Chapter 161 - 134: Imperial City of the Northern Barbarians
Chapter 161: Chapter 134: Imperial City of the Northern Barbarians
The Seventh Prince’s expression changed instantly upon reading the message. He couldn’t believe the Celestial King Stronghold actually had such a close relationship with Lu Yuan.
For his sake, they had even gone so far as to shadow the Imperial Guard.
This was tantamount to playing with fire. If they had actually made a move, the entire Celestial King Stronghold would have risked being wiped out in an instant.
And yet, they had done it anyway.
Just what kind of power did Lu Yuan have to command such loyalty?
’Back then, if I had recruited Lu Yuan, wouldn’t the Celestial King Stronghold be in my hands by now?’
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
A sliver of regret finally took root in his heart.
But then his thoughts turned to the Prince Polu Royal Mansion, and his expression softened slightly.
Besides, Zhao Yu’s older brother was now on good terms with him.
He was hailed as the most gifted individual since the Unparalleled Marquis.
His future prospects were just as limitless.
At this thought, the sliver of regret in his heart was inevitably suppressed.
On the Wasteland, Lu Yuan climbed into the carriage. The distinct, sweet scent of a young woman greeted him. Xiao Hua was sitting inside, her skin glowing, so fair it was almost translucent with a rosy blush.
She wore a black Round Dragon Robe, and her eyes sparkled with delight.
She was overjoyed to see Lu Yuan again.
Lu Yuan glanced at Xiao Hua and said with a soft chuckle, "The little girl from back then has become a young woman now."
"Yuan, you’re just teasing. Look how old you are," Xiao Hua said, her lips pursed to hide a smile that still reached her eyes.
Lu Yuan lifted the carriage curtain and saw the Dayong forces already beginning to withdraw.
Wu Han, following orders, was making way for them.
A moment later, once the Marquis of Mucheng and his men had left, Lu Yuan finally lowered the curtain. He looked at Xiao Hua and said, "I need to go say a few words."
"Are the people from the Celestial King Stronghold your friends?" Xiao Hua asked, her curiosity piqued.
After all, it had been Lu Yuan, leading the men of the Celestial King Stronghold, who had saved her and her mother.
"You could say that," Lu Yuan said, already hopping down from the carriage.
Once he was clear of the Northern Barbarian procession, Wu Han dismounted and jogged over.
"Are you going to the Northern Barbarian lands?" he asked in a low voice.
"Yes. I owe a huge favor this time, and besides, there’s nowhere else to go. If the Celestial King Stronghold wants to grow, it needs the backing of a royal court. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Northern Barbarians or Dayong, but we need one of them. Otherwise, our future development will be difficult.
For the time being, don’t focus on external expansion. Just concentrate on managing the stronghold," Lu Yuan instructed.
Wu Han nodded. "And what about your mother?"
"I’ll come back for her once I’m settled. I don’t know what the situation is like in the Northern Barbarian lands right now," Lu Yuan said grimly.
’The Celestial King Stronghold is now the hegemon of the buffer zone.’
’My mother will be safer here, all things considered.’
’Another thing is, I don’t even know what arrangements they have for me there.’
’If I take her with me and something happens, it will be difficult to handle.’
’Even though I know Xiao Hua has a high status among the Northern Barbarians, I don’t know the specifics of her position.’
"Alright. You can rest assured about your mother. Nothing will happen to her here." Wu Han was confident about this.
The Celestial King Stronghold now had a fighting force of two hundred thousand men.
Even if a powerful expert were to attack, they wouldn’t be completely defenseless. They had enough men to wear down any attacker by sheer attrition.
"Wei Yong, Old Huang, Zhang He. You three will come with me. Leave matters here to Wu Han." Lu Yuan was traveling a long way; he needed a few trustworthy men to handle things for him.
They might not be for combat, but at the very least, they could gather information.
"Yes, My Lord." The three of them had followed Lu Yuan from the very beginning. By now, Wei Yong and Zhang He had both reached the Bone Forging realm and were on the verge of Tendon Refining. Old Huang had long ago reached the Entry Level.
However, he was getting on in years, and could only hope to break through to the next level if he found suitable resources.
His strength wasn’t exceptional, but his loyalty was invaluable.
When Lu Yuan had asked them to escort his mother, the three had not hesitated for a moment.
Wei Yong had even moved his entire family over.
They now lived in the Celestial King Stronghold, determined to follow Lu Yuan to the bitter end.
After giving these orders, Lu Yuan smiled at Wu Han. "I’m leaving now. You should head back as well."
With that, he walked straight back to the Northern Barbarian carriage.
As for Wu Han, he led his army and began to withdraw.
By the time Lu Yuan was back in the carriage, the Celestial King Stronghold’s forces were already a good distance away.
Inside the carriage, even though Lu Yuan and Xiao Hua hadn’t seen each other in some time, there was no awkwardness between them. He opened the curtain, looked outside, and said, "I’ve long heard tales of the Northern Barbarian Beast Riders. Now, I finally get to see them for myself.
They truly deserve their reputation as the world’s strongest Iron Cavalry."
Only now did Lu Yuan get a chance to observe them closely.
These Warriors all wore Fine Copper Armor and Asura Masks that revealed only their eyes.
They carried scimitars at their waists and held long spears, while their warhorses were laden with flails and bows.
The massive mounts had scales, with key areas further protected by iron plates.
Their auras were powerful. The weakest among them were at the Tendon Refining realm, and many were even at the Organ Refining realm.
The leading general, from what Lu Yuan could tell, was at least a master of the Divine Origin Realm.
"Do you like them? If you do, I’ll give you a contingent to command in the future," Xiao Hua said with a grin.
The Northern Barbarian Beast Riders weren’t as numerous as the Dayong Imperial Guard, which numbered eight hundred thousand.
After all, they had suffered heavy losses, and the court was now short on silver, but they could still muster four or five hundred thousand.
Xiao Hua and her mother controlled more than half of them.
It wouldn’t be a problem to give Lu Yuan a contingent.
"Heh, such bold words. It seems your status among the Northern Barbarians is quite high," Lu Yuan chuckled.
"Of course it is. I told you I would protect you from now on," Xiao Hua said, her eyes turning serious.
Lu Yuan nodded, a gratified look on his face. "Alright. I’ll be in your care then."
"Now that you’re here in the Northern Barbarian lands, you have to stay in the Royal City with me," Xiao Hua said softly, in a wheedling tone.
For a moment, Lu Yuan wasn’t sure how to respond.
Just then, however, a voice came from outside the carriage. "Your Highness, the Shengman have amassed a large army at Ancient River Pass. It looks like they’re preparing to advance. Her Majesty requests your immediate return to discuss defense strategies."
"Understood," came Xiao Hua’s cool reply.
Immediately, the carriage picked up speed.
Lu Yuan looked at Xiao Hua. "You’re the Crown Princess of the Northern Barbarians?"
She nodded, a helpless look on her face. She had wanted to surprise him after they reached the Imperial City, but her identity had been revealed ahead of schedule.
"Then, your mother is...?"
"The Empress of the Northern Barbarians, of course. My mother has missed you terribly. For the past year or two, she’s mentioned you every time she has a free moment," Xiao Hua said softly.
Though Lu Yuan was stunned, he kept his expression neutral and simply nodded.
’But he understood in his heart that this time, he was truly tied to the Northern Barbarians for good.’
Then, as if a thought occurred to him, he asked, "How are things with the Northern Barbarians now? Are you and your mother doing alright here?"
"How should I put it... In some ways, things are wonderful. We have fine clothes, exquisite food, we lack for nothing. But in other ways, things are truly awful. When my grandfather ascended the throne, he offered generous terms to all the Northern Barbarian tribes to temporarily stabilize the situation.
Now that my mother has inherited the throne, those same people have become too powerful to control.
They openly agree to the Imperial City’s commands but secretly defy them.
Many of them are high-ranking nobles, and they control about a third of the Imperial Guard.
Then there are the external threats. The Shengman and the Ancient Barbarians have always been a grave concern. Their combined strength is slightly greater than ours, and they wage war with us almost every year over grazing lands.
On top of that, our old alliance with the Great Yu has been dissolved, and relations between us are deteriorating.
War could break out at any moment. My mother is under immense pressure."
Xiao Hua’s voice trailed off. She continued, "The kingdoms on this continent have always been this way. The weak have their lands plundered, and when they become strong again, they plunder in return.
The Northern Barbarians are at their weakest point right now, and this is the most complicated situation we’ve ever faced. My mother and I don’t know how long we can hold out."
"Don’t worry," Lu Yuan said softly. "I’m here now. I’ll help you and your mother."
"Mm." Xiao Hua nodded.
For the rest of the journey, the carriage traveled smoothly. Lu Yuan couldn’t feel the slightest jolt, but when he looked outside, he saw the grasslands rushing past.
Here, he saw endless steppes giving way to cities that seemed to rise straight from the earth. These cities were no less magnificent or sturdy than those of Dayong.
Floating Array Patterns shimmered around them.
Their populations were substantial as well.
Whenever Xiao Hua saw Lu Yuan’s curiosity, she would offer an explanation.
Two-thirds of the Northern Barbarian territory was Wasteland, bordering Dayong and home to numerous tribes. The remaining third consisted of fertile plains, highly suitable for habitation.
This was where the cities were built, and where almost all the Northern Barbarian nobility resided.
「The next day」
Lu Yuan and his party finally arrived at the Imperial City. The carriage was truly marvelous; its speed was so incredible it was as if it could shrink the very ground beneath it.
It had to be said, every one of the great powers of the day had incredibly deep foundations.
Some things were simply beyond his reach in the past.
Only now, having come to the Northern Barbarian lands, did he feel he was finally getting a glimpse of the true upper echelons of power.
The Northern Barbarians’ Imperial City was vast, exuding a rugged, untamed grandeur.
It was by no means smaller than the Imperial City of Dayong.
Atop the high city walls stood fully armored Northern Barbarian Tiger Warriors. They specialized in infantry warfare, and though not as famous as the Beast Riders, they were an elite force in their own right.
It was said they were masters of siege defense.
With two hundred thousand of them stationed in the Imperial City, not even the greatest master in the world could easily break through such a Defense.
Lu Yuan’s carriage entered the Imperial City and proceeded deep into its heart, eventually pulling up to the imperial palace.
It was a massive complex of buildings, almost the size of a provincial capital.
Masters could be seen everywhere.
When the carriage entered the inner palace, Lu Yuan said, a little embarrassed, "Is it really appropriate for me to enter the inner palace directly?"
Xiao Hua covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. "Weren’t you my next-door neighbor back then? Only now you feel it’s inappropriate? From now on, the Northern Barbarian lands are your home. No one here will be more noble than you.
You can go anywhere you please.
You saved my mother’s life several times. That merit alone is enough to grant you the title of Prince.
There is no greater merit than saving the sovereign. Without you, my mother and I would never have made it back to the Northern Barbarian lands.
We are family. My mother has long considered you her most beloved junior. She even said she wants to add your name to the imperial clan register."
Lu Yuan was stunned.
’He had thought that with his connection to Xiao Hua, his treatment in the Northern Barbarian lands would be better than it was in Dayong, but he had never imagined it would be this good.’
Seeing his reaction, Xiao Hua’s smile widened. "After you are officially granted the title of Prince, Mother will likely give you duties to perform. You must do well. But I have one condition: you must reside permanently in the Imperial City. You’re not allowed to leave."
"Fine, I’ll do as you say," Lu Yuan said slowly, a serious look crossing his face. "But if it’s a matter of leading troops into battle, you can’t stop me."
Although she was reluctant to agree, she could only nod at his words.
Then she said, "Come on, let’s go see Mother in the inner palace. She just sent a sound transmission urging you to hurry over."
Without another word, she disregarded all propriety and pulled Lu Yuan by the hand, leading him deeper into the inner palace.
The palace attendants watched in silent shock.
After all, everyone knew that the Crown Princess was exceptionally talented, but also cold and arrogant, never giving anyone the time of day. Recently, she had put countless children of the Imperial City’s nobility in their place, leaving them complaining endlessly.
They trembled at the mere mention of her name.
And now, to see her pulling a man by the hand through the inner palace—how could they not be astonished?
As for Lu Yuan, he too felt a little anticipation at the thought of seeing the Xiao Clan.