Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1415 Summoning Wind with a Rapid Drum
A day later, the Central Command organized a military advisory communication group to enter the border area of ​​Anbei Province, and then moved to the front line.

Accompanying the team were several special envoys and observers from the command headquarters, as well as some liaison personnel responsible for specific coordination and communication with the front lines.

This includes Son Yang-deok, the current senior secretary of the Ministry of Defense.

Because the previous mobilization order has not been revoked, and because there will be further military operations against Youdu, four more fighters from Dongxuan Temple, who were transferred from the World Ring, have arrived at the current front line.

Of these four, two came from the military, one from Wuyi Academy, and one from the Pure Faction; almost all of them were members or supporters of the Progressive Faction.

Including Chen Chuan, there are now a total of seven Dongxuan Temple fighters at Yaolan Pass.

This strength is undeniable. With this force, not only is the pass itself impregnable, but it also possesses the capability to launch proactive attacks.

After arriving here, Sun Yangde immediately went to see Chen Chuan and said that he was going to convey the superior's opinion to him and the others.

Chen Chuan then immediately instructed the staff to notify the other six men. Once everyone had arrived, Sun Yangde handed him a document prepared by the command headquarters.

"This is the execution plan that our headquarters prepared in advance. Commander Chen, please take a look."

Chen Chuan took it and glanced at it. From the summary statements, he could tell that the general command's current strategy was to capture Youdu as soon as possible.

This decision was roughly in line with his previous assessment.

He looked up and asked, "How many men will the command center give us this time?"

Although they have assembled a considerable force, the number of people they have is still far from enough to attack Youdu.

Youdu is the former imperial capital, and the city is filled with a dense array of secret ritual sites that are enough to make one's scalp crawl. It contains many relics of unknown purpose. In addition to the ancient gods who may participate in the battle, there are at least seven or eight Dongxuan Temple fighters guarding it.

Overall, their combat strength is still considerable; it's just that they can't launch external attacks for the purpose of consolidating their rule.

Sun Yangde said, "The command originally planned to use overwhelming force to destroy the old imperial family, which was also the safest way. However, the situation is different now."

The plan has been thwarted.

He paused for a moment and said, "Some of the necessary forces that were originally prepared may not be able to arrive."

Upon hearing this, everyone present became serious, and they all guessed the reason.

Chen Chuan asked, "What's wrong with the World Ring?"

Sun Yangde said in a deep voice: "Yes, it's not easy over there. Some beings on the other side have been frequently spying on us recently. Yesterday, quite a few of them tried to break in through our weak points, but we repelled them in time."

We can't guarantee they won't come back; this is tantamount to opening two battlefields.

Then he added, "But Commander Chen, don't worry. Although we can't do much about the World Ring for the time being, it doesn't mean we won't supply you. We will draw manpower from other places to support you."

Chen Chuan pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "The East?"

Sun Yangde said, "Yes."

The West Coast Party of the Linax Federation has already launched an impeachment motion against the current governor, and they are currently preoccupied with their own problems.

In particular, the West Coast Party is now focusing its main resources on politics and has no spare energy for us. At this moment, they are also keeping an eye on the East Coast Party to prevent the East Coast from launching a local war.

So we were able to transfer some of our personnel from there.

Chen Chuan nodded; he had also paid attention to this kind of news when he was in the Security Affairs Department.

The Federation's plot against the Heavenly Secrets Sect failed, and Kavatua was temporarily untouchable. Without external support, the only option left was to fight for interests from within.

At this point, the East Coast Party might consider provoking a local war to divert attention from its internal conflicts, but the West Coast Party would never allow such a thing to happen.

At least in their direction, judging from all aspects, there is nothing to worry about.

Sun Yangde added, "In addition, the Chrogado Confederation has recently encountered a major problem and has no spare capacity to deal with us. As the deputy minister, you should receive specific information about this matter later. I won't say more."

Because of the internal problems within the Confederation, we were also able to transfer some of our personnel from the garrison there.

The command center can currently guarantee that each assembled force should be no weaker than yours.

Chen Chuan nodded. In that case, if we don't consider his own combat strength, the power they finally gathered would be more than three times that of the old imperial family, enough for a battle.

Sun Yangde said seriously, "I should also say that whether it's on the world ring or in the east and south, it might be fine in the short term, but it's hard to say what will happen in the long run. All aspects are forcing us to fight a quick battle." Chen Chuan nodded and said, "That's precisely why we must deal with the old imperial family before the great collision arrives."

Every fighter present agreed with his opinion. Even before the major clash, the disadvantages of fighting on two or even multiple fronts were already obvious. If the old imperial family was not dealt with as soon as possible, wouldn't the crisis they would face afterward be even more serious?

Sun Yangde agreed, adding, "Of course, regarding the overall strategy, the command respects Commander Chen's opinion on the specifics of how to fight."

Chen Chuan is now the frontline commander-in-chief. Putting aside everything else, he fought the two battles very well, winning the battles while avoiding losses.

It can be said that in the fight against the old imperial family, he was undoubtedly the most experienced and powerful front-line commander and fighter, and those sitting in the back naturally had to listen to his advice.

After reading the entire report, Chen Chuan looked up and said, "What's the situation in Youdu now? I lack knowledge about that place, and I need some intelligence support."

He had specifically browsed through a lot of information about the old imperial family in the affairs department, but the most recent information was from a year ago. He would not draw any conclusions until he had more up-to-date information.

Sun Yangde said, "That's exactly what I'm going to talk about next. We are working hard to organize and collect information on this matter."

Besides this, there's another matter. After deciding to destroy the old imperial family, we captured Prince Chunxuan. He was very cooperative and told us everything he needed to say.

However, he was not a powerful king with no fiefdom, so his knowledge was limited to matters within the royal family. He was not very familiar with the main military forces of the old imperial family, the city defense system, and the arrangements of the secret rituals.

Fortunately, he provided a crucial piece of information.

There is a Xuanjiao (mystical sect) practitioner named Ming Chengzi who participated in the recent arrangements for the Youdu Secret Ritual. King Chunxuan even met with him before his mission. If we can find him, we might be able to obtain the most detailed information.

As he spoke, he took out a jade talisman and handed it to Chen Chuan, saying, "This was given to us by the Prince of Chunxuan as a token."

Chen Chuan took it, glanced at it a few times, and found that some of the patterns on it looked slightly familiar, which made him feel a little uneasy.

Sun Yangde said: "According to the Pure Xuan King, the Xuanjiao sect that retreated to the place of fusion at that time was mainly composed of two factions: one was the Duanchen faction, and the other was the Fulong faction."

The faction that participated in arranging the secret ceremony and had deep ties with the imperial family was the one that supported the emperor; however, this faction was later eliminated by the imperial family.

"Cleared?"

"Yes, according to Prince Chunxuan, before the current emperor ascended the throne, the Fulong faction wanted to support another prince to take the throne, but in the end they failed. So after he came to power, he vigorously purged the Fulong faction, saying that he paid a lot of price to wipe out the sect."

But one person escaped—this is Ming Chengzi. It seems he intentionally left clues to try and contact us.

Jiang Linghuai chimed in from the side, "That's interesting. Instead of supporting the dragon, they've been subdued by it."

Chen Chuan said: "The matter is not so simple. Ever since the incident of the Wuwei Xuanshi in the Sheng Dynasty, the Sheng Dynasty has always been wary of the Xuanjiao, while the Chanjiao has occupied the position of the state religion, which led to the chaos of the feudal lords dividing the country later."

Later, during the reigns of Emperors Feng and Qi, the Xuanjiao sect revived. They believed that "the lifespan of a ruler is short-lived," so each Xuanjiao national preceptor strived to ensure that the successor was not a martial artist, so that when their lifespan ended, the throne could be naturally passed on to the next ruler.

This proposition gained the support of many powerful figures at the time, so the faction that supported the dragon was actually locking the dragon in place.

Therefore, the various factions initially discussed abdication before considering succession. Since supporting the new emperor has been met with such hostility, it means the old imperial family has broken this tradition.

Sun Yangde said, "That's right. It is said that the throne should have been passed to the elder brother of this Prince Chunxuan, but he was usurped by the current emperor. It is said that he has been plotting to ascend to immortality. As for how far he has progressed, even Prince Chunxuan himself is not sure."

Chen Chuanyu said calmly, "No matter what this person plans to do, even if he really becomes an immortal, he won't be able to live a peaceful life as an immortal."

Everyone present nodded in agreement. These words were particularly inspiring. Their Great Shun was not without its own upper echelons. Even if you had reached the top, they would still bring you down.

With the war at this stage, the morale of the Shun army is very high. Who wouldn't like to win a battle? Having won the previous two battles, the battle against Youdu is now a contest of the two sides' hard strength. At this point, it's impossible for the higher-ups to stop any longer.

The unfinished work of their predecessors can be completed in their generation, and they will not only be able to make meritorious contributions and receive honors, but also be remembered in history.

Chen Chuan put away the jade talisman and said, "I will contact that Ming Chengzi as soon as possible, and after I understand the situation, I will write a report for the higher-ups."

Sun Yangde said, "Okay, I will also urge the rear to send over the information we have collected as soon as possible."

There are a few things I need to discuss with Commander Chen, and also, on behalf of the command headquarters, I'd like to ask for your opinion.

He paused, then said in a deep voice, "Some people have suggested that they have made contact with Fan Gang, the former General of the Western Garrison of the Imperial Family. They say that this man has exchanged letters with them many times and now intends to lead his troops to surrender. The higher-ups are discussing whether to accept this proposal."

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(End of this chapter)