Chapter 203

203. Chapter 203: Distinguished Guests Arrive! The Qi Family Army's Winning Treasure!

The capital is a very interesting place.

Previously, under the Emperor's control, outside news was hard to come by; it had always been an atmosphere of peace and prosperity, with little change.

But this time, the news of the Emperor's passing was still kept under tight control, and while the outside world had yet to receive the news, the imperial court completed the funeral in an extremely short amount of time.

Yet, in this situation where news could neither get in nor out, a world-shaking piece of news came from Jinling City, spreading throughout the capital overnight, making it known to the entire city!

Jinling City was attacked by the Demon Race, and the Virtuous Prince held the city gate alone, killing two Demon Kings of the Demon Race.

The legendary Demon Kings!

In the minds of the capital's commoners, Demon Kings only existed in the words elders used to scare children, such as, "If you don't behave, a Demon King will come and snatch you away."

But now, a Demon King had appeared in the official gazette in black and white, and it spread through the entire capital at an incredible speed.

It made people have to believe that Demon Kings... are truly real!

The only thing that made people doubt the authenticity of the gazette was the report of the Virtuous Prince killing two great Demon Kings; this was even more shocking than the existence of the Demon Kings themselves.

That Virtuous Prince, whose reputation as a playboy was "renowned" throughout the capital, actually had the ability to slay two Demon Kings?

Buddy, are you sure this isn't a typo? If people had to choose one of the two pieces of news—the existence of Demon Kings or the Virtuous Prince slaying them—as false, everyone would choose the latter without hesitation.

As long as they were locals of the capital, everyone without exception would hold strong doubts about this.

Under normal circumstances, after the news came out, the capital would be in an uproar, and perhaps some people would run to the Prince's Mansion to denounce the Virtuous Prince for stealing someone else's credit.

But things did not develop in that direction.

Because the Jinling City garrison general, Qi Jiguang, holding a "Ten Thousand People Umbrella," entered the capital under the watchful eyes of the public.

Even the commoners of the capital, who were cut off from news, knew who Qi Jiguang was.

A great hero recognized by the entire nation and people! Even Guo Bujing, known to the world as the "Great Hero," fell short in front of him; more accurately, Guo Bujing held him in high esteem.

It was such a person who, holding the Ten Thousand People Umbrella, entered the capital on behalf of the people of Jinling City to express gratitude.

The Ten Thousand People Umbrella could not be forged, because it was made by high-level masters of both Buddhism and Taoism using the "lights of ten thousand homes"—the most sincere gratitude in the hearts of the common people.

The light is the fire of the heart.

Since the great changes in heaven and earth, this object was the only treasure that could make demons have nowhere to hide; if any demons entered the city, the Ten Thousand People Umbrella would automatically open, illuminating the entire city with the light of the heart's fire.

As soon as it entered the capital, the Ten Thousand People Umbrella reacted, slipping from Qi Jiguang's hand and flying out slowly. Qi Jiguang dared not be negligent and followed closely behind with a portion of the Qi Family Army.

Many onlookers followed far behind them just to watch the spectacle.

The weather was nice today, and they were having a hotpot inside the Prince's Mansion.

Lu Xiaofeng was eating hotpot and singing when he suddenly noticed it had gone dark. He looked up and saw an umbrella floating above his head, still glowing...

His chopsticks slipped from his hand, and his gaze was somewhat dull. "What the heck is this?"

As a former Anbu Black Ops official, Li Ge Xiao had seen a Ten Thousand People Umbrella; when he was a centurion, he had seen the scene of ten thousand people kneeling to send off a good official in the south.

It was a pity that the civil official was harmed by treacherous people; a good official with a Ten Thousand People Umbrella did not die at the hands of demons, but at the hands of his own people.

This incident had a great impact on Li Ge Xiao at the time; for a while, he didn't even know whether demons were evil, or if people were more evil.

"This is a Ten Thousand People Umbrella, made from the lights of ten thousand homes; it can be said to be the most precious treasure in the world..."

Li Ge Xiao recounted the origin of the Ten Thousand People Umbrella.

"I've heard of it, but I've never seen it. So this is the Ten Thousand People Umbrella."

Lu Xiaofeng circled around the floating umbrella, almost making Chu Yang dizzy. Fortunately, at this moment, the umbrella slowly closed and fell into Chu Yang's arms.

Lu Xiaofeng and Li Ge Xiao looked at Chu Yang simultaneously.

"Your Highness, is this yours?" Li Ge Xiao asked in surprise. "How come I've never seen it?"

"Coincidentally, I haven't seen it either." Chu Yang picked up the umbrella, examined it, and said, "How would I know whose it is?"

Lu Xiaofeng was thoughtful, revealing a mysterious smile. "I guess we have distinguished guests coming today."

"Who is it?" Li Ge Xiao asked curiously.

Lu Xiaofeng, however, was being mysterious and wouldn't tell him at all.

Whoosh~ A gust of wind blew through the courtyard.

"I've been running around for you guys, tired like a dead dog, and you guys are here eating hotpot? Is there any for me?"

A ghostly figure suddenly appeared beside Lu Xiaofeng, slender fingers reaching for the meat in his bowl.

Lu Xiaofeng was quick-eyed and fast-handed, using his unique skill, the Spirit Rhinoceros Finger, with his chopsticks to clamp the "meat thief's" hand.

"Monkey, don't you know you should wash your hands before eating? Do you really think you're a monkey?" Lu Xiaofeng looked at Sikong Zhaixing with disdain.

The travel-worn Sikong Zhaixing seemed angry, used a clever force to break free from the chopsticks, and then unswervingly reached out to grab the meat in Lu Xiaofeng's bowl again.

The two of them started bickering like this.

The meat in the bowl swayed like a fishing boat on the ocean and didn't last long before it flew out. Li Ge Xiao was quick-eyed and fast-handed, leaping up to catch the meat and putting it into his mouth with his chopsticks.

Having picked up a piece of fragrant meat for nothing, Li Ge Xiao's eyes narrowed with pleasure, and he teased, "When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman reaps the benefit."

Chu Yang also laughed along, "For you, it really is a distinguished guest arriving, and you even earned a bite of meat."

"He's a fart of a distinguished guest!" Lu Xiaofeng said with a look of bad luck. "What kind of guest comes in and snatches meat to eat?"

Chu Yang started to get curious. "So you're saying the distinguished guest is someone else?"

Sikong Zhaixing's eyes rolled, and he rushed to speak, "Your Highness, I know the distinguished guest is..."

Before he could finish his sentence, everyone heard the old steward's shouting.

"Your Highness, come out and see! There are so many people outside, I'm afraid they're here to cause us trouble. Sigh, what have you been doing these days?"

The old steward was both angry and anxious, fearing that the people outside would storm the mansion. The large mansion only had a few useless servants and not even a single guard; wouldn't something terrible happen?

Chu Yang frowned slightly and got up to walk toward the main gate of the mansion.

Li Ge Xiao and Lu Xiaofeng put down their bowls and chopsticks and followed behind Chu Yang. Their expressions were different; Lu Xiaofeng's eyes held a smile, as if he felt something good was happening.

Li Ge Xiao, on the other hand, had a serious face.

Before even getting close to the gate, Chu Yang heard the clamor outside. He turned to the old steward and said, "Open the door. I'll see what's going on."

The old steward ordered the doorman to open the gate. The doorman pushed the door open tremblingly, and with a creak, the mansion gate slowly opened.

A smell of blood rushed toward them, and even more intense was the murderous aura of the battlefield, like a cold northern wind blowing on their faces. Appearing in front of Chu Yang was a large man in armor; his face was weathered, his lips were somewhat chapped, and his armor was riddled with holes, but his eyes were bright and spirited.

"Subordinate Qi Jiguang, on behalf of all the people of Jinling City, kowtows to thank Your Highness for saving our lives!"

Chu Yang finally saw Qi Jiguang, this legendary great hero.

The other party's figure was thinner than he had imagined, yet he could hold up that suit of armor. His entire aura was like a fierce tiger coldly staring at you.

His eyes were very sharp, but they didn't contain any other emotions; they were very clean.

If an ordinary person were to meet such a gaze, they would probably be trembling inside.

"General Qi, there are many people outside and it's noisy. Please lead your men into the mansion to talk." Chu Yang smiled and bowed to welcome Qi Jiguang and the Qi Family Army into the mansion.

"Subordinate obeys."

Qi Jiguang bowed and led the soldiers behind him into the mansion in an orderly fashion.

The mansion gate soon closed again. The onlookers were still unwilling to leave, and the discussions not only didn't disappear but became even more intense.

"General Qi entered the Prince's Mansion; that Ten Thousand People Umbrella really belongs to the Virtuous Prince!"

"Good heavens, I'm starting to lose sight of this world..."

"Is the news of the Virtuous Prince slaying two Demon Kings true?!"

"How old is he this year? Even the Zhuge Divine Marquis doesn't have such achievements! Isn't he the number one martial artist in the world!"

"If the Virtuous Prince's martial talent is so high, why has he been decadent for so many years? He suffered all that infamy for nothing!"

"You don't know about this, do you? I have a brother who works in the palace, and I heard a secret: when the Virtuous Prince was young, he was once plotted against by other princes..."

Rumors were endless, some true, some false, but the commoners didn't care; they just treated it as something to talk about after tea and meals.

However, one thing was certain.

From now on, the frequency with which people mentioned the Virtuous Prince's unbearable past would become lower and lower, but it would not be forgotten; instead, it would become a deeper "little secret."

When they reached the age of playing with their grandchildren, everyone would smile and say to their grandson, "Do you know what our Emperor was like when he was young?"

Chu Yang led the Qi Family Army to sit down in the courtyard. Looking at them, travel-worn and weary, he couldn't help but feel a bit of heartache, yet also filled with respect. This was what Ming Empire soldiers should look like, not just a bunch of military ruffians who only knew how to exploit the people.

"You just came off the battlefield? What's the situation in the south? Have any more Demon Race forces come to attack the city since I left?"

Chu Yang asked three questions in one breath, leaving even Qi Jiguang stunned for a moment.

Looking at Chu Yang's sincere gaze, Qi Jiguang's tone and eyes became serious. "Your Highness, rest assured, the situation in the south is relatively stable. Since Your Highness slew the two Demon Kings, the Demon Race has not appeared near Wang Long City again."

"It is shameful to say, but the injuries on our bodies are the result of fighting with our own people."

Chu Yang seemed to have expected this, sighing, "How many garrison generals in the south have rebelled?"

Qi Jiguang replied, "About seventy percent. They have all set up their own strongholds, thinking that the imperial court is too busy to care for itself and has no energy to clear them out."

Chu Yang shook his head and laughed, "General Qi, don't have any reservations. Speak boldly, what is the actual percentage?"

Qi Jiguang clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Ninety percent!"

Li Ge Xiao and Lu Xiaofeng both gasped. What did ninety percent mean? It was almost equivalent to all the military generals in the south choosing to rebel.

"About what I thought."

Chu Yang wasn't too panicked, because this world, strictly speaking, was a completely different world from the historical Ming Empire.

Due to the threat of the Demon Race, the power in the hands of the military generals was very great; they were the true leaders in every sense, just like Qi Jiguang's position in Jinling City was unshakable.

All the people in the city relied on the general and his soldiers to survive in these chaotic times. The imperial court was too far away for the local people, so far away that it had no practical meaning.

For a military general to rebel was almost a zero-cost affair; it was just that there had been no need until now, after all, the 800,000 Imperial Guards in the capital were right there.

Now, the actions of the Demon Race had spread throughout the south, and these generals were certain that the imperial court was busy fighting the Demon Race and had no extra troops to clear them out.

Most of them even felt that the Ming Empire was bound to lose, and in private, they were all studying what type of demon-human it would be most profitable to become in the future.

Therefore, rebellion became a matter of course.

This was also why Chu Yang wanted to deal with the south first, rather than rushing to aid the Ten Thousand Mile Profound Ice City on the northern border.

The Emperor had only been buried for a few days, and they were already so impatient.

Chu Yang asked, "Jinling City is already the target of public criticism, right?"

Qi Jiguang laughed, "In just a few days, hundreds of thousands of troops gathered under the city, but they were all beaten back by the Qi Family Army. Now, it's considered a bit of a rest."

After saying this, the soldiers behind Qi Jiguang all proudly puffed out their chests.

"The Qi Family Army is indeed worthy of its reputation, truly the Ming Empire's number one strong army." Chu Yang praised first, then asked, "However, since the situation is urgent, why did General Qi choose to enter the capital at this time?"

Qi Jiguang cupped his hands. "Subordinate came here not only to deliver the Ten Thousand People Umbrella to Your Highness, but also to escort a batch of newly developed military equipment to support the north."

"With the Demon Race moving north, the situation in the north will soon be the same as in the south. Fighting the Demon Race with military equipment will yield twice the result with half the effort."

Chu Yang couldn't help but be moved.

A few days ago, when discussing policy at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Sheng Yayu had mentioned the Qi Family Army's equipment, believing it to be a sharp weapon for helping defend the border, but this proposal was rejected.

Because from the very beginning, Chu Yang's goal was not just to reorganize the mountains and rivers of the south, but to fight even further away; the combat capability of the Qi Family Army could not be weakened in the slightest.

Now Qi Jiguang was personally escorting the equipment into the capital to aid the north, even at the cost of weakening his own unit's combat capability.

His heart for the country and the people was evident.

However, his arrival gave Chu Yang a new idea.

Chu Yang asked, "The Qi Family Army's new firearms are famous throughout the world. I want to ask General Qi, is your new equipment still firearms?"

Speaking of the new firearms, Qi Jiguang replied excitedly, "Returning to Your Highness, yes. The craftsmen and array masters of the Firearms Camp have been working day and night, forgetting to eat and sleep, just to give the human race an advantage in the war against the Demon Race."

"The greatest threat to the army is often not the Great Demons or Demon Kings, but the millions of demon beasts, and the even larger number of wild beasts!"

"Once they charge the formation, even if the soldiers use the power of the battle formation to wait at ease for the exhausted, the final result is still heavy losses."

"So, before the two sides make contact, we need to use firearms to reduce the number of demon beasts and wild beasts, making them fall into chaos and lose their numerical advantage. Great Demons are often difficult to break through the battle formation, and the Demon Race losing the war is only a matter of time."

Using firepower suppression to solve the advantage of the sea of beasts—those wild beasts with low intelligence don't know how to cooperate and only rely on instinct to charge; the result is self-evident.

Thinking of this, Chu Yang smiled mysteriously.

"General Qi, I also know a little about firearms. Why don't we exchange ideas?" (End of chapter)