Chapter 64: In the Name of the Divine

The city lord had a fine plan: the Dongyue people, raised amid forests and mountains, held greater advantage fighting in the wild than defending their walls. Yet Li Su knew it would not work, for the Southern Barbarian nation too had grown up in the forests, and had been defeated by Chen Mu all the same. What’s more, Chen Mu had incorporated the Southern Barbarian soldiers into his own ranks, making him even less concerned about warfare in the woods.

Li Su opposed the plan in every way, which only served to anger the city lord, who had Li Su placed under house arrest. For this battle, the city lord sent another general to fight. When the grand army of Daxia arrived at the gates, the city lord apologized to Li Su and invited him out. Seeing the dire situation, Li Su found himself at a loss, and so opened the silk pouch left by his father.

At this point, Li Su raised his head and looked at Chen Mu. “The brilliant strategy within the pouch is simply to let the prophecy be fulfilled.”

Chen Mu asked, “What prophecy?”

Li Su replied, “The prophecy was devised and spread by my father. Translated into the language of Daxia, it says: ‘The mountain god will send a sage to bring happiness to the people of Dongyue. The sage will appear at dawn, walking from the flames as the sun rises.’”

Chen Mu nodded slowly. He now truly believed Li Su had come to surrender, for Li Su had spoken of the grassland tribes, the Southern Barbarian nation, and Persia, and thus must understand that Dongyue was no match for Daxia. The prophecy, then, was the fallback his father left behind. This showed that Li Su's father possessed foresight, recognizing that the small land of Dongyue could never stand against the vast territory of Daxia.

Yet there was something Chen Mu still did not understand. “You mentioned the Sea God faction—what do you mean?”

Li Su answered, “Dongyue is composed of many tribes. The Fu’an tribe, to which I belong, is just one. However, these tribes fall into two factions: those who worship the mountain god, and those who worship the sea god.”

“Those near Daxia worship the mountain god, while those by the coast worship the sea god.”

“The two factions often clash, and even within each faction, there are both open and hidden struggles.”

“This time, it was the Sea God faction who came to ask the city lord to resist the Daxia army. They brought much food and promised even more wealth if the effort succeeded, so the city lord agreed.”

Chen Mu’s eyes lit up. Since Dongyue was divided into two factions, he could ally with one against the other. Given the current situation, it was clear he should win over the mountain god faction.

“Li Su, if we successfully subdue the Fu’an tribe, can you persuade the other mountain god factions to join us?”

Li Su smiled softly and nodded. “That is precisely my intention. I believe Dongyue will flourish under Daxia’s rule.”

Chen Mu laughed and stood up. “Wonderful! To have your assistance, sir, is a great fortune indeed!”

“Tell me, how do we make the prophecy come true?”

Li Su revealed his plan, and Chen Mu could not help but laugh. Wasn’t this simply a magic trick? Still, it was enough to deceive the primitive people of Dongyue.

...

The next day dawned clear and cloudless. Following the plan, Chen Mu had his troops arrayed outside the city. On the Fu’an tribe’s side, the city lord, Li Su, and other officials gathered atop the city wall to observe.

At that moment, the sun had just risen halfway. Suddenly, Li Su pointed toward the sun and shouted, “Look!”

Everyone turned and saw a great blaze in the distance. From within the roaring flames, a figure strode forth—walking in the fire!

Li Su called out loudly, “It is the sage from the prophecy! The mountain god has sent him to bring us happiness!”

The city lord and several officials had certainly heard the prophecy before, but could not believe a real person stood within the flames.

“How could anyone walk through fire?”

“Perhaps we’re seeing things?”

“That can’t possibly be a person.”

As they spoke, Chen Mu emerged from the fire, drawing his long sword and pointing it toward the sky, perfectly aligned with the newly risen sun.

“I am Chen Mu, Crown Prince of Daxia! Today, on behalf of the gods, I have come to subdue Dongyue!”

Li Su secretly praised him: such presence! Such bearing!

Chen Mu's performance lent the prophecy even greater credibility.

Seeing this, the city lord cried out, “It’s true! The sage from the prophecy!”

Of course, Chen Mu had not truly walked through fire. Before sunrise, he had stood in a pit. As the sun rose halfway, soldiers lit the wood, and Chen Mu emerged from the pit, the firelight casting his figure in silhouette.

In reality, the flames in front of Chen Mu were always more than a meter away. The wood was chained together; as Chen Mu approached, soldiers in pits on either side pulled the chains apart, opening a path through the flames. Once Chen Mu had passed, the soldiers replaced the wood. From a distance, it appeared as if Chen Mu had walked straight out of the fire.

Moreover, Chen Mu’s imposing stature, his gleaming silver armor, and the purple-gold crown atop his head, all illuminated by the fire, made him appear as if a deity descended from heaven.

There was no way the Dongyue people would not believe.

With a magic trick from Chen Mu and a stirring speech from Li Su atop the city wall, the city lord ordered the gates opened.

Chen Mu was not careless. Should Li Su have a change of heart and lure him into the city, he must be cautious. He first sent the Invincible Flying Army and the Wudang Flying Army into the city to control Dongyue’s soldiers, then entered himself.

The city lord led the welcoming party for the sage, and Chen Mu graciously accepted. With Li Su translating, Chen Mu began issuing commands.

First, in the name of the mountain god, Chen Mu established a new covenant for the Dongyue people: no stealing, no killing, and so on. If they wished for happiness, they must follow these rules, or the gods would punish them.

The city lord and others believed wholeheartedly, and immediately sent officials to relay the covenant to the people.

Everyone was delighted to hear the sage had arrived, for the prophecy promised he would bring happiness.

Chen Mu was not all talk. While the army took over defense, he had craftsmen make everyday items—much more advanced than those brought by Li Su's father in the past.

In just a few days, officials and citizens alike were using Chen Mu’s inventions, and really felt their lives had become much happier.

Seeing the time was right, Chen Mu summoned Li Su and convened a meeting with the city lord and other officials.

After exchanging courtesies, Chen Mu declared, “The great mountain god is the only deity of Dongyue. The southern sea god is a false god; he sent his followers to mislead the people of the Fu’an tribe into attacking the holy army I lead, causing thousands of innocent deaths in the forests.”

“We must send troops to punish these ignorant Dongyue people, to rescue them from the evil sea god.”

Li Su was deeply impressed by Chen Mu. Such skillful use of the gods to serve his own ends—Li Su could never have devised such an ingenious pretext himself.

True enough, when Li Su translated for the city lord, the city lord became enraged, vowing to fight the Sea God faction to the death.

Chen Mu added that the Fu’an tribe’s soldiers were now few, so they needed to unite with other mountain god tribes. The city lord agreed without hesitation.