp.

A massive central army fleet hovered in the air a hundred zhang above the ground.

Below lay sprawling barracks, where countless soldiers sat cross-legged in silence, their skin flushed red, a faint blood energy rising above their heads, veins protruding beneath their skin; the Gathering Spirit Formation in the barracks was gathering the primordial energy of heaven and earth and continuously infusing it into the soldiers.

Rows of patrol soldiers trudged through the darkness with heavy steps; on the watchtower, warriors gripping strong bows narrowed their eyes, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

Various-sized bronze treasure mirrors hovered in the air, their faint light slowly sweeping across the darkness outside the barracks; even a tiny insect flying past would leave its silhouette in the mirrors.

Many war beasts and mounts, having been cooped up for days in the warship's hold, stood or lay prone in the spacious pens, occasionally letting out a joyful snort or emitting a threatening low growl.

In the flagship shaped like a divine dragon, the banquet was drawing to a close.

The great hall reeked of alcohol, its floor littered with beast bones of all sizes; some drunken officers lay sprawled on the ground snoring, while helmets and personal weapons, whose owners were unknown, were simply tossed about haphazardly.

Wu Duoyao wasn't drunk yet, but he already had seventy or eighty percent of the alcohol's effect.

He held the huge wine bowl, gulping down wine in big mouthfuls; the more he drank freely, the brighter his eyes became.

The massive long table before him had been wiped clean by the attendants, and a huge geographic map of mountains and rivers floated silently above it. Wu Duoyao gestured with his left hand on the detached light-shadow, calculating the marching route for the next two days.

Within Great Jin's territory, Great Wu also had its own spies and agents.

Since the fifth or sixth year, Great Wu had been placing personnel in many prefectures of Great Jin's southwest, covertly surveying the terrain, and produced a fairly detailed geographic map of mountains and rivers, containing the geography and topography of over three hundred prefectures in Great Jin's southwest.

Great Marsh Prefecture……was merely a small stone blocking the road, and Wu Duoyao didn't take it to heart.

According to Wu Duoyao's nature, leaving a fleet to attack Great Marsh Prefecture, he himself had already led the great army straight to Feng Prefecture, thrusting as fast as possible into the southwest heartland of Great Jin's divine realm.

But, he was unwilling.

Thinking of the former crown prince's traveling palace of Great Jin, thinking of the countless rare treasures inside, thinking of the powerful divine weapons the former crown prince had brought out of Anyang City back then……he was unwilling.

"Wu Kuang, you son of a bitch!" Wu Duoyao took a sip of wine, gave a low curse, not caring at all that Wu Kuang's mother was his own paternal grandmother.

"Eat alone, and you'll burst!" Wu Duoyao's eyes flashed with a fierce Blood Light.

He wanted to personally slaughter Great Marsh City……using this excuse, Wu Duoyao reckoned he could stay here another two or three days, after all sacking a city is a technical job, Wu Duoyao prepared to personally wield the knife slowly.

In those two or three days, if Wu Kuang were seriously wounded by the Eastern Palace of Great Jin, Wu Duoyao would not mind stabbing him in the back at all.

The Black Heaven Cauldron, that is one of Great Wu's three openly displayed state treasures, its power boundless, most adept at large-scale slaughter, famed for the terrifying power of one person to destroy a nation. If he could seize the Black Heaven Cauldron from Wu Kuang's hands, Wu Duoyao thought his position as crown prince would be secure.

As long as he could deal with Wu Kuang, Wu Duoyao could even give up attacking Great Jin, he would concentrate his great army and fully assault the Eastern Palace's traveling palace.

"Hmph!" Wu Duoyao gulped down the strong liquor in the big bowl clean, then laughed loudly at the generals whose faces were flushed red from drink: "Gentlemen, eat well, drink well, enjoy……any serving maid you fancy, just take her back and have a good time."

"Follow me, Wu Duoyao, and you'll gain office, wealth, titles……money, power, women, I can give you all!" Wu Duoyao set down the big bowl and laughed loudly: "From now on, the more you follow this prince, the more you'll know that I differ from my low-born elder brother……he is stingy, while I am most generous!"

Wu Duoyao laughed loudly.

The many still-sober Great Wu generals in the hall also burst into laughter, raising their large and small wine cups and bowls, or helmets filled with strong liquor……even a few who were completely drunk lifted embroidered shoes they didn't know whose serving maid's foot they'd come from, filled them with fine wine, and gulped it down with "heehee haha".

"Long live the great king!" the generals shouted loudly.

Wu Duoyao nodded in satisfaction, the morale is usable, this is very good.

He remembered his maternal grandfather, an old general who had served a lifetime in the Great Wu army, who had taught him the way to command subordinates——the Great Wu's soldiers are just a pack of greedy beasts; give them enough flesh and blood, and they will be loyal to you.

Among these generals, there certainly are people of Wu Dizun.

But as long as you feed them full, as long as you satisfy their desires……the people of Wu Dizun can also become Wu Duoyao's people.

Nothing much, it cannot be changed. The custom of the Great Wu divine state is such; loyalty, etc., cannot be said to be nonexistent, but it is truly rare.

A middle-aged man in a black long robe and a silk cap entered the hall lightly, followed by a group of light-footed serving maids. The middle-aged man gave a humble smile to Wu Duoyao, then waved his hand lightly.

The serving maids spread out, coming to the huge incense burner in the hall's corner, they swept away the ashes of burnt incense, filled the burner with fresh incense, and carefully lit it.

A fresh, clean floral fragrance slowly spread, quickly dispelling the unpleasant liquor odor in the hall.

Quite a few of the Great Wu generals who were nearly drunk smelled the floral scent, shivered, and instantly became much clearer-headed. Their pores exuded much sticky cold sweat, the alcohol in their bodies dispersed by this fragrance by seventy or eighty percent, and each returned to sobriety.

Wu Duoyao looked satisfied at that middle-aged man.

Great Wu values martial prowess above all; at court, military officers are favored over civil officials, and Wu Duoyao, influenced by his surroundings since childhood, doesn't think much of those pedantic civil officials.

However, this black-clad middle-aged man is a former aide who defected to Wu Duoyao's princely manor some years ago; he is cautious, shrewd, quite capable, having put Wu Duoyao's many miscellaneous affairs in good order, serving Wu Duoyao comfortably.

For this campaign, Wu Duoyao also brought him along; later he could report a few merits for him, also grant him a title, which would count as rewarding his years of hard work.

At this moment, Wu Duoyao also felt a bit dazed; this fresh fragrance immediately cleared his mind considerably, the wine's effect also dissipated somewhat, his whole body felt cool and comfortable, truly inside and out bright and very pleasant.

"Heiku, you still understand me best……well, rest assured, after this great war, at the very least, I will guarantee you a marquessate." Wu Duoyao pointed at the black-clad middle-aged man and laughed heartily: "When the time comes, those bastards who once drove you to family ruin and forced you to resign your post and flee, just as you yourself demanded……you can easily take revenge on them."

Wu Duoyao laughed radiantly.

Heiku also laughed radiantly.

He respectfully bowed to Wu Duoyao, then waved at the serving maids; this group of maids lifted their pouches filled with incense ash and residue, and walked out softly and slowly.

Wu Duoyao took a deep breath, intoxicatedly inhaled the floral scent, then raised the great sea bowl in his hand.

"Gentlemen generals, sobered up? If sober, keep drinking……hahaha, real men eat meat, drink liquor, kill people, ride women……those who can't drink are softies!" Wu Duoyao laughed loudly, a serving maid beside him lifted the wine jug and filled his great sea bowl with fine wine.

The many Great Wu generals who had likewise become much clearer-headed clamored, each raising their wine vessels, laughing heehee haha, and uttering flattery that made Wu Duoyao immensely pleased.

Heiku entered again, followed by a large group of servants.

The servants quickly swept the hall floor clean, wiped clean each wine table, tidied up all food remnants, then drove in head after head of fat cattle, fat sheep, and large livestock roasted to golden, oily perfection, placing them before those tall, big-boned Great Wu generals with astonishing appetites.

Wu Duoyao and the Great Wu generals shouted in unison, then tore off animal legs to eat and drink heartily.

Each Great Wu general was sturdily built, all extremely strong body cultivators, their qi and blood surging, appetites astonishing, and energy abundant, able to drink and revel for long periods.

In wartime they drink all night; if drunk, they lead the army out to slaughter people——this is a capital offense in the Great Jin army, but in the Great Wu army it is their military tradition.

"Heiku, go tell that idiot in charge of the siege up front……my lord says if he can't take Great Marsh City by dawn, I'll chop off his head……that's just a joke." Wu Duoyao drank a few bowls of wine, furtively called Heiku to his side, and whispered: "Tell him not to rush to take Great Marsh City, but to delay it two or three days."

"Tell him, if he really takes Great Marsh City before dawn……I'll chop him up." Wu Duoyao, with a bit of alcohol in his system, waved his hand; Heiku acknowledged with a sound and hurried out of the hall.

"Hey, Wu Kuang……Uncle, eating alone, you'll surely burst." Wu Duoyao gritted his teeth viciously, seized a animal leg and bit into it fiercely.

Outside the vast encampment of Great Wu's central army, Wu Tie, Pei Feng, and Old Tie led a large group of Five Elements Spirit Embryo realm masters, standing silently in the darkness.

Inside the vast encampment, countless soldiers trained quietly, their surging qi and blood like a tsunami clashing with heaven and earth's primal energy, emitting a low rumble.

The primal-energy tide they stirred was so immense that even the warships a hundred zhang in the air swayed slightly, their hulls continually rippling with light-shadow as protective wards were activated and lit up.

This is the reason the army must camp at night during marches; these soldiers cannot cultivate aboard warships, no matter how large the warship, a single warship lacks sufficient space to accommodate cultivating soldiers.

When marching and deploying troops, soldiers can be packed into the ship's hold like sardines, but once they cultivate… if there is insufficient space, even the strongest flagship will be blown apart by the primordial energy tide these soldiers stir up.

Feeling the vast primordial energy tide above the camp, Wu Tie couldn't help but sigh: "The soldiers of Great Wu are truly deserving of being called the best among the Three Kingdoms; their average cultivation is generally a notch higher than that of several regular armies of Great Jin."

In the darkness, several burly men wearing the standard soft armor of Great Wu army archers, with face guards on their faces, appeared silently.

Wu Tie took out a jade talisman and lightly flicked it.

The burly men quickly located Wu Tie and his companions, and with a few flashes arrived before Wu Tie.

"Have you come?" one burly man softly asked Wu Tie.

"I have come." Wu Tie nodded.

"Good, follow us." The burly man didn't drag his feet, saying directly: "However, we only take you into the great camp; once inside, whether you can come out alive depends on you… Also, my master said, Wu Du Yao, it's best if he dies!"

The burly man glanced at the Five Elements Spirits behind Wu Tie, then furrowed his brows: "How many of you are going in?"

Wu Tie pointed to himself and Lao Tie, speaking in a low voice: "Just the two of us… they are waiting outside to provide support."

The burly man's tone stalled: "Two people? Who do you think you are?"

Shaking his head, the burly man gave a cold snort: "Forget it, your lives are your own; although we have done our utmost to cooperate, if you die, don't blame us."

"You're very noisy." Wu Tie glared at the burly man: "Lead the way."

The burly men gave a cold snort, turned and walked away.

Wu Tie and Lao Tie closely followed behind them; not long after they arrived outside the gate of the Great Wu army camp, and entered the great camp smoothly without any inspection.

Pei Feng gripped her spear tightly, standing silently in the darkness together with many Five Elements Spirits experts.

Her mission was, once Wu Tie succeeded, to immediately lead the Five Elements Spirits in attacking the Great Wu army camp, creating greater chaos, inflicting greater casualties, to cover Wu Tie and Lao Tie's retreat.

After all, this is the central army camp of the Great Wu forces that destroyed the Jin; countless elite soldiers are gathered here.

If these soldiers formed a battle array to envelop and slaughter… unless one is a deity, death is certain.

Pei Feng closed her eyes, her aura tranquil as the surrounding night.

Wu Tie was taking a risk; she was very worried.

But she did not stop Wu Tie, nor did she willfully say she would follow Wu Tie into the Great Wu army camp. She chose to unconditionally trust Wu Tie, believing that Wu Tie and Lao Tie would surely accomplish the planned operation and surely escape safely.

Layer upon layer of restrictions, layer upon layer of formations, countless monitoring secret treasures watched the sky and ground, and even secret treasures that pierced straight down three thousand zhang underground; even if one used earth-escape technique, unless one's magic power reached the heavens and luck was extremely good, it would still be difficult to infiltrate the camp.

Wu Tie and Lao Tie, led by several burly men, twisted and turned through the vast army camp, easily passing through the outer camp.

Several hundred zhang ahead, the central flagship where Wu Du Yao resided—a vessel over two thousand zhang long, shaped like a divine dragon—loomed into view. However, centered on this flagship, twenty-four strangely shaped archways stood around it, and dozens of large warships formed a circular array, encircling the flagship.

Guarding this flagship were the royal mansion guards of Wu Du Yao, not personnel of the army that destroyed Jin.

Several burly men brought Wu Tie and Lao Tie here, then turned and left, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

Not long after, Hei Ku emerged from a strangely shaped archway with several guards; he glanced at Wu Tie and Lao Tie standing in the shadows, waved his hand, and said softly: "Follow me, the Great King is currently drinking and making merry; if you have any urgent military matters, just report directly to the Great King."

Wu Tie and Lao Tie exchanged a glance, then followed Hei Ku unimpeded into the core camp of Wu Du Yao's central army, easily stepping onto the central flagship, passing through layer after layer of guards without expending the slightest effort, and went straight to the doors of the great hall where Wu Du Yao was drinking and making merry.

Hei Ku gently pushed open the doors of the great hall and stepped inside lightly.

Wu Du Yao suddenly lifted his head, his eyes wide as he stared at Hei Ku, and laughed loudly: "Hei Ku, you're back so quickly? Did your message get through?"

Wu Tie and Lao Tie stepped out from behind Hei Ku and walked straight toward Wu Du Yao.

Wu Du Yao's expression changed abruptly: "Who are you? There's no one like you in my royal mansion!"