I wield power with my innate talents, and forge the Heavenly Court.

Chapter 110 The Reason: From Eastward to Northward, the Army Split in Two

Listening to Wang Anzi's account, Wang Chao gradually understood the whole story.

They set off in December, and by the time they finally arrived in Shaanxi after a long and winding journey, it was already January.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chaodu couldn't help but widen his eyes and look at Wang Anzi in disbelief.

You were sent to deliver an imperial edict, yet in over a month you've only managed to cross SX province. This can't be described as slow; according to military orders, you should all be dragged out and beaten to death.

Seeing the Wang Chao's shocked expression, Wang Anzi couldn't help but feel embarrassed; he had indeed gone a bit too far.

However, since he has never left the capital before, he must have a good time now that he's out of the capital.
The officials in the places the angel visited naturally flattered and fawned over him, providing him with the best food, drink, entertainment, and gifts.

So he got a little carried away.

When they became alert, they hurriedly hurried on their way.

However, after a smooth journey for the first half, they encountered a major crisis shortly after entering Shaanxi.

That was during Wang Jiayin's uprising. These eunuchs who delivered imperial edicts were almost discovered and killed by the rebel army.

If they hadn't escaped quickly and hadn't happened to run into a Ming army, their group of dozens of men would have been wiped out.

Afterwards, Wang Jiayin and his men roamed around, conquering cities and seizing territories, which prevented the group that was going to Gansu to deliver the imperial edict from finding a good opportunity to leave Liqiao's camp.

Or rather, Wang Anzi and his men dared not leave, fearing they might encounter the rebels again.

It wasn't until February or March, when they realized they couldn't delay any longer, that they set off again.

This time, however, they had no interest in sightseeing and focused solely on getting on their way.

While passing through Anding, Wang Anzi suddenly had a thought.

Their trip to Gansu to deliver the imperial decree has taken far too long, and they will likely face severe punishment upon their return.

Since that was the case, he wondered if he could gain some merit so that Emperor Chongzhen could calm down his wrath.

Entering the territory of the People's Salvation Army to investigate their activities seemed like a good option, perhaps even a way to atone for one's crimes and maybe even receive a reward.

After all, the dynasty was under the shadow of national destiny, and the people's hearts had been won back by the dynasty and the People's Salvation Army.

Therefore, spies who come to investigate the territory of the militia are often discovered immediately.

For major external forces, the territory of the People's Salvation Army was an information black hole.

They were unable to obtain any useful information, and the spies they sent out also disappeared without a trace.

All the information was based on dubious rumors circulating among the public.

The leader of the People's Salvation Army, Wang Chao, is actually the Heavenly Emperor descended to earth to save the suffering people.

And the so-called "People's Salvation Army" all possessed magical powers, with their leader even able to summon wind and rain, ensuring a bountiful harvest for the people of their territory during the winter, and so on.
Listen to this, listen to this, isn't this all just wishful thinking and rumors?

What kind of celestial emperor descended to earth? An emperor is still the Son of Heaven.

Could it be that the dynasty was the emperor's father?
Almost no one believed it.

Although no one believes this information, it is basically all true.

It was precisely this situation, where the outside world knew nothing about the "true" information about the People's Salvation Army, that gave Wang Anzi an opportunity.

If he were to obtain some information about the People's Salvation Army, the emperor would surely forgive his delay and might even bestow a great reward upon him.

Moreover, they only entered quietly and scouted the perimeter, so there shouldn't be any problems.

So, the clever Wang Anzi and the others discussed it and decided to make a slight turn in the north of Anding County and enter the county's territory.

The group consisted of a number of people, neither too many nor too few.

The moment they entered the territory of the Salvation Army, countless wisps of gray-black energy rose up, transforming into a faint, small dark cloud that drifted into the spiritual realm.

It should be noted that although the dynasty did not prohibit the people from leaving the territory of the Salvation Army, it also did not prohibit outsiders from entering.

Therefore, there were many people coming and going along the border of the People's Salvation Army's territory.

However, the majority of them are ordinary people.

After witnessing the living conditions of the people in the territory of the People's Salvation Army, those people not only had no resistance or hatred towards the People's Salvation Army, but also...

On the contrary, they all wished that the militia would quickly occupy their territory so that they could live a better life.

Even if some people entered for the first time, after hearing various rumors about the People's Salvation Army, they might feel uneasy, but no one would hate them.

In that case, wouldn't it be obvious who those spies and agents with ulterior motives are?

Wherever they are, a dark, gray aura always rises. Even if it's impossible to pinpoint a specific person, a little investigation is enough to locate and arrest them.

That's as obvious as a louse on a bald man's head.

As for Wang Anzi and his men, their actions went beyond mere obviousness; they were essentially telling Wang Erniu, who was guarding Anding, that enemy troops were attacking.

Without saying a word, Wang Erniu immediately gathered a squad of soldiers to go and investigate.

After entering the territory of the People's Salvation Army, Wang Anzi and his men saw that the morale of the people here was far higher than what they had seen along the way.

In other places, especially after entering Shaanxi, the people they saw were mostly ragged, pale, and with numbness and despair in their eyes.

These were once prime farmlands, but now they are all barren, with many plots of land cracked and parched.

It seems conceivable that this year will be another year of drought.

The people in the territory of the People's Salvation Army were quite different. Although they still looked somewhat pale, they were full of energy, with smiles that they could not hide and hope in their eyes.

All the fields were covered with lush green rice seedlings, and people were working in the fields, creating a vibrant and lively scene.

This made Wang Anzi sigh with admiration. This dynasty did have some means of governance. If he could enter the court as an official, he would surely be able to reach the position of provincial governor or even provincial governor.

Moreover, this applies not only to agricultural administration but also to military administration, and can even foster a sense of kinship among residents.

Look ahead, an army is rushing in. Unlike other places, the people in the surrounding fields are not panicking and hiding. Instead, they are all standing up to watch. Some even clench their fists and place them in front of their chests, as if they are saluting.

Army; military.
Suddenly, Wang Anzi and the others realized that it was the rebel army, and they absolutely could not be discovered. However, when they came to their senses and focused their attention on the army again, they were already right in front of them.

A group of menacing soldiers charged toward them, seemingly intent on hacking them to death.

In that instant, facing the overwhelming force of the militia's iron-blooded aura, Wang Anzi and his men wet themselves.

Needless to say, they were captured without any resistance.

After listening to Wang Anzi's account, Wang Chao finally understood the whole story. After a moment of contemplation, he continued to ask questions.

"Do you think that since you haven't delivered the imperial edict for so long, Emperor Chongzhen will send another eunuch to deliver it?"

"That's highly likely."

Wang Anzi gave a somewhat uncertain answer.

Upon hearing Wang Anzi's uncertain answer, Wang Chao frowned. After asking a few more questions, he waved his hand and ordered his men to take them away.

The dynasty did not intend to make things too difficult for these eunuchs.

As eunuchs in the Prince Xin's mansion, they likely didn't have much opportunity to commit evil deeds.

Most importantly, given their status and position, even if they committed evil deeds, it was the court officials who would suffer.

The dynasty naturally didn't care about this, and had no intention of seeking justice for them.

Let this messenger team live a normal life like everyone else.

Of course, they won't be allowed to leave Lintao Prefecture in the short term.

After everyone left, Wang Chao fell into deep thought.

Anyway, if it were him, he would definitely redeploy the messenger if it didn't return on time.

Given Chongzhen's meticulous and diligent nature, comparable to that of the Taizu Emperor, it's highly likely he would reassign someone else.

This time, the messenger team might not pass through the territory of the Salvation Army.

Therefore, it is highly unlikely that he will be able to advance eastward and capture Pingliang Prefecture and Fengxiang Prefecture.

He needed to withdraw troops northward to guard against attacks from the Shaanxi Provincial Military Command and Lanzhou.

It would be best to conquer them and completely eliminate this potential threat.

Looking eastward, Wang Chao silently apologized to Wang Jiayin and the others.

It's not that I don't want to help you completely eliminate the imperial army, but I need to guard against the Ming army from the Shaanxi Provincial Military Command to save the militia.

Although Wang Jiayin and the others didn't want him to help them like this.

With the dynasty's troops occupying Pingliang Prefecture and Fengxiang Prefecture, the government troops indeed had no intention of besieging and suppressing them.

However, if Wang Jiayin and his men wanted to advance westward and occupy more territory, they would have to face the dynasty directly.

At that point, a conflict between the two sides is not impossible.

After all, the more territory a dynasty occupies, the more it will suppress the living territories of other rebel armies, unless one side submits to the other.

That is obviously impossible.

As for expanding to other places...
The northern border troops are the Great Wall frontier troops. Even if they're stupid, they know that they can't be easily provoked.

If the dynasty were to occupy Pingliang and Fengxiang to the south, Li Qiao's Ming army would inevitably turn south and continue to block Wang Jiayin and his forces.

Heading east would mean entering Shanxi, which would inevitably invite encirclement and suppression by the Shanxi army.

They were already struggling to cope with Li Qiao from Shaanxi alone; if the Shanxi army were added to the mix, they would truly be doomed to defeat.

Moreover, beyond Shanxi lies Shuntian Prefecture, which is far too dangerous for the Ming Dynasty. This would inevitably lead the court to dispatch even more troops to encircle and annihilate them, ensuring their certain death.

Therefore, their idea was for the dynasty to send troops to contain the Ming army, rather than for the dynasty to occupy more territory.

However, the dynasty clearly did not think that way.

Well, if he occupies more territory, the Ming army's territory will be smaller, which will also solve their crisis, right?

Regardless of what they think, that's what the dynasty believes.

Unfortunately, Wang Chao and his forces are now unable to launch an eastward offensive. He needs to redirect his troops to deal with or even occupy the Shaanxi Provincial Military Command.

After leaving some of the militia behind in Qinzhou and other places to guard against the Ming army, the dynasty began to mobilize troops and head towards Lanzhou and Shaanxi Provincial Military Command.

Today, the People's Salvation Army is roughly divided into two parts: one is the field army that is the main force for combat and offense, and the other is the local army that defends the local area.

The local army numbered about 10,000 to 20,000 men, scattered across various prefectures and counties.

The field army had about 30,000 to 40,000 men, with Wang Dahu, Wang Erniu, Wang Shi, Li Shu, and Li Yu each leading 5,000 troops.

The central guard, directly under the dynasty, also numbered five thousand and was currently also a field army.

Basically, the central guard of the dynasty will not be increased for a long time.

However, the teams led by others will inevitably increase in number as their territories expand.

As for whether it will become too big to handle.

The dynasty never worried about this.

In a world where extraordinary powers and divine abilities manifest, great power always originates from oneself, and one person suppresses the world with their own strength.

Not to mention, the extraordinary abilities that everyone possesses were all bestowed upon them by him.

With just a thought, they could be swiftly suppressed, rendering them unable to use any of their supernatural powers, or even having their powers withdrawn.

Even if they were given command of a million-strong army, and the dynasty was held by only one person, they would still be absolutely unable to resist.

Therefore, dynasties never worried about their rulers becoming too powerful to control.

(End of this chapter)