Chapter 53 The Eastern Barbarian Calamity Arises, the Qilin Plots Again

The dead silence on the drill grounds was broken by a loud cheer from Crown Prince Zi Shou.

"Good! What a spectacular display of both literary and martial prowess!"

Zi Shou strode down from the high platform, grabbed Huang Yuerong's hand, and then clapped Chen Yuan hard on the shoulder, laughing heartily.

"With the two of you, one civil and one military, our Great Shang need not worry about the stability of the world! Father, I believe this marriage is a match made in heaven!"

Huang Yuerong's face flushed red as she broke free from Zi Shou's grip, lowering her head, not daring to look at Chen Yuan.

The phrase 'path to certain death' echoed repeatedly in her mind. There was no longer any hint of defiance in her heart, only the lingering fear and bewilderment of having survived a disaster.

Emperor Yi sat upon the high platform, watching the three young people in the field, his eyes as deep as the sea.

A Crown Prince of peerless bravery.

A Qilin with wisdom bordering on the demonic.

An untamable daughter of a military family, now subdued.

If these three forces were twisted together...

The string in his heart named 'suspicion' was pulled even tighter.

"Hear the King's decree!" Emperor Yi's majestic voice suppressed the discussions of the crowd.

"Guardian Qilin Chen Yuan possesses extraordinary intelligence; Huang Yuerong, daughter of a military house, has a heroic spirit. This is a fine match. Once the affairs of the East Border are concluded and General Old General Huang Gun returns to court, I shall personally oversee your marriage!"

Once the decree was issued, there was no room for reversal.

Princess Yin Rong watched from a distance, her eyes welling with tears. The heart she had kept suspended for thirteen years finally found half its peace.

However, just at this seemingly joyous moment...

"Report—!"

A messenger with a command flag on his back rushed into the drill grounds, crawling and stumbling. His warhorse gave a mournful cry and collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

The messenger was covered in blood, his voice hoarse and tearful.

"Emergency report! The seventeen tribes of Eastern Yi have rebelled!"

With one sentence, the atmosphere of the entire drill grounds instantly turned from festive to ice-cold.

"The seventeen tribes of Eastern Yi have torn up all treaties and broken through three of our East Border passes! Old General Old General Huang Gun is trapped at Azure Dragon Pass, his life hanging by a thread!"

Emperor Yi stood up abruptly, his face turning ashen.

"Old General Huang Gun's hundred thousand troops are all elites. How could they be defeated so quickly!"

The messenger pulled a blood-stained letter wrapped in oilcloth from his chest and presented it with trembling hands.

"Your Majesty! A 'Heavenly God Priest' has appeared in Eastern Yi, capable of summoning wind and rain and laying down mysterious Formations!"

"Once our soldiers enter the Formation, they slaughter one another as if possessed! Old General Huang said... that Formation cannot be broken by human strength!"

Inside the royal tent, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.

Emperor Yi slammed the blood-stained letter onto the desk, his chest heaving violently.

The generals in the tent all looked solemn, not saying a word.

Not breakable by human strength? What an absurd statement!

"Father!" Crown Prince Zi Shou, clad in armor, stepped forward, his voice like a resonant bell.

"I request the command! I am willing to lead thirty thousand iron cavalry to immediately reinforce the East Border, cut off the head of that sorcerous priest, and uphold the prestige of our Great Shang!"

Having just witnessed Chen Yuan's intelligence, he wanted even more to prove his own bravery.

"You must not!"

A cold voice rang out.

Everyone looked toward the source and saw that Chen Yuan had, at some point, walked over to the giant sand table in the center of the tent.

He was still dressed in white, appearing completely out of place in this atmosphere of clashing steel and war.

Zi Shou frowned. "Chen Yuan, what do you mean by this? Are you going to sit by and watch Old General Huang fall into a death trap?"

Chen Yuan did not acknowledge him, but simply extended a slender finger and tapped lightly on the location representing Azure Dragon Pass on the sand table.

"Old General Huang holds a hundred thousand troops, is backed by a fortified city, and has ample provisions. Even if Eastern Yi has a mysterious Formation, it is absolutely impossible for them to break the city in the short term."

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the tent.

"The messenger said they broke three passes but are surrounding without attacking. This shows that their target is not Azure Dragon Pass at all."

His finger traced a route on the sand table from Zhaoge to the East Border.

"They are besieging a point to strike the reinforcements."

Chen Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it sent a shiver through all the generals in the tent.

"If His Highness leads a large army there, the journey is long, and the men and horses will be exhausted."

"The enemy only needs to wait at their leisure and set up that mysterious Formation halfway. Our Great Shang's elites will surely suffer heavy losses. By then, Azure Dragon Pass will truly become an isolated city."

Zi Shou opened his mouth to argue, but found he couldn't say a single word.

He only thought of charging into battle, but never considered the dangers hidden behind it.

Emperor Yi stared intently at Chen Yuan and asked in a low voice, "In your opinion, what should be done?"

Above the clouds, Daoist Qingping pinched his fingers in calculation, his brow furrowed.

Within that Eastern Yi Formation, he clearly felt a trace of the Yuqing Immortal Art' aura.

"The Chan Sect... to meet the killing tribulation and weaken the Luck of the Human Race, they have actually made a move."

He looked at the white-clad figure in the royal tent and sighed in his heart.

Ziyuan, this is yet another tribulation for you.

Inside the royal tent, Chen Yuan picked up two command flags of different colors and placed them on the sand table.

"In this situation, we should use the strategy of 'inviting the gentleman into the urn'."

He first took a red command flag representing the main force and placed it on a main road leading to the East Border.

"Your Majesty can order Li Jing to lead eighty thousand troops, with great fanfare, along the official road to reinforce the East Border."

"But the marching speed must be slow, only thirty li a day, setting up camp frequently, ensuring the Eastern Yi scouts see everything clearly."

"This is... a feint?" an old general asked doubtfully.

"Exactly," Chen Yuan nodded.

"These eighty thousand troops are the bait for the enemy. As long as our main force is moving, Eastern Yi will not dare to attack Azure Dragon Pass with all their strength. Their attention will be firmly drawn by this army."

Having said that, he picked up a black command flag representing a surprise attack.

This time, he did not place it on the official road, but in a rugged mountain range, finding a thin line that had been almost forgotten.

"This is an ancient trade route left from the previous dynasty, abandoned for a hundred years and uninhabited."

"But according to the maps, this path can bypass the Eastern Yi army's frontal defenses and strike directly at their rear."

His finger finally pointed to an isolated mountain behind the Eastern Yi army.

"For that Heavenly God Priest to lay down the great Formation, there must be a central hub to host it. This place is called the Altar of God; it is surely that sorcerer's nest."

Chen Yuan looked at Crown Prince Zi Shou, his eyes shining brightly.

"Your Highness, are you willing to personally lead three thousand light cavalry, without baggage, traveling by night and hiding by day, to strike across a thousand li along this ancient path?"

"To strike directly at the heart and settle the situation in one battle?"

Zi Shou's breathing instantly became rapid, and a burning light erupted in his eyes.

This was much more exciting, dangerous, and... glorious than leading a large army in a frontal assault!

"I am willing to go!" Zi Shou knelt on one knee without the slightest hesitation.

Chen Yuan took a pre-prepared map from his chest and handed it to Zi Shou.

"This map contains detailed routes as well as methods to break the Formation. Remember, speed is essential in war, as is secrecy. In this battle, it is either success or death."

Watching this scene, Emperor Yi felt a storm of emotions in his heart.

It was happening again.

This method of sitting calmly in a tent while deciding a victory a thousand li away.

He seemed to see that five-year-old child from thirteen years ago again, splashing tea on the ground and pointing out the world's affairs.

The late King King Wending of Shang's final decree echoed in his ears once more.

"He can prosper Shang... or... overthrow Shang..."

"Father!" Zi Shou said urgently, seeing Emperor Yi remain silent for so long.

Emperor Yi took a deep breath, suppressing the tremors in his heart and restoring his kingly majesty.

He stepped down from the throne and personally helped Zi Shou up.

"Granted."

He looked at Chen Yuan with a complex, unreadable gaze.

"Li Jing, hear my command! I order you to immediately assemble eighty thousand troops and act according to the Qilin's strategy!"

"Zi Shou, hear my command! I order you to select three thousand warriors and depart immediately! I shall wait in Zhaoge for your report of victory!"

"I accept the command!"

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

Three thousand light cavalry, with men gagged and horses' hooves muffled, quietly left Qishan Camp.

Like a black arrow, they shot into the vast night.

Chen Yuan stood on a high point of the camp, watching the troop disappear among the distant mountains.

On the adjacent courtyard wall, Yun Xiao's figure quietly appeared.

"You are sending him to his death?" Her voice carried a hint of coldness.

"How can a Formation of the Chan Sect be broken by three thousand Mortals?"

Chen Yuan did not turn around, but spoke calmly.

"What I gave him was a map, but also a game record."

"The board is already set; he only needs to play the part of that... pawn crossing the river."

Yun Xiao looked at Chen Yuan's profile, which appeared even leaner under the moonlight, yet exuded a composure that suggested he controlled everything.

She suddenly understood.

This war in the Mortal realm had been another person's chessboard from the very beginning.

The game of nurturing the dragon had already begun with the first move.