dognovel Chapter 632 The Predicament of the Lotus Palace
Chapter 632 The Predicament of the Lotus Palace
When war broke out in the northern border of the Wu Kingdom, the southern border was not spared either.
The 100,000-strong army of the Daye Dynasty marched into Tianmu Mountain with great fanfare and was about to reach the defensive fortifications of Guangde Prefecture.
The enemy did not rush to attack, but instead set up camp on the spot, as if deliberately giving Wu Guo time to react.
The fortress in Tianmu Mountain was only guarded by 10,000 soldiers, who were feeling the strain.
However, just as the army of the Daye Dynasty was about to make a show of force, the 10,000-strong garrison of the Wu Kingdom retreated and abandoned the fortress.
The enemy general was taken aback, mistaking it for an ambush set up by the Wu Kingdom. He lingered in the same spot for several days, not daring to take any action rashly.
At this moment, inside the Lotus Palace, a group of bigwigs gathered together.
"I'm so angry! That wretched brat Lin Ping, next time I'll definitely skin him alive!"
The head of the Deacon Hall, Lü Yan, slammed his hand on the table, smashing it to pieces, his eyes blazing with fury.
He had endured for over twenty years, all for this day, but he never expected that Lin Ping, a mere child, would ruin his plans.
Not only that, he was even injured by Lin Ping, which was an utter disgrace.
"Senior Brother, Lin Ping is Junior Sister Chu's disciple!" Tang Jianshan said sarcastically.
“Isn’t that right? Even knowing that he has an unknown background, Junior Sister Chu still wants to protect him.” Mei Jiecao echoed.
Both of them had suffered at Lin Ping's hands and hated him to the core, but Chu Rujun insisted on protecting him, which made Mei Jie and Cao very unhappy.
They even considered using the pretext of eliminating Lin Ping to take action against Chu Rujun, only to find that the two of them, even working together, had no advantage.
Therefore, he wanted to use Lü Yan to suppress Chu Rujun, since Lü Yan was the most senior among everyone, second only to the Palace Master and the Holy Maiden.
"Alright, that's enough. The priority now is to get rid of Lin Ping, not to blame each other," Lü Yan said impatiently.
He could endure in the imperial court for over twenty years; how could he lack such a broad perspective?
With a major battle imminent between Lotus Palace and the imperial court, this is not the time for infighting.
"We will follow your orders, Senior Brother." Mei Jiecao and Tang Jianshan answered honestly, naturally not daring to argue with Lü Yan.
The three peak masters, along with the two hall masters responsible for enforcement and administration, were all disciples of the previous generation's Grand Elder of Lotus Palace.
Now that the previous Grand Elder is gone, they should unite even more, otherwise they will only be suppressed even more severely by the Palace Master and the Holy Maiden.
"With a great battle imminent and the Palace Master in seclusion, what are your thoughts?" Lu Yan asked softly.
Lü Yan understood the principle that "listening to both sides leads to enlightenment, while believing only one side leads to darkness."
"At this critical juncture, we should act swiftly and decisively. By uniting the forces of the three city lords of Huizhou, Ningguo, and Shancheng, and with the cooperation of the experts from Lotus Palace, we will surely be able to break through Yingtian Prefecture in one fell swoop," Tang Jianshan said passionately.
It was as if the whole world was under his control.
"With internal and external troubles plaguing Wu, and the army already dispatched to the northern border, we can indeed take advantage of the situation and seize Yingtian Prefecture in one fell swoop." Lü Yan nodded in satisfaction.
Although Tang Jianshan's approach was somewhat reckless, it was practical and therefore not entirely unacceptable.
"I think there's no rush. We should wait until the Wu Kingdom and the Daye Dynasty are deadlocked before making a move," Chu Zhifeng analyzed.
He is a calm and cunning man, and is best at reaping the benefits of others' misfortunes.
"Yes, Zhifeng's thinking is very thorough. In this way, we can not only break through Yingtian Prefecture, but also weaken the strength of the Daye Dynasty. If we get the opportunity, we might be able to break through the capital of the Daye Dynasty."
Lü Yan laughed out loud with delight.
This was a momentous undertaking to unify the Great Dynasty; how could he not be excited?
"Master, something terrible has happened!"
Just as the group was happily discussing their plans, a disciple from the Hall of Affairs rushed over in a panic.
"What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disrespectful? Can't you see that your master and your uncles are discussing important matters?" Lu Yan said sternly.
"This disciple knows his mistake." The disciple was startled by Lü Yan's expression and forced himself to calm down.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Lu Yan asked calmly, his cold eyes remaining as still as a deep well.
"What was I going to say?" The junior disciple scratched his head, somewhat flustered, and finally slapped his forehead, saying, "I remember now, the private army of Fengyang Prefecture is marching towards Lotus Palace."
"What? The private army of Fengyang Prefecture? They've come to attack?" Lu Yan exclaimed, speechless, instantly losing his composure.
"Why didn't you say so sooner about something so important?"
Lu Yan shouted angrily, kicked the junior disciple away, and his beard bristled with rage.
"You told me not to say it," the young disciple sobbed, his eyes already brimming with tears.
Lu Yan's kick was quite forceful; it almost broke his ribs.
The problem wasn't with him; it was Lu Yan who told him not to panic.
"How could the Lord of Fengyang City be an enemy of my Lotus Palace? Didn't he usurp the throne? Shouldn't he be allied with my Lotus Palace?" Lu Yan asked, puzzled.
"Senior Brother, you may not know this, but this city lord is not the same as the previous city lord. Yao Yunfei is dead, and the heir has succeeded to the throne, changing the previous decision," Mei Jiecao said sarcastically.
"Yao Yunfei is dead? How did he die?" Lü Yan was shocked.
He knew Yao Yunfei quite well. Not only did Yao Yunfei have many experts under his command, but his own strength was also comparable to that of the Black Lotus Realm. How could he have died for no reason?
Is he/she terminally ill?
However, there had been no prior information on this matter.
"Senior Brother, you should ask Junior Sister Chu. It was all done by her precious disciples," Tang Jianshan added.
Lu Yan's eyes instantly turned to Chu Rujun, cold as ice.
"Not long ago, the Palace Master issued a mission to have Yao Yunfei join forces with Lotus Palace. Yunying accepted the mission and went to find Yao Yunfei, only to find that he not only captured her but also killed several of his disciples."
"In order to rescue Yunying, Lotus Palace sent several more experts, who finally killed Yao Yunfei in the process of fighting, offending the heir of Fengyang Prefecture, which led to the current situation."
Chu Rujun lowered her head and explained that she was willing to accept any punishment.
Lu Yan roughly understood the meaning behind it, but sighed helplessly.
Now that things have come to this, blaming each other will only weaken the Lotus Palace. It would be better to unite as one and fight the enemy together.
"It's just a mere Fengyang City Lord, nothing to worry about. Let the Huizhou City Lord handle it, and the Lotus Palace will also send a thousand outer disciples to assist." Lü Yan quickly sorted out the situation.
"That's fine then," the others agreed, not wanting to make things difficult for Chu Rujun any further.
"Even without the help of the City Lord of Huizhou, Lotus Palace can still quickly break through the gates of Yingtian Prefecture." Tang Jianshan patted his chest and said, "Why not let the disciples of Beidou Peak lead the charge? They will surely wipe out all the imperial guards."
"Master, something terrible has happened!" A disciple rushed over, panting.
This person is a disciple of the Enforcement Hall; he has disgraced Mei Jiecao.
He imitated Lü Yan, kicking his disciple away so that he could calmly explain the situation.
"Reporting to my senior uncles, the army of the Daye Dynasty has entered Tianmu Mountain and is about to breach the gates of Guangde City," the disciple of the Enforcement Hall said slowly and deliberately, even with a touch of affected tone.