Chapter 421: Triumph and Shadows

False Song, Bianjing City.

It was late spring, and this imperial capital, rebuilt according to the layout of the old capital, was immersed in an almost frenzied celebration.

On both sides of the streets, every household hung lanterns and strung decorations; taverns and restaurants buzzed with voices.

Children held up simple windmills, weaving through the crowd laughing; vendors shouted, selling auspicious items to cheerful passersby.

The air was filled with the aroma of meat and wine, the smell of gunpowder from firecrackers, and a collective exhilaration akin to relief.

"Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!"

"Heaven bless the Great Song! Long live Your Majesty!"

A unit of brightly armored Palace Guard Cavalry escorted the edict-delivering eunuch as they slowly passed Vermilion Bird Avenue.

The eunuch's sharp, high-pitched voice, amplified by a crude iron horn, repeatedly announced the news that had long been known yet still stirred hearts.

"Southridge victory report! Generals Pan Mei and Yin Chongke have completely crushed the remnants of Southern Han, recovering the entire territory!"

"From now on, all the southern states are pacified, and the realm is unified!"

"His Majesty has decreed: universal celebration, rewards for the three armies, and exemption from taxes for three years for the newly annexed southern prefectures."

The crowd's cheers rose higher, like boiling water.

"Great! Finally finished fighting!"

"From now on, the world will be at peace, and we can live our lives in ease!"

"I heard the South is rich; from now on, Bianjing's goods will increase even more!"

A red-faced old man, squeezed in the crowd, eagerly wiped his eyes.

"We've waited how many years… at last this day has come! Our Great Song is truly the legitimate dynasty!"

His companion beside him nodded repeatedly, vigorously patting his shoulder.

"Yeah, brother! Those up north who resist sinicization will eventually submit!"

Under this uproar that nearly lifted the rooftops, all discordant noises were completely drowned out.

Several southern merchants with slightly worn clothes and worried faces gathered at a tea stall corner, exchanging news in low voices.

"I heard… in the former lands of Wu-Yue, the investigation is strict."

"That's right; the government, under the pretext of investigating remnants of Southern Tang and Wu-Yue, has heavily exploited us merchants who had long since left those areas."

"Alas, though they say taxes are exempt for three years, the days ahead will probably be even harder."

Their complaints were like a few stones thrown into a great river, not even raising a ripple before sinking into the grand narrative of "unification" and "orthodoxy."

In this dimension inaccessible to mortals, a vast and obscure power, like a giant beast awakening from hibernation, slowly stretched its form.

The intangible threads of rule became more solid and tenacious.

A certain long-dormant authority, as the confirmation and consolidation of the major historical node "South fully pacified, realm unified" proceeded, recovered and expanded at an unprecedented speed.

The master of the Iron Crow Army, that cluster of cold consciousness at the core of the rule network, felt the return of power.

It "gazed" upon the celebrating city below, and the vast South that had just been incorporated into the Great Song's territory.

There was no joy, no anger, only absolute, procedural calm.

However, in the process of handling massive information flows, an extremely minute "abnormal loss" drew its attention.

In the final stage of the South's unification process, there existed some resistance that did not fit the optimal calculation model.

In some areas, the speed at which resistance will faded was slightly lower than expected; some small-scale local armed disturbances had tactical proficiency and coordination that seemed to exceed what local bandits ought to have; the number of times supply lines were sabotaged was also slightly above the theoretical value.

These differences were extremely minor, scattered across vast regions and long periods, almost negligible, and did not alter the inevitability of the outcome "South unification."

But the Iron Crow Army master's logical core cannot tolerate any deviation from the plan.

"Detected: historical node 'Song destroys Southern Han, completion of South unification' confirmed."

"Authority recovery process: accelerate."

"Historical stability: +1.7%."

"Begin scanning for anomalous data around the node..."

The cold thought swept over the southern prefectures, focusing on areas that had previously shown "abnormal loss."

Soon, several vague "interference sources" were marked.

In the Lake Tai region, the small band of water bandits who called themselves "Langli Jiao" under Shen Gang, after the main government forces marched north, saw an abnormal increase in activity, their tactics cunning, repeatedly escaping encirclement.

Near Hangzhou Bay, several small-scale attacks on government granaries occurred, their methods clean and neat, not the work of ordinary famine victims.

And, some rumors quietly spreading locally, questioning northern rule and predicting future tax increases.

These should not appear in a "smooth" unification script.

In the Iron Crow Army master's consciousness, a flash of icy resolve passed.

"The historical process contains unrecorded interference factors."

"Activate the cleansing protocol."

"Target: eliminate all unstable data remnants in the South, trace back to the interference source."

"Execution unit: Shade."

The order was transmitted silently.

One after another, invisible to the naked eye, shadow-like figures began to quietly emerge from everywhere in the False Song, especially from the newly stabilized southern military-political hub, receive orders, then, like ghosts, merge again into the background of the real world, sneaking toward the target area.

Their task is to erase any "noise" that should not exist, ensuring the wheels of history roll forward along the predetermined, smooth track.

Meanwhile, in the Chen Dynasty, within a certain secluded villa...

Chen Wen sat in meditation in the quiet chamber, his mind sinking into his body, observing the slowly rotating intangible vortex that symbolized his progress.

The progress had risen steadily from about twenty percent earlier to nearly thirty percent.

This growth mainly came from his recent strategic deployment and behind-the-scenes command in the False Song's South.

Those seemingly minor "delays" and "cost increases," each successful implementation, confirmed his decisions, honed his abilities, and drove the accumulation of growth.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed slightly.

It wasn't because of the progress bar, but came from the newly unlocked "Shi Yong".

In his perception, the flow of the overall Fortune Momentum in that distant "Mirror Image Land" separated by the light curtain seemed to have undergone an indescribable change.

The Fortune Momentum, which originally appeared somewhat scattered with obvious regional differences, was now slowly but firmly trending toward consolidation and strengthening in the direction of Bianjing, where the False Song Imperial Court resides.

It was as if an invisible giant hand were compressing the scattered gravel into a firmer cornerstone.

At the same time, he faintly sensed that, within that region, certain sparse and obscure "Yin Energy" specks representing "obstruction" and "discord" seemed to have been triggered, beginning to emit a cold, hostile "activity".

"The 'momentum' over there…… is gathering, is strengthening."

Chen Wen opened his eyes, a flash of realization and gravity crossing his gaze.

"It seems the southern war has been completely settled."

"That 'crow' has also feasted because of this, regaining considerable strength."

He stood up, walked to the window, his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of buildings toward the direction of the southern light curtain.

He could imagine the celebratory scene now unfolding within the False Song's territory.

He also foresaw that the crow, having regained considerable strength, would certainly not turn a blind eye to the slight discordant noise appearing in the south.

"The cleansing, I fear, is about to begin."

He muttered softly.

The thorns he himself sowed, or indirectly guided, are about to face their first true storm.

Although the spark has been ignited, the battle to protect this faint light has never ceased.

Celebration belongs to the False Song's ruler and subjects.

And the contest in the shadows has only just entered a new stage.