Chapter 1906: Strange Tuo City

Its large forehead was pressed against King Peliu's face, its merciless eyes making him break out in a cold sweat.

"I am Yùshén, a subordinate of the God of a Hundred Battles!" As the giant lion spoke, its serpentine tongue almost licked King Peliu's face. "Haven't you often prayed to the Divine Venerable for blessings over the years?"

"Ah, yes, yes!" King Peliu remembered, stammering a little. "So, the Divine Venerable now? What should I... what should I do...?"

"A few days ago, you obeyed the Heavenly Venerable's command and expelled the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce. The Heavenly Venerable is pleased, and therefore sent me to speak with you." Had King Peliu not complied, this meeting would not be happening today. In other words, King Peliu earned this opportunity himself. "Recently, rumors of a false Dragon God have been spreading across the Glimmering Gold Plains, and the gods are displeased! Do you know who that so-called 'Great Emperor of Nine Hells' is? Ha, you've not only heard his name, but you've also met him in person!"

"What? I've met him?" King Peliu was startled. "Please, Divine Venerable, enlighten me!"

The legend of the Dragon God killing Miaozhantian had, of course, reached his ears. But Yùshén said that he had met the protagonist of the rumors, the Great Emperor of Nine Hells?

When was that?

Yùshén then uttered the name, making King Peliu gasp in disbelief; he was so stunned, he nearly recoiled.

"He-Hexiao? The Lord of Yangshan Island? How is this possible!"

The green lion snorted.

These foolish mortals, whether Situ He or King Peliu, all wore expressions of disbelief upon hearing the truth.

"You've truly been played for fools by Hexiao," the green lion growled softly. "Listen closely. The Heavenly Venerable wants you to do one more thing. If you succeed, the Kingdom of Peliu will receive the exclusive favor of the Heavenly God from now on!"

King Peliu was both surprised and delighted.

But when Yùshén conveyed the will of the God of a Hundred Battles, King Peliu visibly hesitated. "Ah, this..."

"If he refuses to deal with Hexiao, he will have gone astray and betrayed the Heavenly God. Will you follow suit?" Yùshén sneered. "What vital interest does Hexiao have with your Kingdom of Peliu that is worth your full protection? If you are unwilling to act against him, how do you know he doesn't covet your territory?"

"He also wants to 'sweep across Glimmering Gold'?" "Heh heh, is this land beneath your feet not part of the Glimmering Gold Plains?"

King Peliu's eyelids twitched incessantly.

This "divine" conversation lasted for over half an hour. Only then were the doors and windows of the imperial study opened.

Billowing green smoke poured out, nearly frightening the nearby palace staff.

However, the imperial study was not on fire, and there wasn't even a trace of smoke smell.

The deity had departed.

***

Thirty days after Miaozhantian's demise, north of Yaoxu, in the outskirts of Duocheng.

Night had fallen. Yuwen Yong stood on a low hill, gazing at Duocheng. Although it was just a small city, the northern part was ablaze with lights after nightfall, a stark contrast to the dimness of the southern part.

Behind him, only a little over eight hundred people remained.

Yuwen Yong had once been a great general, guarding the northern border of Yaoxu. He had always been on the front lines, resisting Luodian. Unexpectedly, his homeland was attacked from behind by Baitan Qingyang; the King of Yao was killed, and his former country fell.

After Baitan occupied the capital, Yuwen Yong had no choice but to retreat northwest. Along the way, he reunited with Tuhang and Dan Zechong and turned back to suppress the rebellion.

Unexpectedly, after several months of stalemate, the last few battles ended in devastating defeats. Tuhang was executed, Dan Zechong's whereabouts were unknown, and his forces suffered losses of over four thousand men.

Baitan's army pursued relentlessly. Yuwen Yong had to lead his remaining troops to flee Yaoxu, losing more than a thousand men along the way, either killed or deserted.

It was a crushing defeat.

After finally shaking off the pursuers, Yuwen Yong had escaped to the vicinity of Duocheng. His entire army was hungry and exhausted, and desperately needed to find new sources of food.

He had to find a way to feed these over eight hundred mouths, otherwise, only mutiny awaited him!

Just then, his trusted aide received a secret report from a fellow villager: Duocheng had grain, lots of it!

In such a small city, there were several large warehouses in the north. Carts and horses were always seen entering and exiting, and on a few occasions, sacks had leaked, spilling grain all over the ground.

Therefore, Yuwen Yong led his team to sneak over.

As everyone anxiously awaited, the scout who had entered the city to survey returned with good news:

"There are four large warehouses and five stockyards in the north of the city, and it seems there's also a cellar. All are guarded."

Such a large scale couldn't belong to common households. "Which faction's?"

"The Purple Dock Society," the scout added. "But I saw the flag of the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce on the carts and horses."

"Yangshan?" Yuwen Yong scratched his head, not particularly surprised.

The Yangshan Chamber of Commerce had developed quite poorly in Yaoxu, but it flourished everywhere else on the Glimmering Gold Plains. It was said to deal in all kinds of business, and the commerce of many small countries, and even several free cities, was inextricably linked with Yangshan.

Hexiao, the owner of Yangshan, was someone Yuwen Yong had dealt with many times in the capital of Yao. He knew him to be an extraordinary person. The King of Yao had even entrusted the construction of Tianshui New City to him, an outsider, and his own younger brother often drank and feasted with Hexiao.

Perhaps this Purple Dock Society also had dealings with the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce.

"How many guards?"

"Difficult to estimate, but probably over a hundred."

Yuwen Yong calculated the numbers on both sides. He waved his hand and commanded, "Advance!"

The Yangshan Chamber of Commerce was vast and wealthy, so it probably wouldn't miss this small amount of grain. He would just take some, hoping those in charge would be sensible.

Yuwen Yong's army drew their weapons and roared into the city.

Although it was a remnant force, he knew clearly that in battle, one must have an imposing momentum that strikes first, like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. It was best to directly scare the enemy away, minimizing their own losses.

So the army shouted in unison, their earth-shattering cries resounding deep into the night.

The guards in the north of the city were indeed greatly startled. The seven or eight guards at the gate were overrun by the army before they could even sound an alarm.

The Yaoxu soldiers rushed into the warehouses, hacking at the sacks with their knives. And indeed, out poured grain—bright, white grain!

Wheat flour, millet, and even sugar yams that were very sweet after cooking!

In several other large jars, neatly stacked dried meat lay in a beautiful smoked color!

A rough estimate showed hundreds of pounds of dried meat alone.

The Yaoxu soldiers were like mice that had fallen into a rice bin, so overwhelmed with happiness they didn't know what to do.

The troop leader constantly commanded, "Take it, quickly, carry it away— My God, there are even Yacon fruits!"

A sack carried by a soldier loosened, and out rolled several yellowish-brown yams. One of them broke open upon hitting the ground; its cross-section was surprisingly mango-colored and juicy.

This wasn't a yam, but a Yacon fruit, which could be broken open and eaten directly as fruit. It was very juicy and had the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying.

Yuwen Yong entered and saw. He was first greatly delighted, but then filled with doubts.

Unlike his hungry, common soldiers, who only wanted to eat their fill upon seeing food, Yuwen Yong wondered why an inconspicuous small city like Duocheng would stockpile so many supplies.

Rice, flour, fruits, meat, vegetables—it was all here. According to his rough estimate, it was enough to supply an army of twenty to thirty thousand for over half a month.

Remembering the Yangshan flags on the carts and horses outside, he wondered: Had he stumbled upon a Yangshan Chamber of Commerce supply transfer station?

If not, how could an obscure Purple Dock Society possess such abundant supplies?