Chapter 4 of the Romantic Continent: A Dilemma

Although Liddie had defeated the Yuna army several times, she couldn't completely crush them in one fell swoop. As the battle lines stretched, Ye Tianlong's supply lines were facing difficulties.

Compared to Yuna, who controlled most of Fast's territory, Ye Tianlong only controlled a small number of states and counties, and the southern states had only recently been pacified, unable to provide further assistance.

Many of the states and counties under Yuna's rule were territories he had painstakingly cultivated over many years. Furthermore, various lords across the empire, for various ulterior motives, were supporting Yuna. Therefore, in terms of overall strength, Ye Tianlong was at a complete disadvantage.

Even if Yuna were defeated, they could quickly replenish their troops and supplies, while Liddie had to carefully manage her resources, making full use of what she had. Especially with the recent rebellion in Jiezhou, Ye Tianlong's largest logistical base, Qingzhou, was temporarily unable to directly supply troops and supplies to Esnia, making Ye Tianlong's two-front war even more precarious.

Fortunately, Qing Ji's troops had finally gained complete control of Liyuan Prefecture. Based on their understanding of the situation, they estimated that in three months, Liyuan Prefecture, the renowned granary of Fast, would be able to provide Ye Tianlong with ample supplies.

Strangely enough, while Ye Tianlong and his forces didn't launch an offensive against Yunaya, Yunaya's advance seemed to have halted as well. The flames of war burning within the Fast Empire seemed to have suddenly died down.

Faced with this rare period of calm, no one could truly relax; everyone knew that a fierce battle was yet to come. Immediately, spies from both Ye Tianlong and Yunaya were flying around, gathering information on the other side's troop and supply movements to prepare for the impending battle.

For Ye Tianlong's side, the immediate priority was to resolve the rebellion in Klossos of Jie Prefecture, allowing Qing Prefecture's troops and supplies to be transported to the imperial capital, Esnia, more quickly. Ji Wujiu, located in Jie Prefecture, understood this best, especially after receiving the secret report from Tianlong's spies, which made him even more anxious.

Since meeting Krossos that day, Ji Wujiu had been housed in the best hotel in Jiezhou, awaiting the outcome of Krossos's discussions with his subordinates. Two days had passed, but Krossos still hadn't given him a clear answer.

A soft knock sounded at the door—three long knocks followed by five short ones—a familiar code to Ji Wujiu.

With a steady hand, Ji Wujiu opened the door and let the hotel waiter in.

"Sir, this is your tea, top-grade black tea from Huangfeng Mountain in Qingzhou," the young waiter said respectfully, holding up the tea tray.

"Very good. Put the tea in the inner room."

Because it was the best room, Ji Wujiu's room included two inner rooms for sleeping and an outer room for receiving guests. As Ji Wujiu gestured for the waiter, he closed the door with his other hand.

"Dragon Hidden in the Nine Earths," the waiter whispered to Ji Wujiu, quickly making a series of hand gestures after placing the tea tray on the table.

"What is it this time that's causing such a rush to contact me?"

Ji Wujiu's words carried a hint of displeasure, which was understandable. He had just been in contact with the Tianlong spy disguised as a waiter, and now someone was already trying to meet him again. This frequency of contact could easily arouse suspicion among those secretly monitoring him, potentially exposing the Tianlong spy network they had painstakingly built.

"It's an extremely urgent message," the waiter said, making a loud noise as he poured tea, while whispering in Ji Wujiu's ear, "His Majesty's decree: the Krosos in Jiezhou must be dealt with within two days, or you will be ordered to immediately withdraw from Jiezhou. The affairs here will be entirely handled by General Qingji."

"What?"

Ji Wujiu's body trembled slightly. Since Ye Tianlong had issued such a decree, he was clearly impatient and had decided that Qingji would take action against Jiezhou. But since Yu Fengwu believed he could handle things well, how could he let her down? Moreover, Yu Fengwu had already created very favorable conditions for him. If he couldn't even handle something like this, he would have no face to return.

"Therefore, please make a decision as soon as possible, sir, so that I can make the necessary arrangements."

After saying a few words, the waiter respectfully withdrew. Ji Wujiu sat at the table, holding a cup of fragrant black tea, and began to ponder carefully.

After finishing the cup of tea, Ji Wujiu had a plan in mind.

As dusk fell, the city of Jiezhou became very quiet. Since the former commander of the Eastern Legion, Krosos, raised his banner again, summoned his old troops, drove away the Tianlong Legion's garrison, and took control of Jiezhou, many wealthy Jiezhou residents had fled the city. The remaining citizens stayed at home in fear, minimizing their time spent outside unless absolutely necessary.

Especially in recent days, frightening news had been circulating in the streets: General Qing Ji of the Tianlong Legion was leading tens of thousands of troops toward Jiezhou. Regarding General Qingji, many people in Jiezhou received the same answer from various sources: this general, known as "Swift Wind and Raging Fire," possessed ruthless methods and terrifying power. His red lancers had recently swept through several states in the central and eastern parts of the empire, routing both local lords' garrisons and Prince Yuna's troops. His name, "Swift Wind and Raging Fire," had gradually become known in recent battles. Just as

the last city gate was about to close, a middle-aged man in a blue robe hurriedly arrived at the gate. The guards, in their haste to close the gate, did not carefully examine the man, who appeared unwell, and let him pass. By

six o'clock in the evening, all eight gates of Jiezhou were closed, and the streets were nearly deserted, with only patrolling soldiers moving about.

Upon receiving the report that Ji Wujiu was requesting an audience again, Krossos was staring blankly at the letter in his hand. This was a handwritten letter from Yunaia. While it praised Krossos's actions, it offered no substantial assistance.

"...I hope you will hold Jiezhou for three months. My army will then wipe out the traitor Ye Tianlong and his forces occupying Esnia in one fell swoop. At that time, you will have rendered great service and will be my marshal for the restoration of the kingdom..."

Krossos repeatedly read this passage, a bitter smile appearing on his face. Three months? If he could hold Jiezhou for three months, why would he need to send someone to Yunaia for help? Krossos knew his own situation. Although Jiezhou was now gathering more and more troops, very few were truly useful. Most had come to Jiezhou because Ye Tianlong's new policies threatened their fundamental interests and wealth.

If Qingji's army attacked now, Jiezhou would have no more than five thousand men to fight back, and of those, fewer than three thousand were Krossos's old subordinates. It wasn't until after the uprising that Kross realized Yu Fengwu's methods for dealing with the Eastern Legion were indeed very clever. The entire Eastern Legion's organization was completely dismantled under her subtle manipulation. Some soldiers were added to the Tianlong Legion, others were transferred to the capital and incorporated into other military units. The soldiers and officers remaining in Jiezhou, due to the reorganization, found it difficult to form a cohesive force within the old Eastern Legion.

If it weren't for the fact that several of his trusted generals wanted to rise up again to fight against Ye Tianlong, Kross wouldn't have considered joining Yuna's camp again. Half a lifetime of military service, the cutthroat competition of officialdom had long since worn him down. Leading the Eastern Legion against Yu Fengwu in Jiezhou was already a way of repaying Yuna's past kindness.

As a soldier of Fasta, participating in the civil war was not his wish, but with his long-time subordinates in trouble, Kross had no choice but to fight again for their lives.

With external support clearly cut off, and Qingji's troops having completely controlled Liyuan Prefecture, Jie Prefecture was now surrounded by territory controlled by Ye Tianlong. The isolated city of Jie Prefecture was like a small boat on a vast ocean, constantly in danger of capsizing.

Only those hot-headed individuals, wholeheartedly loyal to Yuna, clamored to attack Ye Tianlong. However, their frantic conscription in Jie Prefecture to expand their forces only made the people of Jie Prefecture increasingly resent them, and morale was rapidly eroding.

"Let them do as they please! The situation here is already beyond repair."

With this thought in mind, Krossos stopped sending anyone to stop his subordinates' actions. After repeatedly reading Yuna's handwritten letter, he finally realized that he was merely a pawn in Yuna's hands, and a pawn that could be discarded at any time.

With indescribable feelings, Krossos met with Ji Wujiu again in his private living room.

“Our Emperor cannot tolerate this delay any longer. If General, you do not make a decision soon, I will have to take my leave.” After Ji Wujiu sat down, he went straight to the point, pressuring Krossos with his words.

“Sir, are you threatening me?” Krossos stared at Ji Wujiu for a long time before slowly speaking.

“This is not a threat, General, but a fact. When I first met you in Jiezhou, I made it very clear that I came here to rescue you and your men, and to spare the people of Jiezhou from the suffering of war.” Ji Wujiu looked at Krossos calmly, completely disregarding the pressure Krossos exerted on him. “I hope to see you safe and sound, General. This is also your mother’s urgent wish.”

Hearing the pale-faced man mention his mother again, Krossos’s cheeks twitched several times, and the murderous intent in his eyes intensified. If looks could kill, Ji Wujiu sitting in front of Krossos would have been killed dozens of times over.

With a leisurely lift of his teacup, Ji Wujiu took a small sip, then, meeting Krossos's murderous gaze, said calmly, "I've always heard that General Krossos is extremely filial to his mother. I presume you've read the handwritten letter your mother entrusted to me."

"This is my own matter; don't involve my mother." After glaring for a while, Krossos's gaze softened. Although he still spoke with such force, the weakness in his words was undeniable, and even his expression became submissive. "What exactly have you done to my mother?"

Facing Krossos's expectant gaze, Ji Wujiu smiled slightly and said, "Nothing much, just the same care as before. It's just that she's getting old and can't withstand any more setbacks."

“Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been mutually exclusive. Since my mother knows her son is a military general, she should know that she is prepared for such a situation.” With a long sigh, Krossos’s tone hardened again. “Don’t use my mother to threaten me. When I sent her to the capital, I already foresaw this would happen, and I was prepared for this when I raised the army.”

Ji Wujiu suddenly burst into laughter. After laughing, he said to Krossos, “General, you didn’t let me say anything more in front of everyone the day before yesterday, but today you’ve brought me to the inner hall for a talk. Don’t you really have any thoughts on this? ” "

Seeing Krossos about to speak, Ji Wujiu waved his hand to stop him, continuing, "General, you truly underestimate His Majesty and Marshal Yu Fengwu. If you really wanted to use your mother as a hostage to threaten you, you would have done it long ago when you rebelled. In fact, General, you are well aware that your rebellion this time is completely against the will of Heaven and is utterly unpopular. Nonsense! It is your lord, Ye Tianlong, who usurped the throne, who is the one who truly violated the will of Heaven and is unpopular!"

Although Krossos's rebuttal seemed justified and his tone was very serious, Ji Wujiu detected a hint of guilt and unease in it. Ji Wujiu knew Krossos's character; he was not a fickle villain, he kept his promises, and he cared for and cherished his subordinates. It could be said that Krossos had a very good reputation in the army. This was also why Yu Fengwu had tried to keep Krossos around.

"Is that so? General, haven't you noticed the significant changes in Jiezhou because of your rebellion?"

Ji Wujiu didn't engage in much verbal debate with Klossos, but directly pointed out the crux of the matter. Klossos was speechless for a moment. Indeed, Jiezhou was experiencing a severe economic downturn, and the citizens were filled with fear and anxiety.

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I got up in the middle of the night to observe the stars and discovered that a great disaster was about to befall Jiezhou." Seeing Klossos's speechless state, Ji Wujiu smiled slightly and changed the subject.

Ji Wujiu's words immediately piqued Klossos's interest, as he usually paid close attention to and quite believed in such mysterious astrological divination. "I didn't expect you to be an astrologist, sir?"

"I once studied at Leshan Academy under Master Xingmingzi for a period of time."

Klossos knew that Leshan Academy, which Ji Wujiu mentioned, was a famous academy located within the Yingxi Empire, and Master Xingmingzi was one of the most renowned astrological masters on the continent. However, Krossus still harbored considerable doubts about Ji Wujiu's words. It was extremely rare to be qualified to study astrology under Xingmingzi, and Ji Wujiu's name had never been mentioned in the field.

"Sir, have you discovered anything from the stars?"

"A bloody calamity! And it's coming soon." Ji Wujiu's expression was quite grave, and he said to Krossus in an unquestionable tone, "It's because you, General, have defied the heavens that the stars have undergone such a significant change."

"Nonsense, we're about to go to war, of course there will be a bloody calamity."

Krossus's lips moved slightly; his doubts about Ji Wujiu's words deepened. Given the current situation, even those least knowledgeable about astrology knew that Ye Tianlong's army would soon arrive in Jiezhou to fight Krossus's army, and a bloody calamity in Jiezhou was inevitable.

"General, you misunderstand. The calamity I spoke of is not related to war or conflict. You will soon witness its arrival," Ji Wujiu said confidently to Croesus. He seemed to have completely read Croesus's mind, a demeanor that made Croesus hesitate.

As if echoing Ji Wujiu's words, a trusted subordinate of Croesus rushed in, reporting frantically that a plague had been discovered in the southeastern district of Jiezhou City.

"A plague is spreading?" Croesus's expression changed drastically. If a plague broke out now, Jiezhou would immediately become a city of death.

"We have already dispatched troops to seal off the areas where the plague has been discovered, but the people in the plague-stricken areas are extremely unstable. If this continues, who knows what might happen?"

Even without his subordinates' analysis, Krossos knew the situation was becoming extremely difficult. If all the citizens of Jiezhou knew about the plague, they would undoubtedly flee the city, and even the army would lose most of its fighting capacity.

"Although most of the city's medical personnel have arrived in the plague-stricken area, they cannot guarantee they can completely stop the spread of the plague to other areas."

His trusted subordinate's report further exacerbated Krossos's sense of powerlessness. Given the current situation in Jiezhou, without external support, controlling and eliminating the outbreak of the plague would be extremely difficult. More importantly, in everyone's perception, the plague was a calamity sent by the gods, a punishment for humanity.

After waving his confidants away, Croesus groaned and said to Ji Wujiu, who sat silently to the side, "This must be the bloodshed you spoke of, sir! It certainly came swiftly!"

Ji Wujiu nodded solemnly and said to Croesus, "I saw the ominous star sweep across Jiezhou last night, which is why I wanted to give you a warning, General. If the plague in the city gets out of control and breaks out, the entire city of Jiezhou will become a ghost town. So I hope you will think twice for the sake of the people of Jiezhou!"

Ji Wujiu looked at Croesus meaningfully, his meaning clear: Croesus was responsible for the lives of all the people of Jiezhou, and Croesus's rebellion in Jiezhou, as implied by Ji Wujiu, had already incurred the wrath of both heaven and man.

Kross glanced silently at the door, let out a long sigh, and said weakly, "Sir, is there anything else you wish to say to me?"

Ji Wujiu nodded slightly and said, "Marshal Yu Fengwu has always known that General is exceptionally loyal and righteous, and is also a renowned filial son. My trip to Jiezhou this time is actually on Marshal Yu Fengwu's secret orders, to point out a clear path for General, a path that benefits both sides."

Kross's expression was slightly embarrassed, and he waved his hand, saying, "Don't talk about loyalty, righteousness, and filial piety anymore. I have been fickle and unfaithful, and I have even put my mother in danger. I am ashamed to face anyone when I think about it!"

"Marshal Yu Fengwu invited General's mother to the capital, Esnia, precisely because she feared General might act rashly out of concern for his subordinates."

Krossos's expression shifted, and he spoke in an almost inaudible voice, "Did Marshal Yu Fengwu already know these things would happen?"

Ji Wujiu remained silent, gazing calmly at Krossos, waiting for him to sort out his chaotic thoughts.

Leaving Krossos's residence, Ji Wujiu breathed a long sigh of relief. Although it had taken nearly half a day to fully resolve the matter with Krossos, he had finally successfully completed his mission in Jiezhou.

To reassure Krossos, Ji Wujiu promised to remain in Jiezhou while Krossos went to Esnia to apologize to Ye Tianlong. This would serve two purposes: first, to help handle the surrender; second, to act as a hostage to reassure Krossos's subordinates; and third, and most importantly, Ji Wujiu didn't mention it—he had even more important matters to attend to in Jiezhou.

The plague that struck Jiezhou was entirely orchestrated by Ji Wujiu. As someone with in-depth knowledge of Taoist magic, Ji Wujiu possessed a remarkably high level of skill in creating and spreading plagues—the "Plague Injection Technique." However, obtaining the raw materials needed to create a plague was extremely difficult and rare, and the process of injecting the plague was also incredibly dangerous; a single misstep could make the operator the first victim.

Furthermore, and more importantly, in Taoist magic, injecting the plague was a complete violation of divine will, as the greatest victims were innocent civilians. Therefore, the psychological pressure on those who performed the plague injection was immense.

If there hadn't been no other way to force Krossos, Ji Wujiu would never have considered using the plague injection technique. To perform this particular plague injection, he had already exhausted all the raw materials he had painstakingly collected over the years.

Although somewhat distressed, Ji Wujiu was still very satisfied that he had successfully completed the task assigned to him by Yu Fengwu. If the task Yu Fengwu specifically assigned to him ended up being carried out by Qing Ji's army, Ji Wujiu would feel extremely uncomfortable, even finding it difficult to speak confidently in Qing Ji's presence.

Walking along the road, Ji Wujiu couldn't help but think how incredibly powerful the beautiful war goddess was. Yu Fengwu's initial assignment of him to handle the rebellion in Jiezhou showed she had thoroughly understood Krossos's character and personality. Every piece she placed could be incredibly useful; every step, perhaps Yu Fengwu had already planned.

Thinking of this, Ji Wujiu couldn't help but shudder slightly. Perhaps his ability to use "Plague Spells" was already part of Yu Fengwu's original plan. And dealing with those in Jiezhou who were dissatisfied with the Ye Tianlong Dynasty would also utilize his ruthless nature.

After this almost cold-blooded analysis, a fiercer flame unconsciously ignited in Ji Wujiu's eyes. Being able to fully utilize his strengths in such a chaotic world—wasn't this exactly what he had always hoped for?

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Chapter 4 of the Romantic Continent: A Dilemma

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