The Blade-Wielding Legend

Chapter 1663: Chapter 843: The Wrath of Great Xuan (Part 2)

The Japan pirates seized four steam engines, loaded them onto a fast ship for rendezvous, while the South Sea Evil Cultivator snatched three, using phosphorus fire to pave their path and escape into the Zhujiang River. The Red-haired Firearm Team, unable to capture the Iron Bull, vented their anger by burning down the dock’s trestles.

It wasn’t until the vanguard sent back by the Xuan Sacrificial Officer, Zhang Xuanling, arrived to aid that the remaining enemies retreated.

At dawn, the embers at West Gate were still not extinguished.

Zhou Qingyuan of the Jade Emperor Sect leaned on his Peach Wood Sword, taking inventory:

Garrison Soldiers casualties exceeded a thousand, with dozens of Magic Veins disciples dead or wounded. The Thirteen Lines warehouse was wide open, seven steam engines including their bases were pried away, leaving only deep tracks across a heap of bodies stretching towards the riverbank.

Over three hundred houses were burned at West Gate, the Cao Yun Silver Ship was taken, resulting in a loss of fifty thousand taels of patterned silver.

The Zhujiang River floated with corpses, rising and falling with the tides, while gulls and herons pecked at the guts.

This calamity has broken the backbone of Guangzhou.

Although the Japan pirates, South Sea Evil Cultivator, and Red-haired Barbarian each harbored sinister intentions, it was due to the Jianmu Demon pulling strings behind the scenes that such a catastrophic chaos erupted, the seven steam engines were stolen, flowing into the sea’s black market...

......

The news, like a whirlwind wrapped in Lingnan miasma, swept past the post station on fast horses and official ships on the canal, finally crashing heavily into the Purple Cloud Pavilion in the Capital.

The first to receive the eight-hundred-mile urgent dispatch was the Minister of War.

His hands trembled as he unsealed the fire wax.

Upon seeing the words "Guangzhou attacked," "Crown Prince endangered," "Red-haired Barbarian Japan pirates South Sea sorcerers," "seven Iron Bulls stolen," his vision went dark, almost losing consciousness.

The military also had Soldier Cultivators, but their strength was only in personal combat and the art of war, with no one specifically controlling rituals. The military frequently worshiped the Lord of Soldiers, Chi You, which was related to the source of Mei Mountain Taoist.

Mei Mountain Taoist developed spell techniques for new firearms, and the Ministry of War immediately intervened, along with the Divine Machine Camp, quietly training many experts.

These past days, the old man’s mood had been cheerful, but now his head was throbbing in pain.

His face grim, he almost staggered into the Cabinet duty room, hoarsely shouting the word "Lingnan emergency," causing the originally solemn elder ministers to erupt instantly.

"Rebellion! It’s simply treason against heaven!"

One elder minister with hair and beard bristling slammed the table fiercely, causing the tea cups to jingle chaotically, "Dan Family colluding with foreign adversaries, bombarding the city gates? Japan pirates Ronin dare to wield knives in the Crown Prince’s resting place? South Sea Black Magic Masters also dare to set foot in the Divine State and run amok?!"

"Also... also stole the steam engines!"

"This is a slap to our Great Xuan Dynasty!"

Another cabinet minister’s face was ashen, but his voice was icy, "The Crown Prince is still in Guangzhou; this is an attempt to assassinate the heir!"

"What is the Lingnan Navy doing? Is Guangzhou’s city defense made of paper?"

The news couldn’t be contained.

First, the soap slaves working at the government heard the rumor, and in a blink, it spread through the tea houses, bars, and entertainment venues all over the Capital.

"Have you heard? Guangzhou City... is broken!"

In the "Four Seas Tea House" at the Great Fence, a trader who traveled widely lowered his voice, still showing a hint of fear on his face, "The damn Japan pirates, barbarian ghosts, and those drifters from the water, the Dan family, colluded from within and out, bombarded and collapsed the city walls! I heard even the Crown Prince was nearly..."

"Phoo phoo phoo! The Crown Prince has immense good fortune!"

A veteran tea drinker beside spat quickly, "But this matter is too uncanny! The Damen have always been simple folks making a living, how dare they rebel? And how could they mix with those bug-raisers from the South Seas?"

He rubbed his fingers, "Unless... someone offered a heaven-sized benefit, or the grievances have piled too deeply?"

"There’s certainly grievances,"

A man selling baked biscuits with a shoulder pole came over, wiping sweat, "Those water families, they suffer terribly! The ’Dan Ding’ tax from the government, and the cannons from the Navy, how many years have they endured?"

"But colluding with foreign adversaries, killing officials, raiding the city... sigh, foolish! Now, will the court spare anyone?"

"The most hateful are those short-legged Japan demons!" A man resembling a practitioner beside slammed the table fiercely, making the dishes jump up.

"Taking advantage of the chaos! Specifically stealing those ’Fire Wheel Divine Machines!’ They are the heart and soul of so many craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry, created at great cost! I heard on the sea’s black market, one can exchange a single engine for a gold mountain! These thieves, they are wolves with ambition!"

The marketplace rumors grew more intense.

Some claimed the Dang Min Leader, Shark Lord, had three heads and six arms, immune to blades and guns. Some said the South Sea Snake Lord controlled flying heads, specializing in sucking human brain fluid.

But the most talked about was the Japan pirates’ cunning and viciousness, and the seven invaluable "Iron Bulls" that were forcibly stolen. The entire Capital was shrouded in a frustrating and angry restlessness.

The streets and alleys echoed with constant curses.

The center of this storm ultimately converged on Qianyuan Hall.

Behind the Imperial Desk, the Emperor Xiao Qixuan, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, looked as dark and forbidding as clouds before a storm.

In his hand, he held a report stained with the smoke and blood of Lingnan, squeezing the jade paperweight until it creaked, his usually pale and sickly skin surprisingly flushed with a suppressed fury, accompanied by a few cold laughs.

The eunuchs and palace maids stood silent, hardly daring to breathe.

The air was heavy as if filled with lead.

After a long pause, the Emperor suddenly flung the report onto the desk, producing a dull thud.

He raised his head, his eyes lacking the usual unfathomable depth, replaced only with a fire like a city burning, a wrath that seemed to extend through the hall, reaching out to the Four Islands of Japan miles away.

"Ha! What a Japan!"

Each word from Xiao Qixuan was squeezed through his teeth, carrying a metallic coldness, "In the past, they sent envoys to pay tribute, claiming ’vassal’ and admiring the Heavenly Dynasty."

"But secretly, they dared to indulge their rogue ronin, collude with demons, attack our important towns, plot an assassination against the Crown Prince, and plunder our national treasures! Such wicked deeds are too numerous to document! Do they truly believe they can mock the might of Great Xuan?!"

"Draft an edict!" His voice rose abruptly, like thunder exploding within the hall.

"The first decree,"

Xiao Qixuan spoke rapidly and irrefutably, "severely reprimand the leader of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi! Condemn his inability to control his subordinates and his brazen confrontation against Great Xuan!"

"Accuse him of abandoning the rites of a vassal, harboring treacherous intentions! Demand he immediately, instantly, at once hand over all leaders involved in the Guangzhou raid, both the ronin and Japan pirate leaders, along with their followers! Alive or dead, they must be accounted for! Not one missed!"

"The second decree!"

Still unsatisfied, Xiao Qixuan stood, his dragon robe billowing without wind, spreading a heavy oppressing aura, "Toyotomi Hideyoshi himself is required to depart immediately, personally visiting the Great Xuan Capital! Enter the palace! Apologize!"

"I want to hear his explanation in person!"

"Urgent, six hundred miles! Travel the fastest sea route! Using the Navy’s fast ships stationed at Liuqiu, deliver it straight to his capital city!"

Xiao Qixuan’s gaze swept over the solemn cabinet ministers and Chief Eunuch standing below, his voice cold as ice, "Tell them this is not a discussion! It’s a decree! It’s his, last chance from me!"

The two sternly-worded holy decrees, brimming with thunderous rage, were immediately drafted at the Printing Office using the finest bright yellow silk and vermillion imperial ink, stamped with the Jade Seal that symbolized supreme imperial power.

They were handed to two top Qinggong-skilled spies belonging to the Imperial City Department.

Holding the decrees, they dared not delay, riding horses and galloping through the city gates, rushing towards the nearest port.

The sea wind was bitter, the waves turbulent, and the anger of the Great Xuan emperor was heading straight for Japan.

......

Capital City, Fushimi Castle.

The late spring wind carrying the last lingering scent of cherry blossoms swept over the dry garden’s fine white gravel, emitting a low whimper.

A few late-blooming double cherry trees barely held on in the cold chill, while the distant Xiao Temple’s evening bell resonance was dampened by the moist air.

Dong, dong, dong, each sound striking at one’s heart.

On the top floor of Tenshu Tower, the paper door was half-open.

The aged Toyotomi Hideyoshi wrapped in a heavy black robe, clutching the scroll of bright yellow silk decree with eagle-claw-like fingers, knuckles whitened from force.

His face lined with wrinkles, his sagging skin appeared even wax-yellow under dim light, except in the depths of his sunken eye sockets, where cold light gleamed like poisoned needles.

"Emperor of Great Xuan..."

A hoarse, phlegm-filled sound rolled in his throat, voice grating like sandpaper scraping rotting wood, "Reprimanding this Kanpaku? Surrendering the culprits? Personally visiting the Capital City... to apologize?"

Every word squeezed through his teeth, carrying a biting sarcasm.

Having said that, he abruptly threw the decree into the bronze fire basin on the low table before him.

The charcoal fire burned dimly, the bright yellow silk barely touched the glowing red charcoal when it "whizzed" into an eerie blue flame, quickly spreading.

The silk symbolizing Heavenly Dynasty and vermillion imperial ink swiftly burned to ashes, the twisted light and shadows dancing on Hideyoshi’s deeply lined face, making his expression appear even more fierce...