Chapter 2185: Each Harboring Different Intentions

"Mount Tianyuan?" Frostleaf's pen tip paused. "How did it end up abroad?"

Mount Tianyuan was not within Beijia's borders, but belonged to a small northern country. It was allied with Beijia, and though not large in area, its resources were quite rich. With all kinds of terrains—plains, valleys, forests, and lakes—it was known as the "Pearl of the Tundra."

"Reportedly, it was the Emperor's secret decree."

"No wonder Hong Chenglüe was transferred from the battlefield a while ago and then went silent," Frostleaf said, his voice as calm as ever. "So he was entrusted with an important mission."

Xi Yunhe interjected very cautiously, "Perhaps... General Hong wouldn't dare disobey the Emperor's command."

He knew what was going on.

Hong Chenglüe had been implicated in political infighting and originally lived in seclusion in the country of Yuan. It was Frostleaf who had reinstated him, brought him back to Beijia's battlefield, and helped him regain his position and achieve merit. However, Beijia's political arena was never peaceful. After the conclusion of Qingyang's elixir of immortality case, the tempestuous storms turned into surging undercurrents.

On the surface, Frostleaf had overthrown his old adversary of over a hundred years, becoming the biggest winner in the elixir case and reaching the peak of his power.

However, the Emperor disliked him even more.

Later, when He Xiao unified the Blazing Gold Plains and proclaimed himself the reincarnated Dragon God, the slightest connection between him and Frostleaf was infinitely exaggerated by interested parties and presented to the Emperor.

If Qingyang had still been around, such an attack would never have occurred, because against an enemy like Frostleaf, one should never strike unless a decisive blow could be landed. Furthermore, Frostleaf had handled his relationship with He Xiao impeccably; his past assistance to He Xiao had been extremely covert, making it impossible for outsiders to find evidence.

His political adversaries could only find meager clues, which were insufficient to serve as strong court evidence.

Even if Grand Tutor Frostleaf had spoken with He Xiao or had some brief interactions in the past, what of it? Innumerable dignitaries had visited He Xiao during his time in Lingxu City; were all of them at fault and to be arrested for questioning?

It was never a significant issue to begin with, and when it concerned Frostleaf, it was like a mustard seed on his body—a mere puff would make it disappear.

Instead, Qingyang's remaining loyalists were exposed and, in turn, were systematically struck back at by Frostleaf.

However, after Qingyang's downfall, even Xi Yunhe noticed the discord between Grand Tutor Frostleaf and the Emperor.

It was unclear whether Hong Chenglüe's change of allegiance was a personal choice or an unavoidable consequence.

Frostleaf said casually, "The Emperor is naturally faultless, and Hong Chenglüe is indeed a good choice. Didn't he return to Beijia precisely to make a name for himself and achieve great deeds?"

Firstly, Hong Chenglüe was not a native of Beijia, possessing the shallowest roots there compared to those established meritorious families.

Secondly, to avoid retaliation from Grand Tutor Frostleaf, Hong Chenglüe could only cling tightly to the Emperor's favor.

These two points ensured Hong Chenglüe's absolute loyalty to the Emperor and made him easier for the monarch to control.

Xi Yunhe softly agreed.

In truth, wasn't he himself much like Hong Chenglüe?

To avoid revealing himself as the traitor of the Azure Palace and the true instigator of the elixir of immortality case, Mai Xuewen, he could only cling closely to Grand Tutor Frostleaf, displaying even greater loyalty than others.

Frostleaf then asked, "How many people are in his legion?"

"The exact number is unknown, but it's at least one hundred thousand."

"Besides training, what else does that army do?"

"That is unknown."

"Interesting," Frostleaf murmured. "Since it's abroad, where do the funds and provisions come from?"

Maintaining an army was a heavy expense. "Hmm, it seems to be directly sourced locally."

Xi Yunhe was curious, "How do you know that?"

The Grand Tutor had just received the news and hadn't even investigated it yet.

"Only one hundred thousand people. The burden of feeding them and their mounts is not small; any more, and Mount Tianyuan probably couldn't sustain them," Frostleaf said without lifting his head. "If the funds were allocated domestically, they wouldn't just send this small a number of troops."

Beijia and Lingxu City were accustomed to extravagance in everything they did. Their displays were always grand.

"Lingxu City and the surrounding territories possess hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers, yet the Emperor wants to establish a new army abroad, hmm..."

Frostleaf immediately understood the advantages of building an army abroad: it would circumvent the layers of military and political system constraints within their own country, allowing for the establishment of an elite force directly loyal to the Emperor.

Beijia had existed for six hundred years, and Frostleaf was well aware of how cumbersome its systems were. Sometimes, even deploying a single army was difficult.

The last time the Emperor sent support to Qingyang's faction in the Blazing Gold Plains, it was delayed by a month compared to the original schedule.

Could this be the reason that prompted the Emperor to reflect deeply on the matter?

If Beijia's vassal demon lords and noble generals were to do this, it would be considered privately training troops and harboring treacherous intentions. But if Beijia's Demon Emperor did it, who would dare question him? The Demon Emperor could simply retort, "None of your business," and throw in a dragon's breath for good measure.

One must remember that an army is raised for a thousand days to be used for a single moment.

Furthermore, Hong Chenglüe's one hundred thousand troops were likely just a beginning, or merely an experiment; the Demon Emperor would not be satisfied with such a small number.

What Frostleaf cared about, or rather, what the forces Frostleaf represented cared about, was who this army would be used against in the future.

"Perhaps the Emperor intends to train this new army to deal with the State of Mou in the future? For instance, by equipping the new army with special weapons?" Xi Yunhe whispered. "I heard that when Cangyan attacked the Holy Land of Ya, they used special weapons, and as a result, Ya's army collapsed like a mountain."

"You are correct; the Emperor must have considered this," Frostleaf said, not stinting on his praise. "You are indeed a brilliant disciple trained by Qingyang. Cangyan's pioneering use of special weapons indicates a drastic change in the world's environment, meaning that future forms of warfare will inevitably change accordingly."

"The Battle of Hundred Hills shocked the world. Ya's significant defeat this time serves as a warning bell for Beijia and the State of Mou. Without military reforms, Beijia's army might well follow in Ya's footsteps when confronting the State of Mou in the future."

Beijia could, of course, obtain the formulas and materials for special weapons, but from research and development to manufacturing and finally implementation, it would take an unknown amount of time and money. Frostleaf estimated the cost would be at least three or four times more than Cangyan's, at minimum.

Frostleaf chuckled, "Mou and Mount Ling shared the special weapon formulas with Cangyan, yet they didn't anticipate Cangyan immediately seizing Bailie afterward. That truly is shooting oneself in the foot. Ha, the War of Ya was instigated by Emperor Jiuyou himself, but in the end, he retreated unscathed while Mou and Ya suffered heavy losses. For so many years, Lingxu City had wanted to provoke a major war between Mou and Ya, but it never came to fruition—either Mou feigned ignorance or Ya paid lip service. Who would have thought it would finally be instigated by Emperor Jiuyou?"

He used the word "instigated" because, upon reviewing the intelligence after the fact, it strongly resembled a trap and bait laid by Emperor Jiuyou for Mou. Mou, unable to resist the temptation, voluntarily stepped in to take over the war against Ya, while Cangyan shrewdly disengaged itself and landed safely ashore.

Xi Yunhe, also skilled at calculating human nature, said without much thought, "Mou is too familiar with Beijia and Ya, deeply understanding their methods. But Cangyan was established only recently, so perhaps Mou was not yet familiar with Emperor Jiuyou's tactics, which led them to fall for it."