Chapter 833: Soldiers Value Speed

Luzhouji.

Gu Family.

"I hear the Imperial Court's Heavenly Army has arrived; I fear Daoist Xulingzi is finished!"

Gu Yue gazed at the sky, feeling somewhat worried.

The mentality of these scholars is very strange; when facing military officers, they dare to wantonly insult and mock them, calling them 'clodhoppers', yet when they encounter rebels, they often have an inexplicable sense of trust in the Imperial Court's 'Heavenly Army', believing they are bound to win!

"Sigh... it is a pity for Xulingzi. With his Daoist Technique, as long as he kept to his place, he would be an honored guest wherever he went."

Provincial Graduate Gu sipped his tea, adding with a touch of regret: "Why, of all things, must he rebel? My son, remember... for a person, the most important thing is the two words: 'keep to one's place'!"

"The Candle Dragon Sect's method of seeking dragons and pointing acupuncture points is, after all, somewhat mysterious. The Xiao Yang chosen by Dulongzi indeed possesses Dragon Qi... Last time, the Hidden Dragon Strike broke most of his Qi, and although the majority was plundered, a little was still inherited by his son." The True Man sighed: "Looking at this situation... it must be that Dulongzi and Xulingzi reached an agreement to jointly support Xiao Yang's son, and it has actually become a climate!"

He immediately took his own camp up to the city wall, only to see a dense, dark mass outside, a military formation having arrived.

Since the sect had invested in the Hidden Dragon, and now it had this appearance, it was clear that the Hidden Dragon was not doing very well!

"Ah!"

This was a trusted family member of the Gu Family, sent out early by Provincial Graduate Gu to scout for news. At this moment, he steadied himself and said: "I saw it clearly; on the small plain outside, the Imperial Court army was routed... The rebel forces have greatly increased, expanding by at least several thousand people in one go!"

Aaron laughed: "No rush for now. Once we take Jiangzhou Fucheng, you shall immediately ascend the altar to offer sacrifices to Heaven, establish the Liang Kingdom, and proclaim yourself King of 'Liang'!"

Although it was a temporary position, after holding it for a long time, it became real.

At this moment, he did not know what he was feeling in his heart, and could only sigh faintly.

Cangsong extended a finger, picked up a wisp, then recoiled as if electrocuted, staring at the red mark on his finger, his eyes full of fear.

"Tang Xun, these few words of yours truly touch my heart. How exactly should we proceed?" Chen Zitong's eyes brightened slightly.

Another Elder also spoke: "Luzhouji is only a small town; how many soldiers can it support? Even if that Xulingzi scours the mountains and forests, taking even bandits, he could barely scrape together six hundred; any more is impossible... Even if they won one battle by luck, why would they be able to continue fighting?"

After a long while, Provincial Graduate Gu said in a dry voice: "You handled this matter well. Go to the accounting office to collect five taels of silver, go!"

At this moment, the water ripples were faint, revealing an extraordinary scene, reflecting the vast earth where dragons and snakes lay hidden.

Right now, the prefecture city is not yet in chaos, and the Imperial Court still has authority; infighting is the worst strategy.

Fan Jin smiled: "We know the prefecture city is as stable as Mount Tai, but the Prefect may not know... At this time, the prefecture city is terrified, and the remnants of the Fengxiang Army dare not fight... My lord should firmly submit a petition to request battle at this time! Then, obtain the official document from your superiors to allow you to take command of the Fengxiang Army."

"This matter is easy..."

Why was it suddenly about to be defeated?

"It is unclear, it cannot be explained... It is just that a decision must be made early: whether to support the Hidden Dragon with all our might, or to cut ties with the Hidden Dragon?"

Cangsong suddenly realized; with this thought, another place appeared in the Wangchuan Mirror.

He immediately stumbled, shocked beyond measure: "Impossible!"

"The Dragon Qi has already erupted, guarded by civil and military officials, and is currently inhaling and exhaling Military Qi; it is clearly slowly winning over and eroding the military power of the Fengxiang Army... This is all correct, so why does it give me a sense of Weakness?"

Thunder Lord Execution!

"Once the Fengxiang Army is defeated, what military force does Jiangzhou Prefecture have left? I fear the entire prefecture will be ruined..."

'This Dragon Qi is fierce and awe-inspiring; at this moment, it merges with the earth. Once the sacrifice to Heaven is performed, it will formally communicate with the Heavenly Pillar, receive the gaze of Heavenly Intent, and achieve Heavenly Human Induction!'

And among the powerful ministers in history, which one ever had a good ending?

Is Xulingzi not afraid of dying without a burial place?

Cangsong and his senior brother hurried inside, only to see the True Man and a group of Elders all present, gazing at a Bronze Mirror in mid-air.

"Camp Commander, the rebel soldiers are besieging the city; the Prefect orders you to quickly lead your troops to the city gate to provide support!"

Once one acknowledges a lord, there is an entanglement of Qi Number.

Dulongzi had been watching Aaron's operations the whole time, his face even more conflicted: "Although this fellow Daoist is willing to fund the Hidden Dragon's son, this old Daoist is very grateful... but by doing this, are you not afraid of causing deep disaster in the future?"

He immediately clapped his hands, letting two maids, offered by some unknown wealthy family, take the two away to comfort them well.

Dulongzi widened his eyes: "How about... we attack a county seat first?"

Moreover, children always grow up, and Aaron had specifically given the most important righteous justification!

As time passes, there will always be people leaning toward Xiao Liang, forming a great trend.

Even if one later kills the other to become Emperor, in the history books of later generations, one cannot escape the word 'regicide'!

—This, of course, was Dulongzi's view!

Aaron, however, did not care, laughing loudly: "Dulongzi, just watch... Now that our army has expanded to this point, our military provisions cannot last too long... You must quickly go down and order people to prepare military banners, and then we will go to attack Jiangzhou Fucheng!"

"Xiao Yang's Dragon Qi and the Hidden Dragon's Dragon Qi have a deadly feud and will inevitably clash... And looking at this Qi, I fear a great battle in Jiangzhou Prefecture is imminent, and it is even quite unfavorable to the Hidden Dragon... How can this be?"

At this moment, Aaron and Dulongzi were seen walking in together.

"Only two thousand soldiers? And one thousand of them just surrendered?"

'No matter what, I must protect my brother's last bit of flesh and blood...'

His trusted aides were few; apart from a few Team Leaders who had luckily escaped, there were only two advisors.

One of them had once followed his father, and later followed him; his surname was Jiang, given name Tui, who held the status of Child Scholar, and was about forty years old.

At the same time.

Gu Yue was stunned, then suddenly realized: Jiangnan is a vital area for the Imperial Court's grain and taxes; how could they allow chaos to break out?

When that time comes, Aaron will be in trouble!

The previous development had also been quite smooth.

"Come in!"

Just as the True Man was speaking, a sudden thunderclap struck from the clear sky.

"This is our sect's supreme treasure—the Wangchuan Mirror, which can observe the Qi Number of a place."

News arrived that the Fengxiang Army had been routed and the Regional Commander Li Tie had been killed in battle, throwing everyone into complete chaos.

Dulongzi earnestly tried to persuade him.

Tang Xun was around thirty years old, exactly the age when a man is in his prime, with a resolute and steady countenance, and he was skilled in training troops.

With the support of such civil and military talents, why worry that the great cause would not succeed?

He immediately gritted his teeth and slammed his fist onto the desk: "Good... let it be done this way; all the wealth in my household can be spent on this matter!"

Five Nights Sect.

Seeing Xiao Liang, Aaron beckoned: "Good child, come here!"

Inspection Bureau Yamen.

Chen Zitong smiled and nodded, though he was dismissive in his heart.

Suddenly, a trusted servant ran in: "Master, Young Master... it is bad."

Cangsong steadied his gaze and saw, amidst the floating and sinking Earth Qi, a faint, pitch-black Xiao She emerging, its Qi Number vaguely connected to his own, and he immediately knew this must be Chen Zitong.

This Bronze Mirror was archaic in design, with beast patterns around the edges, while the center was a circle of water ripples.

"In any case, at least this faction cannot succeed... Why? Although Jiangbei is in chaos, Jiangnan is still peaceful; the hearts of the people desire stability, and those who start the chaos will surely be met with hostility!"

One of the most boisterous Team Leaders called out: "Camp Commander, you led us crawling out of a pile of dead bodies, and we all support you in becoming the Commander-in-Chief... If anyone else dares to step up, we dare to make trouble!"

"Besides... there are too many people in this world brainwashed by Dragon Qi; even internally, we need to set up a target there to attract the opposition."

He turned to look at another Team Leader: "Tang Xun, what do you think?"

"Son understands." Gu Yue bowed to receive the instruction, then lowered his voice and asked: "This rebel, can he really not succeed?"

As long as the military power of the Fengxiang Army is seized, what is mere floating wealth compared to that?

Aaron laughed heartily, feeling that the city-defending general might actually use this tactic; the scene would certainly be beautiful then, and he wouldn't dare to watch!

"How much manpower and resources are in the county town? If we are going to fight, we fight for the prefecture city!"

Xiao Zi and Xiao Liang were brought to the main hall, their faces full of anxiety.

But he turned it over and over in his mind, simply unable to understand.

"Indeed, a bit of courage and root nature... Is this Dragon Qi?"

Chen Zitong had just sent out a Messenger with letters and bribes to pull strings when his personal soldiers came to report.

"Before I truly overturn the Three Teachings and change the world, I must still keep a low profile... It is better not to be watched too much by Heavenly Intent."

Aaron waved his hand and made his decision.

"What?"

Provincial Graduate Gu and Gu Yue both turned pale.

"No matter... one must trust in the obedience of the soldiers."

Provincial Graduate Gu said slowly.

'Quan' (power/authority) means temporary.

At this thought, Aaron smiled: "Xiao Liang... do you want to be Emperor?"

"This..."

Once these words were spoken, Xiao Zi's expression changed: "Daoist... my nephew and I only want to live in anonymity and lead a peaceful life; we don't want anything else!"

Chen Zitong's eyes were pitch black as he looked at his subordinates.

Aaron stroked Xiao Liang's little head, secretly activating his vision of Spirituality, and saw a point of cyan Light on the other party, which was merging with the earth, and he immediately knew this was a bit of Dragon Qi inherited from the rebel Xiao Yang.

Everything done today was proof of being extremely arrogant and domineering.

"No... this is not from within, but an external enemy!"

The two arrived at the gate and saw several young Daoists walking by in a hurry; the atmosphere was very heavy.

Although Dulongzi looked conflicted, he nodded, signaling the aunt and nephew to follow suit and not resist.

The Perfected One said indifferently: "The Hidden Dragon was defeated but did not die; instead, he has a chance to seize the military power of the Fengxiang Army, which should be considered smooth... but this Backlash and sin are not fake; clearly, things have changed! You two can also take a look."

He had vaguely realized that in the world today, rebels were rising everywhere, and in troubled times, military power was paramount!

Clearly, the selected Hidden Dragon's aptitude, temperament, and ancestors were all fine, and the Dragon Cave had been specifically pointed out, with seeds of civil and military officials sent to his side.

Xiao Zi clutched her nephew's clothes tightly, her face pale; after all, she was only a sixteen-year-old girl.

At this time, having arrived in the army, he immediately summoned his confidants for a secret discussion.

Cangsong and his senior brother had just rushed back when they felt something was wrong!

In his spiritual eyes, the immortal land that was originally shrouded in clouds and mist now seemed to be filled with black fog everywhere!

"This is... Backlash and sin?"

Jiang Tui also clapped his hands: "This plan is excellent... Li Tie died in battle, the high-ranking military officers in the army suffered heavy casualties, and the rest dare not fight. If you, sir, stand out now, you will surely gain the favor of your superiors! Even if others want to fight for military power, we can secretly take action to eliminate them!"

Cangsong was so frightened he let out a cry, cold sweat dripping: "Perfected One... what is this?"

"Do you still not understand the rules?" Gu Yue saw this scene and was about to scold, but heard Provincial Graduate Gu speak: "Come in and speak!"

"... The situation is like this; this opportunity is rare, and I want to try it."

Xiao Liang looked at his aunt and immediately shook his head: "Liang'er does not want to!"

"Very good, it is happily decided then; you are the leader of our faction..."

The Perfected One's voice came, seeming to carry a trace of fatigue.

Its military appearance was neat, unmoving like a mountain; it was exactly that demon-Daoist army that had defeated him that day!

Several days later.

At this time, he pondered and said: "Camp Commander... this subordinate believes that the prefecture city seems dangerous but is actually safe. Although our army was defeated in the battle that day, the enemy also suffered heavy losses, losing at least half... Even if they gather the defeated soldiers and recruit people afterward, they will need time to train... Furthermore, there are county towns nearby that can serve as a buffer; the great chaos will not reach us for a while, and this is exactly the time for you, sir, to obtain military power! The troubled times have arrived; a great man should draw his three-foot sword and test the heroes of the world!"

Jiangzhou Fucheng.

That cyan color was truly too faint, but it was still there after all, vaguely transforming into an object, neither dragon nor snake, as thin as a hair... and a bit like an earthworm.

A rebel who raises a banner to revolt will inevitably face the full-force suppression and strangulation of the Imperial Court; they are merely paving the way for the true king to come.

Yet at this moment, it was extremely arrogant, actually charging toward the Black Snake Qi Luck!

"The legal net of this world is indeed tight; if I kill him and refine him into a puppet, this bit of Dragon Qi will be gone... Perhaps I could use illusion arts to deceive the Daoist, but I cannot deceive this world itself!"

There, a black-red baleful aura soared into the sky, with a speck of cyan floating and sinking within it.

Provincial Graduate Gu also sighed: "Although the Imperial Court's great army will surely arrive, before that, the common people of Jiangnan will suffer much... This world, I fear, is truly about to fall into chaos!"

Xiao Liang glanced at his aunt, gritted his teeth, and came before Aaron.

In an instant, the seated Daoists all turned pale, filled with despair: "Heavenly Punishment Backlash? Why has it come so quickly?"

After all, he was not a fool, and he also perceived a hint of the chaotic signs.

Jiangzhou Fucheng.

Military camp.

"Fellow Daoist... the majority of the Fengxiang Army comes from the Fucheng... to make them fight their own wives, children, and parents, I fear they would mutiny immediately!"

Chen Zitong fled all the way, incidentally gathering defeated soldiers, and in the end, he actually had over five hundred men; his military strength did not decrease but instead increased.

This was simply inexplicable, just like three thousand Fengxiang Army soldiers being defeated by six hundred men, leaving people utterly bewildered.

She looked at her nephew, her eyes full of determination.

Cangsong followed his senior brother to a hall and bowed: "Cangsong requests an audience with the Perfected One!"

Once the manservant left, Gu Yue exclaimed in shock: "The Fengxiang Army has actually been defeated?"

The more Chen Zitong thought about it, the brighter his eyes became, and he looked at Tang Xun, seeing that he was heroic and extraordinary, while Fan Jin wore a green robe and was dressed like a scholar, yet faintly possessed the bearing of a famous gentleman.

The other person was Fan Jin, only twenty-some years old; although young, he was full of clever schemes.

"Sigh..."

However, at this time, among these soldiers, there were still many wearing the military uniforms of the Great Song, only they had changed their banners and were flying one with the character 'Liang'!

The various generals on the city wall could not help but be terrified!

Chen Zitong was even more like someone whose bones had been pulled out, nearly collapsing on the city wall: "Hateful... why has it come so quickly?!"

If only ten more days had passed, he would have obtained the military power of the Fengxiang Army!

(End of this chapter)