Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds-Chapter 93. Heaven’s Will in One Knife (seeking more reads)

Even if Song Knife dared to make this cut, sect seniors would intervene.

Just like the grey-robed old monk from Xuanji Temple earlier!

One word—profit!

...

As for the unfair punishment from the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, Xu Xing felt nothing at all.

Firstly, this was not something he had personally experienced.

Secondly, powers in the world were generally like this.

The laws of the Immortal Palace seemed fair and strict, but they were much like those of the Imperial Court, which invoked the "eight not-discussed" for nobles and imperial relatives.

What did "eight not-discussed" mean? It meant that for certain individuals of noble status, the punishment for the same crime would differ.

The Tang Code states: "When a crime is committed, it falls under the eight discussions; its severity does not lie in the penal statutes."

For such people, if they committed a serious crime, it would be reduced to a minor one, or even dismissed entirely.

When the Emperor commits a crime, he is subject to the same law as civilians.

But the same crime does not receive the same punishment!

If the Emperor mistakenly killed someone, he would not have to pay with his life, but a civilian would...

...

「An hour later.」

At the Court of Xing Tian, in the Righteousness Hall.

Xu Xing summoned the civil and military officials of Mount Siming, along with the middle and lower-ranking generals.

"Emperor Chongming calls this king a mere watchdog, content with indulging in martial arts and lacking ambition. But this king knows that Guanxi Road is impoverished and barren. If we advance rashly, we risk jeopardizing our entire cause..."

"The situation in the realm today is clear. King Zhenbei is wary of the great righteousness between sovereign and subject; he obeys orders but not summonses. The Tartars in the north are pressing at our borders. Unless it is a matter of life and death, the Outside Iron Riders will not easily venture south. Although the Righteous Army in the south was suppressed by government forces, the local armies have grown powerful and now contend with the Central Axis..."

As his words fell, the Righteous Army Generals in the hall listened with surging excitement.

Three years. They had been waiting for three long years. Mount Siming had remained dormant for three years.

Today, judging by King Xing Tian’s words, they were finally going to march east to challenge the Imperial Court!

"Fourth Brother..."

"I am willing to be the vanguard and clear the path for you, Fourth Brother!"

Heavenly Kun King was the first to rise, patting his chest with a grin.

Several years had passed. Although King of Sorrow Yao Dang and his followers no longer held military command, King Xing Tian had treated them with utmost benevolence, allowing them to enjoy wealth and honor.

Consequently, there was no ill will or estrangement between him and Xu Xing.

When discussing important matters on Mount Siming, there was no need for reservation.

"My Lord, this general also wishes to be the vanguard commander..."

Seeing Heavenly Kun King vying for the position, Chang Ji could not help but speak up.

In ancient military formations, armies were generally divided into van, main, and rear echelons.

The main army was typically commanded by the ruler.

The rear echelon consisted mostly of supplies and conscripted laborers and would not engage in combat. Therefore, if he wanted to achieve merit, he had to compete for the position of vanguard commander of the front army.

"Third Brother and General Chang are both seasoned veterans of the battlefield..."

Xu Xing felt a headache coming on at this scene.

Mount Siming lacked many things, but not talented generals.

He first praised them both, then mused for a moment before saying, "When we march east, our first target will be Luonan Road, adjacent to Guanxi Road. Luonan Road is expansive and can be divided into northern and southern fronts. Each of you will lead a vanguard of 20,000 troops and operate independently. Whoever achieves victory first will earn the greatest merit."

"Just remember: no indiscriminate killing, no arson, no looting, and no massacring cities."

"In all matters, you must act according to military orders."

"If an unavoidable situation arises, report to this king first, then make the decision."

Xu Xing instructed.

Killing captives and those who surrendered was extremely common in ancient times.

Although the Mount Siming forces were a Righteous Army, their discipline was only marginally better than that of the official soldiers. If not restrained, they might tarnish his and Mount Siming’s reputation.

However, they also could not be too restrained; otherwise, the soldiers’ morale would be low if they attacked a city without reaping any benefits.

It was fine as long as they didn’t go as far as massacring cities. For the rest, he could only do his best and leave it to fate...

Trying to make his soldiers truly righteous would be extremely difficult relying solely on the moral constraints of feudal society. Besides, Xu Xing didn’t have the time.

Frankly speaking, out of sight, out of mind.

During the chaos of a dynasty’s end, death... was all too common.

He was not some morally righteous gentleman.

He would only try his best to do some good deeds if it didn’t affect his own interests.

"Fourth Brother, your benevolence, Third Brother understands..."

"Rest assured, rest assured. I come from a farming family; how could I be so cruel?"

Heavenly Kun King laughed and gave his assurance.

Chang Ji, being slightly more astute than Heavenly Kun King, offered praise, "My Lord has received the Heavenly Order; all the common people are your subjects. When our Righteous Army marches east, we must naturally cherish the people..."

After the two vanguard generals were appointed, Gongyang Yi, Xu Ming, Xu Jing, and other civil officials began to discuss matters of grain, supplies, and other logistics.

Grain precedes the army.

Warfare is also a battle of logistics.

The discussion continued late into the night before this mobilization rally concluded.

...

「The next day.」

Heavenly Kun King and Chang Ji each led their vanguard forces out of Guanxi Road, heading straight for Luonan Road.

The garrison commander of Luonan Road was greatly alarmed and decided to defend the passes.

However, the Imperial Court’s military preparedness was lax. Under the Righteous Army’s relentless attacks, all three mountain passes blocking Mount Siming’s eastward advance fell one after another in less than two days.

Simultaneously, the battle report reached Shenjing.

The Civil and Martial Officials filled Ziwei Palace. Suddenly, it fell deathly silent.

"Xu Ni! Xu Ni! Xu Ni!" Emperor Chongming, seated on the Dragon Chair, ground his teeth and shouted Xu Ni’s name three times. "I treated him well! If he had remained obedient and served as a loyal regional governor, how good that would have been..."

"Why did he have to rebel against me?"

Ever since Ouyang Shuda resigned and returned to his hometown, he had begun to devote himself to governance.

However, no matter how diligently he worked, day and night, the Imperial Court’s situation continued to deteriorate, becoming far worse than during Ouyang Shuda’s tenure...

Thus, he had slowly come to accept reality.

He could only hope Xu Xing would remain in Guanxi Road and not completely tear away this last shred of dignity.

However, three years passed, and Xu Xing still advanced eastward.

"My ministers, do you have any counsel..."

"To resist Xu Ni."

Emperor Chongming rubbed his aching temples and sighed.

At this point, he could no longer afford to be angry. The top priority was to quickly appease Xu Xing or halt the advance of the Mount Siming army.

Once Luonan Road fell, the Siming Mountain Righteous Army would be less than three hundred miles from Shenjing.

"We could have King Zhenbei dispatch troops to suppress Xu Ni," the Military Minister suggested, unable to avoid Emperor Chongming’s gaze.

What he said was mere platitude.

King Zhenbei commanded one hundred thousand Outside Iron Riders, and the Imperial Court would undoubtedly order them south. However, considering Xu Xing’s current offensive strength and the fierce engagements with the Tartars on the frontier, King Zhenbei could not divert a large force to the Luonan Road theater in time.

"A bunch of useless rice bags..."

Seeing no useful advice forthcoming, Emperor Chongming threw down the memorial in his hand and strode out of Ziwei Palace.

When he reached the Side Hall, he had Eunuch Li Enlu who has the imperial seal summon his trusted aides.

"In this minister’s humble opinion..."

"Why not secretly send an envoy to negotiate with Xu Xing? With his current strength, he is not yet capable of swallowing the entire realm."

Wang Wang, Minister of Rites, pondered for a moment before suggesting this.

After Mount Siming seizes new territory, they will require considerable time to consolidate their gains. If, during this interval, King Zhenbei can swiftly conclude the campaign against the Tartars and lead his forces south to relieve the capital, the crisis will naturally be averted.

"Who would be suitable for such a mission?" Emperor Chongming asked, his gaze fixed intently on Wang Wang.

At this moment, Wang Wang understood the meaning of the phrase "to be hoist with his own petard."

He glanced around, only to see Taipu Han Sui and the others feigning deep contemplation, their minds apparently elsewhere.