Becoming a God from a Water Monkey

Chapter 1157 Defeat! (Seeking monthly votes, two chapters combined)

"In the summer of the seventy-eighth year of Shun, a dragon and ape fought in the Huai River and the Yangtze River. The dragon suddenly emerged and traveled thousands of miles upstream to invade Southern Zhili. The Martial Saint was subdued, the Yangtze and Huai Rivers were shaken, and the whole country was in turmoil. The bandits in the southern border took advantage of the situation to invade the north, and the remaining bandits in the northern court also took the opportunity to look south. However, the northern court had just suffered a loss and chaos, and there was also internal strife in the royal court. The disturbance was quelled in ten days."

However, the war in the southern borderlands dragged on, and at that time, the Lingnan region was shrouded in miasma, with snakes and vipers roaming the roads. In addition, the two arts of blood-gathering by mayflies and blood-concealing sorcery were rampant, making it difficult for the army to advance, as if they were trapped in a quagmire. The King of the South Sea was seriously injured in the war, and half of the Lingnan province was lost. The people were destitute, and the roads were filled with starving corpses.

In this perilous situation, Liang Qu, Marquis of Xingyi of Pingyang, volunteered to lead the troops, carrying a halberd. Upon arriving in Lingnan, he immediately engaged in battle, crushing the enemy's elite troops and breaking through their strongholds, beheading fifteen of their leaders and capturing one alive. He then issued a decree, and a three-day rainstorm brought abundant moisture to two hundred li. The enemy, afflicted by the scorching heat, suffered from thirst and hunger.

At midday, Hou charged into the enemy ranks alone, penetrating the center. Within arm's reach, he captured Nine Poison Red Water and subdued Nine Poison Black Water. Wherever his spear touched, thirty-eight Grandmasters were beheaded, and the rest were wounded and scattered beyond count. The enemy ranks lost their morale, and their defeat became irreversible.

Then, Commander Xu Haitao and Deputy General Ji Yanyu led fifty-six troops to the rescue, fiercely attacking the enemy's fortified position with two hundred men. Despite the disparity in numbers, the soldiers were inspired and fought with all their might. The Southern Chieftain, the Hundred-Legged Great Shaman, heard the alarm and rushed to the rescue, while the King of the South Sea supported him and intercepted the enemy. Both the Northern and Southern Martial Saints watched this battle with fierce eyes. After half a day of fierce fighting, the enemy's fortified position collapsed, and Ha Long Bay was recaptured. The chieftain personally led his elite troops, relentlessly pursuing the enemy southwards…”

"Ha ha……"

Heavy breathing echoed through the dark woods, chests and abdomens opening and closing like bellows.

Crackling sounds filled the air as branches snapped and thorns grazed the eyes, sending a sharp, stinging pain through them.

"what!"

A splinter pierced Min Yan's eye, and he screamed as he fell to the ground. His body was covered in wet mud and dead leaves. Without the cover of shadow, the millipede fled.

Foam appeared at the corners of his mouth, and tears gushed uncontrollably from his tear ducts, dripping down his face. Min Yan covered his eyes, curled up under the immense pressure of fear, and finally burst into tears.

He was a minor martial arts master from Gulin Village in southern Xinjiang, a little-known village. He came to Xialong Bay with his brothers to earn military merit as a soldier, hoping to exchange it for some money and treasures so he could return home and marry a woman from another village and have children.

died.

All dead.

With a flash of light, the two severed hands fell to the ground, and one step forward led to the abyss of the canyon.

Without Zhenxiang's relentless pursuit or Hu's sudden impulse, Min Yan could only run, he had no choice but to run. He ran for his life, abandoning his brothers, day and night, without knowing the direction or feeling tired. He ran for three days, not knowing how many miles he had walked or how many rivers he had swum across.

Anywhere is fine, anywhere is fine.

It doesn't matter if you get separated from your unit, as long as you can get out of the dark clouds and into a place where it won't rain, and survive.

Is it safe?

Is it safe?

Min Yan curled up on the ground, hugging himself tightly, asking again and again.

The stinging and soreness in my eyes gradually subsided, and the rise and fall of my chest slowly calmed down.

Lying on this damp, warm land, Min Yan's emotions calmed down.

"Wow..."

"Ah! Ah! No! No!"

Min Yan screamed uncontrollably, kicking his arms and legs wildly, sweeping away all the withered branches and leaves to reveal the muddy, damp earth.

Rainwater seeped through the tree canopy and fell on his face. He was like a black-haired wild boar wallowing in a mud pit, the more he kicked, the deeper and smoother the pit became, until he couldn't get out no matter what he did, until he exhausted all his strength and emotions, leaving him with nothing, a forced emptiness.

Just... ordinary rain?
Slumped under the tree, Min Yan, his eyes red, reached out his hand.

The rain washed away the mud from my hands, revealing my shattered fingernails.

Fingers were covered in mud and water, making it impossible to tell if it was blood or red mud.

"what……"

Min Yan chuckled softly.

They're out! They're finally out...

Lightning danced like snakes in the air, illuminating the forest.

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Min Yan stared blankly upwards, raindrops hitting his eyes.

Dark clouds rolled in, and a long wind howled, obscuring the scales of a blue dragon, which rose and fell like waves in a great river.

The Azure Dragon soars high in the sky, driving the wind and chasing the clouds, occasionally revealing its true form as it rises and falls.

Something tightened, then broke.

My belly relaxed.

Warm water flowed from between his legs, mixing with the muddy water in the puddle.

"Clap."

A drop of water fell between his brows, his pupils focused, and his blank thoughts returned. Min Yan gazed at the dark, empty sky and touched his body.

They've left?

The wind was blowing on my body.

a little cold.

……

The spearman bowed his head, and the beam between the dragon's horns stood alone. Long Eying sat diagonally on the dragon's head, while the remaining thirty masters straddled the dragon's body.

Click click click.

Armor engages.

Liang Qu's upper body was completely damaged and twisted with silver armor, while his Du Shenhu arm armor was in slightly better condition. His entire upper body was naked and exposed, with several red marks showing on his chest. The Dragon Spirit Silk hung at his waist, its hem fluttering in the wind.

They pursued him for three days.

Fifty men charging against two hundred men would inevitably fall short.

In the ensuing chaos, approximately 160 people were killed. Although the Southern Frontier Grandmaster had not fully recovered and was still in a state of disarray, he knew his own advantages and abandoned his defense of Ha Long Bay, instead breaking into smaller groups and scattering into the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

The Grand Master of the Great Shun Front recaptured Ha Long Bay, seized and transformed it, and stationed himself there.

Liang Qu led the support masters, who had not revealed their true intentions, to continue the pursuit, penetrating over a thousand miles.

Unfortunately, of the more than forty Zhenxiang who set out from Pingyang to provide support, after deducting those who were injured or had their Qi drained, only the thirty "Hidden Ones" behind them remained, and Long Binglin was also injured.

His internal energy sea was almost depleted and had not recovered. Afterwards, he was targeted by the Five Poisons and Nine Deadly Poisons and almost had his flesh and blood exposed and his energy captured. Fortunately, he traveled through the Six Voids and the Heavenly Gate and Earthly Axis, which maxed out his margin for error.

There's simply no time to deal with those scattered minor characters right now.

"My lord, ahead lies the heart of Lao'ai Mountain, which will be disadvantageous for our pursuit."

Some people tried to dissuade him.

Liang Qu gazed at the towering mountains and forests; three hundred li beyond that lay the Lucang River, the pseudo-dragon of the southern frontier…

I gazed into the distance for a long time.

"go!"

The dragon and the elephant breathed a sigh of relief.

Having pursued them this far, they were already exhausted, both physically and mentally. If they ventured too far, they would not only risk casualties, but they might also be wiped out by the sudden appearance of the Martial Saint of Southern Xinjiang. The outcome had to be decided before Da Shun could exchange sons.

When Liang Qu and his men returned to camp, they were no longer heading to the north bank of Ha Long Bay, nor were they crossing the Red River to the south bank. Instead, they were heading to Linjiang, a thousand miles away from Ha Long Bay! Crossing Linjiang would take them to Qinzhou!
The more someone wants to prove themselves, the more effort they will put in.

Upon learning that he had been tricked by the Southern Frontier and found himself in such an awkward situation, the King of the South Sea, harboring a deep resentment, single-handedly suppressed the Centipede Demon and gained a considerable advantage at the Martial Saint level.

With the remaining Martial Saints locked in a stalemate, and the deaths of seventy True Immortals and above, Lingnan, which had originally fallen to two-thirds, was recaptured in one fell swoop, leaving only one-third remaining!

At this point, the remaining portion may no longer require armed struggle, but could potentially be reclaimed through political means and negotiations.

Without him.

Too many Zhenxiang masters have died or been injured.

Liang Qu and his group, newcomers, split into three teams and, with the help of Xu Haitao's intelligence, killed more than 30 people in one fell swoop. The original 231 people had been reduced to 160. After the pursuit, about 10 more were killed. In total, within a month, the number of deaths in the southern border region exceeded 100!

The entire front line, starting with Ha Long Bay, consisted of around 400 elephants, and a quarter of them died instantly.

This casualty figure is even higher than that of Da Shun!

The deaths in the Great Shun Dynasty were numerous. Initially, there were more than twenty people in Qinzhou. Later, the blood-collecting by mayflies and the blood-hidden attacks also caused dozens of casualties, bringing the total to only around eighty.

Southern Xinjiang currently has a lot of territory, but it has lost even more Zhenxiang (a type of elephant). From a strategic point of view alone, this is absolutely unqualified and a completely wrong strategy.

If the Great Shun dynasty completely destroys the Mayfly Blood-Collecting Technique and the Blood-Concealing Gu, and then reverses the North-South divide, the situation will be completely disadvantaged, and they will most likely lose both their wife and their army.

The chieftain may be willing to continue the stalemate, but the nine major tribes may not be willing to support him. The masters of Zhenxiang and Yaolong are united, just as the South Sea King will be "severely injured and unable to recover," and the great shamans of Baizu and Pantong will be the same.

Upon realizing this, everyone felt relieved, and no one wanted to put their head on the line.

"This should be over now..."

"It's January already. I wonder if I'll be able to go home for the Chinese New Year in February."

"I'm looking at Xuan."

"Haha, I think those people from southern Xinjiang are dumbfounded, scared out of their wits."

The azure dragon roared.

Everyone laughed and chatted, and some even talked about how adorable their youngest daughter was.

The little mirage dragon emerged from the sleeve, peering around curiously. It couldn't understand why everyone was so cheerful after just one fight, especially since so many people had fled. It tugged at the leader's sleeve and asked.

Liang Qu leaned against Long Eying's thigh, finding a comfortable position: "Do you think a hundred is too few?"

"General Xu said there were four hundred. We've only killed a quarter of them. Shouldn't we kill them all?"

"Hahaha."

Someone behind him burst into laughter upon hearing this, and the little mirage dragon crossed its arms in dissatisfaction.

Liang Qu asked with a smile, "Do you know how many grandmasters a province has?"

"How would I know? A hundred? Two hundred?"

Liang Qu held up three fingers: "In ordinary prefectures and counties, there are usually about three Zhenxiang masters. In some strong prefectures and counties, there may be five or six or even more, but these are exceptions, less than one in ten."

In a province, there are roughly thirty to forty prefectures and counties, which, when counted…

"I understand!" the little mirage dragon said smugly. "It's over a hundred!"

"wrong!"

"what?"

"The number of outstanding phenomena in a province is roughly double the total number in a prefecture!"

The little mirage dragon frowned and picked up its own claws.

"Don't bother calculating, because the core of a province has a 'siphon effect' on the prefectures' prime ministers! The prime ministers in the core of a province are far more numerous than in other places, and they come from the surrounding prefectures." Liang Qu yawned and explained simply.

Not every county can become a prefecture, and not every prefecture can receive the support of the imperial court. When one's cultivation reaches a certain level, the restrictions of household registration no longer limit local freedom, and many people leave their homes to seek better opportunities.

Before Pingyang Prefecture was renamed, Huaiyin Prefecture only had two masters, Weng Jia and Su Guishan. This was because the nearby capital of Southern Zhili had a very strong "siphoning effect," which could even attract masters from other provinces to come to Southern Zhili to seek development.

Two capitals and eighteen provinces.

Jing: Tall houses, pavilions and towers are built on a high platform.

The capital city was called "Jingcheng," a city of tall buildings, separated by the Huai River, one in the north and one in the south.

The Southern Zhili region comprised a total of thirty-eight prefectures, and after the siphon effect, there were a hundred prefecture masters. The number in the central core was several times greater, far exceeding that of other provinces, almost comparable to the two capitals with two thousand masters.

"Ah, so many?" The little mirage dragon couldn't count them all by counting them with its claws.

"Actually, there aren't that many," Liang Qu denied.

The little mirage dragon's brain was spinning wildly.

"Isn't this a lot?"

“Not many obey orders. Many Zhenxiang are not entirely under the control of the court. At His Majesty’s command, they are willing to risk their lives. In reality, only about half of the two capitals can fully obey orders, about one-third of the nine core provinces, and even fewer of the nine outer provinces.”

"Oh, in reality, half or even less of them actually obey orders; the rest fight their own battles!"

Liang Qu nodded.

Half, one-third, one-quarter—it may sound ordinary, but the fact that so many people have been united is already quite an impressive result.

The remaining two-thirds were not of one mind, but rather of dozens or hundreds of minds, in different prefectures and regions, such as Huangzhou and the Xu family of Liangqu's godmother Xu. Of course, the Xu family obeyed the imperial court, while those that did not obey were all organized by local families and were simply being coerced.

In a small town, a dozen or twenty strong young men united as one to form a fishing gang that monopolized the market. The remaining thirty or forty fishermen had to obey them, even if the latter were stronger than the former when they swarmed in.

"Everyone says crows are all black, but I would say all people in the world are the same."

First blood ties, then hometown ties, and finally culture. The same applies to the southern Xinjiang region. The nine tribes are equivalent to nine or even ten provinces. Although the eight tribes of Beiting seem to be fewer in number, they are roughly equivalent to fourteen or fifteen provinces.

Both are more than the combined total of the Great Shun Dynasty. Their weakness lies in the absence of a super metropolis of the 'Jing' level, which possesses strong unity, strong influence, and strong control.

The Southern Frontier comprises nine provinces. This current chieftain has strong control and can appoint 1,200 people. Of these 1,200, most must be used for maintaining stability, leaving only 400 to 500 available for combat. Losing a quarter of them is a staggering proportion…”

The little mirage dragon suddenly realized.

all in all.

If Liang Qu were the chieftain of the Southern Frontier, he would be miserable. He would wake up in the middle of the night to slap himself twice, stick silver needles into the scarecrow with the name "Liang Qu" written on it, and cast a spell.

One hundred and ten Zhenxiang, including top experts like the Five Poisons, Nine Deadly Poisons, and Twenty-Four Fiends. How long will it take them to recover?

Moreover, with such a major mistake, those who were willing to stand by your side will choose to leave.

Throughout history, all rulers have emphasized virtue.

Virtue and ability unite people; all founding monarchs generally possess strong personal charisma, which allows them to rapidly expand their power.

There are benefits to being with you, there are ways to advance in life, and you won't try to kill me at the drop of a hat. Your word doesn't count; you have to do things, and show everyone what you've done.

Even those who kill at the drop of a hat don't show it until it's done.

If a ruler is consistently immoral, the people's hearts will scatter, and they will be unwilling to listen to him. Gradually, this will accumulate into a serious problem, and by then, it will be too late to change things. What if the Old Ancestor of the Furnace lives too long and doesn't care about the state of his descendants, and just replaces him with someone else to serve him...

Never leave its origins.

People with ability and charisma can always expand their influence. With a large population, experts will always emerge. The next step is simply to see if the timing is right and if there are favorable conditions. When the time is right, the world will be at peace.

"charm……"

The little mirage dragon rested its chin on its claws, pondering silently.

We must learn; we can't afford not to.

Is the increasingly powerful catfish because it has united the frog tribe with its charm?

What should I do?
Damn it, the ancestors didn't leave it any dragon offspring!
The lone dragon needs to go back and test the hedgehog; it can't be left idle!

The azure dragon folded its wings and landed by the river.

The Grand Master of Da Shun re-established his base and set up rituals. Everyone was overjoyed, high-spirited, and their morale was visibly soaring.

Xu Haitao is in charge of recording the merits; there's no need to disturb him.

Bathed in awe, Liang Qu instructed Long Yao and Long Li to boil water so he could have a proper bath.

"It's January already."

As the water vapor rose, Liang Qu stroked E Ying's smooth back, leaned against the edge of the wooden tub, and looked up at the canopy.

I wonder what the Western Tortoise and the Frog King are planning.
"You hedgehog, this prince is going to test you..."

The little mirage dragon's voice came from outside the tent.

……

"The centipede shaman retreated and went to Qinzhou!"

"The Great Shaman of Dry Bones..."

The various tribes of the Southern Frontier gathered together, gazing at the sand table. By observing the movements of the Great Shaman, they indirectly learned about the situation at the front. Upon seeing the Martial Saint retreat, they realized the situation was dire and became extremely anxious.

To this day, Liang Qu has returned after pursuing them.

"How many did you say?"

The messenger knelt on one knee, drenched in cold sweat.

"Changmudian Hongshui poison has been captured, Wanxiang Menghei water poison has escaped and its whereabouts are unknown, Ha Long Bay has fallen, more than seventy Zhenxiang soldiers have died in battle, and countless hunting tigers and smoke signals have been used. When the subordinates reported the news, the front line was still in a rout. Liang Qu and his men are pursuing them on a dragon, creating clouds and rain, and it seems that they have the ability to track down enemies by falling into the water. The number of dead and wounded in the past three days has not yet been counted..."

(End of this chapter)