Night had fallen and the moon and stars were in the sky.
The entire Cloud City was as bright as day.
Phoenix lanterns filled the sky and the shadows of phoenixes cruised on the lantern walls.
There were festooned carriages parading the streets, cloud platforms displaying rare treasures, acrobats, lantern riddles, peddlers …
The pedestrians were woven together.
Jiang Anan sat in the largest Phoenix lantern. Before her eyes was the shadow of the phoenix lantern. Looking up, she saw the sky full of stars. Looking down, she saw the fireworks of the human world.
When she spent New Year's Eve in Fengxi Town, the town was also very lively. There was delicious food, red lanterns, and firecrackers … Last year's New Year's Eve in a barren mountain, her brother set off fireworks for her.
This was the first time she experienced such a grand bustle. It was like she was in a beautiful dream filled with flowing lights and vibrant colors. It made her forget to go home and forget about her worries. She couldn't remember those inexhaustible copybooks at the moment.
For the current Jiang Anan, those copybooks were her only worry.
Ye Qingyu watched over her from the side and occasionally pointed out some interesting places for her to see. Occasionally, she would cast a spell and sprinkle a rain of light to celebrate New Year's Eve with the people of Cloud City.
Jiang Anan smiled brightly and asked, "Where's my brother?"
"I don't know." Ye Qingyu was also very puzzled. "Did he go to prepare a New Year's gift for you?"
"Oh." Jiang Anan held her small face expectantly. "I also want to prepare a New Year's gift for my brother."
"Then let's play for a while and go down to buy one for him … Look over there!"
"Wow, so beautiful!"
…
…
The naive child was carefree.
The youth with the sword flew swiftly under the night sky. He flew over the dead city of Maplewood, flew over the eight hundred li of Qingjiang, flew over Wangjiang, and flew towards Hualin County.
On New Year's Eve, the Zhuang Kingdom didn't have much of the festive atmosphere of the new year. The entire country was enveloped in a heroic mood.
The people were full of hatred for their neighbors in the north. The battle that happened in Yong's Yiyang Prefecture affected the hearts of every Zhuang citizen. They anxiously waited for the result and fervently hoped for the outcome.
The Zhuang Kingdom mobilized an army of three hundred thousand this time. Other than the necessary border defense troops, they mobilized almost all of their military forces. The vanguard had just broken through the defensive line when the army behind caught up.
Earlier, they used the excuse of a small scale conflict with the Mo Kingdom to train the army in Hualin County. It was probably only today that people who were observant could see the real reason.
Zhuang Gaoxian had definitely planned this war against Yong for a long time.
On the other hand, the Mo Kingdom, which had ceded ten cities in one battle, was no longer viewed as an important opponent by the Zhuang Kingdom. If the Mo Kingdom had not paid a huge price to obtain the support of the Qin Kingdom, Zhuang Gaoxian would have destroyed the Mo Palace.
Therefore, from the very beginning, the friction at the border of Zhuang Mo and the trials of the new soldiers were all just a smokescreen. They were all preparations for the war against Yong.
It was said that Zhuang Mo's frontline troops were all trained and rotated in Hualin County. However, in reality, only the higher-ups of the Zhuang Country knew how many troops were stationed in Hualin County, how many were dispatched, the routes of each division, and how many were in Qinghe County.
Before the start of the Kingdom War, a large number of troops had been transferred to Qinghe County in the name of rotation.
On one side, Zhuang Gaoxian smashed the Dragon Throne in a fit of rage. On the other side, the entire army of the Zhuang Country was like a ferocious tiger descending the mountain … This was definitely not something that could be prepared in a short period of time. This kind of preparation might have started many years ago when Zhuang Gaoxian was still recuperating in the depths of the palace.
Otherwise, there was no way to explain this kind of cohesion and efficiency.
…
Xin 'an City.
Tall candles were burning in the Wenhua Pavilion. There were people going in and out continuously. They were either eunuchs or guards, passing on all kinds of information.
There were six rows of tables in the pavilion, three on the left and three on the right. All the officials in Xin 'an City who were in a position of power were here, writing furiously and completing one official task after another.
During the Kingdom War, all kinds of matters were hard to handle. It was not easy to maintain the operations of an army of three hundred thousand soldiers.
Only the most important matters would be summarized and passed to the short-bearded middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table.
The Vice Minister of the Zhuang Country sat upright and did not smile. Occasionally, he would shift his gaze, as if he wanted to see through people's hearts.
Behind him stood a young cultivator with a sword in his arms.
Everyone in the pavilion knew that this young cultivator with bright eyes was Vice Minister Dong A's personal disciple, Li Jianqiu. It was said that they had a master-disciple relationship in Maplewood City's Dao Academy and were highly regarded by the Vice Minister.
When Dong A was handling official matters, he would occasionally ask for Li Jianqiu's opinion in a low voice. One could see how much effort he put into grooming Li Jianqiu. Many people were secretly jealous of him.
As the Vice Minister, Dong A was in charge of criminal investigations. He had real power and his position was not below the Arrest Department's Grand Minister. No matter how one looked at it, he could be ranked among the top ten in the entire Zhuang Country's power structure.
This time, the Zhuang Country went to war. The Zhuang Emperor ordered Dong A to stay in Xin 'an City and oversee the rear. This was enough to show his trust in him. Many people even saw him as the next Minister of State. His status had already surpassed that of the Grand Minister of the Arrest Department. Among all the civil and military officials in the entire Zhuang Country, he was probably only below Minister of State Du Ruhui and Great General Huangfu Duanming.
Du Ruhui had sacrificed too much for the Zhuang Country. He had worked hard for too long and enjoyed the Zhuang Country's fortune. However, he was also burdened by the Zhuang Country. Now, the Zhuang Country was rising. As a top-notch God, it was time for him to put down his heavy burden and focus on cultivation. If he could see through the truth, it would be even more fortunate for the Zhuang Country.
Du Ruhui himself had also expressed many times that he wanted Dong A to succeed him as the Vice Minister.
To be valued by such a powerful figure, it was not hard to imagine how many people hated and envied this Li Jianqiu.
"There shouldn't be anything else. Leave ten people behind to keep watch. The rest of you can go back and rest."
After approving the last official document, Dong A stood up and walked out. "I will go and inspect the city's affairs."
He knew that if he did not leave first, no one would dare to go and rest.
A civil official immediately stood up and said, "How can we trouble Vice Minister? Let me handle such a small matter. "
Dong A waved his hand and stopped him. "This war will determine the fate of the country for the next hundred years. All of you are the pillars of the country. At this moment in history, do your part well and contribute greatly to the country. There are some things that I can do, so I will do it myself. "
The officials were already familiar with this Vice Minister's character. They knew that he would not change his mind. He was upright and outspoken and did not like empty formalities. Therefore, no one tried to persuade him. Leaving ten officials behind to keep watch, the rest of them dispersed. Although it was said to be rest, no one could rest. Every official had their own matters to attend to.
Zhuang Gaoxian had staked everything on this war. Even the White Feather Army had been transferred to the front lines. Xin 'an City was at its most empty.
Dong A personally attended to everything and even personally inspected the city's affairs. He was afraid that everyone's attention would be on the Yong battlefield and neglect domestic affairs.
The secretive Grand Secretary of the Arrest Department was currently overseeing Zhuang Mo's front lines to prevent the Mo Kingdom from taking advantage of the situation. If the Mo Kingdom dared to harbor evil intentions, they would have to bite a hard bone. On the border with the Cheng Kingdom, there were also troops ready.
Dong A walked on the wide streets of Xin 'an City, thinking about a myriad of things.
Li Jianqiu, who followed behind him, spoke very little. Basically, he only answered when Dong A asked a question.
The long street stretched into the distance, between a row of pitch-black houses. There was a house with a red lantern hanging in front of it.
In Xin 'an City, which was immersed in the atmosphere of national war, these two red lanterns seemed somewhat out of place.
It was untimely and festive.
"Tonight is New Year's Eve," Dong A said.
On the frosty street, Li Jianqiu grunted.
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