Chapter 134: Do you have the nerve to claim you represent the civil officials of Great Martial?

Waiting for the person and the flood dragon to return to White Egret Marsh, Cao Shen stared at the sky for a long time, unable to speak.

Shen Qing patted his shoulder: "What are you thinking about?"

A hint of doubt appeared in Cao Shen's eyes.

"Lord Shen, I'm wondering why Great Martial doesn't directly send experts to wipe out these Japanese pirates."

"I know experts have restrictions and cannot act freely against those of lower realms, but what exactly is this restriction?"

Shen Qing glanced at Cao Shen: "I almost forgot, you rose from the grassroots; no one has explained many things to you in detail, so let me tell you."

"Because someone doesn't allow us to do this."

Saying this, Shen Qing pointed at the sky; Cao Shen raised his head and observed for a while, then his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Lord Shen... you couldn't be referring to heaven, could you..."

Shen Qing nodded: "Exactly, it is heaven."

"Above the Primordial Elixir Realm, one cultivates primal force; where does this primal force come from? Naturally, it is drawn from the primordial qi of heaven and earth, and the primordial qi of heaven and earth comes from all living beings; do you think heaven would allow you to slaughter?"

"Moreover, war concerns national fortune; if a high-realm expert indiscriminately slaughters the weak, it will instead greatly damage national fortune."

"Therefore, the main force in war remains those at the Innate, Master, and Grand Master realms."

Only then did Cao Shen show a hint of realization, while also feeling a bit desolate; it is said that those who rise from the grassroots grow wildly, but in fact they just grow haphazardly.

Those who rise from the grassroots have leaks in their cultivation methods; they know nothing of what they should know.

Shen Qing patted his shoulder: "Alright, that's enough for now; I'll tell you the rest later."

"Follow me south."

"By then, Bai Yun will bring at least twenty thousand fierce beasts from White Egret Marsh, allocating three thousand to your Mighty Martial Army."

Cao Shen stared for a moment: "Lord Shen, shouldn't this be given to the elite troops? They can unleash maximum combat power..."

Shen Qing smiled.

"Whether elite troops or not, they're all the same to me; you've worked with me so many times—when I have benefits, shouldn't I prioritize you?"

"Don't talk more; I'm giving it to you, just accept it."

"The north is now settled."

"Follow me south to slash the Japanese."

Having said that, Shen Qing strode toward the outside of the valley, while silently asking himself a question.

"System, how can I escape the restrictions of Heavenly Dao?"

Before Shen Qing's eyes appeared a light screen, on which a single character was silently written.

"Is there only one method?"

Another line of text popped up on the light screen.

【I have ten thousand methods】

Shen Qing smiled somewhat speechlessly.

Mischievous.

Two days later.

North Cloud City Pacification Command.

The scholar had already organized several documents for Shen Qing.

"Boss, this is the recent southern war situation."

"A few days ago, the Japanese pirates wanted to take advantage of the white ape's disturbance to launch a sneak attack on our army, but our army had long been prepared, holding bags open and waiting for the Japanese pirates; when they moved, we had just approached, and our heaven-shaking cannon boomed."

"The battle results were abundant; this battle alone caused the Japanese pirates to lose at least thirty percent of their forces."

Shen Qing took the documents and glanced at them: "Thirty percent? A bit low, but the remaining forces probably couldn't even hold Jia Shui Jun."

The scholar nodded: "Yes, according to the battle reports, the Japanese pirates are rapidly contracting their defenses; many speculate they are retreating to East Sea Command."

This roughly matches Shen Qing's speculation; the Japanese pirates' layout behind Great Martial was completely smashed by Shen Qing, and adding to the fact that the frontline forces suffered heavy losses, and moreover Japan is not a great power, its forces cannot compare to Great Martial's abundance; in a short time they cannot replenish.

Therefore, as long as they don't want Great Martial to swallow their remaining forces in one gulp, retreat is their only option.

The scholar glanced at Shen Qing's neatly arranged clothing at his side: "Boss, are you heading south then?"

Shen Qing patted the scholar's shoulder.

"Exactly, the Japanese pirates want to leave, but we definitely won't let them go easily, so we must inevitably face their desperate counterattack; it's extremely dangerous, you just stay in North Cloud City and wait for my return."

They understand these principles, but their cultivation is too low; going would only be a hindrance.

"Take good care of North Cloud City; this is now entrusted to you."

Having said that, Shen Qing walked out of the room, lightly leapt up and soared into the sky; in the cloud layer, Bai Yun had already been waiting here for a while, its nearly fifty-meter-long body faintly visible within the clouds.

Upon seeing Shen Qing, it slowly lowered its head: "Master."

Shen Qing directly sat upon the flood dragon's head.

Bai Yun glanced and saw the white tiger basking in the sun, belly exposed, at the North Cloud City gate: "Master, what is that?"

"That is also my mount."

"By the way, when you have time later, teach him how to refine the horizontal bone; a Master Realm cultivator who can't speak will lose face if he says it out."

"Also, he arrived first; you should show him some respect."

"Now head south."

As the great battle at Jia Shui Jun's north and south both ended in major victories, the Japanese pirates' plan in Jia Shui Jun was utterly thwarted.

The Japanese pirates' commander, Gongben Sansong, turned white-haired overnight, spat three mouthfuls of blood, and fainted directly; the deputy commander temporarily took over command.

All the Japanese pirates were urgently organizing equipment, preparing to withdraw.

Meanwhile, the commander on Great Martial's side also became alert; as the Japanese pirates retreated one step, the Great Martial Army advanced one step; if the Japanese pirates dared show any sign of retreat, the Great Martial Army would launch a full-scale attack.

However, in Great Martial's commander's tent, it was not so peaceful; several generals were arguing.

Commander Li, how are we going to fight this time?

The one seated in the chief position is the Commander of Jia Shui Jun, Li Xian.

Li Xian snorted: 'We will launch a general assault at dawn tomorrow.'

'At that time, I'll take the vanguard, you follow behind, and finally we'll let the Great Wu army fall in.'

A general said: 'Commander Li, shouldn't we first fire a round with the heaven-shaking cannon? Last night's ambush let us end the artillery barrage early—wasn't that for today?'

'If we go straight in, we will inevitably suffer significant casualties.'

Li Xian slammed the table: 'In the past, our Jia Shui Jun's performance hasn't been great; in this final battle we must display the vigor of the Great Wu army!'

'The Great Wu army is strong in troops and horses! We still outnumber them! This battle will make the Japanese pirates understand the gap between them and our Great Wu army!'

Upon hearing this, all the generals in the tent stared at each other in dismay.

Just then, a sound filled with sneering came from outside the tent.

'I said, why is the Jia Shui Jun front advancing so slowly? Even though we're prepared, we've only knocked out thirty percent of the enemy's forces.'

'It turns out we have an idiot like you as Commander!'

Li Xian jumped up, glaring outside the tent.

The next moment, Shen Qing walked in slowly.

Li Xian's face turned red: 'What do you mean!'

The Commander is a wartime office, a second-rank official, and also from the capital; in fact he had seen Shen Qing's portrait before, but in his anger he failed to recognize her, merely feeling that her face was somewhat familiar.

Shen Qing sized up Li Xian with a few glances: 'A civil official, right? What is the court thinking, appointing a civil official as Commander-in-Chief of the whole army?'

Li Xian's eyes turned icy: 'What's wrong with civil officials? Do you have an issue with the Great Wu's civil officials?'

Shen Qing gave a cold snort.

'Are you going to use that civil official's tricks again? Are you preparing to pin a hat on me?'

Saying this, Shen Qing directly drew the Shen family token from his bosom and slapped it onto the table.

The tent fell silent at once; the next moment, a knowledgeable general jumped up, and even the ignorant generals, seeing the knowledgeable one rise, also jumped up.

Shen Qing looked at Li Xian and spoke, word by word.

'Moreover, do you have the nerve to claim you represent the Great Wu's civil officials?'