Chapter 494: A man

The Southern Border.

The Great Lan Dynasty borders the grasslands to the east, the wilderness to the north, the ocean to the west, and an endless desert to the south.

The desert was initially home to many small nations and tribes, but later, a legendary king unified them and established a single empire upon the desert, named Great Desert.

However, following the death of this legendary king and the deliberate sowing of discord by the various Central Plains nations, the Great Desert eventually split into two desert states.

One raised a black banner and was called Profound Desert.

The other raised a red banner and was called Red Desert.

Over five hundred years ago, these two desert states were conquered by the Taizu Emperor, who led his troops to subdue them. They willingly bowed their heads to the Great Lan Dynasty, becoming its vassal states and paying annual tribute.

After the Taizu Emperor passed away, although the two desert states showed signs of unrest, they did not trigger many large-scale wars.

Historical records document two major battles:

First, in the seventh year of Jiaxu, the two desert states of the Southern Border invaded the frontier. The famous Great Lan general Ao Yun led troops to quell the rebellion, defeating the invading army in less than a month and capturing over twenty thousand prisoners, all of whom were eventually buried alive! (See Chapter 15 of Volume 2 for details.)

Second, in the twenty-seventh year of Hongguang, the allied forces of the seven nations of the Western Continent invaded the Great Lan Dynasty. Sensing an opportunity, the two desert states of the Southern Border once again sent troops to invade together!

That year, precisely because the two desert states deployed their troops, the imperial court, which had intended to mobilize the Red Qilin Army stationed at the Southern Border to deal with the Western allied forces, was ultimately forced to abandon the plan.

Otherwise, had the Red Qilin Army been there to intercept them in that battle, the Western allied forces might not have been able to fight their way to the gates of Lanling City.

After routing the Western allied forces, the imperial court was able to free up its hands to deal with the two desert states.

It took only three months to force the two desert states to surrender once again.

However, such alien nations, much like the Northern Barbarians and the grassland tribes, could be beaten into submission by the Great Lan Dynasty, but they were difficult to permanently conquer and occupy.

In the end, after signing extremely harsh treaties, the Great Lan Dynasty accepted the surrender of the two nations.

Subsequently, the Great Lan Dynasty ushered in the "Mingxin Reform," utilizing Western technology, which was equivalent to launching an industrial revolution!

This aging empire of the Great Lan Dynasty seemed to be rejuvenated!

As for the two desert states, their internal conflicts were stirred up time and again by the Great Lan Dynasty, and coupled with various famines and epidemics, their national strength declined day by day, making them increasingly unable to pose a threat to the Great Lan Dynasty.

Thus, in the thirty-first year of Hongguang, the imperial court ordered the Red Qilin Army to be transferred from the Southern Border to the west, and officially established the Western Border defense line along the long coastline to guard against the Western Continent.

From the twenty-eighth year of Hongguang until the current forty-ninth year of Hongguang, the Southern Border has enjoyed peace for twenty-one years.

Unlike the Eastern Border army facing the grassland royal court, or the Northern Border army facing the seventeen tribes of the Northern Barbarians, where wars occur from time to time and various small frictions never cease, the situation is different.

As for the Western Border army, because it must face the entire Western Continent directly, various daily training sessions are strictly enforced, and the soldiers on the Western Border defense line dare not let their guard down.

But in the Southern Border, with twenty-one years of no war and facing the two desert states that pose almost no threat, the situation of the Southern Border army is completely different from the other three border armies.

Lax training, eating empty rations, drinking soldiers' blood, bullying soldiers into doing private work, trading military equipment... all kinds of chaotic phenomena in the army can be found here!

In the seventh year of the "Mingxin Reform," Grand Secretary Ye Zean intended to successively equip all major border armies with new types of firearms.

At this time, this Grand Secretary first proposed the idea of "military downsizing," aiming to reduce the quotas of all major border armies, with the Southern Border being the most significant!

But the resistance to the "military downsizing" was too great.

Even with the talent of Ye Zean, coupled with the Emperor delegating power to him, he was still stretched thin on this matter, and the results were not very significant.

To this day, the number of soldiers in the Southern Border army has only been reduced from the original 130,000 to 100,000.

And the actual number of soldiers in the Southern Border army is certainly less than 100,000.

The night of July 5th, in the forty-ninth year of Hongguang.

The First Imperial Prince Qin Zihong took a flight magic treasure and arrived at the Southern Border in two days.

This large flight magic treasure is named "Hidden Crane in the Clouds." It flies at an extremely high speed, can fly at an altitude of ten thousand meters, and comes with a very powerful concealment technique. It is a true strategic-level weapon!

Unless Xiang Yunshu could immediately chase out from Lanling City, it was almost impossible for Qin Zihong and the others to be tracked.

Without accurate positioning, they would not be intercepted along the way.

Xiang Yunshu was first severely wounded by Qingxu, and before his wounds had healed, he traveled thousands of miles to execute Qiming, a peak powerhouse.

How could he not pay a price?

Qin Zihong calculated that Xiang Yunshu would not be able to make another move in the short term, and Wen Ren Zheng is good at killing but not at other things, which is why he decided on this escape plan.

Now he has successfully arrived at the Southern Border with his people.

The large ship landed directly in Green Boat City, one of the nine major cities of the Southern Border.

Inside the military headquarters camp, Qin Zihong brought over a hundred Golden Flying Cavalry off the ship, accompanied by a Martial Arts Grandmaster and a True Person.

A bald man wearing a full set of armor, leading seven or eight generals, stepped forward quickly and bowed to Qin Zihong:

"This subordinate greets the First Imperial Prince!"

Qin Zihong looked calmly at the bald man in front of him and spoke slowly:

"Du Jie, this is our first time meeting."

The general named Du Jie knelt on one knee upon hearing this, cupped his fists at Qin Zihong, and said:

"Everything this subordinate has today is given by Your Highness! This subordinate is willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness!"

With his kneeling, the several generals he brought also knelt down together and said in unison:

"We are willing to die for Your Highness!"

Du Jie, a Regional Commander of the Southern Border army, a level 16 military officer, leads ten thousand soldiers!

Compared to the other three borders, the Southern Border has the worst military discipline, the most chaotic internal management, and is the easiest to interfere with.

So Qin Zihong had long ago "laid his pieces" in the Southern Border, secretly gathering manpower.

Of course, he hadn't planned to rebel long ago, but rather to increase his chips and his influence in the army.

Now this move has become his last chance for a comeback!

When Du Jie was still an Assistant Regional Commander, he had been bought by Qin Zihong.

Over the years, he has been able to rise step by step in the Southern Border army, from Assistant Regional Commander to Commander, and then to Regional Commander.

And being able to go from a Dao Foundation martial artist to a Martial Arts Grandmaster, all relied on the resources, cultivation techniques, connections, and opportunities given by Qin Zihong!

He had long been deeply tied to the First Imperial Prince's ship and felt grateful to Qin Zihong.

The investment of a superior never looks solely at an individual's talent and aptitude; it also values a person's character.

To put it bluntly, if you raise a dog for more than ten years, when the master's life is threatened, it will also rush up to bite people regardless of its own safety.

If you cultivate a subordinate and invest a lot of resources, but the final effect is not as good as raising a dog.

Wouldn't that be a complete failure?

Qin Zihong was very satisfied with Du Jie's attitude, stepped forward, and personally helped him up:

"Everyone, please rise."

"Your Highness, please come inside."

Du Jie led Qin Zihong into the military headquarters building.

"Your Highness, all the soldiers in Green Boat City are willing to follow Your Highness north to clear the monarch's side!"

Inside the room, Du Jie expressed directly to Qin Zihong.

After receiving the news, he immediately arranged for his trusted aides to start preparations. By the time Qin Zihong arrived with his people, the entire Green Boat City was already under his control!

He knew very well the risks of this move and the consequences of failure.

But he did not hesitate at all.

A scholar dies for his confidant! From ancient times to the present, the world has never lacked such people.

"If we deploy troops, Red Ancient City, which is closest to Green Boat City, can be reached in one day. This subordinate is confident in taking this city within a day!"

"Feng Bo, the Regional Commander of Dongling City, is a man who values money above all else. If Your Highness is willing to share some benefits with him, and this subordinate uses troops to threaten him, I am confident I can make this man bring his troops to join Your Highness."

"Sanxiang City..."

Without Qin Zihong needing to speak, Du Jie took the initiative to explain the various situations in the Southern Border and gave his own suggestions.

He was a man with ambition and was unwilling to associate with the other Southern Border generals.

So the phenomena of eating empty rations and drinking soldiers' blood under his command were much better than elsewhere, and the daily training was stricter.

If they were to deploy troops, he was confident in taking several cities in a short time!

Qin Zihong looked at Du Jie with satisfaction; having such a subordinate is indeed reassuring:

"As for the other cities and the remaining soldiers of the Southern Border, you don't need to worry; they will all join."

Du Jie was stunned and saluted:

"So Your Highness already has arrangements; it is this subordinate who spoke too much."

Qin Zihong smiled and patted his shoulder:

"It's a good thing you can think so much. Prince Li Ting has also arrived at the Southern Border. With him making a move, who in the Southern Border would dare not obey?"

He revealed one of his trump cards.

"Prince Li Ting?!"

Du Jie widened his eyes, finally understanding where Qin Zihong's confidence came from.

It's just that relying solely on the Southern Border army, even with the addition of Prince Li Ting, a Martial Saint, it is still impossible to march north all the way to Lanling City to "clear the monarch's side."

Such comprehensive strength is not even as good as the original Western allied forces. Even if they successfully reached the gates of Lanling City, I'm afraid a single charge by the Sky Blue Iron Cavalry would cause the entire army to collapse!

However, Du Jie did not ask more. Since Prince Li Ting was willing to join Qin Zihong's side, it meant that their side had a certain chance of winning!

Otherwise, why would a Martial Saint gamble his life with Qin Zihong?

When Qin Zihong arrived at Green Boat City, the large ship of Prince Li Ting, Qin Mingli, also arrived at the Southern Border.

This large ship did not come to Green Boat City but went directly to Cuiwater City, where the headquarters of the Southern Border army is located.

When the large ship emitting light appeared over Cuiwater City, the entire city was alarmed.

Cao Xinghan is the Provincial Military Commander of the Southern Border, a level 18 military officer, and also a Grandmaster of the Divine Derivation Realm.

Unlike others, he immediately felt an aura as vast as the sea, as high as the sky, and supreme and majestic descending upon him!

He sat motionless in his seat, showing a bitter expression.

Because he knew that if he moved, he would die!

"So Prince Li Ting has come to the Southern Border..."

He had also received news that Prince Li Ting had suddenly left the Prince's Mansion with people. At this moment, sensing this aura that only belongs to a peak powerhouse, he immediately understood many things.

When a Martial Arts Grandmaster faces a Grandmaster, all supernatural powers will be suppressed by the Martial Arts Domain, resulting in being crushed in all aspects; the two simply cannot fight.

But if the number of Martial Arts Grandmasters increases and the number of supernatural powers cultivated is greater, then it becomes more difficult for a Grandmaster to suppress all supernatural powers with a Martial Arts Domain.

In history, there have been cases, such as a Grandmaster in the Peak Realm being besieged by five Martial Arts Grandmasters.

The total number of supernatural powers of these five Martial Arts Grandmasters added up to more than fifteen!

As a result, the Grandmaster's Martial Arts Domain could not achieve complete suppression. The final result was that three of the five Martial Arts Grandmasters died, two were seriously injured, and this Grandmaster in the Peak Realm also died!

Judging from such cases, lower-level martial artists can indeed besiege and kill higher-level martial artists.

Dao Foundation martial artists can besiege and kill Martial Arts Grandmasters, and Martial Arts Grandmasters can also besiege and kill Grandmasters.

Going further up, Grandmasters or top-tier True Persons joining forces indeed have a chance to threaten peak powerhouses.

But the gap between these two realms is huge. Even if more than a dozen Grandmasters are willing to risk their lives to fight, it is very difficult to kill a Martial Saint.

And Grandmasters or top-tier True Persons are already rare powerhouses in the world. It is very difficult to find more than a dozen such powerhouses willing to risk their lives to besiege a peak powerhouse.

Later, when the Western Continent invaded, the powerhouses of the Great Lan Dynasty learned that there was still a "Prince Level" between Grandmasters and Martial Saints.

Back then, the "God of War" Wen Ren Zheng fought three Princes of the Western allied forces alone, eventually killing two and seriously injuring one.

This record is brilliant, but it also shows that three Prince-level powerhouses joining forces can at least barely wrestle with a Martial Saint.

Otherwise, all three Princes would have died back then, and no one would have been able to leave alive.

But the Southern Border side, let alone three Prince-level combat powers, couldn't even produce one.

Since the imperial court transferred the Red Qilin Army to the Western Border, the entire Southern Border only had Cao Xinghan as a Grandmaster-level combat power.

Besides that, there were three thousand-man Imperial Camp armies, equivalent to three Grandmaster-level combat powers.

But Cao Xinghan did not have Bai Yan's military cultivation, so he could not elevate the three thousand-man military formations by a grade.

So he knew that facing Prince Li Ting, he didn't even have a chance to escape!

This Southern Border Provincial Military Commander sat in his seat, his face showing a struggle. Several times he wanted to stand up by force, but he stopped himself.

In the end, he sighed and decided to wait quietly for Prince Li Ting's arrival.

If it were more than twenty years ago, he would have stood up to resist without hesitation, not hesitating to die for his country, which would have been worthy of the Emperor's trust and reuse!

But twenty-one years of comfortable enjoyment had long ago worn away the will of this former iron-blooded general.

He began to fear death, reluctant to part with the dozens of beautiful concubines in his mansion, reluctant to part with the comfort of being a "local emperor"...

Soon, a figure fell from the sky and landed in the courtyard outside Cao Xinghan's room.

Cao Xinghan felt the pressure on him ease, stood up immediately, and walked out the door.

Sure enough, standing outside the door was Qin Mingli!

Wearing a golden python robe, a jade hairpin on his head, and long hair reaching his shoulders, he looked only in his early thirties. His appearance was not particularly handsome, but he had an indescribable temperament. Standing there casually, he seemed to be the center of the whole world, making it impossible for people to ignore him.

"Southern Border Provincial Military Commander Cao Xinghan, greets the Prince!"

Cao Xinghan bowed decisively.

In Qin Mingli's eyes, it seemed as if the sun, moon, and stars were rotating. Just a calm gaze brought great pressure to Cao Xinghan:

"Cao Xinghan, do you know why this Prince came here?"

Cao Xinghan did not hesitate and cupped his hands: "Willing to listen to the Prince's orders!"

Qin Mingli sneered: "Good, this Prince wants you to lead the Southern Border army to march north with this Prince and the First Imperial Prince to clear the monarch's side!"

Even though he had already guessed the other party's intention, hearing the words "clear the monarch's side" at this moment, Cao Xinghan still trembled and felt a bit suffocated.

"..."

He maintained his bowing posture, was silent for a few seconds, and then said with difficulty:

"This subordinate... obeys!"

Subsequently, Cao Xinghan began to issue orders in front of Qin Mingli, summoning all high-level generals in the city to the military headquarters for a meeting.

Ten minutes later, more than a dozen generals arrived at the military headquarters building.

After entering the door, the first thing they saw was Qin Mingli sitting in the main seat with his eyes closed, and then they saw Cao Xinghan standing to the side.

No one is a fool. Seeing this scene, combined with the news received today, they roughly understood what was going on.

Some were uneasy, some excited, some angry.

After everyone arrived, Cao Xinghan stepped forward and said sternly:

"The Crown Prince, in order to seize power, colluded with Xiang Yunshu and Wen Ren Zheng to secretly harm the Emperor, intending to deceive the world! The First Imperial Prince saw through the truth, escaped from the capital after many difficulties, and came to our Southern Border with Prince Li Ting, ordering us to immediately march north to clear the monarch's side!"

His voice echoed in the room, deafening.

The people present changed color one after another. One of them walked out of the ranks directly, his eyes like knives, looking straight at Qin Mingli in the main seat:

"May I ask Prince Li Ting, how did you determine that what the First Imperial Prince said is true? Is there any solid evidence?"

This person is named Yang Ming, a commander of one of the three thousand-man Imperial Camp armies in the Southern Border, a level 16 military officer, and a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Because he commands a thousand-man Imperial Camp army and his military cultivation has reached the "General Level," he can possess Grandmaster-level combat power during wartime, so Cao Xinghan had always been very polite to him, and they called each other brothers.

But at this moment, Cao Xinghan pointed directly at his nose and scolded:

"Yang Ming, you are presumptuous! The First Imperial Prince saw it with his own eyes, and Prince Li Ting testifies, how can it be fake?!"

In fact, everyone present roughly knew whether it was true or false.

But what is important is not the truth or falsehood, but the situation.

If only the First Imperial Prince had run to the Southern Border alone, even if he had operated in the Southern Border for many years, he would not be able to take away all the troops of the Southern Border.

But now that there is an extra Prince Li Ting, the situation is different.

Even for the sake of their own lives, they have to bow their heads if they have to.

But there are wall-grasses that move with the wind in this world, and naturally, there are also iron-blooded men who are firm and loyal to the monarch and patriotic!

"Hahahahaha—"

Yang Ming suddenly laughed loudly.

He drew the sword from his waist with a swish, the blade pointing directly at Qin Mingli in front:

"For so many years, the Emperor has given you constant grace and honor. Is this how you repay the Emperor?!"

Everyone present changed their faces, and the look in their eyes when looking at Yang Ming became extremely complicated.

A Martial Arts Grandmaster actually dared to point a sword at a Martial Saint!

Qin Mingli slowly opened his eyes, and a brilliant light flashed in them.

He just glanced at Yang Ming, and Yang Ming was struck by lightning, his face turned pale, and he took a few steps back.

But Yang Ming still did not put away his sword, but gritted his teeth and said:

"Rebellious subjects and traitors, everyone has the right to punish them! You are following these people to rebel today, aren't you afraid of being infamous for ten thousand years, and your descendants will never be able to lift their heads?!!!"

The voice was like thunder, falling into the room and also into the hearts of everyone.

Qin Mingli did not say much; he disdained to waste his breath on such a small character.

He just turned his head and glanced at Cao Xinghan.

Cao Xinghan sighed in his heart, stepped forward, and unfolded his Martial Arts Domain, covering Yang Ming in it:

"Why bother..."

One minute later, there was an extra corpse on the ground.

Cao Xinghan looked around and said in a deep voice:

"Is there anyone else who opposes?"

The other generals looked at each other and cupped their hands to Qin Mingli in the main seat together:

"We are willing to follow the Prince and the First Imperial Prince to march north to clear the monarch's side!"

That night, the sound of killing in Cuiwater City lasted until dawn...

Even though all high-level generals expressed their agreement to follow Prince Li Ting and the First Imperial Prince, many low- and middle-level generals still refused.

Unlike the high-level generals where only one Yang Ming stood up to resist, among those lower-ranking military officers, there were more people who were willing to resist to the death!

Things in the world are sometimes like this; people who get less are more grateful.

It was not until after two o'clock in the morning that the entire Cuiwater City was completely controlled by Qin Mingli.

This Prince Li Ting had been guarded against by the royal family for so many years, and indeed did not have much influence abroad.

He could slaughter Cuiwater City alone!

But it was difficult to completely control this city by his own strength.

The reason why he could succeed so quickly, besides his military deterrence, was inseparable from Qin Zihong's arrangements.

Several high-level generals plus a part of the low- and middle-level generals stood up to firmly support him and the First Imperial Prince, claiming that what they said was the truth, and the Crown Prince had harmed the Emperor!

The attitude of these people could influence many people, especially the soldiers at the bottom who did not know the truth.

After completely controlling Cuiwater City, Cao Xinghan, in the capacity of Provincial Military Commander, conveyed orders to all other cities and towns in the Southern Border, requiring everyone to prepare to deploy troops immediately!

Subsequently, Qin Mingli took the "Hidden Crane in the Clouds" and went to four major cities in one day!

These four major cities were all cities with relatively firm attitudes and were not easy to control.

Qin Mingli made a move personally, plus the manpower arranged by the First Imperial Prince in advance, after a combination of coercion and inducement and bloody slaughter, these four cities were eventually successfully taken!

South Flat Town is one of the twenty-eight military towns in the Southern Border. There are more than 1,200 garrison troops here, half of whom are cavalry.

Jiang Yufei is the Regional Military Commissioner of South Flat Town, a level 10 military officer, responsible for managing these thousand-plus garrison troops.

After receiving the order from his superiors, this Regional Military Commissioner, who was usually laughing and joking, drinking and playing cards with his subordinates all day, had taken no shortage of bribes, and had done no shortage of various forbidden things, made a decision that surprised many people:

"The order from above is a chaotic order! Assistant Regional Commander Fang, Commander Wang, and even Provincial Military Commander Cao might have rebelled with the First Imperial Prince!"

"Whether you want to rebel with them, I can't control. Anyway, I won't do such a wicked thing! I don't want my son to be pointed at and scolded in the future!"

"Those who are afraid of death, just stay in the town and wait to be taken over."

"Those who are not afraid of death, when the time comes, follow me out to kill the rebels!"

This statement stunned a group of subordinates.

"Sir, the above says that the Crown Prince couldn't wait, so he usurped power and secretly harmed the Emperor. Could it be true? After all, the other party has been the Crown Prince for so many years, this..."

"Yes, sir, these things about the big figures above, how can we understand? Why do you have to do this?"

Several trusted aides tried to persuade Jiang Yufei.

"Fart!"

Jiang Yufei scolded directly, "The Crown Prince might rebel, but the Grand Marshal is loyal to the Emperor, how could he also rebel?!"

"I was a soldier under the Grand Marshal back then, followed the Grand Marshal to fight the Northern Barbarians, and also went to the grasslands! I absolutely do not believe the Grand Marshal would rebel!"

He stood up grumbling and went to put on his armor.

Jiang Yufei did not expect those illiterate soldiers below to understand what is righteousness and what is right and wrong.

So he was not willing to force these people to accompany him to die.

Most people in their lives are actually difficult to distinguish right from wrong, just following the crowd and being swept forward by the general trend.

Jiang Yufei did not think he was a very smart person, nor did he think he was very great.

He was just a small person.

However, small people also have the persistence of small people!

More than two hours later, Jiang Yufei put on his armor, held a spear, carried a rifle on his back, and rode a first-grade Flying Crossing Beast out of South Flat Town.

Thirty-four soldiers followed him and left. These people were riding ordinary warhorses, and only five of them were martial artists.

Outside South Flat Town, yellow sand filled the sky.

Ahead, a cloud of smoke like a yellow dragon was sweeping toward this side quickly!

Jiang Yufei squinted his eyes and watched for a while, his hands and feet felt a bit cold:

"Damn it, there are actually Imperial Camp troops!"

There were more than three hundred iron cavalry coming to "take over" South Flat Town, half of whom were exotic beast cavalry, and there were also fifty Imperial Camp cavalry!

Jiang Yufei was only a peak Qi Transformation martial artist, not even a Dao Foundation martial artist. Facing these Imperial Camp troops, he would die in a single encounter.

At this time, it was actually still in time to regret.

He steadied his slightly trembling hands, took a deep breath, and suddenly raised the spear in his hand:

"Everyone! Follow me to kill the rebels!"

"Kill—"

Jiang Yufei clamped the horse's belly hard and rushed out first.

"Kill!!!"

The soldiers behind him all had firm eyes and rushed out with him.

Thirty-five cavalry launched a charge against three hundred cavalry!

A moment later, blood stained the yellow sand red, and there were dozens of corpses on the ground.

The setting sun was like blood, and the wind and sand buried everything.

Betrayal and resistance, blood and slaughter.

All this is happening in every corner of the Southern Border.

In just two days, all nine major cities and twenty-eight military towns of the Southern Border fell into the control of Prince Li Ting and the First Imperial Prince!

This speed made Cao Xinghan, the Provincial Military Commander of the Southern Border, feel surprised.

He had been in charge of the Southern Border for more than twenty years. Not to say that he knew the situation of the border army like the back of his hand, but he roughly knew the situation.

He knew about the infiltration and solicitation of the Southern Border army by various parties in the imperial court.

Although the First Imperial Prince had laid his pieces early, with the manpower arranged by the other party, it shouldn't be possible to control the entire Southern Border so quickly.

Even with his own surrender plus Prince Li Ting's military deterrence, this speed seemed too fast!

"Could it be..."

A guess flashed in Cao Xinghan's heart, and he suddenly felt that this "clearing the monarch's side" might have a higher chance of winning than he imagined!

That night, the First Imperial Prince Qin Zihong arrived at Cuiwater City with his people and met with Qin Mingli alone.

"Greetings, Grand Uncle!"

After meeting, Qin Zihong immediately bowed to Qin Mingli.

Qin Mingli helped him up with one hand, a smile on his face: "Zihong, you did well."

Qin Zihong also smiled: "Thanks to Grand Uncle being here, otherwise how could it be accomplished?"

Qin Mingli nodded and turned to walk toward the balcony on the side.

The two were at the highest point of the military headquarters building. Qin Zihong followed up and stood in front of the railing with Qin Mingli, overlooking the city below.

"Zihong, we are marching north with the Southern Border army, leaving the Southern Border gateway wide open. If the two desert states take the opportunity to invade... if we fail in the end, you and I might be infamous for ten thousand years."

Qin Mingli looked at the lights in the distance and said so.

Qin Zihong's eyes were cold upon hearing this:

"A man lives once. If you live, you should be a hero; if you die, you should be a hero among ghosts! Being infamous for ten thousand years is better than being mediocre for a lifetime!"

Qin Mingli was not surprised by Qin Zihong's thoughts. The other party was very similar to himself when he was young in many aspects, which is why he valued this descendant so much.

"I hope I won't be the second Qingxu."

Qin Mingli smiled indifferently.

Qin Zihong turned to look at him, his eyes firm:

"Grand Uncle, don't worry. Once I ascend to the throne, I will definitely support you with all my strength to climb to the peak of martial arts!"

Qin Mingli looked at him and nodded.

A monarch who ascends to the throne normally, no matter who it is, would not allow him to go further.

Only when the First Imperial Prince jumps out directly and stands on the opposite side of everyone will he truly need his support, and after ascending to the throne, he will also need his military force.

At that time, he will be equivalent to the "Retired Emperor," and only then will he have the opportunity to sweep across the Western Continent with military force, or take that last step in another way.

As for being the Emperor himself, at least for now, "clearing the monarch's side" can only be led by the First Imperial Prince.

Because the other party has righteousness on his side when coming to "clear the monarch's side." If only Qin Mingli jumped out, it would be a rebellion!

Having righteousness on one's side versus being scolded as a rebel, the morale and hearts of the people will be two completely different results.

To fight for the world, righteousness is indispensable, because it involves the hearts of hundreds of millions of people!

In the future, if Qin Mingli and Qin Zihong and others win, Qin Zihong ascending to the throne as Emperor will face much less resistance than Qin Mingli being Emperor.

Qin Zihong needs Qin Mingli's military support, while Qin Mingli needs Qin Zihong to provide righteousness and status for himself, and also needs to use the forces the other party has operated for many years.

This is the basis for the cooperation between the two sides.

"Zihong, look."

Qin Mingli suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the sky.

Qin Zihong looked up.

The moonlight was bright, and the night sky was clear as if washed.

Stars hung high, forming a brilliant Milky Way, extending into the distance.

Qin Zihong opened his arms, showing a look of intoxication.

"This world..."

The night wind roared like a tiger, rolling up the yellow sand of the desert, and one could faintly smell the blood and rust in it.

Golden spears and iron horses, fighting for the world!

The night of July 5th.

On the day before Qin Mingli and Qin Zihong just arrived at the Southern Border and officially took action, Lu Wenzheng had a late-night talk with Xu Jing in his mansion.

"The First Imperial Prince and the Prince have arrived at the Southern Border."

Inside the study, Xu Jing used his strength to form an invisible barrier to ensure that their conversation would not be overheard, and Lu Wenzheng directly gave the intelligence he had just obtained.

"The combat power of the Southern Border army is the weakest among the four major border armies. Counting the quotas for eating empty rations and the losses in this internal strife, it is said to be an army of 100,000, but how many people are there actually? How much combat power?"

Xu Jing was quite disgusted after hearing it.

"Of course, they cannot rely solely on this little force to march north to clear the monarch's side. The First Imperial Prince has more than just the Southern Border in his hands. Their route north has already been planned, and they will pass through several provinces where the First Imperial Prince has operated for many years, and will take more people with them to march north."

Lu Wenzheng said.

Xu Jing shook his head.

Even if they could take the power of several provinces to march north, in his view, it was far from enough.

However, he knew that the other party must have trump cards, but they wouldn't show their cards to him now.

"What we need to do is to control the entire Feng Province in advance, and when the army arrives, march north with them!"

Lu Wenzheng narrowed his eyes and said so.

After determining that it was impossible for Li Fei to reconcile with him and was determined to kill him, he began to plan this game of chess with the First Imperial Prince.

His situation was similar to Qin Zihong's; both were likely to die if they continued to wait.

Since that's the case, why not fight to the death?

Previously, Li Fei borrowed the power of the Lu family, causing all parties to "swallow the elephant," constantly eroding the power of Lu Wenzheng's line.

And Lu Wenzheng took advantage of the situation to use the power outside Feng Province as bait, throwing it out to divert the attention of all parties.

He began to make preparations in secret in Feng Province, where he had the strongest control, and tried his best to cash out the operations outside Feng Province into silver and various resources.

Once everything was ready, when the First Imperial Prince and the Prince launched, he could also launch!

The First Imperial Prince had operated in the Southern Border for more than ten years and could have generals willing to rebel with him.

The Lu family had existed for hundreds of years, so naturally, they were not short of dead soldiers.

Once launched, with Xu Jing, a Grandmaster, providing military support, Lu Wenzheng was confident in quickly controlling all military and political power in the entire Feng Province except for Datong Prefecture!

"I have made arrangements, just waiting for Li Fei to throw himself into the net."

Lu Wenzheng smiled at Xu Jing.

"I want to kill him with my own hands."

Xu Jing said in a cold tone.

He didn't have to follow Lu Wenzheng to the end; after all, he was a Grandmaster, and his value was different from Lu Wenzheng's.

If Lu Wenzheng lost his official position and the status of head of the family, he would have no way out.

But he, Xu Jing, was different.

But after successfully devouring the 【Evil God】 with the 【Black Water】 supernatural power and finding that the problem with the Martial Arts Domain still couldn't be solved, Xu Jing's mentality changed completely.

He could accept Li Fei becoming stronger and stronger, and even threatening his life in the future.

But he couldn't accept that he would stop moving forward in this life and be destined to be "mediocre"!

If everyone was climbing upward, and Li Fei could catch up from behind and surpass him, then even if he died at Li Fei's hands in the future, Xu Jing wouldn't have any complaints.

But Li Fei had blocked his way forward!

So Xu Jing made up his mind that he must get rid of his inner demon!

"Don't worry, as long as Li Fei dares to come, he will surely die."

Lu Wenzheng said viciously, "To deal with him, the First Imperial Prince also sent a Grandmaster to help us deal with Shi Caiming."

"Very good!"

A bloodthirsty killing intent appeared in Xu Jing's eyes.

Even if he might be doomed in the end, he had to fight, and he would never regret it!

Under the same night sky.

Datong Prefecture, Xingcheng.

Li Lei walked out of the government building with a tired face.

After becoming the Chief of Xingcheng, he was busier than before, and tonight he worked overtime until 11 o'clock again.

"Sir."

The driver opened the car door for Li Lei.

Soon, the black car drove away from the street.

A few minutes later, the driver suddenly felt a bit of danger.

He was both a driver and a bodyguard, a peak Qi Transformation martial artist, possessing the core-level extraordinary ability "Danger Perception."

After "Danger Perception" was triggered, he immediately said in a deep voice:

"Sir, something seems wrong!"

"Hmm?"

Li Lei sat up straight suddenly.

Just at this moment, several figures suddenly rushed out from a small alley ahead, holding weapons and rushing toward this side!

Behind the car, several figures also rushed out.

"Oh no!"

The driver's face changed drastically; he could sense that those coming were all experts:

"Sir, I will try my best to stop them for a while, you find a way to escape!"

Li Lei clenched his fists upon hearing this.

He took a deep breath and quickly calmed down.

Then he touched the gun at his waist, and a flash of determination flashed in his eyes!

Jing'an Hou Fu.

When Li Lei was attacked on the road, more than thirty people rushed into the Hou Fu with swords!

These thirty-plus people were all disciples of the Qingshan Sword Sect.

After the establishment of Hongyi University, most of the Qingshan Sword Sect joined it and used the university's resources to constantly strengthen themselves.

This martial arts sect was already the number one sect in the Jianghu of Feng Province, and now its strength was even higher.

An old man with a fairy-like appearance, wearing a white robe, with a sword on his back, walked straight toward the gate of the Hou Fu.

The old man's name is Wan Xuesong, the Great Elder of the Qingshan Sword Sect.

Previously, he had been stuck at the peak of the Dao Foundation for more than twenty years, but later, with the help of Hongyi University's resources, he finally successfully took that step and became a Martial Arts Grandmaster!

Coupled with the Sect Master Nalan Zhi, the Qingshan Sword Sect had two Martial Arts Grandmasters.

"It's a pity that Feng'er died too early."

A flash of grief flashed in Wan Xuesong's eyes.

Gu Yuefeng, who died under the blade of the Green-Faced Ghost, was the disciple with the highest talent in the history of the Qingshan Sword Sect!

If Gu Yuefeng had successfully broken through the realm back then, the Qingshan Sword Sect would now have three Martial Arts Grandmasters and would have the possibility of having its own Grandmaster in the future!

It's a pity that everything was ruined by that blade of the Green-Faced Ghost...

And now the Jianghu of Feng Province knows that Jing'an Marquis Li Fei was the Green-Faced Ghost back then.

Wan Xuesong looked up at the plaque of the Hou Fu, and a deep hatred emerged in his eyes!

He strode forward and killed his way into the Jing'an Hou Fu head-on!

On the long street, a total of more than a dozen martial artists were fighting together, and the lowest realm was a Qi Transformation martial artist.

After more than a dozen killers suddenly appeared, more than a dozen martial artists of the Jing'an Marquis rushed out to protect Li Lei, and the two sides fought into a group!

The car Li Lei was riding in stopped in the middle of the long street, unable to move for the time being.

The signal flare had been fired, and the experts of the Zhige Academy and the City Guard would arrive soon!

A middle-aged man wearing a white robe, with long hair draped over his shoulders and a sword at his waist, suddenly appeared at the street corner, walking calmly toward the fighting group.

His name is Nalan Zhi, the Sect Master of the Qingshan Sword Sect!

For this operation, the Qingshan Sword Sect almost sent out all its elites.

In a mere Xingcheng, two Martial Arts Grandmasters came!

Swish—

At a certain moment, sword light shone on the long street.

Under the night, the stormy waves had already risen.

This chapter is 10,000 words, asking for monthly tickets~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 495 =====