Chapter 714

Xijing, Huangcheng, side hall.

Sunlight outside the window slanted in, casting clear lattice shadows on the smooth gold-brick floor.

Chen Wen was not sitting behind the imperial desk.

He stood before a huge map that covered the entire west wall.

The map's material was special, resembling silk but not silk; its mountains, rivers, cities, and routes were embroidered in fine gold thread, while some areas flickered with flowing micro‑lights of different colors.

The light curtain was like a blurred, flowing golden gauze, dividing the map in two.

On the left was the Chen dynasty's territory, details clear, with some key cities flashing steady white light.

On the right was the script world, its outline relatively simple, but several key nodes were deliberately marked.

Among them, in the Huai Xi riverbank area, there was a weak but continuously pulsing red light point.

Further north, between Liaodong and the White Mountains and Black Waters, was a large area constantly expanding, its color an unsettling dark blue.

Behind Chen Wen, Zhang Cheng and Zhao Lao Nian stood with hands at their sides, solemn.

"Northern Frontier urgent report, delivered three days ago." Zhang Cheng's voice was steady, but his speech pace slightly faster than usual: "The Jurchen Eight Banners' consolidation speed far exceeds estimates. Jianzhou and the Haixi tribes have fully submitted to Nurhaci's command, their directly affiliated armored troops now exceed ten thousand, and they are equipped with standard bone arrows and spears bearing Yuneng attachment."

"Their cavalry tactics differ greatly from the past, with abnormal shock power and endurance, suggesting Yuneng may directly enhance individuals. Seven of the Eastern Liaodong Yuan frontier forts have been breached, all massacred with no survivors. The panic brought by the defeated troops is spreading."

Chen Wen did not turn back, his gaze still locked on that dark‑blue area.

"What about Huai Xi?"

"According to intermittent observation of the 'pinhole' and analysis of disturbances to the rules beyond the light curtain," this time Zhao Lao Nian's interface spoke, his voice hoarse from staying up late: "Zhu Yue's forces have initially repelled a Yuan encirclement, scale about three hundred. Their camp organization has noticeably improved, and they have begun small‑scale iron smelting. The 'basic concept' signal we sent a second time has been confirmed as reaching that area, but the mutation rate is extremely high, estimated effective reception rate under ten percent."

"Furthermore, by inferring from the pattern of Yuneng pollution concentration changes around their camp, the Iron Crow Army's 'environmental suppression' of Huai Xi continues, but the input intensity seems to have weakened—at least no large‑scale direct interference of ore‑vein‑level destruction has occurred again."

Chen Wen finally turned slightly sideways.

"One, frenziedly matured in the north, armed to the teeth."

"One, suppressed in the south but not killed, trapped but not dead."

"What do you see?"

Zhang Cheng pondered for a moment: "The Iron Crow Army seems to have… shifted its main focus. Its strategy toward Zhu Yue, from the initial 'guiding entry into the script', to later 'multi‑pressure coercion', to now 'maintaining suppression while reducing direct input', has clearly shifted its center."

Zhao Lao Nian added: "It's like a smith striking iron—originally each hand held a hammer, now he puts seventy‑to‑eighty percent of his strength into striking the northern blank, while the southern piece is merely kept warm by fire, not letting it cool nor form too quickly."

"Not bad." Chen Wen walked back to the imperial desk, his finger unconsciously tapping the smooth tabletop: "It discovered that Zhu Yue's 'material' is too tough, with too many impurities (autonomy); forging it according to its envisioned 'Zhu Yuanzhang' mold would be time‑consuming, labor‑intensive, and might fail."

"So, it has prepared another 'material'."

His finger moved to that dark‑blue area on the map.

"The Jurchens, or rather, what it wants to forge is the 'Qing'."

"This material itself occupies an important position in its 'historical script'; its foundation (affinity with Yuneng) may be more 'pure', more obedient."

"Using vast Yuneng resources to irrigate, using accelerated historical process to press, it aims to forge, in the shortest time, a hammer sufficiently sharp and heavy."

Chen Wen's gaze grew deep and mysterious.

"The target of this hammer will first be those 'out‑of‑place' variables in the script world, such as the rising Zhu Yue and the 'Ming' he may later establish."

"Using the 'Qing' to smash the 'Ming', completing a kind of 'historical closed loop' it approves."

"And once this hammer is forged, won't its blade naturally point toward us?"

He looked at Zhang Cheng and Zhao Lao Nian.

"Behind a light curtain, watching two pawns it manipulates fight each other, no matter who wins, it is the house."

"And we, being variables outside its script, may also become targets it seeks to clear in the next phase."

The hall fell silent.

Only the dark‑blue area on the map seemed to writhe and expand soundlessly.

"What Your Majesty means…" Zhang Cheng said slowly, "The Iron Crow Army this time is 'using Qing to control Ming', then 'using the power of Ming and Qing to restrain or even threaten our dynasty'?"

"One stone, two birds." Chen Wen nodded, "Even one stone, three birds—consuming Zhu Yue, achieving the 'Qing', while simultaneously pushing a strong Yuneng force under its control to our bedside."

Zhao Lao Nian sucked in a breath of cold air: "What a vicious scheme! Then… how should we respond? Should we increase support for Zhu Yue? Or pre‑emptively strike the northern 'Qing' that is not yet fully formed?"

Chen Wen shook his head.

"Support must continue, but cautiously. The 'pinhole' consumes greatly, and its information‑transmission efficiency is extremely low; we can only send some seeds over, whether they sprout depends on his own fate."

"Directly striking the Jurchens is currently impossible. The light curtain blocks passage; large forces cannot get through. A small elite force infiltrating into their Yuneng stronghold would be tantamount to suicide."

He walked to the window, gazing at the western sky.

There, the light curtain invisible to the naked eye stretches eternally.

"Its chessboard has already been set."

"We cannot just watch."

He turned around, his eyes regaining sharpness and steadiness.

"Zhang Cheng."

"Your servant is here."

"The Northern Frontier defenses are to shift fully into wartime readiness. The latest drills from the Martial Academy, targeting high‑mobility, high‑impact enemies possibly possessing abnormal individual combat power, are to be issued to all units for rigorous training. Key exercises rely on fortifications, delaying attrition, and concentrating superior firepower to break a single point."

"Yes!"

"Zhao Lao Nian."

"Old servant is here!"

"The Ministry of Works will concentrate resources on two matters."

"First, the stability and information‑carrying capacity of the 'pinhole passage' must be continually improved; even transmitting just one extra character each time counts as victory."

"Second, based on the characteristics of Yuneng pollution and the principles of our energy‑technology, accelerate development of prototypes for large‑scale deployment of targeted 'purification' or 'neutralization' devices. Even the crudest version must exist. In the future, what we face may not only be the enemy's arrows and swords, but also contaminated land and air."

"Old servant receives the order!"

"Furthermore," Chen Wen paused, "in my name, send a secret edict to Yue Fei."

The Bei Jing Governor's Office can begin drafting a……'Cross-border Support Contingency Plan'.

Zhang Cheng and Zhao Lao Nian both startled at the same time.

My lord, the light curtain blocks, the great army……

Not the great army." Chen Wen interrupted, "It is a small, elite special task force that, at a specific time, through a specific means, carries out a plan for limited intervention or support.

The time has not come, the means unknown, but the contingency plan must exist first.

We want to give the Iron Crow Army a 'surprise'.

Let it know that on the chessboard, it is not the only player.

The two solemnly bowed: 'We understand!'

After the order was issued, Zhang Cheng and Zhao Lao Nian hurriedly left to deploy.

Quiet returned to the side hall.

Chen Wen walked back once more to the huge map.

His gaze slowly swept over the splendid rivers and mountains of the Chen Dynasty, swept over the light curtain, swept over the jumping red dot in Huai Xi, and finally settled on the ever-expanding dark blue expanse.

Using Qing to control Ming……

He repeated it softly.

Then let's see, is your hammer hard.

Or is this spark I lit……more fierce.