The black tide stopped on the distant plains. Even the Tang clan's special monoculars found it very difficult to make out the origins of these cavalry.
It didn't take long before a hundred-some cavalry left the ranks and galloped toward Wenshui City, completely ignoring the divine crossbows on the walls. Even though they had practiced this countless times, the soldiers and Tang clan guards still grew nervous at this sight. After all, they had never had any real experience.
Accompanied by his subordinates, the city lord hurried to the top of the walls. His clothes were not even properly dressed, much less his armor.
As he gazed at the distant tide of cavalry and the approaching hundred-some cavalry, the city lord's face grew paler and paler.
He saw that the hundred-some cavalry had already entered the range of the divine crossbows, but he did not dare to give the order to attack. Sweat poured out of his body. He turned to the Tang clan guards and yelled in panic, "Where's the master? Why hasn't anyone from the master come? "
The Imperial Court had personally appointed the Lord of Wenshui City, but he was well aware that he would never be the master of this city.
From countless years ago, the master of this city had only had one surname: the Tang clan.
Some time had passed since the alarm had sounded. No matter how slow the response, the people from the Tang clan should have arrived by now.
Why was it that there were only those guards on the walls and not a single important figure of the Tang clan?
An advisor stared at the approaching hundred-some cavalry and thought of a possibility. He whispered, "There's no sign of activity from the master, which means that he's definitely fine."
The city lord felt that these words were very reasonable. Wiping the cold sweat from his face, he asked in a trembling voice, "Then … just who has come?"
… …
… …
As time passed, the hundred-some cavalry arrived in front of Wenshui City.
There was no battle, because the people on the walls very quickly knew who they were.
The ones who had come to Wenshui City were not the demon expeditionary army, but two thousand Papal Cavalry.
Their mission was to escort the three Sacred Hall archbishops into Wenshui City.
The three Sacred Hall archbishops had come to Wenshui City for an even simpler reason: to serve the Pope.
No matter how unhappy the soldiers and civilians of Wenshui City were with this sudden disturbance, they had no reason to keep them out of the city.
The vast majority of the two thousand Papal Cavalry remained on the plains, showing no hostility.
The heavy city gate, which had just been closed not long ago, slowly opened.
Escorted by one hundred cavalry, the two carriages entered Wenshui City under the gaze of countless complicated gazes.
Archbishop An Lin exchanged a few words with the city lord through the curtains. She had no intention of leaving the carriage.
Some of the people on the street looked curiously at the figure in the carriage, while others knelt down and prayed piously.
Linghai Zhiwang and Daoist Baishi were still sitting in the same carriage.
"The Tang family's reaction is very fast. It won't be easy to attack."
Linghai Zhiwang expressionlessly said as his gaze passed through the curtain and fell upon the Tang clan guards on the distant wall who were clearly not soldiers of the Imperial Court.
There were many deep meanings hidden in these words. Daoist Baishi smiled and said nothing.
Linghai Zhiwang glanced at him and said, "Wenshui City has never seen the fires of war, so why is the Tang clan so vigilant and careful, even going so far as to set up a divine crossbow array and raise so many private soldiers? Could it be that … they want to rebel? "
The meaning of these words was even more clear. Daoist Baishi's smile faded, but he still didn't say anything, because he didn't know how to respond.
…
…
Two thousand Orthodoxy cavalry escorted the three Prefects of the Orthodoxy to Wenshui City.
Their reason was very sufficient, because they wanted to ensure the Pope's safety.
No one could say anything.
But no one could forget the crux of this matter: the Li Palace had not notified Wenshui City beforehand.
To take without asking was to steal, to arrive without asking was to ambush.
Two thousand Orthodoxy cavalry suddenly appeared outside Wenshui City, their thunderous hooves tearing through the morning light.
Although nothing happened, all of Wenshui City felt nervous and uneasy that morning.
One thousand years ago, the Demon Army had invaded the south and surrounded Luoyang for a very long time. Their vanguard was only three-hundred-some li from the capital, but they had never reached Wenshui City.
Looking even further back in history, in the chaotic era when heroes vied for hegemony, the continent was covered in the flames of war, the populace destitute and destitute, and the land for a thousand li was scorched. Only Wenshui City had not suffered any attack. It quietly watched the turmoil of the world.
In countless years, this was the first time that Wenshui City had seen an army.
Just what did the Orthodoxy mean by doing this? Was it a demonstration against the Tang clan and the Imperial Court? Was it worried about the Pope's safety? Or did it want to intimidate some people in Wenshui City?
As the imperial envoy, the Prince of Zhongshan did not immediately return to the capital after leaving the Mount Song Army headquarters. Instead, he represented the emperor in inspecting the northern armies. When he received this news, he was at Blue Pass. The first question he thought of was not this, but that the people of the Orthodoxy had not gone to Cong Province?
On that day, Linghai Zhiwang and the other two Prefects of the Orthodoxy had led two thousand Orthodoxy cavalry to attack the Mount Song Army headquarters with a thunderous momentum. Using the assassination of the Pope, they had forcefully seized the position of Divine General of the Mount Song Army headquarters. A large part of this was because their arrival had been too sudden.
Those two-thousand-some Orthodoxy cavalry had been stationed on the perimeter of Xunyang City the entire time. The road to the Mount Song Army headquarters was mostly through the wilderness, so it was understandable that they had been able to hide from the Imperial Court. The problem was that no one in the capital knew when those three Prefects of the Orthodoxy had left the Li Palace.
The Imperial Court naturally would not permit such a thing to happen again. After the three Prefects of the Orthodoxy left the Mount Song Army headquarters with their two-thousand-some Orthodoxy cavalry, their whereabouts had always been under the control of the Great Zhou Army. Everyone knew that they were currently advancing towards the Cong Province Army headquarters.
This was also something that many people in the court had predicted.
The Orthodoxy had mobilized such a large force of forces, but it was naturally not just for the position of the Mount Song Army headquarters.
The Cong Province Army headquarters was located to the west, and the conditions there were arduous, but it was also extremely important. Crucially, this was where Xue Xingchuan had risen to power. Even though he had been dead for three years and the Imperial Court had carried out many purges, it was still impossible to completely remove his influence.
From every angle, the Cong Province Army headquarters should have been the Orthodoxy's next target.
Who could have expected that three Prefects of the Orthodoxy and two thousand Orthodoxy cavalry would actually traverse that lifeless rocky mountain desert overnight and suddenly appear outside Wenshui City!
Just what did the Orthodoxy want to do? Had the young Pope really gone crazy and was preparing to massacre Wenshui?
The Prince of Zhongshan finally began to ponder these matters, his expression growing colder and colder.
He simply could not believe such an absurd theory, because he was very sure that the young Pope would never do such a thing.
And two thousand cavalry wanted to massacre Wenshui? This was far too low of the Pope's intelligence and the unfathomable strength of the Tang clan.
At this moment, cheers suddenly came from the street outside the army headquarters.
The Prince of Zhongshan slightly creased his brow and asked, "What's the matter?"
After a while, the cheers outside the headquarters showed no signs of stopping. On the contrary, they grew louder and louder, as if all of Blue Pass was celebrating something.
Divine General Jian Xi walked into the military hall and said in a slightly heavy voice, "I've just received news that the new batch of Cinnabar Pills will be distributed tomorrow."
The Prince of Zhongshan's eyes grew deeper and deeper. He thought to himself, I don't know how intelligent the Pope is, but his bearing is truly extraordinary.
… …
… …
Wenshui was one of the few ancient cities in the world. In the depths of winter, the snow and yellow leaves contrasted against each other, making the scenery seem even more serene and serene.
Anyone who saw the mottled and ancient walls, those banners that had endured centuries of wind and rain, would be able to sense the heavy history behind them.
When they thought of that noble clan in the city, this heavy sense of history would add a tinge of vicissitudes and power.
Even Linghai Zhiwang was not as irritable as he usually was after entering the city. He had become rather taciturn.
He raised the curtain and first saw those people standing or kneeling on the street, and then he saw the gleam of water.
Wenshui City was farther north than the capital, but the famed river that ran through the city had not frozen over even in the depths of winter, as if it had an inexhaustible source.
Only the frost-stained grass on the riverbank and two or three little yellow flowers that had clearly frozen to death proved the principle that time could not be reversed.
Outside the Daoist church, the carriage stopped. Linghai Zhiwang followed the stone steps through the forest, Daoist Baishi and Archbishop An Lin following behind him.
At the end of the quiet and secluded stone steps was the holy gate to the rear hall.
A pear tree was planted in the gate, and a young man stood beneath the tree.
Linghai Zhiwang did not like this young man.
He had never liked him.
Even though he later learned of his identity as a legitimate successor of the Orthodoxy, he still found it impossible to understand why the Pope, whom he respected so dearly, had appointed him as his successor.
In his view, although this young man could not be considered cowardly, he still lacked a sharp edge. He was lifeless and uninteresting.
No interest meant no love or hate, and without intense love or hate, one would not understand what responsibility was.
Only now, when he saw the figure beneath the pear tree, did he vaguely understand something.
It was not lifeless.
It was calm and tranquil.
This young man was like a small stream.
The stream was somewhat shallow, but it was very clear. It was possible to see the fish swimming at the bottom and each person.
The stream seemed very weak, but it was also very tenacious. Not even the sharpest sword could cut through it.
The stream seemed very calm, but it actually contained an unimaginably surging energy that could cleave apart mountains and split the earth, flowing west to the sea.
Just like Wenshui City. Everyone knew that he should not have come, or that it was inconvenient for him to come, but he still came.
Linghai Zhiwang finally understood the Pope's choice.
He calmly prostrated.
Daoist Baishi and An Lin glanced at each other, their expressions a little surprised, and then they also prostrated.
The young man turned around and said, "Rise."
A cool breeze blew, and countless tiny white flowers fell from the tree, sprinkling over his body and shoulders. They looked like fresh snow, incomparably clean.
There were white flowers everywhere, falling all over the ground.
It was currently the cold depths of winter, so why was there such a beautiful scene?
Perhaps it was because he had been refining pills in the Daoist church yesterday, but the garden had suddenly warmed and vitality gradually flourished.
Thus, it was like a spring breeze had suddenly come, and the pear trees had all bloomed.
… …
… …
(The Fifth Volume: The End of the Yellow Flowers of the Battlefield)
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