98: The northern barbarians are invading! The Dragon King of the East River! Dragon Girl Xue'er!
Not only the Yunzhou Immortal Conferring Department, but everyone in the Provincial Governors Mansion and the Demon Slaying Division suddenly stood up and turned their heads to look north.
In Linan City, dull drum sounds echoed, reaching everyone's ears.
Some younger people didn't understand and looked around in confusion, not knowing what had happened.
Some older people, however, had their expressions change drastically. They gazed at the north in terror, murmuring, "The frontier war drums... This is the Northern Barbarians invading!!"
Yunzhou, Xuanzhou, and Weizhou, these three prefectures are located in the Northern Territory of Dagan, serving as the frontier and the place where Dagan stations its troops.
To the north of these three prefectures lie the Northern Barbarians, Dagan's sworn enemy.
The Northern Barbarians inhabit a bitterly cold land with scarce resources, whereas the thirteen prefectures of Dagan are different, possessing all kinds of resources.
Therefore, the Northern Barbarian royal family has always coveted the thirteen prefectures of Dagan, and their generation-long wish has been to completely occupy Dagan.
Before Emperor Jingtai ascended the throne, the Northern Barbarians often harassed the three regions of Yunzhou, plundering wealth, grain, and people.
In the first year of the Jingtai era.
Emperor Jingtai personally led the campaign, heavily defeating the Northern Barbarians' five-hundred-thousand-strong army. The Northern Barbarians' Origin Qi was damaged, and they settled down.
However, in recent years, Emperor Jingtai has become muddled, and the court has been in turmoil, which the Northern Barbarians have naturally noticed.
Now, the three regions of Yunzhou are suffering from a great drought, with countless refugees and immense public grievances. On top of that, commoners are rebelling, further disrupting the situation.
With such a great opportunity, the Northern Barbarians would not let it pass.
The Northern Barbarian Khan ordered the mobilization of the main army, with hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry gathering, rushing toward the three regions of Yunzhou at the fastest speed!
Such large-scale personnel movement was immediately discovered by Dagan's scouts, who, in addition to being shocked, quickly transmitted the news back.
The war drums sounding in Linan City were because the scouts' transmission had been received, warning everyone in the city to be prepared.
Yunzhou Fengxian Division.
Several Cultivators wearing pure-colored robes had ugly expressions.
Truly a troubled time!
A great drought causing commoners to rebel, the entire Fengyang City God Temple wiped out, and now Northern Barbarians are mobilizing to invade the Dagan border!
These matters are one bigger than the other.
The first two could still be considered private matters within Yunzhou, but the Northern Barbarians raising an army to invade involves the entire Dagan!
In the face of such a national war, everything else must take a backseat!
"Quickly transmit the message to the capital!"
One of the Cultivators shouted in a low voice, and then his figure disappeared first.
The nearby Cultivators had grave expressions, immediately summoning all departments of the Fengxian Division and casting Spells to transmit the message to the General Division in the capital.
Not long after.
A mobilization order was issued from the Provincial Governors Mansion and delivered to the Border Army encampments in Yunzhou at the fastest speed.
The Border Army soldiers immediately began to assemble, rushing to the border positions at the fastest speed, preparing to resist the attack of the Northern Barbarian army.
At the same time, several Cultivators from the Fengxian Division gathered together.
"Have you investigated clearly?"
"Several Earth Gods sent messages that the Jingyue River God of Fengyang County colluded with the snake Yao in the great mountains, killed the Underworld Officials belonging to the Fengyang City God Temple, and has now followed the snake Yao back into the deep mountains!"
"Bastards! Having received the enfeoffment of our Dagan, as a river water god of our Dagan, she still harbors ulterior motives. She deserves to die!"
"This kind of thing is the first time in our Yunzhou. We must handle it as soon as possible, kill the snake Yao and the Jingyue River God, to shock the petty villains!"
"There are shamans and Yao Beasts assisting in the Northern Barbarian army formations; these all require us to deal with them, and the Demon Slaying Division cannot spare any hands..."
"All water gods within Yunzhou are under the jurisdiction of the East River Dragon King. Order him to go to Fengyang County and bring those two Prodigies back."
"That's fine. That old thing has received so many offerings from our Fengxian Division every year; it's time for him to exert some effort."
The few discussed for a while and quickly set the basic agenda.
Dealing with the Northern Barbarian army is the top priority, followed by the case of the Fengyang City God being killed.
As for the refugee rebellion within Yunzhou, it seemed less important.
It was just a group of stupid poor people struggling on the verge of death, actually delusional about changing the world; it was simply a pipe dream.
In chaotic times, heavy codes must be used.
After several secret orders were sent out, the methods of the Cultivators responsible for eradicating the White Lotus demon people and rebel leaders across Yunzhou suddenly became much colder.
...
As the largest water vein in Yunzhou, the East River runs through Yunzhou from west to east.
There are numerous tributary water veins, densely covering almost the entire land of Yunzhou.
In such a vast river, there will naturally be River Gods.
Long before Dagan was founded, a Flood Dragon was cultivating in the East River. When Dagan was founded, it received the court's enfeoffment as the East River Dragon King, governing all water veins in Yunzhou.
Water gods like the Jingyue River God theoretically belong to the subordinates of the East River Dragon King.
At this moment.
Under the East River.
Inside a palace located at the central position.
Several tall and curvaceous Water Demons were dancing gracefully. They all had exquisite appearances, wearing gauze as thin as cicada wings, revealing a touch of charm between movement and stillness.
In front of the Water Demons, a White-bearded Old Man with white hair and beard sat upright, with two beautiful maids serving by his side.
The old man was full of smiles, watching the dance below with relish, occasionally opening his mouth to swallow the preserved fruit fed by the maids.
"Good! Good! Good!"
The old man nodded and praised while watching.
Suddenly, a white light lit up outside the palace, and an object was speeding toward the palace.
The old man frowned, waved his hand, and the Water Demons immediately stopped dancing and retreated from the main hall.
He then reached out and grabbed the white light in his hand.
It was a crystal-clear Jade Slip.
After perceiving the old man's aura, a voice entered the old man's ears from the Jade Slip.
The White-bearded Old Man listened for a long while, his brows locked tightly, and he became distressed.
"Father, what happened?"
At this time, a soft and pleasant female voice came from outside the palace.
The old man raised his head upon hearing this, his expression softened quite a bit, revealing a kind smile: "Xue'er, why are you here."
Outside the palace gate, a woman in her early twenties wearing a pale green long dress appeared.
She held a book in her hand, her hair was neatly coiled on top of her head, and two strands of green silk fell on her cheeks. Her pretty face did not use powder, yet it was exceptionally delicate and pleasant to look at.
If it weren't for appearing under this water, others would think this was a young lady from a scholarly family who had read many books.
The girl, called Xue'er by the old man, walked into the hall with a trace of doubt in her eyes.
She had just been reading and noticed the movement here, so she came to check.
Who knew that as soon as she arrived, she saw her father full of worry, as if he had encountered some troublesome matter.
"Father, what happened?" she asked softly.
"Sigh." The White-bearded Old Man shook his head and sighed, "The damn Fengxian Division is eyeing my old bones, actually wanting me to go to the other side of the big mountains to catch some snake Yao and the Jingyue River God for them!"
"Go to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains?" The girl, who had always maintained a calm and indifferent demeanor, had her expression change slightly, saying, "That place is very dangerous; Daughter will accompany you!"