Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1418 Yin Du Treads on Frosty Branches

After returning to the camp, Chen Chuan immediately called over Wen Mingzhong, who had followed him there, and handed the scroll to him.

After reviewing the documents, Wen Mingzhong cautiously stated that the secret ritual depicted on the drawings was not fabricated, but whether it matched the internal situation of Youdu would need to be confirmed later.

Chen Chuan shared the same view. When it comes to war between two countries, some situations can be used, but one cannot trust someone without reservation and must verify their information oneself.

After a night's rest, they continued their advance according to the original battle plan.

They began to eliminate the outer strongholds and secret ceremonies one by one. This time, it wasn't just Chen Chuan and his Dongxuan Temple fighters who came; they were the main force to ensure victory.

The battles at the front were left to the Changsheng Temple, ordinary fighters, and a considerable number of active consciousness entities that had accompanied them.

With the support of airships, artillery, and implanted troops brought up from the rear, these people formed a powerful combat group that continuously broke through the front lines.

After a day had passed, the team stopped on their own initiative after completing their objectives. They built fortifications and set up secret plans at their base, using the original fortress as a precaution against a possible nighttime attack.

This stance looks like a steady and methodical approach.

But this is exactly what the old imperial family least wanted to see, which shows that Da Shun is not in a hurry at all. If they continue at this pace, they can push all the way to the walls of Youdu in less than four days.

At night, the old dynasty dispatched a force consisting of a small number of Xuanji warriors and hundreds of airships to launch a surprise attack.

However, this action had no effect other than leaving behind a pile of airship wreckage and the corpses of the Xuanji warriors who participated in the battle.

The next day, the Da Shun forces continued their attack.

As expected, the old regime organized another raid at night.

They knew perfectly well that it would be pointless, that those who went out would only be throwing their lives away, but they had no choice but to do it.

Because they needed to use this to reassure the people and let everyone in Youdu see that they were still fighting, rather than giving up.

Da Shun was also happy to see this, as it was tantamount to continuously bleeding the Youdu side dry, weakening their resistance, and paving the way for the final all-out attack on Youdu.

Under such threats and pressure, more and more people in the upper echelons of Youdu felt that the capital could not be defended, and voices calling for the imperial family to flee north had already emerged in Anye Palace.

In Shaohua Palace.

Prince Yuan Conglai sat in the courtyard where frost clung to the branches. At this moment, he was filled with worry, and even his hair had turned quite white.

A few days ago, he went to the palace to request an audience, hoping to offer his advice, but all his requests were rejected. In the end, it seemed that Emperor Wenguang had become impatient and punished him by confining him to his quarters and forbidding him from going out without an order. As a result, he could only stay in the palace and could not go anywhere.

He looked at the frozen pond outside, let out a deep sigh, and said to the official in charge of the Prince's residence in front of him:

"The Yuan general was defeated in one battle, and all his generals were killed. Now the central government is empty, and the country is in grave danger. As a son and a subject, I am unable to share the burden for my sovereign. I am ashamed of the country and I have failed my sovereign."

He couldn't help but fall silent. He really hadn't expected that they would suffer such a crushing and complete defeat this time.

Now that the Shun army is at the city gates, their demise is not far off.

Yuan Conglai grew increasingly anxious as he spoke, and couldn't help but stand up and pace back and forth: "Father Emperor is unwilling to accept my plan to invite Prince Yi to the capital, so what should we do now?"

He remained relatively calm and said, "Your Highness, there are only two options at the moment. One is to defend Youdu to the death, offer sacrifices, and pray to the gods and demons for help. This time, the false dynasty has gathered a large military force, so Xuanhuan must be empty. As long as I hold out for a long time, I can delay and wait for things to change."

only……"

"But how?"

Yuan Conglai hurriedly said, "In my opinion, although this is not the best policy, it is feasible."

The official sighed and said, "The strength of the false dynasty is ten times that of ours. Since they have made up their minds to attack us, they must have made preparations. Moreover, the commander of the false dynasty's army this time is General Chen Chuan, whose combat power is formidable. I'm afraid no one in our dynasty can stop him."

"The defenses of Youdu City are indeed strong, but if this person launches a full-scale attack, I really don't know how many days it can hold out..."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Conglai angrily slammed his fist against a pillar, exclaiming, "How could the nation's situation have deteriorated to this point!" He then turned around and urgently asked, "What about the second strategy? Tell me about the second strategy!"

Secondly, that is...

He hesitated to speak.

Yuan Conglai pressed further, "What is it?"

The official sighed and said, "The only option is to go north."

Yuan Conglai's eyes widened. "Northern hunt?" he exclaimed angrily. "Isn't that just abandoning the country and fleeing?"

Throughout history, any imperial family that has done this has ultimately disappeared without a trace, with no hope of revival. If they were to follow this path now, it would be tantamount to abandoning their ancestral legacy and becoming subjects of a fallen nation…

The official sighed and said, "Whether to protect one's family or one's country, one must be protected. Judging from the sound of this voice coming from the court, His Majesty has probably made a choice and is using this to test the officials."

"No! Absolutely not! Absolutely not!!"

Yuan Conglai shook his head repeatedly; he could not accept this outcome.

Just then, a series of flapping wings suddenly sounded outside, and then a monster with a human head and a bird's body, dressed in colorful clothes, appeared in the courtyard, circling above and shouting: "By order of His Majesty, Prince Qiong, why do you not come out to see me at once!"

Yuan Conglai recognized the imperial guards beside the emperor and hurriedly went out, bowing and saying, "Your subject listens respectfully."

The Flying Guard flew above his head, loosened its grip on the paper document under its claws, and Yuan Conglai quickly reached out to catch it.

"His Majesty said that Prince Qiong should do his job well and not make any mistakes, or I will not forgive him."

Yuan Conglai respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I obey."

The Flying Guards arrived and left quickly; after hearing his words, they immediately flapped their wings and flew away.

Yuan Conglai returned to the courtyard, opened the document, and was immediately distraught. He said bitterly, "Zikang predicted it correctly."

He handed it over, and the official took it and looked at it before realizing that it was to send Yuan Conglai to scout out the old path of Panquan Mountain to ascertain the safety of the route.

"Are we really going to hunt them down in the north?"

He frowned, but the emperor hadn't issued a proper decree. Although he understood that the emperor didn't want to alarm more people, if the news leaked out, or if it was said that the king had asked him to do this to quell the anger of the pro-war faction, he could very well be pushed out and convicted.

But if I don't go...

He considered for a moment, then disregarded etiquette, stepped forward and grabbed Yuan Conglai's hand, saying, "Your Highness, the palace lacks clothing and food, and also has few carriages and horses for transportation. We can stay for a few more days, and then..."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Conglai suddenly realized what was happening and nodded repeatedly. He had no intention of going on the northern hunt at all, so he would delay as long as possible.

Moreover, they do have difficulties. There are no carriages or horses in the manor suitable for long journeys. The two old horses will die of exhaustion before they can even leave the city. Furthermore, it is freezing cold outside, and he is not a martial artist and has always been physically weak. He is afraid that he will fall seriously ill before he can go very far.

Only an hour later, another messenger arrived, bringing all the necessary items and carriages for the Prince's journey. He urged them not to delay and to set off immediately, adding that elite scouts had been assigned to wait at the northern pass.

Meanwhile, a squad of Flying Guards was responsible for supervising and monitoring. Yuan Conglai could no longer refuse, so he had to set off after making some preparations. The two first took an underground passage into the city. After half a day's journey, it was already night when they finally emerged from the passage in front of a temple.

After arriving here, they suspected that there should be a tunnel leading directly to Panquan Mountain, but they were just not allowed to go through it.

This is because this is where the army of the Dingchao was stationed when they attacked the Changchao. If the exit is here, those remnants of the Changchao will not be able to escape.

He said nothing at that moment, only cautiously surveying his surroundings. Several sentries emerged from the passage and quickly dispersed to scout in all directions.

It appears that the Shun army has not yet arrived, but the blockade of Youdu has already been initiated, and the main force is coming from the north, making the area outside the city extremely dangerous.

Fortunately, they were quite lucky, but perhaps because their target was too small, they did not encounter any resistance from the Da Shun forces. As dawn approached, they finally entered Panquan Mountain.

The mountains are densely forested, but there is a broken road that can be barely discerned. This is the site of the imperial tombs of the previous dynasty, and you can still see many stone statues lying on the ground, their pieces shattered.

Upon seeing these things, Yuan Conglai couldn't help but think of the current state of the nation, and felt a pang of sorrow and grief.

With the help of a map, they quickly found a long, deep tunnel nestled deep inside the mountain.

There were many piles of bones at the entrance, which looked no more than a few decades old, and it was unclear whether they belonged to the craftsmen responsible for maintaining the place.

Fortunately, some of the secret rituals left behind in the past are still engraved here, so no creatures from the fusion region have built nests here.

The group went deeper into the steps. At first, the path was very narrow, and they had to walk sideways to get through. Horses and carriages had to be left outside. However, the path widened as they went further in. After walking for about half an hour, King Qiong began to pant heavily and was sweating profusely.

He was born with a limp, and coupled with his weak constitution, it was inevitable that he could not keep up with these nimble soldiers.

The attendant quickly said, "Your Highness, let me carry you."

The scout captain glanced around and, seeing that they had arrived here, seemed less strict with Yuan Conglai and the other two. He clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, we will go ahead and scout the way first. Your Highness can follow later."

Yuan Conglai pushed the official aside and said, "Thank you, but no need. I will do it myself."

Seeing this, the scout captain did not try to persuade him further.

Yuan Conglai gritted his teeth and kept up, never falling behind. The scouts, seeing this, were quite impressed.

After walking for another half an hour, Prince Qiong could no longer keep up. The scout captain said, "There is something to take you up ahead. Your Highness can rest for a while."

As he helped Yuan Conglai up, he looked up and was surprised to find a section of track ahead with a well-maintained train parked on it. He didn't know when it had been laid.

But having a car means I don't have to walk anymore, and I can finally catch my breath.

He helped Yuan Conglai onto the train and they sat down in a carriage. Before long, the algae oil train started moving slowly.

Exhausted from days of travel, Yuan Conglai soon fell into a deep sleep. After traveling for an unknown amount of time, the carriage suddenly began to shake violently, accompanied by cries of alarm. He then saw a light appear ahead and immediately fainted.

……

……

(End of this chapter)