Patrol Captain

The year Bingyin marked the 139th year of Emperor Wu's reign.

Time flies, and spring has arrived before we know it.

In Chengdu, a light rain refreshes all the flowers. The first thunder of spring marks the beginning of spring. A light rain falls from the sky, followed by the booming of spring thunder. The entire city, and the area outside the city, is shrouded in a vast rain curtain.

In the past, the entire Shu region experienced a strange celestial phenomenon, with snow falling for almost a whole year, sealing off tens of thousands of miles of land with ice and snow. Now, spring has returned to the earth, the ice and snow have melted, and all things are reviving in the Awakening of Insects.

Everything seems to have started just a few days ago, with that dramatic change!
Beside Yunding Peak, at the foot of another mountain, stands a military headquarters with black tiles and flying eaves, shrouded in a misty drizzle.

The bluish-gray clouds hung low, like heavy, waterlogged cotton wool suspended in the sky. Raindrops pattered on the tiles, making a crisp tapping sound. The rain was not heavy, but it was dense and fine. Between the layers of tiles, water droplets meandered down the wavy ridges, gathered in strings at the eaves, and then suddenly broke off, turning into translucent beads that fell to the ground, then shattered with a thud, rippling outwards in a circle on the bluestone slab.

At this time,

"Da da da"

A minor official in a black robe hurried in through the outer gate, his head down. The hem of his robe swept across the wet stone steps, leaving a trail of water droplets. His black boots clattered on the stone slabs.

The clerk ran to the main hall of the government office, which was deserted and filled with shelves of files. Several clerks were organizing the files, while an old scholar leaned against a table, pen in hand, feeling drowsy and sleepy as the rain fell. The open files were turned over by the spring breeze outside the window, revealing scrolls of entries.

"In the year of Bingyin, on the day of Yichou at the hour of Mao, the ancestral mountain outside Anning County, which had caused great chaos in Shu, attracting powerful figures from all directions, including humans, demons, and monsters, mysteriously vanished after erupting with a soaring blood-red light. The governor dispatched an investigation team, who confirmed its disappearance, as if it had never existed. The officials of Jinzhou were shocked. A high-ranking official from the imperial court went to the Ninth Mountain to find the former Ninth General, now the Imperial Inspector, but Lord Chen did not appear."

"On the day of Wuchen, at Shenshi (3-5 PM), at the forefront of the demon front, not long ago, the troops stationed at Dingshan Pass, which had been recaptured by the former Ninth Mountain General, were withdrawn via teleportation array, bringing urgent intelligence: deep within the front lines, a tide of white bones was surging forth. The Ninth Mountain General's palace was disturbed, and he ordered the front-line scouts to be teleported back to investigate. The troops in Chengdu were ready to move, and the entire city was placed under martial law."

"On the day of Ji Si, the frontline cities fell again. According to the soldiers at the front, a terrifying entity has established a White Bone Royal Court there. General Chen has still not emerged from the pass."

"On the day of Gengwu, some of the powerful cultivators who entered the Ancestral Mountain half a month ago returned alive and revealed a shocking piece of news: they had gone to the Ancestral Mountain and entered a desolate place, where there were towering mountains and hellish scenes, and many who went there died. Then the mountain collapsed, and after a great change, they appeared deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. A huge hole had been torn in the sky, and celestial beings descended into the mortal world, while the ground was littered with white bones. This news spread throughout Chengdu, causing panic. The court officials went up the Ninth Mountain again and forcibly broke into the Zhonglang Palace. They received news that General Chen had disappeared, and now the entire Fusi was in turmoil. Fortunately, at the hour of Xu, a large number of troops appeared in the west, and General Qitian, the Demon Suppression General of Fusi, led his troops from the front line of the Demon Kingdom."

"On the day of Xinwei, a celestial being appeared in Chengdu. The heavens and earth were filled with extraordinary phenomena, and auspicious clouds stretched for hundreds of miles, which amazed the whole world."

"The celestial beings arrived at Fusi, at the invitation of the legendary Imperial Preceptor. Some soldiers of Fusi secretly glimpsed the celestial beings' holy countenance and went mad laughing and fell into a state of insanity. Thus, it was said that celestial beings were not to be profaned and that mortals should not presume to look into them, lest they offend the wrath of Heaven. As a result, the Cloud Cave Heaven that General Chen had built became the residence of the celestial beings. The sacred tree that protected Chengdu was also taken away by the celestial beings because they liked it."

"The soldiers of the Ninth Mountain and several generals from other mountains were dissatisfied and stormed the Imperial Palace. By order of the Emperor, the Grand Preceptor, who now held power in Jin Guan, was enraged and took action to punish them. General Qi Tian forcibly intervened to resolve the situation, and in the end, the generals in charge were confined to their quarters."

The scroll of paper turned, its sound mingling with the slightly hurried footsteps of the minor official and the patter of raindrops outside the window.
Suddenly, a muffled thunder rumbled across the horizon, not with a tearing sound, but like a giant beast roaring in the clouds, causing the copper bells on the eaves to tremble slightly.

The raindrops fell at a sudden faster pace, and the rain curtain, which was originally like broken pearls, turned into a white water curtain in the blink of an eye, blurring the dark green mountains in the distance into a hazy shadow.

The minor official in the black robe stopped in front of a room, raised his hand, and knocked on the door.

"dong dong dong"

"General Gao!"

"Come in!" A slightly muffled voice came from inside the door.

As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened.

The minor official pushed open the door and entered. Upon entering, he saw a desk with its folded body. Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with a fair complexion, around forty years old, who had the air of a scholar-general. He had a three-inch beard on his chin, wore a light green armor over a black flowing robe.

It was Gao Yu, the Right Registrar of the Jiannan Circuit.

Gao Yu was feeling troubled because of the recent events in Fusi and Shu.

Because of the frequent changes in Shu, the situation has changed drastically. The governor has changed hands, and even the Great General Qi Tian has to stand aside. The imperial advisor and ministers from the court have taken power and mobilized troops from all sides to Shu. Their mountain-crushing army is being targeted both openly and secretly and is about to become a marginal figure.

On their own land, having to be mindful of others' opinions, the veteran generals of the Fusi were all seething with resentment. Moreover, when those so-called celestial beings arrived, the court officials treated them like gods, and upon arrival, they usurped the blessed land that General Chen had built for the soldiers of the Fusi, turning it into their private property.

This angered everyone, and they went to the capital to make a scene. But what happened? The Grand Preceptor's actions were disheartening. Not only did he remain unmoved, he also took action to punish the troublemaking generals. If it weren't for General Qitian protecting them, who knows how things would have ended.

The imperial court has completely chilled the hearts of the soldiers in the Fusi region!

What worried him most was that Lord Chen had secretly led troops to conquer the Ten Thousand Mountains, but later disappeared. Gao Yu had a deep and heartfelt support for this lord who had been supporting the Fusi and resisting the demons for the past two years.

"What's the matter?"

Gao Yu asked in a low voice.

"Sir, someone from the Ninth Mountain left a note outside the door, specifically requesting that it be given to you for your perusal." The clerk reported, then stepped forward, pulled a folded note from his sleeve, and bowed as he handed it over.

Gao Yu's spirits lifted, and he quickly took the note from his subordinate. He opened it and saw that the creases contained the secret script commonly used by the mountain-felling army. Gao Yu, who was familiar with this, quickly deciphered its meaning. Then, he jumped up from his seat, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, his face showing a mixture of joy and worry.

The good news is that the missing Lord Chen is coming back!

The worry is that Lord Chen is very angry.

The note instructed him to find General Qitian and inform the other commanders of the mountain-crushing army to prevent any unforeseen events.

The note was signed by the person who left the message with only two characters: Gongsun.

He knew the old man's identity, so he had no doubts about the information in the letter.

Knowing Chen's temperament, he didn't delay, walked around the desk, and said, "This military advisor is going out for a while."

With that, he strode out the door and arrived at the main hall of the government office.

Gao Yu looked up at the leaden sky. The raindrops on his face were cool and damp. The thunder in the distance was louder, as if countless drums were beating simultaneously behind the clouds. Even the bluestone slabs under his feet trembled slightly.

In the gray, rainy sky, a golden light pierced through the clouds, filled with a sacred aura. Beneath the clouds, rare and exotic beasts carried chariots, soaring through the air towards the golden light.

"What are those?" Gao Yu looked at the scene with a thoughtful and surprised expression. "Your Excellency, I don't know either. Many places in the governor's office have changed personnel, and we don't know much about the situation. The officials from the court won't tell us either." The clerk who saw him off at the door lowered his head and said helplessly.

Gao Yu's face darkened, and he angrily flicked his sleeve.
"What good is studying? Who will serve their country then?"

As he spoke, he dashed into the rain and headed towards other peaks.

Today, many of the mountain peaks where the twelve mountain-climbing armies of the Fusi Commandery were located have been occupied by other armies.

First, all the mountain-climbing armies had been wiped out. Second, after a hole was torn in the sky over Shu, the imperial court dispatched nearby troops to Shu to stabilize the situation, such as the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry of Liangzhou and the Protectorate Army of Guanzhong.
The troop deployment this time was extremely fast, a stark contrast to the previous indifference shown when the demons broke through the pass.

Gao Yu arrived at the mountain where Commander Pei was located. This old official, who had guarded Chengdu and served the Fusi for half his life, was now fighting against demons and monsters. He found that his so-called "Left Route Commander" position had long been abolished. The change of positions in Shu was like a game to the court. The consequences of the Tianxiong Pass mutiny were still fresh. The court did not take this person seriously at all and did not change the decree. So now Pei Yanhu was forced to "retire". It was really ironic.

When Gao Yu arrived, he found that the few remaining lieutenant generals of the Fusi were all here.

The fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and twelfth Mountain Generals, along with Pei Yanhu, were drinking in a mountain pavilion.

Each of them, their wills broken and their expressions of resentment, cursed the court and the actions of those in power.

Pei Yanhu sat in the main seat, drinking alone, his spirits low.

Upon arriving here, Gao Yu learned that the palanquins and exotic beasts in the sky were the carriages of high-ranking officials of the imperial court.

They were supposedly sent by the Emperor to seek guidance from the celestial beings residing in the Cloud Palace and to discuss the current situation in Shu. However, none of them received an invitation, nor were they even informed of the mission; they only learned about it from General Qi Tian.

The feeling of being abandoned is like a knife stabbing into their hearts, leaving them with resentment and anger that they find difficult to vent.

Back then, when the demons broke through the barrier, they led their brothers to shed blood and sacrifice their lives, dying on the battlefield. So many comrades were gone, but now they were swept into a corner, and no one cared about their thoughts.

"What utter nonsense, they're all a bunch of idiots blinded by greed."

"You didn't see it, but I heard about it. Those guys from the imperial court brought a bunch of family members, and I even heard that some powerful people from outside wanted to meet the Celestial Being. They brought a lot of treasures to smooth things over. This isn't about seeking answers from the Celestial Being; it's clearly about shamelessly trying to curry favor with the so-called Celestial Being."

"They fawn over those so-called celestial beings, yet turn a deaf ear to what's happening outside Chengdu, leaving us all stranded here. Go to hell! Do they think those celestial beings care about the lives of us in Shu?" Zhong Lang of the Seventh Mountain, his eyes bloodshot, slammed his wine cup on the table, shattering it. He then looked up at Gao Yu approaching and laughed drunkenly.
"Military Advisor Gao, tell me, what's the point of staying here any longer? You might as well retire and go back to your hometown. It's a pity that General Chen is not here, and General Qitian is also alone and unable to hold on."

Gao Yu nodded, then picked up a wine glass from the table, poured himself a glass of wine, drank it in one gulp, and slammed it down.

"Seventh Prince is right."

"It's really not very interesting."

"However, General Chen will be back soon."

Upon hearing this, the men's drunkenness subsided, and they felt refreshed.

"Is Ninth Master alright?"

When Gao Yu explained the situation on the note, everyone was both happy and worried.

"I heard from General Qi that the Imperial Preceptor is a Martial Saint, unfathomable, and he seems to have designs on us. He is also a being of divine nature. Given Chen Yuan's temperament, there may be danger. When the time comes..." Pei Yanhu said with some concern.

"Then let's go all out! I refuse to believe that with so many of us, we'll risk our lives and activate all the restrictions. Even if they're the Heavenly King himself, they'll have to give way and make that damn Celestial return the stuff."

“If Ninth Prince is truly willing to vent his anger, what are we brothers afraid of?”

As the generals spoke, a surge of anger rose within them, and their bodies hardened with steel.

“There’s no rush to do that. Our brothers’ lives are precious too. But we must be prepared. We need to use our strength to suppress others and be ready for any eventuality. We can’t let them bully us like this on our own turf,” Pei Yanhu set the tone.

"Yes, I'll go down and send a message to my men right away."

They said this one by one and left the pavilion. Unlike when they were dejected, the generals were full of vigor as they hurriedly left.

"Gao Yu, come with me to the heavens to find General Qi Tian!"

As they spoke, Pei Yanhu and Gao Yu soared into the sky, cutting through the rain and heading straight for the golden light breaking through the clouds.

In the rain-shrouded sky, the figures of officials accompanied by rare and exotic beasts appeared and disappeared. The hems of their crimson, dark blue, and dark purple robes flowed in the mist, like fish eager to return to their nests, rushing into the golden cloud cave.

Below, among the buildings nestled in the mountains, raindrops continued to fall from the black tiles, tapping on the eaves, streets, and hearts of the city, foreshadowing a grand baptism by an impending mountain rain.

"stop!"

Just as Pei Yanhu and Gao Yu rushed into the cloud cave with the palanquins and saw a corner of the golden building, a shout came.

Someone stopped them.

"who are you?"

"Gao Yu, Registrar of the Jiannan Circuit!"

"Pei Yanhu, Commander of the Left Route of Jiannan Circuit!"

Gao Yu and Pei Yanhu announced their names.

As a result, the newcomer snorted coldly.
"You are not qualified to go in. Get out!" (End of Chapter)