Chapter 581

Chapter 581: Attach

North of Deng State, there is a continuous mountain range called Lingyun Mountain. Lingyun Mountain’s shape is L-shaped, marking the border between the three kingdoms of Immortal, Chen, and Zhou.

Lingyun Mountain starts from the south bank of the Qing River. When the Immortal Kingdom was destroyed, the remaining Qing River Legion tried to escape downstream but was stopped by the Zhou Dynasty. They had to abandon their ships and enter Lingyun Mountain to meet up with the border guards of Lingyun Mountain.

At this time, a secret meeting was taking place among the leaders of the Qing River Legion.

"General Yun, the ambassador from Datong has been urging for a response again today. If we delay any longer, they will leave. A decision must be made."

"Can’t evade anymore?"

"We can’t. If the ambassador leaves, our Immortal Kingdom will lose all hope and be enslaved by the Zhou Dynasty for generations. General Yun, please make a decision."

A senior general under the command of Yun Ye, the leader of the Qing River Legion, said, and everyone’s expression turned melancholy.

When they first escaped to Lingyun Mountain, Zhou Dynasty quickly made contact with them and offered support. They were grateful, thinking that the Zhou Dynasty’s actions were noble and selfless.

However, slowly they realized that things were turning sour. The support from the Zhou Dynasty was not given freely, they couldn’t even achieve a fair exchange, it was pure exploitation.

Lingyun Mountain had rough terrain and didn’t produce much. The Zhou Dynasty traded away Immortal Kingdom’s proud martial arts skills, Alchemy heritage, along with numerous riches and children in exchange for food, cloth, salt, weapons, and more.

Apart from the unequal trades, there were a few increasingly arrogant acts of bullying. Since the Qing River Legion’s lifeline was in the hands of the Zhou Dynasty, the bullying from Zhou Dynasty towards them was severe.

"How can we not want to leave, but can we actually leave?"

Yun Ye sighed. To the north was the Qing River, to the west were the Demon Human, and to the east was the Zhou Dynasty. In the south was Datong Country, but they had to pass through thousands of miles of mountains. These mountains were a desolate area, with no roads. How could tens of thousands of the Qing River Legion pass through, even if they could, what about their families and the common people?

General Yun, staying would also mean death. The ambitious nature of the Zhou Dynasty is well known. They have already plundered seventy to eighty percent of our Immortal Kingdom’s martial arts skills. Once we have nothing left to exchange, we will only be left to be cannon fodder.

In recent years, the strength of the Demon Human has grown stronger, they are also fighting against Datong Country in the south. If Datong Country is annihilated as well, then our human race will have no more chances."

"General Yun, General Chen is right. The reason why our Immortal Kingdom failed years ago was because of the Zhou Dynasty. Chen Kingdom stood by and watched, letting us fight alone. Now, if we don’t unite, we will also be wiped out."

"General Yun, living in misery and surviving is no way to live. It has been over twenty years, we are all getting old. But do our descendants also have to serve as dogs to the Zhou Dynasty?"

"If Datong Country becomes like the Zhou Dynasty over there."

"General Yun, there’s a fifty percent chance of meeting good people in Datong Country, but the Zhou Dynasty is one hundred percent bad."

The high-ranking officials advised one after another, they were already very unhappy with the Zhou Dynasty. Previously, there was no chance to break free, but now that there is an opportunity, they must seize it no matter what.

Seeing everyone’s firm attitude, Yun Ye no longer hesitated. The next day, he went to find the envoy from Datong Country.

The envoy from Datong Country is called Wang Xingzhi, a descendant of the original state’s royal family. With great courage, he crossed the Lingyun Mountain and convinced most of the senior members of the Qing River Legion.

"Lord, if we agree to your country’s demands, how can we ensure our safety? I need to take away not only my soldiers but also the people of my Immortal Kingdom."

Yun Ye said to Wang Xingzhi that they have almost figured out the changes in attitudes, and now they need to discuss how to ensure their safety. After all, by doing this, it’s almost like betraying the Zhou Dynasty, which the Zhou Dynasty would definitely not allow.

"General Yun, as long as you follow our instructions, we can ensure that the vast majority of you can safely leave the control of the Zhou Dynasty."

"Please explain clearly, Lord."

"Alright, General Yun, please look, this is a map of Lingyun Mountain. Lingyun Mountain stretches thousands of miles from north to south, cutting through Immortal Kingdom and Zhou Dynasty. Within these thousands of miles, there are a total of eighteen mountain passes that lead directly to Zhou Dynasty. Currently, your army is guarding these eighteen mountain passes.

The plan for your army to withdraw has been prepared for over half a year. We have explored dozens of mountain paths in the southern forests of Lingyun Mountain, and set up hundreds of food supply points…"

Wang Xingzhi took out a map and pointed it out to Yun Ye one by one. According to the plan of the Datong Army, Qing River Legion of the Immortal Kingdom doesn’t need everyone to retreat to Datong Country. Only about half of the troops in the north need to move to the south. Among the eighteen mountain passes, Qing River Legion will only keep three, and the rest will be given to Zhou Dynasty to defend on their own.

The Qing River Legion will all move to the northern part of Deng State. The Datong Army will provide them with all the necessary food and supplies, and help them cultivate Lingyun Mountain, so they can become self-sufficient.

Wang Xingzhi also explained the detailed plan, including how to withdraw, all carefully planned. He emphasized that Qing River Legion can leave behind all supplies, as long as the people leave. Datong Country will compensate for everything. The entire withdrawal plan will take more than half a year.

········

In the Spring of the year 3878 in the Xia calendar.

Lin Jiang visited Deng State, and Yun Ye from the Qing River Legion came with the senior officials to pay their respects. They are not part of Datong Country, but are still people of the Immortal Kingdom, though currently in a subordinate position.

Yun Ye presented the top three martial arts techniques of the Immortal Kingdom as a gift to Lin Jiang. Upon learning this, Lin Jiang laughed heartily three times and returned five top-level martial arts techniques to him.

In Datong Country, there’s no shortage of top martial arts techniques left by Lin Jiang for the Martial Arts Academy. He has nearly twenty of them and freely shares with everyone.

Yun Ye was greatly moved by Lin Jiang’s actions, and his enthusiasm afterwards was evident.

"Qing River Legion has three Martial Saints, Great Wall Legion has four Martial Saints. This is the remaining forces of the Immortal Kingdom, yet our Datong Country only has nine Martial Saints. It’s shameful to see our lack in comparison."

After seeing Yun Ye off, Lin Jiang sighed in front of everyone. He expressed embarrassment that the Immortal Kingdom still has nine Martial Saints while Datong Country, with a population of seven to eight billion, only has nine. Four of them are not even willing to serve as officials, preferring wealth over martial arts. It’s truly shameful to admit this.

Your Majesty, there’s no need for self-deprecation. Datong Country is newly established and has faced internal turmoil for many years, leaving many citizens struggling to survive without enough food. How can they focus on martial arts practice? Can we rely solely on the few aristocratic families? How many of them can endure the hardships of training?

Now things have changed. Your Majesty’s wise policies have brought peace to the nation. People are becoming wealthier, life is improving, and more are engaging in martial arts practice and scholar studies. I heard from my classmates at the Martial Arts Academy that this year’s new disciples show exceptional talent, some are even extraordinary. In a few years, we will see a surge in skilled individuals.

After Lin Jiang finished speaking, a young official stood up and criticized the aristocratic families, earning nods of agreement from Xie Yunfeng and others around Lin Jiang. They seemed unaffected by the criticism.

"That’s good. I also lament the scarcity of talented individuals in Datong Country. Without a large number of warriors, how can we stand against the Demon Human?"

Lin Jiang nodded in agreement. The young official’s words made sense. In places like Feng State, under the control of the Datong Army for over a decade, the people have become quite wealthy. With wealth comes aspirations, as parents provide opportunities for their children to study and practice martial arts, leading to the emergence of many talents.

In other state capitals, the situation isn’t as grand as Feng State, but they are also divided into regions. Some regions in good locations are naturally more prosperous. When looking at the whole Datong Country, the situation is different, and people see a surge in martial artists.

Let’s take the example of martial artists above the innate realm. Two years ago, there were over 23,000 people, and now it’s close to reaching 30,000. The number of Martial Arts Masters and Grand Masters has doubled. We haven’t seen any new Martial Saints yet, but it’s just a matter of time.

People talked about Yun Ye and others heading south and the reaction of the Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty was very angry because even though Yun Ye and the others had left for more than half a year, they didn’t know. There was almost no one at the pass, and Demon Humans almost rushed straight to the Zhou Dynasty.

Later, the Zhou Dynasty sent envoys to scold Yun Ye and the others. Yun Ye was already a senior general and had a much better temper, but his subordinates couldn’t help themselves. Before, they were controlled by you and didn’t dare talk back. Now they’re afraid of you?

After a heated argument, both sides parted unhappily. There were some conflicts between them afterwards, but they both showed restraint and didn’t escalate into a big fight.

The Zhou Dynasty has also directed their anger towards Datong Country. The current relationship between the two countries is neither good nor bad, but there is frequent exchange between their people, especially in trade. After Yun Ye and others arrived in Deng State, the Zhou Dynasty detained hundreds of Datong Country merchants in one go.

Datong Country retaliated in kind by detaining Zhou Dynasty’s merchants. After a period of turmoil, neither side could do anything to each other, so they had to slowly calm down.

"The Zhou Dynasty’s temper is really bad. Why are they still so stubborn? It’s clearly something that would benefit everyone."

When Lin Jiang found out that the Zhou Dynasty still didn’t agree to an alliance, he sighed. The Zhou Dynasty’s temper is really tough. After all this trouble, they still refuse to cooperate with Datong Country.

And Lin Jiang had to force them to cooperate, even if it meant forcing the Zhou Dynasty and Demon Human to fight. There were historical grudges between Datong Country and the Zhou Dynasty, so if Datong Country acted aggressively, the Zhou Dynasty would benefit. This was something Lin Jiang would never agree to.