Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

at dusk.

When Chen Jie returned to the military camp in Jinling, the training of Ximentang's army had already ended.

but,

The atmosphere in the military camp was very lively at this time, with everyone gathered together in a bustling and exciting atmosphere.

"Go! Go!"

The sounds rose and fell, and many people cheered excitedly.

Hearing the sound from a great distance, Chen Jie couldn't help but laugh.

Ah Man set up a 'battle arena' in the military camp again, letting the elites of Ximen Hall start sparring.

Ximentang was stationed in the military camp in Jinling.

Under normal circumstances, they are not allowed to go out without permission and all train in the military camp.

and,

During this period, Ximentang recruited many martial arts masters.

People in the martial arts world enjoy fighting and are quick to resort to violence to resolve any issues.

in addition,

The military regulations of Ximentang are very strict. Most of the people who join Ximentang's military camp are young people who are energetic, fierce in combat, and hot-tempered.

If you disagree, you can start a one-on-one fight!
Moreover, there are no women in the military camp, so these young men need to release their energy, which they can only do through fighting and brawling.

During regular training, Ximentang has strict rules that prohibit conflicts.

but,

After training, it's inevitable that there will be private sparring sessions.

Chen Jie was naturally aware of what was happening inside the Ximentang military camp.

Young people need to release their energy; they should never be suppressed, otherwise problems are likely to arise.

It is better to block than to open up!

The best approach is to guide them, enabling these江湖人 (jianghu people, people from all walks of life) to better integrate into military life.

then,

At Aman's request, the [Battle Arena] was thus created.

Anyone who gets into a conflict with someone else during training can go to the ring after training to fight and resolve the issue.

Furthermore, the internal mechanism of Ximen Hall emphasizes martial arts competitions!

The [Battle Arena] is fair, just, and transparent, regardless of rank.

Regardless of any opinions or disagreements, you can step onto the [Battle Arena] to challenge and compete.

However, there's one thing: once we leave the arena, we're all brothers, and we can't let things get messy.

of course,

To avoid casualties, once you enter the [Battle Arena], you can only fight hand-to-hand; the use of swords and other weapons is not allowed.

There are referees on the [Battle Arena] to supervise the proceedings.

Whoever falls off the arena loses. Or, if a person falls and the referee pauses the match and counts to ten but they still cannot get up, they are also considered to have lost!
Strikes to vital organs are not permitted. The referee has supreme authority and can suspend the fight at any time.

The rules for the "Battle Arena" in Ximentang's military camp were met with great enthusiasm from all the soldiers.

Those in the martial arts world, in particular, cheered with joy.

People from the martial arts world are easily bullied, competitive, and prone to resorting to violence to solve problems.

If you can subdue him, he'll be willing to risk his life for you.

Therefore,
After training each day, many soldiers would gather at the Battle Arena, vying to go up there.

Besides resolving internal disputes, they also engaged in martial arts competitions to learn from each other.

This is a unique feature of the Ximentang army: whoever is stronger in combat is more respected.

The bigger the fist, the heavier it is.

of course,

The overall combat system of Ximentang emphasizes discipline and coordination between various weapons.

The strength of an army's combat effectiveness is not significantly related to the individual's fighting ability.

In addition, the martial arts skills of people in the Jianghu are generally very high, and their level of martial arts power exertion far exceeds that of ordinary Ximen Hall elite soldiers.

Therefore,
The martial arts practitioners who have recently joined the Ximen Hall's military camp generally have higher individual combat skills than the elite soldiers who were previously with Ximen Hall.

One of them, a martial arts expert named Antique, was at the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm. He joined the Ximen Hall less than two months ago and became invincible.

After following Aman to Jinling, he dominated the [Battle Arena] for thirty-nine rounds, defeating no one in the Ximen Hall military camp, and was a notorious troublemaker.

Even in the [Battle Arena], Antique once fought against five opponents.

All of Aman's elite troops, including Aman himself, were defeated by Gu Dong.

If Ximen Tang's individual martial arts prowess were ranked, Gu Dong's martial arts level would undoubtedly be number one.

He was the only martial arts master in Ximen Tang's army to break through to the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm.

Upon hearing the news, Chen Jie's interest was greatly piqued.

A thousand soldiers are easy to find, but a worthy opponent is hard to come by!
During this period of time, he has been practicing martial arts diligently to consolidate his martial arts power level.

Since Yang Xihe, the leader of the Cao Gang, left Jinling, Chen Jie has not sparred with anyone again.

Upon hearing that a master had appeared in the military camp, he couldn't resist the urge to fight.

Upon arriving at the military camp, Chen Jie saw that Gu Dong had once again defeated his opponent. Without saying a word, he went straight to the [Battle Arena] to fight Gu Dong hand-to-hand.

Although the antique's martial arts level is at the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm, it is skilled in fist techniques.

but,

Chen Jie had killed Sarutobi Sasaki, a Japanese ninja who had reached the "Mastery of Marrow Transformation and Energy Conversion" level.

Although his martial arts prowess is only at the "Great Perfection of Iron Bone Dark Strength" level, his actual combat strength is stronger than that of a martial artist at the "Great Perfection of Marrow Transformation Strength Late Stage".

Unless he encounters a top-tier genius like Li Lingyue and receives training from a top-tier master like the 'Sword Master of the Startling Clouds', Chen Jie is slightly inferior.

not to mention,
Chen Jie's current Refinement of Spirit realm is at the late stage of Guarding the Aperture.

The outcome of their martial arts duel was entirely predictable.

In less than two minutes, Gu Dong was knocked down by Chen Jie three times, and fell off the [Battle Arena] twice.

As an ancient artifact at the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm, it was naturally unconvinced.

He repeatedly stepped onto the 'battle arena' to challenge Chen Jie.

unfortunately,

The gap in combat power between the two sides was too great. Under Chen Jie's 'late stage of guarding the acupoint' spiritual perception, Gu Dong simply did not have the strength to turn the tide.

The five-minute martial arts competition ended.

The antique was completely defeated. Even if he desperately unleashed his killing moves, they were useless against Chen Jie.

After this battle.

Only then did all the soldiers of Ximen Hall realize the power of the 'Young Master'!

Invincible!

Indeed, in everyone's eyes, the 'Young Master' is truly invincible.

Even someone as strong as an antique was powerless against the young master's fist.

Originally, everyone admired the 'Young Master' very much, but after this martial arts competition, everyone was filled with even more awe for him.

All the newly recruited martial arts figures also expressed the highest respect for Chen Jie.

The rule of the martial arts world is that whoever has the strongest fist is the one who holds the truth.

As a result,
Chen Jie left a mark on these elites, which made things much easier for him, requiring almost no effort.

After the martial arts competition, Chen Jie was preparing to take a medicinal bath.

At this time,

Ah Man came to his side and whispered, "Young master, intelligence from Suzhou Prefecture has arrived."

When Meng Hu led 5,000 elite Ximen Hall troops into Suzhou Prefecture, they encountered many obstacles.

Especially at the beginning, the Suzhou government actually prevented Ximentang's army from entering the city, which puzzled Chen Jie greatly.

Why did the Jiangnan Textile Bureau prevent Ximentang from entering the city?

All along,
Chen Jie never went to the imperial court and never participated in the internal struggles of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Why is Wang Lunzheng of the Suzhou Textile Bureau picking a fight with Ximentang?
Now Meng Hu has led his army into Suzhou Prefecture and taken full control of the city's defenses.

Chen Jie still had high praise for Meng Hu's work style.

Before clarifying the situation, Meng Hu did not act rashly, but instead proceeded step by step.

Is there still a need for the Jiangnan Textile Bureau to exist?

However, after thinking about it, Chen Jie still told Xu Shichang about what Wang Lunzheng had done.

After all, Xu Shichang was the Minister of War of the Great Qian Dynasty, and it would be more appropriate for him to handle matters within the court.

When Xu Shichang learned that Wang Lunzheng dared to prevent Ximentang from entering the city, he was so angry that he cursed loudly.

He promised Chen Jie that as soon as he returned to Beijing, he would definitely submit a memorial to Wang Lunzheng.

of course,

Wang Lunzheng was, after all, an imperial envoy, so he requested that Ximen Tang not take any action against him for the time being, and that the emperor should make the final decision.

Chen Jie didn't care, of course. He wasn't just targeting Wang Lunzheng, but wanted to kick the entire Jiangnan Textile Bureau out of Jiangnan.

Since Ximen Tang controls the entire southern Jiangsu and Songjiang Prefecture, what's the point of keeping the Jiangnan Textile Bureau?
Chen Jie took the military report from Meng Hu and read it carefully for a moment. The rebels had regrouped and were preparing for a second attack on Suzhou Prefecture!
original,

The last time Shi Jingtang led an army of 80,000 to attack Suzhou Prefecture, he was caught off guard and was routed by Ximen Tang, suffering heavy losses.

but,

It was because of this battle that Shi Jingtang learned that Ximen Hall in Suzhou Prefecture only had five thousand men.

then,

Unwilling to accept defeat, he quickly mobilized elite troops from Hangzhou, Ningbo, and other places to prepare for another attack on Suzhou Prefecture and avenge his previous humiliation.

After reading the military report, Chen Jie couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Now or never!

Unexpectedly, Shi Jingtang dared to gather troops and attack Suzhou Prefecture again.

During this period, Chen Jie deliberately acted very leisurely and carefree in Jinling City.

Because he knew that many elite members of the Green Gang were lurking in Jinling Prefecture.

Therefore,
Chen Jie did this on purpose, so that the rebels would think that he had lowered his guard and would not attack Hangzhou so quickly.

Unexpectedly, Shi Jingtang was unwilling to accept defeat and actually mobilized 100,000 troops from Hangzhou Prefecture to prepare for a full-scale attack on Suzhou Prefecture.

As a result,
The entire military force of Hangzhou Prefecture in eastern Zhejiang was mobilized, leaving the defenses vulnerable.

At this time, attacking Hangzhou Prefecture would be effortless.

Chen Jie immediately ordered the mobilization of elite troops stationed in Nanjing.

The artillery battalion, reconnaissance battalion, and so on, and convened a meeting of all key generals, Ximen Tang will quickly send troops to take Hangzhou Prefecture!
That's right,

Taking advantage of the fact that the troops in Hangzhou Prefecture had been mobilized.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and Ximen Tang seized this opportunity to sweep through Hangzhou Prefecture.

This time, the troops consisted of 20,000 men.

Ten thousand of them were elite troops transferred from Songjiang Prefecture, along with five thousand supply troops specifically for transporting weapons and ammunition.

A force of 25,000 men is enough to take Hangzhou.

Chen Jie left 10,000 troops in Jinling City to prevent his base from being raided.

Chen Jie had been waiting for this opportunity for so long.

Although a direct assault on Hangzhou Prefecture in eastern Zhejiang is possible, Ximen Tang's fighting strength would be sufficient to capture it.

but,

The battle losses will be very high.

To avoid battle losses, the right timing is essential.

That evening, after Chen Jie held a meeting to distribute the battle plan, he immediately ordered all the elite troops to prepare overnight and set off the next morning.

Simultaneously,

He sent someone to explain his plan to Xu Shichang before setting out the next morning, in order to avoid any misjudgment by the Ministry of War.

Upon receiving news of Chen Jie's plan to send troops, Xu Shichang was so excited he almost jumped for joy.

Ximentang has finally begun to send out troops!

During this period, he was under a lot of pressure, but he didn't dare to ask Chen Jie for anything and could only wait patiently.

and,

Chen Jie had someone notify him, which shows that Chen Jie respected him.

Throughout the entire city of Jinling, only Xu Shichang knew Chen Jie's next plan, and he was naturally very happy.

Fortunately, Chen Jie was not under the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty and was not under the jurisdiction of Xu Shichang.

Therefore,
Even though many people within the imperial court had reservations about Ximentang's failure to send troops to quell the rebellion.

But no one said anything to Xu Shichang, because everyone knew that although Xu Shichang was the Minister of War, he could not control Ximen Tang.

After waiting for so long, Ximentang finally decided to send troops to eastern Zhejiang, and Xu Shichang breathed a sigh of relief.

Based on his understanding of Ximentang, he knew that if Chen Jie decided to send troops, he must be certain of victory.

Therefore, Ximentang was confident of victory in this attack on Hangzhou.

After informing Xu Shichang, Chen Jie specifically requested that the announcement be made citywide in Nanjing only at noon.

While Xu Shichang was holding a meeting in Nanjing, Ximentang had already set off for Hangzhou to quell the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang.

-

At noon.

A large mansion at the south gate of Jinling.

In a secret room, Kou San Niang, the leader of the Green Gang, and Nakajima Shinobu of the Japanese Black Dragon Society had already received the news.

Ximentang has sent out troops!

The Green Gang was in an uproar.

The Green Gang had been operating in the Jiangnan region for many years, and had strongholds not only along the Qinhuai River.

There are many secret outposts in Jinling City, and there are many informants in all walks of life, even in the Daqian Military Ministry garrison in Jinling City.

Almost nothing in Nanjing could escape the notice of the Green Gang's spies.

Any matter concerning the Ministry of War and its officials within the imperial court, as long as a resolution is reached.

Then,

The Green Gang will definitely get the news within an hour.

The Green Gang has infiltrated deeply into all factions within Jinling City.

Unfortunately, after Ximentang moved into Nanjing...

The Green Gang has never been able to infiltrate the Ximen Hall.

Therefore,
The outside world had no idea about Ximentang's troop deployment.

Although neither the Green Gang nor the Black Dragon Society dared to assassinate Chen Jie easily, they had thoroughly investigated his whereabouts in Jinling City.

Unless Chen Jie enters the military camp, no outsider can infiltrate it.

As long as Chen Jie wandered around Jinling City, no matter how small or big his actions were, he was followed.

During this period, Chen Jie was very leisurely every day, showing no signs of sending troops, which made the Green Gang and Black Dragon Society lower their guard.

therefore,

Kou Sanniang always believed that Chen Jie did not want to send troops to Zhejiang East to quell the rebellion because he did not want the imperial court to benefit from it.

This situation is easy to understand.

Because, in essence, the Ximen Hall, like the Green Gang, was a 'righteous group' and not affiliated with the Ministry of War of the Imperial Court.

Preserving one's strength is a normal practice; no one would easily deplete their power.

then,

When Shi Jingtang was defeated in Suzhou Prefecture, he once again requested to gather troops, but Kou Sanniang did not say much.

She also wanted to take advantage of the rest and recuperation of the West Gate Hall in Jinling City to launch a full-scale attack on Suzhou Prefecture.

Once Suzhou Prefecture is captured, it will be able to leverage Jinling City to negotiate with Ximen Tang and secure the greatest possible benefits.

During this period, only Shinobu Nakajima of the Black Dragon Society believed that Chen Jie of the Ximen Hall was putting on a relaxed demeanor and had ulterior motives, so they had to be on high alert.

unfortunately,

She was merely the head of the Black Dragon Society in Daqian, and had a cooperative relationship with the Green Gang. She could not influence the Green Gang's internal decisions.

After seeing that Kou Sanniang agreed to let Shi Jingtang mobilize 100,000 troops from Hangzhou to re-attack Suzhou.

Shinobu Nakajima could only sigh and say nothing more.

The key point is that this is just her judgment, a woman's intuition, and it has no persuasive power.

More importantly, after the Green Gang launched its rebellion, some internal problems arose, and it was necessary to continuously expand in order to resolve these internal conflicts.

Attacking Suzhou Prefecture was the best way for the Green Gang to resolve its internal conflicts.

Therefore,
Nakajima Shinobu naturally couldn't interfere in the Green Gang's internal affairs, otherwise, if he were suspected, the cooperation between the Black Dragon Society and the Green Gang would likely come to an end.

She needs to cooperate with the Green Gang until she achieves her goal.

Following Xu Shichang's announcement today, Ximentang dispatched troops early this morning to attack Hangzhou Prefecture.

Unexpectedly, the Green Gang didn't receive the news until noon.

all of a sudden,

The Green Gang was in complete turmoil.

hiss--!
Upon hearing this news, Kou San Niang couldn't help but gasp.

Why would Ximentang choose this time to suddenly send troops to attack Hangzhou Prefecture?

It should be noted that at this time, the garrison in Hangzhou Prefecture numbered less than 30,000.

Originally, Hangzhou was the stronghold of the rebels, with a garrison of over 150,000 troops.

The last time Shi Jingtang led his army to attack Suzhou Prefecture, he had already mobilized 30,000 troops, and another 50,000 troops from other places, for a total of 80,000.

This time, Shi Jingtang once again mobilized 100,000 troops for a full-scale attack on Suzhou Prefecture.

The defenses of Hangzhou Prefecture are currently weak, and with less than 30,000 troops, they are simply no match for Ximen Tang's attack.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ximentang suddenly attacked Hangzhou Prefecture.

As a result,
Hangzhou Prefecture is utterly incapable of resisting and will inevitably fall. (End of Chapter)