Section 83: So Big! The Mad Confucian General’s…
By: Gu Zhenren
Date: 2013-02-09
Section 83: So Big! The Mad Confucian General’s…
The sun sank, its afterglow like fire. A scene of devastation and carnage covered the sea after the great battle.
Countless corpses floated on the water, with broken warships scattered everywhere. Some were slowly sinking, while others, their entire crews dead, drifted aimlessly at sea.
Burning flags fluttered in the wind. Only now did one or two gulls dare to fly into the area, letting out their cries.
However, it wasn’t entirely silent. Hundreds of ships and over three thousand men were cleaning up the battlefield. Wounded allies were tended to and treated if possible. Enemy soldiers, however, were swiftly dispatched to the underworld with a final blow.
“Although we won this great battle, the losses are heavy. I hope the spoils of war can offset some of the financial deficit,” Yan Que said with worry as he gazed at the battlefield.
Before the war, they had focused all their efforts on achieving victory. Now that victory had been won, a host of troubles followed.
The biggest of these was the financial issue.
The military aid previously received from the Mongol Yuan Nation was not free. Gifts of vast quantities of priceless materials did not come without a price.
This left them with a huge debt to the Mongol Yuan Nation. Of course, they could choose not to repay it, but besides the alliance contract they had signed, in the current situation, offending both Jianghan Kingdom and the Mongol Yuan Nation simultaneously would be an incredibly foolish move.
Yan Que continued, “With today’s battle, the Jianghan Kingdom Lord’s plan for subversion has been thoroughly crushed. The Shui Family is also all but finished. One could say the future is bright, but…”
“Are you talking about the Tie Family? After defeating the Shui Family, only the Tie Family remains to block our path to unification. But the Tie Family is still allied with us. Their army is positioned beside ours, yet turning on them immediately after this great battle would be highly inappropriate in all respects,” Hua Ying frowned.
“Besides the Tie Family, although the Shui Family has lost most of its military strength, they still have defensive forces on their various islands. This is when they are at their weakest. If we focus on the Tie Family and miss this prime opportunity for conquest, allowing the Jianghan Kingdom Lord to make a comeback would be even more dangerous,” Huang Xiao stated his opinion.
Whether to deal with the Tie Family or continue the campaign against the Shui Family, both options had their pros and cons. Furthermore, after this battle, there were numerous other issues to consider: how Jianghan Kingdom would react, how to repay the Mongol Yuan Nation’s debt, how to care for the wounded, how to reorganize the army, and how to promote and reward those who had contributed. In short, there were a thousand threads that could not be resolved in such a small meeting.
“You all discuss it amongst yourselves. I’m going to see that mad Confucian fellow,” Chu Yun said after listening for a while, feeling a headache coming on. He stood up and walked away. He was a hands-off leader without hesitation, especially with so many civil and military officials present, not to mention his father, Shu Tianhao, overseeing things.
Seeing Chu Yun’s decisive departure, Shu Tianhao and the others could only offer wry smiles. However, they all knew Chu Yun had played a crucial role in this battle and didn’t want to say anything further. Moreover, the Mad Confucian General was an important bargaining chip. If Chu Yun could persuade him to join the Shu Family, then with Huang Xiao and the Mad Confucian working together, who could stand against them?
The mere thought of such a possibility was incredibly tempting.
“Open the cabin door.” Chu Yun descended to the deck and walked down the brightly lit corridor of the ship to the heavily guarded prison.
“Yes, Young Island Lord!” The four guards’ eyes lit up upon seeing Chu Yun, showing reverence. They quickly opened the prison cell for Chu Yun and respectfully stepped aside.
Inside the cell, the Mad Confucian General sat slumped on the ground, his hands, feet, and even neck shackled by Great Demon-level chains, making escape impossible.
Hearing the commotion, the Mad Confucian General opened his eyes and looked up to see Chu Yun. He immediately let out a cold laugh and said calmly, “It’s you.”
His demeanor was natural, as if he were casually greeting an acquaintance on the street. His resolve was evident.
Chu Yun observed him for a long moment before finally asking, “Are you willing to surrender to our Shu Family?”
“Peh!” The Mad Confucian General spat at Chu Yun, but Chu Yun deftly dodged it.
“Dream on!” he said hatefully.
Chu Yun suddenly smiled, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. “Enemies often understand each other best. I know you won’t surrender. But if you don’t, do you know what awaits you?”
The Mad Confucian General scoffed dismissively. “Don’t try to scare me with death. Why did you capture me? Isn’t it to deal with the Jianghan Kingdom Lord’s next move? You want to force negotiations with the Jianghan Kingdom Lord using me! Humph, do you dare to kill me? I will never forget this humiliation today, and I will repay you tenfold someday.”
As he spoke, he roared to the sky, a furious cry of unwillingness. “Archipelago, Mad Confucian General will return!”
“Return, my ass!” Chu Yun sneered and kicked him to the ground.
With great force, the Mad Confucian General, caught off guard, fell and hit his head, drawing blood.
“Good, good, good! I will remember all these humiliations, and I will repay you a hundredfold!” His hair was disheveled, his face covered in blood, his voice sinister, and his gaze filled with venom.
“That’s why you don’t understand anything. Spirit Snake!” Chu Yun shook his head and sighed.
The Mad Confucian General’s heart skipped a beat, but he saw no demon beast appear. He let out a wild laugh. “Hahaha, you think you can scare me? Child’s play! Do you think I, the Mad Confucian General, am easily scared? Hahaha… urk!”
His laughter abruptly stopped, and a look of intense fear froze on his face.
“What… what is this devilry? You actually intend to act against me?!” He glared fiercely at Chu Yun, cursing, “I am the Mad Confucian General, the foremost person of my generation, one of the Ten Great Generals of Xingzhou, and the right-hand man of the Jianghan Kingdom Lord! If you harm me, you cannot bear the wrath of Jianghan Kingdom. When their army arrives, your only fate will be ruin and death.”
“Fate, hehehe. Do you know what I’m best at?” Chu Yun leisurely drew out his Mind-Essence Whip.
“Humph, isn’t it uncovering secrets? Where are all these King-level inheritances in Xingzhou for you to find? The Jianghan Kingdom’s foundation is far stronger than you can imagine!” the Mad Confucian General scoffed contemptuously.
“You are mistaken. What I am best at is defying fate!” Chu Yun’s expression turned cold, and he lashed out with the Mind-Essence Whip. Amidst the Mad Confucian General’s screams, his soul was scattered.
“Contract!” Chu Yun commanded. The Spirit Snake immediately acted as a conduit, drawing and transferring the Mad Confucian General’s spiritual essence.
“Such powerful spiritual essence, over ten times greater than mine! But all this spiritual essence is now mine.” Chu Yun was both surprised and delighted. The spiritual essence within him began to grow visibly at a rapid pace.
Generally speaking, a Monster Tamer’s spiritual essence could only increase slowly with age.
This was because the body stored essence, and the soul produced essence. A young body needed spiritual energy to replenish itself to grow stronger. A young soul needed to experience more to become strong and refined.
The Mad Confucian General was now over a hundred years old. Through slow cultivation and experiencing life, he had finally developed his spiritual essence to its current level.
But now, all of it belonged to Chu Yun.
“This is the first time I’m absorbing spiritual essence stronger than my own. It’s indeed difficult, and much slower than before. It seems the Spirit Snake’s cultivation also needs to improve further.”
“Good heavens. The spiritual essence needed for a Tribulation Demon is immense, a hundred times more than for a regular Spirit Monster! It’s terrifying. But after absorbing his spiritual essence, I can also control a Tribulation Demon! This is all thanks to the Spirit Snake…”
“Hmm? My spiritual essence can’t increase anymore? I’ve only absorbed half of his essence… I understand, my body has reached its storage limit!”
The Mad Confucian General had occupied a top spot on the Peculiar Person Ranking for many years. If he had won this battle, he would have ascended to the Hegemon List based on his achievement. His spiritual essence was incredibly potent. Chu Yun, absorbing the greater essence, did not have an efficient rate of absorption. He had spent two full hours absorbing only half.
Yet, even this half had pushed his body’s storage capacity to its limit.
“It doesn’t matter, I have the Dragon Eye Fruit. I’ll spare you for now!” Chu Yun reluctantly left the prison. Just as he was about to return to his cabin to consume the Dragon Eye Fruit, he was called over by Shu Tianhao.
“The battlefield has been cleared. General Bai Mian has escorted the spoils of war and the wounded back to Shu Family Island. I called you over because the two strategists have already devised a plan,” Shu Tianhao told Chu Yun.
“Oh? What is the plan?” Chu Yun asked.
Yan Que replied, “We plan to conquer the Shui Family’s islands first to strengthen our position. However, we must also closely monitor the Tie Family’s movements.”
“Master Chu Yun had spoken to Tie Ao on the battlefield before, saying he would drink with him after victory. Perhaps we can use this opportunity to test his intentions,” Hua Ying added. “There are three optimal routes for conquering the Shui Family’s islands. One route leads directly to the Shui Family’s main island. Another route heads towards the Shan Family’s main island. The last route’s destination is the Sen Family’s main island. Young Island Master can use the banquet to probe his intentions.”
Chu Yun frowned. “What are the implications of these three routes?”
Hua Ying smiled and said, “The Shui Family’s main island holds the Shui De documents. If Tie Ao chooses this route, it signifies his desire to rival the Shu Family. If he chooses this, it means he hasn’t grasped the current situation clearly, and there’s no need to worry too much.”
“The Sen Family’s main island is rich in resources and prosperous. It has always been known as one of the ‘Peach Blossoms of the Archipelago,’ with astonishing annual output and tax revenue. If Tie Ao chooses this, it shows he is only interested in immediate financial gain, and there’s even less reason to worry.”
“But the Shan Family’s main island has the Shan Family’s main city. Before our Huode City grew, it was undoubtedly the foremost city in the Archipelago. It is well-provisioned, its citizens are formidable fighters, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is the foundation of hegemony. If he chooses this route, it means Tie Ao has sharp foresight, understands the situation, and harbors intentions of resistance. In that case, we must break the alliance and eliminate him immediately!”
“Excellent plan!” Chu Yun’s eyes gleamed as he heard this. Unable to contain his joy, he burst into laughter.
(There will be another update! Considering my hard work, I beg for donations and support!) Ro!~!
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