Chapter 754

Chapter 754

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Yet another favoured saying from Hongjis father, but it wasnt to say there was no need for planning. Instead, he meant that one should always be flexible in case your plans should fall through. If he needed a single tool for something out in the field, he would never only bring the one he needed, but his whole tool box instead just in case. When bringing crops to the Lords manor, he always checked the wagon the day before at the latest, and sometimes several times in the days leading up to his trip. When helping their neighbours raise a new barn, hed carry a pouch of clean bandages just in case, and this sort of thinking is partially why Hongji excelled in areas of command.

Essentially, Hongjis father made plans for when other plans went awry, which wasnt the worst lesson to take to heart. Hongji wasnt the only commander who liked to thoroughly prepare for any and all eventualities, as one of the first lessons a Field Officer learned was that the path to success was much smoother with the right preparations. Akanai, Nian Zu, Shuai Jiao, and more, Hongji had seen these great generals go to great lengths to prepare for the worst, though few went to such great lengths as Legate Falling Rain. The young mans penchant for widespread planning encroached on the boundaries of paranoia to the point where it seemed like no surprise could faze him.

One only needed to look back at his trip to the Central Citadel to attend Legate Shen ZhenWus banquet of heroes to see the lengths Legate Rain went to in order to prepare for the worst, and it was a most eye opening experience for Hongji indeed. Rather than board a ship and make his way to Central with all haste, the Legate travelled alongside Nian Zus military convoy with the intent of luring his enemies out. At the time, the general consensus was that the crippled Legate was taking advantage of the Colonel Generals forces to keep himself safe, but time and circumstances proved them all wrong. Travelling under heavy guard was merely a means to minimize the variables involved, because even though Nian Zus presence meant the Legate had no need to worry about being ambushed at any given moment, he used this to create a controlled vulnerability which he used to lure his enemies out of hiding. By personally escorting the Divine Turtle out to the river every morning and evening without fail, he presented his enemies with a target too tempting to pass up, but when the ship the Vast Distance arrived bearing assassins intending to take his head, Legate Rain revealed that hed long since been aware the ship had been co-opted by his enemies and set the Disciplinary Corps on them for failure to fill out the proper permits correctly. A masterful stroke of genius engineered to not only use the Disciplinary Corps to deal with his enemies, he also caused his rivals to lose face by showing just how inept they truly were, and though the culprit had yet to be revealed to the outer provinces at large, Hongji was certain this move had ended the political career of some aspiring Imperial Scion or another, if not their life as well.

Schemes within schemes, that was Legate Rains preferred speed, and he continued to showcase his abilities in the days leading up to the banquet. Going shopping with his mother and concubine only to coincidentally run into his allies, who then brought him to watch an opera show where he humiliated Ishin Ken Shibu with his words and actions both, followed by a casual trip to a popular dessert parlour as if without a care in the world. All this with a shattered Core mind you, which left him that much more vulnerable, yet with the proper planning, he was able to humiliate an Imperial Scion, destroy the reputation of a promising young Central Warrior, and evade Mother knows how many assassination attempts along the way without ever showing a hint of weakness the entire time.

None of which could have been possible without thorough planning and preparation, else who knows how many times the Legate would have died that day. In contrast, Hongji was far from able to match Legate Rains obsessive attention to detail, but more interesting was that he discovered the Legates father was quite the opposite. It wasnt that Baatar eschewed planning altogether, but rather his plans werent based on facts and evidence, but instinct and gut feelings instead. As the scouts and retinues moved into place around Pan Si Xing using the underground network of tunnels, Hongji envisioned a thousand and one things going wrong along the way, which made for the most stressful hour hed ever experienced. What if the Defiled had found the tunnels themselves and were using them to move about the city? Or worse, had the exits watched and guarded meaning his divided troops were all walking headlong into death and disaster as the Enemy waited in ambush? What if a unit found the way forward blocked? Could he afford to keep the rest of his forces waiting for a single unit to find a new entrance into the city? If one unit wasnt worth the risk, how many units would be? Two? Three? Five? What about his distribution of soldiers? With their forces spread out all across the city, hed had to ensure that each retinue had enough strength to operate on their own lest they be overrun by Demons and Peak Experts aplenty. That was the greatest danger here, the Enemy gathering an elite fighting force similar to what Legate Rain did when taking the harbours last month. The Empires greatest advantage lay in unity which they needed to go up against the numerically superior Defiled forces, but here in Pan Si Xing, all that had been flipped on its head at young Joranis suggestions.

Credit where it was due, the plan was a good one. Break into groups of two to three thousand, infiltrate the city at various locations where slaves were bedding down for the day, and secure those choke points to buy time for the slaves to escape. From there, it was merely a matter of making enough chaos inside the city to force Bai Qi out of hiding, which could be done in any number of ways, but what Hongji hated the most was how Baatar, Jia Yang, and everyone else was counting on him to coordinate their efforts in real time. In short, once the troops were all in place, the rest of their plan could be summed up as, Leave it to Hongji, a weighty responsibility which he was unable to bear. Every Officer of note had studied his actions during the defence of the Central Citadel wherein he coordinated a city-wide guerrilla defence against Bai Qis invading forces, a feat only made possible by his familiarity with the Citadel, weeks of planning, and a fortuitously timed bout of Insight from the Mother Above. Yet now, everyone expected him to replicate that same miracle in spite of all his efforts to explain how that wasnt possible.

All this stemmed from the unusual manner with which Hongji used to Form his Natal Palace. Since most Martial Warriors had based their Natal Palaces on a real structure or location they could visualize and visit when meditating, everyone thought Hongji had taken the Central Citadel and recreated it in its entirety within his Natal Palace. From there, the details varied, but every Warrior of note hed spoken to believed that this was the key to the Chi working with which he used to oversee the fighting and coordinate a Citadel-wide defence against the Enemy. Whether it was a complex, multifaceted working of Scrying, Listening, and Sending, or deploying his Domain and materializing his Natal Palace to link the material and immaterial together, all those theories were completely off base because Hongjis Natal Palace had no perceivable form. Though he went to great efforts to commit the sprawling maze of Citadel streets to memory, he never went as far as recreating it in his Natal Palace, not like how Legate Rain recreated his hometown village or Du Min Gyu recreated WuTai Mountain. Even if his Natal Palace had a visible form, how was he supposed to envision the concept of self-reliance and self-certainty? Even using an image of himself wouldnt fit, because the Hongji everyone saw here today was different from the man he was yesterday, and vastly different from the Hongji of ten years ago. Not all of the changes were visible, but there were enough of those to make his point, and because he never had any need for a fixed Natal Palace to visit, he saw no point in bothering with it now. No, when Hongji closed his eyes and reached for Balance, the only thing he saw was the darkness behind his eyelids, which was how itd always been.

Though unable to come up with a suitable way to explain it, he also failed to understand why the others seemed so skeptical about his claims. Du Min Gyus endless curiosity was understandable since he wanted to know more in order to better guide his grand-daughter who was following a similar Path to Hongjis, but to this day, Akanai and her husband Husolt were still unable to fathom how he formed a Natal Palace without creating a mental structure to visit when meditating. In contrast, he was at a loss to explain how others could keep the entirety of their Natal Palaces forever fixed in memory and always in mind. There were times when Hongji had walked into a room only to discover hed forgotten why hed entered in the first place, so the thought of always keeping a complex, lifelike model image in mind at all times was almost incomprehensible. Granted, he was the outlier in all this considering most Martial Warriors Formed their Natal Palaces in this manner, but regardless of the facts, none could deny Hongji had a Natal Palace. It even functioned the same way, but instead of visiting a mental construct to practice his Chi skills and Forms as if in a separate plane of existence, he simply mentally went through the motions as if reliving a memory in his mind and making corrections along the way. There was no need to visualize the process, because it wasnt as if he could see his every movement as he Demonstrated the Forms or see anything worth mentioning while utilizing his Chi, so why was it so important to visualize himself while meditating?

This lack of understanding from both sides made it difficult to explain his hardships however, because few understood his process well enough to have an idea of the issues he faced. While it was true hed memorized the Central Citadel in its entirety, which played a large part in the miracle he accomplished during the siege, it wasnt as if he had a perfect recreation of every stone, street, and building stored in his mind or Natal Palace. No, he memorized the Citadel layout by physically walking the streets until he was familiar enough with the area to know where he was at all times, something people naturally did when staying in one location long enough. Hongji simply put a little more effort into the process than most, and in doing so, paved the way for his defence of the Citadel. He remembered the battle well and the part he played in it, but it wasnt until after the Enemy breached the third line of defences that the Mother saw fit to bestow Insight upon him. He remembered seeing the entire Citadel from a birds eye view, but the information he gleaned from it was more than merely visual. It was as if this advanced Scrying were capable of transmitting all sensations the Citadel experienced as if the entire fortress itself were a living entity. He could feel the Enemy marching across his cobble-stone skin, hear the short, staccato breaths of his soldiers on the cusp of panic, even smell the metallic tang of blood and steel in the air itself, a multitude of sensations which he processed all at once without ever losing sight of his thoughts and goals.

Only then was he able to coordinate such an effective defence, for this bout of Insight did not simply grant him awareness of the happenings within the Citadel, but enabled him to perceive all that information without needing to follow any singular thread of thought. It was like playing a thousand instruments to perform twenty different symphonies at the same time, far beyond what Hongji had ever thought possible, and in the moment, all he could do was surrender himself to the moment and focus on defending the Citadel with everything he had. Reading the reports of what happened in those scant few hours was an odd experience, because he remembered giving each and every individual order, but the sheer volume of commands and instructions was staggering to say the least. One Senior Captain claimed Hongji had given him step by step instructions on how to navigate his way through a Defiled infested market, while at the same time, a Lieutenant Colonel on the other side of the Citadel claimed Hongji had led him and his troops in a series of successful ambushes against the encroaching Enemy. All the while, there were hundreds of other Officers reporting that Hongji had spoken to them in the same general time frame, which meant Hongji had somehow split his mind to focus on and speak with multiple Officers at the same time.

A feat made all the more impressive when Hongji admitted he still had yet to understand how to Send a single message to multiple recipients at the same time, much less Send two different messages to two different people.

In short, ever since that fateful day, hed tried to recreate that same sensation countless times each passing day, but he never even came close, so for Baatar, Jia Yang, and so many others to expect a repeat performance from him here in Pan Si Xing was nothing short of impossible. Hongji himself brought it up a number of times, but Baatar merely smiled and said, You are a capable commander even without Insight to guide you. You need only treat this battle like any other and victory is sure to be ours.

An encouraging sentiment to be sure, but Hongji still had his reservations regarding his ability to live up to such lofty expectations. Alas, there was no other option left to him save to try his best, because theyd come too far to give up without even trying. It wasnt as if they didnt stand a chance either, because if all went according to plan and Baatar was truly capable of killing Bai Qi, then this might well be enough to throw the Enemy forces into disarray and open up a path to salvation for the Imperials. In the hours leading up to the attack, Hongji studied the maps and questioned the locals in the desperate hope of stumbling across something to tip the scales in their favour, and he continued to do so even now after the arrow had been loosed. Then, just as Hongjis forces were almost all in place, disaster struck as the sounds of combat alerted the Enemy to the Imperial threat making their way into the city.

With the advantage of surprise already lost to them, Hongji Scryed over the city to match what he studied on the maps with the actual situation. The spyglasses were useful, but limited in scope since they only enlarged what the human eye could see. Reports arrived through Sending which his aides narrated out loud, informing him that the Legates retinue had landed themselves in hot water after failing to silence the Defiled sentries before they raised the alarm. A quick study of the city movements showed no real concentrated defence forming up just yet, so Hongji ordered the rest of his forces to remain hidden as they moved into place, while wishing commander Jorani the best of luck. The city came alive as Defiled scented blood in the air and converged around the Legates retinue, while armoured Chosen made their way through the streets in an organized grid pattern in search of other hiding Imperial forces. Hongji expected no less from Bai Qi who quickly grasped the crux of the issue, for he knew that if one group of Imperial soldiers could make their way deep into the City undetected, then surely there were others.

Within the span of five minutes, three more Imperial units were discovered and came under Defiled attack even as Joranis unit forced their way out into the streets to avoid having the building collapsed on top of them, a turn of events which was less than promising. Bai Qi had instantly seen through their plan and determined that the Imperials were targeting the slave sleeping quarters, but the worst part was that the Chosen were none too gentle in their search. Panning across the city from his command centre over a kilometre away, Hongji watched as the Enemy terrorized and brutalized Imperial citizens while looking high and low for soldiers. Heads were smashed and throats slit for no reason other than to express their displeasure as the Chosen and tribesmen left a trail of death in their wake, and Hongjis blood boiled to witness such callous disregard for life. Not just from the Enemy, but from the people of Empire as well, most of whom simply regarded the violence unfolding around them with apathetic disregard. For two years, the people of the west had suffered under Defiled rule, and though he knew it could not have been pleasant, to see the results with his own eyes was heartbreaking indeed.

At first glance, such a system might prove to be too confusing in massed battle, but it gave the Stormguard an unshakable advantage as they made their way through the inns and taverns of the central district. Even when outnumbered, they strove to turn the fight to their advantage by singling out their targets to kill one at a time. The lack of individual action also meant the Stormguards were less likely to put themselves at risk to kill their foe, because even when fighting alone, they knew that their comrades were there to support them. In the military, Officers were the pillar that held up the Heavens so that the soldiers could fight safely underneath them, but the Stormguard shared that burden amongst themselves and played their part with pride.

It was a different sort of pride from what most Martial Warriors possessed, not the pride of a lone tiger or dragon perched atop their mountain, but the pride of a wolf moving in stride with his pack.

This was far from the extent of Mister Rustrams skill however, for while he advanced slowly along the main thoroughfare, he dispatched a force of soldiers to patrol around the edge of the central district and guard his back. Led by none other than Tong Da Fung, who was joined by his Senior Martial Sister Li Song, the young Magistrate made for a fetching image in his fine silk robes as he strolled through the city as if out for a mid-day jaunt. Despite the bloodshed and violence around him, he couldnt even be bothered to carry his own weapons, which were borne effortlessly by his intimidating manservant and bodyguard, the half-weasel Fu Zhu Li, who Hongji had long since sworn never to cross. Beside them, Li Song cut a much more heroic figure in her Runic breastplate, her stony expression fixed in the focused vigilance of a Warrior who knew never to let her guard down. Her new Spiritual Weapon hung from her hip, but she had precious little chance to use it, for the Warriors of Fungs retinue were far more capable than they appeared and quickly dispatched any and all Defiled sent their way. Most were stragglers too crazed to heed their Chieftains commands, but even a concentrated push from a force of five thousand tribesmen failed to force Fungs retinue back a single step. Were he not privy to the details, Hongji would have thought them both spoiled silk-pants with overprotective parents and Mentors, but when an Enemy Champion made his presence known, Fung was the first to act. Charging in with his heavy spear, he skewered his foe in the first exchange before retreating back to his servant's side, where he traded the weapon for a perfumed handkerchief which he used to dab the faintest beads sweat from his brow.

Before they parted ways, Akanai had taken Hongji aside and asked him to place Fung wherever the fighting was thickest, and to inform her if the boy dared to slack off. Of course, the boy had been present when she said as much, as was Li Song whod attached herself to his retinue, so Hongji could hardly do otherwise, but at least the boy was up to the task. Say what you will about Tong Da Fung, but he did not lack Martial talent, and as the Enemy sent more tribesmen to punch through his position, the young Magistrate killed three more Defiled Champions with similar ease.

All of this and more took place in the span of a quarter hour, a frantic, nonstop fifteen minutes in which he barely had a moment to draw breath as order after order spilled from his lips. It wasnt a repeat of his accomplishment in the Central Citadel, but having experienced this state of higher focus once before, hed improved by leaps and bounds in matters of mental speed, acuity, and efficiency. At his behest, the young Wolf Huushal brought the Enemy on a merry chase around the city before circling back around to set fire to a now undefended storage depot, which he promptly set ablaze. From the market square, Tam Taewoong pushed headlong into a Defiled armoury filled with mundane spears which he then distributed to the local insurgents. Major Chu XinYue and Ulfsaar trotted to and fro along the city streets, threatening the flanks of moving Defiled units and indirectly relieving pressure from friendlies already in combat without needing to do more than move at an easy trot. Warrant Officer Sang Ryong led his troops into a Defiled ambush and suffered significant casualties before fighting his way free, a troublesome turn of events had Lin Ji Yeon not moved into position to capitalize on the subsequent Defiled overexertion. All the while, Major Rustram pushed steadily forward into the heart of the city while Warrant Officer Situ Jia Zian rampaged unchecked throughout the entire south-western quadrant, a far more promising turn of events than Hongji could ever have hoped for.

And then, everything went to shit in the blink of an eye as Bai Qi made his presence felt.

Major Rustram reports Cloud-Stepping Chosen approaching from the north.

Warrant Officer Huushal reports riders approaching from the east.

Warrant Officer Jia Zian reports Demons sighting in the forging district.

Major Chu XinYue reports hes engaged with Half-Demons and requests immediate reinforcements. Status critical.

More and more sightings rolled in as Hongjis stomach flopped in place, his nerves getting the better of him at this pivotal moment. Theyd expected as much, for there was no way Bai Qi would move without a contingent of Peak Experts and Demons to guard him, but this was the real deal. Even though hed spread his Peak Experts thin to ensure no single unit would be overrun, the greatest risk of spreading his forces out across the city was if Bai Qi gathered his strongest combatants together to strike at a single target with overwhelming force. Which unit was the hammer then? The Chosen in the central district? The Half-Demons hunting Chu XinYue? The feral demons moving in to surround young Zian? Or any of the other reported sightings?

Difficult to say until they struck, which meant the price for this information would be paid in Imperial blood, but this had been the plan all along. Whoever incited the enslaved locals to act pushed up their estimated timeline, as Hongji thought it would be the better part of an hour before the Demons were set loose. That was the way the Enemy fought, chipping away at Imperial strength one tribesman at a time until those brave Warriors no longer had the strength to fight off greater threats. However, with the civilian uprising occupying the attention of most of the Defiled tribesmen, Major Rustrams forces were now poised to eliminate the bulk of the Chosen stationed here in Pan Si Xing before any reinforcements could arrive to support them. Now, Bai Qis only choice was to dispatch his Demons and Peak Experts to save his Chosen elites, but Baatar and Hongji had planned for this well in advance.

The sharks have entered the waters, he Sent, knowing there would be no response, for Baatar and his elites could not afford to give away their locations. Standby.

A warning to be ready in case the worst should come to pass, but only then. Unless their participation hinged on victory or defeat, the Peak Experts with Baatar would not enter the battle until the Tiger came down the mountain, or more specifically, Bai Qi revealed himself. For now, Hongjis forces would have to make do with lesser, but still capable heroes like Lawgiver Won Gwang, Li TieGuai and the Devilish Duo, and other such valiant Warriors. Hongji only prayed that their preparations would be enough, but then again, even all the preparation in the world would not save them from the worst case scenario. Namely that they succeed in killing Bai Qi and crippled the Enemy forces here in Pan Si Xing only for an Enemy Divinity to show up and break the treaty in full. Though Baatar assured him that they had their own Imperial Divinities on standby, Hongji had seen what a casual exchange between Divinities had done to the once thriving city of Sinuji, and he would rather not experience it first hand here in Pan Si Xing, a name which was a homonym for Death Sentence.

Imperial or Defiled, whose death sentence it was still too early to say, but at this point in time, it could really go either way. Not the best odds to stake everything on a roll of the dice, but there was nothing left to do but fight and pray.

Chapter Meme