Xuan Tian Ming Departs for War

　　Although it was within Xuan Tian Ming’s expectations that the South would become chaotic, as even the Emperor had been prepared mentally, they never thought that the enemy would come so fiercely. It was such that Lan Zhou was about to fall by the time the report had arrived.

　　The battle had already spread to Lan Zhou, which meant that the South had already been broken through by the enemy army. The efforts that had been put in over the past two years were ruined in an instant. The eighth prince, Xuan Tian Mo, spoke with indignation in court: “Father Emperor, son has been stationed in the South as the general for many years, and this sort of mess has never occurred before. Now that my right to command has been handed over, it’s natural that I can no longer return to the South, but why is the newly appointed general still living idly in the capital? Should he not have immediately set out after receiving the military tally?” As he spoke, he looked toward Xuan Tian Ming. The wounds from having been struck 100 times were still there, and his movements were strange. The people needed to hold back their laughter. “Ninth brother, it’s a big matter for the country. How could you be so foolish?”

　　He spoke with stern righteousness, and his face was filled with distress; however, Xuan Tian Ming could not understand: “It has already happened. Instead of thinking about how to deal with it, eighth brother is only focused on deflecting responsibility. This prince did not want to argue with you on this matter. Since the battle has already come, I just need to bring soldiers over to fight, but if you speak like this, then this prince will also debate you with.” While he spoke, he saluted to the Emperor, “Father Emperor, today is the 29th of the first month, and we have already received this report from the South. The South has already been broken through and reached Lan Zhou. This sort of situation is not something that could happen in just a day or two, right? From the South to the capital is extremely far, and it would take at least 15 days, which is to say that the battle was lost in the South around the 15th of the first month. Calculating it a bit more carefully, Gu Shu collaborating with the small countries in the desert is not something that could be done in just a few days. Those that are smart can figure out this situation. For Gu Shu and so many small countries to agree on one thing, it would require at least one year to reach a consensus. During this year, the Southern Army still belonged to eighth brother.”

　　Xuan Tian Mo heard this, and the corner of his eyebrows twitched. He knew that old ninth would be hard to deal with. The previous old ninth was rather willful, and he would be rather direct when dealing with the people that he disliked. He would just raise his whip and just begin killing. He had not been in the capital for a long time, and he still believed that old ninth would still be the same as before. Although he had probed him a few times before, he had still underestimated his younger brother. The current Xuan Tian Ming was no longer the willful brat that he was before. He had more independent thoughts, and he had ideas and plans that were steady. He had set up numerous plans, and not only did the opposition not fall into the trap, but he had turned it around.

　　That was right, Gu Shu and the ten countries working together, how could it possibly be done in just a short period of time. They had planned it for nearly a full year, and he needed to repeatedly negotiate with the small countries individually. He also needed to provide all kinds of promises. Only then could the attack during this first month occur. He wanted to use this to send old ninth, Xuan Tian Ming, to the afterlife. It would be best if Feng Yu Heng could also be sent along with him. Even if it was not possible, he would use this chance to have the coalition army have Da Shun suffer some defeats and create pressure on the Emperor to place him on the throne. As long as he became the ruler, what coalition army and selling out his country? He, Xuan Tian Mo, was not that benevolent. He would immediately have soldiers fight back those people.

　　Xuan Tian Mo was thinking of his own plans; however, this had already been seen through by Xuan Tian Ming. Now that he thought about it, could it be that this battle really was his mistake? He took a step back and kneeled toward the Emperor and pleaded for forgiveness; however, he was thinking to himself: Even if it is my fault, so what? You are now the general of the 300 thousand troops in the South. It’s natural that you will need to go to this battlefield. He was not afraid that Xuan Tian Ming would fight back with those 300 thousand troops. Those were his soldiers, and they would not obey so easily just because of a tally.

　　Faced with the exchange between his two sons, the Emperor did not clearly express a position. In regards to the matter of responsibility, it was brushed off. Either way, the matter had already occurred, and it was pointless debating the matter of responsibility. Now, it was as Xuan Tian Mo had said. As the general of the 300 thousand troops in the Southern Army, Xuan Tian Ming going to face this battle was the most important matter.

　　Xuan Tian Ming received the order and would leave the capital for the military camp outside the capital the next day. He would bring his own soldiers and head South. The date of their departure would be the first of the second month.

　　It had to be said that Xuan Tian Ming bringing his own soldiers to the South was something that Xuan Tian Mo was worried about. If it was just the small army from before, it would not be enough. But once the 100 thousand extra troops from Qian Zhou were added in, it would be a bit difficult. Moreover, he also heard that morning that Qian Zhou had sent ten thousand wolf horses to the military camp. With everyone also having steel weapons, this sort of group’s damage ability could not be underestimated.

　　But no matter how much he worried, it was pointless. He could not stop them. But Xuan Tian Mo also had his thoughts. He had one of the officials from his faction that was responsible for providing supplies stopped. This was one of his plans.

　　Once court had come to an end, Xuan Tian Ming did not delay for a single moment. Returning to his palace on a fast horse, he did not have too much that needed to be taken care of. With Lady Zhou present, there would be nothing to worry about. He just advised the hidden guards in the capital once more that one group would guard the Yu Palace, one group of five would go to the Yao manor and another group of five would head to Xiao Zhou to secretly protect Feng Zi Rui.

　　As for the Yao manor, aside from the people sent by Xuan Tian Ming, there were also some that had been left behind by Feng Yu Heng. Adding in the imperial guards from the imperial daughter’s manor, the two manors were now being protected together. Aside from this, the seventh prince, Xuan Tian Hua, had also sent quite a few people to protect them. Even if Xuan Tian Ming left the capital, the Yao manor should be able to be at ease.

　　The next day, Xuan Tian Ming returned to the military camp outside the capital. Yao Xian had roughly finished with the treatment of those that had been hurt by the explosion, but those people still needed to recover from their injuries. It would be completely impossible for them to go out this time. In fact, those that were severely injured would no longer be able to set foot on the battlefield ever again. This was something that caused Xuan Tian Ming the most heartache. As for the lightly wounded, they would be able to head South on their own after recovering for another month.

　　Trying out new weapons had massive returns, but it also came at a great expense. Xuan Tian Ming told them, that the five of them had traded their lives for the lives of five to fifty thousand enemy soldiers. Da Shun would not forget about them.

　　Aside from treating the injuries of the wounded, Yao Xian had personally led the Divine Intent Army’s soldiers in their training. Regardless of whether it was Xi Fang, He Gan or the numerous soldiers of the Divine Intent Army, they all bowed their heads before this old man in reverence. They even wondered, are all people that are at Imperial Daughter Ji An’s side this amazing? In the past, they had only heard that Yao Xian was a divine doctor; however, they never thought that he would be proficient with this sort of strange weapon.

　　With Yao Xian’s help, the soldiers were able to practice faster. The Divine Archery Squad was already able to hit 90 percent of its shots. Although they could not be compared to the modern marksmen, in this era, it was already sufficient. The Support Group had also come up with a few battle formations with Yao Xian’s assistance. They had also mixed in grenades and landmines into their formations. The killing power was immense.

　　The wolf horses that Feng Yu Heng had arranged for Qian Zhou to deliver had already arrived. Adding in the horses that the 100 thousand troops from Qian Zhou had brought over, there were enough for each soldier. There were even some left over that could be used to swap out.

　　As a whole, all of the soldiers in the military camp were in an extremely excited state. The movement of military items gave them a desire to rush onto the battlefield to fight with the enemy. When they heard about the battle in the South and His Highness the ninth prince immediately moved to bring them to the South for the battle, the soldiers cheered in joy. It was as though they were not going to fight a battle. Instead, it was as though they were going to participate in a banquet.

　　It was not just the soldiers that were originally part of the military camp that were happy, as even the 100 thousand troops from Qian Zhou were rubbing their hands with expectation. They had lived in the capital for a long time. The initial feelings of nostalgia had gradually been washed away. Xuan Tian Ming’s military accommodations were good, and Da Shun’s treasury was plentiful. There were four distinct seasons, and there was no shortage of food. Their current living conditions could not be compared to those from when they were in Qian Zhou.

　　Qian Zhou was cold and cloudy throughout the year, and everything was obtained through trade with Da Shun. Their supplies were rationed, and they could not even eat an extra bowl of food. Although Feng Zhao Lian was very benevolent toward them, there was a limit to the conditions. It could not even be compared to Da Shun.

　　These soldiers from Qian Zhou had already become blended together with Da Shun’s soldiers. They also harbored feelings of hatred for Gu Shu for frequently provoking Qian Zhou. Now that they heard that they would be fighting Gu Shu, they were all in a rush to get fighting.

　　Xuan Tian Ming was very satisfied with the soldiers’ feelings. Confidence was the most important part of a battle. Since ancient times, as long as one had enough confidence, one could fight the enemy at full strength. Also, his side did indeed have control of an absolute victory. The so-called “firearms” that Feng Yu Heng had brought out of her space gave him a hope of being able to conquer the entire world.

　　Of course, he did not tell the soldiers that the supplies had already fallen into Xuan Tian Mo’s hands. Without supplies arriving in a timely fashion, this was a life-threatening matter to the soldiers. If this was discovered by the soldiers, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow, but it was fortunate that he still had his own wife’s support. When leaving from the capital, he could bring along a portion of the supplies that would be enough to last three or four months.

　　At this time in the South, the situation was not as disastrous as the report had said. The South could no longer be protected, but it had not been completely conquered. Who knew if it was Gu Shu and the ten small countries being merciful or if the Southern Army had truly done some work in defending. In the South, with the small court built by Xuan Tian Mo as a border, it still had not been taken.

　　But that was just temporary. Even Lan Zhou’s prefect knew that the desert dwellers breaking into Da Shun was something that just took a moment. He needed to carefully consider how he would face this matter.