Chapter 141: Army Assembly

The army of the Marquis of Wu'an had already split into two routes. Along the way, through a combination of forceful assaults and psychological submission, the vast majority of the territory had surrendered. Advancing while conquering cities and subjugating lands, the army simultaneously expanded its ranks.

In just a few short days, they had completely taken over the entire region surrounding Lake Dongting. Their troop numbers had swelled from the initial ten thousand to roughly one hundred and fifty thousand, accounting for nearly one-third of the total military force in all of Nanzhou.

Leaving behind a small garrison to manage the rear, organize grain provisions, restore order, and guard against any counterattacks from remaining hostile factions, he used Lake Dongting as his strategic base and led the main force marching toward Lake Taixuan.

The two armies converged at the border region where Lake Dongting, Lake Taixuan, and Mount Ji intersected. This area served as a buffer zone among the two lakes and the mountain, fiercely contested by all three sides yet locked in a perpetual stalemate. Consequently, it had long been controlled by successive imperial courts. The Nanzhou Prefectural Office was established precisely here to keep the three major powers of Nanzhou—Lake Dongting, Lake Taixuan, and Mount Ji—in check.

Nanzhou might sound like it harbored countless large and small factions, but they all ultimately gravitated toward these three major powers. Factions that attempted to survive independently in Nanzhou were invariably fleeting, lasting less than a year or two before vanishing into history.

Therefore, rather than calling the unrest in Nanzhou a rebellion, it was more accurate to describe it as a power struggle among the three forces of Lake Dongting, Lake Taixuan, and Mount Ji. Originally, the imperial court had acted as a mediator, allowing all factions to live in peace with one another for centuries. As long as the overarching momentum of the court remained unshaken, the common folk of the province naturally turned their hearts toward the court through subtle, pervasive influence.

Yet precisely because of this, the interests of these three major factions had been infringed upon. If this hidden danger were left unaddressed, a rebellion in Nanzhou was inevitable. The Dragon Lord of Lake Dongting was merely the representative of these aggrieved interests. With his path to enlightenment imminent and his national destiny gradually being eroded, he was ultimately driven to take drastic and abnormal measures to safeguard his own interests.

Although Lake Dongting was not the first to openly break away, Lake Taixuan and Mount Ji were no longer dictated by single individuals; rather, they operated as massive interest blocs that had engaged in no small share of covert maneuvers behind the scenes.

The moment the Dragon Lord openly rebelled, the other factions smoothly took advantage of the momentum to clear out the imperial court's forces within their domains. Thus, by the time the army of the Marquis of Wu'an reached the tri-border region, Lake Taixuan and Mount Ji had successively mobilized their elite troops. Comprising various demon soldiers, demon generals, and integrated human forces, they formed a massive army that stood in confrontation with the imperial forces. The three sides eyed each other with mutual vigilance, yet none dared to advance a single step further.

At that very moment, right in the center of the tri-border region, a giant banner was erected bearing the two characters "Three Lairs." Relying upon the fortified city walls, they rallied numerous demon soldiers and generals, uniting them with the remaining human populace in the area. The sheer speed of this consolidation was utterly breathtaking.

Within the grand tent of the Marquis of Wu'an, several armored generals surrounded a sand table map that spanned several feet, discussing animatedly and guessing which faction the "Three Lairs" might belong to.

A left-wing general chimed in, "Judging by the monstrous aura shrouding the prefectural city, it is undoubtedly the work of those fiends. They have occupied this stronghold deliberately to bar our army from advancing further."

"Well reasoned," a young general agreed, chiming in. "Hiding behind this city, they must have reached some sort of pact among the three factions. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to occupy the prefectural seat without encountering any conflict."

"I wouldn't be so sure," remarked a sharp-looking general clad in fish-scale armor.

This man was none other than Commander Fu, whom the Marquis of Wu'an had dispatched years earlier to teach Wang Yuanfeng martial arts. Instead of teaching Wang Yuanfeng, he had ended up being taught by him, developing a delightfully unorthodox train of thought that ordinary people could never anticipate. Upon his return, not only had his martial prowess advanced by leaps and bounds, but his resourceful and brilliant stratagems had also emerged endlessly. Promoted from a standard commander to a deputy general, he now ranked among the high-level military officers.

Upon hearing this, General Niu Ben of the left wing felt certain that the man was about to deliver a profound analysis. Though he secretly respected this young general, he kept a nonchalant expression on his face and asked with a feigned tone of defiance, "Does General Fu have any high insights? Do share them with us."

The rest of the officers turned their gaze toward him with curiosity. Regardless, his tactical brilliance was renowned, and perhaps he held a marvelous strategy. Everyone eagerly awaited his pearls of wisdom.

Seeing that all the generals were waiting for his opinion, General Fu smiled inwardly. Casting a glance at the Marquis of Wu'an, he deliberately lowered his head in feigned deep thought.

Recognizing his antics, the Marquis of Wu'an shook his head with a slight smile and said, "Speak, stop keeping everyone in suspense."

Granted the permission, General Fu was overjoyed. He bowed to the Marquis of Wu'an and replied, "Yes, Marshal."

He then stepped up to the sand table, pointed to the positions representing the three factions, and said, "These three factions are the true rulers of Nanzhou: Lake Dongting, Lake Taixuan, and Mount Ji. Now, our grand army has arrived at their border, and the three sides are deadlocked."

"Isn't that obvious to everyone?!" General Niu of the left wing said purposely, seeing the others nod in agreement.

"Heh." General Fu smiled, shook his head, and continued, "In truth, that is merely what is visible on the surface. What about beneath the surface?"

Hearing this, the others suddenly experienced a moment of sudden realization. However, it was not as though they hadn't considered other possibilities—for instance, regarding Lake Dongting. A general in black armor coughed twice and stated, "Needless to say, the hidden force must be Lake Dongting. Their movements have remained obscure to this day. The 'Three Lairs' in the prefectural city is ninety-nine percent likely a front disguised by Lake Dongting."

"Not necessarily," General Fu shook his head, pressing on. "Everyone must have witnessed the retreat of Lake Dongting's demon army."

The gathered officers nodded in unanimous agreement. Just as the army had converged at this location, the demon forces that had previously trailed behind the imperial army had suddenly retreated en masse, vanishing as if into thin air. To guard against a potential sneak attack once Lake Dongting regrouped, they had set up defenses in the rear, even dispatching twenty thousand troops solely to secure the rear flank and prevent any encirclement.

Seeing that everyone nodded in agreement, General Fu declared, "Although they retreated, the manner and method were unusual. Under normal circumstances, a retreating army would either carry all their provisions away or burn them. Yet when the demon army withdrew, they simply abandoned everything, leaving every single item right where it was, and in an extraordinary rush."

Hearing this, the others realized he made a valid point. Although they had found the enemy's actions strange, none of them had investigated it closely. General Yang Ben of the right wing harbored similar suspicions but remained uncertain, prompting him to ask, "And what does that prove?"

Scanning the crowd, General Fu finally revealed his conclusion: "It proves that something went wrong within the Lake Dongting Water Mansion! The demonic dragon of Lake Dongting must have failed in his endeavor this time!"

"Gasp!" Every general present felt a jolt in their hearts as the truth dawned on them. Although they were not deeply versed in matters of national destiny, they had heard enough to understand. If the Dragon Lord had succeeded in harvesting national destiny, everything would make complete sense.

Had the Dragon Lord succeeded, while he might have temporarily exercised restraint out of deference to the imperial court and refrained from attacking the main army, the leaders of Mount Ji and Lake Taixuan would undoubtedly have faced certain death. Armed with the methods of a cultivator, he could have swiftly unified the three factions by merely eliminating those two leaders.

As for the remaining imperial army, once trapped, they would have disintegrated on their own. By then, the Dragon Lord could have simply cultivated step-by-step in peace, as such an outcome best served his interests.

General Fu gave a faint smile and said, "Now, those two factions are still standing. The Leopard King's consort from Mount Ji and the two masters of Lake Taixuan are all safe and sound right there. Although the flood dragon of Lake Taixuan and the young master of Mount Ji are nowhere to be seen, this is more than enough proof that the Dragon Lord has failed."

Upon reflection, the officers found his reasoning sound. At that moment, the Marquis of Wu'an interjected with a question, "Then which faction do you suppose occupies this prefectural city?"

After a brief moment of silence, General Fu replied, "It can only be one of two things: either it is composed of demons who refuse to submit to Nanzhou's three major powers, or it might be the remnants of the imperial court's forces within Nanzhou."

Only then did the assembled generals snap to their senses. While renegade demons defying the three factions were of little consequence and easily eradicated, they had unconsciously overlooked the lingering remnants of the imperial court.

At that moment, General Fu added with a lingering sense of intrigue, "Throughout our march all the way here, we have not heard a single whisper regarding any remnant forces of the court. Don't you find that rather eerie?"