Delong

Chapter 564 Sending Wu Xing (14)

In the first ten days of the first lunar month, the sun shone brightly, and the vast expanse of Dongting Lake was shrouded in mist.

During the coldest time before the Lunar New Year, it snowed here for half an hour. The snow fell in fine, scattered flakes, like salt being sprinkled, into Dongting Lake, much to the delight of the local soldiers and civilians. They all said that the last time they saw snow was five years ago.

This left the people of the Huaiyou League, both inside and outside Baling City, looking at each other in bewilderment.

It's been almost half a year since we went south. To be honest, there's been some talk within the alliance... Everyone thinks Du Pozhen is just messing around, forcing everyone to leave their homes. This has become even more obvious in the last few months. Before, it could be said that he was assisting the Southern Liang Emperor and Bai Yousi in their military operations, but in the last few months, the two sides have reached a stalemate. Du Pozhen, on the other hand, has been single-mindedly focusing on laying the groundwork and managing things around Dongting Lake. This has finally made everyone stop overthinking and realize what this guy is up to.

Then came a series of news from the north, causing even greater unrest among the people.

Fortunately, Chief Du was resourceful. He arranged official positions for some people and found local wives for others. He would often ride a horse or take a boat to their homes, gossip, and complain about their difficulties, which was enough to keep them afloat.

On this day, while Chief Du was visiting and comforting the garrisoned navy on an island in Dongting Lake, someone suddenly arrived in a fast boat with bells hanging on it and a red flag flying. The boat sailed into the harbor, startling the surrounding ships into giving way, and the waterways along the way remained unobstructed.

Hearing the bell ringing from afar, Du Pozhen knew it was urgent news and rushed to the harbor. Before the ship had even come to a complete stop, he hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

The messenger, who was also Du Pozhen's trusted adopted son, immediately replied: "Father, Fu Bo has summoned you back for a meeting. He said there is urgent military news from the north, and a proper messenger is coming. Moreover, for some reason, Lin Shiyang from the south has also come in person!"

Du Pozhen was startled. He had just learned yesterday that Sima Zheng had left Luyang Pass and that the three families were in a standoff. He was also wondering if a large-scale battle would break out. Upon hearing this, he dared not delay and immediately ordered the garrison on the island to arrange ships to return at once.

The boat was fast and steady. Now that Alliance Leader Du had cultivated his skills, the journey was naturally smooth. Before evening, he could see Baling City standing on the shore of Dongting Lake, and in the distance, Junshan Mountain, the city, and the lake complemented each other.

At this time of year, the weather is truly mild and the scenery is bright. The waves are calm, the sky and water are one vast expanse of blue, seagulls soar and gather, fish swim, and orchids and irises grow lush and green on the banks.

Although Chief Du was unaware of these descriptions and did not feel particularly joyful, he was struck by the scenery along the way and felt a sense of the vastness of the imperial court and the remoteness of the martial world. He even pondered the path of advancement and retreat, and felt a sense of wonder about who was truly on his side.

She was born with exceptional intelligence.

However, he was too intelligent.

As the water gate of Baling City came into view, the man suddenly had a thought. He ordered the ship to stop and the flags to be lowered, and then asked the envoy who had returned on the same ship beside him: "Fu Bo only told me to go back for a meeting, saying that there was military intelligence from the north and a proper envoy... Did he say Lin Shiyang, or did you see him?"

“I saw it,” the messenger blurted out.

"Who is the legitimate envoy?" Du Pozhen continued to ask.

The envoy shook his head repeatedly: "Including Lin Shiyang, many people have come, and none of them seem to be ordinary people..."

"Didn't you see the envoy coming from the north, and don't you know who he is? On the contrary, many experts came from the south with Lin Shiyang?"

"Yes……"

"..."

"Father, is something amiss?" The adopted son was clearly flustered. "This was arranged by Fu Bo!"

“I know.” Du Pozhen said without changing his expression. “You should not have the heart to harm others, but you should not be without the heart to guard against others. I’m afraid that your Uncle Fu has also been fooled by the other party. Don’t forget, Lin Shiyang has a reason to annex us, and he can also invite experts from the True Fire Sect. If your Uncle Fu and I are taken down by him, the White Dragon Head who is unable to get away in front will have to accept it.”

"Then how should we deal with it?"

“Things are still uncertain, we can’t act rashly… Here, you go back and report, just say that I went to Qingcao Lake and didn’t see me, so Little Zhang, the leader on Yuehua Island, went to look for me personally. You’re back now.”

"Yes……"

"Don't worry about your father. Everyone in the city is one of our own. I've made preparations, and everything will be fine," Du Pozhen urged impatiently.

The messenger had no choice but to kowtow on the ship. Then the ship docked, and Du Pozhen led a few people to return to the city secretly by land, while the messenger continued to travel by ship back to Baling through the water gate.

Regardless of the messenger's situation, Du Pozhen, who had changed clothes with his bodyguards, remained cautious. He arrived at the city walls by land and found the city walls orderly, with a large number of people and merchants leaving the city at dusk, showing no signs of anything amiss. Even so, he first sent his trusted bodyguards and adopted sons inside to secure a corner tower on the other side of the city wall before climbing up using the lowered ropes.

However, he never expected that his act of climbing the wall would expose his whereabouts and arouse the vigilance of the guards on the city wall.

The defenders on the city wall were alarmed. Seeing it was Du Pozhen's main force, they were all puzzled—what were they doing? Why were they climbing the wall to get back to their own base?! Were they just getting old and wanting to exercise?!

Du Pozhen was naturally uneasy, but seeing that the city wall guards were reliable, he immediately put them to use. He first sent people to gather information, and then led people to take over the city, armory, and naval camp in turn. However, he did not find anything unusual. Even Ma Sheng, the leader of the naval camp, was eating with his bowl in his hand. When he saw Alliance Leader Du coming over, he asked him if he wanted to eat.
As darkness fell, Du Pozhen finally began to panic.

If Fu Boshi and Lin Shiyang really received the secret order from the Chulong Gang to eliminate Du Pozhen, they might not need these people, but they couldn't possibly not take precautions against the turmoil after their death, right?

At the very least, the arsenal should be sealed off and the water gates controlled.

Just as they were panicking, a fire was burning brightly, and about a dozen people were coming this way. When they reached the naval camp, Fu Boshi's voice rang out in the twilight, clearly tinged with anger: "Alliance Leader Du, what are you doing? Weren't you supposed to be at Qingcao Lake? Why are you back so soon to take inventory of the armory and the naval camp?"

Du Pozhen was momentarily embarrassed and was about to explain when Lin Shiyang's southern accent rang out again: "What are you pretending for, Chief Zhang? This is clearly your Chief Zhang's habit—going in to check things out without prior notice, greetings, or accompaniment, and talking directly to the most junior soldiers... It's notorious."

Du Pozhen was so embarrassed he wanted to die, and could only force himself to say, "Old Fu, you've really wronged me. I didn't even know you were looking for me. Little Zhang didn't know I didn't go to Qingcao Lake, but instead came back to conduct a surprise inspection of the city's defenses. So naturally, I could only tell you that I went to Qingcao Lake..."

"Stop making a scene!" Fu Boshi arrived, exasperated. "It's a really serious matter. You're lucky you knew to come in. If you had really been hiding outside the city tonight, tens of thousands of people in our Huaiyou Alliance would have been implicated!"

Du Pozhen finally suppressed his unease and quickly asked, "What happened?"

"Let's go... let's go back first and talk to Steward Xie Minghe!" Fu Boshi exhaled in one breath, feeling somewhat helpless at that moment.

Lin Shih-yang, on the other hand, kept sneering from the side.

Du Pozhen had no choice but to follow the two men to the government office.

As they approached the T-junction in front of the government office, Fu Boshi, who had caught his breath, suddenly stopped and said, "Old Du."

Du Pozhen was taken aback, then quickly responded.

“I ask you, if the overall situation of the world is already settled, whether the Chulong Gang has already swallowed up Guanxi or Guanxi has already swallowed up the Chulong Gang, and you are asked to surrender with your entire force, what would you do?” Fu Boshi asked seriously.

Du Pozhen was taken aback for a moment, then slowly replied, "If the Chulong Gang had swallowed up Guanxi, I would naturally have nothing to say... In fact, even now I have nothing to say. I can just go see Brother Zhang directly; it's the only logical thing to do..."

In the firelight, Fu Boshi's face darkened again, while Lin Shiyang next to him almost burst out laughing.

“Isn’t it because I’m afraid the Chulong Gang will try to take me? If we were to merge into them smoothly, who would be so wary?” Du Pozhen quickly explained, then continued, “As for if the Guanxi people swallow up the Chulong Gang, we should first take in some of their remnants to repay the favors we received back then. Then we’ll see whether the Guanxi people despise us or value us. If they value us, it’s fine to surrender them. If they despise us, we’ll have to find a way to fight them and make them suffer before they surrender.”

"Remember what you said." Hearing this, Fu Boshi's tone softened considerably, and he went inside first.

Du Pozhen followed with his head down, and when he looked up again, he was suddenly shocked when he turned to the front of the hall. The hall was full of people, and he could tell from his intuition that they were all experts in the Core Formation stage. One of them, who was sitting at the head of the table with Xie Minghe, was even more unfathomable.

Could it be that Zhang Xing in the north has won a great victory, but is impatient with me and is really going to send someone to forcibly take me to see Zhang Xing?!
While they were still in shock and doubt, Xie Minghe was speechless: "Alliance Leader Du, what are you waiting for? Why did you deceive us before? Is it fun to play us? Don't you know that the military situation is critical?! Or is it really as everyone just said, that you actually think we are here to annex your territory and are deliberately causing trouble? What is your cultivation level? Do you need a Grandmaster, four Core Formation cultivators, and eight Core Condensation cultivators to capture you? The military situation is serious, come in quickly!"

Hearing this lineup, Du Pozhen finally felt relieved and hurriedly walked in next to Fu Boshi's dark face.

“I received the military intelligence from the north this morning, sent from Hanyang. It said that on the third day of the first lunar month, a major battle broke out between the three sides in the Funiu Mountains. Although the battle was evenly matched, Chief Zhang has reached the Grandmaster level and is now invincible.” Fu Boshi followed in, and before anyone could be introduced, he shared the military intelligence he knew. “But as soon as I received the intelligence, Chief Xie arrived from the south. After learning about the situation, he told me to call you immediately and prepare to depart.”

Upon hearing the words "Grandmaster," Du Pozhen was startled but believed them without hesitation. Only then did he carefully examine the experts who had remained silent.

“Du Longtou,” Xie Minghe interjected. “These are reinforcements I’ve brought from the Holy Mother of Nanling… One is a Grandmaster, the Prefect of Nanhai, and the current head of the Feng Clan of Nanling, Feng Fu. The rest are heroes from the Feng Clan and the local Nanling area, a total of eleven people, all at the Core Formation or Core Condensation stages. It took us quite some time to cross the Five Ridges, which are filled with miasma, and we’ve come all the way from Jingnan to support Bai Longtou. Don’t delay, immediately check the troops and prepare to follow us up the river to join the battle.”

Du Pozhen's gaze swept over the various expressions of the heroes of Nanling, finally settling on Lin Shiyang, whose expression was strange. He finally understood why Fu Boshi had asked him that question at the door.

Upon realizing this, he felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders: "Thank you for your wise arrangements, Steward Xie. We will set out immediately! It would be our good fortune to help Bailongtou break through as soon as possible."

Xie Minghe and the others finally had nothing to say.

They rested in Baling City for a day that night. Du Pozhen and Fu Boshi mobilized troops overnight. Early the next morning, Du Pozhen and a small number of elite naval forces escorted Xie Minghe and these experts from Nanling ahead of them. Fu Boshi and Ma Sheng led the main naval force in the middle and rear.

Going upstream along the way requires patience, especially since the two banks are sometimes passageways and sometimes mountainous swamps, making it difficult to change land routes frequently. However, Feng Fu and others were born and raised in the Nanling Mountains, and even those who had traveled north before, upon seeing this scenery again, could not help but feel deeply moved, and did not find it boring.

However, this period of peace and quiet soon came to an end. When they arrived in Jiangling at noon on the ninth day, they heard the "latest" news from the northern land route: Sima Zheng and Bai Hengqiu had both withdrawn, and the Chulong Army was pursuing the Guanzhong Army across the board, heading straight for Wuguan. The Huainan Army, in a state of panic, immediately joined the pursuit of the Guanzhong Army.

In other words, after this battle, Huaixi and Nanyang will belong entirely to the Chulong Gang.

The group was shaken and decided not to delay any longer, continuing westward. Finally, at the second watch of the night, they arrived at Zhijiang City on the island in the middle of the river, where they met Bai Yousi, who had been waiting there for a long time, on the sandbar east of the city.

Upon meeting, Xie Minghe first let out a long breath and bowed respectfully, saying, "White Dragon Head, I have not failed in my mission!"

Bai Yousi smiled but remained silent, only looking at Feng Fu and the others. Xie Minghe quickly gave a detailed introduction.

Bai Yousi bowed to each person, thanking them profusely.

After everyone had finished their introductions, and even Du Pozhen and Lin Shiyang had personally thanked him, Feng Can couldn't wait to say, "White Dragon Head, we have come from the south, just to serve the country."

Bai Yousi smiled again, but finally spoke in a long sentence:

"You have all come from afar to help Third Sister, and she is naturally extremely grateful. Steward Xie has traveled thousands of miles, and his contribution is immense. Lord Feng is concerned about the affairs of the country, and his loyalty is evident. However, my confrontation with Wei Shengji was fought over a mere sliver of opportunity and a single thought. Wei Shengji has been lingering for too long, regarding the Grandmaster level as his foundation, so he only sees our confrontation as a test; but I believe that in the struggle for power, countless people die and are wounded, and the sooner the conflict is resolved, the sooner it should be settled, so I took the initiative to call for reinforcements."

"Therefore, the fact that you heroes of Nanling have come here as invited has given me a glimmer of hope... I will give it a try first. If it fails, we can fight side by side tomorrow. Tonight, please go into the city to rest. If you are interested, come to the riverbank to watch my battle."

With that, she took down the compass and handed it to Xie Minghe for safekeeping. Bai San Niang then turned and walked across the vast river to Songzi, alone with her sword.

It was early spring, and the two crescent moons reflected on the river. Bai Yousi walked slowly on the waves, his sword in hand. He saw that both the moons in the sky and the moons in the water were radiant and swaying in all directions, and they were all drawn to this peak master.

When we reached the halfway point of the river, the entire river was already ablaze with color, a sight too magnificent to describe.

Bai Yousi stood still in the river and challenged him from afar: "Lord Wei, since ancient times, has there ever been a truly talented person who has been unable to enter the gate of the Grandmaster for ten years? Why do you deceive yourself? Now, we have been separated by the river for a year and a winter, and spring is coming again. It is time for me to put an end to your obsession. What do you think?"

There was some initial panic on the city wall of Songzi on the opposite bank of the river. After a moment, a sudden roar was heard, followed by the rise of a yellow cloud, which appeared ochre under the light of the two moons. It looked like some kind of dragon or tiger and rushed towards the river.

The people on the sandbar were already mesmerized by the sight.

P.S.: I'll add a chapter before setting off.