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

Chapter 205 Devouring the Dragon, Escape, Punishment

"Hey, since you two are such good brothers, why don't you go down and keep your older brother company?"

Looking at Gao Ying'en, who was roaring in grief and pain in the distance, Shi Wenhu sneered and cocked the gun once again.

"boom!"

Although no large amount of military strength was mobilized again, Gao Ying'en was no match for Gao Yingxiang, and was directly hit in the back.

Looking down at the bloody holes in his chest and back, Gao Ying'en forced a smile and looked at Gao Yingxiang, whose body was now only half intact.

"Big brother, your little brother has come to keep you company!"

After muttering something, Gao Ying'en immediately collapsed from his horse, convulsed twice, and then lost consciousness.

"Moo~!"

On the other side, at the moment Gao Yingxiang died, the golden dragon above him let out a mournful roar, and patches of golden light began to drift away and dissipate from its body.

At the same time, the surrounding national fortunes suddenly rippled slightly and quickly collapsed and contracted towards one place.

Finally, a point of gold burst forth from it, gradually expanding and twisting before transforming into a golden dragon.

"Ang~!"

The golden dragon roared and swooped down in an instant, swallowing the golden dragon whole and eroding and assimilating its power and rules.

Seeing this, Shi Wenhu couldn't help but smile.

"It's done!"

Dozens of miles away, Zhao Zesheng, standing atop the city wall in Manchuanli, sensed all this through the nation's destiny and smiled in return.

However, in the next instant, a look of regret appeared on Zhao Zesheng's face. He turned his head to look south, where Li Zicheng was about to escape from Shaanxi.

After all, Manchuanli was a border county town, and not far to the south was Yunyang Prefecture in Huguang.

As for why Gao Yingxiang fled eastward instead of southward?
That's because there were still government troops pursuing them in the direction of Yunyang Prefecture.

Furthermore, he was unaware that in the territory of the People's Salvation Army, a local official could sense the location of both friendly and enemy forces within his jurisdiction through his official seal and the national fortune.

Otherwise, even with the presence of Ming Dynasty troops in the south, he would still have to flee south.

It's a pity that there is no if in this world.

So in the end, Gao Yingxiang died at the hands of Shi Wenhu.

Seeing Li Zicheng about to escape the jurisdiction in the south, Zhao Zesheng clenched his fists and secretly vowed revenge.

Even if I can't kill you, I'll definitely make you pay the price, and maybe that will kill you?

With a thought, Zhao Zesheng manipulated the fate of the nation.

"Fire! Wind! Copy!"

As the fate of the nation shifted, Li Zicheng and his men, who were rushing about at breakneck speed, suddenly felt the surrounding temperature rise rapidly.

In the next instant, sparks suddenly flew up from the grass and trees around them.

"puff!"

"Hoo~!"

With a strong gust of wind, the fire grew rapidly, and with the support of an invisible force, it spread like wildfire in the blink of an eye.

"Ah~, help!"

In an instant, the numerous soldiers led by Li Zicheng fell into chaos and began to flee in all directions.

"Don't panic, charge with me!"

Seeing the raging fire that suddenly broke out around him, a ruthless glint flashed in Li Zicheng's eyes. He quickly spurred his horse and galloped across a spot where the fire was weaker.

Although flames also broke out on his body, he was not seriously injured. With a slight flow of true energy, he quickly extinguished them.

Then, Li Zicheng continued his relentless pace, leading his personal guards and elite troops in a frantic, desperate dash forward.

As the grass and trees along the way began to emit wisps of smoke, tiny sparks flew and gradually ignited into flames. With a strong gust of wind, the fire spread and spread across the sky.

Wherever they ran, a raging fire would break out, as if they were determined to fight to the death.

It wasn't until a quarter of an hour later that Li Zicheng and his men escaped Shaanxi Province and were spared from the raging fire.

Looking at the twenty-odd riders beside him, Li Zicheng felt as if he were about to cry.

This is truly a case of working hard for decades, only to be wiped out in a single day.

However, this is not without its advantages.

Looking towards the Ming army camp in the distance, they found it easier to evade capture by the Ming army.

After Li Zicheng quietly entered the deep mountains, Zhao Zesheng on the other side had a slight thought and stopped using his supernatural powers.

As he watched the raging fire completely engulf the land, Zhao Zesheng once again mobilized the nation's destiny and unleashed his supernatural powers.

"rain!"

"Hoo~!"

A cool breeze swept in, quickly gathering a dark cloud. Sparse raindrops began to fall, then grew heavier and heavier, eventually becoming a torrential downpour that completely extinguished the fire.

On the other side, after digesting the power of the rules carried by the golden dragon, the Golden Dragon of National Fortune let out a joyful roar, instantly spewing out a large amount of golden light, which merged into the brows of everyone present.

Zhao Zesheng stroked his brow, feeling the dazzling yet illusory golden dragon mark, and once again felt sorry for Li Zicheng's escape.

Otherwise, that golden dragon mark would have solidified even further.

Thus, this premeditated plan to defend the city and annihilate the enemy has finally come to a complete end.

In Xi'an Prefecture, the dynasty, which was handling government affairs, suddenly felt a feedback from the power of rules.

Feeling his foundation being strengthened once again, and his power increasing, the dynasty couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

What is this scenario?
Immediately, this information entered my mind.

"Manchuanli"

After reviewing the information, Wang Chao's expression changed several times. This eagerness to make a name for himself wasn't all good.

Of course, Zhao Zesheng and his group's situation can no longer be considered as being eager to make merit; what they are after is the Golden Dragon Mark, which is for their personal gain.

So, unless he's willing to keep track of everything happening in every place.

Otherwise, if he delegates power and shields most of their perception, even with the constraints of his divine status, there will always be those who exploit loopholes and abuse their power for personal gain. So, should he punish Zhao Zesheng and his group?
Wang Chao tapped his fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought.

However, Zhao Zesheng and his group were suspected of deliberately guiding the situation.

However, that was not the reason for Gao Yingxiang to lead his army to attack the city of the Salvation Army.

Moreover, the dynasty had promised to provide them with a month's worth of food and supplies.

Their actions can hardly be described as repaying kindness with enmity.

Therefore, punishment is necessary, but it should not be excessive.

Ultimately, Gao Yingxiang was, in a sense, an external enemy.

His decision to allow Gao Yingxiang into his territory, hoping to use him to once again restrain some of the Ming court's forces, was actually ill-considered.

Moreover, given his strength, is it really necessary to do so?

Ultimately, it's because his mindset hasn't changed.

Although his current power is extraordinary, he still tends to think about problems from the perspective of an ordinary person.

"Hoo~!"

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Wang Chao looked through the window at the faintly white eastern sky and murmured to himself.

I need to change my mindset as soon as possible. Since I have absolute power, I should have the mindset to sweep away all obstacles and suppress everything.

Many of these petty tricks are completely unnecessary.

And Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader who was supposed to be active on the stage of history for a long time before being executed by slow slicing, unexpectedly died at the hands of the People's Salvation Army.

However, since he's dead, then so be it.

Now that he has realized his mindset problem, he should adjust it.

Anyway, he has now almost completely integrated the occupied areas and has almost finished recuperating, so there is no need for those rebel armies to cause trouble for the Ming court.

Wang Chao tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and after pondering for a while, an idea suddenly occurred to him.

In Manchuan, Zhao Zesheng and Shi Wenhu were initially delighted to have also received the Golden Dragon Conferment and the Golden Dragon Mark.

Suddenly, I felt the golden dragon mark between my eyebrows begin to dissipate rapidly. What was originally very solid became extremely faint.

Looking at the golden dragon marks on his subordinates, which hadn't changed much, Zhao Zesheng and Shi Wenhu felt like crying.

After all their painstaking scheming, what they ultimately gained was far less than what their subordinates achieved.

However, they quickly realized why this had happened.

This must be because their actions were based on their own calculations.

Even the Heavenly King might already know.

In an instant, the two men broke out in a cold sweat, their faces turned deathly pale, and they knelt down with a thud, kowtowing to the north and loudly begging for forgiveness.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

The dynasty knew all too well how it treated those high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants who broke the law.

That meant beheadings and confiscation of property at the drop of a hat. Those who were guilty were beheaded, and even the innocent were sent to labor camps.

After all, since they are from the same family, didn't the others enjoy the wealth accumulated through their crimes?
Given this, how can they escape their guilt?

Even if they don't die, they'll still be sent to a labor camp for several years, and who knows what will happen to them after they get out.

Of course, compared to the ancient punishments that often involved confiscating property and exterminating entire families, this was certainly much lighter.

But regardless, this is a severe punishment for the criminals: beheading, confiscation of property, and exile of the whole family. What is the point of all that he did?
At this moment, Zhao Zesheng and Wang Shihu felt as if the sky had collapsed, as if a heavenly blade would fall at any moment, and all their plans would succeed.

After a long while, just as the two were about to get up and write to the Heavenly King to apologize, they suddenly heard a majestic and eerie voice coming from the sky.

"This will not be repeated! Three years of achievements and merits cannot be extended."

The two suddenly looked up and saw the golden dragon of national destiny in the sky, looking at them with majestic and cold eyes.

The two were taken aback at first, then kowtowed heavily to the ground and loudly promised.

"Your subordinate will certainly remember the Heavenly King's teachings."

In that instant, the two of them finally felt completely at ease.

At the same time, I couldn't help but smile bitterly to myself.

How could they forget?

The golden dragon representing the nation's destiny symbolizes the Heavenly King.

By attracting the golden dragon of national fortune, aren't they essentially presenting their actions to the eyes of the Heavenly King?

Fortunately, the Heavenly King was magnanimous; after all, Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader, was an outsider, and might even become an enemy in the end.

Ultimately, this was Gao Yingxiang's initiative to attack.

Therefore, the Heavenly King did not punish them further.

However, having no achievements or merits after three years is still a significant blow. At least for the next three to five years, during the period of rapid development of the People's Salvation Army, they will not be able to get promoted.

Touching the faint golden dragon mark between their brows, the two couldn't help but find a bittersweet moment.

At least, there's some consolation prize.

On the other hand, after punishing Zhao Zesheng and the other two, the dynasty took back the Golden Dragon of National Fortune.

Then, through his divine authority, he issued orders to numerous generals, adjusting the garrisons of various armies.

Apart from Wang Shi and Li Yu, who were stationed on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the other military commanders, including Wang Dahu and Li Shu, all began to lead parts of their troops back to Xi'an.

As for the local garrison commanders, their deputies were appointed to the positions, and all of them were promoted to the rank of general.

While the dynasty was mobilizing its troops, Li Zicheng, who had been terrified by the militia, had already quietly left Yunyang Prefecture and entered Henan once again, heading towards Southern Zhili and Shandong.

He always felt that being near the People's Salvation Army was somewhat dangerous.

Therefore, it's best to stay far away.

It's best to be as far away as possible.

(End of this chapter)