The twelfth year of Shenwu’s winter arrived later than the previous years.
Since the first snowfall early in October last year, it wasn’t until early February of this year that the winter snow began to lt. The harsh winter lasted for more than four months.
Therefore, as the spring showers fell and all things revived with the disappearing snow, Lu Yuan, accompanied by the spiritual woman, traveled to observe the beautiful scenery of spring.
"Spirit Consort, there is a small pavilion ahead from which we can overlook the scenic beauty of the seven peaks of the western mountains. We could rest there for a while."
After spending half a day enjoying themselves on the mountain, Lu Yuan, seeing the Spirit Consort’s slightly bulging belly, suggested it with concern.
During this winter, Lu Yuan’s family had nested in Tianluo Mountain for half a year. With daily joy and pleasure among the palace won, it was no surprise that several had beco pregnant.
Among the pregnant consorts, the one he valued most was still the spiritual woman.
It is said that one’s status rises with the birth of a child, but sotis, the child’s status is elevated by the mother’s.
The spiritual woman herself was of Inborn rank, and with the entire Snowy Wilderness Nomads as her backing among the palace won, she held the highest status, even slightly surpassing Queen Lan Cai’er.
After all, Lan Cai’er’s backing, the Five Poisons Sect, had long since beco a shadow of its forr self.
Over twenty years of assimilation, the million Miao people had all but disappeared, becoming indistinguishable from the Chu people.
Even the Five Poisons Sect, along with the addition of forr or current Innate Sects like White Phoenix Temple and Liuyang Sect, saw its influence and role in Jianghu of Chu State quickly decrease, becoming a commonplace force in the martial world.
Fortunately, Lu He and Lu Hao, the two brothers, were about to reach adulthood. When they grew up, they would both be of Inborn rank.
As legitimate sons with this backing and Lu Yuan’s deep affection for them, Lan Cai’er’s status was not a concern.
"I shall listen to the great king," said the spiritual woman.
Hearing Lu Yuan’s suggestion, she smiled softly and readily agreed.
Then, the two of them walked towards the small pavilion not far ahead.
It must be said that the Purple Cloud Dao as an Immortal Sect with ten thousand years of heritage truly possessed a profound and incomparable depth.
In Tianluo Mountain alone, the twenty-eight interconnected peaks in the north, south, east, and west were all dotted with nurous pavilions and terraces.
Atop this main mountain were even more grand palaces. In terms of their exquisite luxury, they surpassed the opulence of ordinary royal palaces.
Even being situated within the Immortal Mountain, the carefree and otherworldly atmosphere gave one a sense of aspiring to immortality.
This was also why, after Lu Yuan moved to Tianluo Mountain, he hardly wished to leave.
Not only because the mountain was abundant in Spiritual Energy, aiding his cultivation, but also because the scenery was beautifully stunning, and palaces abounded, the environnt and enjoynt it offered were far superior to that of his Chu Palace in Baling.
With such an excellent place, how could he willingly return to his humble abode?
Upon reaching the small pavilion, the palace maids stationed there to clean saw the great king arrive and hurriedly ca up to serve. It didn’t take long for tea and pastries to be prepared and incense lit for the couple’s enjoynt.
"The Spirit Consort is with child and needs to eat more. Although the pastries here are sowhat inferior, they can still satisfy our hunger. Have a taste," he suggested.
Lu Yuan picked up a piece of pastry and personally brought it to the lips of the spiritual woman, feeding her.
The spiritual woman took a small bite and swallowed it, but refused to eat any more, her face revealing a trace of sadness and her eyes filled with sorrow.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan frowned and asked, "My love, is your appetite gone because you are troubled by sothing on your mind?"
The spiritual woman turned her head, her face showing a asure of grief as she sadly said, "My king, I just thought of my clansn in the Snowy Wilderness who are still suffering under the ice and snow. Every day, people die from hunger and cold.
Yet here I am with pastries to eat, and I can’t help feeling guilty, so I’ve lost my appetite."
"The Snowy Wilderness..."
Hearing the spiritual woman ntion her holand, Lu Yuan fell into thought, muttering to himself contemplatively.
The people from the Snow Plains had not had an easy ti over the past two years.
Starting from the autumn of the tenth year of Shenwu, the Snow Plains Nomads had invited Chu to join them in an attack on Zhou Country.
However, at that ti, Lu Yuan was preparing for the decisive battle with Ning Country, and threats lood from Jiangnan, Lingnan, and the north. With Chu State’s own forces stretched thin, there simply wasn’t the capacity to be concerned with others.
As a result, he turned down the proposition.
Therefore, having no choice, the Snow Plains Nomads could only wage war by themselves against the Zhou People.
But how could the Snow Plains Nomads alone stand a chance against Zhou People?
As expected, the autumn battle of that year ended in a disastrous defeat for the Nomads.
Last spring, after suffering a bitter defeat, the Nomads could muster only three hundred thousand soldiers, an unprecedented decline in their strength.
This strength was not even on par with that of the Zhou forces stationed in Helong and Guannei Prefectures; and, unsurprisingly, they were soundly defeated again, with Zhou Country capturing over a hundred thousand prisoners, achieving a complete victory.
By last autumn, having recovered a little vitality over the sumr, the Nomads gathered all their strength and mobilized another army of five hundred thousand.
It was nearly an all-out effort, aiming to take Helong and Guannei Prefectures from Zhou Country.
At the sa ti, Wei Country from the north also mobilized five hundred thousand soldiers, moving south from their held Shuofang Prefecture to attack He Nei Prefecture of Zhou Country.
With the Barbarians and Wei Country attacking from two sides, supporting each other with armies of a million strong, their montum was imnse.
That year, it was almost considered the most eye-catching and illustrious battle within the Nine Provinces.
Even the battle commanded by Lu Yuan in Jiangnan was overshadowed.
Compared to the two armies, Zhou Country, after several great wars, had only about two hundred thousand soldiers left to mobilize in both Helong and Guannei.
The situation was extrely dire.
At this point of imminent national collapse, the Zhou People, after urgent deliberation, decided to make a painful choice, abandoning the western prefecture of He and moving its remaining million inhabitants entirely to Nanyang Prefecture in the east of Guannei.
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