Chapter 107: Analyzing the Battle Report

Gazing intently at Du Long as he rode atop the great lion, leaping continuously off the cliff’s edge and using its strength to propel himself upward, disappearing into the darkness above the precipice within moments, the old master Du remained silent for a long while before solemnly declaring, “Old Ma!”

“At your command!” Old Ma, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and responded in a deep voice.

“Immediately dispatch people to thoroughly investigate Du Zhennan’s background! Also, send a secret order to withdraw a trustworthy officer squad from the Loyal and Martial Legion. Among them, at least one expert of the Gangdan rank must be sent to Fengli Commandery to report to Long’er!” the old master Du instructed sternly.

“Yes! I shall attend to this at once!” Old Ma wasted no time and, after receiving the order, turned promptly to follow Du Long, shooting upward into the darkness above the cliff.

As Old Ma vanished into the blackness beyond the cliff, the old master Du withdrew his gaze and resolutely turned to enter the depths of the cavern.

In the darkness, Du Long rode Little Fierce as they sped swiftly toward the capital. Soon, they arrived at the Du residence and headed straight for his grandfather’s private study.

Outside the study door, two guards watched Du Long warily. One said in a stern voice, “Young Master Du Long! No one is permitted to enter this study without the old general’s order!”

Riding on Little Fierce, Du Long did not wish to trouble these loyal subordinates of his grandfather. With a flick of his hand, a token bearing his grandfather’s seal appeared in his palm.

“This is a token personally given to me by my grandfather. I need to enter to check some documents,” Du Long announced loudly.

One of the guards stepped forward to verify the token. Upon confirming its authenticity, he respectfully saluted, “The token is verified! Young Master Du Long, you may enter the study at will.”

Nodding with a smile, Du Long dismounted from the great lion, leaving it outside the study door, and pushed open the door alone, entering the very seat of highest authority within the Du residence.

This was not Du Long’s first time in the study, but previously, he had always been accompanied by his grandfather. Today marked the first time he entered alone.

Familiar with the place, he approached the bookshelf his grandfather had mentioned, counting down three shelves from the upper right corner. He quickly found a battle report from over twenty years ago. Taking it down, he sat at the desk and began reading under the flickering candlelight.

The detailed battle report from over two decades ago unfolded like a film in Du Long’s mind.

Between the Blue Moon Empire and the Haotian Empire lay a disputed region stretching northwest from the Red Dragon Gorge to the southeast at Tonghai Pass. Both ends were naturally defensible strongholds, difficult to conquer, with only a few hundred miles of relatively flat territory between.

Near the Blue Moon Empire’s side stood the fortified Haoyue City, while near the Haotian Empire’s side was the equally strong Yulin Pass, also known as Yulin City.

The several hundred-mile area between these two cities remained a contentious zone, both empires claiming sovereignty over it.

Consequently, frequent skirmishes erupted within this region, with the two empires forming a standoff between Haoyue City and Yulin City. Countless conflicts, both large and small, occurred annually.

Over twenty years ago, the Blue Moon Empire launched another massive invasion of this territory. As in previous years, the Haotian Empire did not back down and dispatched troops to repel the invaders.

However, this time Haotian forces were ill-prepared. Although they had intelligence on the enemy’s numbers beforehand, they had not anticipated that the Blue Moon Empire’s ranks now included more than twice the usual number of experts.

Suffering a heavy loss, the Haotian army was forced to retreat temporarily to Yulin Pass and request reinforcements. As a result, the reserve force stationed northwest of Yulin Pass, the Zhenwei Legion, received deployment orders.

They began moving southeast to aid the defenders of Yulin Pass but were ambushed en route by enemy forces who had dispatched Ling-rank experts. The enemy succeeded in killing the Zhenwei Legion’s commander Du Fengyun and several loyal deputy commanders.

In retaliation, the Haotian Empire dispatched their own Ling-rank expert, Fan Kun, who launched a surprise attack against the enemy, killing several enemy commanders.

Seemingly intimidated by Haotian’s counterattack, the Blue Moon Empire gradually withdrew, and the fierce battle subsided before escalating into an all-out war.

Du Long slowly closed the battle report and began to meditate.

“The Blue Moon Empire’s army came on fiercely at first, but on the surface, it seems they retreated because they were scared off by Haotian’s Ling-rank experts. Yet something feels off...” Du Long pondered silently.

“Hee hee! You don’t see it? Their objective was achieved, and they successfully concealed their true purpose. If they didn’t retreat now, they’d just be wasting time!” the spirit girl teased with a playful laugh.

“Objective achieved? Could it be that the entire large-scale campaign was just to eliminate my great-uncle?” Du Long suddenly realized.

“Nonsense! The Haotian Empire holds the Tonghai Pass to the southeast and the Red Dragon Gorge to the northwest, forming a pincer grip around Yulin Pass. Even if the Blue Moon Empire takes Yulin Pass, they’d have to worry about being caught in a vice from both sides. Without supply lines, they’d be doomed!” the spirit girl scoffed disdainfully.

“Since they dare not attack Yulin Pass head-on but still launch such a grand campaign, this is no bluff. They must have a hidden goal. Now it seems their target is the Zhenwei Legion—they want to replace it and then encircle the Red Dragon Gorge we control from both front and rear!” Du Long exclaimed in sudden clarity.

“Exactly! You’re learning well!” the spirit girl nodded and continued cheerfully, “But now, it appears even the Li family’s Dunwu Legion is under control. Remember, the Dunwu Legion is the reserve force for Yulin Pass. If they strike from behind while the Red Dragon Gorge falls, ah, the entire Haotian Empire is in grave peril!”

“Hmph! The Blue Moon Empire truly harbors grand ambitions, plotting for decades to achieve this!” Du Long snorted angrily.

“According to the information I gathered, some forty or fifty years ago, that old man from the Fan family had not yet reached Ling-rank strength. Later, after breaking through, he leveraged his repeated achievements to secure the position of Imperial Left Chancellor, and now wields immense influence in court!” the spirit girl analyzed.

“It seems I was deceived back then, causing the Du family’s downfall and indirectly helping those men seize the Du clan’s military power ahead of time. They took control of the Red Dragon Gorge without firing a shot! Now, that opportunity will never come again,” Du Long murmured with a distant gaze. “No, this time, I cannot let them succeed at any cost. I must accelerate the military build-up in my territory!”

“Tch! With your current soft and hard powers, developing a force strong enough to sway the situation before the crisis erupts is nearly impossible!” the spirit girl dashed his hopes with a splash of cold water.

“Is there truly no way at all?!” Du Long responded unwillingly.

“Hee hee! Relying on your silly little brain? Definitely not! But with my wise head, coming from a far more advanced world, everything impossible can turn possible!” the spirit girl said proudly.

Du Long’s eyes brightened. “Ling’er! You really have a plan?”

“Of course! Don’t you know what kind of advanced world I come from? Dealing with primitive cold weapon warfare is a piece of cake for me!”

“Then... what must I do to help my grandfather and the others?”

“Simple! From now on, no matter what happens, you must fully cooperate with my arrangements. Remember, no mistrust whatsoever!”

“I will fully cooperate with all your plans, beautiful Ling’er! But can you tell me specifically what preparations we need to make?”

“You’ve already warned your clever grandfather. He will surely send people to investigate Du Zhennan’s true background. Even if they can’t uncover everything, determining whether he truly has Du blood won’t be hard. Then your grandfather will alert the old emperor. Once they start to guard against it, those schemers will find it difficult to act!”

“As for you... you must go to Fengli Commandery and expedite the construction of the armory. Besides that, you need to hasten the formation of your Brave Cavalry Legion. How to build it? Hee hee! Given limited time, funds, and resources, we must create an unimaginably powerful legion, armed to the teeth!”

“Oh? Do you have a detailed plan? Let me hear it!” Du Long asked with curiosity.

“Well... that’s a secret for now. When the time comes, you’ll understand. One thing’s for sure—it will open your eyes wide!” the spirit girl replied with a mysterious smile.