Chapter 625: Chapter 288: The Suffering of Longevity

The messenger from Xichuan came in a hurry and left just as quickly.

After reaching an agreement on the issue of allegiance, Hui An and Hui Ming, the two brothers, soon took their leave.

Their task was still heavy.

Negotiating terms with Chu State was only the first step. The next was to prove their worth and fulfill the requirements of the White Phoenix Temple set by the King of Chu.

Such as defending Nanchong Prefecture from the attack of the Nanzhao Army and holding on until at least April, which was the most crucial part.

Only by holding on and completing the mission could they prove the usefulness of the White Phoenix Temple, be accepted by Chu State, and have a future.

But if they couldn’t hold on…

If they couldn’t hold on to Nanchong Prefecture, then under the heavy encirclement of the Nanzhao Army, the White Phoenix Temple would naturally have no luck either.

Sharing the same fate of destruction with the people of Nanchong Prefecture would be their ultimate destiny.

Fortunately, the King of Chu was also aware of the difficulties faced by Xichuan and promised to send an army of 20,000 soldiers from the forbidden army to Nanchong Prefecture for joint defense against the Nanzhao Army.

This brought some peace of mind to Hui An and the others.

They were well aware of the strength of Chu State’s forbidden army.

They knew that the elite soldiers had been built by the King of Chu over the past ten years, absorbing the fine soldiers of Pre-Yue, Zhou, and Pseudo-Shu.

Throughout Great Chu, there were only nine such elite forces, each of which was formidable and invincible.

Now that the King of Chu was sending one of them to help them, it showed that he truly cared about Xichuan and was not merely exploiting them.

Yes, it was precisely so.

Hui An and the others believed that if it had only been the White Phoenix Temple, the King of Chu might have promised empty words, encouraging them to fight to the death and then disowning them in the end.

But with the presence of the forbidden army, he didn’t believe that the King of Chu would give up on his own elite soldiers just to bring down Xichuan, a small country that was on its last legs.

That would be too extravagant.

Indeed, in Hui An’s eyes, the value of a 20,000-strong forbidden army was higher than that of their entire Xichuan country.

After all, with the current situation of Sage King Jihui, it was questionable whether he could defeat 5,000 elite soldiers on the battlefield, let alone 20,000.

Especially since these 20,000 forbidden soldiers were the direct lineage of the King of Chu, while they were just outsiders lacking a solid foundation of trust.

The differences in value for the King of Chu were quite clear.

The White Phoenix Temple, which had declined to its present state, truly didn’t have much capital to bargain with others.

However, it was precisely because of this that Lu Yuan’s move to call for joint defense and transfer of troops better appeased the hearts of the White Phoenix Temple, allowing them to serve Chu State with peace of mind.

“And now, it’s time for us, the White Phoenix Temple, to repay all of this.”

On the muddy road after the spring rain, Hui An looked at the lush green mountains with determination in his eyes as the envoy team from Xichuan was on its way home.

…

After bidding farewell to the envoys from Xichuan, Lu Yuan issued an order to transfer troops to Xichuan County and transport food and fodder to Xichuan County. After the preparations, he didn’t pay much attention to the situation there.

As previously said, the war in Xichuan County would not break out until April at the earliest.

Before that, everything was still in the preparation stage, accumulating strength for the upcoming battle.

These matters did not require Lu Yuan’s attention; all he needed to do was issue orders, and the rest was up to the officials below.

Otherwise, why would he spend so much money every year to support so many officials? Was he merely raising pigs out of kindness?

So after deciding to march to Xichuan County in April, Lu Yuan not only stopped meddling in these trivial matters but also completely delegated some of the political affairs that he originally had to handle to the Left Prime Minister Cui Changqing and Queen Lan Cai’er.

All matters, big and small, within the country were left to these two to handle and decide.

Lu Yuan would only grasp the general direction and review the political reports sent to him every two or three days to understand what was happening in the country.

The time saved by entrusting these matters to others was devoted entirely to his cultivation.

It was now mid-January, and there were just over two months left before the designated expedition to Xichuan in April.

However, Lu Yuan’s current comprehension of the Yellow Turban Strongman was just barely beginners’, and he had only a vague understanding of it.

This was far from enough for his plan, and far from enough to refine this divine power into reality.

Before setting off, Lu Yuan had to successfully comprehend this divine power and at least refine a Yellow Turban Strongman into existence.

Only then would there be an innate-level force sitting in Qianzhong County when he was gone, so he wouldn’t have to worry about someone causing trouble in Qianzhong County and ruining the current good situation.

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the time of Yuanxiao (Lantern Festival).

It was a festive occasion, and the people of Chu who had moved to Stone City, having settled down for over a year, finally passed the initial days of hardship and accumulated some surplus wealth in their homes.

So after celebrating the Spring Festival, the city folks with remaining savings once again held a lively celebration for Yuanxiao.

Lanterns were hung along the streets as Chu people brought their customs over, such as guessing lantern riddles, eating Yuanxiao (glutinous rice balls), setting river lanterns, lighting fireworks, and watching face-changing performances…

One after another, these entertaining activities, which had never appeared in Stone City before, emerged at a dazzling speed in this newly developed wilderness.

Even the native Yi people in the city couldn’t help but indulge in the bustling scene. Some youths, or those who could learn quickly, had already integrated with the celebrations and joined the fun together with the Chu people.

In this lively atmosphere, the boundaries between Chu people and Yi people seemed not as distinct as before.