Primordial Era: Jade Cauldron Forgot to Take on Disciples

Chapter 23: Wen Zhong must die beneath the city walls.

"Dad~ what's wrong~"

Su Quanxiao looked incredulous. His father actually praised Yang Jian, saying that his contributions were indispensable.

But it was clearly him who fought bravely just now, while Yang Jian stood by and watched, unwilling to lift a finger.

"You piece of trash, you're always making a fool of yourself. Get the hell out of my way, just looking at you makes me angry."

Su Hu angrily waved his hand as he watched Su Quanxiao continue to argue.

Su Quanxiao was unconvinced. The military officer next to him leaned close to his ear and explained that Yang Jian was now punishing deserters, which forced the soldiers who originally planned to escape to turn back and fight the enemy. Even the tiger's roar that ultimately secured the victory was emitted by the black cat that Yang Jian brought.

After learning the whole story, he could only leave in a huff, his face flushed. As he passed Yang Jian, he deliberately let out a cold snort.

"Hmph~ Just you wait, you won't have an easy time."

Yang Jian responded with a smile. Although the two were the same age, he had lived two lives and was not so naive.

He bowed respectfully and said, "This was nothing more than a small favor from Yang Jian. I dare not take credit for it. I hope Lord Su will not mind that I did not take action against these northern barbarians."

"Is there a reason?"

Su Hu looked at Yang Jian with curiosity, as if he were hearing this for the first time.

"These northern barbarians are mostly old, weak, sick, and disabled. To attack them would be an act of bullying the weak."

Su Hu chuckled and waved his hand: "It's alright, it's alright. I've long heard that those who cultivate the Dao understand the will of Heaven and have compassion for all people. I can understand that. I heard from Zheng Lun that you want to learn some magic. When the army joins us this time, I will definitely report your merits to Grand Tutor Wen, and then you will naturally be granted magic."

Yang Jian gave a brief bow of thanks.

Su Daji winked at Yang Jian, then said to Su Hu, "Father, don't you like my method? When we achieve the greatest merit, your marquisate will definitely be more secure. Now our Jizhou army has suffered more than half its losses, and the other lords will certainly not fare well either. With such military strength, how can we talk about conquering the northern border within a month?"

Su Hu waved his hand: "Let's not talk about this again. It's not the act of a true man to ask me to exchange my daughter for wealth and glory."

After speaking...

Su Hu arranged for his many soldiers to clean up the mess before continuing their march toward the front lines.

Military orders are absolute.

They had to reach the walls of Baishi City within two days. If they failed to arrive on time, they would be dismissed from their posts and stripped of their titles, or even beheaded on the spot for cowardice.

This delay meant that the Jizhou army dared not linger on the road. In order to speed up their march, some of the wounded had to be abandoned. If they were lucky, they would run into Zheng Lun, who was escorting supplies, and he would be responsible for treating the wounded along the way. Otherwise, they would have to fend for themselves.

In this world, human life is the least valuable thing.

After two days of forced march.

The Jizhou army finally arrived at Baishi City half a day ahead of schedule.

Numerous armies of various lords have gathered here, but their morale is low, indicating that they have encountered ambushes along the way.

Just as Su Hu was gathering many military experts, including Yang Jian, to discuss the night's defense arrangements.

The messenger rushed over: "Reporting, Marquis Su, Marquis Yuan Futong of Beihai has come to visit."

Upon hearing this familiar name, Yang Jian instantly remembered that this was Yuan Futong, who had gathered seventy-two princes to rebel in the original Investiture of the Gods.

Their power was extremely strong. During the rebellion, Grand Tutor Wen Zhong led an expedition to Beihai, and it took as long as fifteen years to quell Yuan Futong's rebellion.

But I don't know what I'm here to do.

Su Hu's expression was strange. He was also surprised that Yuan Futong, as the leader of the Beihai lords, would come to find him. It couldn't be anything good.

Even though he was unwilling, he didn't dare to directly refuse Yuan Futong's visit, so he went out to greet him personally.

Many soldiers followed closely behind.

We arrived at the entrance of the camp.

Then they saw a middle-aged man standing in front of the crowd. The man had a refined appearance and an extraordinary demeanor.

"Oh dear~", Su Hu immediately opened his arms to greet him: "I am sorry that I have not been able to welcome you properly since you have come to visit, I hope you will not take offense."

The middle-aged man was none other than Marquis Yuan Futong of Beihai. When he saw Su Hu coming over, he smiled just the right amount and hugged him tightly: "Brother Su, you're too kind. We've known each other for thirty years. Let's just call each other brothers."

"Then Su Hu will call you Brother Yuan."

Su Hu hurriedly changed his tune.

"That's more like it, Brother Su," Yuan Futong said, introducing the people behind Su Hu: "These three are the Black Marquis of Beihai, the Auspicious Marquis of Beihai, and the Queen of Liao of Beihai. They are all my brothers. Brother Su, you are the youngest, so you can only be my younger brother."

The four people before them were none other than the four most powerful warlords in Beihai, with Yuan Futong as their leader.

Little did he know what it meant for these four people to come looking for him all at once.

Su Hu, without changing his expression, cupped his hands and said, "Su Hu greets my three elder brothers."

The three men returned the greeting with clasped hands.

"Brother Su, could we find a more convenient place to talk? We have important matters to discuss with you."

"Look at my memory! I was so busy catching up with you guys that I left you all out in the cold for so long. Please come in."

Su Hu welcomed the group into the camp and headed towards the tent where they had previously held discussions.

Yang Jian's expression changed drastically when he saw a mysterious man wearing a bamboo hat following behind the four.

This person was dressed in a wide robe and had previously been completely unnoticed. However, when he passed by Yang Jian, Yang Jian subconsciously felt a sense of crisis.

I just realized it.

At that moment, the man in the straw hat also turned around and looked at Yang Jian.

A row of eyes, as red as blood, peeked out from under the straw hat, making it seem completely inhuman.

Yang Jian instinctively shuddered, feeling a chill run down his spine.

After entering the barracks.

Yuan Futong indicated that the matter was quite important and it was not convenient for outsiders to be present.

Su Hu then sent the rest of the soldiers away, leaving only Yang Jian and Su Daji behind.

Su Daji picked up the wine pot and poured wine for everyone. The gazes of the marquises were burning, as if they wanted to devour her alive.

Su Hu pointed at Su Daji and said, "So that Brother Yuan may know, this is my beloved daughter Su Daji, and the man next to her is her personal guard. They are all family, so it's no trouble."

"So this is Brother Su's beloved daughter. She is indeed a beauty that could topple kingdoms. Her personal bodyguard is also handsome and talented. Perhaps Brother Su chose her as his son-in-law?"

Yuan Futong quipped that although Su Daji wore a veil, he, who had seen countless women, naturally understood how stunning Su Daji's beauty was; just the pair of eyes that were revealed made his blood boil.

"Yang Jian is a highly accomplished disciple of the Jade Void Palace. I'm afraid my daughter is not good enough for him."

Su Hu subtly revealed Yang Jian's identity, intending for Yuan Futong and the others to know.

"Dad, what did you say?"

Su Daji, looking shy and bashful, pulled one of her hands away from the black cat in her arms and playfully punched Su Hu with her pink fist.

In Yang Jian's view, it didn't seem fake at all.

What a drama queen!

He commented in his mind.

Upon hearing Su Hu's reply, a hint of apprehension rose in Yuan Futong's eyes.

The man in the straw hat beside him whispered something in his ear, his gaze fixed on the black cat in Su Daji's arms.

Yuan Futong's apprehension deepened, but the next moment it turned into joy.

If Su Hu has such strength, then his trip was worthwhile.

"Cough cough~"

He cleared his throat twice and got to the point: "Brother Su, was your journey safe and sound?"

He was asking a question he already knew the answer to. Before entering the camp, he had already seen that the soldiers of Jizhou Army were demoralized, and there was still blood on their spears that they hadn't had time to wipe away. The amount of blood was also far less than when they came out of Zhenbei City.

"Brother Yuan already knows what's going on, why ask again? Could it be that you brought along some of the most powerful lords from the North just to see me make a fool of myself?"

Su Hu didn't beat around the bush; he directly pointed out that Yuan Futong should speak frankly.

"Brother Su is a man of few words, which suits my taste perfectly, so I'll speak frankly as well."

Yuan Futong's expression suddenly hardened, and he gestured to the mysterious man in the bamboo hat beside him.

The man in the straw hat nodded, and magical power surged from his sleeves, causing ripples to spread outwards.

"Wu Ren stopped (no one was eavesdropping)."

After a moment, the man in the straw hat finally spoke, his voice sharp and piercing, with a strange tone, as if he had just learned to speak.

Then he waved his sleeve, and a silencing spell enveloped the entire tent.

Yuan Futong: "Brother Su, please forgive my rudeness. What you are about to say is really too important. If we hadn't kept it a secret, we would both have died under the walls of this barbarian city."

Seeing the other party's cautious demeanor, Su Hu immediately realized that Yuan Futong's intentions were not simple, and subconsciously leaned forward: "Brother Yuan, please speak freely."

"Do you know that during this campaign, all seventy-two lords were ambushed by barbarians, suffering heavy losses. Some lords were even killed on the spot, and their entire armies were wiped out."

"Of course I know that if it weren't for my daughter's personal protection, my Jizhou army would have been completely wiped out."

Yuan Futong stroked his beard, a knowing smile appearing on his face. With Su Hu's answer, he was confident he could persuade Su Hu.

He lowered his voice: "What if I told you, brother, that this current situation was deliberately orchestrated by Grand Tutor Wen Zhong?"

The words came out like a bolt from the blue.

Su Hu's face turned deathly pale. He retorted, "Absolutely impossible! If our strength is diminished, how will he attack the Northern Barbarians? Grand Tutor Wen has made a pledge to take down the Northern Barbarians within a month. But half a month has already passed since the march began. If we can't take down White Stone City within fifteen days, and there are no human sacrifices to offer to Heaven and Earth, how will he return to report?"

As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible.

Su Hu considered the worst possible outcome.

That means that even without the Northern Barbarians, there are still the troops of the seventy-two lords in the northern border who can be used as human sacrifices to worship heaven and earth.

"Brother Su, it seems you've figured it out? Grand Tutor Wen intends for us to fail to take Baishi City. When that happens, he can easily lead 100,000 elite Yin Shang troops to slaughter us, the seventy-two vassal lords, and your family in Jizhou City will become human sacrifices for the sacrifices to heaven and earth in Chaoge City."

Su Hu's large body trembled suddenly, as if all his strength had been drained, and he struggled to lift his eyelids to look at Yuan Futong.

He said, "What do you want to do?"

"He wants us dead to weaken the northern lords, and I naturally want him dead too. I want Wen Zhong to die under the walls of Baishi City. As long as the five of us join forces, we can naturally dominate the northern border, and even Emperor Yi can't do anything to us."

Thank you to Zhuo Dongzhongying and reader 150322225940373 for their recommendation votes.

Fortunately, there are few people voting now; if there were more, they would be exhausted from fighting them all.

It's still important to keep reading; this is crucial because only by reading further will the work gain exposure.

This chapter has 3022 words, and the second chapter, updated at 12:00, has 2270 words.

I will gradually try to increase the word count of my updates in the future. For now, I will set it at 4500-5000 words per day, and try to keep it above 5000 words.

I'm not going to presume to promise more chapters; working people can't afford that.

(End of this chapter)