Xu Qing was not overly wary because of this.
No matter what, until the external pressure was completely eradicated, Xu Qing and the old Emperor were undoubtedly steadfast allies. Together they would benefit, separated they would suffer.
He could not rebel while the old Emperor was at the height of his power, nor could the old Emperor take any action against Xu Qing now.
Skilled strategists often place their pieces with deep insight, not caring about the imdiate loss or gain of a single move. They silently orchestrated for the future of the Great Yu Dynasty and their own goals.
However, just as the internal power structure of the Great Yu Dynasty was gradually stabilizing and the Heavenly Palace plan was steadily advancing, the war in the Southwest against Heshan Tao approached its end.
With the joint efforts of the Court’s official army and the Tusi, the forces had already approached Heshan Tao’s Headquarters.
Here, deep in the mountains, the terrain was extrely complex with rolling hills and dense forests.
Supplying provisions was extrely difficult; the mountain roads were rugged and narrow, and the supply teams often encountered landslides and wildlife attacks, causing frequent disruptions in the provision of food and supplies.
anwhile, Heshan Tao’s Headquarters was ticulously arranged, heavily fortified, surrounded by various traps and chanisms, strong defensive arrays, as well as nurous elusive snakes and insects, making it hard to breach.
Even a Martial Arts Grandmaster like King Lin had made several attempts in vain.
If the Headquarters of Heshan Tao could not be defeated, with its profound foundations, it would soon recover its Essence Qi in the Southern Border and once more incite the Miao people and other natives to resist the Court to the end.
Frankly speaking, managing the Southwest has been the most troubling issue for dynasties throughout history.
Firstly, it is a huge drain on the Central Earth Dynasty’s finances; the food, weapons, military expenses required by the war are like a bottomless pit, constantly devouring the nation’s wealth.
Secondly, the returns are very low. The terrain in the Southwest is complex, and the land is barren. Even if conquered, it is difficult to produce high yields, failing to compensate for the war’s expenses.
But if the Southwest is unstable, it will affect Ba Shu. If Ba Shu is in turmoil, it will surely involve many provinces, trigger a chain reaction, and endanger the entire rule of the Great Yu Dynasty.
In summary, no matter how bitter or difficult, the Southwest war must seize this opportunity to accomplish its goals in one decisive move.
Xu Qing, aware of the critical nature of the war, explained the benefits and harms to the old Emperor before heading to the front line himself.
"Heshan Tao’s Headquarters is protected by nurous arrays, along with many exotic beasts and venomous snakes and insects. These exotic beasts have imnse strength, extrely fierce, and the venomous snakes and insects are hard to defend against. In fact, the arrays are not the most terrifying; the key is these venomous snakes and insects, which cause severe harm to ordinary soldiers. Their venom is so potent that once bitten, the lighter cases cause poisoning and coma, and the severe ones are life-threatening. If not for the powerful talisman water of the traveling Dao physicians, our army would have fallen by at least ten percent by now."
Xu Qing’s brother-in-law, Governor Zhou, was explaining the many difficulties of the battle with a heavy heart.
Ten percent is no small number; if ten percent have fallen, it indicates that the sick soldiers and civilian workers are far more than ten percent. Many soldiers, fearing bites from venomous snakes and insects, are under high psychological stress and low morale.
Thus, despite Xu Qing’s arrival, the morale of the army hadn’t been significantly boosted.
The battle had beco extrely exhausting and difficult as it dragged on! It’s no exaggeration to say that throughout history, many Central Plains Dynasties were overwheld by the Southwest affairs, and in Xu Qing’s view, this battle must not repeat the sa mistakes.
Now the camp was filled with sulfur and nurous talisman papers to defend against the venomous snakes and insects. The acrid sll of sulfur perated the air, irritating the eyes. The talisman papers were covered with mysterious runes, emitting a faint glow.
But Heshan Tao were experts at driving venomous snakes and insects. Their specially trained venomous creatures seed to possess a strange intelligence, still managing to infiltrate the camp.
Though each infiltration was small in number and limited in destructive power, it was enough to deprive the ordinary soldiers of sleep, leaving them in constant fear. Every night, soldiers dared not sleep deeply, ever vigilant against attacks from venomous snakes and insects.
After understanding these specific issues, Xu Qing summoned the elderly Family Head of the An Family from Shuixi.
Family Head An, now fully aware of Xu Liushou’s fearso capabilities, did not dare delay and hurriedly ca to pay his respects.
Xu Qing, with a stern expression, eyes fixed on Family Head An, said, "Elder An, I know you are knowledgeable. Please tell truthfully, what is the key to Heshan Tao’s control of the snakes and insects?"
Family Head An raised his head, seeing Xu Qing’s aningful smile, felt a chill in his heart, and promptly admitted, "It’s a sound that cannot be heard by human ears; they use special instrunts or cultivation techniques to create this sound to control the snakes and insects."
"Is there a way to counter it?" Xu Qing pressed further.
Family Head An smiled bitterly and shook his head helplessly, "The Southern Barbarian Lands have always been fraught with strife. How could an old man like possibly know the thod to counter what Heshan Tao used to stand firm for a thousand years? Your Excellence, you are asking the wrong person."
Xu Qing slightly frowned, "Are there any other clues?"
Family Head An pondered for a while before cautiously saying, "When Pri Minister Zhuge pacified the Southern areas back then, he encountered a similar problem; it’s said that it was resolved using zither music."
Xu Qing nodded slowly, pondering inwardly. That was the Weiyang Zither, one of the six treasures of the Zhuge family, said to contain a mysterious power in its unique tones.
Currently, the Weiyang Sword is in Xu Qing’s possession, but the Weiyang Zither is said to have ended up in the hands of the Sima family and was lost amid the chaos of war. Finding the Zhuge’s Weiyang Zither now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, an almost impossible task.
Xu Qing thought of his wife Feng Wu. Feng Wu was extraordinarily talented in music and had a high comprehension of musical tones from a young age. Perhaps she could find a way.
Xu Qing first used the Heavenly Demon Transformation Technique to collect the rhythms used by Heshan Tao to manipulate the venomous creatures. He circulated the Tai Chu Demon Qi within him, extending his perception to the extre, capturing those subtle sound waves.
Then, using the Heavenly Demon Dream thod, he discussed with Feng Wu in the dream world how to break this rhythm.
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