knife

Chapter 333 A single spark can start a prairie fire
No one expected the war to end so easily.

Even Li Dachui hadn't expected this.

It was unprecedented for a master of innate talent to lead an army in a charge into a city.

It was already quite rare to see a ninth-rank expert like Xiao Changche charging ahead.

Because the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan is very rare.

There are even fewer naturally gifted masters.

As innate masters used in strategic weapons, they are generally used for mutual deterrence. Unless absolutely necessary, who would send innate masters out to do such hard labor!
This must be incredibly embarrassing for a master of innate abilities, right?

He had a master of innate level in his own family, and there were several masters of innate level among the people he associated with. Moreover, he had even killed two masters of innate level. So in Li Dachui's mind, that was about all there was to a master of innate level.
He's projecting his own feelings onto others.

However, one cannot imagine the shock Chen Chang felt when he discovered that he was a master of innate talent.

In that instant, all of Chen Changhui's courage vanished without a trace.

If it were merely a ninth-rank Xuan Yuan cultivator, Chen Chang would still be determined to cooperate with his subordinates to put up a good fight.

But if it's a master born with innate talent, then forget it!
run!
Running too slowly won't work.

Of course, this innate master also had to ignore his existence.

However, it was clear that Li Dachui had no intention of letting this guy go.

So Chen Chang rushed out of Mianzhu City in one breath, took a deep breath, looked back and saw that the innate master was not chasing after him. He was overjoyed at his decisive decision. When he turned back again to continue running away, he saw Li Dachui standing behind him with a smile.

Chen Changhui's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground with a thud.

"I surrender! I am useful! I am willing to go through fire and water for the imperial court!"

Li Dachui decided to take a few days to rest in Mianzhu.

Mianzhu fell almost without a fight, and three thousand soldiers were taken prisoner. These men were not to be wasted, so Fang Xiaomao and Wu Hou immediately began to reorganize them.

All the high-ranking officers were naturally pulled out.

The superiors' trusted confidants and cronies will also be exposed.

Those from prominent families should also be identified.

And what's left are just some soldiers who are paid to serve.

It doesn't matter who you serve in the army for!
Anyway, soldiers get paid!

What's more, this time he's accompanied by a deity.

In the eyes of these soldiers, Li Dachui, a master of innate skill, was almost like a god.

Of course, while reorganizing these officers and soldiers, we must not forget the tens of thousands of rabble outside the pass. With the memory of Li Dachui's immortal power still fresh in their minds, the troops of the inspection brigade began to organize and train them in a simple way. They did not expect them to be able to fight hard battles, but they must be able to wave flags and shout, and be able to advance at the sound of drums and retreat at the sound of gongs.

The incident of being frightened into going home by a hail of arrows that no one could actually hit under the walls of Mianzhu City must never happen again.

Of course, Li Dachui stopped in Mianzhu to wait for this matter to develop further.

Now the city of Chengdu has opened its doors to him, just like Xiangling, the top courtesan at Yingchun Tower. Whenever she sees Li Dachui appear, she always puts on a coy and shy demeanor, appearing incredibly alluring.

Therefore, if Mianzhu falls, the entire Sichuan region will inevitably erupt into chaos, like a silver carp being thrown into a calm pond.

All the fish, crabs, shrimp, and other creatures that were originally submerged at the bottom of the pond will naturally take this opportunity to jump up.

Prince Ji, Li Shen, and the Tang family have colluded for years to implement a high-pressure rule in Shu, desperately accumulating wealth, eliminating dissidents, and attacking political enemies. On the surface, the whole of Shu is peaceful, but beneath the calm surface, there are always undercurrents.

It's like a pot of boiling oil. At first glance, it seems calm, but if you throw in a few drops of water, it will immediately splatter all over your face.

Li Dachui was waiting for the entire Sichuan region to erupt in excitement.

Then, when he marches into Shu again, countless forces that have grudges against Li Shen and the Tang family will take the initiative to come to him. Normally they wouldn't have the guts, but if they don't seize such a good opportunity, they might as well die.

The reorganization in Mianzhu took ten days, achieving two goals at once.

When Zhang Songlin learned of this news, his family was having dinner together.

He is certainly not in Chengdu now.

A fight is about to break out, and he's still staying in the city. Isn't that just handing his head over to Prince Ji to be chopped off?
So, when the time was right, I made up an excuse and went to the Zhang family's manor outside the city. Although the Zhang family did not have a high status in Sichuan, they were wealthy.

So this farm, which was called a villa, was built almost like a castle. Naturally, it also housed a private army. The wealthy Zhang family recruited many skilled martial artists, hoping to capture Zhang Songlin from the Zhang family's villa. However, Prince Ji, Li Shen, no longer had such intentions.

Because it's not worth paying that price.

The head of the Black Ice Guard stationed in Chengdu rushed into the dining room like a whirlwind, causing a commotion among the Zhang family women and also displeasing Zhang Songlin.

We're not quite at the point of being close friends yet!

It's incredibly rude of you to barge in like that.

However, when the chief mentioned that the imperial army had captured Mianzhu and that the leader was a general named Fang Xiaomao, Zhang Songlin lost his composure and knocked over the bowl of millet porridge in front of him, getting his front of his clothes covered in golden millet.

Li Dachui actually came in person.

Fang Xiaomao was Li Dachui's close follower. Fang Xiaomao was the commander of the troops in Mianzhu, but in reality, it should have been Li Dachui who personally led the army.

“Li Duhu said, ‘A single spark can start a prairie fire.’ Cheng Zhijie, now it’s time for you to ignite that spark.”

Cheng Zhijie, the chief commander of the Black Ice Guard stationed in Sichuan, laughed and nodded: "Of course, the entire Sichuan region will soon be in an uproar. Countless riots will prevent all the local garrisons in Sichuan from having a chance to return to Chengdu. Minister Zhang, will the troops you contacted be able to gather on time?"

“Of course, no problem!” Zhang Songlin drew a circle with his hand. “Among the dozens of manors around here, those who have suffered from the bullying of Li Shen and the Tang family are eagerly awaiting this day! When the imperial army arrives here, they will bring their elite Jing Cong and Cheng Zhijie. At that time, the imperial army will be supplemented with thousands of brave warriors.”

"Then I will go." Cheng Zhijie could hardly contain his excitement. The imperial army was marching straight to Chengdu, while the main force of Sichuan was gathered near Jianmen Pass. In order to defeat the enemy outside Jianmen Pass and then take advantage of the situation to go through Jinniu Road, seize Hanzhong, and advance straight to Chang'an, Li Shen of Sichuan even sent out tens of thousands of newly recruited troops. Among them were the private armies of the families in Sichuan who were affiliated with the Tang family and Li Shen. These private armies were incorporated into the new army as the backbone and support.

If Chengdu falls, logistics are cut off, and the leaders of each faction run into trouble, then these armies will likely be swept away in an instant.

Moreover, outside Jianmen Pass, there are tens of thousands of imperial troops led by Wu De!

Having captured Sichuan, those who had endured so much hardship there for so many years finally saw their day come.

The harder you work in the past, the happier you will be in the future.

How could Cheng Zhijie not be excited?
The long night was about to pass, and the dawn was breaking before his eyes.

The only missing step is the final one.

Watching Cheng Zhijie leave, Zhang Songlin suddenly roared to the sky, as if decades of pent-up frustration were released in this roar!

"Guards! Bring me my armor and weapons!"

A moment later, Zhang Songlin, dressed in military attire, mounted his horse with a sword in hand. Horns and drums resounded throughout the farm, and groups of craftsmen and farmers poured in from all directions. They rushed to the main house, took armor and weapons from the guards, and in no time at all, an armored army began to line up neatly in front of Zhang Songlin.

According to the agreement with Li Dachui, after the success, Zhang Songlin will become the highest official in the entire Shu County.

As for Chang'an, Zhang Songlin would naturally never go back.

In Meishan, Huang Biao squatted in front of the rice paddy, reached out and picked a few grains of rice. He peeled back the tender outer skin and carefully examined the inside. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. All the hard work these days had finally paid off. The rice was filling very well. Having overcome this hurdle, there was now a 70-80% chance of a bumper harvest this year.

Standing on the ridge of the field and looking down, the rice seedlings in dozens of terraced fields are lush and green, each plant full of ears of rice. This is the most delightful part.

Unlike the farmers outside, they grow their own food and don't pay taxes to the government.

Each one is yours.

At the foot of the mountain, a fast horse galloped over, and the dust it kicked up resembled a gray dragon, stretching from afar all the way to our village.

Huang Biao took a deep breath, and with a leap, he swept downwards like the wind.

Is there finally news?
"Brother, under the command of General Fang Xiaomao, the Chang'an Imperial Guards have taken the Yinping Trail, crossed the Motian Ridge, captured Jiangyou Pass, and taken Mianzhu. They are now advancing on Chengdu. Commander Cheng Zhijie has ordered our troops to gather all available forces to cooperate with the imperial army in attacking Chengdu."

How many soldiers are there in the Imperial Guard?

"According to the messenger, the Imperial Guards who set out from Mianzhu number as many as 30,000!"

"How is this possible?" Huang Biao exclaimed in shock.

Yinping Trail, Motianling, Jiangyou Pass – each of these places represents two words: natural fortresses.

How did tens of thousands of troops get here?
The messenger leaned closer to Huang Biao and whispered, "There's also news from Mianzhu: there are hidden experts of the Innate Realm within the Imperial Guards. They intervened during the attack on Mianzhu, and the city fell to them almost without any chance of resistance!"

Huang Biao let out a heavy sigh.

(End of this chapter)