Loan Wusheng

Chapter 196 Analyzing the Martial Arts Manual, the Evil Dragon of the Western Barbarians

In Ningyuan County, Zheng Jun returned with overwhelming power.

The murderous aura emanating from him was almost like a tangible cold wave rushing towards them, which truly terrified the guards at the gate of Ningyuan County. It wasn't until the command flag fell to the ground with a 'thud' that they realized they were already drenched in cold sweat.

In this battle, Zheng Jun successively killed eight martial artists who had reached the Qi Condensation Realm: Lang Jing, Lang Rui, Fang Du, Nangong Xing, Gong Ming, Fang Han, Zhao Donglai, and Fang Yuan. Naturally, the murderous aura and killing intent emanating from him were unstoppable.

"Grand Governor!"

Xu Hou, who was frightened by the murderous aura, almost ordered the entire army to open the great formation. However, when he saw that it was Zheng Jun who had returned, he was stunned for a moment. He hurriedly went out to greet him and cupped his hands to Zheng Jun, saying, "Grand Commander, you have killed five traitors. Your prestige has shaken the world!"

"I have heard that the Grand Commander has pursued the enemy all the way to Ziyang. I hope the Grand Commander will take care of himself and not act rashly. The affairs of the six prefectures all depend on the Grand Commander. If the Grand Commander changes his mind, the foundation will be destroyed in an instant!"

Xu Hou's voice was sincere, befitting a loyal minister with a heart full of sincerity.

In fact, that's exactly what he thought.

Since joining Zheng Jun's side, Xu Hou has no way back.

At least in Lanzhou, this is the case. With the deaths of members of the Fang family, Xu Hou is definitely someone the Fang family will kill. Therefore, his only hope now is that Zheng Jun defeats the Fang family and becomes the new ruler of Lanzhou.

In this way, Xu Hou's status will also rise accordingly.

But if something happens to Zheng Jun, Xu Hou will have no choice but to flee to Bozhou, Xuanzhou, or even go to the south to beg for food from powerful families.

If it weren't absolutely necessary, who would willingly leave their hometown?

Upon hearing Xu Hou's words, Zheng Jun laughed heartily, landed on the city gate, and said to Xu Hou with a smile, "General Xu, there's no need to worry. Lanzhou is so vast; where can't I go?"

"Today, we marched to Ziyang County and beheaded the two traitors, Fang Han and Fang Yuan. On the way back, Zhao Donglai, the governor of Guangping County, was ungrateful and was also killed by me."

Zheng Jun smiled slightly and said to Xu Hou, "Reorganize the army immediately and prepare to advance! Move out within five days and take over the two prefectures of Batang and Guangping before that old traitor Fang Ji can react!"

Although Zheng Jun had previously boasted that Fang Ji should break through to the Yuan Dan realm as soon as possible so that he could kill a Yuan Dan Martial Saint, he didn't really mean it.

Boasting is boasting, and reality is reality.

Zheng Jun isn't stupid; why would he make things harder for himself?

Taking advantage of the fact that I have publicly killed so many Qi Refining martial artists, the enemy's morale has dropped, and with the enemy's Qi Refining martial artists reduced in number, I should take the initiative to attack, send a large army to the border, and take the capital of Lanzhou in one fell swoop!
The seat of Lanzhou Prefecture was named Anye, which was the location of the prefecture's administrative center.

Two thousand years ago, during the chaotic period at the end of the Wei Dynasty, eighteen states coexisted, and Anye City was the capital of the Dai State at that time, which was economically developed.

Of course, times have changed, and Anye City is now Lanzhou City, but in terms of geography and administration, they still have different names.

For example, the capital of Xianzhou is Daliang, and the capital of Pengzhou is Xinyang.

Fang Ji, the patriarch of the Fang family, lived in this city of Lanzhou.

This Ancestor Fang Ji obviously wouldn't act rashly, after all, His Highness the Prince of Qin must have given him certain resources. This Ancestor Fang Ji is most likely in seclusion in Anye City, seeking an opportunity to break through to the Yuan Dan Martial Saint realm.

If we wait until Fang Ji breaks through to the Yuan Dan Martial Saint level, then things will get complicated.

Therefore, Zheng Jun's current idea is to take advantage of the fact that the opponent's foundation is unstable and attack Anye in one fell swoop.

Upon hearing this, Xu Hou was also greatly taken aback and couldn't help but whisper, "Grand Commander, this..."

He never expected that Zheng Jun would actually kill Fang Yuan and Fang Han.

This is truly unbelievable!
If that's the case, and considering Zhao Donglai as well, wouldn't that mean the Grand Commander killed eight Qi Refining Martial Artists during his trip?!

Thinking of this, Xu Hou was also startled.

"Could it be that General Xu intends to disobey my military orders?" Zheng Jun narrowed his eyes and asked.

"Don't dare."

Xu Hou quickly cupped his hands in salute: "This humble general was merely overwhelmed by the Grand Commander's strength and momentarily lost his composure. I hope the Grand Commander will not take offense!"

Zheng Jun nodded, casually took off his somewhat damaged cloak, and then walked towards the city, asking casually, "Has anything urgent come up lately?"

"Reporting to the Grand Commander, the six prefectures have been ravaged by war for a long time. Many deserters and defeated soldiers are roaring in the mountains and forests, gathering crowds to become bandits and disturbing the people under their jurisdiction, especially in Yulian Prefecture." Xu Hou immediately cupped his hands and said, "Demons are also rampant. According to reports from various prefectures and counties, there are several external demons entrenched on both sides."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun immediately said, "This is a major matter, and the people's livelihood is of utmost importance! It must be resolved properly. Immediately issue an order for Wei Tu, the garrison commander of Yulian County and concurrently the Minister of the Expeditionary Army, to lead the Lanzhou Army to quell the banditry and demonic disturbances in the six counties within three months."

Xu Hou cupped his hands in agreement.

Zheng Jun continued, "What changes have occurred in the political landscape?"

"Grand Commander, in the direction of Yunzhou, the Martial Saint of Yuandan and Governor-General Wang Chengdong has achieved a great victory by using the Rong to subdue the Rong, beheading 80,000 Rong and Di, and his army is advancing towards the border between the Eastern Yi and the Northern Rong."

Xu Houdao said: "However, under Governor Wang, General Du Hui, who was a master of the four realms, lost his way and failed to stop the Northern Rong army in time because the army got lost. Fearing punishment, he led his 50,000 troops south to escape."

"When General Du arrived at the border of Bozhou and Yunzhou, he took advantage of the absence of the prefects of Luxu County and captured Wuguang County on the spot, proclaiming himself 'General Supporting the Sky'."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun raised an eyebrow.

I don't even want to act anymore.

The general led 50,000 troops and fled all the way from the front line in the north to the rear base camp. The Yunzhou army were all fools; not one of them stopped them.
These 50,000 soldiers are so loyal to this general that not a single one of them was missing when they fled here; they all voluntarily followed him.
Since he became a rebel, why did he call himself "General Qingtian" and take no action after occupying Wuguang County?
Zheng Jun felt there was only one reason for all these actions.

Yunzhou is about to be moved as well.

It seems that the long-silent Prince Yan is about to bare his fangs to the outside world.

The reason why the King of Yan did not act earlier was because there was a great enemy in the north, and the Northern Rong were ambitious.

Now that Wang Chengdong has defeated the Northern Rong people, allowing the Prince of Yan to catch his breath, he naturally wants to set his sights on the south and formally join the battle for the throne.

Zheng Jun had only one thought about this.

Can the father-in-law handle it?
If my father-in-law can't hold on, can we ask our ancestor Cai Kang to come back and take over? He's a Yuan Dan Martial Saint after all. Forget about those two kings, Wei and Han. Our own house is about to be robbed!

"What is the situation in Jinzhou? What is the situation in Qingzhou? What is the situation in Suzhou? And what is the situation in the capital?" Zheng Jun asked.

The situation in the south is irrelevant, and there's no need for Zheng Jun to ask.

Let's ask ourselves four questions that relate to ourselves.

The two kings of Wei and Han in Jinzhou, the rebels in Qingzhou, the Western Di people in Suzhou, and the King of Qin in the capital.

These four points summarize the situation in the North.

“General, the battles in Jinzhou and the capital are both at a stalemate. It seems that the Prince of Zhao in Suzhou is negotiating with the Western Di and the war has now ended,” Xu Houdao said. “As for the situation in Qingzhou, Li Xutuo, who is known as the number one person below Yuandan, led his army westward to attack Zhai Qian, but was defeated by Zhang Chou.”

"Li Xutuo's westward army had only two thousand men left. When they returned eastward in disarray, they were killed by Qin Cunhai, and the Jiaodong region fell entirely into Qin Cunhai's hands."

Xu Houdao said, "The Prince of Qi in Linzi City has also made a move. Duke Wei Bohu of Guo State led an army of 200,000 to the east to confront Qin Cunhai; while the Prince of Qi himself led an army of 100,000 to attack Zhai Qian, seemingly wanting to bring Qingzhou under his control."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun nodded in agreement.

It seems that my close brother Shan Xiongyi, who is neither related to me nor has any connection with me and only knows how to scheme against each other, is about to get into trouble.

After defeating Li Xutuo by following Zhang Chou, they still had to face the King of Qi.

Now you're feeling bad, aren't you?

However, Zheng Jun still hoped from the bottom of his heart that Zhai Qian-Zhang Chou-Shan Xiongyi's gang could hold out a little longer.

After all, if the King of Qi were to join in, things would descend into utter chaos.

We must hold on!

"It seems the world is in turmoil, with constant warfare."

Zheng Jun sighed, "There was a time when the world was so peaceful, but now there are constant conflicts in various places, and people are displaced."

"Whether a dynasty rises or falls, the people suffer!"

Let's put together a small package.

The general trend of the world is inevitable.

Zheng Jun wasn't particularly looking forward to it, but he also wouldn't feel any regret about it.

This whole thing is just a ploy to create a persona of someone who "loves the people like his own children."

After all, besides Xu Hou, there were many other soldiers along the way.

The soldiers spread the word, and their personal image spread.

Upon hearing Zheng Jun's words, Xu Hou immediately understood and flattered him, saying, "The Grand Commander has the world in his heart. If all the princes and generals had the same compassionate heart as the Grand Commander, how could war have broken out and the people have been displaced?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun smiled slightly but didn't say anything more.

A wise person judges by actions, not intentions. Regardless of one's thoughts or deeds, the specific circumstances must be considered.

If the situation doesn't work, nothing you say will make a difference!
Zheng Jun said, "General Xu, you should focus on reorganizing the army. This time, the 'Ding Qin Army' will be the vanguard. We will see how General Xu performs. If he succeeds and defeats the enemy, I will petition His Majesty to reward him handsomely!"

"promise!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hou immediately turned and left to make arrangements for the Qin soldiers.

After Xu Hou left, Zheng Jun returned to his Grand Commandery. After arranging some government affairs, he calmed down and began to ponder the matter of the 'Great Dao Martial Book'.

The repayment progress of Yi Ri Liu Guang is now complete, but the problem lies in the lack of additional conditions.

He slew three dragon heads and ten demon heads that had attained enlightenment.

Now, Zheng Jun has calculated that he is only missing two dragons and two demons.

The dragons and demons clashed, which meant that he was actually two dragons short of reaching the Tongqiao realm.

Or perhaps, they are two external dragons and two demons with penetrating senses.

Where can we find this?

Zheng Jun couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache, after all, there were indeed not many dragons in the northern lands, making them difficult to search for.

Even Zheng Jun felt a little regretful.

I regret killing that half-fish, half-dragon creature in the Lian River. I should have raised it and killed it after it grew into a dragon.

"Undoubtedly, the place where the most dragons gather in the world is the waters of Jiangzhou... However, Jiangzhou is far away from here, requiring crossing the three prefectures of Bo, Jin, and Qing to reach it. Now that a great war is about to break out, going to Jiangzhou is not a wise decision."

Zheng Jun hesitated, thinking to himself, "The other place is the Northern Demon Court. After all, the Great Sage of the Northern Demon Court is a true dragon, and his offspring are naturally mostly dragons."

But the Northern Demon Court is different.

The Northern Demon Court has connections with the Northern Rong, and the Northern Demon Court has three great demon kings.

The Deer Demon King, one of the three great demon kings, also had a grudge against Zheng Jun...

"Grand Governor."

Just as Zheng Jun was deep in thought, Yu Shen strode over, cupped his hands to Zheng Jun, and said, "Grand Commander, in recent days, Master Liang has forged twenty-seven weapons, and I have also benefited from your kindness and obtained a new weapon!"

Yu Shen looked delighted; he genuinely seemed very happy.

"Ah."

Zheng Jun nodded, then suddenly remembered that Yu Shen was a local, and asked him, "Yu Shen, you are a local of Lanzhou, do you know where there is a dragon?"

"Dragon?"

Upon hearing Zheng Jun's question, Yu Shen was taken aback and immediately replied, "Grand Commander, Prefect Fang of Xinyi County has a relationship with the same Outer Fiend Dragon. The two often drink and make merry in the mansion."

"External Fiery Dragon?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun immediately nodded and then said, "Sure, are there any other dragons in the other counties of Lanzhou? If not, we can also talk about such rumors in Suzhou and Xuanzhou."

"As long as it doesn't go as far as the Western Regions, it's fine."

Upon hearing Zheng Jun's question, Yu Shen immediately pondered for a moment before speaking: "In Xuanzhou, I have heard of several dragons, but they fled one after another after Zhang Bengong started his rebellion; Suzhou originally had no dragons, but there were four or five evil dragons in the Western Di army who fought for the Western Di in Suzhou."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun's eyes lit up!
Yulian County, which is under my command, is located at the border of Suzhou and Xuanzhou. It would be perfect to enter Suzhou from Yulian County, slay the evil dragon, and return.

This time, the Western Di people marched south, bringing with them two Yuan Dan (a type of divine artifact).

One statue represents Hu Yang, the Chanyu of the Western Di, and the other represents the High Priest of the Western Di Shaman.

These two will inevitably confront King Zhao, and the location of the evil dragon needs to be carefully searched.

"Yu Shen, in that case, pass on my military order: after the army has pacified Batang and Ningyuan counties, it must not advance any further, and must not approach Ziyang, lest the enemy counterattack!"

Zheng Jun composed himself and immediately spoke.

Plans change.

Give Fang Ji some more time to make a breakthrough.

Zheng Jun needs to repay the debt of 'Radiant Sun' before he can integrate it into 'Formless Laws' to become stronger.

Zheng Jun's goal was to kill Fang Ji; simply defeating him wouldn't be of much use.

As for attacking Ningyuan, that was Zheng Jun's consideration.

After causing a great disturbance, the Lanzhou army naturally behaved differently.

Among them, Batang and Ningyuan counties are the most prominent.

I flew right past them and even killed their governor in Ningyuan County.

Their fear of themselves is probably the greatest.

Therefore, sending troops at this moment is the best course of action, and it is highly likely that these two counties can be captured swiftly.

As for the 200,000-strong army of Ziyang County, Gongyang Jin would not send troops at this time.

With morale low and his own secret departure leaving the enemy unaware of his whereabouts, how could the enemy dare to launch a military operation?
If he dares to do it, then he wins, and Zheng Jun will consider himself to have lost the bet.

Upon hearing Zheng Jun's words, Yu Shen immediately accepted the order.

After Yu Shen left, Zheng Jun transformed himself and walked out of the Grand Commander's Mansion.

Within fifteen days, slay the evil dragon and then return.

Zheng Jun set a deadline for himself.

Fifteen days from now, whatever the outcome, you must return!
Fifteen days is neither a long nor a short time.

That's quite in line with the required timeframe.

However, when Yu Shen informed Xu Hou of this news, Xu Hou's men were somewhat taken aback.

"General Xu, how should we proceed with the battle now?"

Wei Quan, dressed in armor, asked Xu Hou a question.

He was also somewhat at a loss, after all, this was the first time they had taken the initiative to attack without Zheng Jun's presence.

So I have a lot of ideas.

"This one……"

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Hou took a deep breath and said decisively, "Send troops to Batang and seize the initiative! The fact that the Grand Commander is not in the army is a top secret and must not be leaked. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

"There is no need to inform Prefect Wei and Prefect Dugu. It is enough for the three of us to know about this. No one else needs to know, especially Prefect Dugu, so as not to be indecisive."

Xu Hou let out a breath, seemingly easing his own pressure: "Wei Quan, I am appointing you as the vanguard of the southern expedition, to lead the Qin army to the rear of Batang and cut off Zhang Wen's supplies!"

"Yes!"

Xu Hou continued, "Yu Shen, go and inform Dugu Yuan that the Grand Commander has ordered him to lead his cavalry out, bypass Jingyuan County, and head towards Ningyuan County. Do not confront the enemy head-on; just put pressure on the enemy in Ningyuan County. Zhao Donglai is dead; do not allow him to leave the city to provide reinforcements!"

"Yes!"

Yu Shen accepted the order and left.

However, not long after the military order was issued, Yu Shen returned.

Upon seeing Yu Shen return, Xu Hou was taken aback: "Yu Shen, what else is there?"

"General Xu."

Yu Shen said in a low voice, "When I left the army camp, I happened to run into the scouts. They brought back a man. The man came from Batang County and claimed to be Zhang Wen's envoy. He said that Zhang Wen, the prefect of Batang County, admired the Grand Commander's divine might and wanted to surrender Batang County."

Xu Hou was taken aback upon hearing this.

Then wouldn't his arrangement be meaningless?
Before Xu Hou could speak, Yu Shen continued, "The envoy also said that Prefect Zhang is willing to feign defeat, first hand over Batang to our army, then flee to Ningyuan County, trick the city gates open, and then surrender Ningyuan County!"

Xu Hou: ?
can.

You, Zhang Wen, understand what progress means better than I, Xu Hou.

If the Grand Commander truly establishes himself as king, you will surely have a place among the Nine Ministers.

(End of this chapter)