Chapter 170: Urgent Report from the Border, Foreign Tribes Gathering Armies

Chen Mo looked at the thatched cottage before him; after he had previously channeled his True Qi into the cottage's model, it had suddenly undergone a change.

From a miniature model no larger than a fist, it expanded in the blink of an eye into a thatched cottage two zhang square.

If this cultivation meditation room were not spacious enough, it likely could not have contained it.

Every detail of the thatched cottage was exactly the same as what he had previously seen in the Mirage Sea, without the slightest change.

Chen Mo could feel that, much like a Storage Ring, his own True Qi had left a mark within this thatched cottage.

He even felt as if he could take this thatched cottage directly into his own dantian, but he would absolutely not do so.

After all, this thing came from the Mirage Sea, and taking it into his body rashly carried a certain risk.

However, having refined this thatched cottage, Chen Mo also instantly understood its function.

This thatched cottage was a temporary shelter; not only was it extremely sturdy, but once it took root, it could also borrow the power of the earth's energy to further increase its own protection.

Moreover, the separation between the inside and outside could be called absolute.

As long as Chen Mo, the master, did not wish it, unless there was a force capable of breaking through this thatched cottage, no situation in the outside world could disturb the interior in the slightest.

Even if thunder snakes danced wildly outside, it would still be peaceful and quiet inside the cottage, with no changes whatsoever.

It was just that this thatched cottage likely could not withstand the Mirage Sea or the Ruins Realm.

Even so, this could still be called a rather good treasure.

When in the wilderness, if one needed to go into seclusion to cultivate or rest and heal, taking it out would allow one to rest and heal with peace of mind.

Even if someone really took action against this thatched cottage, he would be able to detect it quickly.

The defense of this thatched cottage was extremely strong; even if Chen Mo attacked with all his might, he could not easily shatter it.

If there were a powerhouse capable of shattering this thatched cottage in one blow, then with Chen Mo's current strength, whether it was a sneak attack, a frontal fight, or even fleeing, he might not be able to escape that powerhouse.

It could be said that as long as he carried this thatched cottage, even if he were in a dangerous situation, it could buy him a moment of respite.

In addition, this thatched cottage had another function, which was that it could be used as a hidden weapon to smash people.

The thatched cottage itself was not very heavy; although it looked like it was made of thatch, earth, and stone, its weight was only a few hundred catties.

However, after changing it to the size of a fist, it was quite qualified to be used as a hidden weapon.

What's more, as the master of the thatched cottage, Chen Mo could let it take root on the ground to absorb earth energy, further increasing its weight.

Regarding this point, at least he had not yet sensed an upper limit.

For an object the size of a fist to weigh a thousand catties, if thrown with all his strength, its power would be absolutely terrifying.

And because he had already refined and mastered this thatched cottage, after throwing it out, he could still summon it back.

Of course, the premise was that this thatched cottage did not fall into the hands of an enemy; otherwise, it would take some effort to summon it back.

Chen Mo's heart stirred, and the thatched cottage quickly shrank, eventually becoming the size of a palm again, only it was much heavier than before because it had absorbed earth energy.

Putting it away in his Storage Ring, Chen Mo did not leave the cultivation meditation room for the time being; he took out a Putan and began to recuperate his physical body.

Previously, he had ultimately exerted strength far beyond his own, leaving defects in his body; now, naturally, he had to repair them as quickly as possible. Only in a state of perfection could he gain something from his cultivation.

A day of cultivation passed in a blur; the next morning, Chen Mo changed into his official robes early to attend the morning court session.

Trivial political affairs were handled by civil officials and scribes; the only matter for Martial Officials like Chen Mo to discuss was how to deal with the remaining Border Army outside the Capital.

There were originally over thirty thousand elite Border Army troops outside the Capital, and after the encirclement and suppression of the Prince of Pingxi, there were over twenty-eight thousand left.

By the time the rewards were distributed a while ago, how to continue dealing with this group of border troops became a problem.

Because it was already close to the New Year and there were no battles at the border, Chen Mo made the final decision: the Imperial Court would provide sufficient travel expenses and holiday bonuses, allowing these Border Army generals to take their Personal Soldiers back to their hometowns for the New Year.

These Personal Soldiers had been fighting abroad for three to five years, and they might not even have had a chance to rotate once.

Now that they had the opportunity to return, they should be allowed to have a good rest.

With the New Year approaching, as long as there was nothing major, they should rest; even the large livestock used for plowing rested, so people naturally should rest too.

Now, only three or four thousand Border Army troops remained outside, basically all hailing from the Capital or nearby Bian City.

Because they were close, they hadn't been allowed to leave before; now that it would be the twelfth lunar month in two or three days, it was natural to let them leave as well.

It was just that some officials were worried that if all these border troops were released, it might disturb the public order of the Capital.

This matter was ultimately decided by Chen Mo: let them go; it was nothing more than arranging more patrols for the Imperial Guards.

The Imperial Guards almost all hailed from the Capital or nearby Bian City, so it was much easier for them to go home compared to the Border Army.

Even if they were busier this year, they would have plenty of opportunities to go home in the future.

The Border Army was different; after reuniting with their families for this New Year, they would have to rush to the border, and whether they could return next time was another matter.

With Chen Mo making the decision, the officials of the Imperial Court naturally had no objections.

The morning court concluded, and a few days later, Mo Hu got married; Chen Mo naturally prepared a congratulatory gift and delivered it in person.

The wife Mo Hu married was the daughter of a concubine from the family of a fifth-rank Ministry of Rites director. According to him, the reason they met was an accidental encounter, and later he shamelessly found ways to bump into her a few more times, which was how they got to know each other.

And later on, Mo Hu entrusted his foster mother to help find a matchmaker, which was how this marriage came to be.

On the day of the wedding, lanterns were hung and streamers decorated the place, making it very lively; the sounds of gongs, drums, and suonas were all incomparably high-spirited and joyful.

Many commoners rushed over to join in the excitement, and Sun Shouren had long since ordered people to prepare flowing banquets outside.

All who came were guests; no gift money was accepted, and one only needed to cup their hands and offer congratulations to sit down and start eating.

These flowing banquets set up outside were mainly to entertain neighbors and ordinary commoners.

Inside the residence Mo Hu had newly purchased, large red lanterns hung high, and red wedding couplets and flowers decorated the entire residence to look incomparably festive.

Guests were as numerous as clouds, and countless congratulatory gifts were delivered one after another.

With Chen Mo's status, it would have been fine even if he had arrived last.

It was just that Mo Hu was his elder brother, so he had come early today to help out, to show his closeness to him.

The wedding ceremony soon began; Mo Hu had ridden a tall horse early in the morning to welcome the bride back to his home.

His parents had passed away long ago, and now even his elder brother was not around; although there were other elders in the family, they were not in the Capital.

So the elders he bowed to now were naturally his foster father and foster mother.

"How about this, in a while I'll find an opportunity, and we can hold one too?" Chen Mo said with a smile, leaning close to Zhao Yu's ear to whisper.

He had seen clearly just now that Zhao Yu's eyes could not hide her longing and envy.

"Forget it, we've been married for so long, it would be ridiculous to hold one now." Zhao Yu's face flushed as she lowered her voice to refuse, and she even reached out to tap lightly on Chen Mo's chest.

To say she didn't want a wedding ceremony would be a lie.

For any object, only those who possess it have the right to say they don't want it.

For those who don't have it to insist on saying so, in most cases, it is not because they don't want it, but because they cannot obtain it.

Yet she was clear that she and Chen Mo had been married for a long time, and many people knew they were married.

If they held a wedding now, what would that be? It would surely invite ridicule.

Chen Mo smiled slightly and said nothing more, merely noting the matter silently in his heart.

Rules were never meant to bind the strong; with his current status and position, it was nothing more than a wedding, and as long as he found a suitable excuse, it could be held again.

As for the criticism it might invite behind his back, there was no need to worry; as long as he found a reasonable excuse, there would naturally be people to explain it for him.

By then, let alone criticism, it might even become a beautiful story.

However, there was no need to rush this; he would wait a few months, until the flowers were in full bloom in the fourth or fifth month, to do it.

After the wedding ceremony ended, Chen Mo and the others pulled Mo Hu to drink, not stopping until they had him drunk.

As for the teasing of the bridal chamber that night, Chen Mo, being a married man, naturally would not participate, so he accompanied Zhao Yu back to their home.

A few days later, Chen Mo went to the Mirage Sea to explore again. For the sake of stability, he did not aim too high this time, and the scale of the exploration remained within a range of two thousand people.

This time he did not encounter any buildings, but he did harvest quite a few Mirage Spirits, which allowed him to replenish his Qi and Blood.

In the days that followed, he continued to practice diligently every day, occasionally attending court to discuss matters, and insisted on setting aside time to explore the Mirage Sea.

In the blink of an eye, the end of the year approached. Zhao Yu had long since arranged for the servants in the house to prepare New Year's goods in advance and had given them time off one after another to let them return home to visit their families.

Most of these servants were hired, not indentured, so they naturally had their own kin.

Now that it was the New Year, they naturally had to go home to celebrate and rest.

Chen Mo naturally would not spend the New Year at home; his foster father was still in the Capital, so he would just go directly to his house.

The end of the year meant doing nothing; after a busy year, one should rest well.

Even the Imperial Court sessions had stopped; as long as it wasn't a matter of the sky falling, they would wait until after the tenth day of the first lunar month to discuss it slowly.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed. It was the second month, a time when the spring chill was still biting.

News suddenly came from the border that the armies of the Alien Races were gathering, and they were likely to attack the passes again.

Xu Taihou immediately summoned the civil and military officials of the Imperial Court to discuss this matter.

Unlike the daily court sessions, this matter was of great importance, so only officials of the third rank and above could participate in the discussion.

And Chen Mo had been summoned into the palace by the Empress Dowager long before; before discussing with the many officials, she wanted to consult with him first.

"Someone, grant a seat to the official." Xu Taihou, her expression looking slightly anxious, ordered the palace attendants at her side.

"Official, now that the Alien Races are attacking the passes, if Great Li takes this opportunity to attack our borders as well, how should we respond?"

Before Chen Mo could even sit down, she asked urgently.

The Alien Races themselves were not weak in strength, but they had been thoroughly swept away by the late Emperor, and even their dragon veins had been completely suppressed; although they still had some strength, it was difficult for them to cause too much impact on Great Gan.

As long as a few Innate Experts were dispatched and a large army was sent to suppress them, the threat of the Alien Races could be easily quelled.

But now that several months had passed, although the conditions of those severely injured Innate Experts were improving bit by bit, they still could not exert their full strength.

At this moment, the number of Innate Experts the Imperial Court could mobilize was already very few.

What Xu Taihou was mainly worried about was that if Great Li also moved its troops at this time, then Great Gan would be attacked from both sides, which would be truly troublesome.

"Your Majesty, please do not worry. We have a covenant with Great Li, so they should not act lightly. I also have some slight knowledge of the internal situation in Great Li; their royal family does not wish to start a war again."

Chen Mo bowed and spoke, though he did not commit himself entirely.

It was true that there was a covenant between the two countries, and several Innate Experts had previously promised to try their best to prevent Great Li from taking up arms.

But promises were things that not everyone would necessarily keep.

Aside from matters one could decide for oneself, it was better not to fully believe in things promised by others.

"Then, according to your plan, how should this matter be handled?" Empress Xu looked at Chen Mo with bright eyes and asked.

"We should send troops to suppress the Alien Races as soon as possible, and issue urgent orders to the various Border Armies, requiring them to change their routes immediately and rush to the border. I will lead the army, and go together with Senior Chu Tianxiu.

Furthermore, dispatch General Suppressing the West Sun Shouren to hold the line, transport grain and supplies for the Border Armies, and be responsible for logistics and defensive matters.

Now that spring plowing is imminent, we should try to act as quickly as possible so as not to give Great Li a chance to mobilize their troops."

Chen Mo's tone was steady as he laid out his general strategy.

While there were certainly many details that needed to be filled in, none of them were major problems.

The only thing that needed to be guarded against was Great Li.

Fortunately, spring plowing was about to begin, so even if Great Li wanted to move a large army, they would have to wait until after the spring plowing.

"Senior Chu guards the Wanfa Tower; I think it is better not to move him rashly. How about letting the Prince of Nanshan go instead?" Xu Taihou shook her head slightly, asking in a probing tone.

The Prince of Nanshan she spoke of was none other than Zhao Xuanxin.

Chen Mo understood her meaning instantly; she did not trust the royal Innate Experts much now, as most of the royal Innate Martial Artists had remained neutral during the incident with the Prince of Pingxi.

While there were various reasons for this, Empress Xu still did not trust them very much.

But Chu Tianxiu was different; he had truly stood on the side of Empress Xu and the current Emperor at that time.

Chen Mo was going to lead the army on an expedition, and if Chu Tianxiu were to leave as well, Empress Xu would not have a single trustworthy Innate Martial Artist in the Capital, a situation she naturally did not want to see happen.

"Very well, then we shall follow Your Majesty's plan; I will go on the expedition with the Prince of Nanshan."

Chen Mo had no objections to this and stood up to speak.

Xu Taihou also stood up, and the two of them headed to the Xuanzheng Hall together.

Since the general plan had been discussed with Chen Mo, it was time to inform the officials of the matter and have them provide further additions.

At this very moment, ten thousand miles away within the imperial court of Great Li, a debate had already begun.

(End of chapter)