Chapter 155 - 131: The Coming Storm
Chapter 155: Chapter 131: The Coming Storm
It had now become one of the undisputed hegemons.
The entire stronghold commanded two hundred thousand soldiers. Among them, tens of thousands had reached the Entry Level thanks to a massive influx of resources.
It controlled more than ten major and minor trade routes.
The monthly tribute it received alone amounted to over ten million taels of silver.
And all of this was, in turn, converted back into resources to support the army.
It had entered a virtuous cycle.
In addition to this, Wu Han and Yang Xiao had successively broken through to the Innate Realm.
Because Lu Yuan had been personally overseeing operations for most of the past six months, some experts had also been drawn to join them.
Besides the five Innate masters, including Elder Qiansun, who had been thrown into the Celestial Prison, they had also accepted the surrender of more than twenty Innate masters after destroying numerous other strongholds, and had successively recruited over ten more Innate Experts.
Now, the number of experts in the Celestial King Stronghold had reached over thirty, approaching forty.
They also had eight Void Manipulation masters, all of whom were renowned experts from Beyond the Passes.
There were even two powerhouses at the Gathering Pill Realm.
The Celestial King Stronghold of today had a resounding reputation.
It was already a paramount existence in the Jianghu.
Besides the Celestial King Stronghold, the only other powers in the buffer zone that could compete with it were those backed by the Eldest Prince, the Second Prince, and the Northern Barbarians.
As for the other factions, they were far behind in comparison.
In short, the most lucrative territories in the buffer zone had largely been carved up.
Lu Yuan completed his inspection tour and led his army back to Icefield Fortress.
Once the army finished making camp, Lu Yuan rode his warhorse alone.
Just as he reached the city gates, Zhou Hongling came out to greet him.
A flash of joy crossed her eyes as she looked at him, but it was tinged with worry. She seemed much more haggard.
"You’ve worked hard these past days," Zhou Hongling said to Lu Yuan.
"Heh, it was alright. The gains were considerable, though," he replied with a smile.
In truth, he had gained a great deal from this tour, far more than he had anticipated.
However, Zhou Hongling thought Lu Yuan was referring to military merits. She pursed her lips and said, "The military merits are indeed great, but they come with thorns. Why did you have to be so thorough?"
Lu Yuan smiled and nodded. "It’s not that I wanted to, but I had no choice."
After saying this, he followed Zhou Hongling toward the city center.
When they arrived outside the General’s Mansion, Zhou Hongling asked softly, "Would you like to come in for a bit?"
It was currently afternoon, not yet time for dinner.
"Let’s wait until tonight. I’ll come to your residence, and we can have a couple of drinks," Lu Yuan said, taking a deep breath.
"Alright, I’ll be waiting," Zhou Hongling nodded.
She then returned to the General’s Mansion.
Lu Yuan returned to his own estate. Moments after he stepped into the front hall, Zhou He rushed in. "Your mother has been safely moved to the Celestial King Stronghold."
Hearing this news, Lu Yuan took a deep breath.
He could finally rest easy.
In the past six months or so, he had offended far too many nobles, and now the buffer zone was temporarily stable.
Xiao Heng had purged all the disobedient Border Army Generals, replacing them with his own men and effectively eliminating the corruption in the Northern Border. Because of this, Lu Yuan didn’t know if it was still safe for him to return.
Therefore, before he had even returned to Icefield Fortress, he had secretly arranged for his people to come back, conceal his mother’s identity, and escort her to the Celestial King Stronghold.
The official story was that his mother had gone to visit relatives. He had even kept it a secret from Zhou Hongling.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, but the Zhou Family was a major clan, and he couldn’t drag her into this matter.
Zhou Hongling was a direct daughter of the Zhou Family’s main line. Her status was very sensitive, and at times, she could even represent the Zhou Family.
So, involving her in something this significant would only bring her harm.
From the moment Lu Yuan returned from Xirong, he had been cast in the role of a blade, forced forward by events beyond his control.
’In the past, I thought Xiao Heng valued me. Now that I think about it, he was just missing a sharp blade. Perhaps this time, I’ll be abandoned again. But since I’m much stronger than before and my status is higher, I’ll probably be made the scapegoat. I can’t be overlooked like some minor figure, the way I was in the past. If I’m wrong, that’s for the best; I can bring my mother back after a while. If things are truly as I suspect, at least I’ll have an escape route.’
At this moment, a rare silence fell over the hall.
After a moment, Zhou He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. "Are you afraid the imperial court will use you as an outlet for the nobles’ anger?"
"Heh. The court nobles spent nearly two years plotting in the buffer zone, investing vast resources, manpower, and materials. I personally crushed their last glimmer of hope."
"I also took down a good number of the Captains from the Northern Border’s fortress cities who were colluding with them."
"Now that the buffer zone is stabilizing, what do you think will happen to me?"
"The Yong Emperor has to offer up someone to appease these nobles."
"Xiao Heng is his most capable and trusted man, so nothing will happen to him. As for me, the General of the Northern Patrol, the one fighting on the front lines... if I’m not the one to take the fall, who will?"
"Sacrificing a mere Border Army General like me can quell the nobles’ fury, and the Emperor achieves his goals as well. Don’t you think that’s a great bargain?"
The Lu Yuan of today, after three years of struggle, was no longer the ignorant Border Army foot soldier he once was.
Beside him, Zhou He said nothing. The atmosphere grew heavy.
After a moment, he clenched his fists and said, "If that’s the case, let’s just rebel! The General definitely won’t stop you. We can take the brothers straight to the Celestial King Stronghold."
Lu Yuan shook his head. "I thought about that on the way back. Our men all have families. On the battlefield, they’d take a blade for me, they’d die for me.