Stellar Transformations Book 2 Read online

  After hearing, Qin Yu raises his eyebrows because he too knows the situation in the entire Chu kingdom.

  The Chu kingdom is mostly divided up between 4 big clans. First is the Xiang royal clan. It totally controls the 4 Western region counties and has charge of 800,000 troops. The 200,000 strong armored cavalry of the Xiang clan is very well-known.

  Second is the Qin clan of the 3 Eastern region counties, which has charge of 600,000 troops. The 50,000 strong Fierce Tiger Corps in its army is held in awe by every entity of power. However, because the Qin clan has 200,000 troops stationed at the Black Water mountain range to keep the number one bandit headquarters under threat, it actually has only 400,000 troops to deploy.

  Third is the Mu clan of the 3 Southern region counties with 500,000 troops. Fourth is the Shangguan clan of the 2 Northern region counties with 400,000 troops in total.

  This is because in the beginning the Xiang royal clan made a regulation that every county can only recruit 200,000 troops. The whole Chu kingdom is made up of 12 counties, which are divided up between the 4 big clans. However, the other 2 big clans border the Xiang clan and they both have satisfactory relations with the Xiang clan.

  ‘’Father, if we are to eliminate the Xiang clan won’t the other 2 big clans hinder us? Moreover, even if they don’t hinder us, if after we have eliminated the Xiang clan, they take advantage of our forces’ heavy losses to eliminate us, what should we do?’’ In a short while, Qin Yu sees the problem.

  Qin De slightly smiles.

  However Qin Zheng says to Qin Yu: ‘’3rd brother, don’t worry about this matter. Of those 2 big clans, the Mu clan is very loyal to the Xiang clan. But the Shangguan clan of the 2 Northern region counties is a fence-sitter. It should be easy to draw it in. Moreover… on the surface our Qin clan has 600,000 troops, but we’ve been around for so many years, how can we only have that many?’’

  Qin Yu shakes his head and says: ‘’No, 2nd brother, as the Xiang royal clan is ruling, it must have an intelligence agency to supervise the kingdom. Our Qin clan has 600,000 soldiers, if we want to recruit more troops, say, only 100,000 more, we’ll have to prepare an awful lot of food, armor, weapons, and so on for them, and it will really be too hard for us to hide this from the investigation of the Xiang clan’s intelligence agency. Also, the Mu clan is loyal to the Xiang clan, so they’ll have 7 counties together. That Shangguan clan is a fence-sitter, but it definitely won’t depend on us. After all, our power is still inferior to the Xiang clan’s.’’

  Qin Yu is somewhat unconvinced by his own family’s plan to unify the Chu kingdom.

  ‘’Moreover, the Black Water mountain range is the number 1 bandit headquarters. On the surface those bandits claim there are 200,000 of them but no outsider knows how many bandits they actually have. 200,000 troops of our forces must be deployed to deter them. Otherwise, the 3 Eastern region counties will be in chaos once so many bandits rush every place of the region like locusts. Therefore, we’ll be able to use only 400,000 troops. Even if we have 100,000 troops in secret, there’ll be merely 500,000 troops in total. How are we going to fight the Xiang clan? Our Fierce Tiger Corps is formidable, but the 50,000 Fierce Tiger soldiers are equivalent to 230,000 troops at best. The 200,000 armored cavalrymen of the Xiang clan are really no pushover,’’ says Qin Yu again.

  In a short while, he has found many problems.

  ‘’Moreover, if there is a civil war in the Chu kingdom, the Han and the Ming dynasties definitely won’t cause any trouble? If these 2 big dynasties come on the scene, there’ll be real chaos,’ says Qin Yu again. Having said this, it is obvious he cannot imagine how his own clan will unify the entire Chu kingdom.

  Qin De, Qin Zheng and Qin Feng all looks at Qin Yu with a smile.

  ‘’Not bad, Yu’er, I couldn’t have imagined that you had a pretty good view of the overall situation and would think about so many matters in such a short time. But war is not as simple as you think at all. It’s definitely not just to compare who has more power. Such matters as army provisions, military operations and so on are all very complicated. Moreover, the 4 big clans of the Chu kingdom are not what they look like. Don’t worry, our Qin clan has been preparing for several hundred years. Various plans specified early on what to do. Wait till 5 years later, you’ll see how we’ll destroy the Xiang clan,’’ says Qin De resolutely.

  But Qin Yu looks at his father doubtfully.

  He cannot understand how his father can be so confident when of the 4 big clans, the Mu clan and the Xiang clan are on the same side, and the Shangguan clan will definitely not rely on the Qin clan. So what if they have been preparing for several hundred years? Could it be several hundred years of preparation would turn 600,000 troops into 800,000 troops? Moreover, the troops stationed at the Black Water mountain range cannot be mobilized. Otherwise, the 3 Eastern region counties will be plunged into chaos, which will really be terrible. After all, this region is the base of the Qin clan.

  ‘’Don’t worry, your father has taken everything into consideration,’’ says Qin De with a smile.

  Qin Yu does not know what his father is thinking, but in his view, it will be very difficult for the Qin clan to unify the entire Chu kingdom. After all, the Han and Ming dynasties both are not incompetent. However, seeing the look in his father’s eyes puts Qin Yu’s mind at ease a lot.

  Chapter 5 Meteoric Tear (1)

  The Qin clan’s people have been subjects of the Chu kingdom for several hundred years without putting their plans into action. Why, after several hundred years, have they decided to spring into action?

  Wondering about this point, Qin Yu looks at Qin De and asks doubtfully: “Father, our Qin clan hasn’t done anything for the last several hundred years. Why must we spring into action 5 years later? Could it be we’ll really need several hundred years of preparation to destroy the Xiang clan? If we’re going to fight, why don’t we take action early?” Qin Yu is naturally not convinced that this is right.

  “Yu’er.” Qin De’s face suddenly looks a bit upset. ‘’Now that you asked, I’ll tell you another secret.’’

  At this moment, big brother Qin Feng looks even colder. There is also no smiling expression on the face of second brother Qin Zheng while Xu Yuan stops waving his fan. Qin Yu also feels that the whole atmosphere in the secret room has changed. He knows the matter his father is about to mention is unusually important.

  Qin De’s look seems to be able to go through space-time. He says in an indistinct voice: ‘’Yu’er, 14 years ago, when your big brother turned 10, your mother died. On that day, a very large fire broke out. In the past I told you that … your mother died in the fire. But the truth is … your mother was murdered!!!’’ The muscles on Qin De’s face all start to tremble. There are only sorrow and hatred in his eyes.

  “Bang!” Qin Yu feels as if there is a series of explosions in his head. His face suddenly turns very pale.

  ‘’Mother was murdered?’’ For the moment, Qin Yu’s mind is in complete chaos. He lost his mother when he was 2. 2 years old, at that time he was still very little and simply could not remember his mother’s appearance.

  Thinking about mother,

  The first thing emerges in Qin Yu’s mind is that picture. Not long after he was born, when he was just one-month old, a painter was asked to draw that picture. In the picture, there is a young married woman holding a baby. The young married woman is smiling at the baby in her bosom. Her loving eyes are emitting a motherly radiance.

  When Qin Yu was very little, there were countless times when he stood foolishly viewing the picture and said to himself: “This is my mother,” while his mind tried hard to remember his mother’s appearance. There were many times when his mother’s appearance lingered on in his dreams. Whenever Qin Yu saw other children with their mothers in Yan City, he wished his mother had been living. How he wished his mother had been alive as well! When he was very little, he wept to his father time after time, asking for his mother
.

  As he gradually grew, Qin Yu did not weep asking for his mother anymore. Every time little Qin Yu thought about his mother, he watched the stars, because Grandpa Lian had said deceased people would go up into the sky and become stars. This is also one of the reasons why Qin Yu likes to watch the stars.

  Now that little Qin Yu has become an adult. But at this moment, he is unexpectedly told that … his mother did not die because of the fire and, moreover, she was murdered.

  ‘’Who killed my mother?!” Qin Yu stares at Qin De and shouts. His eyes have reddened.

  His only mother -- That pulsating emotion at the bottom of his soul -- The picture of mother in Qin Yu’s mind suddenly shatters into pieces like glass. A stream of wrath erupts from the depths of his soul and reaches his chest in an instant. This is hatred. This is absolute wrath!

  ‘’Who? In the end who murdered my mother?!’’ The muscles of Qin Yu’s hands all start to tremble. His whole body has started to boil!

  Qin Feng’s and Qin Zheng’s eyes also radiate hatred.

  ‘’Could it be…’’ As if a ray of light suddenly flashes through Qin Yu’s mind, he immediately suspects one possibility. He stares at his father: ‘’Father, could it be mother’s murderer is Xiang clan’s? Yes, it must’ve been so.’’

  ‘’Yes, it’s Xiang clan’s. Moreover, the murderer is the current Chu emperor Xiang Guang. It’s he who murdered your mother. Also, your big brother witnessed this incident with his own eyes,’’ says Qin De in an ice-cold voice. For the moment, there is a complete silence in the secret room.

  ‘’Xiang Guang, he thought that after driving Jing Yi to death then faking a fire what he did will be shrouded in absolute secrecy. He thought he had put me off the scent and I would never discover what happened. But … he didn’t know Feng’er, 10 year old at that time, was in Jing Yi’s room.’’ Qin De’s killing intent surges up.

  ‘’At that time, if it hadn’t been for Uncle Feng, I would’ve died and no one would’ve known the truth about mother’s death,’’ says Qin Feng coldly.

  Everything has come to light.

  Everything has been made clear.

  Even though the Qin clan’s people are Qin Shi Huang’s descendants, for the last several hundred years, they have had complete control over the 3 Eastern region counties and have been enjoying life without worrying about things. Quite a few ancestors of the Qin clan advocated for a peaceful life. After all, it would be too difficult for them to usurp the Chu dynasty and the Qin clan would possibly be finished instead. For the last several hundred years, the Qin clan has always been unable to make up its mind to give up its current lifestyle and overthrow the Chu dynasty. However, the death of the wife of the current clan head Qin De caused him to make up his mind. Therefore, 14 years ago, Qin De started to arrange a seizure of power, and he even set in motion some plans prepared several hundred years before.

  ‘’Father, I want to join the army. I’ll definitely avenge mother’s death!’’ Qin Yu says resolutely while looking at Qin De. There are only 2 ways for him to seek revenge. First is to use assassination. Second is to use the army to destroy the Xiang clan directly then it will be easy to kill Xiang Guang.

  Assassinate Xiang Guang?

  Qin Yu thought about it for a while then gave up. As the Chu emperor, Xiang Guang is protected closely by countless experts. Even a Xiantian expert will have absolutely no chance of killing him. Needless to say, Qin Yu practices external techniques. Therefore, he has no choice but to join Qin De’s plan.

  “Nonsense!” Qin De stares at Qin Yu and reproves him. ‘’You’re just a boy. You haven’t learned the art of war or the art of ruling. How will you lead the army?”

  “Then I’ll be a vanguard soldier. I’ll be a small soldier,’’ replies Qin Yu immediately. He understands he knows nothing about leading soldiers in combat but he cannot bear the thought of standing idly by on one side. After all, this is a blood feud over the murder of his mother.

  “A vanguard soldier? A small soldier?” Qin De shakes his head and says: ‘’If we are to destroy the Xiang clan in a war, the soldiers will have to be mobilized by the hundred thousand. On the battlefield, after the soldiers are lined up, you basically won’t even see the ends of a row. With so many people fighting together closely, what will be the use of you? As long as you’re not a Xiantian expert, you won’t be able to save your own little life in the middle of a large army!”

  Qin Yu is speechless.

  ‘’But …” He wants to dispute.

  Qin De walks to his side, strokes his shoulder and says sincerely: ‘’Yu’er, you must understand, you’re a son of the Qin clan. The blood of our Qin clan absolutely doesn’t tolerate mistakes. Your big brother is a general and has also reached the Xiantian level, so I’m certainly not worried about him. Your 2nd brother will stay far back from the front line to handle political affairs so I’m not worried about him either. You want to become a vanguard soldier, if you were to die, how would I explain it to the ancestors? How would I explain it to your deceased mother?”

  “Yu’er, don’t be stubborn. If you joined the army, you would only make me more worried about you. Yu’er, you’ve become an adult, you must learn to consider the big picture,” says Qin De while staring at Qin Yu.

  Qin Yu thinks for a while.

  He understands he himself cannot help in handling political affairs. If he became a normal vanguard soldier, his father would be negatively affected when marshaling forces because he would not be able to ignore his own son in a certain troop.

  Moreover, the offensive power of an individual like him would be negligible in the middle of a large army.

  Qin Yu has made a judgment in his mind. If he joined the usurpation plan, he would be of no use. Worse still, he would have negative effects on it.

  ‘’Father, I already understand. I won’t become a hindrance to all of you,” says Qin Yu with a nod. Then he turns around and leaves immediately. Seeing Qin Yu leaving, Qin De cannot help feeling unhappy. Qin Feng, Qin Zheng and Xu Yuan all stand up and follow his back with their eyes.

  When Qin Yu reaches the door, he suddenly stops, turns around, looks at the other people and says: ‘’Father, big brother, second brother, Uncle Xu, please avenge my mother’s death.’’

  ‘’Third brother, don’t worry, we’ll definitely eliminate the Xiang clan,’’ says 2nd brother Qin Zheng resolutely. Qin Feng also nods solemnly to Qin Yu. Xu Yuan and Qin De also look at Qin Yu to let him totally understand their intentions.

  “Thank you!” As Qin Yu finishes saying, he goes out of the secret room directly without looking back and gets in the corridor. It is already late at night. The sky is filled with countless visible stars. The cold winds of the late night are blowing, causing Qin Yu’s whole body to slightly tremble uncontrollably.

  Qin Yu suddenly turns around and looks at that room beside the corridor. The secret room is under the ground of that room. ‘’Perhaps father and the others are discussing some important plans but I can’t offer them any help.” Qin Yu smiles bitterly then turns around and leaves immediately.

  Chapter 6 Meteoric Tear (2)

  In the morning of the next day, Qin Yu leaves the princely mansion alone and returns to Misty Villa. Only Xiao Hei goes with him.

  After getting back to Misty Villa, Qin Yu trains even harder. In his plan, even the time for him to go out to execute assassination missions is sharply reduced. Most of his time is spent on improving his power nonstop. When Qin De hears about this he can only smile bitterly. He does not know what to say.

  Late at night a half month later,

  Qin Yu walks out from his room and stand in the middle of the courtyard. Making a swaying movement with his body, he gets to the top of the room in a flash. Sitting on the top of the room, Qin Yu watches the boundless sky in silence. Xiao Hei also stays quietly beside him.

  Misty Villa is located on the side of the mountain. On the top of the room, Qin Yu can even see a
cliff not far from there. One cold wind after another reaches him from the depths next to the cliff but Qin Yu feels nothing.

  ‘’Xiao Hei, I feel that I’m too useless, extremely useless.’’ Qin Yu looks at Xiao Hei beside him and says in a low voice.

  With its shiny black eyes fixed on Qin Yu, Xiao Hei spreads its huge wings and puts them around Qin Yu as if it is consoling him.

  Looking into the sky, Qin Yu says in a voice which is a bit indistinct and a bit bitter: ‘’When I was little, I thought father didn’t care about me, so I trained very hard only for him to spend more time with me. When I grew up, I discovered father truly cared about me. But … he has his own business and doesn’t have time to stay with me. To destroy the Xiang clan to avenge mother’s death is indeed very difficult. Father, big brother and 2nd brother have always been trying hard, but I …”