Chapter 300: From Strength and Status

In the governor's study, Yuan Qing looked at an official document, his hands trembling gradually, then slammed his palm down hard on the desk, shattering the yellow rosewood surface into splinters.

"Wei Yuan, you wretched dog, you've gone too far!" Yuan Qing's teeth ground out sparks; he stormed out of the study and rushed to the front courtyard's government office, barking: "Summon every officer and commander—I want them before the incense burns out!"

Moments later, all the officers and commanders of the prefecture had gathered in the reception hall, led once again by the Xu general.

Yuan Qing passed the document around to the officers, saying: "Wei Yuan has conspired with bandits and kidnapped my family in the capital! This feud cannot be reconciled! Immediately muster your troops and advance as vanguard into the border realm. I am departing now for the prefectural capital to urge Governor Chen and Marshal Xuan Yue to mobilize—the main army will follow shortly! This campaign is under General Xu's command—see to it that you avenge me!"

After reading the document, General Xu said: "With our current forces, we cannot take the border realm. We must consolidate our scattered garrisons. And reinforcements are critical—without Marshal Xuan Yue's northern frontier troops, we cannot succeed."

"The main army will arrive any moment!" Yuan Qing rose and stepped out the door, vanishing instantly. He left without a single pause.

General Xu sat for a while, then stood and said: "Muster the troops."

A captain whispered: "Just one mask—how can we be sure it's the Heaven-Warring Gang? And why would they go all the way to the capital?"

General Xu snorted: "There are countless officials' families in the capital. Why target only Governor Yuan's? Why leave a mask behind? Isn't it obvious they want us to know it's the Heaven-Warring Gang?"

The captain drew a sharp breath: "To snatch someone from the capital—that kind of power? These bandits have grown too strong. They must be eradicated!"

General Xu glanced at him, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips: "Do you think he doesn't know we're coming? He's already prepared, waiting for us."

"Then what do we do? Fight or not?"

General Xu replied coolly: "We fight. Without testing their strength firsthand, how will we know how to deal with them later? Marshal Xuan Yue may think the same."

An Zhao Prefecture, prefectural capital.

Chen Dao sat at the head, flanked by officials of all ranks from the prefecture—Sun Sun Chaoen and Li Li Weisheng had both traveled from their posts. All officials possessed cultivation; the thousand-li journey took less than half a day.

Yuan Qing sat among the civil officials, placed after Li Li Weisheng but before the other prefectural governor. Chen Dao himself held the post of governor of An Zhao Prefecture.

Chen Dao spoke slowly: "The bandits have grown brazen. Grand Academician Li of the Sun Hanlin Academy is furious and has written to us personally, demanding we restore order and purge the bandit threat. Share your thoughts."

Yuan Qing leapt to his feet, shouting: "Wives and concubines can be remarried; children can be reborn! The bandits think they can threaten me through my family? Foolish delusion! Everyone knows the Heaven-Warring Gang's stronghold lies in the Qingming Border Realm. We must gather our full force and strike with thunderous speed—crush their nest, slaughter every last bandit, and restore justice!"

Sun Sun Chaoen rose and said: "Your Excellency, has this matter been reported to His Majesty?"

Chen Dao replied: "Not yet. Grand Academician Li's letter was a personal request."

Sun Sun Chaoen's question carried hidden weight. All officials were seasoned veterans—they instantly understood this had not reached the imperial court. But mobilizing troops was a grave matter; without the king's decree, acting independently amounted to treason.

The officials' enthusiasm instantly dimmed by seven or eight tenths. They had never liked Yuan Qing to begin with; their earlier sympathy had merely been a case of "the rabbit dies, the fox grieves."

Sun Sun Chaoen added: "Though the Heaven-Warring Gang is rampant, we still have no direct evidence linking them to the Qingming Border Realm."

Yuan Qing flew into a rage: "It's obvious! Anyone with eyes can see it clearly!"

Sun Sun Chaoen lowered his head, calm and unhurried: "What I mean is, aside from a few masks—easily obtainable anywhere—we have no physical evidence. And so far, not a single Heaven-Warring Gang bandit has been captured."

The officials stiffened. Not a single bandit captured? That was because the Heaven-Warring Gang had never lost—they only ever captured others.

Yuan Qing's eyebrows shot up in fury: "Sun Sun Chaoen! You're emboldening the bandits and undermining imperial authority! What's your motive? Are you a fellow conspirator of the Heaven-Warring Gang?"

Sun Sun Chaoen quickly waved his hands: "I am lowly and insignificant—merely speaking out of turn. I cannot bear the weight of such a grave accusation. If Governor Yuan dislikes it, I shall remain silent."

Li Li Weisheng snorted softly and spoke slowly: "Governor Yuan, what an imposing air of authority! To casually accuse someone of being a bandit conspirator—that's a charge you can just declare? You'd be far better suited to head the Ministry of Justice."

Yuan Qing hadn't expected Li Li Weisheng to defend Sun Sun Chaoen—much less so bluntly. Li Li Weisheng was no mere subordinate like Sun Sun Chaoen; he was protected by the Left Chancellor, a towering pillar of power.

Yuan Qing's face turned ashen. He sat down, silent. But Li Li Weisheng wasn't done: "Within my own jurisdiction, bandits run rampant, turning the land into chaos. The most formidable of these gangs is the Heaven-Warring Gang. Yet none of you have submitted memorials accusing me of negligence. I've always wondered—where did such a disciplined bandit force come from? Did they fall from the heavens? Now, hearing your words, Governor Yuan, I understand: they originate from the border realm. It seems you've known this all along."

The officials exchanged glances, thoughtful. Only one person here had ever dared submit memorials against Li Li Weisheng.

Li Li Weisheng's words carried hidden meaning: Why would bandits ignore the easy prey nearby and travel a thousand li to disrupt An Zhao Prefecture? And if Yuan Qing's territory was peaceful, then Li Li Weisheng's was overrun?

One official silently wondered: Could this kidnapping be about a dispute over stolen loot?

Chen Dao cleared his throat and said gravely: "Regardless of any connection between the Heaven-Warring Gang and the border realm, the fact remains: the border realm is now a lawless state. I've already discussed this with Marshal Xuan Yue—we must make him understand that under heaven, all land belongs to the throne."

The decision was settled. The officials dispersed.

Chen Dao walked slowly back to his study, accompanied by a young scholar. The youth was Chen Dao's student and personal secretary, dispatched from within the western Jin Pass to serve his teacher and gain experience.

On the way back, with no one around, the young scholar fumed: "That Sun Sun Chaoen has no sense at all! You already said Grand Academician Li wrote you a letter—why did he still have to speak up?"

Chen Dao sighed: "You're still too young. Sun Sun Chaoen is no ordinary man—he's far more complex than you think. Today's situation could go either way. Leftward? There's ample groundwork. But rightward? Without him, I'd have no opening. If I wanted to go left, I could simply ignore him. But if I wanted to go right, he alone offered me a face-saving way out."

The young scholar thought back carefully, then suddenly understood.

"But he has no background at all. A pity," Chen Dao shook his head and entered the study.

Within the border realm, Wei Yuan watched a line of youths donning freshly forged plate armor. Their movements were still clumsy, but numerous cultivators guided them; the armor was easy to wear, and soon all were fully clad. The thousands of boys and girls before Wei Yuan now stood as a disciplined, heavily armored force.

!.

Next, the cultivators distributed steel-barreled guns—but none were loaded with gunpowder or bullets.

Soon, the youths were divided into dozens of squads, each of a hundred, as cultivators explained the guns' operation and mechanics.

In the distance, faint booms echoed—the sound of gunfire from the newly established firing range. The youths rotated in four groups: one tilling new fields, one armored in training, one practicing martial arts and shooting, one cultivating body refinement.

With seeds provided by Xu Su, Wei Yuan had opened two more ten-thousand-mu plots of land—but after consideration, he planted them all with grain. Though the border realm currently had no food shortage, the memory of nearly eating the corpses of the Wu tribe made him believe more grain was always better. Until the harvest was so abundant it could be turned into liquor, Wei Yuan never felt he had enough.

Wei Yuan was pushing this group of youths into training with unusual urgency, advancing equipment and shooting drills far earlier than originally planned.

Cui Yu hurried over: "The family members have all been equipped. Their training has been orderly so far—I've whipped several who spoke disrespectfully. But the bows you gave them are designed for Foundation Establishment cultivators—they can only draw three times before exhausting their spiritual power."

Wei Yuan said: "That's exactly why they're given those bows. With the help of the Instant All-Beings and Heavenly Fury techniques, they'll manage fine. Didn't Grandmother say to look after them a little, avoid too many deaths? Making them archers is perfect—they can exchange fire with the enemy."

Cui Yu said: "Archers don't wear red armor—it's far too conspicuous!"

Wei Yuan chuckled: "Precisely. I want the enemy to know they're archers. Otherwise, how will they dare return fire?"

Cui Yu had already considered this, weighed the expected casualty rate from exchange fire, and found it acceptable—he said nothing more.

But he looked at the youths training fiercely and frowned: "Isn't this too soon? They haven't cultivated much—yet you're sending them to battle?"

Wei Yuan replied: "Not soon enough. A major battle is coming. If they didn't need sleep, I'd make them train twelve hours a day."

Hearing the word "battle," Cui Yu's spirits lifted: "Another big fight? Who are we fighting?"

Wei Yuan said: "This time, we may face Marshal Xuan Yue Xuan Yue Jinshan's northern frontier troops—the famed Iron Cavalry of the Northern Marches. These youths will be our best weapon against them."

"Fight the Western Jin? Isn't that too fast?"

Wei Yuan shook his head: "To the Western Jin, we're a thorn in their side, a bone stuck in their throat. As long as the Wu tribe stays quiet, they'll want to strike us. This isn't about whether we want to fight—it's inevitable. Only after a battle can we sit down and talk, and learn how to talk."

Cui Yu drew a deep breath: "Face off against Xuan Yue Xuan Yue Jinshan? I'd better go back and drill those brats of mine properly!"

Wei Yuan smiled faintly: "Go. After this battle, we can speak with them from a position of strength."

(End of Chapter)