Chapter 409

From selecting troops, to formulating training plans, to the research and development of weapons and equipment, every step poured countless effort and wisdom of the Ouyang family.

The members of Heaven Dawn War Martial are all elites who have undergone layer after layer of selection.

They not only possess strong physiques, but also have firm will and outstanding combat skills.

Only after enduring countless life-and-death trials was this invincible iron-blooded army forged.

Moreover, the weapons and equipment of Heaven Dawn War Martial are even more precious heirlooms passed down through generations of the Ouyang family.

Each weapon embodies the effort and wisdom of the family's forebears, shining brightly on the battlefield and helping Heaven Dawn War Martial sweep all before it.

Furthermore, the achievements of Heaven Dawn War Martial live up to the Ouyang family's expectations, and can be called glorious.

Since its establishment, it has repeatedly displayed great might on the battlefield, earning magnificent merits for the stability of the Da Qian dynasty.

Whether it be border conflicts or internal rebellions, Heaven Dawn War Martial swiftly suppresses turmoil with the force of thunder.

But who would have thought that now even a Three Dukes, the Ouyang family loyal to the Da Qian imperial house, would also harbor ulterior motives.

They left a hidden hand within the Taiping Sect's Yellow Turban Army.

All that can be said is that the previous Da Qian emperor was too impatient and his methods too harsh.

Even the Ouyang family, whose influence in the court is no less than that of the three great surnamed kings, a colossus, felt the crisis.

Otherwise, Ouyang Jing would not have appeared here this time.

But instead appeared beside Su Ye!

The previous Da Qian emperor's weakening of the various clans within the Da Qian dynasty affected not only that one top War God previously in the Da Qian dynasty.

Other clans were similarly affected; as a prominent clan of recent years in the Da Qian dynasty, the Ouyang family naturally bore the brunt.

The Ouyang family, as a prominent clan of Da Qian, has traditionally established itself through martial prowess; their inherited battle tactics and weapons have made them invincible on the battlefield.

However, it is precisely this prestige and power that has made them a thorn in the eyes of the imperial house.

Although the previous Da Qian emperor, due to the Ouyang family's recent prestige in the military and court, did not immediately take action against them upon ascending the throne and launch a major military campaign against the Ouyang family.

However, over these years, the Da Qian court's overt and covert weakening of the Ouyang family has been numerous.

The Ouyang family's influence in both the court and the military has been considerably reduced.

Furthermore, this generation's Da Qian Grand Tutor and Da Qian Guardian Divine Pillar, Gu Changqing, is a commoner who was promoted by several Da Qian emperors, and he has almost no clan backing behind him.

For clans like the Ouyang, he naturally shows no mercy, so the Ouyang family's recent years in the Da Qian court have actually been difficult.

Their influence in court and military has been gradually weakened, many important posts replaced by the court's confidants, and the promotion prospects for family members in officialdom have become slim.

Even more severe is that, with the rise of Gu Changqing, this commoner Grand Tutor and Guardian Divine Pillar, the Ouyang family's voice in the court has been further weakened.

Especially unlike the three great surnamed kings, the Ouyang family does not possess a territory of its own.

This makes them appear more vulnerable when facing the court's repression.

Unlike the surnamed kings, they cannot rely on territorial resources for self-sufficiency, but instead depend more on the court's grants and rewards.

Nowadays, these grants and rewards are gradually diminishing, and the future of the Ouyang family grows ever darker.

Therefore, faced with such a predicament, the Ouyang family had no choice but to reassess its situation and seek a new way out.

It is against this backdrop that the Ouyang family began to harbor ulterior motives.

They realized that relying solely on court power could no longer sustain the family's glory and status, and they must seek new allies and support.

Thus, when Zhang Jue's Taiping Sect was just beginning to show signs.

The Ouyang family had already noticed this and began covertly contacting the Taiping Sect's Yellow Turban Army, arranging placements within it.

The Taiping Sect's Yellow Turban Army, a force cobbled together from various factions, was seeking to overthrow the Da Qian dynasty's rule.

The Ouyang family immediately saw the possibility of cooperation, hoping to restore and consolidate its influence in court and military by leveraging the power of the Taiping Sect's Yellow Turban Army.

They not only provided substantial funds and material support, but also dispatched a batch of elite family members who changed their names and infiltrated, covertly manipulating and guiding the Yellow Turban Army's actions.

These Ouyang family members held key positions in the Yellow Turban Army, gradually grasping real power to seek greater benefits for the family.

Not to mention anything else, just look at Meng Zhang's subordinates now—there are quite a few Ouyang family members who have changed their appearance and come over.

Although the Ouyang family currently cannot be too blatant, there are not many of them in the upper echelons of the Yellow Turban Army.

However, there are not few mid- to high-ranking officers who hold substantive military authority.

It can be said that, if it weren't for Su Ye and the Cloud Prince's Mansion, by a twist of fate, having slipped Meng Zhang into the Yellow Turban Army.

Moreover, Meng Zhang's abilities are indeed not lacking, and by a fortunate coincidence he encountered the Yellow Turban Army being suppressed by the Da Qian dynasty.

Taking advantage of the moment before those behind-the-scenes manipulators could fully exert their influence, he turned the tide for the Yellow Turban Army.

In successive battles he rescued the Yellow Turban Army from dire straits, and incidentally crushed the Da Qian's enemies such as Chou Longteng.

He seized the opportunity to grasp most of the Yellow Turban Army's military authority.

Riding this momentum, he forcibly compelled those behind-the-scenes manipulators to grudgingly acknowledge Meng Zhang as the commander-in-chief of the Yellow Turban Army.

However, to be fair, the Cloud Prince's Mansion and even the three great surnamed kings actually contributed only limited effort to the founding of the Taiping Sect.

This also leads to the fact that, despite the Cloud Prince's Mansion having Meng Zhang, a high-level troublemaker, in the Yellow Turban Army...

But when it comes to controlling the Taiping Sect, it is certainly inferior to those behind-the-scenes manipulators who built the Taiping Sect from start to finish.

Otherwise, Meng Zhang wouldn't feel so stifled, and would still need to seek Su Ye's inside-outside cooperation to help him eliminate rivals.

Regarding the Taiping Sect's placement of personnel into the Yellow Turban Army, Meng Zhang does have some countermeasures.

But if we talk about cunning, even a few Meng Zhangs tied together are no match for that gang of old coins who specialize in this.

Unless Meng Zhang now declares his withdrawal from the Taiping Sect and leads his Yellow Turban Army away.

But if that were the case, that group of behind-the-scenes manipulators would probably just laugh and flick him away.

By then, how many would be willing to follow Meng Zhang is uncertain.

Now these Yellow Turban Army members are all impoverished commoners from the lower strata, coming for the Taiping Sect's teachings.

Even if Meng Zhang is as formidable as a fighter, in this short time he has accumulated only a limited number of die-hard followers.

Losing the Taiping Sect's golden signboard.

Inside the Yellow Turban Army, those willing to follow Meng Zhang, this "Dragon Soaring Commander", to leave together, have an uncertain future.

The number may not be small, but it's not large either.

Compared to that, without Meng Zhang this troublemaker, the Taiping Sect could at any time raise another million-strong army.

In this chaotic age of the Heavenly Martial Continent, nothing is abundant—only those who can't get by are many.

Their lives aren't worth anything!

(End of chapter)