bookpub Chapter 2724 To help or not to help?
Chapter 2724 To help or not to help?
Chapter 2724 To help or not to help?
"it is good."
Soon, Immortal Mingke received Ling Jinbao's reply.
"Three days ago, when Shen's army attacked Wancheng, two prisoners revealed this secret in exchange for their lives. After a series of verifications, the Crown Prince confirmed it to be true and launched a night raid on Zhao Shuo's camp, pursuing them all the way here."
"The Earth Mother arrived at the Dragon-Trapping Cave five days ago, and Prince Yue discovered his son's killer three days ago?" The time difference between these two events is only two days.
"Yes!"
Honestly, how common are these coincidences? They're everywhere in the world.
Liu Qingdao had some doubts.
Alas, even if there is a conspiracy here, why didn't the Heavenly Demon or other enemies attack the Earth Mother when they discovered that she had entered the Dragon-Trapping Cave? Instead, they used Zhao Shuo to lure He Yue over.
Why go through all that trouble?
Unfortunately, Zhao Shuo was He Yue's son's killer, and Zhao Shuo was stationed not far from Kunlongmu.
The prerequisite for creating such a coincidence is that someone can calculate the exact time when the Earth Mother will appear in the Dragon-Trapping Cave, so that they can make arrangements and plans ahead of time.
So we come back to the previous question:
Is there really anyone who can figure it out?
Theoretically impossible, Liu Qingdao believed. Even the Emperor himself might not be able to say for sure, since he wasn't there in person and couldn't personally investigate the situation at the Dragon-Trapping Cave.
But right now, one choice is imminent:
He Yue has already asked Cang Yan for help. Should we help him or not?
Personally and emotionally, He Yue is the Emperor's younger brother, and He Changjue is the Emperor's nephew.
Liu Qingdao knew that the Emperor and his father He Chunhua had some conflicts, but it had nothing to do with He Yue. He had a deep affection for his younger brother. Although they were separated by thousands of miles and could not reunite often, they had been exchanging letters and gifts over the years.
From both a legal and ethical standpoint, the State of Shen is a crucial asset for Cang Yan in his efforts to counter Bega and gather intelligence in the west. He Yue is the crown prince of Shen, and his request cannot be ignored.
Could Liu Qingdao really make the Earth Mother and Immortal Mingke stand idly by, or immediately burrow underground and leave?
Although his idea was somewhat presumptuous, if Liu Qingdao put himself in the emperor's shoes, he would probably also order his subordinates on the Earth Mother Plain to assist the Crown Prince of Shen in taking down his enemy.
As the leader of the Bingyuan Division, Liu Qingdao had handled state affairs for many years and deeply understood the meaning of "weighing the pros and cons." There were always valid reasons for whether or not to do a major decision. At such times, a difficult choice had to be made.
He hesitated for another dozen breaths, then resolutely said:
"Mobilize the forces on the Earth Mother Plain to help him capture Zhao Shuo, the sooner the better!"
If you're going to help, then cut the Gordian knot.
The faster it is done, the fewer problems will arise later.
After Cangyan established its kingdom, He Yue visited Jucheng three times, each time being received by Liu Qingdao, so the two had some contact. Liu Qingdao had also heard about He Yue's past, and without Mingke Xianren needing to say more, he could guess that He Yue must have gone deep behind enemy lines alone this time, frantically pursuing Zhao Shuo.
Doing this is a major taboo in military strategy.
The sooner we help him capture Zhao Shuo, the sooner He Yue will be safe. The Emperor will probably decide the same thing, right?
Immortal Mingke: "Yes!"
"Send nine hundred men to assist in the battle," Liu Qingdao continued. "You stay behind to guard Pingyuan, and let Ling Jinbao accompany you into battle."
Immortal Mingke agreed, rose and left the Panlong Secret Realm to muster his troops.
Liu Qingdao let out a breath. In the end, He Changjue was killed by the Heavenly Demon. The entire Emperor's family was entangled with the Heavenly Demon for their entire lives.
……
The Earth Mother Plains are garrisoned by 1,500 troops, including 500 elite Black Armor soldiers and 1,000 Dragon God Army soldiers, for defense, riot control, and handling various emergencies. The Earth Mother Plains is, after all, a mobile fortress, not a true plain.
At Mingke Immortal's command, Commander Yang Sheng gathered nine hundred men to intercept Zhao Shuo's army, while the remaining six hundred men continued to guard the Earth Mother Plain.
Just as Ling Jinbao was interacting with He Yue and Immortal Ming Ke was consulting Liu Qingdao, the Baling army continued their rapid advance. Powered by Swiftness Talismans and various supernatural abilities, they moved at an astonishing speed, reaching only twelve or thirteen miles from the edge of the Dragon-Trapping Mound, and were rapidly closing in.
Kunlonghu, or Liaotianyuan, is a vast area with dense forests and rugged, winding roads. It would take more than an hour to ride a horse from the lake where the Earth Mother resides to the edge of the gully. If Cang Yan's army had obediently ridden there on horseback, Zhao Shuo's army would have already infiltrated Kunlonghu and begun guerrilla warfare in the forest.
Therefore, Immortal Mingke could only summon the Earth Mother's little stone golem avatar and point at the sand table, making demands of it:
"Can you help our garrison get to the edge of Kunlonghu as quickly as possible and intercept this enemy force?"
The little stone man's clone's eyes flashed green, as if it were evaluating a solution, and then it said:
"can."
Although the Earth Mother herself has gone to sleep, this clone can still use some of her supernatural powers and talents.
It led the garrison to the plain and pointed to two large granaries, saying, "Go in."
The granaries on the Earth Mother Plain are all made of local materials and cast entirely from stone. Granaries that would take ten days to build elsewhere are here sculpted by the Earth Mother herself and are stacked perfectly without a single gap.
It's currently the off-season for farming, so these two granaries are temporarily idle; each can hold four or five hundred people.
Yang Sheng led the team inside, and the barn closed its doors by itself and began to sink.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, they sank into the ground.
Just a few dozen breaths later, on a mound at the edge of the Dragon-Trapping Cave, the ground suddenly moved, the red soil was pushed upwards, and several large trees fell down.
Then, two pointed barns emerged from the ground.
As soon as the door opened, Yang Sheng and the others paused for a few breaths to catch their breath. Once the motion sickness from the rapid movement subsided, they left the granary, calmed their mounts, and then charged towards Zhao Shuo's army.
Meanwhile, on the Earth Mother Plain, the little stone man's clone said blankly, "Delivered."
Good heavens, it's faster than a flying immortal! Immortal Mingke gave it a thumbs up: "Truly worthy of being called the Earth Mother."
After arriving at the Dragon-Trapping Ridge, the Earth Mother will temporarily connect the plains and the Dragon-Trapping Ridge in order to draw nourishment from her birthplace. She also possesses an innate talent for controlling earth, so she can extend this talent to a limited extent in the Dragon-Trapping Ridge. Although she may not be able to cause earth-shattering changes here, she can easily shrink the earth to an inch.
He Yue's army pursued Zhao Shuo from the southeast to the northwest, while Cang Yan's army, which had just emerged from Kunlonghu, rushed from the northwest to the southeast, aiming to join forces with He Yue to launch a pincer attack on Zhao Shuo!
Cang Yan's army and Zhao Shuo were heading in opposite directions, and they met in just a few dozen breaths.
The battle then commenced.
The orders received by Cang Yan's army were not merely to delay the enemy in preparation for He Yue's attack, but to launch a full-scale offensive immediately.
So when they appeared, it was the classic opening with two rounds of mounted archery, arrows raining down, and then they charged forward wielding swords and spears.
……
Longhu West Town, Inn.
There weren't many guests at the inn today, just a few on the first floor. Nobody went up to the second floor.
The spacious guest room deep in the corner had its doors tightly shut. Duanmu Heng stared intently at the image received by the Heavenly Eye from the ever-burning lamp spirit.