Chapter 171: The Expedition

Inside the Dali Palace, the current Emperor of Dali, the Yongan Emperor, was holding a cowhide scroll in his hands, examining it carefully.

Below him, high-ranking civil and military officials of the third rank and above of Great Li stood in two rows.

"My beloved subjects, I believe you have all seen this secret letter from the Alien Races. On the ninth day of the third month, the Alien Races intend to attack the border passes of Great Gan. How should we respond?"

The Yongan Emperor casually set the scroll aside, his gaze deep and dark as he surveyed the ministers below.

Although Great Gan and Great Li were separated by border passes, both sides still secretly dispatched countless spies to enemy territory to probe and gather intelligence.

As for the events that had occurred in Great Gan, even if he did not know everything, he roughly understood the situation.

Nowadays, the vast majority of Innate Experts in Great Gan had suffered heavy injuries and could not easily make a move.

Even the Emperor of Great Gan had been severely wounded after the encirclement and suppression of the Alien Races, and in the end, he had actually passed away.

Afterward, members of the imperial clan had attempted to usurp the throne, but in the end, one person appeared to set things right and forcefully suppressed everything.

And according to what he knew, that person who set things right was none other than Chen Mo, whom he had met some time ago.

This truly surprised him; he simply could not understand how this person had cultivated to be able to break through to the Innate Realm so easily.

However, these issues did not have much impact on him; it was nothing more than debating a few times whether to take the opportunity to invade Great Gan.

This time was the same; if they truly joined forces with the Alien Races to strike now, even if they could not directly destroy Great Gan, they could still seize cities and territory.

But doing so would not necessarily benefit the imperial clan; it was hard to say whether newly conquered territories would be controlled by the Imperial Court or by those great aristocratic families.

"Our dynasty should sharpen our weapons and horses, and join the Alien Races in a pincer attack on Great Gan. Although Great Li and the Alien Races do not belong to the same land, we are like lips and teeth—if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.

If the Alien Races are wiped out by Great Gan, the next one to suffer might be our Great Li!"

An official spoke up proactively, his tone pained and filled with regret, appearing as if he were entirely concerned for the Imperial Court.

"No, the spring plowing season is approaching. If we delay farming for this, where will the people of Great Li find food!"

An official from the Ministry of Revenue also stood up to refute him.

If they attacked Great Gan now, it would be fine if they won, as they could plunder Great Gan's stored grain for their own use.

But if they lost, then famine would surely run rampant within Great Li next year.

Once grain prices rose, they would keep rising until someone could no longer afford food and starved to death.

The great aristocratic families within Great Li would certainly not give their white, glistening grain to the poor for free.

On the contrary, they would use the opportunity of this famine to wantonly acquire land and hoard slaves.

At this moment, someone else stood up to oppose this Attendant of the Ministry of Revenue, and for a time, the numerous officials argued in a chaotic mess.

The Yongan Emperor cast his gaze toward an old man who had not spoken a word; this old man was one of the Innate Martial Artists of Great Li whom Chen Mo had once met.

Although the Yongan Emperor did not know why these Innate Martial Artists from aristocratic sects supported him in upholding the alliance and not taking up arms against Great Gan,

that did not matter; as long as these people stood on his side, it was enough.

"Since the alliance has already been signed, our Great Li is a land of ritual and propriety, and we should not violate it."

The old man spoke leisurely, his tone steady, his gaze slowly sweeping over the surrounding officials.

Everyone naturally understood that when he spoke, he was not just representing himself, but also the three other Innate Martial Artists.

Even if the crowd had more opinions in their hearts, they dared not speak them directly at this moment.

………………

"Everyone, you have all understood the specific situation. Regarding the matter of encircling and suppressing the Alien Races, I hope all my colleagues will work together with one heart."

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall of Great Gan, Chen Mo looked at the civil and military officials before him and bowed with cupped hands.

"Duke Chen, rest assured. We eat the Imperial Court's salary, so we should naturally do things for the Imperial Court," the Minister of Works said.

The remaining numerous officials also spoke up one after another to express their support for the encirclement and suppression of the Alien Races.

Immediately after, Chen Mo discussed the specific details with everyone—how to mobilize troops and how to transport grain and supplies—and they discussed it until evening before a general plan was finalized.

The civil and military officials left one after another. Mobilizing a large army to set out was not an easy task; even if they did it immediately, it was hard to say how many of the Imperial Court's Border Army could reach the border passes in a month's time.

"Senior, in my opinion, we should set off for the border passes tomorrow to prevent a surprise attack by the Alien Races' Innate experts."

As the civil and military officials left one by one, Chen Mo did not rush to leave; he first sought out Zhao Xuanxin to make his proposal.

He was also participating in this expedition, so he was naturally called in to discuss it.

"Very well." Zhao Xuanxin did not refuse this, nodding his head lightly in agreement.

"Good, then this junior will go back to make preparations." Chen Mo bowed with cupped hands and hurriedly turned to leave.

"The Alien Races are already weak, and now is the time for pasture grass to grow. They are not looking for pastures to graze, yet they suddenly want to take action. There must be something fishy in this."

Chu Tianxiu's expression was slightly gloomy as he walked to his old friend's side and spoke in a low voice.

In fact, the numerous officials had already discussed this matter earlier. Some time ago, the Alien Races' Innate Experts had almost been wiped out by Great Gan; under normal circumstances, it was absolutely impossible for them to start a war again.

"I have my own judgment. When the time comes, I will just have him sit in the rear.

Even if an Innate Expert really attacks, if we truly cannot defeat them, at worst I will cast aside this life of mine to let him retreat first."

Zhao Xuanxin's tone was calm and peaceful. He certainly understood that Chen Mo surviving was more valuable than him surviving.

Even if he were lucky enough to survive, he would only be continuing to linger on in a desperate struggle; he could not change the final outcome of this world.

Chen Mo was different; his talent was good enough, and he had the possibility of reversing everything.

He had to ensure his survival so that even if he himself died, his children and grandchildren could still remain.

"If everything goes smoothly and the Alien Races are cleared out, you should take him directly to the Ancestral Realm," Chu Tianxiu instructed further.

The so-called Ancestral Realm was a secret realm left behind by the ancestors of the Human Race. It had a strong ability to resist the Mirage Sea; even if everything in the world were submerged, some things could still remain within the Ancestral Realm.

The reason the Human Race could escape the destruction of the Mirage Sea time and again and still retain some of their heritage to this day was because of the existence of the Ancestral Realm.

"Good." Zhao Xuanxin nodded. It did not matter which of the two of them did this.

Since he and Chen Mo were going together to encircle and suppress the Alien Races, they could resolve this matter on the way.

…………

…………

Chen Mo returned home and immediately began to prepare; besides informing Zhao Yu that he was going on an expedition again, he also planned to take Wei Xia with him this time.

The reason was simple: because he intended to explore the Xue Hai Xu Jing, and bringing her along would be relatively much safer.

After resting at home for a night, at the first light of dawn the next day, Chen Mo prepared to set off and leave.

"Stay at home properly, do not be lazy with your cultivation, and don't forget to take the medicinal pills I left for you; just take one every three days."

Before parting, Chen Mo carefully instructed Zhao Yu.

With his current status and strength, finding some medicinal pills to help a Martial Artist with Foundation Establishment cultivation was simple.

The medicinal pills Zhao Yu currently used for cultivation were refined from the heart blood nurtured by that Heart Mirage Spirit, and the effects could be called quite good.

According to Chen Mo's estimation, at this rate, in at most another month or two, Zhao Yu would be able to condense a wisp of Inner Qi and step into the Inner Breath Realm.

"Mm. I know it all." Zhao Yu's expression was calm, and she even carried a trace of a smile.

She had sent Chen Mo off on expeditions more than once, and every time she had seen him return safely.

From the initial nervousness, anxiety, and unease, to now, she was no longer so worried, because she knew Chen Mo would definitely return.

"Be careful on the road. I heard the border is cold. Take the cotton-padded clothes and the clothes you need to wear when spring begins; see what to wear specifically when you get there."

Zhao Yu handed over a heavy parcel containing washed and folded clothes.

She also helped Chen Mo prepare some dry rations she had made herself, letting him carry them on his person for any unexpected needs.

"You must return; I will wait for you at home." When they arrived at their front door, Zhao Yu still habitually instructed him as she did in the past.

"Rest assured." Chen Mo responded with a smile just like the many times before, no different from any other day.

Taking large strides, he left his home; many people, having learned that he and Zhao Xuanxin were to head to the border first, had already arrived early to see him off.

"General, be extremely careful on this trip. If things do not succeed, you must still prioritize preserving yourself." Zhao Renmin urged with a serious expression; clearly, this was something he had managed to memorize with great difficulty.

"I understand." Chen Mo cupped his hands in a salute and responded with a smile.

Xu Taihou also came in person to see them off, but he did not speak, only looking at Zhao Renmin with a beaming smile.

"Foster Father." Chen Mo walked to the front of Sun Shouren and bowed to pay his respects.

"I am setting off first this time to investigate the situation there. You must also speed up your actions on your end; the logistics must not have any problems." He said with a serious expression and stern instructions.

"Rest assured." Sun Shouren also understood the importance of logistics and nodded with a cautious expression.

After arranging these matters, Chen Mo then left with Zhao Xuanxin.

The two did not travel together; if they were to travel through the air, using True Qi to fly, Chen Mo's speed would be far inferior to Zhao Xuanxin's.

But if they traveled by running on the ground, his speed would be much faster than Zhao Xuanxin's.

Therefore, the two only agreed to meet at Bian City in five days and did not travel together.

Chen Mo's speed was extremely fast, and his goal was clear.

He did not intend to go to Bian City first, but rather intended to explore the Xue Hai Xu Jing.

Five days was a long time; with his current physical strength fully unleashed, he could cross over seventeen thousand li within a single day to reach the vicinity of Bian City.

Before evening arrived, Chen Mo had already quietly crossed the border.

Passing through the border Array, he could immediately feel the difference in the world.

Compared to the interior of the border, this place was clearly more severely eroded by the Mirage Sea.

The desolate and lonely earth was permeated with a hint of twilight; this aura seemed to want to assimilate people as well, and standing here, one only felt waves of oppression.

This place was the closest point to the Mirage Sea in this world, or rather, the lowest-lying area; the Mirage Sea Water would submerge this place first, then slowly rise upward until it submerged the entire world.

No wonder those Alien Races experts, no matter how many people died or how great the price paid, always wanted to break into the Great Gan territory.

Because living here, the conditions were truly too arduous; when the year was slightly better, one might get a chance to catch one's breath, but once the situation changed slightly, people would inevitably starve to death.

Attacking Great Gan, besides wanting to break in, was actually also a way for the Alien Races to consume their population.

Not having enough food to eat was not a big problem; as long as enough people died, the remaining things would be enough to eat.

Chen Mo cautiously explored outside the Great Gan border, and with the help of the short sword obtained earlier to lead the way, he soon found a water pool.

The water pool was very small, only a zhang square, and there were some plants around it, but they had long since withered and turned yellow.

The water pool was clear to the bottom, and there was not even a single swimming fish or small shrimp.

Chen Mo could reach the Blood Sea as long as he submerged himself into the water pool now.

He was not in a hurry to enter; he first took out a puppet to enter and explore first.

After he confirmed again and again that there were no problems with the puppet going back and forth, Chen Mo then leaped into the water pool.

(End of chapter)