Dragon Canon

The Council of State, Western Jin capital.

The King of Jin sat at the head of the table, discussing with his ministers the redeployment of the state’s troops to various garrisons.

The Minister of War reported, “Since the beginning of this year, the garrison at Hanyang Pass has been repeatedly redeployed, and its ranks have never been fully replenished. Hanyang Pass is a strategic chokepoint in the western regions; its military preparedness should not be taken lightly. I believe we should redeploy troops from neighboring regions and conscript the private troops and household guards from local wealthy families to bolster the garrison.”

The Left Counselor replied, “Virtually all of the court’s combat-ready troops have been deployed to the north. The regions near the western regions are now garrisoned only by the elderly and infirm, and military discipline is lax. Sending them to Hanyang Pass would be futile and would merely waste provisions and rations. Therefore, we should primarily conscript private troops from neighboring regions and household guards from local wealthy families.”

Xu Gong, the new Minister of Revenue, stepped forward and said, “The state treasury is currently depleted. To conscript local private troops, we must provide appropriate compensation—but where will this silver come from? Furthermore, Hanyang Pass is currently defended by Lord Wei Yuan, the Military Commissioner of Western Pacification, who serves as the first line of defense of the western regions. The strategic importance of Hanyang Pass is no longer as critical as it was at the beginning of the year. Therefore, this humble minister believes it would be prudent to postpone this matter. We should first train a new army and wait until the state treasury is replenished before conscripting private troops.”

The King of Jin’s face was expressionless, devoid of even a hint of a smile.

Conscripting private troops from wealthy families into the state’s forces had been a common practice in the past and had on several occasions in history helped prolong the existence of Western Jin. According to convention, although compensation was required for conscripting private troops, it was merely a token amount. For example, ten private soldiers might normally cost ten tael of immortal silver, but upon conscription, the actual payment was typically only half a tael. Such conscription was, in effect, a form of tax levied on the wealthy families.

The area around Hanyang Pass had always been the Xu Clan’s sphere of influence, and all the wealthy families were intricately connected to the Xu Clan. Conscripting their private troops was effectively like cutting flesh from the Xu Clan’s own body. For Xu Gong, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, to say this meant that the Xu Clan had zero intention of paying to fill the gap at Hanyang Pass.

The members of the Council of State were all seasoned veterans; how could they fail to understand his meaning? However, Xu Gong was not wrong. With Wei Yuan’s Qingming standing on the front lines, it didn’t matter whether Hanyang Pass had more or fewer troops. If Wei Yuan prospered, then the Xu Clan would also benefit from his protection. Even if Wei Yuan were crushed by the Shamans, as long as Hanyang Pass remained, the Shamans would be unable to advance further.

In short, as long as Hanyang Pass stood, the Xu Clan would remain invincible.

Just then, an eunuch suddenly hurried in and handed an urgent dispatch to the King of Jin. When the King of Jin picked it up and glanced at it, his expression changed slightly, but it quickly returned to normal. He said, “This is an urgent dispatch from the western regions. Everyone, please take a look.”

The urgent report stated that the horse bandits of the Heaven Fighting Gang had launched a surprise attack on Hanyang Pass and broke into the fortified city. Wei Yuan, the Military Commissioner of Western Pacification, immediately dispatched a large army to suppress the bandits. The two sides were currently engaged in fierce combat within the walls of Hanyang Pass. The garrison at Hanyang Pass had been completely wiped out, and the fate of the newly appointed garrison commander and the deputy garrison commanders such as Xu Chunyuan, Fan Donghe, and others were unknown.

The report was passed from hand to hand among the ministers. A profound silence fell over the Council of State for a time.

Xu Gong stepped forward once more and declared in a loud voice, “Wei Yuan harbors wolfish ambitions. By crossing into another’s jurisdiction to suppress bandits, he has clearly shown his disloyal intentions! I implore Your Majesty to issue a decree immediately and dispatch a large army to apprehend Wei Yuan and bring him to the capital!”

However, Lü Zhongzhi, the Commander-in-chief of the Nine Gates, disagreed. “This matter is seriously peculiar; we must not act rashly. The Military Commissioner of Western Pacification is stationed on the front lines of the western regions. If a misstep were to occur, the gates to the western regions would be wide open, and the Shamans would surely advance unchecked once more. The situation at Hanyang Pass is also unclear. If, by any chance, the Shamans were to penetrate the interior of Ning Province, it would be a catastrophe of the highest order. I believe we should first dispatch an envoy to the western regions to ascertain the truth, and then make a decision.”

This was a wise and seasoned perspective, and the ministers all agreed. Xu Gong and the other two members of the Xu Clan had no choice but to acquiesce.

In truth, everyone knew this marked the beginning of Wei Yuan’s revenge. They just wasn’t saying it out loud. A chill ran through everyone’s hearts, though. No one had expected Wei Yuan to return, let alone strike with such ferocity upon his return. Consequently, they quietly raised their assessment of his threat level by several notches.

There was another unspoken on everyone’s mind: What did Western Jin possibly have left to launch a campaign against Wei Yuan?

By now, Hanyang Pass had fallen entirely into Wei Yuan’s hands.

Members of the Heaven Fighting Gang, dressed in their distinctive robes, were moving through the various districts within the fortified city—primarily the most dilapidated and run-down ones. They were addressing the countless refugees gathered there, saying, “The western gate is open, and someone is handing porridge not far beyond the pass. Hurry up and go!”

These Heaven Fighting Gang members were all carrying large backpacks, from which they pulled out mantous one by one to distribute. The mantous were small—no bigger than half a fist—but after the refugees, who had gone without food for days and were already on the brink of death, ate them, they miraculously regained their strength. Their faces flushed with color as they rushed toward the western gate.

The mantous had all been laced with a small amount of marching pill powder. When consumed, it greatly boosted one’s stamina and enabled one to trek long distances.

At the moment, all four gates of Hanyang Pass stood wide open, with no restrictions whatsoever on the refugees’ entry or exit. Moreover, news that porridge was being distributed at the western gate had spread among all the refugees. Thus, the refugees exited the western gate and disappeared into the distance.

In the eyes of Hanyang Pass’ residents and wealthy families, the situation inside the city now was eerie. From their point of view, Wei Yuan’s army had been driven back by the horse bandits and was now trapped behind the four gates, unable to venture out.

The city was overrun by the Heaven Fighting Gang horse bandits. They had driven out the soldiers Wei Yuan had stationed at the military encampments, then captured all tens of thousands of the garrison troops, escorted them out of the pass, and vanished without a trace.

The entire Hanyang Pass had been ransacked. Six or seven out of ten wealthy families within the pass had been stripped bare. Wei Yuan’s official troops had carried out the first wave of looting under the pretext of sweeping out the bandits, followed by a second wave by the Heaven Fighting Gang horse bandits, who came under the pretext of requisitioning grain.

The armory, treasury, and granaries inside the pass were all sealed off, and cartloads of goods were hauled out beyond the pass. It was unclear to whom these carts belonged.

The Heaven Fighting Gang plundered the city for an entire time. Only when Wei Yuan’s reinforcements arrived did they withdraw beyond the pass. Wei Yuan himself did not linger long. The very next day, he withdrew from Hanyang Pass and returned to the realm of Qingming.

It wasn’t until half a day after Wei Yuan’s departure that officials of all ranks began emergin from every corner of the city. They hurried to the garrison headquarters to pledge their loyalty, only to discover that the place had been reduced to ashes, and the garrison commanders had all vanished without a trace.

At that moment, several hundred li to the west, Wei Yuan was riding side by side with Fan Donghe.

Wei Yuan said, “General Fan, on your return this time, be sure to deliver my message. Also, if you ever fall into my hands again, I won’t give you a discount.”

Fan Donghe gave a wry smile and said, “Ever since Big Brother was imprisoned, I’ve long since lost all hope. From now on, I plan to take a minor post in my clan and simply live out the rest of my life in peace.”

Wei Yuan smiled and said, “You’re still young, General Fan. Who knows, you might make a breakthrough someday. If you ever want to seek revenge against me then, I’ll be waiting for you anytime.”

Fan Donghe shook his head repeatedly. “Lord Wei, your cultivation is profound, and you excel in one-on-one combat. I’m already no match for you now, and I certainly won’t have a chance in the future.”

“Oh right, there is one more thing. When you get back, tell them I said this: ‘The Xu Clan’s Avatars are all garbage.’”

Fan Donghe could only offer another wry smile and said, “The Xu Clan has many Avatars, and quite a few geniuses as well.”

Wei Yuan replied, “It doesn’t matter. As long as it’s one-on-one, I’m not afraid of anyone. If anyone disagrees, let them come find me. But time waits for no one—they’ll never get another chance once I’ve become an Avatar.”

Moments later, Fan Donghe set off alone toward the east. Even now, he still felt somewhat dazed.

It hadn’t been all that long since he and Xu Zhongxing had attacked Qingming.Back then, although Wei Yuan was already quite formidable, Fan Donghe had felt he could still defeat the young man in battle, much less Xu Zhongxing.

However, the Shaman’s Great Karmic Curse had failed to kill Wei Yuan, and when he returned, he revealed that his cultivation had shot all the way to the peak of the Dao Foundation stage. In this battle at Hanyang Pass, Wei Yuan had singlehandedly defeated four Avatars from the Xu Clan. Aside from the one who escaped, he had captured one alive, slew another, and forced Fan Donghe to surrender. It was a complete victory to say the least.

That said, although Wei Yuan kept insisting he had come alone, Fan Donghe couldn’t help but feel something was amiss when he thought of Wei Yuan’s two Avatar-stage puppets, the cat and the snake.

Wei Yuan had withdrawn his forces less than half a day earlier when Zhao Tong appeared before Hanyang Pass. Looking at the wide-open city gates, the deserted gatehouses, and the near-empty streets, he could scarcely believe his eyes. When he walked a full circuit around the city walls and saw that only the bases remained of the eight giant crossbows, his expression finally changed.

No sooner had Wei Yuan returned to the realm than he received word that Zhao Tong was seeking an audience.

Wei Yuan immediately rushed to Guest Town—or more accurately, the Eastern Guest Town. As soon as he saw Zhao Tong, he walked over to the eunuch with a smile and said, “Your timing is perfect, Eunuch Zhao. I’ve just acquired a new batch of trinkets. Would you please do me a favor and pick out a few first?”

Before Zhao Tong could reply, Wei Yuan waved his hand, and several attendants filed in, each carrying a large tray. The trays were carrying entire piles of jewelry that glowed faintly in the light.

Zhao Tong naturally had a keen eye. He could tell at a glance that the trays were filled with high-grade pearls, jade, and emeralds. Suffice to say, they threatened his self-control the moment they made an appearance.

Wei Yuan pulled Zhao Tong over to the trays, cupped the jewels in both hands, and began stuffing them into the eunuch’s robe pockets.

Though Zhao Tong had seen it all, this was the first time he’d ever experienced a scene like this. He repeated, “This won’t do, this won’t do! This, this is simply not right!”

But Wei Yuan never stopped for even an instant. In the blink of an eye, he had stuffed the man’s pockets so full that even forcing more in wouldn’t fit. So, he took the pouch carrying the royal decree from Zhao Tong’s hands, set it aside, and began stuffing jewels into the very pouch that had held the decree. Only after filling the yellow silk pouch to the brim did Wei Yuan tie it shut and shove it into Zhao Tong’s hands.

“This, this is...” Zhao Tong stammered while cradling the jewel-filled pouch that once contained the royal decree. A few gemstones kept falling out of his pockets, bouncing on the floor and making the room sparkle.

Finally, Zhao Tong let out a “Hai!” and spoke candidly, “Lord Wei, I can understand that you want to vent your frustration, but why did you dismantle those eight giant crossbows? We can’t possibly afford to build their replacements at the moment.”

Wei Yuan grinned. “What do you mean? The eight giant crossbows were dismantled by the Heaven Fighting Gang—It has nothing to do with me.”

Zhao Tong stamped his foot and said, “Lord Wei, a matter of this magnitude is no laughing matter! Without those eight giant crossbows, Hanyang Pass is no more than a decoration. When the Shamans arrive, won’t it be a walk in the park for them? Besides, each of these giant crossbows cost one point five million taels to build. The state treasury is currently empty, and we simply cannot afford to build new ones. For the sake of the bigger picture, please retrieve those giant crossbows and return them to us!”

Wei Yuan replied, “The commanderies behind Hanyang Pass all belong to the Xu Clan. How much revenue can His Majesty possibly collect from them in a year? And why should you worry for their sake, Eunuch Zhao? Besides, with my Qingming forces holding the front line, the rear can naturally rest easy. But if one day something happens to Qingming and we can no longer hold the line, the Shamans’ army will march straight through and naturally smash every pot and pan in the rear to the smithereens. Heh, if I don’t fare well, then no one else will either!”

Seeing Zhao Tong’s complexion alternating between pale and ashen, Wei Yuan grinned and said, “Don’t you see, Eunuch Zhao? Qingming is the bigger picture now. Anyone who crosses me or Qingming are the ones disregarding the bigger picture!”