Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 315 - 204 Bianjing Great Fire, One Million Firewood

Chapter 315: Chapter 204 Bianjing Great Fire, One Million Firewood

Until the end of the year, the new year was approaching.

The Nanchun Army had not budged an inch, and within the city, thanks to sufficient logistical support, the soldiers were all well-fed and glossy.

Leaning on the fertile lands of fish and rice by the Luo River, and a bountiful year, the Nanchun Army did not lack grain.

In contrast, conditions were much tougher for the Daqian Dynasty, as the coming of winter slowed the logistical supply, coupled with chronic and habitual corruption.

The civilians transporting supplies would pilfer small amounts while officials responsible for the transportation indulged in exorbitant lubrication, the front-line generals competed for personal gains, and the chief officers were only concerned with vying for merit.

Turning around the huge ship was difficult, and even with immense capabilities, changing people’s hearts was hard.

Both claimed to have armies of a million, but their situations were different. The Nanchun Army included civilians in their million while the Daqian army had at least eight hundred thousand combat troops.

Only by this were they able to suppress the Nanchun Army and even conduct counter-offensives. Now that the Nanchun Army was not venturing out from the city, the huge number of troops had become a burden.

Jiang Jucai accompanied Mr. Wen to inspect the stables, where horses that should have been eating less and losing weight were now glossy and robust.

The manger was filled with soybeans, wheat, and various grains; even human food was not as rich as that of the horses.

"Mr. Wen, as per your instructions, we nourish the horses in winter, so next spring we can organize a cavalry charge to break through the opponent’s lines, and surely we will trample Bianjing."

"You can hardly assemble a thousand heavy cavalry, though mighty, how could they possibly crush seven to eight hundred thousand men?"

Mr. Wen smiled and shook his head. This strategy was similar to that of Huo Qubing, but the circumstances were quite different.

Huo Qubing dealt with nomadic tribes, confident in their weak horses at the start of the year. His strategy relied on Daqian’s lack of grain for horses, which would also be prone to corruption.

After all, people might cry out in hunger, but horses would lose flesh if they starved, and as long as they did not die, it wouldn’t pose a problem.

"There are also city walls as barriers, relying solely on cavalry wouldn’t lead to victory. But as the Art of War says, to subdue the enemy without fighting is best, to assault the cities is inferior. Battle of the minds is superior, battle of the troops is inferior. Ze State’s terrain is open, ideal for cavalry maneuvers, which could prevent the government’s troops from daring to fight in the field and further cut off their supply lines."

Jiang Jucai asked, "What if the government forces forcefully confront us? Then we return to direct combat."

"Do not be misled by appearances. If our cavalry, by leveraging its advantages, beheads thousands, it might seem like we’ve only taken out a small fraction of the enemy, but the remaining nearly ninety-five percent could collapse after losing just another small fraction."

"Mr. Wen, your knowledge is as vast as the ocean,"

Jiang Jucai was thoroughly impressed, Mr. Wen seemed to understand everything.

He always managed to astound with his statements, yet what he said was not profound, very practical indeed. Anyone who has fought battles knows assaulting a city is difficult, yet nobody has offered a solution.

In Mr. Wen’s view, because of the existence of cultivators, warfare in Daqian was still somewhat too refined, favoring direct confrontation between the two militaries, even featuring duels in front of formations.

Once the thought process was clear, he found the ideas he outlined to be simple; his understanding came from taking history as a mirror.

After observing and extending his divine thoughts around the area, Mr. Wen did not find a widespread corruption that was extremely serious, some flaws existed but nothing that could pose a serious problem.

He returned to the small courtyard in the city.

A white-haired girl squatted at the door, gazing steadfastly at the sky. Sensing Mr. Wen’s return, her head tilted slightly, unable to see but still looking his way.

Mr. Wen said, "We will soon face Lord Emperor, and I need your help."

Currently, he still maintained the level of the Eighth Stage of Dao Foundation, only lacking completeness in Divine Substance. A few days ago, relying on Heavenly Marrow, he had reached the corresponding realm, but lacked matching accumulation.

Thus, Mr. Wen needed Chi Yu Zi’s nine-meter golden man; her indestructible Daoist body’s defensive power could already match that of a Demi Immortal.

"Whenever you need, I will always help you."

Chi Yu Zi’s response was simple and straightforward, her wooden tone and expression ironically making her seem more resolute.

"Are we yet to reach Bianjing, and you want to cross the battlefield directly into Bianjing?"

"If nothing surprises us, the despicable Emperor will take action around the time Ze State falls; he will not wait until he is utterly weakened."

Mr. Wen shook his head with certainty.

If he did not act now, the Emperor would lose his chance; the battle of Ze State would decide fate.

On the first of January, the new year, known in this world as ’The Origin Year.’

Under Qingcang’s supervision, Mr. Wen meditated and followed the other’s guidance to feel the seasonal changes, the renewal of all things.

New Year was not just a holiday, but also a new cycle of the heaven and earth’s vital energies.

In the invisible world, above the sky, streaks of aurora-like energies swept across the universe. Mr. Wen’s divine thoughts immersed in the cosmos, exerting tremendous effort to grasp a wisp of pure energy and swallowed it to greatly enhance his foundation.

However, he was still far from the completion of the Human Immortal dharma form.

Divine Substance was flawless, ’Divine’ referring to Three Souls and Six Spirits, and ’Substance’ to mana and spiritual energy. These two aspects were the foundation of cultivation and formed the base.

It was easy to increase quantity, but quality required forging a hundred times to attain one wisp of golden light.

"Master, can intelligence allow consecutive breakthroughs, while foundation can only be refined over time?"

Mr. Wen inquired Qingcang, who replied in a surprisingly common and humorous way, quite unlike a revered master:

"My disciple, can you eat something and immediately excrete it?"

"..."

"Progress orderly in your cultivation. I know you can quickly absorb the medicines from Immortal Land, but there are limits. Your talent is high; there’s no need to rush."

"Yes."

Mr. Wen returned to the house to continue his cultivation, advancing both urgently and steadily towards the Eighth Level Perfection.

Mid-January, the royal court’s several offensives were fruitless and returned without gain.

The continuous delivery of Spiritual Medicine from various regions commenced, and the quantity of Spiritual Energy, Heavenly Marrow, and Emperor’s Essence in Nanshui, Luo River, and Lin Chuan began to surge rapidly, breaking through a thousand in just a few days, reaching four digits for the first time.

The efficacy of the Immortality Pill provided by the White Feathered Birds was steadily declining, yet their spiritual nature was growing stronger, contrary to the trend, now bearing some resemblance to Divine Beasts.

[Heavenly Marrow twelve hundred]

[Emperor’s Essence eight hundred thirty]

In a small courtyard, dressed in a simple Daoist robe, Qingcang sat under a tree, as transparent Spirit Fruits slowly dropped from between the leaves.

She casually picked one up, placed it in her mouth, and said, "Old tree spirit, what do you think of my disciple?"

"Like you, a figure of sainthood."

His ancient voice fell, the Ancestor Spirit Tree knew Qingcang, but they were not particularly close.

Before, she was practically lifeless, without much interaction to speak of.

"However, due to his excessive righteousness, he may find it hard to withstand the pains of immortality. It is said that being too rigid makes you brittle, and high talents often arouse the envy of heaven, which usually manifests in ordinary circumstances."

"He is still too young, no need to expect too much, time will temper his nature."

Qingcang didn’t think she had the time to leisurely watch over Gu Wen for hundreds of years.

Although she wanted to, circumstances didn’t allow it.

"When can you become an Immortal?"

"If there is a victor between you and Jianmu, otherwise, there are great calamities between heaven and earth; it’s better to lie low for now."

"After becoming an Immortal, help me look after him."

"Agreed."

————————————

By the end of January, the brief winter passed, and the temperature began to warm up. A thousand cavalrymen burst forth from the South Pass, sweeping across Ze State like the barbarian iron cavalry a year ago.

They fragmented the million-strong army, scattered across hundreds of miles of frontline, into segments, causing panic among the enemy forces.

One death frightens a hundred, a thousand fear the charging cavalry.

The royal court continued to retreat steadily, but the vast size of its forces still slowed the progress of the Nanchun Army.

Gu Wen calculated that if he completely refrained from intervening, letting the Nanchun Army fight their way methodically, it might take years.

But if they fought all the way to Bianjing, killing without burying, capturing without governing, one month would suffice.

By mid-February, half of Ze State had fallen, and as the situation stalemated, a rebellion erupted in the northernmost region of Daqian.

Since there was no supporting army, a few hundred bandits brazenly rode donkeys and cattle to the city gates to provoke.

The Qi Fortune of Daqian declined further, yet the Lord Emperor remained inactive.

On February 21, the Nanchun Army was less than a thousand miles from Bianjing, a journey just a day’s hard ride away.

The Lord Emperor still did not appear, but the stalemate resumed. There were still some capable individuals within Daqian, and the closer they were to Bianjing, the less pressure they faced in the later stages.

The war continued to ebb and flow.

Gu Wen descended from the sky into the battlefield, soldiers inside and outside the city saw only a streak of white light flash past, and the seemingly impregnable city gate collapsed with a boom.

A profound chant enveloped the entire city.

"Surrender and be spared."

A moment later, the Nanchun Army entered the city without losing a single soldier.

Elsewhere, Chi Yu Zi, Chan Xi, and even Ao Tang also took to the field to end the war.

Soldier to soldier, general to general, such unspoken rules only exist when both sides have balanced strength. Gu Wen, nearly unmatched among Immortals, with only the Venerables posing a challenge, was more than a match for any Demi Immortal.

In the past, various factions’ great powers faced him with reluctance, but now it was Gu Wen’s turn.

Within a day, Ze State fell.

The Lord Emperor still did not appear.

Gu Wen frowned, sensing something amiss. After consulting with Qingcang, he decided to leave the Nanchun Army behind and head directly to Bianjing to end this farce.

It wasn’t about following conventions; Gu Wen felt the time had come. Using the Qi Observation Skill, he could see that the Dragon Vein’s energy was extremely weak, resembling an old man on his deathbed.

If the Lord Emperor wouldn’t show up, then he would take matters into his own hands.

The eight-hundred-mile journey took only half of two hours, and from a few dozen miles away, Bianjing was in sight.

There was a blaze so intense that it turned the entire sky fiery red.

Gu Wen was startled and used his movement technique to shift ten miles in a single step, taking three steps to arrive atop the city walls, with his followers close behind.

Looking into the city, all he could see through the flames were countless charred bodies, some collapsed, others standing, all without exception reaching toward the city gates with outstretched hands.

As if pleading for their help.

The entire Bianjing had turned into a sea of fire, and a million civilians had become its kindling.