Chapter 1351: Peace Didn't Last Long

Mo Yinglong's eldest son happened to be right behind him. Having trained in martial arts for many years, and being young and strong, his reaction was naturally not slow. He swung his pudao, aiming to slash at the opponent's long blade.

The street was narrow, the opponent wore heavy armor, and the pudao had a long handle. If Mo Yinglong's eldest son tried to attack where the enemy was forced to defend, his movements would be restricted. The best option he could find was to use his blade to knock against the opponent's long blade, stop this strike first, and then engage in combat.

The two blades collided, but the eldest son of the Mo family had not expected the opponent's strength to be so immense. It directly jolted his pudao upward, and the blade's edge was already upon him. Normally, after such a collision, the force would have been deflected no matter what. But the armored giant was not merely recklessly brave and strong. He thrust his long blade forward, stabbing and then flicking upward. A gash was immediately torn open on the eldest son's chest, blood gushing wildly, and his whole body crumpled limply to the ground.

Mo Yinglong watched this, his eyes splitting with rage, but he was separated by a step and could not get close. After striking, the armored giant did not retreat. Holding his blade level forward like a spear, he charged over with a roar, like a furious horse or a charging bull!

Under such an imposing manner, in such a confined space, all Mo Yinglong could do was first evade his edge. He swept his blade beside him for defense and withdrew a step toward the wall.

The archer who had suddenly appeared at the street corner did not move after firing that one arrow. Mo Yinglong's trusted aide, who held a long spear, now also had to turn around to face the enemy.

The long spear was too long; it had to be raised vertically to turn it around in the alley. This movement was inevitably half a beat slow. Just as he turned around, the armored giant was already upon him. The long blade directly pierced through his chest, stabbing him through and through. But the armored giant did not withdraw his blade. He just pushed the man forward like that, charging over a dozen steps, and then pulled out his blade. The corpse fell to the ground. Behind him, Mo Yinglong had just raised his blade to follow up, wanting to seize this opportunity to ambush the giant's back.

The giant, covered in blood, turned around. He assumed a posture with the long blade in his hand, his face expressionless, his gaze cold, and just looked at Mo Yinglong like that. Mo Yinglong subconsciously felt his breath catch. He retreated two steps, and vaguely recalled a time in his childhood when he had followed his elders hunting in the mountains and suddenly encountered a fierce tiger.

At this moment, Mo Yinglong finally realized that he had grown old. Back then, when they encountered that fierce tiger, he, his father, and his elder brothers had all charged forward. But now, there was only fear and cowardice.

"I... I... this humble one... this humble one..." Mo Yinglong stammered a few incomplete sentences while holding up his blade, his body gradually beginning to tremble. In the end, he simply threw down his blade and knelt directly on the ground.

The armored giant narrowed his eyes and looked over, his gaze filled with contempt and disdain. In the end, he only uttered a single phrase: "Cowardly rat."

Although contemptuous, the giant showed not the slightest negligence. The long blade in his hand remained in a state ready to slash, hack, or stab at any moment. He merely raised his voice and said, "He's surrendered! Take him away!"

As soon as his words fell, the sound of footsteps rose from both ends of the empty street. Dozens of people charged in, armed with weapons for long, short, and medium range. Mo Yinglong even saw two fire lances. Only at this moment did he completely abandon all hope.

A middle-aged man dressed in a merchant's robe quickly approached, a helpless, bitter smile on his face. He came before the armored giant and said, "Second Master, you hold a noble status now. If anything were to happen to you by chance, none of us could bear the responsibility. Why must you do this?"

The giant addressed as "Second Master" shook the long blade in his hand, took out a piece of flannel to wipe the bloodstains himself, and spoke calmly: "I'm helping you out, and you still have so much to say. I reckon there'll be peace for a while longer. If I don't move around, my body will get rusty."

The middle-aged man was also helpless and just nodded repeatedly. Hearing this exchange, Mo Yinglong finally realized who this giant was. At this moment, not only did he not feel anger, but his terror grew even greater. For Chen Sheng, Second Master Chen, acclaimed as the fiercest warrior of the Zhao Family Army, to personally take action—his own family had truly lost their minds!

Although they had suffered a great loss in Xuzhou, the family estate still remained. They should not have assumed the other party was just a martial hero from the jianghu. They should not have harbored resentment in their hearts. They should not have lightly trusted the Eastern Depot and the Brocade Guard's promises of titles and offices. As a result, they had brought the calamity of clan extermination upon themselves. Even more, they should not have lightly trusted that Mo Peisheng. Although they were of the same clan and lineage, even blood-related, they had colluded together precisely because of profit. This secret must have been betrayed by him.

The only silver lining now was that the Zhao Family Army was unlikely to practice collective punishment. His youngest son, although aware of this matter, had been kept at a distance by him all along...

Thinking of this, Mo Yinglong suddenly let out a loud howl, startling the Zhao Family Army soldiers who had come to wrap things up, causing them to hurriedly surround him. Only when they saw Mo Yinglong knocking his head on the ground and tearing at his own hair incessantly did they realize it had nothing to do with them.

Mo Yinglong had thought of something. This secret passage was known only to the few who had just come out and his youngest son. Even the womenfolk of the household had not been told. Mo Peisheng had even less way of knowing about it. The people who had built this secret passage back then had all been silenced outside the city. How could this Xuzhou Zhao Family Army know? He should not have let him study. All his blood and spirit were gone, to the point of even betraying his own family.

"Second Master, operations were launched simultaneously across the city today. No spies from the Depot and Guard will slip through the net. What are your instructions for the next step, Second Master?"

"I'm here to help. You do things according to your own protocols. Don't ask me!" Chen Sheng spoke.

Compared to the Zhao Family Army's brigades, regiments, and battalions that acted according to regulations, the Internal Guard here had absorbed many outsiders, and they were very particular about these formalities of rank and hierarchy. Of course, most of the time, it was just a couple of polite exchanges.

The middle-aged man nodded with a smile, took his leave, and went off to make arrangements. Carrying his blade, Chen Sheng walked through the bustling crowd and entered a residence within the street alley. Several personal guards were waiting there, helping him remove his armor and then organize his gear. The Zhao Family Army's First Brigade had one regiment stationed inside the city, but the brigade headquarters and the other regiments were all outside the city. Once the local patrol regiment was fully formed, the Zhao Family Army would also withdraw from the city.

That day, disturbances occurred everywhere in Jinan City. Retired officials living at home, highly respected local gentry, wealthy merchants who were the richest in the region, the shanties where the poor lived, the gambling dens and thieves' nests where jianghu types mingled, the brothels and inns—all were suddenly surrounded and stormed. In some places, fierce battles were fought; in others, people surrendered without resistance. There were also instances of blood splattering five steps on the street, causing panic among the people of Jinan, who feared some major turmoil was about to happen.

However, after a batch of people were arrested and a batch were killed, the city quickly quieted down. Then, some clueless local thugs and ruffians who thought they could loot in the chaos were bloodily purged. Such people became fewer and fewer. Everyone knew the Zhao Family Army would not tolerate others taking advantage of the chaos to cause disorder or fish in troubled waters.

A few days later, news also circulated, saying that the Zhu Ming court had sent secret agents to Jinan, planning to assassinate important figures from Xuzhou and incite rebellion here, but they were detected by Xuzhou's Depot and Guard and purged in advance.

Over thirty riders protected Chen Sheng in the center as they galloped toward the main camp outside the city. These personal guards of the First Brigade were all filled with awe for their brigade commander. According to their thinking, the foremost hero under heaven was Zhao Jin, and the second was Chen Sheng. Whether in military strategy, martial skill, or conduct and deeds, he was a hero of the highest order.

Chen Sheng's expression was calm. The mount beneath him was a sturdy horse meticulously sought out by Wang Ziyang on the grasslands, and there were always several in rotation for him to switch between. Otherwise, they truly could not bear Chen Sheng's weight. To outsiders, Chen Sheng's expression never seemed to change. But he himself understood that over these years, as the number of battles he participated in increased, he increasingly thirsted for combat and slaughter, increasingly longed for the battlefield.

But the Xuzhou Zhao Family Army's strategy was always to plan thoroughly before acting, to strike with the force of a thunderbolt in a single battle and end it swiftly. It was impossible to give him many opportunities for prolonged, bitter fighting. Thus, this bloodlust could often only be vented in small skirmishes like pursuing fugitives and rounding up court secret agents. This time in Jinan, he had killed a few men, and his mood had eased somewhat. Yet he also felt a touch of melancholy, thinking that even such small skirmishes would become fewer and fewer from now on. As for commanding a great army into formation for battle, that would be at the earliest two years from now. Moreover, Chen Sheng had his own assessment: with Xuzhou developing like this, in two years, there probably wouldn't be fierce battles; situations where the enemy surrendered at the mere sight of their banners would likely become much more common.

As they were moving forward, the urgent sound of horse hooves was heard. Chen Sheng's personal guards each prepared for defense, drawing their weapons. Turning their heads, they discovered it was a messenger, one of Zhao Jin's personal soldiers. Their attire and dress looked ordinary, but they bore markings that only the Zhao Family Army could recognize. Moreover, they always moved in groups of at least three to prevent the message from being lost midway.

"Ahead, is that Brigade Commander Chen?" the messenger shouted out.

While spurring his horse to gallop, he held his command token high in one hand. Upon reaching them, he directly tossed the token over. The personal guards beside Chen Sheng verified the token before allowing the man to approach.

Once the man came in, everyone was stunned. The personal soldier in front was nothing unusual, but the one behind was actually Sun Dalin, the head of the personal guard unit beside Zhao Jin. What kind of order required him to deliver it?

Sun Dalin was quite steady. After calming his breathing on horseback, he spoke in a deep voice: "Brigade Commander Chen, the General has orders. The entirety of the First Brigade, the Second Cavalry Regiment, and five military barracks from Dongchang Prefecture are temporarily organized into the First Division. Brigade Commander Chen is appointed as Division Commander of the First Division."

When this news was spoken, Chen Sheng was stunned. The personal guards around him were also dumbfounded. No wonder Sun Dalin had to come to deliver this order; if anyone else had said it, they might not have believed it.

The entirety of the First Brigade, the Second Cavalry Regiment, and five military barracks—adding their respective logistics units together—this was already a large force exceeding ten thousand men, specifically handed over to Chen Sheng alone to command. Could it be that they were about to attack the capital? No, if they were attacking the capital, why would they be assembling at Dengzhou Harbor? Could it be they were taking the sea route from Tianjin?

"... Effective immediately, the entirety of the First Brigade is to set out within three days for the Dengzhou military harbor. The Second Cavalry Regiment has already set out from Xuzhou and will rendezvous with the First Brigade at the Dengzhou military harbor. The five military barracks will follow and arrive afterward. Equipment, supplies, and provisions will all be transported by the fleet and ferried across the sea together..." Sun Dalin continued speaking there. Chen Sheng merely took a deep breath, his expression unchanged.

At this point, Sun Dalin slightly raised his voice: "The First Division shall cross the sea and land at Lushun and Jinzhou, strike the Tartar slaves hard, and sweep through Liaodong, so that all lands beyond Shanhai Pass become our Xuzhou territory!"

Hearing this, Chen Sheng's personal guards could no longer conceal their shock and excitement. Even the composed Chen Sheng's face flushed red!

Thank you, everyone.