Chapter 1513: Encirclement

Mother and son had no choice. They had no control over their own fate. The so-called titles of Empress Dowager and Emperor were empty names; they possessed no power to decide anything and could only go along.

Watching the deputy lead his men out through the gate, one elder said heavily, "Luo Da'an wouldn't do anything harmful to His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, would he?"

Lu Yuan said nothing. The other elders knew the answer was difficult to say as well.

They all understood that, to a certain extent, the Emperor and Empress Dowager carried the same significance as the Shang Mirror, just as Shang Chaozong had demanded that they hand over the Shang Mirror.

The reasoning was simple. They had submitted to someone else, yet still maintained an emperor and empress dowager of their own. How could that be justified? They could say mother and son were no longer Emperor and Empress Dowager, but that was only what they said. Others might not see it that way.

If Shang Chaozong truly insisted on taking mother and son, they could not even think of a proper reason to refuse...

In the courtyard, the deputy asked mother and son to wait while he went inside to report.

They were extremely uneasy, even frightened, as though awaiting final judgment.

They had occupied the throne for some time and had accumulated some experience. They were not fools. Faced with such a situation, they could more or less understand what danger their former identities as Emperor and Empress Dowager of Qin might bring.

Yet from beginning to end, they had never been masters of their own fate. They had not wanted to become Emperor and Empress Dowager, nor had they wanted to surrender first to one side and then another, but none of it had been theirs to decide.

Entering the hall, the deputy reported to Luo Da'an, "General, I've brought them."

Luo Da'an casually rolled up the map on the table. "We can withdraw. Take mother and son with us on the way."

The deputy was startled. "Just take them away like that? I'm afraid Xiaoyue Pavilion won't agree."

Luo Da'an said, "You're worrying too much. If they really cared that much about mother and son, they wouldn't have let the two of them come here alone."

The deputy considered this, then immediately passed down the order to withdraw.

When Luo Da'an emerged, Zhuang Hong and Xia Lingpei respectfully saluted him together. "General Luo."

They knew Luo Da'an. They had seen him at Maolu Villa in the past, but they were not familiar with him. They had merely crossed paths and had never spoken.

Luo Da'an inclined his body slightly in acknowledgment and said nothing more, walking straight past them.

Mother and son looked at each other. The deputy had already brought several cultivators leading two horses. He apologized, "We don't have a carriage here. I'm afraid you'll have to make do."

Before the two could even understand what was happening, they had already been helped onto the horses. Men led both riders and mounts out through a side gate.

Only after leaving the residence did Zhuang Hong realize they were about to depart the town. She immediately asked the deputy, "General, where are we going?"

The deputy gave no answer and simply led mother and son away.

Three thousand Yingyang and Wulie Guards assembled and thundered off.

The commotion alarmed Xiaoyue Pavilion. One disciple hurried into the residence where its senior leadership was staying and urgently reported to Lu Yuan, "Sect Leader, Luo Da'an has left. He took the Empress Dowager and His Majesty with him!"

"What?" Lu Yuan flew into a rage and waved sharply. "After them!"

A group of people immediately shot through the air in pursuit of Luo Da'an.

But the moment they left town, they were stopped by a line of more than ten mounted Zijin Cave cultivators. The man at their head was the same deputy from before.

The deputy leveled his spear at Lu Yuan and the others as they landed. "Sect Leader Lu, why are you pursuing us?"

Lu Yuan said heavily, "That is exactly what I would like to ask the general. Weren't you only going to meet mother and son? Why suddenly take them away?"

The deputy said calmly, "General Luo said that mother and son are old acquaintances of Maolu Villa. Their old friends at the villa miss them greatly, so he is sending them to Nanzhou for a reunion. General Luo guarantees their safety and asks Sect Leader Lu not to worry. Xiaoyue Pavilion is to wait here quietly for the new army to arrive and is not to make any mistakes."

Seeing anger rising on the other side, he added meaningfully, "Sect Leader, this is a military order. General Luo runs a strict army. Military orders are weighty as mountains and are not to be treated as a game."

Lu Yuan's face twisted. His chest was full of fury, but he forcibly swallowed it. It was still the same old truth: under another's eaves, one had no choice but to bow one's head. In the end, he clenched his teeth and said, "If General Luo intended to take them away, shouldn't he at least have informed us beforehand?"

The deputy replied, "Sect Leader is right. The general feared Sect Leader might misunderstand, so he specifically ordered this general to remain behind and explain. Sect Leader, we've received word that the new army will arrive soon. Please do not delay the important matter. I still have military duties to attend to. Farewell!" He cupped one fist over the spear shaft, wheeled his mount, struck its belly hard with both heels, and galloped away.

The line of cultivators wheeled their mounts as well and thundered after him.

The members of Xiaoyue Pavilion could only watch them leave. Faced with Luo Da'an's high-handed behavior, the frustration in their hearts was almost unbearable. Back then, even men of Tian Zhengyang and Ma Chang'an's power and status had been killed when Xiaoyue Pavilion said they should die. What the hell was a Luo Da'an by comparison?

Yet they could not afford to fall out with him. The situation was obvious to everyone. Shang Chaozong plainly did not trust Qin's former sovereigns and had simply taken them away, just as he had demanded the Shang Mirror. Otherwise, why cling to mother and son? They did not believe the story about old friends at Maolu Villa.

Unfortunately, if Xiaoyue Pavilion truly went so far as to break with Shang Chaozong over mother and son, then Shang Chaozong would have every reason to suspect the pavilion of harboring disloyal intentions.

They could neither fall out with him nor force the issue. They had already betrayed Jin. If they also broke with this side, they feared there would be nowhere left beneath Heaven for them to stand.

"One day, I will avenge this humiliation!" Lu Yuan threw down those bitter words and turned back.

The others silently followed, their hearts heavy and angry, but no one said anything more.

In the end, Xiaoyue Pavilion was no longer the Xiaoyue Pavilion of years past.

Back when they hid in the shadows with restoration of the state as their mission, Zhuang Hong and her son had been the principal spirit tablets of the cause, the figures around which men's hearts rallied. Now that objective had already been achieved. They had successfully restored the state, only to fail to preserve it and lose it again. Put plainly, after the pavilion had gone through an internal struggle over who would hold power and who would seize more of it, everyone's state of mind had changed. Their ideals and convictions had collapsed, and Zhuang Hong and her son had lost the value they once possessed. No one would again sacrifice everything for mother and son.

Fortunately, Luo Da'an had not simply killed the two of them here. Otherwise Xiaoyue Pavilion truly would have had nowhere to put its face...

Once Luo Da'an left, Lu Yuan and the others immediately occupied the largest residence in town.

After swallowing their frustration and waiting for a while, someone came to report, "Sect Leader, they're here. The two hundred thousand new troops have arrived."

Lu Yuan gave an "oh," finally receiving news that allowed him to breathe easier. He immediately led everyone outside to look.

A group flew onto the rooftops and gazed into the distance. A vast mass of troops was gradually approaching. Across the town, almost every high rooftop already had Xiaoyue Pavilion members standing on it watching.

After the immense host arrived, it split into two. One force went to the left side of town to make camp, the other to the right.

Several riders charged directly into town and were led before Lu Yuan. A young officer saluted respectfully and reported, "General Sun ordered this junior officer to report that after traveling through dust and hardship all the way here, he is filthy and unpresentable. He fears appearing before Sect Leader in such a state would be discourteous. General Sun asks to bathe and change clothes before coming to pay his respects."

Such a deferential attitude improved the mood of Xiaoyue Pavilion's people somewhat.

Lu Yuan had originally planned to go over in person. Seeing the commanding general show such tact restored a little of his lost face. He immediately laughed. "Campaigning means eating dust and dirt. A little grime is perfectly normal. General Sun is too courteous. Good. Tell him this Sect Leader will wait for him here!"

"Yes! This junior officer will report back at once." The young officer cupped his hands and backed several steps before leading his two attendants out at a brisk pace. Once outside the residence, they mounted and galloped away.

Lu Yuan later flew onto the roof again. Seeing the armies to either side of town gradually take up position, noisily establishing their camps, he finally relaxed and dropped back into the courtyard to wait at ease.

Turning his head, he instructed, "When they arrive later, we should still observe the proper courtesies. Prepare a banquet for the principal generals. Everyone should accompany them. We'll be dealing with these people frequently in the future."

"Good. I'll have it prepared at once." An elder accepted the task and personally went to arrange it.

As soon as the elder entered the kitchen, he found the Hundred-Man Commander ordering men to light the stove. He immediately demanded, "What are you doing?"

The Hundred-Man Commander said, "General Sun and the others have arrived. There will presumably be a banquet, so we're preparing to cook."

The elder swept a hand. "No need to trouble yourselves. Xiaoyue Pavilion will handle it."

How could they allow unknown outsiders to manage their food and drink? That would make it too easy for someone to exploit an opening. Naturally, it was better to control such things themselves.

The Hundred-Man Commander had no choice but to lead his men out.

After leaving the residence, he quietly instructed the men at his sides, "Tell the brothers to light the fires and cook."

The men understood and left, passing the word to the more than one hundred soldiers stationed throughout the town.

One after another, wisps of cooking smoke began rising from kitchens in houses across the town.

A pot of water was filled. A stove fire was lit. Then those hundred-odd men gradually emerged, split into two groups, and swaggered openly out through the entrances at the front and rear of town, ostensibly returning to receive orders.

These men truly were veteran soldiers from the battlefield, specially selected for this mission. Their nerves were excellent. Not one showed the slightest sign of tension. Xiaoyue Pavilion's people paid them little attention and noticed nothing unusual. They allowed the soldiers to come and go without making things difficult for them. At a time like this, there was no reason to cause trouble over such matters anyway.

At the encampment, the commanding general, General Sun, saw smoke rising from the town and said heavily, "Begin!"

A signalman immediately ran up onto an earthen mound and waved flags with both hands, sending out the signal.

The armies to the left and right of town immediately moved in ordered fashion. Troops split off from both wings and began sealing the approaches to the front and rear...

Inside the hall, Lu Yuan was discussing matters with the elders when his nostrils suddenly flared. He sniffed the air. "Why is there so much smoke?"

One elder said, "Didn't Sect Leader order a banquet? It must be from the kitchens. The town has been abandoned for some time, so the chimneys probably aren't drawing properly."

The others thought that made sense. Surely the place could not be on fire. If it were, with so many people outside, someone would have reacted. They continued their discussion.

But before long, all of them began to feel tightness in their chests and dizziness.

They immediately realized something was wrong and flashed outside. A faint haze drifted through the town, tinged ever so slightly yellow. There was clearly something strange about it.

At that moment, someone came running and shouted, "Sect Leader, something's wrong! Someone tampered with the firewood in the kitchens. Wood coated with poison powder was mixed in. Poison smoke! The fires are producing poison smoke!"

They had not noticed at first. Only after their breathing grew difficult had they hurriedly inspected the kitchens and discovered the problem.

While everyone was still reeling from the shock, before Lu Yuan could speak, another man flashed in to report. "Sect Leader, something's wrong outside too. The army looks like it's surrounding us!"

At first, no one below had paid attention to the troop movements either. They had assumed the armies outside were merely redeploying normally. Only after their breathing became difficult did they begin to suspect hostile intent.

Lu Yuan and the others rapidly flew onto the roofs and looked out. The forces that had supposedly been establishing camps to the left and right of the town had already moved into position on all four sides. Two hundred thousand soldiers packed the ground in dense ranks, sealing the entire town so tightly that not even water could leak through...

General Sun sat upright on horseback, his gaze cold and heavy. Beside row after row of siege crossbows hastily emplaced at the front, bundles upon bundles of steel spears had already been opened.

Rank after rank of archers stood ready with arrows nocked.

The cultivators disguised as soldiers had bright, keen light in their eyes.

[End of Chapter 1513]