Loan Wusheng

Chapter 220 Surrender without a fight, marching troops into the capital

Shenkang County will likely be removed from the list of Xinyi County.

With the earth's veins destroyed, the Xuan Tian demonic energy permeates the surroundings, and this place will likely become a land with scarce spiritual energy in the next ten years or so.

It will take nearly a hundred years for it to slowly regain its original spiritual energy.

or……

There is a Martial Saint of the Yuan Dan realm who is willing to spare no expense to help restore the earth's veins.

Or perhaps they use some kind of magical artifact.

But why bother?

Shenkang County is not located in a strategically important area.

If Li Xun hadn't lost his mind and inexplicably decided to station troops in Shenkang County, this small county would probably never have suffered this calamity.

The Qin soldiers who survived the garrison in Shenkang County all surrendered to the King of Han and were willing to serve him.

The leader was none other than Liang Xun, the general who had mastered the Qi-binding technique and had slain Li Xun.

Liang Xun, born into the powerful Liang clan of Guanzhong, was one of the two martial arts masters in the family who had reached the Qigong level.

Liang Shi had always been loyal to the ruler of Guanzhong. He had tolerated the rampage of demons and thought that Li Xun would eventually become wise and powerful again, but was just temporarily possessed by demons. However, Li Xun's actions this time were truly chilling.

That's why, in a state of extreme anger, he turned around and slashed Li Xun.

A ruler should treat his ministers with courtesy, and ministers should serve their ruler with loyalty.

Conversely, if a ruler treats his ministers like his own hands and feet, then the ministers will treat the ruler like their own heart and soul; if a ruler treats his ministers like dogs and horses, then the ministers will treat the ruler like a fellow countryman; if a ruler treats his ministers like dirt and weeds, then the ministers will treat the ruler like an enemy.

Meanwhile, the Han soldiers are now cleaning up the battlefield and erasing traces.

Wang Shuanzi, a junior officer of the Han Army's Cangdao Army, leaned against the ruins of the battlefield, carrying his ceremonial sword. He took a couple of breaths, feeling somewhat satisfied.

Beside Wang Shuanzi, a new recruit of the Cangdao Army gazed at the ruins of Shenkang County and couldn't help but whisper, "Captain, this King Qin is too terrifying! He actually killed his own people..."

"Therefore, in this chaotic world, following the right person is more important than anything else."

After rehydrating himself with water from the gourd, Wang Shuanzi said to the new recruits around him, "It is our good fortune to serve the Grand Chancellor! If we were to serve a lord like the King of Qin, we would truly suffer."

Compared to being addressed as "King," the lower-ranking soldiers preferred to call Zheng Jun by his official title.

Previously he was called Grand Commander, now he is called Grand Chancellor.

In reality, Zheng Jun was only the Right Chancellor; the Jinglong court also had a Left Chancellor, namely Lu Zhenglin.

However, none of these lower-ranking soldiers cared about this; they all addressed Zheng Jun as Grand Chancellor.

"Yes."

A new recruit, filled with emotion and a touch of excitement, exclaimed, "When we fought under Prince An, the Qin soldiers were incredibly ferocious, and many of our brothers died! Now that the Grand Chancellor has arrived, he's engaged in a one-on-one duel with the King of Qin! He's utterly thrashed the King of Qin! Fighting alongside the Grand Chancellor gives me peace of mind!"

This was certainly true for these soldiers.

It is very comfortable.

After all, which soldier wouldn't want their lord to be like this?

They didn't even attack; they just watched from the sidelines.

Upon hearing what the new recruit said, Wang Shuanzi chuckled lightly, feeling quite pleased with himself.

That's right, what do you greenhorns know? This is the real lord!

As the group was chatting, they suddenly saw a cloud of dust coming from outside, and the ground trembled slightly.

The new recruits were still somewhat confused, but Wang Shuanzi reacted immediately, becoming extremely vigilant and gripping his ceremonial sword tightly.

As a seasoned veteran who has seen many battles, Wang Shuanzi is well aware of the implications of such actions.

Cavalry is coming!
However, when he looked closely, he released his grip on the knife and said dismissively, "It's alright, it's just those Xianbei barbarians..."

The Xianbei barbarians were the Xianbei cavalrymen under Dugu Jing's command.

The soldiers of the Cangdao Army and Xiaoguo Army were all of Chinese descent. Although the Xianbei cavalry and other armies had the same treatment and organization under Zheng Jun's military system, Xianbei generals such as Dugu Yuan and Yu Shen were also frequently given important positions.

However, the Cangdao, Xiaoguo, and Dingqin armies still largely looked down on the Xianbei cavalry, a situation stemming from geographical habits that could not be changed.

"I heard that these Xianbei barbarians and the troops from the three commanderies attacked the main force of the Qin army together. I don't know what's going on now."

A squad leader standing nearby chimed in, "Judging by this, it must have been a great success."

Wang Shuanzi also looked towards the dust cloud and saw a few people clustered among the hundreds of cavalrymen.

The man's head was round like it had been cast in bronze, with bulging muscles on the back of his neck, a leopard-like head and ringed eyes, and his armor was covered in bloodstains. He looked like a fierce general, and it was said that he was a great bandit from Qingzhou, surnamed Shan.

The other person was clad in black armor and looked unremarkable, but his thin face exuded a cold and stern aura, and a murderous intent permeated the air. This person was said to also be from Qingzhou and his surname was Xu.

Another one is Dugu Jing, the commander of the Xianbei cavalry, whom they are quite familiar with and the governor of Yulian County.

Among the three was an old general who had been captured. His armor was torn, his hair and beard were dyed red, and there was a very conspicuous scar on his face, indicating that he had been injured recently.

"It seems that this guy from Qingzhou is quite capable."

After Wang Shuanzi sighed softly, he stopped paying attention to the area and ordered his soldiers, "Quickly clean up the battlefield! Strip all these armors, weapons, and such! Don't keep any for yourself, hand them over and distribute them uniformly! If you find any silver... I'll turn a blind eye if it's only three or five taels, but if it's three or four hundred taels, anyone who keeps it will be severely punished!"

"Quickly clean this place up. Once the battlefield is completely cleared, we'll follow the Grand Chancellor south to the capital city and see what it's like!"

……

Escorted by hundreds of Xianbei cavalry, Shan Xiong Yi, Xu Shi Mao, and Du Gu Yuan escorted Qin general Zhu Tai Ming towards the central army camp. They stopped in front of the camp, and Shan Xiong Yi, Xu Shi Mao, and Du Gu Yuan simultaneously cupped their hands and said, "Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty!"

Yu Shen, who was acting as a eunuch in front of the main tent, coughed lightly and immediately said, "The Prime Minister has issued an edict, please come in."

"promise."

The three generals immediately nodded and escorted Zhu Taiming into the tent.

Inside the military tent, Zheng Jun, dressed in a brand-new python robe, sat upright on a high platform, looking at the memorials from various places. He was a little overwhelmed. He glanced up at Zhu Taiming, who had been brought in, and then looked back at the defense of Shenjing City. He said, "Shan Xiongyi and Xu Shimao have done well. Shan Xiongyi is hereby promoted to Left General of Valiant Valor and Prefect of Xuanling County, and Xu Shimao is hereby promoted to Right General of Valiant Valor and Prefect of Sheling County."

"Thank you, Prime Minister."

Shan Xiong Yi and Xu Shi Mao bowed and thanked him at the same time. They were also good at judging the situation. Hearing Yu Shen mention the 'Prime Minister' earlier, they also mentioned the Prime Minister at this time.

"Ah."

Zheng Jun nodded, then looked up at Zhu Taiming and laughed, "You, the head of a martial arts sect, instead of teaching your disciples at the sect, are getting involved in such a major national affair. Aren't you courting your own destruction?"

The old general in front of me is none other than Zhu Taiming, the Supreme Ancestor of the Suspended Sword Sect, a peak Qi Opening Realm martial artist known as "Sword Qi Soaring to the Sky".

"Humph!"

Zhu Taiming was clearly unconvinced and angrily said, "I led my army on a rapid march to aid His Majesty, only to be ambushed by you on the way! My army didn't even have time to form a battle formation and was hastily defeated! If you have the guts, release me, and we can regroup and have a proper contest!"

Zhu Taiming was very angry.

Several months ago, Li Xun launched an unauthorized attack that failed. Zhu Taiming, who was besieging Xinyi County, immediately withdrew his troops, intending to go to Shenkang County to reinforce Li Xun. However, Li Xun issued an edict ordering Zhu Taiming to pass through Xinyi County and lead 50,000 troops north to attack Anlong County, harassing Zheng Jun's rear and causing Zheng Jun's rear to run out of supplies.

After Lu Zhenglin fought a great battle with Li Xun, upon hearing that Zheng Jun had left the pass, Li Xun urgently summoned Zhu Taiming for reinforcements. Zhu Taiming then urgently withdrew his troops from Anlong County, preparing to come to Shenkang County to aid Li Xun.

As a result, they fell right into Xu Shimao and Shan Xiongyi's ambush.

After Shan Xiong Yi and Xu Shi Mao assembled 120,000 troops, they did not come to the main battlefield in Shenkang County. Instead, they led their troops on a rapid march and set up an ambush in the Hanxiang Mountain area to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out.

In order to expedite the march, Zhu Taiming naturally did not allow his soldiers to wear armor while moving quickly. Therefore, the armor was almost always placed on the horses or carriages, or carried by auxiliary soldiers.

When they reached the Hanxiang Mountain area, they were ambushed. In their haste, they naturally did not have time to put on armor. As a result, the 50,000-strong army was routed by the 120,000 county soldiers led by Xu Shimao and Shan Xiongyi. Zhu Taiming, who was at the peak of the Tongqiao realm, was captured by Shan Xiongyi, Xu Shimao, and Dugu Jing.

Therefore, Zhu Taiming was very angry.

He was not a traditional military commander, so he didn't think it was his own problem. He only felt that Xu Shimao lacked martial ethics and was not a true hero.

Upon hearing Zhu Taiming's words, Zheng Jun couldn't help but chuckle.

Has this old man gone mad from practicing martial arts?

"Are you willing to surrender?"

Zheng Jun didn't say much and immediately asked.

"No surrender!"

Zhu Taiming held his head high, his eyes wide open, vowing never to surrender.

Upon seeing this, Liang Xun, a surrendered general of the King of Qin, prepared to persuade him to surrender.

After all, Liang Xun knew exactly what kind of person Li Xun was, and it wasn't worth dying for him.

Before Liang Xun could even speak, Zheng Jun's eyes narrowed, and he coldly ordered, "Push him away. Execute him!" "Take this traitor's head and march south to attack the city!"

In Zheng Jun's eyes, the peak of the Qi Opening stage was nothing special.

Although Zheng Jun did not have any generals of that rank, Zhu Taiming was completely ignorant of military affairs and could be easily manipulated by a renowned general like Xu Shimao. Even if he were recruited, he would only be kept by his side and would be of little use.

Upon receiving Zheng Jun's order, Wei Quan, who was standing nearby, did not hesitate at all. He immediately stepped forward and escorted Zhu Taiming away from the main tent.

A few dozen breaths later, Wei Quan returned carrying Zhu Taiming's head.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Jun immediately nodded slightly: "Not bad."

Seeing Zheng Jun's decisive and ruthless actions, none of the generals present dared to speak.

Xu Shimao felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that Zheng Jun's decisive and ruthless demeanor was truly not just empty boasting.

"How is the reorganization of the various military units progressing?"

After Zhu Taiming was beheaded, Zheng Jun looked around and immediately asked, "Is it possible to head south and attack the capital?"

"Prime Minister."

Xu Hou then spoke up, “I have now assembled here with more than 39,000 Cangdao soldiers, more than 46,000 Xiaoguo soldiers, 80,000 Dingqin soldiers, about 100,000 soldiers from various prefectures, and about 20,000 surrendered soldiers from Guanzhong who are still capable of fighting, for a total of more than 280,000 troops.”

Zheng Jun has a large number of troops he can gather, so he doesn't need to defend too much of the local area.

Because Bozhou and Xuanzhou are allies, and Wu Liyang is keeping an eye on King Zhao in Suzhou, King Zhao dares not launch a large-scale attack. Now, the state has natural barriers of mountains and forests, so it would be extremely difficult to advance if an army wanted to come.

As for the King of Chu in Chuzhou, he would not rashly advance his troops if he did not want to be attacked from both sides.

Therefore, Zheng Jun's army in Lanzhou numbered about 400,000, and he could mobilize nearly 300,000 troops to march south, unlike Li Xun's eastern expedition which was characterized by hesitation and only brought 100,000 troops.

Zheng Jun said, "That's excellent. Leave the county troops to clean up the battlefield, and order the Qin army to be the vanguard and launch an attack!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hou paused for a moment, then said, "Prime Minister, Shenjing is the largest city in the world. If we want to attack the city, our army needs to pass through a pass called 'Chongshan Pass'."

In fact, there are passes in all eight directions of Shenjing.

This was to prevent foreign enemies from attacking Shenjing.

However, Zheng Jun came from the northeast, so the only pass he faced was Chongshan Pass.

When Prince Li Xun of Qin conquered Shenjing, he only managed to break through the western pass, 'Langu Pass'. After Shenjing fell, the Crown Prince fled south to Luoshui Pass, which was the southern gateway to Shenjing.

After Li Xun captured Shenjing, he only controlled five of the eight passes.

But this 'Chongshan Pass' is indeed a difficult problem for Zheng Jun.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Jun immediately looked around at everyone and asked, "Gentlemen, does anyone have a plan to break through the barrier?"

Xu Shimao had already prepared a plan.

When he arrived, he already knew Zheng Jun's purpose, so he naturally knew that the next target was 'Chongshan Pass'. He immediately stepped forward and said, "Prime Minister, among these eight passes, Chongshan Pass is built against the mountain. If we were to attack it..."

Before Xu Shimao could finish speaking, a sudden, urgent report came from outside: "Report—"

He immediately interrupted Xu Shimao's speech.

Zheng Jun looked up and saw Yu Shen taking the military report and walking towards the main tent. Yu Shen cupped his hands to Zheng Jun and said, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, an urgent report from Chongshan Pass: After learning of the Qin rebels' defeat and death, the Chongshan Pass garrison commander 'Winged Tiger' ate seven or eight hundred soldiers of Chongshan Pass and then left triumphantly. The soldiers of Chongshan Pass were in chaos, and after several outer generals discussed the matter, they surrendered to our army!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shimao's mind went blank for a moment.

what?
Xu Shimao had only one thought in his mind.

In order to break through Chongshan Pass, he has been thinking of ways to conquer it every day for the past ten days. He thought his plan was foolproof, but you're telling me that the garrison commander ran away?
"good."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun chuckled and continued, "Dugu Jing, you lead the cavalry to Chongshan Pass first to secure the hub of our army. Once our main force arrives, we can launch an offensive against Shenjing!"

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Jing immediately bowed and accepted the order, leaving without a moment's delay.

Zheng Jun, however, was quite understanding of what happened at Chongshan Pass.

Those who rely on demons will inevitably be devoured by them.

In the past, King Li Xun of Qin was a Yuan Dan Martial Saint with formidable power. The Tongqiao demons of the North were naturally overjoyed and came to serve Li Xun, hoping to rely on his strength to seek their own benefits and commit cannibalistic acts.

This 'Winged Tiger' was one of the demons who had reached the Mind Realm, and it wanted to take advantage of the power of King Qin, Li Xun, to eat more people.

Now that Li Xun had been defeated, the demon naturally did not think it could be a match for Zheng Jun. Therefore, before leaving, it devoured seven or eight hundred Qin soldiers and disappeared into the mountains, never to hear of the King of Qin again.

Demons have no sense of shame; they betray others, so what?

The capital city must be just as bustling.

Seeing this, Xu Shimao dropped the pretense and bowed directly, saying, "Your Majesty's virtue is majestic and your divine might is awe-inspiring. The general guarding Chongshan Pass surrendered without a fight. This is the favor of Heaven, proving that the Mandate of Heaven has been bestowed upon you! Your Majesty, with your dragon-like spirit and tiger-like vision, you should lead your army to sweep across the eight directions and soon capture the capital! We, your subjects, are willing to give our lives and follow Your Majesty to achieve unparalleled merit!"

Shan Xiong Yi, standing to the side, was dumbfounded.

When did my brother become so eloquent?
However, after a moment, he also realized what was happening and bowed his head, saying, "Your subject... Your subject is the same!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun was immediately in a much better mood.

At this moment, he was too lazy to comprehend anything about 'Wildfire Splits', and immediately waved his hand, his eyes bright and clear:

"Raise your troops and march on the capital!"

……

The capital city was shrouded in an aura of death.

Inside the main hall of the Taiji Palace, which represents supreme power, Li Xun sat on the dragon throne, his body surging with demonic energy. His black armor was torn, revealing hideous wounds. The excruciating pain from the cracks in his Yuan Dan made his face pale, but his crimson pupils still swept over the people in the hall like a demon.

Fifteen figures stood in the hall.

On the left, led by Zhou Tong, the former garrison commander of Shenjing and a third-stage Qi Refining Realm expert known as "Iron Arm," there were nine human Qi Refining Realm warriors.

On the right, there are six powerful demons, including a beautiful woman with a jade-faced fox spirit as their leader.

Seeing Li Xun's condition, both the human warriors and the Great Demon of the Aperture Realm keenly realized one thing.

Lanzhou has likely suffered a major defeat!
If Li Xun is able to return, then the situation in Lanzhou can probably be described as him barely escaping with his life!
"His Majesty……"

Just as Zhou Tong was about to speak, he saw Li Xun suddenly smash the armrest of the dragon throne, and demonic energy shot out like a venomous snake!
"I know what you're thinking. I haven't been defeated yet!"

Li Xun's roar shook the dust off the beams, and he sternly said, "Zheng Jun only succeeded by luck. After I have rested for a while, I will definitely extract his soul and refine his spirit!"

It would have been better if we hadn't said anything, because once we did, we were truly defeated.

A flicker of shock crossed Zhou Tong's lowered eyelids. His knuckles, clenched in a fist, turned slightly white from the force of his grip. He thought to himself, "The King of Qin is so useless, he's already defeated?! It seems opening the city gates to welcome him was a bad thing… I wonder what choice Zheng Jun, who has enthroned King Jing, will make. If I open the city gates again, will I be able to…"

Although the other generals who opened the city gate with Zhou Tong remained outwardly calm, their thoughts were exactly the same as Zhou Tong's.

They were able to open the city gate once to welcome Li Xun into the city.

Now, naturally, the city gates can be opened a second time to welcome Zheng Jun into the city.

Since we're already burdened with infamy, a few more lice won't bite.

The six demons were terrified when they heard Li Xun's words.

The fox demon, disguised as a beautiful woman, feigned wiping away tears and sobbed, "If Your Majesty needs blood offerings to heal your wounds, I can offer three thousand boys and girls, all of whom I have raised very well."

However, in his heart, he began to calculate: 'This person is no longer of any use. I might as well devour his flesh and blood. After all, he is at the Yuan Dan realm. Eating his flesh should help my cultivation improve. I wonder how badly he was injured...'

Just as the beautiful fox spirit was speaking, Li Xun slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Don't think I don't know what you're planning!"

The moment Li Xun slammed his hand on the table, the floor tiles of the entire Xuan Room shattered inch by inch, and the Xuan Tian demonic energy swept through the hall like a boiling black tide.

However, the pupils of the six demons suddenly contracted.

They are extremely sensitive to demonic energy, and at this moment they have keenly sensed that although this demonic energy is ferocious, it no longer possesses the unique overwhelming power of a Yuan Dan Martial Saint. Instead, it resembles the dying struggle of a peak Tong Qiao cultivator!
"Your Majesty, calm down!"

The jade-faced fox demon suddenly giggled and took three steps forward, her fingertips glowing with eerie blue demonic flames. Her voice, however, abruptly turned cold: "Your Xuan Tian Demonic Qi has always been ferocious, so how come now... even my 'Bone-Corroding Demonic Flame' can't suppress it?!"

Before he could finish speaking, the demonic fire had already transformed into chains and wrapped around Li Xun's neck!

As they attacked, the jade-faced fox shouted fiercely, "Attack together! Kill Li Xun, devour the flesh and blood of this Yuan Dan! After we're done, we'll all go home. What do we care about the human civil war? If Zheng Jun has the guts, let him come after us in the Northern Demon Court!"

Upon hearing this, the other five demons immediately became restless.

Li Xun was already furious.

"How dare this wicked beast harm me?!"

(End of this chapter)