Chapter 228: Pu E Yields
Six hundred kilometers north of Hao State, in a Spiritual Mountain; a beautiful white jade dragon was weaving through the mountain stream and verdant peaks, its claws brushing over the green pines on the peaks, emerging from the gaps in the pine branches and unfolding; its dragon whiskers drifted down and hung at the valley, revealing clear springs.
This dragon was the form of Pu E’s dragon body. And she was doing what she excelled at, namely regulating the tranquility of this land.
In this extreme northern region, during the hottest time of summer each year, there would be a round of harvest.
Pu E stayed away from the conflicts. With batches of raggedly dressed people coming this year seeking shelter.
She also gave these people sufficient shelter, taking them all in. Ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand, more and more, yet the human presence here did not increase much.
Every spring, only that small number of people came to harvest the wheat. And every time winter came, the people disappeared.
This land could not support so many people. After taking in these unfortunates who came due to Yao land warfare, Pu E made them abandon their Yao Person identity.
In the verdant farmlands, when everyone worked, a dragon spine would appear on their backs. But these refugees were completely unaware; they only knew that after returning to eat a meal and lying on the white jade slabs, they could sleep; sleep for decades, until the outside axes and handles rotted away.
The changes in these refugees were the effects brought by Pu E mixing a strand of dragon blood into the wheat.
Pu E had now repaired the teleportation gate in the Arctic; she was now waiting for the Evil Moon in the sky to reveal a flaw, then she would take her citizens on a distant voyage.
And would the Evil Moon reveal a flaw? Pu E knew that with the development of subsequent events: whether the Xi Ren Realm fell into finality, or the internal will of the Xi Ren Realm launched a final counterattack against the Evil Moon, the sky could have a moment safe for passage.
However, what exactly was the outcome of this war in the Xi Ren Realm? It had nothing to do with her.
…Buddhist-style…
Hundreds of years ago, when Pu E had just obtained this plane, the Wisdom and Courage System had given a detailed explanation of this world’s physics.
Her transmigration task to this plane was to explore “spacetime change possibilities,” creating a controllable “plot spacetime.” She envied those transmigrators who had “controllable plot spacetime,” just like some people in the 21st century envied those who could cry in a Fine Horse.
At the top of the mountains, Pu E was reading a book; the book contained the dharma gates of Yao Calculation, including Confucian herding of the people and Legalist governing of the state.
And in this valley, at the center shrouded by clouds and mist, there was a small city of a thousand people. In the small city were Confucian scholars, martial masters, soldiers guarding the gates, and some metaphysics practitioners. These people rotated daily, with those rotating off entering the mountains to hibernate, while the city posts remained unchanged.
Pu E knew: the things in books were dead; they needed people to maintain them to keep the principles flowing continuously between people.
And the “principles” flowing between people were the most unique power in the Xi Ren Realm, even in this plane. The more people spoke of it, the more believed in it, the stronger this “power” became.
Mountains and rivers were twisted, climate was dictated, even ghosts and spirits were born from it.
Then, Military Killing Intent, Confucian vast righteousness qi, Legalist iron laws, and even Immortal Spirit Qi beyond material things, would all emerge.
On most planets, this power born from intelligent life, its formal name is actually “Power of Faith,” and it is all usurped by a few individuals; as civilization develops, these individuals who usurp the Power of Faith also become powerful, ascending to the position of gods.
Of course, all “order deities” born from civilization draw negative entropy spirit power. However, the entropy-increasing chaos part ultimately becomes chaotic disorderly existences.
The Xi Ren Realm is a very special existence; it has no gods. Or rather, the deities born here have all left far away, letting the Power of Faith here operate on its own.
Therefore, the Xi Ren Realm has strong resistance to chaos. This is why Pu E came here. —If everything went as she wished, the Dragon Descendants she brought would integrate here, and the chaotic karma they bore would be eliminated in this place.
But the result was that the Dragon Descendants arrived here, rapidly worsening the seed of chaos into Chaos April. And the Xi Ren Realm did not accept the Dragon Descendants; instead, due to the chaos power, it triggered an immune mechanism (Great Tribulation), rejecting the Dragon Descendants along with it.
Pu E performed Yao Calculation and determined that leaving now was the best. As for the mess left behind?
…So what?…
Outside the mountain, the Sitian Cheng of Hao State, carrying King Hao’s imperial decree, patrolled this Spiritual Mountain for a long time before leaving dejectedly.
Pu E appeared on the mountain top, looking at the departing Sitian Cheng, murmuring: “Have the obsessions begun to clash?”
After the system panel no longer showed loyalty, she had cut ties with Zhao Cheng, even having to stay away from the Hao Dynasty center.
This was Zhao Cheng’s faction exiling her, and now Zhao Cheng, using the Imperial Court’s name, sent the Sitian Cheng to summon her back; the situation had obviously reached a moment extremely critical for Zhao Cheng.
For Pu E, Zhao Cheng with loyalty dropped to zero was not scary, but not being able to see the “loyalty value panel” was what frightened her the most.
Pu E could not help looking toward Chong Shui; she began to feel quite curious about Wu Fei, this existence that could block Zhao Cheng.
Zhao Cheng was an obsession of a hero from the “Historical Deduction Zone”; his data panel was quite strong. So which great god was clashing with such a “hero card”?
From the many traits Wu Fei had shown so far, there were no labels of obsessions from many historical figures in the “Historical Deduction Zone.”
The Wisdom and Courage System suddenly said: “From his current behavioral traits, no signs of ‘obsession’ have been detected.”
Pu E’s expression paused: “What does that mean? Could it be a free transmigrator?” Then she negated: “Zhao Cheng has the highest Military Strategy skill value. A transmigrator’s free-standard consciousness, to compete in the same type of skill, needs massive spirit infusion!”
Narrator explanation: Achievements in any domain reaching top-tier levels require immense human effort, without abandoning or giving up, to reach the peak.
In Dimensional Technology, recruiting transmigrator consciousnesses each with skill bars, those who can reach the achievement peak marked by their skill bars all have obsessions supporting them.
This obsession is an extremely compelling reason in the heart. And Dimensional Technology seals modular “Obsession Information” into recruitable cards. Obsession holders only have extreme motivation in their “skills,” but in other aspects, they are like normal people, negligent, lazy.
Free transmigrators are different; because their consciousness is free, they often cannot match obsession holders in “specific domains.” —For example, Pu E herself was free consciousness; her exclusive skill bar in Military Strategist could not surpass the card people she summoned. She had no reason to invest so much effort in domains she was not interested in. She could put her interest elsewhere.
But is there any free consciousness transmigrator who has no compelling reason that must be done, yet can hard compete and grind with obsession holders in domains “boosted by Historical Deduction to peak skill bars”? —Pu E had never seen one.
But in dimensional spacetime, in the plane wars recorded by the Wisdom and Courage System so far, such existences are the central pillars on both sides in confrontations.
Such transmigrators are called “Monarchs”; their will is free, but they can elbow all the “spirit-infused boosted skill” bloated consciousnesses in various domains.
…The school’s history teacher glanced outside the school, then began busy with classroom teaching aids again…
The current under heaven situation had Zhao Cheng somewhat stretched thin. To the point of remembering the exiled “ally.”
With frontline reports indicating that the Chong Army at the frontline had begun large-scale preparation of offensive supplies and sent out large numbers of scouts to seal the border.
Zhao Cheng knew Xuan Chong had seen through his weaknesses and strengths, deciding to strike several frontlines he could not attend to with a Mount Tai pressing down posture.
And the dilemma Zhao Cheng’s side had fallen into was that now with Xuan Chong taking strategic initiative after determining his main attack direction, Zhao Cheng began not knowing where Xuan Chong’s main attack direction was!
Zhao Cheng’s chessboard was full of various flags, and directly in front of each flag was shrouded in war fog.
Temple Calculation of the enemy main commander’s decision is not psychological guessing. But through various information on the battlefield, understanding what conditions the opponent faces, to analyze the enemy main commander’s optimal choice.
For example, Du Yuming fleeing south, one southeast, one southwest. By psychological guessing, the Nanjing old man’s heart is southeast.
Because southeast along the river has Anglo-American fleet, withdrawing from there favors internationalizing problems he could not solve. This is the Nanjing old man’s decades-long similar speculation psychology.
But in reality, battlefield conditions were that Jiangnan water networks were dense, impossible to pass through at all, could only withdraw via southwest railway network.
One more thing, because the old man’s plan to internationalize the problem bankrupted, he angrily turned Xiao Ming around to rescue Huang Wei. He felt that losing the Bai Tao Group and Huang Wei would look too bad internationally. From beginning to end, the old man was like the Empress Dowager Cixi old lady decades ago, caring about face. This is standard old person psychology.
Speaking of which, Zhao Cheng’s side had never taken “guessing opponent’s psychology” as the first basis for formulating battle strategies.
He analyzed the conditions the enemy faced before daring to make definite decisions.
Even if predicting the opponent cautious in character, he dared not act rashly. Only after planting inner agents in the enemy relevant social circles, obtaining definite messages like “generals not in harmony” or “political enemies stirring in rear,” would Zhao Cheng exploit the main commander’s anxieties to launch surprise strategies.
However, just as Xuan Chong “boxed” Zhao Cheng for several years without result, Zhao Cheng for over a dozen years also could not plant inner agents in Xuan Chong’s core decision circle.
…Advanced systems towering over this era…
Xuan Chong’s current Staff Department and Administrative Department were monolithic; and the Chong Army’s frontline generals completely did not need to worry about rear “corrupt ministers” interfering, knowing their merit system would not be buried.
Wu Juwang, Wu Lu, Wu Rui these three cores, Xuan Chong half a year before the war began, isolated them from all internal faction forces. Cut off all contacts, even family members independently arranged in a large compound sealed from the outside.
This large compound, let alone spies sent by Zhao Cheng, even those with wrong composition were not allowed near.
Note: In the entire non-Lingnan area, people without independent household registration and cross-domain traveling merchants are all “wrong composition” under Xuan Chong. Only those living in workshop-dense cities for over ten years with city household registration are considered good-composition own people.
If wrong composition still insists on approaching the large compound gate, the street Baojia chief named “Morning Sun Emissary” would take them for tea, asking if they have temporary residence permit.
So Xuan Chong’s decision circle is a ruthless administrative and merit analysis machine. Frontline merits produced, rear gives merit results without any ambiguity.
And the frontline various troops’ commanding generals, Xuan Chong also arranged extremely well; letting each side’s generals earn merit, but no general could earn world-shaking extraordinary merit.
This is because Xuan Chong’s military organization is tight, logistics assured, generals have non-commissioned officer group staff analyzing comprehensive battlefield information; and every soldier’s life and family not tied to the general. This is the perfect war machine in Zhao Cheng’s heart.
In Zhao Cheng’s description, after Zhen State reform, there is a whole system to maintain soldiers’ rights.
Each route’s generals are confined to “making decisions” during campaigns, without considering other messy things.
Now, if Pu E saw Zhao Cheng’s appearance, she would be very surprised, because when Zhao Cheng confirmed the news of Xuan Chong’s full-scale offensive, there was panic hidden in his eyes. This panic was like Pu E not seeing Zhao Cheng’s loyalty.
In Military Strategist confrontations, Zhao Cheng specialized in obsession here was always confident.
Pu E had not thought that in this world she came to, there would be an existence in this domain that could break Zhao Cheng. —If it was cheating, Zhao Cheng would feel the defeat not unjust; but all Xuan Chong’s growth, Zhao Cheng felt personally, and all Xuan Chong’s growth operations through learning were also reasonable.
The confidence of obsession holders in a certain domain seems far beyond ordinary people, but is actually limited. Obsession gives handle to others, when led by the holder into desperation, belief will also be worn away.
Zhao Cheng’s current desperation is exactly caused by him long-term giving handles to others.
…Zhao Cheng: If not for destiny, I might have drunk and talked happily with him…
Yuhuazhou General’s Mansion, on the sand table, Zhao Cheng now saw that in all areas, Xuan Chong had conditions to launch main force offensives.
The advisors were now panicked too; one advisor said: “General, you said Wu Yuanchang fights cautiously.”
Zhao Cheng: “Wu Yuanchang is cautious because he habits everything to be in an invincible position before plotting. Now he already—” Zhao Cheng halfway, stopped this morale-dropping words.
Zhao Cheng flatly said: “When conditions mature, his battle tactics are no less elegant than mine.”
That is, in the series of battles in Bo Prefecture against Huangyu City, that Wu Xiao Que in the Dragon Descendants’ eyes, dare say conservative? Sparrow claws would directly greet the faces of those Former Hao Dragon Descendant great generals.
Speaking of which, what meaning does Zhao Cheng judging Xuan Chong’s main force offensive direction now have? The meaning is that Zhen State’s other generals’ strategic objectives are occupying cities; if Hao Army cannot beat, they can still contract troops back.
Once Xuan Chong’s main force appears, the strategic objective is through decisive battle, annihilating Hao State’s living forces.
Zhao Cheng was very clear that Wu Xiao Que in confronting him would prioritize “drawing the wooden barrel’s short board,” not playing any “one battle decides heaven and earth” hot-blooded drama.
Xuan Chong now does not need to hard clash with Zhao Cheng’s main force; just find a bit vulnerable spot, annihilate five to six ten thousand troops, even if not Zhao Cheng’s absolute main force, Zhao Cheng’s side morale would collapse.
Because this would already overturn the possibility of Zhao Cheng flat-pushing under heaven!
Note that Hao Army now can launch multi-route offensives because they believe their group can win the final chicken dinner.
If without this possibility, then each route troops would consider, for Zhao Cheng fighting, losses too great, worth it? —Blood Labor for Blood Reward, only if Zhao Cheng conquers under heaven can he use Blood Reward to motivate each route troops forward; if this pie is fake, each route would self-preserve.
Just as Zhao Cheng was hesitating, his advisor finally stood out to help Zhao Cheng decide.
This advisor named Meng Chang: “My lord, the most critical situation now is Yongzhou and Xingzhou, better settle here first. (In minesweeper game, if cannot determine a region’s mines, first solve the determinable directions)”
Zhao Cheng hearing this, gaze gradually returned to firm; he looked north, recovered composure and confidence.
Zhao Cheng asked the one beside: “Has Liang Yun returned? (Liang Yun is the Sitian Cheng searching for Pu E)”
The subordinate official beside: “He has returned; he claims not completing the mission, dares not see you, already waiting in prison.”
Zhao Cheng frowned: “Have him return to work, don’t do these ‘pleading guilty’ empty courtesies.”
Zhao Cheng turned to look at the map: “Let them eat the north! —Then summon advisors, have him spread in Hao State old capital that King Hao regains state altars, decisive death battle news; at the same time have own people pass the seal to King Hao, and tell King Hao, Grand Tutor Pu E will return, then surely stabilize rivers and mountains state altars.
