Chapter 181 Spectating the Stars

Within Yingdu, there stood an Observatory, first built a hundred and eighty years ago, designed by ancestors of the Jing family, and completed after ten years.

The reason it took so long to build was not because the project was too vast and complicated; it was initially built to celebrate the seventieth birthday of the then-Empress Dowager, also known as the Compassionate and Wise Empress Dowager of Chu, with a planned construction period of two years.

A month before its completion, the Compassionate and Wise Empress Dowager passed away, and the Observatory was deemed inauspicious. Observing the stars, using human eyes to pry into heavenly secrets, was considered to have offended the heavens.

Construction was halted for eight years. Only after the new emperor ascended the throne did he decree the resumption of the Observatory's construction, finally completing it.

Now, the Observatory is considered one of Yingdu's landmark buildings. Because of its towering height and majesty, the talented Jing ancestor who designed it in the early days chose the original city wall as its location, integrating the lower end of the building with the city wall, combining it with the dragon vein of Yingdu, believing that the Observatory's position was precisely where the dragon eye was located.

Observing the stars with the dragon eye symbolized that the Xiong imperial family's descendants, referring to future emperors, would have keen eyes and see everything under the stars.

This building naturally had extremely high artistic value, but at the same time, its existence was equivalent to cutting open a wound in Yingdu's old city wall system.

However, this was nothing much.

Jing City, which Zheng Boye had conquered, was actually similar, but Yingdu was just a larger version.

In times of peace, it was naturally a palace of art and romance, but once it encountered the blades of foreign enemies, it would inevitably be too extravagant and impractical.

It was a pity that although Zheng Boye had entered Chu to snatch a princess, he had never been to Yingdu. If he came here to visit, out of habit,

He would inevitably sigh:

"A wonder that ruins the nation."

Therefore, the Yan people were called Yan barbarians by the Qian and Chu, because they really couldn't appreciate this kind of romance.

When the former Yan emperor was in power, he favored alchemists;

After Ji Runhao succeeded to the throne, he carried out a large-scale purge. Buddhist halls, Taoist temples, and various religious places were sealed up and converted into office spaces for various government departments. That imperial son's residence was also rebuilt on the original site of a Taoist temple.

Sand and dust from the desert, the eagerness of horseshoes in the Three Jin lands, the cold and dense crenellations on the three borders of Qian, not so much long-term peace and tranquility, not so much romance, naturally made it difficult to nurture the artistic sentiments of the Yan people.

The most typical example was that among the Yan Emperor's sons, the only one who "died young," the Third Prince, was once the seed of the Great Yan's "cultural vein."

And,

The first to be abandoned

Were often those deemed the least important.

………

At this moment,

Two people stood on the Observatory.

One was named Jing Mingxuan, with the surname Jing.

The other was named Zhao Yuelin, with the surname Zhao.

The Observatory, as the name suggests,

Was a place where nobles could look up and gaze at the sky when they had nothing to do;

Commoners faced the loess with their backs to the sky, where would they get that leisure?

This building could not be ascended by anyone other than high-ranking officials and nobles.

Jing Mingxuan and Zhao Yuelin, their surnames alone destined them for nobility. Unlike Jing Renli, a collateral descendant who had to work his way up in the military, these two were core family members and were already serving as officials in the court.

Zhao Yuelin also held a book in his hand, with the title *Zheng Zi's Art of War* on the cover.

Jing Mingxuan smiled and said, "Know yourself and know your enemy?"

Zhao Yuelin replied, "I didn't expect you to read this book too."

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." - *Zheng Zi, Strategic Attacks*

The Jing family was mainly involved in civil affairs, a prestigious and noble profession. Although their fief was large, they did not maintain private troops.

"Of course, I've read it. At first, I was a little disdainful of that Yan State Earl of Pingye calling himself Zheng Zi, but after reading it, I really gained a lot."

"My grandfather said that anyone who feels they have benefited a lot from reading this book doesn't know anything about warfare."

Zhao Yuelin's grandfather, Zhao Wentong, was currently leading troops with the head of the Dugu family, and Zhao Wentong was also playing chess with Zheng Boye, the author of *Zheng Zi's Art of War*.

However, the front lines and the rear were restricted by the spread of information, and it was impossible to be so well-informed.

In addition, Zheng Boye's "frog leap" seriously disturbed a large area around the capital, making it impossible for military messengers to transmit information as orderly as before.

In other words, it increased the cost of receiving external information. Originally, even ordinary nobles could get the news, but this time, even the great nobles might find it difficult to get timely information. The real guarantor of top-secret information was the Regent, who had just returned to the capital, because he was nominally the first person in Great Chu.

"Whether I know warfare or not doesn't matter. If Great Chu really needs the Jing family's descendants to lead troops to battle, then Great Chu is truly hopeless."

"Hahahaha."

Zhao Yuelin laughed heartily.

Jing Mingxuan was not angry, but said, "Military books are actually the smallest category among many books, but compared to the generals of the past and present, there are actually too many.

"But how many real generals can achieve success and retire to their fields?

"Generals die in a hundred battles, and those who have the leisure to write books are rare.

"I've read some before, but how should I put it? You can tell they were written by scholars who don't understand the military, like me. There's nothing to chew on, but this one;

"Reading is like looking at people. Looking at the book, and then looking at the person, that person is still alive, still fighting, and it is said…"

*Zheng Zi's Art of War* was very popular in the Four Great Nations because Zheng Boye, who was still active in the military world, was essentially endorsing his own book.

As more and more people began to pay attention to him, seriously regard him, and even hope to study him, they would inevitably come across this book, *Zheng Zi's Art of War*.

"I understand." Zhao Yuelin nodded, "The King has returned, and that one will probably be cleaned up soon."

"Otherwise, the Qu family's Azure Luan Army was defeated. I also find it strange. Is Qu Peiluo really fated to clash with that Earl of Pingye?

"Why does everything he do seem to be making a wedding dress for that Earl of Pingye?"

The relationships between nobles could never be completely harmonious. There would always be conflicts, at the very least, they would look down on each other.

If they were truly harmonious, then the Chu Emperor would also find ways to make them tear each other apart.

"Is the Jing family going to switch to being *wuzheng* (shaman officials)?" Zhao Yuelin joked, "You're starting to study numerology?"

"Just chatting casually. The war in the north is pressing, and the family is already preparing."

"Preparing to abandon literature and take up arms?"

"Preparing to let several family members who are officials in the court seek an opportunity to be sent out to Wenhu Prefecture."

Wenhu Prefecture was located in southern Chu.

"The spring river warms, the duck knows first." (idiom: those living closest to a situation are the first to know of changes)

The great nobles had already sensed that the war on the front lines was beginning to fall apart, so they began to prepare for their retreat.

The Chu region had a dense network of rivers and waterways, especially in the south, so if they were to go south, it would be most convenient and quick to travel by boat.

Zhao Yuelin sighed. In fact, how could the Jing family be the only one making such preparations?

In fact, as soon as his family's old master went out to war, the family had already begun arranging to re-establish themselves in the south.

When a family developed to a certain extent, its continuation became its instinct.

The family, as a whole, was actually "alive." Seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages was the instinct of every "living thing."

Zhao Yuelin reached out and gently patted the railing in front of him,

And said:

"Is it really going to be a migration south?"

"I don't know. In the end, it depends on whether you can stop the Yan people."

"The Yan people won't be able to cross over." Zhao Yuelin said.

"That Earl of Pingye has already crossed over." Jing Mingxuan revealed a smile, "Since that Earl of Pingye can come, why can't that Yan State Southern Marquis come?

"To put it bluntly, since ancient times, there has never been anything that you can be absolutely sure of;

"Even if a Yan State cavalry suddenly appeared in front of us right now, I wouldn't feel the slightest bit… uh…"

The corners of Jing Mingxuan's mouth, which had just been raised, froze.

The Observatory was very high, and it was daytime, and the weather was very good, so the stars couldn't be seen, but it was extremely convenient to climb high and look far.

Therefore,

When a patch of black appeared at the end of the sky,

Jing Mingxuan was completely petrified.

The biggest flaw of scholars was that they talked and laughed before things happened, but stood dumbfounded afterward.

Zhao Yuelin took a deep breath,

And said:

"So, your Jing family really started to study numerology?"

It actually came true like this?

Jing Mingxuan leaned against the railing and pointed forward. Even though he had read *Zheng Zi's Art of War* thoroughly, he still couldn't hide his panic at this moment:

"Black, black armor, is… is it the Yan army?"

"It is."

"How… how many people?"

Zhao Yuelin replied, "From what I can see now, no less than thirty thousand. This is just the vanguard. There are obviously more behind. I estimate it will be doubled, or even redoubled."

"Even if it's doubled or redoubled, at most it'll be a hundred thousand, right?"

Jing Mingxuan began to calculate.

Zhao Yuelin was, after all, a core descendant of the Zhao family and was currently an official in the Ministry of War. Hearing this, he immediately shook his head:

"The accounts can't be calculated like this."

Fighting a war was never about counting the heads of both sides.

"The imperial guards in the capital can stop them, right? Defending the capital, there shouldn't be any problems, right?" Jing Mingxuan asked.

In the Great Chu's Yingdu, there had always been a garrison of elite imperial guards. Although half of them had been transferred earlier to be led by Nian Yao to Zhennan Pass to facilitate the command of the noble's private troops below, there was still some foundation in the capital.

What's more, in the past half a year, Prince Ding had trained a new batch of troops in Yingdu.

For a scholar like Jing Mingxuan to remain clear-headed at this time, although seemingly flustered, and not be shocked into hysteria by this sudden scene, was already extremely difficult.

But,

Zhao Yuelin saw even deeper,

And said bluntly:

"Yingdu's city walls are really not suitable for defense."

Anyone with a little military knowledge would not associate such a capital city with "easy to defend and hard to attack."

"Why?" Jing Mingxuan immediately asked.

He couldn't possibly not be anxious about this issue, which was related to his family's life and wealth.

Zhao Yuelin pointed to his feet,

The place where they had just been chatting idly was actually a major loophole in Yingdu's defenses… and still only one of them.

This Observatory had always been guarded by a squad of water dragons to prevent fires. When outsiders attacked the city, a fire could burn a large hole in this side of the city wall, and the fire would cause great damage to the city walls on both sides.

Jing Mingxuan pursed his lips,

And said:

"So, we have to defend against the enemy outside the city?"

At this time,

Squads of imperial guards were rushing to the city walls, and troops from the outer camps were also coming out in full force, preparing to form ranks outside the city.

This was a scene that could give the Chu people a sense of stability. The Yan army came suddenly, but at least their own soldiers still dared and were able to actively form ranks outside the city.

But in Zhao Yuelin's eyes, this scene seemed very comical.

When the foreign enemy had already arrived below the capital, they could only choose to make a desperate gamble, which was clearly a kind of sorrow.

However,

There was another thing, and this thing was more serious and urgent than sorrow.

"Brother Jing, what needs to be cared about right now is not just this, but…"

"But what?"

"But why haven't you or I received any news of the Yan army invading? There are so many Yan troops, they didn't fly over. Even if the Yan army cavalry can travel day and night, with men resting and horses not resting, why weren't there any warnings along the way?

"Not to mention the capital here,

"Why weren't there any beacons lit when the Yan people passed through other cities in the capital region?

"No matter how fast the Yan people's horses are,

"They can easily outpace the common people who see the Yan people and flee,

"But they can't possibly be faster than an urgent dispatch of eight hundred *li*!"

An urgent dispatch of eight hundred *li* used the best warhorses and sacrificed the lifespan of the horses to pursue the fastest speed in delivering important military information.

Because the number of people was small, and the scale was small, there were often three riders in a team.

Since the Yan army was moving in large numbers, no matter how fast they were, they couldn't be faster than an urgent dispatch of eight hundred *li* for communication.

Moreover, each family had businesses on the periphery, and some even had branch families, or officials serving outside, who could send trusted aides to inform the capital as quickly as possible. Some families even kept experts who were best at body skills, specifically for this kind of life-and-death news transmission.

Although the great nobles had their own fiefs, the core descendants of the great nobles were actually officials in Yingdu. The real circle of power was still in the capital.

But,

There was nothing,

There was nothing at all.

It was fine if the Jing family didn't receive it, they could say it was an accident;

But the Zhao family didn't receive it either?

If the Jing family and the Zhao family didn't receive it, fine, then other noble families didn't receive any advance warning?

Zhao Yuelin punched the stone tablet behind him,

The stone tablet had the handwriting of a Chu sage, but at this time, he couldn't care about whether he was damaging it or not.

In normal times, Jing Mingxuan would have been heartbroken to see such a waste of natural resources and would even have tried to fight Zhao Yuelin despite his lack of strength.

But now, he didn't have time to care about the ancestors, because he might become an ancestor himself soon.

Zhao Yuelin's eyes began to turn red:

"It's normal for the common people and ordinary citizens to not hear the news; but if our families don't hear the news either, fine!

"Then has the Phoenix Nest Inner Guard

"Become deaf or blind as well?

"The Yan people's army has already reached outside our capital, and everyone is only realizing it afterward. Don't you think this is too absurd?

"When a foreign enemy invades before the ancestral temples,

"We have to use our own eyes to see it before we know,

"What's called,

"What's this called,

"What on earth is this called!

"A great joke,

"This is truly a great joke!"

Jing Mingxuan's face was pale, and this paleness contained more despair than when he had seen the Yan army suddenly appear outside the city.

"Brother Yuelin, what you mean, what you mean is…"

"Someone has cut off our ears and eyes." Zhao Yuelin said again, "The Yan people can't do this."

If the Yan people couldn't do it,

Who could?

Only…

Jing Mingxuan's gaze immediately shifted to the city, to that majestic golden-tiled place.

"How is it possible… how is it possible… how could it be…"

Only the Son of Heaven,

Only that person,

Only the Phoenix Nest Inner Guard under his command,

Could completely shield the great nobles in the capital's eyes.

Silently,

Isolating the inside from the outside.

This was generally a method used by ministers against the emperor, trapping the princes in a "cage," turning them into decorations used only during sacrifices.

The so-called "making the ruler like Yao and Shun" by the Qian country's civil officials was, in essence, this very meaning.

But this time,

In Great Chu,

It was the "emperor" who was using this method to deceive his ministers.

"The King… why, why would the King do this?"

Jing Mingxuan was completely stunned, and something called belief was rapidly collapsing, destroying his understanding of the world.

Zhao Yuelin laughed in anger,

And said;

"You ask me, how would I know? Go knock on the palace gates, go ask the King, go ask."

Zhao Yuelin suddenly gasped for breath,

As if he had suddenly thought of something,

He gasped and laughed and cried at the same time:

"If, the King is still there."

………

"Sister, where are we going? I promised the Ding and Liu family boys today that we'd go out for an autumn outing together."

"Mother, where are we going? Are we going to find Father? I miss Father."

"Stupid sister, Father is in the north, we're going south."

"All of you shut up!"

The ever-gentle Madam Nian swept down with an extremely stern gaze at this moment, coupled with her previous scolding, which immediately silenced the two children in the carriage.

Madam Nian reached out and lifted the carriage curtain. Outside, there was a group of imperial guards escorting their family south.

She dared not ask where they were going in the south.

Before her husband went to war, he had only said that if people from the palace came one day and asked them to leave the capital, she must immediately take her family out of the capital.

She believed in her husband,

From when she was just a maid in the Prince's mansion and he was just a servant,

He secretly drank the leftover wine that the "Prince" had used to treat guests, drunkenly mustered the courage to grab her hand, and said that he would not just be a servant in the future. From the day he asked her to follow him and obtain an imperial title,

She had always believed in that man, believing in every word he said.

In another place,

The scenery was beautiful,

On either side of a stone table,

A man wearing a purple python robe and a gaunt old man were playing chess.

From this hillside, looking down, one could see armored soldiers standing in formation, and military tents stretching endlessly.

Meng Shou placed a piece,

And slowly said:

"Your Majesty, is it worth it?"

The Regent replied:

"When calculated in terms of millennia, there is no such thing as 'worth it' or 'not worth it'."

Meng Shou asked again:

"Your Majesty, do you regret it?"

The Regent placed a piece,

And said calmly;

"Once a piece is played… there is no regret."