Chapter 189 - Countermeasures (2)

Xu Yinhe was quiet for a moment. When his voice returned, there was a hint of interest in it. “Go on.”

Xu Yuan considered his words briefly, then continued in a low voice. “First, this year’s spring tide has not yet subsided. It will be very difficult for the government troops in Xize Province to pull out enough elites to deal with the Myriad Manifestations Sect. If troops are transferred from elsewhere, the sects will most likely notice. Once the matter is exposed, the Myriad Manifestations Sect will not simply bare its neck and wait for the blade. They will certainly prepare to fight like a cornered dog. The Myriad Manifestations Sect has operated in Xize Province for several hundred years. If we move against them and they raise a rebellion, the losses will be severe. Never start a war when the other side is fully prepared for it.”

When he finished speaking, Xu Yinhe laughed. It was very soft, but Xu Yuan heard it. The vast secret chamber fell silent for a moment before the communication crystal flashed again. “Continue.”

Xu Yuan thought for a while, then went on. “Second, a massive compensation payment will most likely trigger infighting within the Myriad Manifestations Sect. When they face a shared interest, they can stand together. But when it comes to paying compensation, they will not be one solid block. They will only try their hardest to shove the blame for this exposure onto someone else, so they can reduce their own losses.”

Xu Yinhe listened carefully to the end, then asked calmly, “And if they refuse to pay?”

Xu Yuan shook his head. “They will not refuse. At most, they will demand that we hand over the witness and all related information. And once we reach an agreement, we will have become accomplices. If the old matter is brought up again and they expose everything, we will be implicated as well.”

Xu Yinhe’s voice remained neither hurried nor slow. “In that case, how do we move against the Myriad Manifestations Sect in the future?”

Xu Yuan gave a low laugh. “In the future, we won’t need a reason.”

After those words, silence fell.

Then Xu Yinhe laughed. This time, his laughter rang clear inside the quiet stone chamber. “Heh. In the future, we truly will not need a reason. Changtian, anything else?”

“Of course.” Xu Yuan replied, glancing at Xu Xinyao beside him, whose expression had grown complicated. “Third, and most importantly, just as you did before, Father, this move can send a signal to the sects. It will tell them that the Chancellor's Manor has yielded. That you have given up on the idea of purging the sects. That we have already begun preparing our retreat.”

“Very good.” Xu Yinhe gave a soft word of praise, but then denied him at once. “But Changtian, you have missed the most important point.”

Surprise flickered in Xu Yuan’s eyes. “What?”

Xu Yinhe’s voice was calm and even. “The sects only make concessions when the blade is already at their throats. Even if they agree to bleed and compensate us, they will only squeeze it out bit by bit. Perhaps ten years. Perhaps twenty. They still may not finish paying. Never overestimate their bottom line. Their bottom line has no bottom.”

Xu Yuan frowned. “Father, then this matter...”

Xu Yinhe said lightly, “I have already ordered Yuan Hao to lead forty thousand Blackscale Guards out from Prosper Province in secret, under the pretext of supporting the border. They will depart in batches.”

At those words, Xu Yuan’s eyes flickered.

After so many years, the Myriad Manifestations Sect had long since lost the awareness its founding ancestor once possessed, that old spirit of the Son of Heaven guarding the nation’s gate. They had even moved the site of their sect all the way to the easternmost edge of Xize Province, near the border with Prosper Province.

And Xu Yuan knew this Yuan Hao, at least the version of him from Azure Point.

He was one of the Chancellor’s high-ranking subordinates. His personality was so outstandingly distinctive that Xu Yuan had remembered him as one of the mid-to-late-stage bosses.

A war madman through and through.

At that thought, Xu Yuan gathered his wandering thoughts and asked, slightly hesitant, “But with a move like this, won’t it force the Myriad Manifestations Sect to fight like a cornered dog?”

Xu Yinhe replied, “No one can approach the military camp. These forty thousand Blackscale Troops are traveling in batches, counted by units of fifty men. They will only gather when they are near the sect’s core territory.”

Xu Yuan was stunned when he heard this.

The armies of this world actually dared to march like that? Under such communication conditions, they dared to break a whole force into scattered pieces?

And with such a marching method, what about supplies? What about war machinery? What if some of the units got lost along the way?

But after thinking for a moment, Xu Yuan more or less understood.

A unit of fifty men could maintain basic organization and discipline while preserving secrecy. As for supplies and equipment, those could be transported through Sumeru rings and flying demon beasts. After all, this troop movement was taking place within their own borders. There was no real risk of ambush. And the Great Flame Empire’s official roads were extremely well developed, with many relay stations along the way. Unless they deliberately plunged into deep mountains and old forests, it was basically impossible for them to get lost.

Moreover, most of these soldiers had likely been trained by the Calm Sky Martial Halls.

He could not judge this extraordinary world by the standards of ancient warfare from his previous life.

After pondering for a long while, Xu Yuan said softly, “Father, marching like this, roughly how long will they take to arrive?”

“Counting the time, in about two ten-day periods, most of the troops should be able to gather and arrive.” Xu Yinhe naturally knew the matter like the back of his hand. He paused, then continued, “When the time comes, Changtian, you will go and negotiate with the Myriad Manifestations Sect.”

The corner of Xu Yuan’s eye twitched. After a long moment, he managed to spit out one word. “Me?”

“Naturally,” Xu Yinhe said unhurriedly. “Yuan Hao has a violent temperament and is not suited for negotiation, so you will go.”

Xu Yuan gave a light cough. “Father, are you certain you want me to go?”

Xu Yinhe’s voice was gentle. “At first, I was not certain whether I should send you or not. Now I am certain. Of course, if you do not wish to go, Changtian, you may refuse.”

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then still replied, “I’ll go.”

Xu Yinhe lightly tapped the documents on the desk before him. “Do not feel burdened. Even if the negotiation fails, it does not matter.”

After a pause, Xu Yuan asked, “Father, may I bring Xinyao with me?”

Xu Xinyao’s eyes widened.

Xu Yinhe did not agree at once. Instead, he asked, “Xinyao, are you willing to go with your brother?”

Xu Yuan looked back at her. Xu Xinyao nodded softly. “This matter began because of me. Naturally, I am willing.”

Xu Yuan gave a quiet laugh. “Father, since that is settled, I will go make some preparations.”

But Xu Yinhe did not seem ready to end the call just yet. He only said, “Do not be in such a hurry. Father happens to have another matter to discuss with you.”

Xu Yuan froze when he heard this. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Father, please speak.”

For the first time, Xu Yinhe hesitated briefly before saying in a low voice, “I just came out of Marquis Wucheng’s residence.”

“Marquis Wucheng?” Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and instinctively thought of that commandery princess named Mu Zhiyun. “Does it have something to do with me?”

Xu Yinhe did not deny it. “Mhm. It does.”

“Father, you may speak plainly.”

“You have already reached the age of twenty.”

Hearing that familiar line of attack, Xu Yuan’s heart gave a thud. He said nothing.

Seeing that Xu Yuan remained silent for quite some time, Xu Yinhe gave a light cough. “Marquis Wucheng has agreed to let you return to the Imperial Capital. I have also arranged a marriage for you.”