Chapter 501

Jade Prefecture City, a deathly stillness.

Jade Prefecture is a fertile land of the Great Jin, prosperous and wealthy, a peerless treasure under heaven.

Jade Prefecture City is the heart of Jade Prefecture; if Jade Prefecture is the crown of the Great Jin, then Jade Prefecture City is the brightest pearl on that crown.

A great city, surrounded by dozens of satellite cities, within a relatively small area gathering over a hundred million people, tens of thousands of merchant guilds congregate here, all industries flourish, gold flows and silver pours, the air is filled with the scent of wealth.

Normally, countless flying shuttles swarm like bees above Jade Prefecture City, countless goods use Jade Prefecture City as a hub, bringing an astronomical amount of wealth to this place.

But today, early in the morning, everything was still normal.

But gradually, the countless flying shuttles in the high sky vanished in a short time, shop after shop closed their doors, street traffic rapidly dwindled, and the great clans also hurriedly shut their gates, activating the defensive wards of their estates.

It was just when Sun Bubing was weeping to Sima Fa in the Eastern Palace that a shrill alarm sounded from all directions far away.

Rows of flying shuttles, not perfectly aligned but forming a massive military array, surged from all four directions toward Jade Prefecture City—east, south, north, west—simultaneously, with at least over a hundred thousand large and small flying shuttles charging in together.

Inside Jade Prefecture City, continuous booming explosions echoed.

Cultivators unleashed thunder techniques, balls of thunderfire the size of water jars wildly bombarded the city; each ball that fell produced a tremendous roar, a blaze sweeping hundreds of zhang around, shaking the earth and mountains, reducing building after building to rubble.

Those struck by the thunderfire were precisely the various government offices within Jade Prefecture City.

The governor's office, the city lord's office, the offices of the various commanderies stationed in Jade Prefecture City, plus Jade Prefecture's official granaries and treasuries, the city's most vital barracks and grain stores, and so on…

These places normally have protective formations and wards, but today the thunderfire suddenly descended, and not a single formation or ward was activated.

Watching exquisite palaces and halls shatter to pieces, orderly spacious storehouses vanished in smoke and flame.

Countless grain, countless supplies, even military equipment and baggage, plus several flying shuttle factories of the Jade Prefecture government, all turned to nothing in the thunderfire.

Fortunately, these past days the atmosphere in Jade Prefecture was tense, so many clerks and officials of the government offices had been ordered by Old Iron to be expelled and return home to await processing; these government-run workshops were not operating, all the technicians and artisans were resting at home, thus when the attack came, casualties were not large.

The heavenly thunderfire raged for the span of a tea cup, then immediately came the sound of urgent war drums.

Inside Jade Prefecture City, the great mansions that had previously kept their gates shut suddenly flung them open; countless private soldiers and guards wearing various armor roared the slogan "Kill the traitors for the state!" and poured out from the gates, quickly gathering together and marching along the main streets toward the barracks stationed under Wu Tie's command.

Jade Prefecture is extremely fertile, with great clans and wealthy households in great numbers.

Having money means possessing resources.

Whether resources for decadent enjoyment, resources for cultivation, or even military arms and armor, they are all resources.

And the wealthy, while fearing death, fear even more being targeted by bandits and outlaws, being kidnapped, assassinated, or having their entire clan wiped out by rivals striking from the shadows.

Thus the great clans of Jade Prefecture, whether titled nobles or ordinary wealthy merchants, all maintain private armies.

Because they have money, lots and lots of it, the scale of the private soldiers they maintain is several times, even tenfold or more, greater than that of equally ranked nobles and clans in neighboring prefectures.

When a hidden force gathers these nobles and great clans together, whether the fleet of flying shuttles they assemble or the private guards they gather, in numbers they completely overwhelm the Jade Prefecture army.

The Jade Prefecture army is huge, numbering in the millions, usually stationed across hundreds of large and small cities; but Jade Prefecture City is of paramount importance, so within the city there are 300,000 elite troops of the prefecture garrison.

But today, the flying shuttle fleets that have gathered from all four sides to encircle Jade Prefecture City, together with the private guards that launch internal flare‑up assaults on various government offices, number at least ten times the entire Jade Prefecture army.

And within Jade Prefecture City, the camp where the Jade Prefecture army is stationed lies deathly quiet.

This place was not hit by the earlier thunderfire attack, and not a single figure appears within the camp.

The entire camp is utterly silent, as if no living person were present.

An invisible killing intent permeates the camp, gradually accumulating and fermenting, like a volcano that could erupt at any moment, unknown where it will pour its fury.

A private army of a great clan swaggered past the gate of the army garrison, shouting loudly as they stormed into the opposite Jade Prefecture Transport Office. Already plowed once by thunderfire, the Transport Office echoed with a few urgent cries, then the sound of blades piercing flesh, and a gruff voice bellowed: "Exterminate these worms who serve the traitors!"

"Jade Prefecture belongs to the people of Jade Prefecture… Jade Prefecture Lord? Hah, a mere outsider dares to covet Jade Prefecture's wealth?" Another sharp voice shrieked: "Who dares to serve the Jade Prefecture Lord, who dares to help the Jade Prefecture Lord deal with the Jade Prefecture elders… kill, kill, kill!"

Countless private soldiers roared the slogan "Jade Prefecture belongs to the people of Jade Prefecture," this very seductive cry, excitedly burning, killing, and looting everywhere.

Inside Jade Prefecture City, several important storehouses had previously been struck by thunderfire, their main structures blown to bits; but after the army poured in, the gold and silver treasures—though even if melted—remained gold and silver, impervious to the thunderfire.

Countless soldiers looted freely, frenziedly plundering.

Just like the several storehouses under the Transport Office, which were piled with countless gold, silver, jewels, and Jade Prefecture specialties, these were tribute prepared to be sent to AnYang City for the Imperial Household Department.

These soldiers, eyes red, under the indulgence of their own commanders and chiefs, wantonly plundered.

Soon, soldiers turned their gaze toward the residents living near these government offices.

"Jade Prefecture belongs to the people of Jade Prefecture"… the wealth of the Jade Prefecture people naturally belongs to the Jade Prefecture people… since it is all the people's wealth, these private soldiers and guards are Jade Prefecture people, so isn't the wealth in these civilian homes also theirs?

This logic is perfectly fine!

It makes perfect sense!

The wealth in the homes is theirs… the young ladies in the homes are naturally theirs as well!

Even if there aren't that many young maidens in Jade Prefecture City, the married daughters‑in‑law, elder sisters‑in‑law, and even charming mature women, they won't be picky!

War and chaos are the most terrifying things in the world.

Like a flood and ferocious beast, once the gate breaks, even the instigators cannot imagine how destructive the outbreak of war and chaos will be.

Countless private soldiers and guards in small bands began to move against those large and small residences.

Outside the city walls, countless warships and flying shuttles approached, the bow cannons flashing with dazzling light, locked onto Jade Prefecture's walls awaiting fire.

The Jade Prefecture city walls had already been lit with a strong glow.

Jade Prefecture City's defenses are extraordinarily strong and solid, far surpassing those of an ordinary prefecture city, and even exceeding the defensive formations of a typical fiefdom's capital by several times.

Especially, Jade Prefecture City's great defensive formation has given birth to a formation spirit, possessing a vague self‑awareness; once a large number of unidentified ships draw near, the formation will automatically activate.

But in the blink of an eye, the entire great formation dimmed.

Someone communicated with the city's formation spirit and directly shut down the whole great formation.

A piercing, manic laughter echoed from the huge warships outside the city, then at least hundreds of different voices shouted in unison: "Lock onto the Jade Prefecture Lord's lackeys' camp and fire at full power!"

Over a hundred thousand warships spread in the air like a great cauldron formation, with nearly thirty thousand warships placed at the front of the circle; their bow cannons can easily lock onto any target inside Jade Prefecture City.

Before they arrived, they had already ascertained that hundreds of thousands of elite Black Phoenix troops and hundreds of thousands of stalwarts from the Great Marsh Prefecture army had been stationed in two barracks neighboring the Jade Prefecture army within the city.

Old Iron, Huang Lang, and others also guarded against the Jade Prefecture army causing trouble, deliberately stationing heavy troops as a precaution.

But at this moment, they happened to become the perfect target for that massive fleet.

The earlier thunderfire attack merely damaged some of the wards of the two camps, destroyed a few barracks, and the Black Phoenix and Great Marsh Prefecture soldiers suffered hardly any casualties.

But with tens of thousands of warships firing at once, even if the brave warriors of the Black Phoenix Army and the Great Marsh Prefecture Army are all masters of the Embryonic Storage realm, they would probably be melted into a pool of juice by the cannon fire and blown into fragments across the sky.

Translate: "But when tens of thousands of warships fire simultaneously… even if the brave warriors of the Black Phoenix Army and the Great Marsh Prefecture Army are all masters of the Embryonic Storage realm, they would likely be melted into a pool of juice by the cannon fire and blown into fragments across the sky."

We need to keep it concise but faithful. Let's produce: "But when tens of thousands of warships fire simultaneously… even if the brave warriors of the Black Phoenix Army and the Great Marsh Prefecture Army are all masters of the Embryonic Storage realm, they would likely be melted into a pool of juice by the cannon fire and blown into fragments across the sky."

"Embryonic Storage realm" denotes a cultivation level; "Black Phoenix Army" and "Great Marsh Prefecture Army" are the respective forces; "brave warriors" are their fighters; "cannon fire" is the artillery barrage; "melted into a pool of juice" and "blown into fragments across the sky" describe the effect.

Ok.

At a critical moment, the thirty‑six Four Spirit warships shot straight up from the ground into the high sky.

Translate: "At a critical moment, thirty-six Four Spirit warships shot straight up from the ground into the high sky."

"Critical moment" means a crucial juncture; "thirty‑six" is the count; "Four Spirit warships" are the vessels; "shot straight up from the ground into the high sky" depicts their sudden upward surge.

Arranged according to the Nine Palaces directions, the Four Spirit warships were overlaid with the phantom images of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—the four spirits of heaven and earth—flashing into view. Vast flame wings coalesced in an instant, and the sky‑blazing feathers turned into streams of light that swept outward in all directions.

Translate: "Arranged in formation according to the Nine Palaces directions, above the Four Spirit warships appeared the phantom images of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—the four spirits of heaven and earth—flashing forth with a boom; then, in the snap of a finger, countless teams of massive flame wings condensed into shape, after which the sky‑filling blazing feathers turned into streams of light that swept rapidly in all directions."

We need to keep concise but faithful. Let's craft: "Arranged in formation according to the Nine Palaces directions, above the Four Spirit warships appeared the phantom images of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—the four spirits of heaven and earth—flashing forth with a boom; then, in the snap of a finger, countless teams of massive flame wings condensed into shape, after which the sky‑filling blazing feathers turned into streams of light that swept rapidly in all directions."

"Nine Palaces directions" indicates the formation's layout; "Four Spirit warships" are the vessels involved; the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise represent the four celestial symbols; the four spirits of heaven and earth are those same deities; flame wings, feathers, and streams of light describe the manifested attack.

The fleet's dense formation, as black as a pot, was pierced through by countless burning fire feathers.

Translate: "The great formation of the fleet, black as a pot, was pierced through by countless burning fire feathers."

The fleet's great formation, black as a pot, was pierced through by countless burning fire feathers.

Huge holes were ripped into each private warship, setting their interiors ablaze; flames jetted out through the gaps, and countless private soldiers, their bodies aflame, were thrown out as well.

Translate: "Each private warship was torn open with huge gaps; fire burned inside, then flames gushed out through the breaches, accompanied by countless private soldiers whose bodies burned fiercely."

We need to keep faithful: "Each private warship was torn open with huge gaps; fire burned inside, then flames gushed out through the breaches, accompanied by countless private soldiers whose bodies burned fiercely."

They are wealthy, immensely rich, and well‑connected; the great clans of Jade Prefecture can indeed field huge private armies, but their greatest weakness is that without a sufficiently high noble rank they can never acquire standard warships from the Great Jin military.

Translate: "They are rich, immensely wealthy, and have extensive connections… the great clans of Jade Prefecture can indeed muster huge private armies, but their greatest weakness is this: without a comparatively high noble rank, they can never obtain standard warships from the Great Jin military."

Jade Prefecture refers to the region; the great clans are the powerful families; private armies are their forces; noble rank is the required title; the Great Jin military is the state's armed forces; standard warships are the official vessels.

This immense fleet of more than a hundred thousand massive warship‑vessels is made up entirely of refitted civilian ships.

Translate: "This vast fleet of over a hundred thousand massive warship‑vessels is entirely made from refitted civilian ships."

A vast fleet of over a hundred thousand massive warship‑vessels, all refitted from civilian ships.

Every bow‑mounted main gun was forged by privately hired artificers from each household, using outdated military‑transmitted blueprints.

Translate: "All the bow‑mounted main guns are also privately hired artificers from each household, crafted from outdated military‑transmitted blueprints."

The bow‑mounted main guns were made by privately hired artificers from each household, using outdated military‑transmitted blueprints.

These private‑owned warships possess barely twenty percent of the firepower, defense, and overall combat effectiveness of a standard military warship of comparable size.

Translate: "These warships used by the private forces amount to less than twenty percent of the offensive, defensive, and overall combat power of same‑size standard military warships."

Confronted with a Four Spirit warship, a national‑treasure‑level superweapon…

Translate: "Facing a Four Spirit warship, a national‑treasure‑grade supreme weapon…"

After a single barrage, more than twenty thousand private warships spewed fire and black smoke, and one plummeted from the sky to the ground.

Translate: "Just one wave of attack, and over twenty thousand private warships spewed flames and black smoke, crashing down from the sky to the ground."

Flames and fire feathers filled the sky as the private warships shuddered violently, exploding in massive fireballs amid thunderous roars, then wobbled slowly down from the air.

Translate: "Sky‑filling fire feathers entwined; each private warship shuddered violently, repeatedly bursting into massive balls of flame, accompanied by tremendous noise, swaying as they slowly fell from the air."

"Fire, fire!" echoed in a chorus of high and low shouts from the huge fleet.

Translate: ""Fire, fire…" countless shouts of varying pitch rose incessantly from the huge fleet."

This massive private fleet comprised at least five or six hundred great clans, each with its own commander, and when confronted with the terrifying attack, hundreds of voices issued orders at once.

Translate: "But this huge private fleet comprises at least five to six hundred great clans mingled together, each clan with its own commander; when faced with such a terrifying assault, hundreds of voices shouted orders simultaneously."

After all, a private force remains a private force, not the dynasty's regular army.

Translate: "After all, the private forces are private forces, not the dynasty's regular army."

This disorder directly led to the complete collapse of more than a hundred thousand warships.

Translate: "Such chaos directly caused the total collapse of over a hundred thousand warships."

The well‑paid retainers of the great clans turned and fled, becoming streams of light that vanished into the distance.

Translate: "The high‑paid retainers hired by the great clans turned and left, turning into streams of light that vanished into the distance."

When the great clans' core members saw the tide turning, they immediately took command of their ships and broke out.

Translate: "When the core members of the great clans saw the situation turning bad, they immediately piloted their vessels to break out."

Many private soldiers, stomping their feet, secretly stabbed their hated superiors in the back, then swiftly removed their private‑army armor and deserted the warships in small groups.

Translate: "Moreover, many private soldiers stomped their feet, sneakily stabbed their disliked superiors in the back, then quickly stripped off their private‑soldier armor and left the warships in small groups."

Wu Tie's fleet, brought from Great Marsh Prefecture, numbered several thousand warships.

Translate: "Wu Tie's fleet brought from Great Marsh Prefecture numbered several thousand warships."

Wu Tie is the person's name, and Great Marsh Prefecture is the region.

The main contingent of the Five Elements Spirits was placed in a few satellite cities outside Yu Prefecture.

Translate: "The main force of the Five Elements Spirits was stationed in several satellite cities outside Yu Prefecture."

The Five Elements Spirits are the elemental beings; Yu Prefecture is the region; outside the city indicates the location; satellite cities are the outlying settlements.

These private army units ignored the Five Elements Spirits; in fact, they never considered them when drafting their plans.

Translate: "These private divisions overlooked the Five Elements Spirits… or rather, they never factored the Five Elements Spirits into their plans from the start."

The Five Elements Spirits are, after all, just a foreign tribe.

Translate: "After all, the Five Elements Spirits are merely a foreign tribe."

Among the peoples of Great Jin, Great Wu, and Great Wei—the three great divine nations—any foreign tribe, even the most human‑like, is regarded as base, weak, utterly devoid of fighting power, fit only for slavery and servitude.

Translate: "In the minds of the subjects of the Great Jin, as well as the Great Wu and Great Wei—the three great divine nations—foreign tribes, even those most resembling humans, are considered base, weak, devoid of combat power, fit only to serve as slaves and servants for their masters."

Great Jin, Great Wu, and Great Wei are the three great divine nations; their subjects view any foreign tribe—even the most human‑like—as base, weak, utterly lacking combat ability, fit only for slavery and servitude.

Nobody noticed what the Five Elements Spirits were doing.

Translate: "No one paid attention to the movements of the Five Elements Spirits."

Thus, as Wu Tie's thousands of standard warships took to the sky, myriad wood spirits wielding short bows unleashed a torrent of arrows over Jade Prefecture city, leaving the rebellious private troops and guards inside stunned.

Translate: "Thus, when Wu Tie's thousands of standard warships rose into the air, countless wood spirits wielding short bows rained down a sky‑full of arrows upon Jade Prefecture's interior; the rioting private troops and guards inside were dumbfounded."

Wu Tie is the commander; standard warships are the official vessels; wood spirits are the tree‑like entities; short bows are the ranged weapons; Jade Prefecture city is the urban center; private troops are the non‑governmental fighters; guards are the defenders.

Thousands of warships hung over Jade Prefecture city like a dark cloud.

Translate: "Thousands of warships loomed like a dark cloud over the entire Jade Prefecture city."

The wood spirits' archery is unsurpassed; every arrow hits its target.

Translate: "The wood spirits' archery need not be mentioned—every arrow finds its mark."

Arrows fell like rain, and the city was filled with countless agonized wails.

Translate: "As the sky‑filling arrows fell, countless mournful howls rose from within the city."

Lao Tie's loud roar spread throughout Jade Prefecture City: "Don't shoot to kill, don't shoot to kill, keep them alive, leave survivors……one after another of those plump, sturdy human-shaped livestock, hey, mining, farming, etc., is perfect. If really impossible, they can still be taken as cannon fodder to fight in war!"

"Keep them alive, hey, keep them alive, whoever randomly kills one will have half a month's wages deducted!"

Lao Tie jumped about excitedly, shouting at the wood spirits not to kill while roaring at the private warships fleeing outward: "No running, no running, I declare, you are all captives, all of you are captives!"

Dozens of warships broke away from the massive formation, ignoring Lao Tie's roar and continuing to flee.

Lao Tie now wore a set of dull black armor that was inconspicuous, this being the protective treasure armor left behind by the Great Peng Bright King.

In a flash of spiritual light, Lao Tie instantly crossed a distance of over a hundred li, leaving dozens of afterimages as he swept past those dozens of warships. The yin-yang long spear in his hand brought forth a sky-full of spear shadows, instantly piercing tens of thousands of holes of uniform size across those dozens of warships.

"No fleeing! Those who flee, die!"

Lao Tie silently exercised his profound skill, and behind him two black and white strands of yin-yang qi, like tornadoes, shot up into the sky, quickly entangling two other warships that were fleeing dozens of li away.

With a gentle sweep of the yin-yang qi, the two warships turned into fine dust that scattered down rustling, while only the thousands of soldiers on those two warships remained dazedly suspended in midair, their faces deathly pale, all frightened by Lao Tie's terrifying power.

"Those who surrender live, those who resist die." Pei Fengqingyang's voice echoed softly.

"In the name of the Marquis of Ling Mountain, if you give up resistance, you will all live… otherwise, your nine clans will be exterminated!"