Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 770 (1): A Lifetime of Rivalry

Zhao Changhe had anticipated an intense atmosphere of wartime urgency upon his return to the capital. In the end, however, he spent the New Year in the company of his women, balancing cultivation, introspection, and exploration.

At first, he felt overwhelmed, trying to divide his time among them all. But by the second or third day, everything gradually returned to a natural rhythm.

Everyone had their own matters to attend to. No one needed to cling to him, and he did not have to go out of his way to seek anyone’s company. For Chichi, Wanzhuang, and the others, just knowing that he was home was enough. His presence alone brought them a sense of security and contentment far more meaningful than any amount of time spent together.

Most of his time was spent in seclusion beneath the Imperial Ancestral Temple, meditating alongside Yue Hongling. They barely spoke, exchanging only the occasional glance and a faint smile.

In contrast with Yue Hongling, who remained almost completely motionless, Zhao Changhe still moved around frequently, mostly to join the others for meals and keep an eye on various ongoing matters.

The first of these matters was the storage boxes.

The boxes could be mass-produced, but the arrays carved into them had to be inscribed by hand. Each array was meticulously etched by the monks, making the completion rate significantly slower than their manufacturing. freёnovelkiss.com

On the fifth day of the new year, after relentless efforts from Yuan Xing and the others, the first batch of 100 storage boxes was finally completed.

These were leagues beyond the low-grade storage rings that Sha Seven had provided. A box’s structure made it easier to engrave spatial arrays, resulting in far greater storage capacity. Each box was only about twice the size of a cigarette case, yet its internal space was the size of a small room. The transport capacity of one hundred such spaces was tremendous in the appropriate context; one could only imagine the impact it would have on war logistics.

Zhao Changhe even tested whether one box could store another, hoping for a nesting effect. However, the attempt failed. There seemed to be an inherent spatial repulsion. But that was fine. Even if the boxes could not be stored within each other, they could still be bundled together and carried in a single package that was roughly the equivalent of twenty cartons of cigarettes. At worst, he would split them into two or three bundles.

In practical terms, this meant that a single rider with a single horse could replace an entire supply caravan.

Zhao Changhe had already taught the Crane Controlling Art to all qualified officers at the ninth layer of the Profound Gate Realm and above, including key figures within the Demon Suppression Bureau. Now, a large number of people were capable of extracting items from the boxes. That very day, Wu Weiyang of the Demon Suppression Bureau galloped off toward the Taihang Mountains to intercept grain shipments from the Jinbei supply lines. By dawn the next morning, he had already returned.

As grains flooded into storage, filling the warehouse in an instant, Vermillion Bird, the supreme commander of the three armies, stood there in stunned silence, her phoenix-like eyes wide with disbelief.

If this is how things are going to be, I might as well burn half of the war strategies I learned as a child...

And yet, the storage boxes were only the beginning of her astonishment. There was still Divine Punishment.

Although the manufacturing of Divine Punishment cannons was significantly more complex than crafting storage boxes, the process was not as slow as expected. By the middle of the first month, ten of them had been secretly lined up before Vermillion Bird.

As the thunderous roar of artillery fire echoed through the air, Vermillion Bird stared blankly at the scene, understanding that whatever she knew about warfare had to be completely revised.

Toward the end of the first month, the northern climate began to shift. The ice of the northern frontier melted into rushing streams, the snowdrifts receded, and the first shoots of grass began to break through the thawing soil.

* * *

After the imperial court assembly, the newly appointed prime minister, Tang Wanzhuang, walked side by side with the newly appointed supreme commander, Vermillion Bird, down the long streets outside the palace.

From a distance, some of the elderly residents of the capital caught sight of them, and their expressions were tinged with nostalgia. Memories of a bygone era stirred, memories of two little girls tumbling and scuffling against the palace walls.

Time had passed. And yet, despite the years, the sight of them side by side remained the same. The red and white robes were still familiar, but the delicate buds of their youth had fully bloomed. One was like a fiery rose, and the other was like a graceful begonia. One dealing with civil matters and one with martial matters, they now upheld the very foundation of the empire.

Do they still fight?

“Your disciple has probably snuck off to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to steal a bite again. Aren’t you going to do something about it?” the prime minister casually remarked to the supreme commander.

“Yue Hongling is standing guard there. He won’t get away with it,” Vermillion Bird replied with a knowing smile.

Of course, she was not about to tell Tang Wanzhuang that he had actually spent the night in the empress dowager’s chambers.

After so many days, she had originally expected him to continue scheming about getting the empress dowager and the empress to serve him together. But instead, he seemed far less preoccupied with such thoughts, offering only warmth and gentle companionship. On the other hand, that shameless disciple of hers had no such restraint, using “paying respects to the Empress Dowager” as an excuse to slip in at night and conveniently never leave.

And once there was a first time, a second time was inevitable. Months ago, she had been mortified when he dragged her into stacking things up in the imperial study. But last night? She had barely reacted. She had just lazily sighed, “Well, since you’re already here, you might as well stay.”

Then she pressed his hand down and played with him for a while.

A truly benevolent master. A truly filial disciple.

But since Xia Chichi had eaten her fill last night, there was no reason for her to be sneaking off for more. A person could not possibly be that insatiable.

That being said, if he could teleport to the Empress Dowager’s chambers, he could just as easily teleport to the Tang Clan estate outside the palace. Heh. I bet this white horse got her own share of the green grass. Just look at her, the brilliance in her eyes, the glow on her face. She’s completely transformed from the habitual frown of a tragic Xi Shi[1]. What a vixen. So that pitiful, melancholy look of hers in the past was really just a ploy to lure men in.

Of course, they were still in the middle of the street, and they were the prime minister and the supreme general. They thus maintained a proper demeanor, eyes fixed ahead.

Tang Wanzhuang asked, “How well-acquainted are you with the state of your troops?”

“I have everything under control.” Vermillion Bird cast her a sidelong glance. “With provisions and wages accounted for, we still face shortages in weapons, tents, bedding, ropes, water flasks—essential military supplies. I’ll have to trouble the prime minister to expedite the process.”

“The shortages are minor now. With this prime minister overseeing things, you need not worry.”

Vermillion Bird found the way Tang Wanzhuang referred to herself as “this prime minister” particularly grating and could not help but retort, “There’s no such thing as minor when it comes to war. What I want is a precise timeline. Don’t try to brush me off.”

Tang Wanzhuang did not argue. She remained composed as she explained, “Supplies don’t just materialize out of thin air. They require time to produce. But things are different now. The workshops in Langya and Qinghe can begin operations quickly, so we are no longer relying solely on the capital’s output. That makes things much easier. I can guarantee that much. But I cannot personally oversee progress in Langya and Qinghe from afar. I can only rely on carrier pigeons, so asking me for an exact date is unrealistic.”

Vermillion Bird felt like she had just thrown a punch into cotton. She eyed Tang Wanzhuang curiously.

That composed tone of hers was nothing unusual—well, other than when Vermillion Bird was the one picking a fight. Whenever she pushed a little, Tang Wanzhuang’s tone almost immediately changed. Yet today, she was strangely calm...

“What are you looking at me for?” Tang Wanzhuang kept her gaze forward. “If you want to argue, pick another place. We’re in the middle of the street.”

Vermillion Bird smirked and asked, “Where should we go then?”

Tang Wanzhuang: “?”

“Forget it,” Vermillion Bird sighed. “I genuinely came to discuss the situation, not to pick a fight. Spring is here, and Lady Three has reported that Timur has begun sending envoys to rally the various tribes of northwestern Gobi. The situation is on the verge of erupting. I was actually planning to bring this up in court today. Our forces are trained and ready, and once our supplies are in order, it will be time to march north. But saying this in court would make it seem like I was putting you on the spot. It wouldn’t look good if you took it the wrong way, so I’m telling you privately instead.”

Vermillion Bird paused for a moment before adding, “We can’t afford to sit back and wait for Timur to invade, thinking we can just counter with a defensive strike. We have to take the initiative. Tngri is very likely at the peak of the second layer of the Profound Control Realm. If he fully recovers, he won’t be on the same level as Desolate Calamity or Dark Oblivion. He’ll be far worse.”

“How strong are we talking about, exactly?”

“We learned firsthand in the Battle of Chang’an just how terrifying Dao Lord was. Even with five of us attacking together, he still managed to wound Hongling. And there’s another key point. Back then, whether it was Jiuyou or someone on Changhe’s side, someone sealed off the space within Louguantai. That was the only reason the aftermath of our battle didn’t spread. Otherwise, Chang’an would have been reduced to rubble.”

Tang Wanzhuang’s expression darkened. “So you’re saying that if Tngri revives and marches south, we can forget Yanmen Pass being a viable defense. Just the sheer collateral damage from that fight would be devastating to the Central Plains.”

“Exactly. The battle has to happen there, on their territory. Only then can we fight freely, without concern for collateral damage.”

Tang Wanzhuang frowned deeply, her brows knitting together in contemplation.

Vermillion Bird gave her a curious look. “What’s wrong?”

“Originally, we were in a position where we could advance or retreat as needed. But from what you’re saying, it’s now an all-or-nothing gamble. We must launch a northern campaign. If Timur figures out our plans, he can take his time setting up an inescapable trap. That puts us at a serious disadvantage.”

Vermillion Bird narrowed her eyes. “You and your man spend all your time tangled up in bed. Have you ever considered asking him about practical matters?”

Tang Wanzhuang quickly glanced around to make sure no passersby were in earshot before whispering in exasperation, “Who asks about war strategies during that?! What are you getting at?”

“You think he’s been fixated on cultivating his ability to observe the world just for fun? He’s training his mind to perceive a vast battlefield, honing his ability to track multiple variables and process complex information. When the time comes, he’ll be marching alongside me. With his awareness covering the entire field, there’s no way we’ll stumble into some so-called inescapable trap.” Her lips curled into a smirk. “Your man’s mind is entirely on the northern campaign. He knows exactly what he’s doing. Some weaklings who need their men to infuse them with strength just to break past a bottleneck could never understand that.”

A flush of red finally crept across Tang Wanzhuang’s face. “He won’t always be by your side! Do you have the ability to handle this on your own?!”

“Everyone is striving toward the second layer of the Profound Control Realm. With his insights, I have gained my own understanding as well. The element of fire is omnipresent. Just because you cannot see some things doesn’t mean that I cannot either. Watch and learn.”

As they spoke, they arrived at the entrance of the Tang Clan’s residence, which was now the prime minister’s manor.

Tang Wanzhuang ground her teeth as she said, “The supreme commander has reached my doorstep. Would you care to come in, have a drink, and continue our discussion?”

The meaning was clear: Fine, we’ll change the place. Come inside, and we’ll settle this properly.

How could Vermillion Bird back down? She lifted her chin proudly, puffed out her chest, and strode in without hesitation.

But the moment they stepped into Tang Wanzhuang’s courtyard, both women paused in surprise.

1. Xi Shi is one of the Four Beauties of China, four women in Chinese history whose beauty gave them influence over kingdoms. This was first mentioned in Chapter 178 ☜