bullyxtreme Chapter 373 Xu Longxiang is stirring up trouble again? He wants to form a north-south power structur
Chapter 373 Xu Longxiang is stirring up trouble again? He wants to form a north-south power structur
The Northern Frontier, the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, the Zhenyue Hall.
The night wind blew in through the cracks in the window, making the candlelight on the long table flicker and cast dim shadows on the wall.
Xu Longxiang sat behind a long table, holding a secret letter that had just been delivered in his hand.
His gaze swept over the characters repeatedly, from the first to the last, and then back again, as if trying to etch every stroke into his mind.
Finally, he exhaled softly, a long and slow breath, like a stone that had been pressing on his chest for a long time being slowly moved away.
He placed the letter on the table, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and the knot between his brows that had been furrowed for so long finally loosened a little.
Fan Li stood on one side of the long table, his hands hanging at his sides, his fingertips slightly curled.
Seeing the fleeting look of relief on Xu Longxiang's face, he felt a weight lift from his heart.
"Your Highness, has the Moon Goddess Cult agreed?" he asked softly, his voice tinged with a cautious probing.
Xu Longxiang opened his eyes, and the burning, scorching fire in them finally calmed down a bit.
"Agreed."
Fan Li also let out a soft breath, his tense shoulders relaxing as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
"That would be excellent. The Northern Territory and the Moon Goddess Cult can form a pincer movement. As long as the Moon Goddess Cult can tie down the Qin army in the southwest, the Northern Territory can advance unimpeded and reach the capital."
He said this in a steady and powerful voice, but his heart was far from as relaxed as it appeared.
In his mind, the Moon Goddess Cult was an evil cult, spreading heresies and deceiving the masses, and seeking favors with the wicked.
Fan Li had spent his whole life studying the classics, and what he hated most were these charlatans who bewitched people.
But he dared not say it.
He can't say.
There was no other way to go in the North.
His gaze shifted from the map to Xu Longxiang's face, and seeing the barely suppressed anger in the prince's eyes, he sighed inwardly.
If Your Highness doesn't go to the Moon Goddess Cult, you will definitely go to the Northern Barbarians.
That's the thing you really shouldn't do.
The Northern Barbarians and the Northern Border have been fighting for decades, their blood feud is deep and irreconcilable.
An alliance with the Northern Barbarians would be unacceptable not only to his soldiers but also to himself.
Between two evils, choose the lesser. No matter how bad the Moon Goddess Cult is, it is still better than the Northern Barbarians.
His fingers slowly tightened inside his sleeve, his nails gently digging into his palm.
The Moon Goddess Cult is at least composed of people.
"The Moon Goddess Cult demands that we provide them with food and armor first."
Xu Longxiang's voice interrupted his thoughts; it was deep and steady.
Fan Li nodded, walked to the long table, and tapped his finger lightly twice on the map, tapping the location marked on the mountains in the southwest border.
"Actually, this is a good thing. The fact that they asked for grain and armor shows that they have a large army and need these things. For the northern border, the more troops they have, the more they can restrain the Qin Dynasty, which is a good thing."
As he said this, his gaze was fixed on the map, not on Xu Longxiang.
His tone was so natural that even he almost believed it.
Xu Longxiang leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest, his gaze sweeping over the several staff members in the hall.
"Then analyze how many troops the Moon Goddess Cult actually has?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, like an undercurrent beneath the ice, deep and unfathomable.
Fan Li turned around, facing the several advisors in the hall, and raised his hand in greeting. "Gentlemen, please speak."
Sikong Xuan stood first on the left, dressed in a gray robe with white hair, his face gaunt, the candlelight casting deep shadows on his face.
He stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and narrowed his eyes, which seemed to have seen many hardships, as if he were recalling something.
"Judging from the Moon Goddess Cult's sphere of influence in the southwestern border region, it has over ten thousand followers and dozens of branch altars, but its actual fighting force is not that large. The southwestern mountains are rugged, making the transport of supplies difficult and unable to support a large army. In my estimation, thirty to fifty thousand people would be the limit."
His voice was hoarse and slow, like an old knife that had been used for too long, and every word had to be sharpened before it could be spoken.
Another advisor, Chen Yuan, shook his head, stood up from the chair on the right, walked to the map, and pointed to the southwestern region.
"Mr. Sikong, I cannot agree!"
He spoke much faster than Sikong Xuan, and his eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
"The Moon Goddess Sect dares to demand grain and armor, and dares to confront the imperial court. They wouldn't have the guts to do this without a force of at least 100,000! Moreover, they have been operating in the southwest for decades, secretly stockpiling grain and forging weapons. If they only had 30,000 to 50,000 men, why would they need to go to such lengths?"
As Fan Li listened to the argument between the two, his finger slowly traced across the map, from the southwest to the Central Plains, and from the Central Plains to the northern border.
"One hundred thousand? The southwestern border region is mountainous and rugged. Supporting an army of one hundred thousand would be an enormous challenge, especially in terms of food and supplies. If the Moon Goddess Sect truly had one hundred thousand troops, they couldn't possibly hide it. The imperial spies aren't blind; even the mobilization of fifty thousand troops couldn't be concealed, let alone one hundred thousand!"
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Chen Yuan before landing on Sikong Xuan, his voice steady and calm.
"Therefore, I believe that Mr. Sikong's judgment is more accurate. The Moon Goddess Cult should have around 50,000 combat-ready troops, no more."
Sikong Xuan nodded, his gray beard trembling slightly in the candlelight.
"Mr. Fan is right. The Moon Goddess Cult has been operating in the southwest for decades. If they really had an army of 100,000, the imperial court would not have been unaware. In my opinion, 50,000 is the maximum."
Chen Yuan opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing Fan Li and Sikong Xuan standing to the side, he closed his mouth again, retreated to his seat, and still frowned.
As Xu Longxiang listened to their analysis, his fingers paused on the armrest, and his gaze shifted from the map to the cup of tea in front of him, which had gone cold.
"Whether it's 50,000 or 100,000, as long as they can hold off the Qin army, that's enough."
His voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were telling everyone in the hall.
He picked up his teacup and took a sip.
The tea had gone cold, and the bitterness spread from the tip of his tongue to his throat. He didn't frown; he simply put down the teacup and gently ran his fingers along the rim.
Fan Li turned around, faced Xu Longxiang, and bowed slightly.
"Your Highness, how much food, provisions, and armor does the Moon Goddess Cult need? How much should we provide?"
Xu Longxiang remained silent for a moment.
The candlelight flickered on his face, illuminating his cold, hard features in a half-light, half-shadow.
"Give me half first."
His voice was soft, yet every word was clear.
"Tell them that the rest will be given to them after they start their rebellion."
A hint of approval flashed in Fan Li's eyes.
His Highness hasn't been driven to madness; he knows to hold back.
Giving half would show the Northern Kingdom's sincerity to the Moon Goddess Cult without crippling them.
We'll deal with the rest after they start their uprising.
If the undertaking goes smoothly, it will naturally be given.
If things don't go smoothly, that's a different story.
"Your Highness is wise!" Fan Li bowed deeply.
Xu Longxiang stood up, walked around the long table, and went to the window.
His steps were slow and heavy, each step firm and solid, as if he were stepping on a knife's edge.
He pushed open the window, and the northern wind rushed in, cold and biting, blowing the stray hairs at his temples back and making his black python robe flutter.
He gazed at the vast southern horizon, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
The light was cold, as cold as the coldest snow in the North during winter. It fell on the back of my hand; it didn't hurt, but it made me shiver.
"Pass down the order: the entire Northern Army is to enter a state of combat readiness. All provisions, weaponry, and troops must be inventoried and registered, ready to depart at any time!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet Zhenyue Hall, each word like a nail driven into the ears of everyone present.
Fan Li bowed deeply. "Yes!"
Sikong Xuan bowed, his gray hair falling from his forehead, obscuring the fleeting worry in his eyes. "This old minister obeys."
Chen Yuan and his other advisors clasped their hands in a fist salute. "Yes, sir!"
Xu Longxiang looked out the window, towards the south, towards the land he would one day conquer.
The night wind blew in through the window, extinguishing the already flickering candle on the long table.
The room darkened for a moment, then was illuminated by another candle, the flickering light mirroring his heart at that moment.
A cold smile slowly curved the corners of his lips.
There was no smile in that arc, only coldness, only hatred, only a kind of obsession that had been suppressed for too long and was finally about to see a way out, almost to the point of madness.
"Qin Mu, you just wait!"
.......
The two women in white sent by the Moon Goddess hurried along the mountain path, and stopped after turning the last bend in the mountain.
Their pupils suddenly contracted, their mouths opened, and a short, suppressed gasp escaped their throats!
The valley in front of us has disappeared!
The once lush hillside collapsed into a huge pit, spanning several miles in circumference and reaching several meters in depth!
The trees were uprooted and lay scattered at the bottom of the pit. Some were broken in half, and some were buried in the soil with only a few bare branches sticking out!
The ground looked as if it had been slapped hard by an invisible giant hand, leaving a huge, irregular scar!
The edges are jagged, with exposed gravel and churning soil, as if it had been plowed countless times!
The air was thick with the stench of blood, mixed with the earthy smell and the sap from broken trees!
One of the women rubbed her eyes, then rubbed them again, and then rubbed them once more.
But the scene before me remained unchanged; the deep pit was still there, the ruins were still there, and the smell of blood was still there.
She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word; only a "hoarse" sound came from her throat.
The other woman's face was ashen, her lips trembled violently, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to collapse to the ground.
She leaned against a swaying, withered tree beside her, her fingernails digging into the bark, just to keep her balance!
The two of them rushed frantically down the slope and slid into the deep pit.
The pebbles slid off their feet and rolled into the deeper cracks.
They frantically dug through the mud and rubble in the ruins, searching for the entrance to that once-familiar passageway!
But the entrance is gone, the stone gate is gone, the passageway is gone, and not even a single intact wooden plank can be found!
They searched every stone and dug through every pile of soil, but found nothing.
There were no survivors, no corpses, not even a scrap of clothing!
Only the pungent, nauseating smell of blood seeped out from the cracks in the rocks, from the soil, from every corner, like countless invisible hands strangling their necks!
The first woman collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, her pupils dilated, muttering, "It's over...it's over...it's all over..."
The second woman crouched beside her, gripping her arm, her nails digging into her flesh, her voice shrill with fear:
"What do we do? What do we do now?!"
The first woman suddenly grabbed her hand, sprang to her feet, and said in a hoarse voice, as if the words were being dug from the depths of her throat, "What else can we do?! Go back and report to the Lord!"
The two frantically climbed up the hillside.
Gravel rolled down from their feet, their knees hit the stones, and blood seeped out, staining their trouser legs red, but they felt no pain.
Their hair was disheveled, and their robes were torn by tree branches, but they didn't care.
They just ran and ran as fast as they could, as if something was chasing them!
The Moon Goddess Cult's headquarters, a secret chamber.
The moon goddess sat cross-legged on a futon, her eyes slightly closed.
Her breathing was erratic. She hadn't closed her eyes since last night. That unease was like a snake, tightly coiling around her heart, the coils growing ever tighter.
Hurried footsteps came from outside the door. It wasn't just one person, but two. Their footsteps were disordered and stumbling, as if they were running or crawling.
Luna opened her eyes.
The door was suddenly flung open, and two women in white rushed in, tumbling and falling to the ground.
Their robes were torn, their hair was disheveled, their faces were covered in mud and tear stains, their knees were bleeding, and their fingernails were filled with black mud!
The moon goddess's heart sank suddenly, as if someone had ripped it out of her chest and thrown it into an ice cellar.
Her face was expressionless, and her voice remained steady, so steady that even she herself felt a sense of unfamiliarity: "What's wrong? What happened? Why are you so flustered!"
A woman raised her head, her lips trembling violently, tears and snot streaming down her face, each word seeming to be forced out of her throat:
"My Lord! Something terrible has happened! The barracks—the barracks are gone!"
The moon goddess's hand clenched tightly.
Her pupils contracted slightly, and her lips opened and closed repeatedly.
The words rolled around in her throat countless times before finally being squeezed out:
"What do you mean 'gone'?!"