Chapter 357: The Great Han Crisis (4)

Lin Qingtian was still alive?

How exactly did Lin Qingtian survive such a huge catastrophe that turned the whole capital into dust and ruins?

Liu Guiyuan must have guessed what was on Yan Liqiang’s mind and continued, “I heard that Lin Qingtian was not in the Imperial Capital on the day of the catastrophe. He left the capital a day before that. He went to Huai Province to monitor the river conditions, and that was how he escaped the catastrophe!”

Yan Liqiang felt defeated upon hearing this, “Where is he now? Where is Lin Qingtian?”

“Lin Qingtian is now back at Hai Province. He has set up a temporary governing body, and he continues to give orders in the name of the Great Han Empire’s Grand Chancellor. They even sent an official document to Lai Province with his Grand Chancellor’s official stamp on the document. He requested for a cash transfer from Lai Province, apparently to build an army in order to stop the White Lotus Society’s uprising and back up the northeast…”

“So, people are still taking orders from him even at a time like this?”

“Not us at the Divine Sword Sect, of course! However, Hai Province is Lin Qingtian’s territory. Not only that, the neighboring provinces like Xu Province, Xiong Province, and Gu Province are heavily influenced by Lin Qingtian. Officers across the board all pledged their loyalty to Lin Qingtian. These provinces also have abundant resources, so they could easily support Lin Qingtian’s campaign as soon as he set up the temporary government. We just received word two days ago that Lin Qingtian built a two million-strong army, and they even have a navy! Lin Qingtian himself will lead this army as the Commander General…”

“Ah! Lin Qingtian is the Grand Chancellor as well as the Commander General. He’s paving the way to become emperor himself! This is just as obvious as Hitler’s intentions!”

“Who is Hitler?” Liu Guiyuan suddenly asked, staring blankly at Yan Liqiang.

Yan Liqiang was caught in awkwardness. He realized Hitler did not exist in this universe; he was simply too emotional a moment ago and blurted it out without thinking.

“Well, Hitler is a landlord in a village I used to live in when I was much younger. He was a pervert who kept eyeing a beautiful widow in the village. He was always trying to get close to the widow, and it was so obvious that the whole village knew about it. So, whenever we know a person who harbors obvious ill intentions in the village, we call him a Hitler…” Yan Liqiang made up a story as a cover-up.

“That’s right…” Liu Guiyuan nodded with a stern face as he continued, “Lin Qingtian is now building a huge army while leveraging his position as the Grand Chancellor. Once the army is built, they will march from the south to north, and they will be unstoppable. Everyone will have to bow to his temporary government. The White Lotus Society is only good enough for a small fight, but they stand no chance against such a massively armed force. By the time Lin Qingtian reaches the northeast, everyone in the empire will have pledged their loyalty to him. Even if he cannot retrieve the northeast provinces, he can easily become the emperor and claim the rest of the empire. By then, nobody will be able to stop him…”

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“What an evil plan…” Yan Liqiang took a deep breath to calm himself down, as he was feeling a little spooked by such an evil conspiracy, “And how did Lin Qingtian manage to build such a massive army in such a short period of time? It seemed like this was all part of a plan…”

“This started a few years back when some southeastern provinces were facing harassment from pirates. Some of the pirates even managed to attack some ports and cities. So, Lin Qingtian ordered each village in the southeastern provinces to set up auxiliary troops. These troops were all trained on a daily basis to fend off pirates in case they were attacked. The Great Han Empire even introduced a new tax called the Defensive Tax to support these auxiliary troops. So, these troops have been well-trained and fed for the past two years. Once he returned to Hai Province, he simply ordered for these troops to be integrated into his army, and with just the snap of a finger, he got himself a robust army of two million…”

This was beyond Yan Liqiang’s imagination. He paused for a while before he asked the next question, “How should the Divine Sword Sect prepare for this?”

“The Divine Sword Sect is no doubt one of the four major sects, but at a time like this, even a big sect like ours can only stay calm and be cautious. Survival is our first priority. In fact, this applies to many other big sects and influential clans all around the empire. After all, nobody knows what is going to happen next. Nobody could have expected that our empire would be destroyed with just one disaster. At a time of uncertainty like this, we can only be calm and stay alert. We’ll see how things go!” Liu Guiyuan said in a defeated tone as he shook his head.

“If Lin Qingtian becomes the next emperor…”

“If it happens, then it is because he is capable. The Divine Sword Sect will bow to him as long as the Great Han Empire stays as an empire. We will always be loyal to the empire, and that includes the emperor, regardless of who the emperor might be. After all, it is said that Lin Qingtian is one of the rare few in the empire with the gifted ability to someday break through the Martial Emperor realm. At a time of war, a person’s capability speaks the loudest. However, that is not what I am worried about. I fear that if Lin Qingtian becomes the emperor, there will be no peace in the empire anymore…” Liu Guiyuan sounded worried.

“Are we facing other threats other than the Chamans and the White Lotus Society?”

“We received information two weeks ago that those hungry wolves in the Shatu Seven Tribes have been rioting in the northwestern area. Their two hundred thousand strong army has already invaded Gan Province in the northwest. Within a few days, five cities in Gan Province fell into their hands. At the same time, the Shatu Alliance is now recruiting an even larger army, and is now marching towards the northwestern part of our empire. A few other empires like the Xiongnu Empire, the Dark Ram Tribe, and the New Crescent Dynasty in the south are all building up their forces. They are eyeing us, eager to pounce on us at any moment. Our Great Han Empire is in great danger, unlike anything we’ve seen in the last millennium!”

Yan Liqiang’s heart was pounding fast now upon hearing this news. He knew that whatever happened in the Heavenly Realm would happen in reality soon. Gan Province was his hometown. All his relatives and friends were there, so he was especially spooked when he heard that the province had been invaded by the Shatu Seven Tribes. Pingxi Prefecture, which was just at the border of Gan Province, would certainly be the first target if the Shatu Seven Tribes invaded the land.

“How did the Shatu Seven Tribes overtake Gan Province so quickly?” Yan Liqiang asked.

“Many of those living in Gan Province were of the Shatu race. Once the Shatu Seven Tribes declared war, many of these Shatus living in Gan Province supported the campaign and rioted internally within the city. They burned and killed everything in the province and it destabilized instantly. These events gave the Shatu Army the advantage, and they invaded without much resistance. Now, the condition in the northwest is much worse than the northeast. There’s news that the Shatu Seven Tribes is now on a killing spree wherever they go. They kill everyone, including the young and the old. Nobody is spared. Just take a look at Pingxi City. The massacre lasted for five days once they entered the city. All the rivers and streams in the city are now dyed in red.

Yan Liqiang could feel a chill traveling up his spine. He could not even speak. All the familiar faces he knew in Pingxi City now flashed through his mind one by one.

“Lately, there’s been a thought in my mind, but I have never told anyone…” Liu Guiyuan suddenly stood still as he looked into the sky with his eyes squinted. He lowered his voice as he continued, “This might sound strange, maybe even crazy. But I have a feeling that Lin Qingtian knew about this catastrophe, and he was prepared for that day to come…”